A/N Okay, so this almost certainly will not be as long as my Jade/Cat story (which will not get a sequel, sorry). This pairing needs more love. I think this will be a three-parter, but I don't quite know how it goes. My plotting is very loose.

There's something beautiful in her face when she smiles. And I feel all weird and especially awkward, because Trina's always telling me that girls who like girls are either trying to impress a guy or piss him off. But Cat's not with anyone, and I haven't had a boyfriend since that one unfortunate time at band camp... which I did not go to band for. There was a choir program. Don't judge me, all right?

I didn't even think I had any sort of inclination towards the same sex until she came along, and all I can think of are vibrant red hair and a dynamite body. I can't even believe I used the word "dynamite". That sure blew up in my face.

Let's not discuss my proclivity to make bad puns.

I heard that she likes girls once in the bathroom. A lot of girls talk in the bathroom and seem to think that just because boys aren't around, they can say whatever they like. Not that the information was unwelcome... Au contraire, I couldn't have heard more thrillingly terrifying news. What if she isn't actually a lesbian and I come on to her sort of subtly. And then what if she freaks out and never wants to talk to me again? I'd probably curl up on my bed and stay under the covers for a week if that happened.

So, according to Ditz and Ditzier in that bathroom, Cat's parents caught her making out with a chick in their basement and flipped out. Well, I can understand the flipping out part. If it's true. I'm so scared that somebody will figure out that I like a girl. I'm not so sure if attraction extends to more girls, or maybe she's just something special. I haven't been able to think much of any guy since this crush started.

She's smiling at me. We're at lunch, and there's this dreamy expression in her eyes, but she's definitely looking at me. My chest feels tight and I'm now having a very difficult time trying to get some water down my throat, since everything's sort of constricted.

Andre says something funny- or at least, that's what I assume- and Cat glances over at him to laugh. I just want to reach over and brush that hair that fell from behind her ear. The flower in her hair does little to keep stray strands from occasionally breezing in her face.

"What're you looking at, Tori?" Robbie asks me, like out of the blue.

Well, I'm not about to tell him that my eyes are trained on a certain Cat Valentine. I panic. "Oh, nothing! Just, the, erm, bush over there. I'm so bushed that I sort of, uh, sympathize with it." There is no way in hell that I just said that. See what I mean about bad puns? I'm not even sure exactly what 'bushed' means!

"Okay. That makes sense," he says, even though I'm sure that he does not believe me for a minute.

After lunch, I've kind of forgotten to think about Cat because I have an enormous math test to worry about. Hey, just because I have this monstrous crush on the girl doesn't mean that I turn into a zombie when she's not around. I do have a life... but she keeps invading it at the worst possible moments.

Like now! I'm trying to keep track of the law of cosines as applied to a triangle, but she pops up beside me and scares the bejeezus out of me. I completely forget about mathematics and my attention is immediately trained on her... after I freak out.

"Hi, Tori!"

"Omigod! Cat, where'd you come from?"

She shrugs and takes my math book from me. "Oo, this looks hard. Last year I had so much trouble with this rule..."

"You're in advanced math?" I ask, a little surprised.

"Mm-hm," she nods, completely shrugging off the fact that she is more intelligent than I gave her credit for. "So Tori, I was wondering... would you want to hang out tonight?"

"Yeah, sure. I don't think I'm busy," I say, trying to stay casual. "What were you thinking of doing?"

She flips through my math book and replies, "Oh, I don't know. Would you like to come over and maybe bake or watch some movies? Or both!"

"It is a Friday," I add, trying desperately not to think of what I would like to do during a movie. "Sure, I'll bring some sprinkles when I come. Trina went through a phase where she wanted to be a master pastry chef. Needless to say, that lasted all of three days, and we still have all of the supplies."

One of those smiles lights up Cat's face, and she starts laughing. It's infectious, so I even join in for a second. We stop nearly simultaneously. Still smiling, she flips my math book to the inside front cover and scribbles in the spot where I was supposed to but never did write, "Issued to Victoria Vega".

"Awesome. Here's my phone number! Call me before you leave your house, whenever that is. I'll probably be done with my homework at four-thirty, five-ish, so call after that."

She hands me back my textbook and skips off to... I actually have no idea where she's going.

Exhaling a breath I don't remember taking, I look down at my book. Cat being herself, she had doodled little hearts around her name and phone number. In addition, the C in "Cat" sported pointy kitty ears. It's so cute, but so very out of place in a math book. Now... what was I doing...?

The two minute bell rings. Fuck! I didn't finish learning that damn rule! But I got a phone number... But I'll fail my math test!

I'm sitting on my couch staring at the obnoxious rainbow error channel on the television. I didn't even know TVs still had such a messed up channel after all these years.

"Tori, get off the couch. I want to take a nap," Trina demands.

"No," I say grumpily. "You can sleep in your room."

"But the couch is more comfortable..."

"But the only TV is in here!"

Trina grabs me by the shoulders from behind and shakes me against the couch. "Tori..." she whines, drawing out that "i" sound that's all the more annoying when she wants something. "You're not even watching anything good."

"Fine! I give up!" So much for distracting myself from the lack of time passage until four-thirty. It's still four and I'm dying to call Cat. I go into the kitchen and sit at the countertop without turning the lights on.

I hear this buzzing noise five or ten minutes later. "Tori! Get your fucking phone!"

Could it be...? I hop off of the stool and nearly knock it over in the dark. My toe manages to get injured in the process of getting my cell, so I favor one leg for all of the eight feet into the living room.

My phone is still vibrating on the table near the couch when I make it there. "Hello?" I answer after picking up the phone hastily.

"Tori! Hi! It's Cat!"

A smile creeps its way onto my face. "Oh, hi!"

"Who is that, a boy?" Trina asks me sleepily.

"No, it's Cat," I tell my sister, covering the phone with my hand.

"Then get out of the living room! I'm trying to get some beauty rest here!" Trina screams at me. I'm certain she would have ordered me out of the room if it was a boy.

I hear Cat over the phone as I'm scrambling up the stairs. "Who's screaming?"

"Trina. Sorry. She always does this. So, uh, what were you saying?"

"Um, I finished my homework, so you can just come whenever..."

In my room by now, I sit on my bed. "Could you give me directions?"

"Easily. I know where you live."

"That's not creepy at all, Cat."

She giggles. "Right, right. So here's how to get there..." Her directions are a tad, shall I say, unique. I don't think anybody else gives directions while interspersing them with anecdotes. The way is clear enough in the end. "- And then you make a right. But don't make a left or you'll pass the haunted house. That's it. Kay, bye!" She hangs up before I can say anything else.

I stare at the phone for a moment after she hangs up. Now that the instructions are still kind of fresh in my head, I've got to go.

"Trina," I call out from the top of the stairs. "I'll pay you five bucks to drive me to Cat's."

"Thirty bucks," she says.

"Five."

"Twenty."

"Five."

"...All right, fine. Let's go."