The Big Move

Chapter 4

When Leah made it back to the Vegas house after school, she was excited to tell Tori all about Trixie and to show her the design she had chosen for the locker. "Meeting her felt like a dream come true. I think she might be the one," she told Tori.

"Don't get too carried away though, Leah," Tori said as she worked at her computer. "You only just met this girl. So...what does Trixie look like? And how come I haven't noticed her before?"

"Well..." Leah began. "She's got red hair. And braces and glasses. She seems a little self-conscious about her braces and glasses, but she's really confident about her talent," she continued. "And she was probably one of the shruggers."

"Why would she be self-conscious about that?" Tori asked.

"I mean, *I* like them," Leah explained. "But I think she got bullied in middle school because of it. I had braces myself when I was eight," she told Tori. "But I got them removed a year later."

"Really? Cool. So, what else? Tell me more about this new friend who might be 'the one,' "Tori asked, teasing a little.

"She has a little brother named Sean who's a freshman at Hollywood Arts," Leah went on. "He loves to skateboard."

"That's pretty cool," Tori said.

"OH, which reminds me!" Leah said suddenly. "A couple of friends are coming over in an hour or so to study. Trixie's coming too."

"Oooh, that sounds like fun," Tori said. "I won't be here in an hour though. I'm going out in a few minutes."

"Well, you have fun then!" Leah smiled. She started to leave the room, then remembered something. "Oh! I almost forgot! I finally decided on the designs for my locker!" She pulled out her phone and showed Tori the group of images.

"I love them!" Tori gasped. "It's definitely lovely, Leah."

"Thank you!" Leah said. "I just wanted to include Rocky in there too. He has been a part of my life ever since I was little. Which reminds me... where is Rocky?"

"He's out back somewhere," Tori said.

"Well, could you take him out with you? I think he needs a bit of fresh air," Leah asked hopefully.

"Sure. That shouldn't be a problem," Tori answered.

"Great. His leash is by the front door," Leah added.

Leah updated her status on TheSlap which read: "Having friends over :) - MOOD = Excited".

Tori had gone out for a walk in the park, with Rocky on a leash. As she walked, she thought hard about the possibility of moving to New York. She had lived her whole life in Los Angeles... would she be able to leave her friends and family behind her in order to pursue her dreams?

She took a seat and watched a few kids play a game of football. As the kids tossed the football around, she got a message on her phone. She pulled it out from her pocket and saw that it was a FaceTime request from Andre. "Hey, Andre," she said, answering. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much," Andre answered. "Where you at?"

"I'm at the park," Tori replied. "Are you at your house?"

"Yeah," Andre shrugged.

"Where's your grandma?" Tori asked.

"She's hiding under her bed again," Andre sighed.

"You should probably help her out," Tori joked. "She might be stuck."

"No, let's leave her there," Andre said. "Anyways, I didn't FaceTime just to talk about my grandma. I was wondering if you have any plans for tonight?"

"No, not at all," Tori said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, since you don't have plans, maybe I could invite you out for dinner?" Andre asked.

"That's very sweet of you, and I'd love to. Have you picked the place and time?" Tori replied.

"Time would be around eight," Andre told her. "I'll text you when I choose which place."

"Sounds good," Tori said. "What's the special occasion?"

"Does it have to be a special occasion?" Andre asked her easily. "Can't a boyfriend do something nice for his girlfriend?"

"Well, if you say so," Tori smiled. "Sure." She heard a vase break in the background. Andre looked over his shoulder.

"I guess my grandma's come out from under the bed," he sighed. "I gotta go before she sees you trapped in the phone."

Tori laughed. "See you later, babe."

"Yeah see you, Tor," Andre replied. He hung up, leaving Tori wondering why Andre seemed a tad bit nervous.