Chapter Three: False Hope
The brunette boy stood at the arrival terminal awaiting his childhood friend. He couldn't help but feel a little anxious considering they had not spoken since she left abruptly to Italy. Sam was there to see how angry and depressed he was when she was gone. The boy refused to leave the house let alone his room. It took a week or so just for her departure to sink into his system. He just couldn't grasp what went wrong between them. But deep down Freddie knew why she left… and why he wanted her to go as well. The boy remembered that one night as they sat by the fire and he finally told her how he felt.
"I always thought snowfalls were so pretty." The brunette noted as she took a sip of her hot cocoa. She turned to look at her best friend who simply stared at the fire, lost in his thoughts. Carly sighed as she made her towards him and took a seat next to the boy, "Are you okay?"
Freddie looked at the brunette and simply whispered, "Yeah, I'm fine." She nodded as the pair sat in silence, sipping their warm drinks as the snow fell magically outside. The brunette boy couldn't help but stare at his friend, lost in her beauty.
"What?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows, "Do I have a milk mustache?"
Freddie simply chuckled and shook his head, "Maybe."
She raised an eyebrow, "Maybe?"
"Maybe."
"So maybe?"
"Maybe." Freddie whispered as the pair chuckled. The boy noticed the brunette shivering a little, "Are you cold?"
"A little, the fire isn't really warm enough." She noted, crossing her arms to give her more warmth. Although she knew it was enough, she just wanted to be closer to Freddie. The brunette boy grabbed a fleece blanket and wrapped it over the pair. Carly took the boy by surprise when she snuggled closer to him and rested her head on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat speed up a little before eventually slowing down. The brunette simply whispered, "This is nice."
"It is, isn't it?" He agreed as the pair cuddled in front of the fire. Despite wanting to be in this place for so long, a thought continued to nag him which was that he was only… her friend. He feared that was all he might ever be to her. It was that moment, where her head rested upon him and he held her close that he felt strong. He felt like he could say everything he was holding back for years, "Carly, I just never got something about us."
"What?" She asked curiously looking up at him.
"We always do this dance." He whispered, looking into her soft brown eyes, "We always come close and then pull apart again… I'm tired of doing that dance Carly."
"What are you trying to say?" She choked out, hearing his heart beating faster. The brunette boy simply looked at her and rose up her chin before softly pressing his lips against her. Carly reciprocated the kiss before quickly pulling back much to the confusion of the boy.
"What's the matter?" He asked a little worried by her expression.
"I don't think I can do this." She whispered, moving away from the boy. The brunette boy gently took her hand and gave her a reassuring look.
"This is what we've always wanted." The boy began to lean in again, but the brunette simply stood up.
"I'm sorry Freddie." She stated, grabbing her coat, "I have to go." Freddie simply watched the brunette shut the door behind her as she left. That strength he had felt with her was gone as he stared at the spot where she once stood. He leaned against the door, slowly sliding down until he sat against it simply holding his head tears threatening to fall. Little did he know the brunette was doing the same on the other side.
The brunette boy remembered waking up the next morning to find a letter in front of his door saying she was going to Italy and how sorry she was.
"Freddie?" A voice called out. The brunette boy turned around to see the very girl who had caused him so many mixed feelings and emotions. He could see the happy look on her face as she let go of her suitcase and walked towards him pulling him into a tight hug. A few tears came down the brunette girl's face as she whispered, "I've missed you so much."
"Me too Carly, me too." He whispered as he rubbed her back soothingly. It was something she had missed so much. The pair broke apart and simply looked at each other, shocked by how different they looked.
Carly couldn't help but be amazed by just how handsome and muscular the boy from next door had become and Freddie couldn't help but notice that his childhood crush had become even prettier than before, something he believed to be impossible. The brunette boy grabbed her luggage as they made their way out towards the parking lot and to his car.
The redhead sat anxiously awaiting her results. She still never told Freddie about the pregnancy test and she promised herself to tell her when they were alone. The last thing she wanted to do was keep a secret if they were about to start a life as parents.
"Nervous?" A voice asked. Cat turned to see an older girl sitting in front of her. The redhead simply nodded as she tried to stop bouncing her legs as she sat. The older brunette woman simply chuckled, "This is your first time I'm guessing."
"This isn't yours?" The redhead asked, curiously.
The older woman simply shook her head, "This is my second time, but I can tell you that I was just like you the first time… My name is Amy by the way."
"Catarina, but my friends call me Cat." The redhead noted as the brunette smiled.
"You have a beautiful name." She complimented.
"Thanks." Cat mumbled before asking curiously, "So tell me something. Is the first time really that bad? People online say it can hurt."
"They're not lying. At times you feel like you get stabbed in the gut." She noted, raising the fear of the redhead. Amy simply chuckled as she assured, "The pain is worth it though. When you finally hold that delicate little baby that you and the person you loved created together, you never want to go back." The redhead couldn't help but smile as she thought of her and Freddie raising a child together. Their child.
"I'm sure he or she will be beautiful." Amy noted, bringing the redhead out of her daydream.
The redhead simply smiled as the office door opened. "Ms. Valentine." Cat stood up feeling the butterflies in her stomach as the older woman smiled and wished her good luck.
"Have a seat." The doctor exclaimed as she took a seat on her desk chair. The redhead nodded as she took a seat, blowing out a nervous breath. Cat watched as the woman grabbed her folder and placed it in front of her. She looked to see her straight face, "Ms. Valentine we finished your testing and I have to say that…"
"What?" She asked, dying with anticipation. The doctor simply shook her head before whispering, "I'm sorry, but you're not pregnant."
The redhead sat there in shock as she was overwhelmed with emotions. The doctor sighed as she explained, "We're sorry to give you such bad news, but there is unfortunately more. We took a look and I'm afraid if you'd like kids, you may have to do so soon." She instructed, filling out some papers, "We can talk about this again, so I am going to schedule another appointment. I'm sorry for having to be the messenger of such bad news."
The redhead nodded unable to move. The doctor handed her a paper as she slowly got out of her chair and walked out to see Amy reading a magazine. She simply stood frozen as the older brunette looked at her face filled with heartbreak and sadness.
"I'm sorry, Catarina." She exclaimed, giving the redhead a soothing hug. Cat began to tremble a little before she began to sob, coming to realize what the doctor actually said.
"I don't want to go this party." Robbie groaned as he plopped down on Jade's bed, "I mean who wants to hang out with some business snobs whose eyes always look like dollar signs?"
"Well, you have to go. You're not exactly the most popular intern." Jade exclaimed as she put on her favorite earrings and turned to face the boy, "Besides, you'll probably see Ms. Vega there." The curly-haired boy glared and rolled his eyes at the pale brunette as she teased him with kissing sounds.
"Whatever." He mumbled, sitting up and straightening his shirt.
"You'll be fine… trust me." Jade noted, before asking, "Hey by the way, have you seen my phone?" The curly-haired boy shook his head much to her confusion, "That's weird. I don't know where I put it."
"Maybe you just left it lying around somewhere." Robbie noted, getting up, "I'm sure it'll turn up."
"Hey wait." The pale brunette called out, right before he could leave. She walked over and fixed his tie, "I want you to look good at this party." The curly-haired boy simply smiled as he looked at Jade who glanced up at him and smiled, "There that should do it and remember: Confidence, Shapiro."
"Thanks." He whispered as the pair simply stared at each other.
"Guys can I come in?" The blonde asked, knocking on the door. The pair looked to the door as Jade stepped away from Robbie while he pretended to use his phone. Sam watched the weird exchange, but she shrugged it off and exclaimed, "Jade someone is waiting for you outside."
Jade furrowed her eyebrows, "I didn't call anyone over." She sighed as she walked towards the door with Sam following closely behind. The pale brunette looked through the peephole before glaring at Sam and whispering loudly, "You invited Beck!"
"You mean you invited him." The blonde corrected, wearing an evil smirk and revealing that she had the pale brunette's phone. Jade raised an eyebrow as she grabbed her phone and checked to see the exchange between her and Beck. She read the text stating that she wanted him to come to the party with her and how much she missed him.
"This is cheating." She whispered loudly. The blonde simply smirked and pulled out the contract, "Not according to this I'm not. It's not a good idea to leave your phone lying around."
The pale brunette simply glared at the blonde before chuckling much to her confusion, "Good then, I'm sure you won't mind this then." Jade noted, grabbing the blonde's hand and leading her to the roof.
Sam stopped when she saw Brad overlooking the city, luckily not aware of their presence. Jade looked at Sam and explained, "I knew you were going to do something like this, so I needed to even the odds. By the way, it isn't a good idea to leave your phone lying around." Sam's eyes popped open when she saw Jade holding her phone, "You think your slick? Well so am I."
"Okay how about we make deal." Sam negotiated.
The pale brunette looked intently at the blonde, "I'm listening."
"We can either get rid of each others dates and continue this or we can just call this bet off and enjoy ourselves without stabbing each other in the back." The blonde exclaimed.
Jade simply smiled and nodded, "Well, go ahead. Call Brad over here, we have a party to get to." The blonde simply smiled as well as she made her way out on the roof while Jade emerged back downstairs and opened the door for Beck.
"Sorry about the long wait." She exclaimed, a little embarrassed.
"It's cool." He noted, giving her a peck on the cheek as Cat stepped out of her bedroom.
"Okay, everyone is here." Robbie noted, before furrowing his eyebrows, "Wait where is Freddie?"
"Right here." He exclaimed as the group looked to see him standing outside.
"Where have you been exactly?" Sam asked, giving him a quick wink.
The brunette boy simply chuckled, "Glad you asked. You see I was on my way over here and I happened to run into someone." Freddie stepped aside to reveal Carly much to the group's surprise sans Beck and Brad.
"Carly!" Sam exclaimed, making sure her surprise sounded real. She walked over and gave her best friend a hug as the rest followed suit.
"When did you get here?" Jade asked, curiously.
"Today, Freddie picked me up from the airport." The brunette exclaimed, smiling, "It feels like forever since I've seen you all."
"Tell me about it." Sam noted trying to remember the last time Carly and her were in the same room together.
"Okay as much as I would love to continue chatting, we have to go." Robbie noted, checking his watch, "I don't want to be late… again."
"Where are you guys going?" Carly asked curiously.
"Robbie's company is holding a banquet or as we like to call it a snob fest." Freddie explained as the group laughed.
"Well we should probably head out then." Beck noted, offering his hand to Jade. She simply smiled and took it as they awaited the rest of the group.
"You can come if you want." Robbie noted.
"Thanks." The brunette said, "But I'm not even ready and I don't want to keep you all waiting."
"I could wait." Freddie volunteered, causing Carly to smile, "You guys can head out and we'll meet you there." The group simply nodded, agreeing with his plan.
"Be safe." Cat whispered, giving him a peck on the lips as she walked out with Sam. Once everyone left, Freddie shut the door as he turned to look back at Carly.
"You know, you didn't have to do this." Carly exclaimed, "I would have been fine here by myself."
The brunette boy simply chuckled, "What makes you think I trust you by yourself?" Carly tilted her head as she furrowed her eyebrows.
"Oh really?" She stated surprised, wearing a smirk, "You're telling me that you don't trust the most responsible person you've ever met?"
"Got that right." He simply noted, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow, "I still haven't forgotten that time I left you alone to grab us smoothies. I came back to see flour everywhere and burnt cupcakes."
"You know you loved those." The brunette exclaimed as the pair chuckled. She playfully wrapped her arms around his neck as she whispered; "Besides I'm much better at making cupcakes now."
"I'm sure you are." He noted as the pair simply stared at each other. The brunette boy let out a small smile as he whispered, "You should go get ready."
Carly nodded slightly, feeling a tad bit disappointed as she walked towards the bathroom to get ready. Freddie heard the door close as he sighed and took a seat on the couch. He reached into his wallet and took out a picture. The brunette boy looked down at the photo of Carly and him and smiled slightly. It was their graduation. He remembered her silky hair and rosy cheeks. He remembered how he felt his hair tingle and goose bumps on his arms when she hugged him tightly and the memory of them both going down to the beach that day to watch the sunset where they sat in each others company. Freddie shook the thoughts out of his head as he glanced outside the window.
A few minutes later, the door to the bathroom opened and out came Carly. The brunette boy tugged his collar a little as he saw just how gorgeous the brunette looked. The female brunette took notice of his behavior and smiled as she faced her back towards him and whispered, "Can you zip up the dress for me?"
Freddie blew out a breath to calm himself as he slowly and cautiously made his way towards her. His fingers trembled as he grasped the zipper and slowly pulled it up, his fingers occasionally making brief contact with the brunette's bare back. He zipped up the dress fully before clearing his throat and exclaiming, "We should get going."
Carly watched the boy walk out the door and groaned internally as she followed him out the door.
"So you're the famous Tori Vega?" The pale brunette asked quizzically.
"Yes, and you are?" The half Latina asked, looking at Robbie.
"Oh, Tori I'd like you to meet Jade. Jade this is Tori." The curly-haired boy introduced. The two girls shook hands as they began exchanging formalities. Robbie excused himself as he walked away, leaving the two girls to talk. He noticed his manager standing and sipping champagne and decided it would be a good thing to introduce himself and see if he could get on her good side a little.
"Mr. Shapiro." The blonde noted casually, sipping her drink, "Surprised you made it on time for the party. You don't seem to be able to do so when it comes to work."
"Confidence." Robbie mumbled to himself remembering Jade's advice. He looked at the blonde and exclaimed, "Would you like another drink?"
"If it gets me out of talking to you, then yes." She noted, placing her empty glass on the table.
"Feelings mutual." The curly-haired boy retorted a little too loud. He scratched the back of his neck as he looked at his manager raising her eyebrow, "I'm just going to… you know… get that drink." She watched him walk away slowly turning into a dash as she let out a small grin.
"He might have some hope after all." She noted to herself.
"I hope we aren't late." Carly noted, as the pair dashed into the hall.
"It's not our fault the road looked like a scene from the Walking Dead." Freddie exclaimed, "I swear the truck driver beside me was bitten." The brunette chuckled as she grabbed his hand and pointed.
"Look there's Cat!" She noted as they made their way towards them. The redhead was sitting at a table by herself. She quite frankly wasn't very much in the party mood at the moment. With everything she had been through especially doing it alone didn't help.
"Hey guys!" Cat perked up, pretending to be her usual self, "Wow Carly, you look awesome!"
"Thanks."
Freddie noticed the awkward silence and figured that he didn't want to stick around for it. "Well, I'm parched from all that running, anyone want a drink?" The brunette boy asked.
"Well I can't dri- I mean a glass of champagne for me." The redhead noted, realizing she wasn't pregnant.
"Nothing for me." Carly noted much to the surprise of Freddie.
"Carly Shay not taking up an offer for a drink? Oh where oh where has the girl who could out-drink me gone?" Freddie joked, looking around. The female brunette playfully swatted him on the chest as he smiled and walked towards the bar.
"So you and Freddie." Carly noted softly, realizing that Cat was still his girlfriend.
"Yeah, Freddie and I." Cat noted. She honestly didn't really feel like talking at the moment even though she loved talking about Freddie, "Hey, I'm going to go use the restroom. Tell Freddie he can take my drink."
Carly simply nodded as she looked at Cat walking towards the washroom and saw Freddie coming back.
"Well two glasses of champa- Where is Cat?" The boy asked curiously.
"Restroom." Carly simply stated, "She said you could have her drink."
"Oh, well I've still got one extra then." He noted, "Maybe I should go find-"
"On second thought." The brunette interrupted, "I'll have a drink after all." Freddie grinned as he handed her a glass.
"And here I was wondering if you were a weird twin of Carly." He joked as the brunette rolled her eyes playfully.
"This is so boring." Sam noted, "I hate these snob fests."
"Yeah you're telling me. My dad used to take me to things like this as a kid." Brad exclaimed, chuckling at the memory, "I remember hiding underneath the buffet table with my action figure."
"You truly are a nerd." The blonde joked as the pair laughed.
"Yeah well that's not the worst part, this one time-" He managed to say before his phone cut him off. His eyes scanned the message and popped open. Brad looked around at his surroundings and began speaking nervously to himself, "No, no, no. This can't be true. How is it even possible? Did she, no but, I mean-"
"BRAD!" Sam exclaimed over him. He looked at her as she furrowed her eyebrows and asked, "What the hell is going on?"
The boy tugged at his collar as he handed her his phone. Sam read the message before looking up at him.
"We've got to get the hell out of here." Brad exclaimed, "It can be just like that day at the bar."
"No." Sam stated firmly, just as the boy was about to bolt, "You're going to come with me. I have an idea to solve this little problem of yours."
"Might I suggest running, because there is a backdoor right there." He noted. The blonde rolled her eyes as she grabbed his hand and pulled him away.
"Hey Isabel." Sam called out, drawing her attention.
"What are you doing?" Brad asked in a hush tone.
"Hey Brad." The girl exclaimed, hugging him tightly. The boy squirmed as he tried to escape.
"Hey listen Brad, why don't you go grab us drinks." Sam noted. Brad looked at him confused and the blonde simply nodded her head reassuringly. After he was gone, Sam looked back at Isabel, "Okay listen to me! You're going to stay away from my friend. Otherwise I know someone who can slap a restraining order on you and you don't want me telling him about you. He's the kind of guy that doesn't stop until he gets his way in court. So by the time Brad comes back with our drinks, you'll be gone. Understand?" The girl looked shocked and scared as she slowly nodded and walked away as fast as she could. Brad returned with drinks, confused to not see Isabel standing there.
"What happened?" He asked, curiously.
"Let's just say, she won't be bothering you anymore." She noted as Brad smiled in appreciation, "Now come, let's go dance."
"Hey Beck, what's going on?" Robbie asked as he took a seat beside him on the bar. He looked to see him staring at Jade. The curly-haired boy smiled and noted, "She's great once you get to know her."
The long-haired boy nodded as he looked at Robbie, "Yeah… Listen man, I've got to ask you something."
"Fire away."
"Is there something going on between Jade and you?" He questioned, "Because if there is, then I don't want to intrude."
"Jade and I?" Robbie asked chuckling at the statement assuming it was a joke. He noticed the serious look of Beck before stating, "No, Jade and I are friends. That's it."
"Are you sure?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Robbie simply nodded, "Yes, now look. You're going to walk up there and ask her to dance, alright?"
"Yeah okay, thanks man." Beck exclaimed, giving him a pat on the back and making his way towards Jade.
"No problem." Robbie mumbled as he found himself staring at Jade. He took a sip of his drink as he looked at her silky hair and skin. Robbie shook his head as he mumbled, "Just friends."
"Hey Robbie." A voice stated. The curly-haired boy turned around to see Tori.
"Wow, Tori did I tell you how hot you look?" He exclaimed as she rolled her eyes and chuckled.
"Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to dance." She asked, "I don't really want some pervert touching me up."
Robbie looked over at Jade who was talking to Beck before nodding, "Well don't worry; you can tie my hands behind my back if I make a move." He joked as they made their way towards the dance floor, his eyes still wandering over to the pale brunette.
The redhead walked into the bathroom and went over to the sink. She began washing her hands as she analyzed herself in the mirror. Her eyes wandered from top to bottom, but they stopped once they reached her stomach. Cat simply stared, as her eyes began to swell from withholding tears. She began to sob a little as the bathroom door opened.
"Oh, sorry, didn't know it was occupied." A girl said, before noticing the redhead crying, "Hey." Cat quickly wiped away any tears as she turned around to face the short-haired girl.
"Sorry, about that." Cat whispered, "I'm just going to go."
"Rough day, huh." The girl noted, "Yeah I've had a pretty shitty one myself. That's why I brought two friends with me." She reached into her purse and pulled out a bottle of whiskey along with painkillers. The girl looked at the redhead and asked, "You want some? You look like you could use it."
"No thanks, my boyfriend must be looking for me." The redhead noted, stepping out of the bathroom. The slow dancing already started and she could see people pairing up. Her eyes scanned the floor before seeing Freddie dancing with Carly. Seeing the brunette so close to Freddie, made the redhead's blood boil a little and added to more emptiness inside of her. She just needed something to take these feelings away from her.
"Looks like your boyfriend is busy." The girl noted, judging by Cat's face, "I still have my 'friends' waiting in the bathroom."
Cat looked at Freddie one more time before stepping back into the bathroom with the girl and locking the door.
AN: And that is the end of the chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it. I might be changing the rating of this fanfic to M.
xemtlenc: Thanks for the review! Well Cat isn't pregnant, but that is still going to cause some major issues. Carly's return is going to play a big role. To answer your question about how the five friends got to where they are, I am going to be posting flashback chapters in between the present day chapters.
Challenge King: Thanks for your positivity! Robbie may look as if he is getting beat up unfairly, but he will have to find a way to pull I together, maybe get some help from someone close.
mkpunk: Thanks for the kind words! Tori and Robbie are definitely not finished talking and this chapter proved that. I always thought that Freddie and Cat would be the innocent couple, but as a writer it really intrigues me to place them in a situation where they both must work together to solve a problem like this one.
Arrow5: Thanks for the feedback! I also love the characters. When I choose the five roommates I made sure that they were all unique in their own way, but they still meshed with each other.
Be sure to share your thoughts and predictions. The drama is about to pick up heavily.
Stay tuned!