1 month after the Platinum Music Awards at lunch
"hey has anyone noticed Cat's missing" says Tori
"what do you mean, wasn't she here yesterday" asks Robbie
"if she has been then she's avoiding me, we share three classes exclusively and she hasn't been in a single one since the award show" says Tori
"do you have feelings for her" asks Robbie
"even if I did Robbie I'd never step on your toes" says Tori
"something tells me you do have feelings for Cat" says Jade
"it doesn't matter, even if I do like Cat, my feelings are my own for me to discover and discuss with people, besides at this point I'm just worried about where she is, it's not like her to miss classes" says Tori
"I did hear there was some sort of big fight between her and her brother, maybe she's hiding from him" says Jade
"that doesn't explain why she's possibly been seen by Robbie but I haven't seen her, she's very clingy" says Tori
"maybe her brother said something about you Cat didn't like so she's protecting you by avoiding you" says Jade slowly letting information out
"if you know something just say it West, don't toy with me, I don't need protecting, if her brother attacked me my dad would go after him and Trina might hurt him" says Tori
"speaking of Trina since when do you two get along" asks Robbie
"since when do you care about Trina Robbie, Trina and I get along sometimes and sometimes we fight for weeks at a time, she's not exactly stable" says Tori
"it's just odd that she's missing from school too is all Tori, she's as quirky as me, she may hate me but that doesn't mean I wouldn't notice when she stops showing up, I learned that she's having to repeat eleventh grade" says Robbie
"she doesn't technically 'hate' you Robbie, it's more Rex she hates, there's a lot about you that we can't tell if this version of you is the real you or if you portray part of yourself through Rex to make it seem like you're kind, it's why Cat keeps her distance as well" says Jade
"if you know so much then get Cat BACK in my life, I texted her things that I didn't mean for her to see without context, I need to know if she's avoiding me because of the texts I sent" says Tori
"she mentioned the texts at least in passing and said there was nothing wrong with them and that she IS avoiding you because of her brother, apparently he's in a violent phase of his schizophrenic condition and he's been violent when your name was mentioned, what the argument was about she won't say" says Jade
"I DO NOT NEED PROTECTION FROM HIM, he's all talk and no action, his threats are hollow, I need Cat back in my life damn it and IF he were to attack me I don't know anyone who could protect me from him better than her, anyway we have class to get to, the bell just rang" says Tori heading to her locker leaving her untouched lunch to bake in the heat
Later that day with Cat and Jade
"Cat we need to talk about Tori" says Jade
"what about her, I told you the texts didn't bother me" says Cat
"she's started acting odd without you around, she's pretty much demanded I make you come back into her life" says Jade
"I don't listen to demands, besides my brother likes her too, so long as my parents refuse to keep him away from her I told them I'd avoid her even if it hurt me, eventually my parents will give in, my grades have done nothing but fall since my brother and i fought over Tori, he's way WAY too old for her, at least I'm within a year of Tori" says Cat
"you're really willing to destroy your honor role status to prove a point" asks Jade
"My insanely unstable brother isn't the person Tor needs in her life, Tor and I NEED each other, I'm borderline Bipolar, whichever diagnosis of Bipolar is the worst one, I'm already the lesser AND the moderate one as well as autistic, she doesn't need someone with schizophrenia, besides I only do so well in school BECAUSE Tori helps me, the only things I can do fully on my own is making costumes, clothes and singing, everything else I need help with" says Cat
"how'd you make it out of elementary school if you really have that much trouble" asks Jade
"she may not be be Tori but she had the same attitude towards helping me, I swear I'm smart, I just need things worded in a way that makes sense to me, words and letters just get jumbled if I try on my own" says Cat
"if that's true you might be dyslexic" says Jade as Cat starts crying
"NOOOOO don't tell my parents, they'll get me tested and I know the list of diagnosis I already have will scare Tori away as it is, I don't need more" cries Cat
"I'm not so sure knowing what makes you unique would push Tori away, it might even pull her closer" says Jade
"you don't know that, this whole thing is the Mariana trench level of unexplored territory, before those damn texts Tori's never shown a blip of romantic interest in me, I'm not going to piss my brother off for the tiny chance a relationship with Tori doesn't implode so spectacularly that we both quit Hollywood arts" says Cat
"what exactly was in those texts exactly" asks Jade
"Tori was drunk, Trina confirmed it, it was the same night as the award show, her parents were watching and drinking, it was that new popular 'add your own flavor' alcohol, apparently it tastes like water and only burns a little, Trina said Tori drank half the bottle before she realized and it was too late, until Tori actually tells me those texts do genuinely express how she feels, that door has to stay shut" says Cat
"you're not exactly giving her a chance to explain by hiding from her, your brother is scary sure but Tori can be too, she was getting kind of aggressive with me because I wouldn't let her visit here after she found out you're staying here, she damn near broke my left arm but your agreement with me was more important" says Jade
"she became aggressive……., maybe I fell for the wrong person, maybe I should date Robbie or Andre instead" says Cat suddenly worried
"she's getting aggressive because you're avoiding her, obviously you know on some level how important that kind of text is, drunk or not you're lucky she didn't text Andre that stuff because he'd jump for her in a heartbeat, hell you've probably already begun to lose her attention because you won't let her at least explain the texts, I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of the week if she's no longer friends with you on the slap, protecting her from your brother only goes so far if it means she feels abandoned by you because of the texts, context means everything, in this case it means the difference between her thinking that you feel she should be afraid of your brother and YOU being actively afraid of your brother, you've kept him mostly hidden so people don't realize how dangerous he can be when he gets aggressive" says Jade
"I'm not risking her blowing up on me for avoiding her, maybe you can explain it to her" says Cat
"you can't avoid her forever Cat" says Jade
"I can and I will, my parents may be FBI agents but they're weak when it comes to telling my brother no when he's in this aggressive state but he wasn't always like this" says Cat
"I'm curious as to when the aggression phases started" says Jade
"he was nine, he liked a girl but our parents said no, she was only three months younger than him and she actually liked him quite a lot too, it's been fifteen years since then, nobody knows where she is and my parents won't let him search, so no any girl he THINKS he might like, real or not he gets defensive and aggressive over" says Cat
"wait so he doesn't even have to actively like the girl, he just has to think he does, that's nuts" says Jade
"yeah he's completely bonkers most of the time, he loves shiny jewelry because it reminds him of Jessica, my parents keep replacing my jewelry that he ends up eating but they keep disappearing" says Cat
"where can I find her, this mess HAS to end" says Jade
"you can certainly try, my parents will put up a fight though" says Cat
"in the rare chance that Tori chooses someone else who else would you date" says Jade expecting tears at the thought
"you or Gabriella and I know neither you nor Gabriella are interested in me that way" says Cat backing away and heading to her room
Later that day at the pier
"hi I'm told Jessica could be here" says Jade
"where'd you hear that, not just anyone can call her Jessica, Catarina's brother is the only one to my knowledge and their parents aren't exactly on good terms with Rosie Thorn the pinball queen" says Arcade manager Theodore Jacobs
"yeah well it's high time they're taught a lesson about messing around with their daughters life by being soft on Kyle" says Jade as Theodore points to the far corner pinball crowd
"that crowd there, they're watching her, she's mere minutes away from breaking a world record score, in record time no less" says Theodore
"ok I'll wait till she's done" says Jade
2 minutes later
"WHOOOOOO, beat that Brendan Johnson, I'm the new record holder" yells Jessica Thomas as she heads over to Theodore to pay her pop tab
"sulky girl asked for you, something about Valentine's is all I know" says Theodore as he takes Jessica's money and hands her change
"that's odd it's usually Cat who comes to talk to me, whatever it is must be serious" says Jessica
"Miss West doesn't come here looking for hotshots like you unless it's serious, she used your legal name so Kyle is involved in this somehow" says Theodore
"oh how can't he be, I'll take care of it" says Jessica as she walks over to Jade who's hiding in the shadows
"someone's world is in chaos and I need your help" says Jade in a monotone voice
"I assume Kyle's messing with Cat's life again" says Jessica matching Jade's tone
"he thinks you are Tori Vega and an accidentally drunk Tori sent love texts to Cat causing Cat re-evaluate her decisions about love then Kyle fought with her, basically demanding to Cat that Tori is HIS to ask out not hers because Tori isn't Tori, afraid to stand up to him because of past aggression leading to Cat breaking her ankle at Kyle's hand she's been avoiding Tori to please him and as a result pissing Tori off because Cat's 'avoiding' her because of the texts and not allowing her to explain herself and causing Tori to consider other options which is making Cat depressed because she's only avoiding Tori to keep the peace with Kyle" says Jade
"their parents forcing me to leave caused Kyle to become unstable" says Jessica
"Cat mentioned something like that, it doesn't make sense to me, how can one person leaving have such a drastic effect, even years later" says Jade
"I was working on Kyle's emotional regulation, happiness, sadness, anger, that kind of thing, my mom was in the therapy business for people like Kyle for almost twenty years before I was born, she pioneered this therapy technique for schizophrenia patients, Kyle's parents couldn't afford her level of therapy, Kyle saw how he was scaring Cat, he asked me if I could help him not scare her so much because he wanted to be a good big brother, because I thought he was cute I agreed and asked my mom, I told my mom his reasons and she gave me a workbook to work with Kyle on, three months in and he was starting to see progress, Cat was becoming less scared of him then all of a sudden their parents accused me of controlling Kyle and that I was to leave and never return, he only got increasingly worse after that, Cat continued 5o make attempts to keep the sibling connection they'd had thanks to me going but it has always been fragile" says Jessica
"the wild aggression scares me" says Jade
"his therapy toolset wasn't complete, it's like thinking you know how to drive after half a written driver's test, you're going to be a danger to those around you until you finish that test" says Jessica
"how long until he'd have not been dangerous" asks Jade
"he'll always be a danger to people, the difference is how much of a danger he'd be, he was two months away from having all the tools he'd need, two months from having all the required knowledge and skills to metaphorically get in the driver's seat for the real test of his understanding of everything I'd taught him" says Jessica
"ok so they've agreed to an intervention provided you explain to them what was actually going on" says Jade
"I tried back then and they didn't believe me, what makes me telling the same damn story now any different" asks Jessica
"they're actually willing to listen this time, Mr. Valentine has come to the conclusion he was wrong back then to push the issue and his belief that you were controlling him, he wants you to explain what actually happened, as Kyle broke his dads arm when he finally put his foot down about Tori, it's broken to the point that he could very well lose parts of that arm, anyway because of the outburst the doctor treating Mr. Valentine wants context because they're considering sending Kyle to a long term mental health care facility where he will be isolated and considered a danger, the meeting is for tomorrow after Cat and I are out of school, Cat will be there as well but Kyle won't be" says Jade
"that's all great but I have to deal with Kyle first or nothing will change, take me to him NOW" says Jessica as Jade becomes nervous at Jessica's sudden change in tone
"yes ma'am" says Jade as Jessica follows her to her car
45 minutes later at the Valentine home as Jade and Jessica arrive shocking Mrs. Valentine in the process
"we had a deal Jade, Jessica wasn't to come here until after my husband talked to her" says Cassandra Valentine
"if I don't talk to Kyle first nothing will change about his behavior, he has to know I'M the one facilitating the change" says Jessica
"not that I'm suspicious or anything but may I ask why" says Cassandra
"because we love one another and despite your blatant hatred of me, I was trying to help him, he saw he was scaring Cat and ASKED ME to help him get skills to make it less scary for Cat, he wanted to be the good big brother, his anger and aggression towards you and your husband is because you sent me away, his progress wasn't complete and it broke the cycle" says Jessica
"broke what cycle" asks Cassandra
"he'll always be a danger to people when he gets set off but I was helping him with skills and tools to ask for help, he was going to be able to ask 'hey mom, hey dad, is x real or is that just me again', he was two months away from that" says Jessica as she runs up to Kyle's room
"I didn't get to ask her about the book she was using and I have never hated her, it's my husband that didn't trust her, I may be an FBI agent like my husband but when he's home he has the power in this house, only when he's away do I have any power" says Cassandra
"her mom is a world renowned therapist, she created a therapy protocol to keep schizophrenics OUT of long term mental health care facilities unless a long term care facility is the only option if the schizophrenia gets really bad, that's what the book was, it had a list of tools and skills, that's what she was teaching him, your husband made her leave the book here, it cost a thousand dollars, it's not just a book you can buy online or at a bookstore, every therapist who works with schizophrenic patients is required to own one, it was LOANED to Jessica by her mother and her mom had to declare it stolen or lost and even then Jessica had to work with her mom for two years to make enough to replace it" says Jade
"may I ask why stage an intervention now and not last year" asks Cassandra
"he's basically claimed Tori, essentially keeping Cat from being able to ask her on a date, making Cat avoid Tori just to keep Kyle calm, Cat's avoidance since the texts is pushing Tori to look at other people" says Jade
"for the record if Cat loves Tori we have no problem with it, we even hugged her when she got the texts only to find out Tori was drunk, since when does Tori drink alcohol, she's not old enough" says Cassandra
"it wasn't an intentional drunk, she was watching how much water she drank during the award show after her performance, her now ex mom and her dad had bought that new 'add your own flavor' alcohol to celebrate her being the opening gig of the award show, her ex mom was always clumsy when it came to leaving alcohol out after an at home date night with Mr. Vega but it usually LOOKS and SMELLS like ALCOHOL, however in this case there was no flavor or smell, it looked like water, she did not realize it was alcohol until her throat started burning, by then more than half the pitcher of alcohol was gone, she doesn't remember texting Cat anything that night, besides the fact that she confirmed that at least everything she texted Cat checks out emotion wise she would have never said anything ever about it, she doesn't really like to ruffle feathers, other than mine to get back at me, IF she'd felt confident enough to show Cat how she feels she would have gone the secret admirer route, even though I made her aware that Cat's only avoiding her to keep from angering Kyle, Tori feels like she's being intentionally punished for accidentally spilling her feelings, ever since the accidental texts were sent she's been getting more and more agitated and aggressive, it wouldn't surprise me if Tori finally breaks in the next few days and looks for someone else besides Cat" says Jade as Jessica slams Kyle's door and rejoins them
"how'd the conversation go" asks Cassandra
"better than I thought but I had to punish him, I explained that dating Tori would be illegal anyway, I did agree to a date regardless of you or your husband approving one in return for him showing up at Hollywood arts on Monday and personally explaining to Tori Cat's avoidance of her, he's sad I won't go on a date with him right now but I told him so long as he holds up his end of the deal honestly as I will be checking to make sure he's honest with Tori about it that I will uphold my date offer to him, also he wants to try edibles, partially in addition to his meds, at least at first" says Jessica
"he was evaluated for edibles and the therapist said no, that he was too unstable and could abuse his access to it if granted" says Cassandra
"what a load of crap, IF he WAS stable enough to safely use the edibles ON his own wouldn't need them for medical reasons in the first place, besides he says your husband found the doctor and he doesn't trust either of them so I ALONE will find a doctor to test him, he trusts you enough that he bargained for you to have some input so long as your husband will not have any, though why he trusts you I have no clue, anyway I have work to do, good therapists aren't cheap you know" says Jessica as she leaves
"she's known to use metaphors, did she reference anything that might make her saying he'll always be a danger to people when he's set off', because that isn't news to me, it's why we keep him on a tight leash to begin with" says Cassandra
"she said making her leave before his lessons were complete was like letting someone who only finished half the driver's written test drive like they completed all the tests, including behind the wheel road tests, all but that half written test completed, basically you and your husband put him behind the wheel of a car with very basic knowledge of how to use it safely or how to even stop it without crashing" says Jade
"when you put it that way it makes us look like psychopaths putting people's lives at stake" says Cassandra
"you were that's the problem she has, not enough freedom is just as bad as too much, too little freedom causes rebellions as can too much depending on the situation" says Jade
"we aren't home enough reliably to give him more freedom and Cat objects to security cameras" says Cassandra
"you don't know why do you" asks Jade
"I know she sleeps naked because supposedly it's better for the body but that all happens in her room, which would only have a camera pointed at her door from the hall, I don't see the problem" says Cassandra trying to be reasonable
"if only she didn't sleepwalk when she's extremely stressed" says Jade
"wait she sleepwalks when she's stressed, I never knew" says Cassandra
"yeah and that's why she doesn't want you to have cameras here, she's worried you'd watch every video, she doesn't just sleepwalk, she sleep eats candy and on a few occasions has fallen back asleep on my kitchen table, my security system is automated, it detects patterns and keeps a record, I told her in advance about the security cameras and the system in place so I don't have to watch the videos produced by the system, if you had that system in place she'd be less combative about it you guys wanting security cameras" says Jade
"if she's in the thumbnail of the video produced we'd never watch the video, besides she'd also have access to the system, my husband and I don't make that much money, we can't afford a system like yours Jade, otherwise we'd already have it, it's probably best she get her stuff out anyway, not because we want her gone but because we can't afford to keep replacing the jewelry Kyle eats" says Cassandra
"she won't return here for any reason until the issue with Tori is resolved between her and Kyle, she just doesn't feel safe, lock down her room until then, with any luck she'll be dating one of three people and living with them" says Jade
"I know she likes you and Gabriella too, not just Tori but her feelings for Tori are definitely the strongest, she's straight up told me that neither you nor Gabriella would agree to any relationship, romantic or platonic, it doesn't matter, she's pretty convinced of that" says Cassandra
"Gabriella is in the closest and I just haven't found the right girl so there hasn't been a need to out myself, there's a lot Cat doesn't know about us, anyway lock Cat's room up as good as you can to keep Kyle out of there, I don't care if you have to buy wood to screw to the wall to block the door, I'll pay for any damage induced by protecting her room, she's afraid he's going to steal more than just jewelry" says Jade
"you like her don't you" asks Cassandra
"honestly that's none of your business, you neglect her enough as it is I don't see why you care, not getting her a dyslexia diagnosis test is criminal, she could be doing so much better in school" says Jade
"she's on the honor role, how could she be doing any better than that" asks Cassandra
"she had people like Tori translate things in ways she could understand, though apparently she does better when things are in Italian or Spanish but the school won't accommodate that unless there's a diagnosis requiring them to, if it is dyslexia it could make sense of her nonsensical words she comes up with" says Jade
"can't you help her translate" asks Cassandra
"I don't know the first thing about translating things for Cat, Tori does and she's keeping that secret to herself, trust me I've asked" says Jade
"Cat is the one who doesn't want the test, her doctor tried, they opened the door to the testing room, she figured it out and ran, she doesn't want more labels, even ones that would make her learning things easier, she has a thing about getting proper diagnoses, as it is it took my husband and I six and a half months just to get her to agree to an autism test, trying to get her to agree to a dyslexia test has taken three years and we've gotten nowhere, no tests we ask her to get besides the basics she'll say yes to, she may be an airhead most of the time but that doesn't mean she isn't wicked smart, she's written three fairytale books but they're written in a foreign language, I'm not talking about any spoken or written language, it's like a mashup of a few languages, as far as I can tell it's what she calls Kitimsonat Kit five, I can't understand any of it" says Cassandra
"it's pronounced Kitim Sonat, Kit five just means version five, it's a language she created, it's not so much a written language as it is a pictorial language, similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs, may I see one of the books" says Jade
"can you read it, it looks very complicated" asks Cassandra as she heads to the living room to get one of Cat's leather bound fiction books then returns
"I can to a degree, oh….. well then, this book is a romance book…. Ummmm did she give you permission to put this in the living room" says Jade
"it's a sex book isn't it" asks Cassandra
"no but it reveals quite a bit about her mental stability, I doubt she'd want this out in the open, even encrypted in her own language, though having said that this is the first version, it's very poorly encrypted, complex words are just written in plain English, Italian or Spanish, anyway I'm not leaving this here, I have to go check in on Cat" says Jade as she leaves with the book