The Big Move

Chapter 1

At Tori's house, three days before the new school year started on September 1st, Leah and Tori sat down on the couch. Leah showed Tori some sketchbook drawings. "Okay, how about this one?" Leah asked her.

"Seashells?" Tori asked.

"When I was seven, I discovered my love for seashells at Venice Beach," Leah explained.

"That's very good to know, but how you customize your locker should symbolize your personality," Tori clarified.

"Don't worry; I have a few more possibilities," Leah said, showing Tori the next drawing. "What about this one?"

"Rainbow colored stripes?" Tori asked.

"And with it is a picture of a muscular arm to show how strong I am, regarding my standing in the LGBT community," Leah explained.

"And it's great that you are," Tori explained. "What else have you got?"

Leah pointed out another sketch. "And this picture reminds me of the time my parents and I went to Disneyland," she explained. "It was a great trip, and I loved going to Disneyland, but I am hoping to put the Brownstone name behind me."

"And if you get approved for adoption, you'll get that chance," Tori reminded her.

"Yeah," Leah agreed, before flipping the page to the next drawing. "And finally, this picture shows four of my interests: Seashells, tap dancing, pepperoni pizza, and a red heart. The red heart symbolizes something that this past summer taught me. And that's that love triumphs over blood," Leah explained.

"It sure does," Tori agreed. She sighed, frowning.

"Are you going to miss Andre when he moves to New York?" Leah asked, noticing Tori's unhappy expression.

"Yeah. But I put in to audition for a Broadway show. Now I'm just waiting to see if I'll get a callback," Tori explained.

"Well, I'll be happy for you if you do. But at the same time, it'd be sad to see you go. Especially since you saved me," Leah said.

"It's something I don't regret," Tori told her. "And by the way, I have to say, you definitely nailed your Katy Perry audition for the school. Even though I wasn't in the Black Box Theater that day, I could hear it from behind the closed doors," she added.

"I'm just glad I didn't flub the words," Leah added with a grimace.

"Don't think about that," Tori explained. "I thought about that a lot, when I was asked to sing the Star Spangled Banner on national TV."

Leah laughed. "So, what show did you audition for?" she asked.

"The Lion King. I auditioned for the role of Nala," Tori said.

"Adult Nala, right?" Leah asked.

"Right. I'm too old for the role of Young Nala," Tori clarified.

"Well, we'll cross our fingers," Leah said hopefully. "So anyway – which drawing do you think I should go with for my locker?"

"How about...a collage of some of the things you were mentioning? You know seashells, Disneyland, rainbow stripes, and tap dancing?" Tori suggested.

"Alright, collage it is!" Leah said. "I'll get started on that right away."

Later that day, Tori and Leah joined the gang at the mall's food court.

"Hey, guys," Tori said as she took a seat.

"What's up, Tori? Leah?" Cat asked.

"Did Leah finally pick out what to use for her locker?" Jade asked, curious.

"Yeah, she showed me a few sketches and we both agreed on which one would work best," Tori recapped.

"Yep. And from what Tori told me, I think I'll feel right at home at Hollywood Arts," Leah added.

"I think so too. This year was my third time auditioning for Hollywood Arts and I finally got in," Valerie pointed out. "Like finally."

"Way to go, Val," Jade said pleasantly.