CHAPTER 4:

On Valentine's Day, Tori and Andre went to an Italian restaurant for their dinner date. Andre ordered chicken parmesan while Tori went with the eggplant parmesan.

"I can't believe you got us reservations here," Tori said. "At such short notice, especially on Valentines."

"It's cool. Just had to pull a couple of strings; my cousin knows the owner," Andre explained easily and Tori smiled.

A moment later, a girl came up to their table. "Hi, sorry to bother you, but are you Tori Vega?" She watched Tori with vibrant eyes that danced in the light.

Tori turned to face the girl. "Yes, I am," she said, delighted.

"I loved the play you put on last summer!" the girl said with a sigh.

"I'm so glad you loved it!" Tori answered. "This is Andre. He helped me to compose the music for it all."

"Oh that's so cool," the girl spoke excitedly. "I was wondering if I could get your autograph? And then take a picture with you both?"

"Sure, that's alright with us," Tori said, giving Andre a quick inquiring look to make sure he was okay with it.

Meanwhile, Cat and Robbie opted to go to a nearby diner for their date. Robbie felt liberated, having time to himself without Rex pestering him.

"They have really good burgers," Robbie said, as Cat looked at her menu.

"I'll get the cheeseburger then," Cat decided, putting down her menu. "So, how does it feel to be without Rex?" she asked.

"I never thought it'd be this liberating," Robbie sighed. "Maybe before I graduate, I'll sell Rex for real this time. I know it'll feel different, but everyone has to move on sometime, right?"

"Are you sure?" Cat asked, surprised. "You've grown quite attached to him! Remember the time you sold him to Mason Thornesmith's kid?"

Robbie shuddered. "Yeah, I do. That experience made me realize that change can be difficult. But we all go through it at some point in our lives," he said.

Elsewhere, Beck and Jade agreed to have their date at Nozu. A few minutes after the food was ordered, Beck brought up a subject he had been meaning to address with Jade for a while.

"How's it going with your parents?" he asked her.

Jade looked up at him silently with a shrug. "They seem to be avoiding the subject," Jade answered. "As they always do. What about yours?"

"They are more or less happy with the idea," Beck said.

Jade groaned. "Why can't my parents let me run my own life?" she asked agitatedly. She inadvertently squished sushi under her chopsticks. "I feel like they don't want me to be happy."

"Chill out," Beck said calmly, reaching out for Jade's hand. "It'll be fine. We'll work something out."

"I hope so," Jade said back wearily. "I just really hope so."

A few days later, in the school hallway, Tori approached Jade.

"Jade, I have some good news for you," Tori said.

"You're finally transferring schools?" Jade guessed.

"No! Your temporary ban from my place has expired," Tori said.

"So, I can come back to your house again?" Jade asked. "Only because I want to."

"Yes. But fair warning: If you EVER try to throw me or Trina out of our own home again, don't be surprised if you end up back on the hook again," Tori warned.

"But where's the fun in that?" Jade retorted. Tori stared at her persistently, and then Jade relented. "Fine."

THE END!