3 days later as Tori and Cat show up at the hospital to visit Molly
"is Molly Rene still in the hospital, I've been spending time with Cat but she's my sisters girlfriend so I feel it's important to check up on them" asks Cat
"down the hall, the door with your dad standing in front of it" says Nurse Vanca
"uh oh what happened" asks Tori
"Molly's fighting with Lola Martinez, they're childhood enemies" says Nurse Vanca
"wait Lola's here, screw Molly I'm steering clear of that mess" says Tori as she leaves with Cat in tow
"what's the deal with Lola, does she hate everyone or something" asks Cat as Tori gets in the car and Cat drives
"let's just say her uncle did things and her uncle is on my side of the family not her mom's, so there's a LOT of tension between us, I'm surprised Trina's there" says Tori
"wait was Lola raped" asks Cat
"something like that, we don't know the full story, her parents cut off all communication after it happened and Lola is hostile to all of us, all we got from Lola's family before contact was cut off was she was assaulted, that was enough for my dad to arrest him and charge him, as it turns out Lola wasn't his only victim, once news got out about his charges thirty victims, barely teens came out about their stories" says Tori
"and how do you know Lola's parents didn't pay them to fake the stories" asks Cat
"they're not that rich, they're just barely richer than my dad, besides they're mainly isolationists, they don't interact with people like that and the girls had details that until the trial nobody besides dad knew about, mainly a healed gun shot wound to the hip that he kept a secret, I hung around him constantly growing up and even I didn't notice" says Tori
"wait he didn't do anything to you did he" asks Cat suddenly very scared as she pulls over
"no, I guess I got lucky being the daughter of the oldest, my dad was his bully so he must have been too scared" says Tori
"so which of Lola's parents are you related to" asks Cat
"her mom, she was my favorite aunt, she got this cute puppy during the whole 'the Wood' thing, that's who I was talking to for the whole part where they made it look like Beck was cheating on Jade with me, she hates my mom, that's the 'she' I was talking about" says Tori
"when did this whole situation happen" asks Cat
"shortly after that, can we just drive home, I'm craving your spaghetti" says Tori
"you should know that Jade does actually have feelings for you" says Cat as she gets back on the road
"she said it wasn't a feelings thing though" says Tori
"she can say that all she wants but I know the truth, that's why I called dibs, she was in a relationship, while sometimes unstable she was still in a relationship while I was single, we'd agreed that I'd get the first chance with you" says Cat as they turn into her driveway
"something that always bugged me is how you never gave Robbie a chance, it seemed cold hearted" says Tori as they head inside, seeing the house for the first time as her vision had returned fully the night before
"if he hadn't pushed his feelings in my face constantly I might have given him a chance, I'd considered it a few times but Rex was a part of him and I didn't know how much was real and how much was fake in an attempt to be accepted, between him pushing his feelings on me and Rex being obnoxious and creepy I wasn't willing to risk it" says Cat
"do you think Jade picked Naomi because she looks like me" asks Tori as they enter their bedroom
"I'm sure it was a factor yea, however those eyes, they draw people in, Jade isn't the first to be ensnared by those eyes though Jade is the most stable option, she was pursued by many men and women, the ONLY good thing that evil agency ever did was tell her pursuers that she was off limits unless Naomi asked someone out" says Cat
"do you know who Becky Nielson is, apparently she has a crush on Jade and I'm debating if Jade should give her a chance and give Naomi a break, Naomi said Jade's being a little too protective, almost possessive like she was of Beck and needs time away but Jade won't let her" says Tori
"Becky was one of Jade's closest friends when we were little, she dreamt of being an actress but her disabilities, particularly her Elhers-Danlos prevents her from getting a chance, your heart is in the right place but she doesn't have the energy to keep up with Jade in a sexual relationship, she can barely walk most days, the thing is Jade's aunt isn't the one paying for Becky's meds, it's Jade through an investment fund left to her by her dad, the interest alone pays for the meds Becky needs but Jade doesn't take the credit" says Cat
"doesn't mean Becky doesn't deserve a chance Cat, even if it's short, Naomi needs her space, she feels that Jade will literally exhaust all her energy and end with Naomi dead, Naomi doesn't have the energy to sustain a healthy relationship either" says Tori
"I think you should spend a few weeks with Jade and Naomi should spend a few weeks with me, Becky won't engage directly with Jade, besides that she won't even make it up the stairs without dislocating a joint, she won't last ten minutes" says Cat
"I don't like what you're suggesting, I don't want to be in a relationship with Jade and you have that rule about not dating models" says Tori
"I'm not saying it has to be sexual, admittedly I'm as exhausted as Naomi, you aren't exactly an easy lay Tor, I need to work on my technique or at least research it and I won't be in a relationship with Naomi, I'll just be giving her a way to recharge, Jade can be quite intense when she believes in something, something Naomi wasn't ready for" says Cat
"I want all that in writing, three week trade to give Naomi a chance to breathe and I'll talk to Jade about scaling down intensity to Naomi's level" says Tori
"oh believe me it will be in writing, I'll write it up tomorrow" says Cat as they both take a nap
The next day as Naomi and Jade walk in the front door of Cat's house
"what was so important that you needed to call us over Cat" asks Jade
"you're exhausting Naomi, she's having nightmares about you sexing her to death, as it stands she falls asleep long before you can even peak her, Cat and I agreed to a temporary trade, you spend three weeks with me and she spends that same time with Naomi, apparently I've been wearing Cat down" says Tori
"any restrictions" asks Naomi, genuinely interested
"no sex, kissing is allowed though only to the degree in which Tori and Naomi agree to today, Tori's not looking for a relationship with you Jade, she's just worried that your relentless hours in bed with Naomi will get her killed and you're not giving Naomi time to recover" says Cat
"Naomi never actually told me that I was being too aggressive, I go off wording not physical stuff, if she doesn't say anything how am I supposed to know" says Jade
"I've never really been good at asking for space, when you kiss me while spinning me or pinning me to a wall and I squeeze out of your grasp is how I make it clear, standing up for my boundaries has never been a strong point, you're my first real girlfriend, I find I have a hard time saying no to you even if I'm exhausted from modelling, if you're in the mood I can't bring myself to say no" says Naomi
"besides Jade, this will give us time to explore that side of life, a peek into what life might have been like if you'd called dibs on me instead of Cat, three weeks should be enough time to allow Naomi to recharge and have Cat help her in reinforcing her boundaries and saying no when she needs to preserve energy" says Tori
"I guess that's fair but I had a date planned with Naomi later today" says Jade
"if you're willing to make it a double date Naomi and I can be there along with Tori, Naomi will just be beside me instead of you" says Cat
"I guess that works so long as I'm not the only one paying" says Jade
"must be an expensive place" says Tori
"Cat's favourite spot, the place she took you" says Jade
"let's hope Valerie is working today, she's been spending a lot more time with my brother lately but he seems happy about it" says Cat
"do you not like the other waitresses" asks Naomi
"they don't like me, they say I'm too picky about food texture, which was only a problem because they would intentionally mess my order up, they'd add the word spicy to my spaghetti and meatballs order which means they use spicy house pasta sauce instead of the normal mild pasta sauce, it got so bad I had to start recording my order and their response so the manager would believe me" says Cat
"we leave in an hour, hope that's enough time so you guys can get ready" says Jade
"that depends on the dress code you're hoping for the double date" says Cat
"no dress code, wear whatever you want" says Jade
"that won't fly at that restaurant, you HAVE to wear something nice, it doesn't have to look like you're rich but at least upper middle class, dresses have to be knee length or longer and you have to wear leggings or something underneath the dress, not just underwear, some families bring their young kids and they have a tendency to lay on the floor while waiting for their food and look at everyone from the floor, however if they have a private room available the leggings thing isn't a requirement but private rooms are not guaranteed unless you call and reserve one" says Cat
"I'm definitely not wearing leggings or panty hose in this heat, do they take last minute reservations" says Jade
"if you mention me and Valerie is working she tends to guarantee one is available but again Valerie working on Fridays isn't guaranteed, at least not during the time we'll be there" says Cat
"ok I'll call now, I'm going to stop by my house and get changed, everyone wear something cool" says Jade as she leaves
"you're done with Tori aren't you" asks Naomi worried this change is permanent
"done with Tori, God no, however I'd definitely be open to swap you and Tori if Jade's too pushy at times but it won't be anything permanent, a few weeks here, a few weeks there, I'm committed to marrying Tori one day and Jade quite clearly loves you, neither Tori nor Jade have been with women before, they simply have a hard time controlling themselves and wear us down" says Cat
"if what you say is true Cat then pairing Jade and I together even temporarily will be a big problem" says Tori
"not if how you feel about me is real Tor, I know how I feel about you is real, I'm only doing this because Naomi's nightmares are hurting her both emotionally and physically" says Cat
"how can I actually know" asks Tori
"that's the thing, you don't until you're tested, whatever happens I won't hold it against you but the no sex thing was your request" says Cat
"you won't steal Jade from me will you Tori, as much as she's been terrible at giving me space when I need it, I don't know anyone who understands me like she does" asks Naomi
"I don't like Jade sexually, admittedly sometimes I dream about dating her but that's as far as the dreams go, dates, nothing more" says Tori
"good because I've been hoping to propose to her if my boundaries can be set and acknowledged" says Naomi
"trust me Tori's not the one you have to worry about, Becky on the other hand will be a problem that we will have to address" says Cat
"she's my friend Cat, her accessibility issues keep her at bay, which honestly is the only problem, Jade and I are open to a triad relationship, my house is accessible, it has both a stair lift system and an elevator, the old owners were disabled but loved the beach, the accessibility and accommodations for them were amazing, the community loved them, their passing was sad for many people, I bought the house and promised not to take anything out, painting it my colors was the only exception, the old owners family just wanted the outside and the accessibility access to remain in place, it's probably one of the only quake resistant homes this close to the shore, when a quake happens, at least up to a six on the Richter's scale the foundation was designed to float, it's an odd sensation actually but anything above a six the home isn't immune to damage" says Naomi
"so Becky could live with you guys" asks Cat
"only if Jade's aunt changes Becky's last name back, right now she's Becky West" says Naomi
"so you two have talked about her then" asks Tori
"on and off but nothing serious because of the last name thing, she's afraid that people will assume they're blood related because her aunt only refers to Becky as her daughter even though Becky doesn't care about being adopted" says Naomi
"I'll talk to Hannah West about that and see what I can do" says Cat
"I don't want you interfering, Jade will talk to her aunt when she wants to" says Naomi
"if Jade was going to she'd have already done it, she's been talking about Becky since her dad died, Becky is doing well, she won't willingly pull her into ANY relationship without a little push, that's why she pushed away Becky's brother's inference that Becky likes her with reasons she made up on the spot" says Cat
"so you're saying that she has NO problem with Becky legally having the same last name as her" asks Naomi as Tori goes to change
"Jadelyn doesn't care, Becky's not blood related so there's no conflict, other people do have problems with the whole 'same last name' thing, that's the entire problem, if she thought she could hide bringing Becky into a relationship so she didn't have to listen to people whine about Becky having the same last name she would, Becky would ditch Jade's aunt in a second if it meant spending the rest of her life with you guys" says Cat
"how do you know this, is she your friend too or something" asks Naomi suspicious as Becky doesn't have many friends
"my friend no, she goes to the same rehabilitation centre as my brother, my brother briefly abused his medical card privileges and ended up getting outright addicted so he's relearning moderation and symptom control, Becky's in rehabilitation to strengthen her body so the Elhers-Danlos doesn't limit her mobility" says Cat
"she has POTS too by the way, it often gets overlooked because she doesn't always feel the pain so people tend to think her Elhers-Danlos is her more severe disorder but it's not, they're absolutely both terrible on her body" says Naomi as she goes to change and Cat makes a call to Hannah West
"what's the honor of your call today Miss Valentine" asks Hannah West
"the time has come for Becky to leave the official west family tree and join Jade for the rest of her life" says Cat
"what about Naomi, I heard that her and Jadelyn started dating" says Hannah
"Naomi's definitely into polyamory and Jade's absolutely draining Naomi of her energy, her modelling has suffered, I've traded Tori for Naomi for three weeks but it can't continue like this, Naomi's having nightmares that Jade will sex her to death, having Becky there will give Jade another out and give Naomi time to breathe when she needs space" says Cat
"Becky believes that Jade will be the one to ask" says Hannah
"Jade doesn't have that kind of spunk anymore, she's a gentle giant, besides while Becky continues to have the same last name she won't do anything with Becky" says Cat
"is she that afraid that Becky will reject her or something" asks Hannah
"no, she's not afraid of rejection from Becky, she's afraid of other people seeing a polyamorous relationship with someone with the same last name and end both Naomi and her own career over a misunderstanding, Jade has helped tens of thousands of trafficking victims return home safely, her plays are the only reason she could spend upwards of six million dollars to charter flights for these teens back home, without her plays making her money she's basically homeless and Naomi would be homeless without her income, ninety five percent of Jade's play income went to helping those trafficked teens, all without a luck of knowledge from the public because she designed it that way, she likes being the hero behind the scenes" says Cat
"I'll get the paperwork done but Becky won't accept anything unless Jade and Naomi ask her out in person, she's very untrusting that way, she doesn't like being a West this way, she only accepted it as a way to continue her meds, her brother provides money for their parents, she wants to be a model but like that case in Italy where you gave that teen the life she had been rejected from her entire life, Becky has been rejected, the moment people here 'Elhers-Danlos' or 'POTS', they treat her like a parasite and accuse her of every racist crime they can think of, they see being physically disabled as Becky is as a scam" says Hannah
"I'll set up an interview, we need a model disabled person on our payroll and she's always been amazing at helping my brother though his schizophrenia battles in therapy, that's the kind of person I'm looking for, someone that people like her can look up to but I won't be the person interviewing her, it'll be Tori" says Cat
"you're sure Tori can be unbiased" asks Hannah
"it's not that kind of interview, the girl in Italy uses crutches to walk the runway and the whole place erupts in cheers when she's on the runway, it takes her nearly twenty minutes to do it but she still does amazing, my fans absolutely love representation and the only thing lacking from my north American headquarter fashion shows is a disabled model, as long as she can walk the runway she has a very high chance of getting to the second round, it doesn't matter if it takes her twenty minutes to do it, so long as she can, that's all that matters" says Cat
"it affects her too much to walk down that runway, she'd likely prefer her wheelchair, though she'd likely get up and twirl at the end of the runway for the cameras she doesn't do well walking a lot, especially in heels" says Hannah
"heels are always an option for my models, not a requirement, if she has shoes that help her walk, even just for the interview, that's preferable, Naomi rarely wears heels on the runway, the old agency hated her for it, she's prospering under my agency, Becky might even be able to afford her medication and treatment all on her own, my disabled models always get a premium rate as well as a very good insurance plan, her rehab visits would be covered entirely all she'd have to cover is her meds" says Cat
"you do know that Jade is the one paying for all that stuff currently right" asks Hannah
"who do you think gave her the damn idea Hannah, I've always seen Becky's potential, people like Becky are WHY I created Valentine Modelling to begin with, I always believed in representing all people, two of my models have schizophrenia, one is Bipolar, one experiences hallucinations, to me their disabilities don't negate their talents or potential, the only reason I can't be the one interviewing her is because my policy is I can't interview people I set up interviews for, it's an impartial process, Tori's up to speed on the requirements, so long as Becky has a list of limits on things she can and can't do we won't turn her away" says Cat
"she'll want a guarantee of a fair shot, she's been through this process a dozen times, they tell her she's doing amazing then when they get the contract out and she tells them she has Elhers-Danlos and POTS they shake their heads and tell her to leave" says Hannah
"we don't discriminate based on disability, talent and a drive to do the best you can are the only requirements, besides Tori won't discriminate against Becky, in fact Tori is probably the best choice to get Becky a fair shot" says Cat
"why two rounds of interviews" asks Hannah
"it's procedure, we tend to get a lot of people applying for a modelling spot, as of right now there's only one other disabled individual on the list for interviews, Jasmine is her name and she's a high support needs autistic, we tend to pick at least two applying models per fashion show prep interview loop so even if Jasmine does well that doesn't mean that Becky loses out this time round, Becky and Jasmine are in two different categories, anyway I have to go get dressed for a double date, the interview will be tomorrow" says Cat as she hangs up
At the restaurant an hour later
"is Valerie in today" asks Cat uneasy about dealing with Vanessa
"you're not the same unknown, worthless person anymore Catarina, I promise not to mess anything up, especially since we went digital on the whole ordering process" says Vanessa
"doesn't make me trust you Vanessa, you're changes to my order sent me to the hospital twice in the past, I had to start recording my order and your response so that you could be held accountable" says Cat
"I've grown up a lot since then Catarina, I was childish and filled with hate back then, besides Macy is dating my little sister, who by the was was absolutely losing it when the feds made Macy homeless because of that corrupt modelling agency that you thankfully replaced, my sister had to go to the food bank for food because she could just barely afford rent at the bargain bin apartment buildings that only offer absolutely tiny apartments, Macy was the one with the money in the relationship, she was absolutely terrified when Macy ended up in the hospital, they rarely spend time apart now that you hired Macy, though they still don't really like the tiny apartment" says Vanessa
"they're more than welcome to stay at my place, so long as they can buy their own food or won't charge rent" says Naomi
"wait really, I thought that you and Jade took over that house when you got together" asks Vanessa taking them to the private room Jade reserved
"I still have all my stuff except for my clothes at my house and the house is more than big enough, though the house beside Cat's is up for sale next week, Macy could put an offer in" says Jade
"they're too busy getting caught up on their meds tab that the pharmacy gave them and they have that two hundred and fifty a day limit, they can't afford that, I doubt the feds would allow it" says Vanessa
"I'm the financial intermediate for the feds, as long as its clear the intentions of the purchase isn't to hide evidence, the feds will allow it" says Jade
"neither Macy nor my sister have enough saved up for a house, I think you misunderstand just how much Macy made" says Vanessa
"oh you misunderstand, I know how little Macy has saved up, however that's changing, however Cat can offer to buy the house in question outright and Macy just gets what would be the mortgage rate deducted from her weekly wage every month" says Jade
"Cat you'd really do that" asks Vanessa shocked
"unless you plan on paying, besides the house needs repairs so they won't be moving in right away anyway, it'd be about a month so they can make four payments before even moving in" says Cat
"I have to wonder why you pay your models so much, it's always irked me that you seem to pay your models four times what normal models get paid" says Vanessa as everyone puts their orders in
"well for one I believe in paying people what I feel they're worth and it keeps them from selling themselves, you may think I'm doing it because I can afford it, funny thing is I'm doing it because it makes them feel better about themselves and they're not scrounging up change to buy food or pay rent or a mortgage and I cleared Macy's pay bump with Jade and therefore the feds before hiring her officially, they told me I can pay her whatever I want so long as they stay within the daily spending limits set by Jade, by the way, I don't know if you knew but bills like meds, rent, hydro and water don't count towards the two hundred and fifty dollars a day limit, Macy felt that her and Ella's meds should count towards the limit, that's the only reason they're struggling right now, Macy chose to have it excluded from the paid automatically part of Jade's financial mediation process, notwithstanding the fact that every cent they pay will be reimbursed by the insurance that I provide to all models and Macy and Ella will get their money back, the problem however is payment processing, Macy's request to have medication bills be part of the daily spending bill means until a particular bill is paid in full the insurance provider will not reimburse them, having to buy food and pay for gas that doesn't leave them much to pay towards their medical expenses, honestly I wish I'd been able to convince Macy about letting the financial monitoring firm take care of the medical expenses" says Cat as Vanessa's work device beeps
"what if I can convince her to let the firm deal with it, is it workable or is is not possible, anyway I'll be right back with your food" says Vanessa as she hurriedly leaves to serve other customers their food
"is it workable Jade" asks Tori
"unfortunately not, I warned them that not having their medical bills taken care of automatically and paying a tiny amount at a time would screw them later for insurance reimbursement but Macy was adamant, it will take a doctor saying that she wasn't clear headed enough after the beating her now former traffickers for a judge to even let me consider allowing the financial monitoring firm to adjust the agreement Macy signed and that's no easy hurdle because the hospital had cleared her psychologically speaking almost a month earlier, a week after she signed a contract with Valentine Modelling, if her decision about a financial matter was in err because of a psychological symptom missed by the doctors it also voids her contract with Valentine Modelling until a new, invasive and thorough mental health exam is conducted" says Jade
"I know Macy, she was a bit off, being thrust back into the modelling world made her unsure about her future, which explains her desire to have some control of her financial situation, however when it comes to a modelling interview like how Cat performs them for the agency, her anxiety about her future plays no role because Valentine Modelling doesn't just hire or interview just anyone, she only interviews the best and only hires the best among them, the financial situation with the monitoring firm happened before Cat interviewed her and therefore while Macy was still in the dumps about her future, she saw herself losing everything, even Ella because of what the feds did, after Cat hired her officially, her mental health got better, she was able to get back on her meds after Cat paid the pharmacy backlog tab that Macy and Ella owed, the exception wasn't about wanting control, not entirely anyway, they're trying to show you that they don't take you paying off their medication bill for granted, they feel that allowing the monitoring firm to pay for everything, including meds would show you that they don't care that you spent thousands of dollars paying off their medication bills" says Naomi
"I wanted them financially back on their feet, that's why I did that, I swear those girls are definitely autistic" says Cat as Vanessa's returns with their food
"my Ella's here, she wants to talk to you Cat, is it ok, I figured this was kinda a double date situation so I told her I'd ask but that I'd make no promises" says Vanessa
"yeah certainly I'll talk to Ella, I'll be right back girls, don't party without me" says Cat as she giggles and follows Vanessa to where Ella is waiting
"Cat I'm worried about Macy, she's stressing about the medication bills, we spent the last three days making payments so we could come here for a date tonight but now she's nervous that the feds will arrest her because she's been maxing out the daily limits and I make barely enough to survive" says Ella clearly terrified
"I paid the medication bill so you guys could get back on your feet, you guys made the decision to exclude medication payments from the monitoring firms auto payment system" says Cat
"Macy's not like most people, she's like you, she heard that you paid it off in full and she's determined that your intention was to have us pay for the bills from here on out ourselves" says Ella
"I had a suspicion that she's autistic, I have an offer for you guys, I know the super at your apartment has been creepy towards you since you got the apartment, the house beside mine is getting ready to sell but it needs repairs done, I can pay it in full and take payments out of Macy's weekly wage check to pay for it, it wouldn't be ready for a month so you could live with Naomi until then" says Cat
"Macy heard about that but her worry is that the feds won't care and won't let her do anything, she's making more money now than ever" says Ella
"as long as she doesn't plan to destroy evidence against the old agency the feds won't interfere, buying you and Macy a home and taking payments out of the check she gets was one of the options they were ok with, Jade doesn't give them any information they don't need, Macy however should get an official diagnosis, it will allow some leniency when it comes to firm decisions, she can get the medication bill exclusion reversed, giving you guys more money to work with" says Cat
"I lost my job last night, I'm going to get evicted if I can't pay rent this month, I've barely managed to do so as it is" says Ella
"don't go home tonight, I'll take care of everything, stay at Naomi's place tonight, your girls room hasn't been touched" says Cat
"she'll see that as a favor that needs repayment" says Ella
"I know Macy's not her real name Ella, I know it's Lizzy, tell her I explicitly said to stop expecting to need to pay me back, I've got this all covered" says Cat
"the super isn't exactly a nice guy, he'll send you to the hospital" says Ella
"trust me he won't dare" says Cat
"you promise to make sure we have a home" asks Ella suddenly hopeful that Cat's going to save them financially
"yes and you'll have a job as Macy's protector, you'll get your own tazers and everything, it pays pretty well too, now go enjoy the night with Macy" says Cat sending Ella back to Macy
