Thank you for the follows, faves, and reviews. This is the second part of the 'Reconnecting' arc. I skip over the script from last chapter, since I doubt I'll bring it back later in the fic.
Disclaimer: I don't own 'VicTORious' or 'iCarly', or the characters.
No POV
After working on the script for almost an hour, and making little progress due to Tori not caring, the two take a break and grab something to drink. "I understand why you're mad at Jade. But why are you acting as if the rest of us don't exist?" Cat asks as Tori grabs the pitcher of pink lemonade and two glasses.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Tori deadpans as she pours the pink lemonade into the glasses after adding two ice cubes per glass.
"Tori. I'm not stupid." Cat says, moving to stand in the doorway of the kitchen by the piano. "Since Jade's stupid prank, you've been acting as if me, Andre, Robbie, and Beck don't exist. The only one who's able to get close to you is Trina." She says, leaning against the doorframe. "Why?"
"Because you were all her friends first, so you're going to side with her." Tori says, slamming the pitcher, thankfully a durable plastic one instead of glass, onto the counter and turning to face Cat. "Every morning, you all crowd around her locker, you sit with her at lunch, and you sit by her in class. No one fucking bothers with me, so why should I bother with them?" She asks, anger in her tone and tears in her eyes.
"We're not siding with her." Cat says, staring at Tori. "We hang around her locker because when we tried hanging around Andre's, you would glare at us." She says, pushing off the door frame. "We sit with her at lunch because it's our table. It's just a force of habit. And we sit by her at lunch because you refuse to sit on the same side of the room as us, and you stay in the back." She says, locking eyes with Tori. "We're your friends, and we're on your side, but they don't know the story."
"What 'story'?" Tori asks, scoffing as she turns around to finish pouring the pink lemonade back into the glasses.
"They don't know about Shelby, so they don't know the full story. All Jade's told them is that she messed with you again. No details." Cat says, moving a bit closer to Tori. "And we won't tell." She assures, stopping by the counter.
"Why should I believe that?" Tori asks, putting the pitcher in the fridge.
"Because if we did, the whole school would've known by now. You know that." Cat says, leaning against the counter, her back resting against the counter top.
"Unless Jade threatened them, like we all know she does." Tori says, placing a glass on the counter in front of Cat before grabbing hers and heading back to the living room, not looking back.
"You actually think Jade would tell everyone about Shelby?" Cat asks, not believing Tori.
"Why not? When has she ever had a problem messing with me? Hell, Shelby probably gave her the okay to tell everyone." Tori says, setting her glass on the table and sitting back on the couch.
"She feels horrible about what she and Shelby did. Shelby does too." Cat says, making her way to the living room, not realizing her slip.
"How would you know what Shelby feels about this?" Tori asks, glaring at the redhead.
"A while ago, before this all started, she gave me her cell phone number. I called her after you sang that song, and she gave me some details. Not a lot, just that she made a huge mistake and she regrets it, but when she tries to talk to you, you act like she's not even there." Cat says quietly, sitting on the opposite couch.
"Great. They got you involved now. Fucking great." Tori says, glaring at nothing. "Just stay out of this Cat. Alright?" Tori says, looking at the redhead.
"No." Cat says, looking at Tori. "I'm not staying out of this. You refuse to talk to any of us, and I refuse to stay on the sidelines." She says, moving to face Tori better. "I don't expect you to get together with Jade or something, but at least stop acting as if we don't exist." She says, shaking her head.
"It doesn't concern you. Jade's the bitch who used my emotions, and Shelby, my so called sister, went along with it. They're the ones who should try to talk to me about it. Not you." Tori says, glaring at the redhead.
"But you refuse to talk to anyone. You just admitted that Shelby tries, but you refuse." Cat says, putting emphasis on 'you'. "Jade doesn't try simply because she knows you won't listen. You can't blame us, or whoever, when you refuse to listen." She says, scoffing. "I'm out of here. You need to think about things. We'll write the script later." She says, grabbing her stuff and leaving.
"What the hell was that about?" Trina asks, making her way down the stairs, hearing the end of what Cat said from the top of the steps.
"Nothing." Tori says, grabbing the glasses and heading to the kitchen, dumping them out and putting the glasses in the tub to wash them.
"Really? Then why did I hear Cat tell you that you need to think about things?" Trina asks, following her sister. "What was she talking about?" She asks as Tori starts to wash out the glasses. "Tell me." She says softly as Tori washes the glasses.
"She said I won't give Shelby or anyone a chance to talk to me, and that I'm ignoring them. Of course I'm ignoring them. They're siding with that fucking bitch." Tori says, not-so-gently setting the glasses in the drainer.
"You don't give anyone a chance. How many times has Shelby tried to talk to you since it happened? You act like your friends don't exist because you think they're siding with Jade? They're not picking her side. They're just trying to get the story and get to the bottom of things." Trina says, grabbing Tori gently when her sister tries to walk past her. "At least give Shelby a chance, and go from there." She says softly, looking into her sister's eyes.
"Why should I? She went along with Jade's plan to humiliate me. She could've stopped her, but she went along." Tori says, not looking at her sister.
"They didn't do that to hurt you. Shelby wanted you to ask out Jade, act on your feelings." Trina says, placing her free hand on Tori's jaw and turning it to lock eyes with her younger sister. "Give Shelby a shot to explain. That's it. Don't ignore her." She says, releasing her sister and turning around.
"No." Tori says as Trina gets to the stairs. "She's not my sister anymore." She says, glaring at the stairs. "She's not my sister anymore." She repeats silently.
"You're wrong." Trina says to herself, shaking her head as she walks up the stairs.
The next day, as Tori and Trina walk into Hollywood Arts, they don't notice the glances from Cat and Jade, or the confused glances from Andre, Robbie, and Beck. As Trina heads to her locker, sharing a look with Cat as she passes the small group, Tori heads to hers to get her books. As she does, she fails to notice Cat make her way to her locker, a determined look on the redhead's face.
"We need to talk." Cat says, grabbing Tori's arm, reminiscent of the way Jade used to, and drags her to the janitor's closet, ignoring the confused looks by her friends and fellow classmates.
"Let me go, Cat." Tori says, not trying to pull free from Cat's surprisingly, though not so much based on her hugs, grip on her wrist.
"No. I don't want you to talk to Shelby and Jade for them. I want you to talk to them for yourself. I hate this version of you. I want Tori back, not whatever this is." Cat says, closing the door behind her and blocking it so Tori couldn't leave.
"My own sister used my feelings for Jade. Jade used my feelings for her. They don't deserve the chance." Tori says, glaring at the unaffected redhead. "They should've known. They knew about my past. But they did it anyway." She says, keeping her voice low, knowing the others might be trying to eavesdrop on them.
"They didn't use you or your feelings. Yes, what they did was stupid, I don't doubt that and I'm not defending them." Cat says, not looking away from the fierce look in Tori's eyes. "Just give them a chance. Let them explain and the real you may be able to come back." She says, pushing herself off the door.
"I can't forgive them." Tori says softly as Cat opens the door and goes to leave.
"I don't expect you to." Cat says, not looking at Tori. "Just listen to them. We want Tori back. Not this." She says, reiterating herself from before as she leaves.
"Wait." Tori says, stopping Cat. "What do you think about this? You're honest opinion." She says, speaking softly.
"Jade and Shelby made a huge mistake." Cat says, turning to look at Tori after closing the door behind her, blocking out everyone outside. "They went about it the wrong way, but I do believe they had your best interest at heart. And you, acting as if they don't exist, is justifiable. But not acting like we don't." She says, opening the door and leaving, not looking back at Tori.
"I don't know if I can." Tori says to herself, watching the closed door.
Not much in the reconnecting between Tori and Cat, or the others, but I think it's a start.
Next chapter, we'll go farther into it.
Thank you for reading, and please review.
Blessed Be.