Hey guys, how's it goin'? *laughs nervously and flinches* Before anyone says anything, I know I've been gone for AGES. I've been really stressed out this school year, and so writing kind of became a non priority. Things have settled down a bit though, so I came to write again. I immediately noticed a ton of Bori FanFictioners have also been gone. Guys, keep writing! We need to keep this pair alive, especially after the show got cancelled! Dx Anyway, here's my new story. It's going to have Tori and Beck's points of views, mostly because that's my favorite style. :) I hope you all like it!
PROLOGUE: Beck's P.O.V.
"So, tell me more about that Tori chick you almost dated a thousand years ago," my coworker and good friend Ricky said to me as he set down a tray of McDonald's food he had just gotten.
I sighed. Since last week, when I confessed to Ricky that my biggest regret was never making a move on Tori Vega, who I might have had a chance with years ago when I had been in high school, we had spent every lunch break talking about her. Ricky was trying to understand why I would still be so mad at myself for not asking her out when six years had gone by. The problem was, he wouldn't understand. No one could. I would never come across another Tori Vega in this lifetime. She was someone extremely special, and I had been extraordinarily stupid to let her go.
"Well, what do you want to know?" I replied reluctantly and sat down. Ricky shrugged his shoulders, staring intently as he stirred a fry in his ketchup cup. "All I know so far is what she looks like! A cute, thin girl that was an inch or two shorter than you, long, wavy brown hair that passed her chest, big, dark eyes, pink lips, really nice cheekbones, and a bright smile that made you feel all fuzzy in the head. That tells me next to nothing about why you'd still be all upset about not asking her out, because she sounds pretty basic. So how about you start on her personality."
I looked up at the ceiling. Where to start?
"She was….different. And I don't mean just to me. She was different in general. She was a really nice, smart girl with an amazing set of lungs and a charismatic personality. She was always around when a friend needed her to be. Actually, she got me back with my ex, Jade, a couple of times. Even if something was in no way affecting her, she would do her best to make everyone happy. She was just such a good person, and really funny, too. Pretty brave, as well. She was probably one of the few people who ever stood up to Jade," I started, chuckling a little as I remembered the way Tori had kissed me on her second day at Hollywood Arts. Back then, I hadn't had anything but a physical attraction for Tori, but if I had known that awhile later I would have developed an unaccomplished crush on her, I might have cherished that moment a little more. I also thought about the lengths she would go to to help a friend. She really would have been a great mother one day. I wondered if she already was….the thought made me tense up a bit. What did it even matter? It was my fault she wasn't with me in the first place.
"What else, Beck?" asked Ricky, completely oblivious to my daydreaming. That was probably for the best. Ricky was extremely nosy, and wouldn't stop bothering a person until he got the information he wanted out of them. That was how he found out about Tori in the first place.
I bit my right cheek, trying to explain to Ricky what I could barely understand myself. Tori was just someone you had to get to know. You couldn't simply explain her personality. She was far too complex.
"Tori was really chill. You'd like her. She wasn't the crazy, clingy type like Jade. She was more like one of the guys. André, Robbie, and I spent a lot of time at her house. It would piss the crap out of Jade! She always thought Tori and I had a thing, which was kind of true in the end. Tori was too considerate to ever do anything to hurt Jade though, so of course nothing ever happened. That right there is an example of how good she was. Jade hated her, and she still refused to do anything to hurt her. She really was the closest any girl I've met has ever come to perfection. Even her imperfections were kind of cute," I mumbled, smiling sadly, feeling myself swell up with pride as I thought of Tori grinning to herself after she had accomplished something she'd worked hard on, or her worrying about everyone's problems but her own. She was such a sweet, beautiful girl. Last time I'd heard from her, she was in New York taking classes at the Academy of Arts. That had been a little over 4 years ago. I'd gotten a new phone after that and had lost her phone number. We lost touch entirely after that. Was she still going to school? Was she married? She probably was, considering who she was. Someone out there must have been able to see that diamond among the coal. Tori was kind of hard to miss.
Ricky looked at me with interest. "She sounds like a great girl; she must have had a ton of admirers. A little like you, Mr. I'm-A-Sexy-Musician-All- My-Female-Coworkers-Want-To-Bang!" he chuckled, and I rolled my eyes. Who knew corporate girls liked musicians? I had thought they'd all be after lawyers or doctors, but I had been horribly mistaken. At least once a week, I would have lunch with some girl in the office. They apparently liked the little bit of artist left in me.
"She really did. Everyone liked her. Girls admired her, guys lined up to date her. But we all knew I was her perfect match," I joked, laughing a little. Everyone who knew us said we were such a good pair. I was this laid back, practical, cool guy who looked destined to become a musician or an actor, and she was this talkative, happy girl who looked like she was going on to be a pop diva someday. And she really could have done that if she wanted to. She was almost too talented. I wondered again what had happened to her, and if she was still working on her career.
I had given up on mine years ago, after receiving dozens of letters saying, "You're good, just not good enough". I figured I should get a real job while I waited to get a part somewhere, but my auditions began to dwindle after I found a real estate job in downtown LA that I was really good at (Ricky attributed my good looks to my success selling homes), and slowly I stopped doing them altogether. I kept telling myself my acting career was just on hold, but 6 years after I'd left Hollywood Arts, it didn't seem like it was ever going to resume.
"If you were so perfect for her, why didn't you ask her out?" Ricky inquired, finally asking the question I had been dreading to hear. He looked over me searchingly, as if that would give him the answers.
"I...she didn't want to hurt Jade, and I respected that decision. I realized after Jade and I broke up the last time, about a year ago, that I should have fought for what I wanted, but by that time, it was too late. We'd all gone our separate ways. At the time of the crush I thought I was doing something good," I started, shaking my head. "That's why it's so hard for me to get over the whole situation. I knew she liked me, and I obviously liked her, but she was too nice to hurt anyone's feelings, and I was too stupid to try and convince her that it was okay for us to date. I'll have to deal with that 'what if?' my whole life." I looked at the skyscrapers in the distance, letting Ricky process what I'd just said. It was quiet for a really long time, and I finally looked back at Ricky quizzically, unsure as to why he didn't answer. Ricky could not be quiet ever, so him being silent for so long was flabbergasting. He was looking at something behind me with a scrutinizing expression.
"Yo. Rick. Ricky!" I exclaimed, waving my arms in his face, and he finally tore his gaze away from whatever he was looking at. He looked back at me with shocked features, and slowly a curious smile came over his face.
"You're 'gonna say I'm crazy, but I swear a girl with the same features as that Tori girl you were just describing was just waving and yelling in our direction, and now she's walking over here!" he said excitedly, looking behind me again.
My heartbeat quickened as I dubiously turned around, afraid of two things at once. One, what if it wasn't her? It would fill me with complete disappointment. Build up my enthusiasm just for it all to crumble down. And the more intimidating of the two: what if it was her? What would I do then?
Finally I turned around completely, my jaw practically hitting the floor when I saw the girl in question. Sure enough, Tori was running in my direction, a smile on her face, like always. It was even more dazzling than I'd remembered. She was wearing a white spring dress that was splattered with lilac flowers and on her feet she wore dainty coral pink shoes. Her long hair(longer than it'd been in high school) bounced with every step she took. In front of me I heard Ricky whistle and murmur, "now I know why you were so into her! She's one hot tamale!". I turned to glower at him as I got up to greet Tori, and he brought up his arms in surrender.
A few moments later, Tori tumbled into my arms with a squeaky "Beck!". I held her to me, mumbling her name into her hair. She smelled like lemons,a smell that I had always enjoyed. A smile made its way onto my face, though I was still shocked. The doubts I had felt a few seconds before seemed to dissolve as soon as I felt her soft body close to mine.
We held each other for what felt like eternity, but finally I reluctantly pulled away, hating the loss of heat her body had provided. The feeling I got from seeing her smile was nice too, though.
"It's been years, Tori! How are you? How was New York? What are you doing here?" I questioned, impatient for answers. I wanted to know everything about her. Most importantly, I wanted to know if she was staying. Had the heavens given me a second chance with her?
She laughed airily, lightening the atmosphere, which had been tense with my worries. "Don't be rude, Beck! Introduce me to your friend first! And one question at a time!" she scolded, stretching her arm and smiling amiably at Ricky. He clumsily fumbled with his chair and took Tori's hand, a nervous smile on his face.
"Tori, this is my good friend Ricky Sullivan. We work together. Ricky, this is Tori Vega, an old high school friend," I said in a rush, trying to get through the introductions quickly so I could get answers to my questions.
"Nice to meet you, Tori! I've heard a lot about you!" Ricky stated gleefully, sending me a wink. I mentally faced-palmed. The man was an idiot.
"You have? What have you heard?" Tori asked, turning to look at me with a bemused expression. I made a mental note to beat the crap out of Ricky later.
"Oh, just that-" Ricky started, but I cut him off.
"Just stories about the gang," I replied, sending Ricky a look that I hoped would shut him up. He mumbled something under his breath that I couldn't quite make out.
"So anyway, what brings you back to town?" I queried, hoping she would forget about Ricky's statement. Tori frowned, but she responded.
"I just got tired of New York. No beach, dirty streets, tons of traffic, and horrible weather. I missed sunny LA, so I told my manager that I wanted to find work back at home. It took some work, but you know how stubborn I can be. I convinced him to let me leave NYC, and so I'm back permanently!" I felt my heartbeat accelerate at that last word. Permanently. Meaning Tori was here for good. Meaning I might have another shot at getting the girl of my dreams.
"That's so great, Tor! It's so nice to have you back!" I answered ecstatically, grinning from ear to ear.
"Aren't you going to ask how I found you?" she questioned, playfully shoving me. I smiled and nodded. That really was a good question. I hadn't really talked to anyone from HA in a really long time, aside from-
"Jade!" Tori burst out, completing my thoughts. "She was the only one who knew your whereabouts. You were well hidden, Beck! And look at you, looking all sophisticated! Never thought I'd see the day that Beck Oliver, HA's bad ass, would wear a suit and tie on a daily basis!" She giggled again, throwing her head back. Even the sound of her laugh wouldn't make the feeling of uneasiness that had come over me go away.
I shifted uncomfortably. "Did she tell you about us?" I mumbled as I straightened my tie, a nervous habit I'd picked up from Ricky. That guy was anxiety on feet.
"About the breakup? Yeah...," she whispered, her face growing sullen. "I can't believe she cheated on you! I mean, she admitted it was a mistake, but still..." She put he hands behind her back, studying me. She reached up and touched my cheek, smiling sweetly.
"You look the same, Beck. And you act like the same guy I was friends with all those years ago. I'm glad," she chirped, bringing her hand away from my face and pulling out a phone from a white satchel she had on.
"Give me your phone number, and we'll meet up one of these days for lunch! No boyfriend means I have plenty of time for catching up," Tori said warmly, looking up at me.
"Huh? Oh! Sure, it's 212- 190-1800," I answered quickly, still in a daze after her touch. Then her comment about not having a boyfriend hit me. No boyfriend? Things kept getting better and better! This all had to be a sign from the heavens!
"I'll see you soon, Beck!" she yelled as she walked away. "Nice to meet you, Ricky! Bye!"
"Bye!" Ricky called, and to me he mumbled, "Real smooth, ladies' man!". I turned around, suddenly remembering Ricky existed.
"Oh shut it, Ricky!" I growled at him and sat back down. He gaffawed, reenacting everything for me. All in all, I had to admit that he made it seem like I had been in a constant dreamy state.
"I'd better inform the girls at work that you're off the market. And I'll cancel your lunch date with Sabrina for Friday. You're not 'gonna have time for her after that estatuesque woman just skipped her way into your life again!" he teased, but I didn't care. I couldn't wipe the goofy grin off my face.
Life had given me a second chance with Tori, and this time, I wasn't going to mess it up.
So? What do you think? I'm not sure how I like it, but I had to get it jotted , and there's so much dialogue! . Anyway, let me know in a comment how you like this thus far, or if you feel I should improve on something or fix something! And don't forget to favorite and alert it, too! I appreciate every single thing you guys have down for my stories in the past, so support this story! Depending on the response I get from everybody, I'll maybe continue. :) Also, I have some advertisement to do! :( Sorry! I'm writing a non-fanfiction fiction on a website called . I would appreciate it if you guys could read my first chapter of that. :D My story is called It's Simple Chemistry and my username is Lifeisastage35( the same as here, minus the periods). I would so love it if you went and joined wattpad! It's a great website! I recommend it for any of you who want to write your own stories, with your own could also read other stories on there; there are a lot of good ones! And if you do like and comment on my story there, I'll make sure to become your fan! n.n Thank you in advance! See you guys soon!
-Ana