Chapter Two: Sunshine and Rain
"What are you doing?" Robbie groaned as he stepped foot into the kitchen. He noticed the blonde busily cooking away not noticing his presence. The curly haired boy dragged his feet towards the island and poured himself a cup of coffee. He took a sip of the warm drink and yawned a little drawing the attention of Sam.
"What's up Robenstein?" She asked, turning off the stove and placing the contents from the pan into a plate.
The boy shrugged his shoulders as he plopped down on a chair. He let out another yawn of exhaustion from the events of last night as he turned on the TV. The blonde chuckled as she took a bite of her omelette. Both friends sat in comfortable silence before Freddie emerged from his bedroom fully dressed.
"Hey guys." He greeted energetically as he opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of orange juice.
"You're looking a little enthusiastic." Sam noted, staring at the boy, "Care to share what's up?"
The brunette boy stared at the pair before looking around to make sure no one else was around. He took a seat next to Sam before whispering in her ear, "Okay, but you have to promise to not tell anyone." She nodded as Freddie opened his mouth only to be interrupted by Cat and Jade stepping into the kitchen.
"Hey guys." They each greeted as Jade went to grab herself a cup of coffee as well. The redhead smiled as she gave her boyfriend a peck on the cheek and grabbed a bagel. The sound of an alarm rang through the kitchen causing the curly haired boy to groan and bang his head on the tabletop.
"Have to go down to the mine?" Jade joked as Robbie simply glared at her and trudged back into his room to get ready. The pale brunette took a sip of her coffee and asked, "Am I the only one not working today?"
"Well I'm off as well." Cat noted before exclaiming, "We should go shopping!" Jade slightly groaned, knowing Cat's craze of clothes shopping, but she agreed figuring she had nothing else to do.
"You can count me in as well." Sam added.
"Wait, wait, wait." Freddie exclaimed as the girls looked at him, "You're telling me you three are off while Robbie and I have to go work long, boring hours."
"What can I say, girls run the world." Jade exclaimed as the other two cheered and gave each other high fives.
The brunette boy chuckled as he playfully ruffled her hair. "Whatever you say Beyoncé, I've got to run. Catch you guys later."
"Later, Benson." The blonde exclaimed as Freddie gave Cat a quick peck on the lips and walked out the door. The three girls sat at the table before a worrisome Robbie dashed out of his room.
"Okay I can't find my car keys." He exclaimed on the verge of a panic attack, "I've looked everywhere and I can't find them.
"Check your pockets." Jade said casually, enjoying her warm drink.
The curly haired boy scoffed as he reached into his pockets, "I'm telling you that I lost-" He managed to say before he pulled out the keys he turned his room upside down looking for. "What would I do without you?"
"Cry." She joked, checking her watch, "You might want to hurry."
"Right." Robbie exclaimed as he gave Jade a thankful peck on the forehead and ran out the door.
The curly haired boy rushed into the office sweaty and tired. He quickly dropped his satchel to the ground as he signed onto his computer a minute late much to his frustration. He saw his manager walking towards his desk causing him to groan internally.
"Mr. Shapiro." The blonde exclaimed swiping on her tablet, "I clocked you signing in a minute late."
"Ms. Parker I can-"
"Do you want this job?" She asked curtly, not wanting to hear another excuse. The brunette boy nodded as fast as his head could move. She looked at him intently before cautioning, "That's what I assumed. Let me make myself clear, the next time I catch you coming in late; you won't get a second chance. There are ten other interns that come ON TIME going after the same job as you. So the question is Mr. Shapiro, how badly do you want this?"
"I understand." The curly haired boy choked out as the blonde walked away. Robbie blew out a breath as he sagged in his chair. He was a second away from being fired and that left an uneasy feeling in his stomach.
"Rough night?" A voice asked, startling him. He looked to see his ex-girlfriend standing behind his desk as he blew out a sigh of relief.
"You can say that again." He noted looking at her sympathetic expression, "What do you want Tori?"
She raised her eyebrow as she stared at him, "Whoa, what's all the snappiness about?"
He shook his head and blew out a long breath. The curly haired boy looked at the brunette and explained, "I almost got fired."
"I'm sorry." She replied, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder subconsciously. The curly haired boy looked at her hand and then back at her as she quickly moved it away and cleared her throat, "So what are you going to do?"
He simply shrugged his shoulders, "Actually doing work is a start, something I'm not doing right now."
"Sorry, I'll leave you to it." She replied sheepishly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Wait." The curly haired boy called out as she turned around, "What did you want to talk to me about?"
She looked at him for a minute before shaking her head, "Nothing, it can wait." Robbie simply nodded as the tanned girl walked away and assumed her seat in the cubicle in front of his. The pair couldn't help but exchange a few glances unbeknownst by the other as they worked away.
Freddie walked through the office as he noticed the other associates looking at him as they whispered amongst each other. He simply shrugged it off as he walked over to his secretary who wore a nervous look on her face.
"You too?" Freddie groaned, "Okay, I feel like I'm the guy who didn't hold his peace at wedding. Something I should know about?" He joked as the dark haired girl looked up at him seriously.
"Mr. Malone wants to see you." She explained, much to the curiousness of the brunette boy, "He didn't say why."
"Well I guess we're going to find out aren't we." He whispered out as he took the elevator up and made his way towards the office. He knocked on the glass door as he was gestured to come in. The brunette boy blew out a little nervous breath as he stepped into an office overlooking downtown Los Angeles.
"You uh… wanted to see me?" Freddie asked. He could feel his hands sweating a little as he wiped them on his dress pants.
"Take a seat." The older man responded. Freddie sat down as his boss stared at him intently. The brunette boy cleared his throat as he tried to avoid looking back at him. The man grabbed a folder and opened it up. "I took a look at your last case."
"Look I can explain-" Freddie stated before he was interrupted, "Enough." The man closed the folder before tossing it to him, "Did you really think I wasn't going to know the stunt you almost pulled off?"
"Mr. Malone, I can assure you that I only did what I thought was-"
"Necessary?" He responded finishing Freddie's sentence. The brunette boy gulped a little as he began to panic slightly.
"Look sir please don't fire me-"
"Fire you? Are you insane?" He exclaimed, much to the confusion of Freddie, "What makes you think I would want to fire you?"
The brunette boy's furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at him, "But you said that-"
"Lighten up son." His boss said, a grin forming on his face, "You did something I've been waiting to see from the rest of the associates. Never have I seen someone almost commit perjury just to win a case. Not only a case, but one of the biggest cases we've ever had to close. I don't say this a lot, but I'm impressed."
"You are?" Freddie asked relieved.
"It takes guts to put yourself on the line to protect this firm and loyalty should always be rewarded." Mr. Malone noted as he poured two glasses of scotch. He handed one to the boy as he grinned, "You are a valuable member of this firm and it is time for you take it up a level."
"You mean-"
"How does working alongside me as my personal associate sound?" He asked much to the excitement and shock of Freddie. The brunette boy was speechless as he simply nodded. The older man grinned as he took a swig of his drink, "Then it's settled then."
"Just one question." Freddie asked, curiously. The older man nodded as he continued, "Why did you want me to meet you here instead of your office?"
Mr. Malone simply smiled as he walked towards the door before turning around, "I felt it would make for a better moment to give you your promotion in your new office." The brunette boy looked at the managing partner in shock for the second time as he saw him walk away. Freddie looked around the office before paging his secretary,
"Harley, grab your things. We just got promoted." The brunette placed the phone down as he stared outside the window to an amazing view. "This day couldn't get any better."
"This is so cute!" Cat exclaimed, looking at the floral dress, "I'm going to go try it on."
"Cat you've said that about everything you've seen." Sam groaned as the redhead was already gone, "That girl does way too much shopping am I right?" The blonde didn't get a response much to her confusion. She turned her head to see Jade busy texting away on her phone, "JADE?"
"What?" The pale brunette asked, looking at the blonde. Sam was about to respond before Jade's phone buzzed again signalling another message. The green streaked smiled sheepishly as she put her phone in her purse, "Sorry, what did you want to say?"
"It's fine. You can keep texting Beck. It's obvious you're in loooove with him." The blonde teased, giving her a little nudge.
"Like you're not in loooove with Brad." Jade countered, "Besides I can stop texting him whenever I want. Unlike you."
"Oh really." Sam responded raising her eyebrows. She sniffed the air as she exclaimed, "Do you smell that? It kind of smells like a bet."
"What are the terms?" The pale brunette asked, not minding a little wager. It had been quite a long time since they had made one.
The blonde smirked as she looked at her friend, "First one to text, call, or visit their guy loses."
"It's on." The pale brunette exclaimed much to the delight of Sam, "But what does the winner otherwise known as Jade West get once they win?"
"Name your prize." The blonde stated.
The green streaked girl smirked, "If I win then you have to host a party in tribute of your prettier and more talented friend. I want that on a big banner by the way and for you to say that in a speech I'll write for you to say." Jade stated, giving an evil wink.
The blonde winced at the terms but shrugged it off before exclaiming, "Sure, but if I win then you have to trade bedrooms with me. That headboard in the room beside mine can really make some noise." The pale brunette winced at her friend's terms as well, but she nodded.
"Deal." Jade confirmed as the pair shook hands, "But just to make sure you don't chicken out of our little deal, CAT!"
"What's going on?" The redhead asked worriedly, emerging from the dressing room with the dress on. The two girls marveled at how great she actually looked in it before getting back to business.
"Procedure number seven." The two girls stated as the redhead sighed.
"Another bet huh? It's a good thing I told Freddie to make several copies of these." Cat noted as she reached into her purse and pulled out a pair of contracts. The two girls each took one as the redhead instructed with little enthusiasm, "By signing this contract you must agree and abide by terms of the bet. Should one of the signees fail to abide by the terms, they will automatically lose and must provide the winning person with the reward. Once you sign upon these terms, you may not withdraw from the deal until it is completed."
"You've really memorized that passage by heart." Sam noted looking at the contract.
"Well repeating it more than twenty times has helped." The redhead replied sarcastically, "You can look over the contract while I go change and buy the dress. By the time I return, they should be signed." With that the redhead walked back into the change room as the two girls looked over the deal.
"You know, we can still call this off and just continue to enjoy spending time with our guys." Sam noted as she stared at Jade. The pale brunette simply laughed as she gave the blonde a smirk.
"What's the matter Puckett, backing out already?" Jade teased.
The blonde glared at her friend before grabbing a pen and signing on the dotted line, not removing her eyes from the pale brunette.
"You're going down." Sam exclaimed as she passed the pen to Jade. The pale brunette chuckled as she grabbed it and signed on the dotted line just as the redhead returned.
"As soon as I take these contracts the bet is official." The redhead cautioned as she looked at the intense look of her two friends. The pair looked at each other before handing the contract to the redhead and standing up.
"May the best woman win." They stated simultaneously as they shook hands.
"This is not going to be good." Cat mumbled as she saw the competitive fire in each of their eyes.
The three girls returned home and much to the delight of Cat her two friends were back on friendly terms. She knew that the bet would slowly take a toll on the pair, but at least she didn't have to worry about that… for now anyways.
"Cat come here and help us make the pizzas." Sam called out, "We all know how picky your boyfriend is about when it comes to making them."
The redhead rolled her eyes as she made her way to the kitchen. She grabbed the bowl filled with toppings and began scattering them over the pizza.
"So your rehearsals start tomorrow?" Cat asked the blonde curiously. Sam turned around and sighed as she confirmed the statement. The redhead furrowed her eyebrows, "You don't seem very eager to dance."
"It's because I'm not." Sam exclaimed, leaning against the counter. She shrugged her shoulders and chuckled, "I mean I used to do dancing because it was fun, but I just feel like it's actually become a job and you know how mama feels about working."
"Why don't you quit then?" Jade asked as she placed plates on the dinner table, "I mean if I felt the same about acting I wouldn't want to do it anymore either."
"It's not that easy though." The blonde noted, blowing out a breath, "I don't really know what I would do aside from being a dancer."
"I'm sure you would figure it out eventually." Cat assured as she began making her special fruit punch. "Do you want my advice though?"
"Well I don't have a therapist so fire away Doctor Cat." Sam exclaimed creating some giggles amongst the group.
"Don't give up." The redhead simply stated, "You're way better than those older girls. Experience means nothing. Heart is all you need."
"That was soooo cheesy." The blonde joked, "But thanks Cat." The redhead simply smiled as she gave her friend a hug.
"Aw." The pale brunette teased watching the scene unfold, "Such loving friends."
Cat raised an eyebrow at her other friend and countered, "Don't act like you don't want to join in Jade." The pale brunette simply chuckled as she walked over and joined in to create a group hug.
"No matter what happens, I'll always love you both." Sam whispered loudly.
"We know." The two girls responded as the door to their loft opened.
"Hey guys- what's going on here?" Freddie asked as he looked at the three girls hugging in the middle of the kitchen, "I didn't know making pizza was an emotional group activity."
"Way to kill a touching moment Benson." Sam exclaimed as she broke the hug and gave the brunette boy a playful punch on the shoulder.
"So who did you prosecute today?" Jade asked as she placed the pizza in the oven.
The brunette boy chuckled, "Actually, I spent the entire day packing my boxes." The trio looked at him curiously wondering what he meant. Cat was going to ask, but the apartment door swung open to reveal a glum Robbie.
"Hey man." Freddie greeted. He tried to steal a topping off the other pizza, but his hand was swatted away by his girlfriend. She gave him a stern look as he asked, "What's wrong bro?"
"Nothing." He assured, "I just got cut off on the way back home by some biker."
"I hate it when they don't use the bike lane." Freddie agreed, patting him on the back, "Don't worry, your pain is mutual."
"So anyways, ignoring both of your guys mutual hate towards bikers, what were you talking about earlier on?" Sam asked Freddie.
"Oh yeah." The brunette boy exclaimed, snapping his fingers in remembrance, "You remember that big case I handled for the firm." The group nodded, remembering how he would sometimes work all night on it, "Well I got called down by the managing partner because of it."
"What?" They exclaimed shocked. The redhead looked at him with concern before asking, "You didn't get fired did you?"
"WHAT? No, no, no, far from it actually." Freddie replied, chuckling, "You guys are looking at Mason Malone's new… personal associate."
"Holy crap! No way! I am so proud of you!" The three girls exclaimed as they each gave him a congratulatory hug and a friendly peck on the cheek aside from Cat who preferred a passionate kiss on the lips.
"Thanks guys." He responded feeling grateful, "It means a lot to hear that from you."
The pale brunette looked at the curly haired boy who didn't really seem into anything going on around him. "What about you Robbie?" Jade asked, "How's that internship coming along?"
He snapped out of his funk for a second as he looked at her and the rest of the group before mumbling, "Fine."
"Don't worry Robster, you're going to kick ass and get that job." The blonde encouraged much to the agreement of the group.
"Thanks guys." He said softly, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm thinking I'm just going to go crash."
"Don't you want dinner?" Jade asked, a little concerned, "We added your favorite topping on the pizza."
"I appreciate the thought, but I'm not really hungry. Plus I don't want to be late tomorrow for my manger's party." He explained, "You guys are all coming right?" The group nodded as he said goodnight and shut his room door upon entry,
"Well I guess it's dinner for four then." The blonde stated as the group took a seat and dove into the delicious pizza. The group joked around and told stories like usual, but Jade wasn't very into it. She was more concerned about Robbie and why he seemed so out of it. After a few more minutes, the group disbanded, Cat deciding to go to sleep as she had work the next morning, Sam and Freddie deciding to go relax on the roof, and Jade who decided to check on Robbie.
The pale brunette walked towards Robbie's bedroom. She looked down and noticed the light coming from the gap between the floor and door. Jade sighed and knocked on the door.
"Robbie I know you're awake." She called out, "Open the door."
"No I'm not, I'm sleeping." He replied, much to the confusion of Jade.
"Okay if you were sleeping you wouldn't be talking, you would be snoring." She countered.
"I do not snore." He exclaimed.
"Oh yeah, if you don't open this door then I am going to show everyone the video I have of you snoring and mumbling on about dancing with a unicorn." She threatened although she never would do something like that. However, as soon as she made the 'threat' he opened the door. The pale brunette noticed his sad eyes and messy hair. She sighed as she walked in closing the door behind her.
"Okay now tell me what's wrong?" She said firmly, not going to take no for an answer. "I can stay here all night and wait for your response." The boy finally groaned and sat up beside her.
"I don't know any more Jade." He whispered, looking at her, "I don't know what I'm doing and what I want."
"You have to want something in life." She explained, "It's human nature. You may not know what it is or you may just not see it clearly enough. I promise you though that you will figure it out some time down the line."
"How will I know though?" He asked, unsure of the prospect of waiting for something nice to come to him.
"It's different for everyone." Jade replied, shrugging her shoulders, "Only you can know what it feels like."
The curly haired boy nodded before looking at the brunette's eyes, "Do you feel it when you're with Beck?" The pale brunette deeply thought about his question. She never really thought about something like that.
With a sigh she shook her head, "No." Robbie nodded as he a mumbled an apology for asking the question. The green streaked girl simply shrugged, "I would've asked you the same thing."
The pair sat in silence both thinking about their conversation before Robbie looked at his friend and whispered, "Thank you Jade." The pale brunette grinned as the curly haired boy gave her a hug.
"No problem… What would you do without me?" Jade whispered into his ear as the pair held each other close.
"Cry." He whispered back much to the amusement of Jade.
"Never seen the city as quiet as today." Sam exclaimed, "The view from up here is amazing though." The brunette boy simply nodded in agreement as he observed the city. The blonde looked at the boy and asked, "So you were going to tell me something today, but you didn't."
Freddie looked at his friend before nodding, "Yeah I wanted to tell all of you guys, but you will be the only one to know because you can keep a secret."
"I feel so special." She replied as the pair chuckled. The brunette boy looked around and let out a little breath.
"She didn't want me to spoil this, but you're her best friend too so you should know." Freddie explained before blowing out a breath, "Carly is coming to visit."
"WHAT?" The blonde exclaimed surprised, "Are you serious?"
The brunette boy smiled and nodded as his best friend who was still in shock gave him a hug, "Believe me; I was just as surprised as you were when I heard the news."
"It seems like it's been ages since we've seen her." Sam noted much to the agreement of Freddie.
"I'm supposed to pick her up from the airport tomorrow." Freddie stated as Sam squealed a little in excitement. It would be the first time the pair would be seeing her since she left for Italy with her father. "Remember, you can't tell anyone else. Her arrival was supposed to be a surprise."
"Your secret is safe with me." Sam noted, pretending to lock her lips and throwing the key away. The brunette boy simply nodded as the blonde asked, "Do you still like her?"
"What?" Freddie asked confused, not sure of what he heard.
"I'm just curious." She noted, "It takes time to get over someone you've spent years loving."
"Carly and I would have never worked out." He explained, shrugging his shoulders sadly, "She was never willing to commit to being with me."
Sam sighed and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Maybe that was a blessing in disguise." The blonde suggested, much to the intrigue of the boy, "I mean, you would have never met Cat then."
The brunette boy simply smiled, "Yeah I guess that's true." He chuckled a little remembering when he met her.
"Just because you guys are a bit frosty about the past, doesn't mean you can't still be friends again. I think you guys should get a coffee or something and just talk. Let everything out into the open, it will help." Sam explained. Freddie simply looked at her and nodded slowly.
"I guess so." He choked out, "I just don't want any drama."
"What happened to wanting to be on reality TV and becoming the next Kardashian?" She teased much to the embarrassment of Freddie.
"I really should stop getting drunk with you around." He noted as the pair chuckled, their attention wandering back to the breathtaking view of the city.
"So you've told him right?"
The redhead blew out a breath before answering, "Not yet, I am just waiting for the right moment to tell him. We've been so busy these past few days."
"Cat, honey, there is no right moment. No matter when you tell him, I'm sure Freddie won't be mad. We all make mistakes." Her mother assured her over the phone.
"But this was not the way Freddie and I planned for it to be." She noted worriedly, "What if he isn't ready and backs out?"
Her mother chuckled a little, "Cat, you're over thinking this way too much. Just talk to him, but before you do are you certain? The last thing you need is to say something that won't happen."
"I'll find out tomorrow." The redhead noted, biting her lower lip, "That's not the only thing that I am nervous about though."
"I get it; I was exactly the same way as you." The older Valentine assured, "You'll probably never fully get the hang of it, but you'll be great enough to do it."
"Thanks mom." Cat simply stated, feeling slightly better, "I'll let you know what happens. I love you."
"I love you too sweetheart. And I just want you to know that I will be there no matter what happens." The redhead smiled and ended the call, placing her phone on the table. She looked down at the sign and nodded in acceptance, feeling more confident and genuinely excited. The sign read:
Positive.
AN: And that's the end of the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. What did you think? Leave a review below with your thoughts and predictions.
Challenge King: I appreciate the feedback. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't worry you will be seeing more of them throughout this story.
xemtlenc: I totally agree. They are a really awesome pairing
Stay tuned for the next chapter.