Disclaimer: Still not mine, confusingly.

Tori yawned widely, shifting the bag on her shoulder. She was exhausted; she'd spent all night scrawling her heart onto pieces of paper, trying to interpret the way it beat for Cat, but it beat so hard and so fast, everything ran together, and she ended up scribbling out more than she wrote, black ink dotting her hand. The same hand touched over her bag, brown leather puckered under her fingers. Even though she'd tried all night, she'd barely written anything. But maybe it was enough. Maybe it could get Cat to see that she did care. That she wasn't another Jade.

Tori's fingers tightened on the leather strap as she trudged into school, squinting at the bright sunlight that beat down on the carpark. Maybe it'd be enough to show Cat that she meant what she said, but Tori had realised last night, pen stuttering to a stop on her page, that she still had no idea whether Cat even liked her that way. Cat had been hurt, sure, but Tori wasn't sure if it was just because it brought painful memories for Cat... or if it brought back the same feelings. She sighed, pushing her hair back and shouldering the door to Hollywood Arts open. She'd just have to hope for the best, even if she was the one that ended up getting hurt in the end. Even if Jade would be gloating at her, all smug with her stupid eyes all triumphant. It's like Jade didn't even care what she'd done to Cat... like Cat was a little trophy she'd won, that she was flashing at Tori. I can make Cat love me, and you can't.

Tori shook her head, reaching her locker and fiddling with the dial. She couldn't think like that. This wasn't about one-upping Jade. Cat wasn't a prize to be won... she was just Cat. And she made Tori's heart beat harder, pound out her name and strain to reach her, to burst through Tori's chest, just to be as close as possible to her. If this play worked, maybe she could hug Cat hard enough to show her, so that she could hear it too. Maybe she could see if she did the same to Cat's heart.

So she had a plan. The only problem now was finding Cat. Cat was pretty good at hiding when she wanted to, despite her bright hair and tinkling voice. Tori had found that out after the whole Danny incident. She couldn't just drag Cat into a closet this time; it was so much more fragile. It wasn't her friendship she was trying to salvage... she was trying to build something more. It was a house of cards that could collapse at any moment. All it would take was one misstep, one card placed too carelessly, and everything would fall. And she'd been building for a while, less than carefully. The whole structure was unsound, and uneven.

Tori shut her locker softly, lock clicking. She'd just have to wait to see Cat in class, and see if she could trap her. She smiled to herself for a moment. Sometimes Cat really was like a cat; all affectionate and smoochy, but then just when you reached out to her, she'd turn away, and if you chased her she'd only run faster. She was flighty, and delicate, and Tori had no idea what she was thinking. But if Cat was a cat, then Tori was a dog; easily confused, but loyal. She wasn't supposed to like Cat, but she still found herself about to roll belly-up and whine for forgiveness. To give her a big, puppy-eyed look, and wag her tail hopefully, praying that Cat would pet her, and not turn away, cast her aside.

Tori may have only just started to accept her feelings for Cat, but she was just starting to reveal how much she'd concealed, how much she'd pushed down and hid, and maybe it was all the kissing that'd made it more than crush, or maybe it was just Cat herself. Either way, Tori's harmless crush had become a lot more dangerous. It was already harming people.

The bell chimed, startling Tori, and she realised with a shock that she'd been chewing her nails, staring intensely at the linoleum. She pulled her gnawed fingers away from her mouth, shaking her head. She had to stop overthinking things. That was what got her into this mess. She had to stop listening to her head, and start listening to her heart. It was the one part of her that could never lie. Without it, she might as well be Jade.

Cat wasn't in her first class. Tori wasn't sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, it saved her from awkward glances and uncomfortable shifting... on the other, it only made her that much more tense, that much more distracted. She was going to see Cat in her next class. What was she supposed to do? What if Cat just ran? Cat was actually pretty quick, even in heels. Maybe she should just read over the scene she'd written. What if she'd said something wrong? Tori rummaged through her bag, feeling a spike of panic, fingers pawing through it's contents. No, it was there. She tried to slow her already thundering heart, pulling out the sheets of paper and scanning them surreptitiously, the teacher droning in the background. No, it was no good. Her heart was shaking too much to hear what it had to say. This would have to do. This had to fix things with Cat. If it didn't... no, she couldn't even let herself think that. It had to.

The bell chimed finally, Tori swallowing hard and putting the scene back into her bag with shaking hands. It felt an awful lot like stage fright, and she was about to give the performance of her life. And she hoped to God she'd get to do an encore.

It felt like it took her forever to reach the classroom. She was surprised to find she was the first one there, but for Sikowitz, sprawled out on the stage, staring at the ceiling. That she wasn't surprised about. Tori bit her lip, approaching Sikowitz hesitantly, hands twisting the strap of her tan bag. She nudged him tentatively with a foot, his eyes opening. "Hey Sikowitz... uh... I was wondering if... if Cat and I could do a scene in class today?"

Sikowitz sat up, running a hand through his already wild hair. "Is it boring?"

Tori swallowed hard. Well, if it all went wrong, it'd be pretty entertaining. Especially for Jade. Oh God, she was going to have to do this in front of Jade? Somehow the thought hadn't occurred to her. But if she wanted to show Cat that she wasn't afraid, that she really did want her, all the time, then she had to do it. There was no point to performing it in secret, it'd only fuel Cat's doubts. "I... I don't think it'll be."

Sikowitz pulled himself to his feet with a grunt, waving a hand at Tori. "Fine, fine."

Tori let out a long breath, sitting down in the front row as students started to filter into the classroom. She rose again nervously. If Cat saw her, she might just turn around and leave. Better to hide in a corner, like some ninja spider, and then spring out at Cat once she'd sat down. Tori's eyebrows dug down. Ninja spider? The stress must be driving her insane. And yet... she was wearing a black top, and pretty much dangling over in the corner of the room, eyes fixed on the door. And Cat did feel like some awfully helpless, struggling insect she was drawn to, that she'd been spinning her web around, getting ready to sink her fangs into. Tori wondered for a moment if this was how Jade thought; she was the closest thing Tori had ever seen to a black widow, at least personality wise. She shook herself mentally, she was supposed to be the opposite of Jade today, the last thing she needed to do was think like her.

Cat's hair was like a stoplight, making Tori's heart slam on it's brakes to screech to a halt, ruby locks bobbing into view. Her ribs clenched around her lungs, squeezing them like a sponge and wringing her breath out. And somehow, Tori had expected Cat to be different, to be smaller, to be duller. To not match up to how her imagination painted her now, as some incredibly beautiful, lovely thing. Somehow she'd just expected her to be Cat, and that her heart hadn't tinted her vision rose-coloured. It didn't make things any easier.

Tori peeled herself away from the wall, stumbling forward, like she suddenly wasn't used to two legs instead of eight, apologising quietly to the student she'd bumped into.

"Ah, Cat, you're here. You and Tori can just get straight into it." Sikowitz waved a hand theatrically before sinking into a seat near the wall, chin resting on a fist.

Tori swore mentally. She'd hoped to maybe tell Cat what was going on first, so she wouldn't have to see hurt confusion spread across her face... like it was now. Cat turned, catching sight of Tori, her eyes wide and dark. "T-Tori?" They darted around the room, looking for somewhere to run. Cat's fight-or-flight instinct was always flight. But Tori had trapped her finally.

"I'll explain on the stage. Just please Cat... trust me?" Tori said in a quiet voice, trying to mask it from the other students, who were looking on curiously. Even just being this close to Cat again, smelling her perfume... every lungful reminded Tori of why she was doing this. Cat was diffusing through her veins with every breath, and Tori was intoxicated by it. Just being this close was making her head swim.

Cat's chocolate eyes fixed on the brunette, sombre. "Trust you?" She said in a soft voice, emotion rippling across her face. Still, she didn't resist as Tori steered her towards the stage, heart thumping in her fingertips where they gripped Cat's shoulder.

"I just... I wanted to rehearse a scene. F-for the play."

Cat's eyebrows shot up. "In class? Tori... I don't..." Her eyes dropped, shoulder shrugging off Tori's hand, feet shifting uncomfortably. Cat glanced over to the audience of waiting students, and Tori realised that they were just as much of a trap as the room. She wondered how she'd gotten to this; to the point where she was so scared that Cat was going to run away, that she made it impossible for her to do so. What would she have done if this didn't work? Tie her up? She could only imagine what Cat thought of her right now... no, she didn't have to imagine what Cat thought, she knew. Jade. "I don't even have a script." She said helplessly, eyes shifting back to Tori.

Tori swallowed hard against the hurt in them, focussing on rummaging through her bag, strap slipping off her shoulder. "It's okay, you don't have any lines."

Jade. She could almost see the word flash in Cat's eyes. Cat didn't have any lines in Jade's play either.

"Tori, are you and Cat planning to-" Sikowitz called out, leaning forward in his seat.

"Just give me a minute." She wasn't sure whether she was saying it to Sikowitz or Cat at this point. Tori let her bag slip to the ground, holding the rumpled pages in a hand. She took a deep breath, scanning the waiting students, a dull murmur of chatter coming from them. Her eyes stopped on Jade, arms crossed, eyebrows dipped down as she watched Tori, an infuriating little smirk on her face. Tori wouldn't be like Jade. She'd prove that.

Tori took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. Tori was an actress, sure, but her main love was singing. She didn't like putting herself out there, she didn't think anyone really did. She wasn't given to grand gestures, or emotional displays... at least, not more so than any other teenage girl. Nor was she terribly good at writing, but it was all she could think of, the only thing she thought would prove to Cat that she wasn't afraid to put her feelings out there, to show that she wanted Cat in public, as well as private. That she wasn't content to let Cat be just a plaything anymore. That she wanted to stop acting.

"Gwen." Tori's voice was quiet, low, but it projected through the room, students falling quiet as they realised she was starting.

Cat shifted on her feet, hands tangling themselves together, linked in front of her.

"No, don't say anything, just listen." Tori licked her lips, scanning the lines held near her face, before lowering the sheets of paper with shaking hands. She didn't need them. She'd had stagefright before, but this was worse, so much worse. It was more than just a disappointed audience if she failed, more just than just laughter. It wasn't her pride that would be hurt, it was her heart. "I know that it's hard to trust me. I know that you've been hurt before. You asked me not to fall in love you, and I promised that I wouldn't. Well, I broke my promise." Cat's eyebrows dipped down, eyes flickering, and Tori continued, a soft, wry smile on her face. "I fell for you, and I know it's hard for you to believe. I know that we're playing the same game she played with you, and last time you lost. I know it broke your heart, and maybe she doesn't even realise that." Tori's gaze flicked out to Jade, the tattooed girl scowling, sitting up in her seat. "I saw how much it hurt you, and I never, ever wanted to do that. It took me so long to work out what you meant to me, that by the time I did, it was already too late. But I know now, and I'm not afraid to say that you make my heart beat faster, that when I kiss you, it's like a drug that flows through my veins, that everytime I see you, my breath catches, and I forget how to breathe. I'm not playing a game anymore. I don't want to win, I just want you." Tori's breath sliced through her teeth, a shuddering sigh. "I just want you, Cat." She let her shoulders drop, eyes hesitantly raising to the petite red-velvet haired girl. "I'm not afraid to say that in front of everyone. I'm just afraid of not having you. I wanna kiss you, for real, not just acting. I want you to be my girlfriend, and I want us to hold hands, and hug, and just... just be together. You make me crazy." A soft, vulnerable smile stole across her pink lips, self-deprecating. "I just want you."

"L-Laurie?" Cat's voice stammered weakly.

Tori shook her head. "No. Tori." She tried to stop the pages at her side from shaking, pressing them tight to her thigh. She wanted more than anything to look at Cat, to see the answer written on her face, but what if she didn't see a happy ending? What if this play turned out to be a tragedy?

Cat's fingertips brushed Tori's trembling hand, stilling it. "Tor... do you mean that? You really... it's not acting?"

Tori shook her head mutely, hearing the note of hope in Cat's voice. "I'm not playing gay anymore." She met Cat's eyes finally, and it felt like this whole time, she'd only ever looked at the surface. She'd never dived down into Cat's eyes, because she was scared of what she'd find there. She tried to make Cat something less than what she was, a shadow of herself, and it still hadn't worked. Cat had still overwhelmed her completely. Cat licked her lips, eyes flicking over Tori's face before she leaned up, Tori's heart freezing inside her. And when Cat's lips brushed hers, so softly, it melted again, racing furiously. This wasn't acting. That was all that throbbed through Tori's brain; that this wasn't acting. Cat was kissing her because she wanted to. She was Tori and Cat was Cat, and they were kissing because they both wanted to kiss each other. And it was the simplest thing, but somehow it seemed ridiculously complicated to Tori, that it'd taken them so long to do something so easy, and the only acting she'd ever really done through this whole thing was pretending that it meant nothing. But she wasn't acting anymore. It meant something, something that made her head swim and her heart pound, and she knew now that Cats heart did the same thing, that it wasn't calm and detached inside her.

Tentative applause sounded from the confused students as they broke apart, a wide grin on Tori's face, matched by Cat. Everything seemed so easy, so simple now. All the worries that had been tangled inside her had been picked apart by Cat, tied into a neat bow. The play, what other people thought, her own feelings... she'd been so confused, so torn with what she had to do, what she was supposed to do. She'd finally figured out what was important; her heart. She wasn't just playing gay anymore.

A/N: Fin~

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