A Life Changing Decision
*I don't own Victorious*
Tori's POV
Monday, Cat's IEP, Sikowitz had to leave before class began leaving us his class to mingle amongst ourselves as he asked us to do, I sat in my seat wondering how Cat's IEP was going
"I wonder if everything is OK" I said
"Relax Tori, Cat's a big girl, she'll be fine" said Jade
"Yeah but, after what's been going on lately, I just hope everything goes well" I said
After first period I went to Art expecting something from Cat, like a text then I thought that maybe her IEP meeting wasn't over yet, so I sat in art drawing, drawing pictures of animals, yes a cat was one of them I couldn't help myself, I spent the entire morning worrying about her, I know it sounds stupid but I don't want Cat to leave Hollywood Arts, she's like the sweetest thing ever, if she left, I wouldn't know what to do
"Cat isn't gonna leave Hollywood Arts, she loves it here too much" Beck told me trying to calm me down before third period
"Yeah but, what if she, I don't know" I just couldn't help be worried, I was like a worried mother worrying about her child who just went onto college, I realize this all sounds really stupid but to me Cat's like a little sister, I care about her, I love her
When it finally got to lunch I received a text and my heart skipped but it wasn't from Cat, it was from Max "Ugh" I said but I answered back
"What?" -Tori
"Sorry, was I not what you expected?" -Max
"Not really, but what is it" Tori
"Cat wanted me to tell you that your probably not gonna see her at school for the next few days, she's gotta get a few things sorted out" -Max
When I read that I felt my heart sink "Oh no" I thought "Cat's leaving" then I replied
"OK, tell her I said hi" -Tori
"Will do" -Max
I put my phone down then my hands on the side of my head as I felt my heart rip as the thought of Cat leaving Hollywood Arts entered my heart, the girl I met when I first came here, the girl that made me laugh, angry, sad, smile, we've been through so much together and she's actually leaving
"What's up Tori?" I heard Andre say as he came over to sit with me
"I gotta go" I said not in the mood to talk, I got up and left with my phone and my bags then stormed off
Jade's POV
I slammed a pair of scissors into a wall while Tori stood right in front of me after she told me that Cat wasn't coming back "WHAT DO YOU MEAN CAT'S NOT COMING BACK?!" I yelled
"Max texted and said we'd probably wouldn't see her the next few days, I took that as, Cat isn't returning to Hollywood Arts" Tori said backing away from me, she was right to back away too, I was ready to grab someone by the neck and throw them straight through a window
"Look, I could be wrong OK, just calm down" said Tori
"Don't tell me to calm down Vega!" I yelled "If Cat leaves Hollywood Arts and leaves me here with you people I am going to murd" before I finished my sentence Tori's pear phone rang
Tori pulled out her phone "It's Cat" she said
"Well answered" I said angrily
"OK, OK" she said before answering "Hey Cat, yeah Max texted me just a while ago, yeah? OK, yeah he told me that, you did? So, are you staying there, or coming back here? What do you mean you won't tell me?"
I started to feel furious, if that girl was hiding something from me I was gonna start wrecking stuff
"OK, so, you'll explain on Friday? OK, why can't you just explain now, Cat that makes no sense, Cat! Cat!" Tori looked at her phone "She hung up"
"Well what did she say?" I asked
"She said, she'll talk to us on Friday and fill us in on what's going then" Tori said
"Anything else?" I asked
"Nope" Tori said
I felt rage boil through my body and I guess Tori saw that cause she bolted out of the room
Sinjin came walking up from behind me "Hey Jade, have you seen?" I grabbed him by his scrawny neck then threw him threw an open window "I'm OK!" I heard him yell as I walked out of Sikowitz's classroom
Cat's POV
After my IEP ended Nona was called by both my eye doctor and ear doctor, they wanted to have me come in for follow up appointments, she had me scheduled for this Wednesday which couldn't come fast enough cause I really wanted to tell Tori, Jade, Beck, Andre and Robbie what I had decided, I was excited, or at least I was until I got to my appointments and they asked me about doing a surgery on my eyes and ears to get my vision and hearing back, I have to admit, I kinda liked the idea, I know what I said before but, there's a part of me that wants this. I decided to wait to talk to my friends about this, Nona and I already talked about it, we also discussed it with my parents and they all said it's my choice, I wanna get a second opinion so invited my friends including Max over to my house on Friday, I needed to know I'd have their support if I went through with this
No One's POV
Friday came and Cat's friends came over to her house, Tori, Robbie, Andre, Beck and Jade were excited to see her but wanted to know really badly what was going on
"OK Cat, so what did you wanna talk to us about?" Tori asked
"Well, I wanted to tell you what I said during my IEP meeting" Cat said
"Oh, OK" Jade said then Cat explained everything that happened from what Max did to the IEP team then Cat took a deep breath
"And that leads me to my announcement" Cat said "I've decided, I want stay at Hollywood Arts" Cat said much to Tori, Jade, Andre, Robbie and Beck's excitement
Tori leaned over and gave Cat a hug "Oh my god Cat! I'm so happy to hear that, not that I wouldn't have been happy with whatever decision you made" she said
"It's OK, I know you guys would support me no matter what, right?" Cat said
"Right" Cat's friends said
"I'm happy for you Cat" Max said
"Thanks, but umm, there's one problem" Cat said getting a little sad
"What?" Tori asked
"Well, I had an appointment with my eye doctor and the audiologist, and they asked me, if I wanted to have surgery to regain my vision and hearing" Cat said and this stunned her friends
"What?" Tori said
"Cat, are you, are you considering it?" Beck asked
"Nona and I talked, we also talked to my parents, they said it's my decision" Cat said
"Yeah but, are seriously considering this?" Andre asked knowing what could happen if something goes wrong with both surgeries
Cat choked up "Yes, I am, I know what the risks are, I could both my vision and hearing permanently" Cat said as tears began to form in her eyes
Cat's friends looked at her in disbelief "Cat, why would you want this, we thought you were OK the way were" Tori asked
"Yeah" the rest of Cat's friends chimed in
"It's just, I know these are options and...I'm not OK with it OK!" Cat said as tears rolled down her cheek "I'm sorry, I know I'm not perfect, and I know what I said, but, if there's a chance, if there's a single chance to fix everything, why not take it?"
"Cause you could end up the rest of your sight and hearing? How can you live like that?" Tori asked
Jade turned to Nona who's at the counter "Nona you're seriously OK with your granddaughter doing this?" Jade said as she became emotional
"Cat, we love you, we don't wanna see you lose what have left" Robbie said as he felt himself get teary eyed
"Cat, don't you think this would be like, throwing your life away?" Beck asked feeling upset
"You have a bright future ahead of you, do you really wanna give that up?" Andre asked
Cat looked down at her feet as tears dripped down her face and she started crying
Max looked at Cat "Cat, we care about you so much, we'd hate it if things go worse, we don't know" he said "It's your decision, and we'll be by your side no matter what, right?" Max looked at Tori and the gang
"Max is right, we're not saying we won't support you, but we want you to really give this a thought before you do it, we love you Cat, we don't know what we'd do if, this could fix everything, or it" Tori choked up as tears rolled down her face "Or it make things worse, are really willing to take that risk?"
"I wanna do it, for me, for you, for my dream" Cat said as she looked up at her friends "I know you guys love me no matter what, but, I just, I just want a better life"
"We want you to have a better life too Cat" Tori said "We want you to be happy"
"I'll you this, this is something I'd never do, I know a lot of people like me, that would never do this, but Cat, if anyone can do this, maybe it's you" Max said
"The doctors said there's a very small chance something could go wrong, it's very unlikely something bad will happen" Cat said "So, what do guys say? Will you be there?"
"We'll always be there" Tori said then she smiled
Jade, Beck, Robbie, Andre and Max gave Cat a smile that said they support her
About a week later Cat went in for her surgeries, Tori, Jade, Andre, Beck, Robbie and Nona went in with her, Max called Cat before the appointments and wished her luck and told her he cared about her
Cat laid in a hospital bed, wearing a hospital gown waiting to head into surgery while her friends surrounded her bed, Tori and Jade held onto her hands for comfort, Robbie, Beck and Andre sat around the side of Cat's bed
"You nervous?" Tori asked
"A little bit" Cat said as she looked at Tori then Cat smiled at her
"You know, when I first met you, I thought a bit odd, now, I think your a funny nutty" Tori said trying to make Cat laugh which worked
"Thanks, you were always the nicest" Cat said
"Hey" Cat looked over at Jade as she talked "When I met you Cat, I wanted to think you were strange, but as I hung around you, and you and I became friends, I think you grew on me" Jade said as she tucked Cat's hair behind Cat's ear
"You always had something to say, sometimes no one knew what the heck you were talking about, but, you always knew how to make us laugh, you always made me laugh" said Andre
"You always could be a bit hyper, but, I think that's just how you are, hyper, goofy and happy, I don't think we'd have it any other way" Beck said then the others agreed
"You make everyone smile, you make me smile, you're friendly, your fun, I think it be pretty hard for someone to hate you" said Robbie
"Your mamaw hates me" said Cat
"Well she hates almost anything that moves so" Robbie said with a shrug
Cat chuckled "I love you guys, you're the greatest friends I could ever ask for, you've been there for me when I need you the most, if, it ends badly, I'm glad we had this moment" Cat said
"Me too" Tori said, then her and Jade gave Cat a hug
"We love you Cat" said Jade
"I love you too" Cat said then Tori and Jade gave Cat a kiss on the cheek, then as Tori and Jade hugged their friend the nurse walked in
"OK dear, it's time" she said
"OK" Cat said
Jade and Tori held onto Cat's hand "We'll be right here when you come back, OK?" Tori said
Cat smiled "OK" she said then as the nurse began to wheel her away she felt Jade and Tori's hands slip away and that's when she felt the realization hit her as to what was about to happen, Cat looked back she was wheeled away from the room
Jade and Tori stood close together and in a moment that surprised the two they grabbed each other's hand for support then Jade grabbed Beck's hand, Tori then grabbed Andre's hand, Andre grabbed Robbie's hand and lastly Robbie grabbed Beck's hand and the five of them stood in in a circle and closed their eyes praying for the best
In the hospital room Cat felt fear overcome her but she did her best to remain calm as the nurse hooked the IV to her arm and started pumping fluid through her and the next thing she knew she was out
A few hours passed, Tori, Jade, Andre, Robbie and Beck were separated standing by the chairs waiting for Cat to come back, Tori decided to sit down next to Nona who was reading magazines, a few more minutes passed and Cat was wheeled back in her entire head including her eyes and ears covered with gauze
Tori and Jade felt their hearts skip a beat as Tori stood up and Nona sat straight "How did it go?" Nona asked
"Yes, did everything OK, please tell me everything went OK, she's like a little sister to me, tell me she's fine" Tori said as she became emotional then Jade pulled her back "Let him talk" Jade said in a calm voice
"How is she?" Jade asked
"Everything went great, she should be awake any minute now, the nurse will be here in a few minutes to remove her bandages" the doctor said
A wave of relief filled the room as the doctor left the room, Tori collapsed to a chair bursting into tears happy her friend is OK
"I'll text Max" Jade said "Let him now it went good" she put her hand over her heart cause she overcome with joy
"I don't know what to say, I think I need to sit down" Robbie said before sitting down on the floor
"Robbie, you really think sitting on the floor is gonna help you?" Andre asked
Tori walked over to Cat's bed and gently touched Cat's pinky as she smiled "Cat"
The nurse, black with black hair walked in "Alright, is she awake yet?"
"No not" Tori looked down right as Cat's head started to sift "Spoke to soon"
"I feel funny" Cat said then she started to freak out a little bit "Why is everything dark? Is everything worse? Tori? Jade?" Cat felt her ears "Guys?"
"Cat" Tori tried to calm Cat down
"Oh gosh" Cat said as she felt Tori's hand against hers, "Tori, something's wrong, I can't see"
"It's OK, you're fine, just let the nurse take off the gauze and you'll be alright" Tori said
"The what?" Cat said confused
"Just do it" Beck said knowing Cat was to freaked out to tell what was going on
"No need to tell me" said the nurse then she started to unwrap the gauze and as soon as she got the gauze off Cat had her eyes closed
"Cat, open your eyes" Tori said calmly
"Kay, Kay" Cat said feeling scared while her friends including Nona gathered around the bed, when Cat opened her eyes she saw in order Tori, Nona, Jade, Beck, Robbie and Andre around her "I can see, I can hear" Cat felt her ears as she began to become overjoyed "Oh my gosh"
Tori smiled then she hugged Cat "I'm so glad" Tori said as tears went down her face
Cat teared up as she hugged Nona then Andre then Beck then Robbie and lastly Jade
"The surgery was a success, Cat has her full vision and hearing back, she's good as new again" The doctor said after Cat and her friends celebrated for a couple minutes
"Thank you, thank you so much" Cat said while she felt nothing but gratitude
"You're welcome, you are free to go at any time" the doctor said after giving Cat post surgery instructions
After Cat and her friends left the hospital they took her home to rest up, after spending the entire weekend recovering Cat returned to Hollywood Arts
Cat walked into the hall of the school and she walked up to Tori's locker "Hi!" she said in her cheery voice
"Hey!" Tori said
Jade walked up behind Cat "Hey" Jade said
"Jade!" Cat said happy to see her friend
"You're sure in a happy mood" Jade said
"Because you guys helped me get through so much" Cat said "If it weren't for you, I don't think I'd be here right now, I'd probably be in the ground because I decided to cut myself"Cat looked at Tori
Tori smiled "We didn't want to lose you, and we're friends, that what we do, we stick by each other, even through the tough times"
"Yeah, we never gave up on you, when you told us you wanted to go through with the surgery, we though you were a little nuts, but we thought, maybe you weren't nuts, you just, you wanted another chance at life, we'd never deny that or try to stop you from having that chance" said Jade
"We just, were worried, about you, you're like a little sister to us" said Tori while Andre, Beck and Robbie come walking up "We couldn't bare the thought of something bad happening, but, we thought, we hoped that something good would happen, and we were so happy that something good did come from this"
"Yeah, and it's not like I didn't learn anything you know, I'm I would've done fine with the disabilities I had it's just, I wasn't happy, and knowing I could have a better life just made me more depressed, I knew I couldn't be me, or live my dream if I had that hanging over me, so, that's why I wanted to have that surgery, and I'm glad I did, it got me closer to my dreams, I'm back in Hollywood Arts, I'm with my friends, and I'm ready for what life brings" Cat said then Tori and Jade wrapped their arms around her
"And we'll be there supporting you and cheering you on every step of the way" Tori said
Tori, Jade, Cat, Andre, Robbie and Beck walked to Sikowitz's class
*A couple months later*
Max, Whitney, Kayla, Crystal, Jenny and a couple other students are graduating from their blind school
Max is doing his graduation speech while Tori, Jade, Cat, Andre, Beck, Robbie and the rest of the auditorium listen
"We all have differences, we all have talents, we are all special in our own ways, never let anyone tell you can't because, you can, dreams can be achieved if believe in them, as long as you believe in yourself anything is possible, you have the power to make your dream a reality, you just need to go out and start making it happen, you can never give up, you should never give up on others that you support, if they're struggling, so them some guidance, lend them a helping a hand, my family never gave up on me, and that's why I'm here today, my friends, they were my friends not because they felt bad that I had a disability, but because they knew I was more than that, they knew who I was, a nice, funny, friendly guy, and I know, cause they've told me, they've always stood by side and that's what kept me going, my teachers and the staff that have helped over the years, they have given me guidance and never once shown me an ounce of doubt, they never once said 'you know, I don't think you can do it', they all believed in me, the graduates that sit here today, have those people, people who have supported them who have never given up on them, and on behalf my fellow graduates, thank you, thank you for teaching us, that no matter how hard we fall, we should get right back up and keep going, now matter how tough things get, just keep going, nothing is impossible, everything gets better, thank you for always being there, to comfort us when we were sad, to laugh at our jokes, smile when we did, our journey's may have been different, but one thing remains the same, and that's this, today, we celebrate our achievements, we celebrate all the good times and the bad, we made it through all of that, because we had people standing beside us, guiding us, supporting us, reminding us that we can do this, we thank you for never giving up when it mattered, thank you for never giving up and reminding us that we matter, thank you for showing us support on this day, the day we graduate. And so, with that, I leave you with these parting words, Never Give Up on Anybody, Miracles Happen Everyday, thank you, we'll miss you, thanks for celebrating with us, thank you" The crowd cheer as Max took his seat then a little while came the distribution of diplomas
"Max Q, Hill" Principal Hymes announced, then Max walked up and took his diploma, then he looked to the crowd to find Tori, Jade, Robbie, Andre, Beck and most importantly Cat clapping and cheering, Max smiled and nodded, then he walked back over to his chair next to his fellow Graduates
After the rest of the graduates received their diplomas "Ladies and Gentlemen I give you, the LA School for the Blind Class of 2012"
The graduates move their tassels from the left to the right then they walk off the stage as "Pomps and Circumstance" played
Outside the auditorium guests shook the graduates hands and congratulated them, Tori and the gang walked up to Max
"Hey" Max said as Tori walked up with her friends
"Hey" Tori said as she gave Max a hug followed by Andre, Robbie, Beck, and even Jade
"Hey Max" Cat said as she walked up to Max "Congrats, to all of you" Cat said
"Thanks" Max said then Cat surprised him by not only giving him a hug but a quick kiss on the cheek
Max eyes lit up as Cat walked back over to her friends, Max smiled as he looked at Cat then returned to talking to the guests, after the guests finished saying congrats the graduates celebrated in the cafeteria
Cat walked up to Max, Whitney, Kayla and Crystal who all had just taken a picture
"Hey" Cat said
"Hey Cat" Whitney said
"Hi" Kayla said
"Hey" said Crystal
"So, what are you guys gonna do now?" Cat asked
"Going on to tech school" Kayla said
"I'll be looking for some jobs in the small business field" Whitney said
"I'm not so sure yet, probably tech school" Crystal said
Cat smiled as her friends walked up behind her then she looked at Max "Max?"
"I'm gonna be entering tech school, but it's not gonna be here" Max said
"Where?" Cat said
"I'm moving" Max said
"What?" Cat said with shock
"You're moving?" Whitney said
"Yeah, a large number of my family live in Wisconsin, I'll be moving there, I'll be going to tech school, then I'll be entering the field of Special Education" Max said
All this information hit Cat like a pile of bricks "Wow, that's, I thought you'd be staying around here" she said in complete shock
"Yeah, well, it's where a majority of my family are, and I can get more support there" Max said "But hey, we can still keep in contact"
"OK" Cat said feeling a little sad
"Don't worry, I'm we'll sure we'll see each other again" Max said
"Yeah, we will" Cat said then she and Max hugged "I'm gonna miss you Max" Cat said as she choked up
"I'll miss you too" Max said then she stood back "One more picture for the road?" he asked while holding up his camera
"Of course" Cat said then she and Max took a picture followed by a group picture with Whitney, Crystal, Kayla and Cat and her friends
Cat and her friends left the LA School for the Blind "You OK?" Tori asked noticing Cat's sad expression
"Yeah, I'll be fine, I guess, some things don't last forever huh?" Cat said
"Not everything, you and Max really liked each other huh?" Tori said
"Yeah, but, I think everything will be fine, I think this is for the best" Cat said
"You think so?" Jade asked
"Yeah" Cat said
"Does this mean I can start chasing you again?" Robbie asked
Cat laughed "No" Cat said
"Darn it" Robbie said
"Forget it Rob, she's passed you man" said Andre
"Oh come on!" Robbie said as Cat, Tori and Jade grabbed each other's hands and took off running
"Hey, girls!" Beck said noticing the girls took off running
"Where are they going?" Robbie asked
"What just happened?" Andre asked feeling confused
"I don't know, hey wait up!" Beck yelled as the boys chased after Tori, Jade and Cat
Jade laughed as Beck caught her and picked her up by the waist then the two kissed, Tori poked Andre making him laugh while Robbie chased Cat around as she laughed
Cat stopped running around then she looked across at the blind school from the park they were at and saw Max standing at the sidewalk, he smiled and waved so she smiled and waved back, "Cat!" Tori yelled as she hugged Cat from behind, the two shrieked with joy as they went to the joy, Jade fell over on top of them trying to grab both of their arms, the boys just looked at the girls laying on top of each other. The girls laughed while the boys chuckled.
Cat found happiness in her life, she and her friends graduated from Hollywood Arts a couple years later, Cat went on to have a successful acting and singing career, her and her friends remained closer than ever as the years went on never growing apart, never letting success get to any of their heads. Cat would also still keep in contact with the friends and teachers she met at the blind school, especially Max, as for Cat's future boyfriend/husband….after Robbie started using Rex more as a part of his stand up routine Cat started to warm up to him, Robbie and Cat ended up together and got married and lived a long happy life together.
The End
I Hope You Enjoyed this story, hope there were enough twists and turns for you to enjoy as well, I am very proud of this story, I really enjoyed working on it.