Graduation had happened months ago, the gang hadn't really met up over summer, some of them had auditions, some had work or vacations. When it came to moving into their college house the whole gang were over the moon with excitement when they all finally reunited.
Tori's parents helped her get settled, Robbie had already moved in the previous day with Andre and both Beck and Jade had each other to help. Cat however had no one to help her, she was left in her big new room with piles of boxes that she could barely even move herself. The thought of starting to unpack was way too overwhelming so she just lay on the bare bed.
Tori cat and Jade had the first floor, above the kitchen and living room, each of them had their own bathroom to prevent arguments. Above them, Beck, Andre and Robbie had the same setup. It was already known that Beck and Jade would probably just alternate between each other's rooms.
The moving van had barely disappeared down the street before Cat was already bouncing off the walls of her new room. "This is amazing! I have my own room! My own bed! My own... everything!" she squealed, flopping dramatically onto the mattress. However it didn't take too long for her to quieten down.
In the room next door, Jade carefully unpacked all her boxes, handing up small decorations and posters from horror movies. Quite the opposite to what Cat's room would end up like. She had her music playing faintly in the background, taking some time to enjoy moving in before all the chaos started.
Soon enough though, Cat appeared in the doorway.
"Hey! Can I come watch you while you unpack? Tori said she is gonna help me once her parents leave." She asked, already walking over to Jade's nicely made bed and sitting herself down. Jade didn't even have a chance to say yes or no.
"You doing okay, Little Red?" Jade asked, turning to look at Cat momentarily.
"I'm a bit nervous but I'm excited. Once I unpack I think I'll be okay. It just doesn't feel very homely right now." Cat explained. She knew people would help her sort out her room though. Her parents had been too busy with her brother to come along and help but she understood. She had to
Cat lay back more on Jade's bed, making herself comfortable and trying to not pay attention to the posters on the walls of films that have her nightmares for weeks.
Cat lay back more on Jade's bed, making herself comfortable and trying to not pay attention to the posters on the walls of films that have her nightmares for weeks.
Beck's voice drifted in from the hallway. "Hey, Jade. I, uh... made my bed," he said, motioning toward the neatly tucked sheets on Jade's side of the room. "But honestly? I give up on the rest."
Jade arched an eyebrow. "I take it you're staying in mine tonight?"
Cat's ears practically perked up, and she squealed. "Oooh! Sleepover! You guys are having a sleepover!"
Jade and Beck exchanged a glance that perfectly balanced panic and embarrassment. Beck scratched the back of his neck. "Uh... no, Cat. Just... just us tonight."
Cat's face fell for a moment, but she quickly bounced back. "Okay! I get it! I might go see Andre I've not seen him much!" She darted toward her own room like a tiny red tornado, leaving a faint trail of glitter behind which no one could understand where it had come from.
Jade muttered under her breath, "Why is she like this?"
Beck just grinned. "Because she's Cat. It's adorable."
Soon enough, Tori's parents left, and she headed downstairs to sit with cat Robbie and Andre. They had all planned to get pizza and watch a movie together and play some games on the first night in to help settle them in.
"Where's Jade and Beck we can't get food without them?" Tori asked.
"I'll go get them!" Cat squealed. She was quickly held back by Andre though.
"I don't think you want to go in there Little Red, let's just watch something on tv for now." He pointed out, signalling to Tori that they were in fact busy.
Andre kept a light grip on Cat's arm as she tried to dart toward the stairs. "I'm serious, Little Red. Give them a minute."
Cat blinked up at him. "Why?"
Tori coughed, suddenly very interested in fixing a cushion. Robbie looked away. Andre just gave her a look.
Cat's eyes widened. "OH—" she gasped loudly, slapping a hand over her mouth. "...Oh."
"Yeah," Andre said.
"...I'm gonna go unpack," she decided quickly, spinning on her heel and marching upstairs with surprising determination.
Tori waited a beat before bursting into laughter. "That was the fastest she's ever understood anything."
Robbie nodded. "I'm proud of her."
Up in her room, Cat stood in the middle of the mess again.
"...Okay," she whispered to herself. "You can do this."
She opened one box.
Then another.
Then sat on the bed.
"...I cannot do this."
A few minutes later, footsteps sounded on the stairs.
"Alright," Andre called, "we're helping whether you like it or not."
Cat perked up instantly. "I like it!"
Tori pushed the door open and froze for a second. "Wow. It looks... exactly the same."
"I opened two boxes," Cat said proudly.
Robbie stepped in behind her. "Progress is progress."
Andre clapped his hands once. "Okay, quick team effort. We're not turning this into a three-hour project."
And this time, they actually didn't.
It was messy, fast, and full of distractions—Cat getting sidetracked by every item, Robbie making commentary, Tori trying to keep some kind of order, and Andre just doing whatever needed doing.
Within about twenty minutes, the room went from overwhelming chaos to... organized chaos.
The bed was made, a few decorations were up, and most importantly, there was space to actually walk.
Cat spun slowly in the middle of the room. "It's not perfect... but it feels better."
Tori smiled. "That's all it needs to be tonight."
Andre nodded toward the door. "And now we eat before I pass out."
"PIZZA!" Cat yelled, immediately sprinting out of the room again.
By the time they got back downstairs, the living room had transformed.
Pizza boxes were spread across the coffee table, drinks lined up, blankets thrown over the couch like they were preparing for a full-on movie marathon.
Andre flopped onto one end of the couch. "This is what I've been waiting for all day."
Robbie sat beside him, already grabbing a slice. "Same. Moving is exhausting."
Tori dropped down on the floor with a pillow. "Okay, what are we watching?"
Cat immediately grabbed the remote. "Something fun! And not scary. And not sad. And not confusing. And not—"
"So... nothing?" Andre cut in.
"There are lots of things!" Cat insisted.
Before the argument could properly begin, footsteps came from the stairs.
Everyone looked up.
Beck came down first, casual as ever—but definitely a little slower than usual, like he knew everyone was watching.
And right behind him—
Jade.
Wearing one of Beck's shirts, the sleeves slightly too long, hanging just enough to make it obvious it wasn't hers.
There was a very noticeable pause.
Tori's eyebrows shot up.
Robbie froze mid-bite.
Andre just smirked.
Cat gasped. "JADE, YOU STOLE BECK!"
Jade didn't miss a beat. "Relax, I gave him back."
Beck huffed a quiet laugh, dropping onto the arm of the couch like this was completely normal. "Mostly."
Cat scrambled off the couch and ran over, grabbing the sleeve of the shirt. "This is so cute! It's like... couple clothes!"
Jade raised an eyebrow. "Touch it again and I'll end you."
Cat immediately let go. "Okay!"
Tori grinned. "You guys took your time."
"Yeah, well," Jade said, walking over and sitting down like she owned the place, "some of us don't rush perfection."
Beck slid into the space next to her without even thinking, their shoulders brushing naturally.
Andre pointed at the pizza. "You two owe us for making us wait."
Beck grabbed a slice. "Worth it."
Jade took one right after him. "Definitely."
They didn't even look at each other when they said it—but everyone noticed anyway.
Eventually, they settled.
Tori and Cat ended up on the floor with blankets. Andre and Robbie took the couch, and Beck and Jade claimed the corner like it was permanently theirs.
The movie started—some random comedy that Cat insisted was "the perfect mix of everything."
About ten minutes in, Cat was laughing loudly at things that weren't even jokes yet.
Robbie was quoting lines before they happened.
Andre was half-watching, half-eating.
Tori was actually trying to follow the plot.
And Jade—
Jade was pretending she didn't care.
Until, at some point, her head tilted slightly and rested against Beck's shoulder.
It was subtle.
Easy to miss if you weren't looking.
Beck didn't react outwardly, just shifted a little so she was more comfortable, his arm settling along the back of the couch behind her.
Like it had happened a thousand times.
Because it had.
Halfway through the movie, Andre suddenly sat up. "Okay, I'm bored."
Tori groaned. "We're not changing it again!"
"I'm not," he said. "I'm saying—we play a game."
That got everyone's attention.
Cat sat up instantly. "What game?!"
Robbie perked up. "Please say something I can win."
Jade sighed. "This is going to be stupid."
Beck glanced down at her. "You're still going to play."
"...Yeah."
Andre grinned. "Truth or Dare."
Tori laughed. "Oh no."
Cat clapped excitedly. "YES."
Jade leaned back slightly. "We're not in middle school."
Andre pointed at her. "You're scared."
"I'm not scared."
"Then play."
There was a pause.
Jade rolled her eyes. "Fine."
Beck's grin widened. "This should be fun."
They rearranged slightly, forming a loose circle.
Cat practically bounced in place. "I go first! I go first!"
Andre gestured. "Go on, then."
Cat pointed dramatically at Robbie. "Truth or dare!"
Robbie hesitated. "Truth."
Cat narrowed her eyes. "Have you ever lied to one of us?"
Robbie froze.
Rex slowly turned toward him. "...Don't answer that."
Everyone burst out laughing.
The game quickly spiraled.
Tori got dared to sing dramatically out the window.
Andre had to text a random contact something ridiculous.
Robbie was forced to admit embarrassing things under pressure.
Cat, of course, chose dare every time and committed fully.
And Jade—
Jade pretended she didn't care, but she stayed engaged the entire time.
Which, for her, said everything.
Eventually, it was her turn.
Andre smirked. "Jade. Truth or dare?"
She didn't hesitate. "Truth."
Tori leaned forward. "Okay... what's one thing you'd never admit out loud?"
Jade went quiet for a second.
Everyone leaned in just slightly.
She glanced sideways at Beck.
Just for a second.
Then back at the group.
"...Nothing," she said flatly.
Andre groaned. "That's a cop-out!"
"It's the truth."
Beck huffed a quiet laugh beside her.
Cat tilted her head. "You totally almost said something."
"I didn't."
"You did."
Jade smirked slightly. "You're imagining things."
But she shifted just a little closer to Beck anyway.
And this time, he didn't even pretend not to notice—his hand briefly brushing hers where it rested between them.
Quick. Casual.
Familiar.
Hours later, the movie was long forgotten.
The pizza was mostly gone, empty boxes stacked to the side.
Cat was half-asleep against Tori.
Robbie was still talking, though quieter now.
Andre leaned back, exhausted but content.
And in the corner—
Jade was curled slightly into Beck's side, his hoodie now pulled tighter around her.
Her eyes were closed, but she wasn't fully asleep.
Beck glanced down at her, just for a moment, then back at the room.
Everything felt... settled.
Lived in.
Real.
Andre broke the quiet. "We should probably do this more."
Tori smiled softly. "Yeah. We should."
Cat mumbled sleepily, "Every night..."
Jade didn't open her eyes. "Don't push it."
Beck smiled.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "But... yeah."
The first night in the house didn't end with anything big.
No dramatic moment. No huge turning point.
Just laughter, noise, quiet moments, and the kind of closeness that didn't need to be explained.
They had their space now.
Their own place.
And somehow, all of them together in it—
felt exactly right.
