CHAPTER 4:
The next day, Tori and Trina took Leah for a day out at the mall, to do some shopping and to hopefully take her mind off the drama of the previous night's events.
"I love this sweater," Leah whispered as she felt the material of a red sweater. She glanced at the price tag and quickly dismissed the thought of buying it.
"You want it?" Trina asked her, and Leah nodded nervously. Trina glanced at the price tag. "That's alright. Tori can afford it."
"Like I can afford most of the things," Tori added before turning her attention to Leah. "And it's really not that much. It's a lovely sweater."
"Thank you so much, Tori!" Leah said, and Tori felt delighted. Just then, she got a text message. "Oh, the gang's here," she told Trina.
"Your friends?" Leah asked, and Tori nodded her head.
"You can come along and meet them if you'd like," Tori offered.
"I'd love that," Leah smiled.
Tori and Leah proceeded to the mall's food court, and found everyone already sitting at a table.
"Sup?" Andre said happily. "Who's the little lady?"
"Her name's Leah," Tori introduced. "I'm helping her out for a while. I'll tell you the whole story later. Leah, meet Andre, Robbie, Cat, Beck and Jade," she said motioning to each of her friends in turn.
Just then, Tori got another text, this time from her sister. The text read, "Meet me at the Khaki House on floor three. I think I found an outfit Leah might look great in."
"Everything okay?" Andre asked as Tori typed up her next response.
"Yeah. My sister's been helping me pick out some clothes for Leah," Tori explained.
"So where'd you two meet anyway?" Jade asked.
"It's a long story, but basically Leah needed a place to crash for the night," Tori explained.
"Do her parents know she's with you?" Andre asked.
"Well see, it's complicated. I can explain it to you later, but not here," Tori told Andre.
Soon, Tori spotted Leah coming back from the bathroom. She turned to greet Leah, hoping she hadn't overheard the conversation with Andre.
"Hey, so Trina found a really great outfit for you if you want to go check it out," Tori said.
"Sure, let's go meet her, and check on what she found," Leah said.
"Okay, you go ahead, alright?" Tori asked her. "Floor three is just up that escalator and then you take a right to get to the Khaki House. I'll meet you up there."
"Alright," Leah said with a smile. She followed Tori's directions, heading for the escalator.
"So what's up with Leah?" Cat asked once Leah was out of earshot.
Tori took a seat right by Andre. She sighed, and explained. "She lied to her parents about where she is. Last night they threw her out of the house because they found out that she's a lesbian," Tori explained as discreetly as she could.
"Ohh, so how long is she staying with you?" Andre asked.
"It's hard to say. I found her crying in an alleyway all by herself, on the way home from the first day of summer movie festival," Tori answered. "She looked so alone. She's only 14, and I couldn't just leave her there!"
"She's lucky you were there. I hope you can help her out," Cat muttered.
Tori nodded her head. "Me too," she sighed, then shifted her attention to the gang. "So, what have you guys been up to?"
"Well, I got the job at the movie theater!" Andre announced.
"No way! I knew you were a shoo in," Tori said playfully.
"That means you and I can see a lot of movies for free," Andre added.
"Way to go, Andre," Robbie said excitedly.
Cat glanced at Jade for a moment, then softly nudged Jade's hand. "Jade, go ahead and tell them," she said.
"Tell us what?" Tori asked, curious.
"Cat landed me a babysitting gig," Jade said. She groaned. "For twins."
"It'll be fun!" Cat added. "You'll be helping me tons while Sam is out of town."
"But I don't like children," Jade complained, laying her head on the table.
"Babe, it'll be alright," Beck assured her, patting her back.
"Easy for you to say; you'll be in the mall, while I'm chasing after toddlers," Jade said.
"What does she mean?" Tori asked them.
"Oh, toddlers run around a lot," Cat said.
"No, I mean the part about Beck staying in the mall," Tori said with a laugh.
"Oh, didn't I tell you? I got a job here too! At the mall's coffee shop," Beck explained.
"Oh congrats!" Tori said. "How soon do you start?"
"Tomorrow morning," Beck answered.
"Just make sure you don't forget my coffee order," Jade said.
Tori got a text message and she glanced down, reading it. "Gotta go. I'll catch you later, guys!" she said as she left.
Jade updated her status on TheSlap which read: "Beck's got a new job at the mall's coffee shop. Do I worry about him being fawned over by girls? Probably…Do I know that you'll go over there most often, now that I've told you about his new job? Most definitely. I'm watching you. - MOOD = Irritated".