"Kim Jong-Il officially declares war against the United States of America and all its allies..."

"China sides with North Korea, leaving the world in a cold war state..."

"Iraq sends troops to Cuba, and prepares for possible attacks from the United Nations..."

Tori curled up in a tiny ball, holding her knees like fetal-like. She fell to her side on the living room couch, glancing over at her sister, who for once wasn't focusing on herself. Instead she stared at the television, with a terrified look on her face. She felt her father's hand rest on her head, as she snuggled closer to him, turning her attention back to the news. The newspaper anchor looked dead serious at the screen, announcing that the president was about to speak live, on where their country stood. After the bombings on Guantanamo Bay, terrorist attacks all over occidental Europe and the east coast, there was really no way to know what the future held.

"The United States of America is ready to face its oponents..."

"It's like the cold war all over again!" David Vega exclaimed, turning off the TV and getting up. Tori had never seen her father with such scared look in his eyes. "Only this time it doesn't seem so cold! This is... Final." He said, bringing his hands up to the sides of his face. He looked at his daughter for a few seconds, before running upstairs. Trina reached for Tori's hand, holding it tight. Holly went after her husband, trying to maintain calm.

Tori knew the world's situation wasn't ideal, and that it had been a while since things started to get bad. The army was recruiting all men from eighteen to thirty to join the army, and were being sent all over the world. From Syria to South Korea, and Brazil. Anywhere that there was near an 'enemy' frontier. The US sent more and more young men everyday. On the past that didn't worry her too much, the service was optional and it didn't affect her life. It was all different now. Mandatory service meant all of her friends going away... It was only a matter of time before they include women in that too. She could never picture herself holding gun, much less using it against other people.

"Do you actually think there will be a nuclear war?" Tori asked, resting her head on her sister's shoulder.

"I hope not." Trina answered her, turning the TV back on. The president's speech was broadcast over and over, along with more information every second. Every channel had a different group of intelectuals discussing the possibilities of war and its results.

The idea or war gave Tori a weird sense of rebellion. For the first time in her life she was bothered with the future. Her privileged world was slowly being stripped down, and she began to question all the things she had never previously given a single thought about. Why would she waste her days at school? Why would she do anything, if she might have no opportunities? It was late Monday night, war had been declared, and she was going have to wake up and sit in a classroom for hours the next day. All of that for what? Why was she waiting to sing and act, for the future to come? What if the future never came?

She got up from the couch, thoughts running through her mind. "I'm gonna go." She announced.

"It's almost eleven on a Monday. Where would you even go?" Trina asked her, and Tori shrugged.

"Anywhere is better than sitting here and watching this."

Twenty minutes later a car pulled over in front of Tori's house. She rushed out, getting in. All of her friends were squeezed inside, trying to fit inside Beck's vintage car. Robbie, Jade and Cat pushed themselves further onto one side, so that Tori would be able to shut the door. Nobody said a word, they drove off, staring at the city of Los Angeles. The city was unusually awake, people were out on the streets, houses and apartments seemed unusally populated, and all of the digital billboards had the president's face on them. They could smell fear in the air.

Jade forced herself against Robbie, squeezing her three friends closer, and giving herself a little bit more space. "Alright, what's the second item on the list?"

André took out a crumpled piece of paper for his pocket, glancing at the back seat. "This one's Robbies: Kiss a Victoria's Secret Angel."

Jade rolled grunted, looking over at the nerdy boy. "Really Robbie? Really?!"

Moments after the president speech, Tori decided to call her friends. She told them about her bucket list idea. Each of them would get to pick up to five things for them to do, and they would try to complete them together. Help each other out, and take part on at least one of each. They had crossed the first item before they picked Tori up, one of Jade's: Never have to tolerate Rex again.

"There's a party downtown, and the Angel's the hosts." He begged. On an average day, they would have laughed at his face. Their nerdy friend wasn't appealing to a common girl, much less to a super model. On an average day, they wouldn't be crossing bucket list items off. "It's a once in a life time opportunity."

"Just give me the address." Beck told him, turning the car around and heading downtown. It was a twenty-minute drive, which they used to go over everyone's items. They figured half of them could be crossed off if they made it inside the party. Kiss a famous person, on Cat's list. Crash a Hollywood party on Andre's. Make a super-model cry, on Jade's, and so on.

Beck parked his car half a block away from the club they needed to get in. They walked fast to the location, discussing how they would make it in. "I have two-hundred bucks, I can bribe the guard." Robbie said, and Cat nodded her head agreeing with the idea.

"Don't even try that." Jade said. "Follow me." She went around the club, leaving all the paparazzi and fancy cars behind. They made their way around back, as she began to climb the fire escape. Everyone stood still, watching her get through the flight of stairs and open a small, dusty window. "Do you want to get in this party or not?" She asked, putting one leg through the window, then the other, now with nothing but her head outside. "It's your lucky day Robbie, come on."

"Let's go!" The boy said, following her.

Tori looked up, as André went through he window, right after Cat. She let out a tired sigh, looking at the only friend who remained by her side. Even though she promised herself to try to enjoy the night, she couldn't get in the right mood to go to a party. It was a weird feeling. She knew she could get in, get drunk and do all the crazy things one did in an A-list Party. But it unlike normal days, that idea didn't seem appealing to her at all. Andre signaled for her to come, and she nodded her head.

"Go in, I'll be there in a second."

"Yeah, me too." Beck said, and she raised her eyebrows, surprised. He was usually the one who was all in for anything, who could do anything. If anyone had a chance of making out with a model, he was it. He might even know some people inside, that would let him in like any other guest. She took a step closer to him. She realized he had maintained himself distant from everything and everyone, acting almost as if he was nothing but the driver.

'Maybe that's just the way he's coping with things...' She thought.

"Are you okay?" She asked him, leaning in against the wall, next to him.

"What kind of question is that?" He asked, jokingly. She shrugged, looking down.

He took out a box of 'Altoids' mints from his pocket. She glanced at it, and instead of seeing candy, she saw a couple of joints and a lighter.

"I didn't know you smoked weed." She pointed out, as he light it.

"Well..." Was the only thing he said, before he inhaled. Smoke went off his nose, as he offered it to her. She took it.

They stayed outside, smoking silently next to each other. Every now and then someone would come by, try to make conversation. As soon as the words 'world' or 'nuclear' came up, they would just talk it off. Ending up in silence again, as the blunt got smaller and smaller.

"Are you going to school tomorrow?" Tori asked him, before taking a final hit.

"No." He scratched the back of his neck. "Are you?"

She walked away from the wall, and stood in front of him. "I don't know... I just want to get away from all of this chaos! And relax and..."

"I have more weed back in my RV." He told her, tilting his head towards the parking lot, offering her his arm. She took it, as they began to walk away from the club.

She let go of his arm, and walked ahead of him, turning around the corner and to the main boulevard. She saw a crowd of people a few blocks away, but mostly she heard chanting. Large signs, as cops barricaded them. She slowly started walking towards it.

"What's going over there?" She asked him, and he nodded his head.

"I don't think that's a good idea Tor-" He was cut off by a loud sound, as if something had just blown up. Smoke started to take up the crowd. He gripped her shoulder, as she jumped. He turned her around, pulling her closer. "Let's go."

'Stop sending our children to war!' The crowd chanted. Beck's hand slipped from her shoulder to her back, pushing her the opposite direction.

They rushed to his car. She walked close to him, leaving the protesters behind. As soon as she sat down, she turned the radio on, at maximum volume. She needed anything to cut out the screams, and her own thoughts. Miley Cyrus's new hit started playing, and for once that hadn't been the week's most discussed topic.

"Put this on." He told Tori, handing her a CD. "Life is too short for crappy music."

AC/DC started blasting on the car, and Tori rolled down the windows, leaned back the seat, and enjoyed the music. She rocked her head side to side, and kicked the air as she yelled along with her best friend.

"Hey Mama! Look at me
I'm on my way to the promise land
I'm on the highway to hell!"

He drove for thirty minutes until reaching his house, though it felt like much less to them. He waited for the song playing to end, before getting out of his car. He rushed inside his RV, leaving Tori inside the car. He took a deep breath as he went in, looking around his empty place. He hadn't gotten used to seeing his place empty, and his things packed up in boxes. It didn't feel like home anymore.

The world had been in economic crisis for a few months, and many people had lost their jobs. His father was one of them. Then the new law was enforced and men began to leave to war only made the family more tense, and opportunities worse. His mother began selling everything she could, as his father went on interview after interview. Then the news came and... He shook his head, he didn't want to think about that anymore. He walked over to his bed, and took out the brown paper bag from underneath it.

He walked back outside, and noticed Tori had changed CD's. Not that he minded, she had chosen one just as good. He sat on driver's seat, and placed the bag on her lap. She raised her head, surprised. "What happened to AC/DC?" He asked her, driving away.

"I felt kinda bad for listening to High Way to Hell since, ya know, we might die at any second." She held the brown bag closer to her. "So I wanted to make it up, just in case." The song began, and Beck smiled for the first time that day. The irony of it all made things a little bit more bareable. They started to sing again, and she didn't even ask where he was going, she just sang.

"And when she gets there she knows if the stars are all close
With a word she can get what she came for
Oh, and she's buying the stairway to heaven"

Five songs later Beck pulled over by the side of the road. Tori sat up, surprised that he actually had a place in mind.

"Where are we?" She asked, opening the door and following him outside. She looked around, and saw that he had parked on one of LA's many road observatories. There were no cars but his, and an amazing view of the city. He sat down on the hood, and she joined, handing him the bag.

He took out an already rolled joint, lighting it up. He took a couple of hits, before passing on to her. She held it between her index finger, inhaling. She rested her back on the windshield. Giving it back to him.

"Do you remember my first week at HA?" She asked him, and he nodded, looking up at the sky, following the smoke with his eyes. "I was so excited to finally learn to act and sing." He passed it back to her, resting nex to her. He laid his arm over her legs, and his head on her shoulder. "I was looking forward to the future, to have my first record deal and..." She blew out the smoke, and passed it back to him.

"We have to learn to stop looking forward to things." He said, now looking up at her. "We wasted our entire life in school, when we could have gone to auditions and record labels. They don't ask for a diploma when you have talent." She stared at his eyes, and how angry he looked. He spoke with passion and regret. In a way she had never heard him do before. "Why wait for opportunities to come, when you can chase them?"

He offered her the blunt, and she took it, not breaking his gaze. She inhaled again, feeling the warm smoke give her a sweet, relaxing feeling. She passed it back to him, and he sat back up. He threw the final bud on the floor, and ran his fingers through his hair. She kept looking at him.

"Beck?"

He looked over at her, and she smiled. He turned his head, gazing into her eyes. Before he knew it, she had her hands on either sides of his face, and her lips on his. He slid his right hand onto her back, and the left one to the back of her neck. He pressed their mouths even closer. She relaxed as she felt him deepen the kiss, and take her naturally, as if that was meant to happen. Her fingers gripped his hair, her teeth his bottom lip. She sat on his lap, and he wrapped his arms around her back, his hands traveling under her shirt.

She pulled away, taking it off. "Shouldn't we think about this?" He asked her, as she unbuttoned his shirt, kissing his neck.

"The world is ending." She said, reaching for his mouth again. "We don't have to think about anything." He pulled her back down, reaching for the wallet on his back pocket.

She looked up at the dark sky, there were no stars. She laid her head on his chest, her arm around his neck. He ran his fingers down her spine, staring blankly at the dark. "I'm scared." She said, with a shaky voice. "I'm really scared Beck." She glanced at him, before he looked away, clenching his jaw. He shut his eyes for a second, before looking down.

"I'm leaving to train in Arizona next week." He said, and she looked at him, in disbelief. She sat up, looking at him from up close."I was recruited about two weeks ago, I'm leaving on Tuesday." She could see his breath shaking, as he tried to keep it together.

"Beck..." She said, before he looked down, finally breaking down. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head towards her chest, feeling his tears roll down her skin. She ran her hands softly on his hair, as she tried to process the idea of him going away to war, real war. There was nothing she could do about it.

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