This is our decision to live fast and die young.
We've got the vision, now let's have some fun.
Yeah it's overwhelming, but what else can we do?
Get jobs in offices and wake up for the morning commute?
Forget about our mothers and our friends.
We were fated to pretend.
- Time To Pretend, MGMT
.
Prologue
.
"Is it too late to turn around?"
"Tori," Holly Vega chastises from the front seat. She turns around to lovingly pat her daughter's leg. "We're going to like it here. This is a good thing for us."
"Can you prove it?" The sixteen-year-old asks skeptically.
"Look," David Vega speaks up as he keeps his eyes on the road. "We're doing this as a family. Grandma needs us – she's getting older. I know you girls aren't thrilled about leaving Arizona, but we've all sacrificed things for this move."
"Oh, really? Did you give up your boyfriend and the lead in the school play?"
"As a matter of fact I did. We're heartbroken," David says dramatically, making both Tori and her mother smile amusedly.
His older daughter pulls one ear bud out and taps her father on the shoulder. "Dad, just… Do not talk to us at school."
"Agreed." Tori nods her head upon hearing Trina's demand. "How much longer do we have of this drive anyway, Mr. Principal?"
David smiles at Tori in the rear view mirror. "Actually, we're about here."
As they pull into the roundabout driveway of the enormous Beverly Hills home, Gloria Vega comes out the front door to meet them. "Girls!" She cries at the sight of her granddaughters getting out of the van.
"Hey, Grandma," Tori and Trina say in unison. They take their turns hugging her and then escape off to explore the grounds, which neither of them had been on since spending the summer in Los Angeles two years ago.
"Remind me why we don't come to Grandma's more often," Trina says to her younger sister once they reach the backyard. The mansion's rear has a huge swimming pool and jacuzzi, an outdoor kitchen and seating area, and a view that overlooks the entirety of Los Angeles.
"Well, it doesn't matter anymore," her younger sister points out.
"True. I can't believe we live here. How much money does Grandma have, anyway?"
"Millions," Tori answers, not taking her eyes off the view. "That Spanish soap opera she was on ran for 35 years and was the number one show in fourteen countries. You do the math."
Later that night, Trina waltzes into her younger sister's room and plops down on Tori's bed. Tori, who has just finished brushing through her wet tangles, joins Trina in the comfort of the pillows. Neither one of them speaks for a minute until Tori breaks the silence.
"You nervous about tomorrow?"
"Not really."
Tori rolls her eyes. "Of course you're not," she says. "Why would you be nervous about starting over, halfway through the year, at a school in one of the wealthiest areas of the entire country?"
"What does wealth have to do with it?"
Tori shrugs. "I don't know. It just makes me nervous. These kids are different than our friends back home, Trine. They all have private jets and famous parents and money coming out of their ears. I don't know how I'll make friends with any of them."
"Well, you already have one friend." Tori furrows her eyebrows and Trina props herself up on one elbow to face her sister. "That dude – what's his name? Brock?"
"Beck. Beck Oliver. I doubt he even remembers who I am."
"You guys were at an acting camp for, like, two weeks together. I'm sure he remembers. Did you make out with him?"
"No. He had a girlfriend at the time. He was, like, obsessed with her. She wasn't at the camp but he talked about her so much that it felt like I knew her."
"Well, they're definitely not still dating," Trina reasons. "You guys met the summer after eighth grade, and no middle school relationship actually lasts."
"That's true, I guess."
"So he's probably single, and tomorrow you can show him what he's been missing for the past two years."
Tori smiles at the idea, and then frowns. She looks at her older sister. "What am I going to wear?"
"You haven't picked out your outfit yet?"
"I got a little sidetracked with the whole unpacking-and-organizing-my-entire-room thing. Did you?"
"Duh. It's the first thing I did once I unpacked all of my clothes. I need to look like a definite 10 when all these Hollywood boys see me for the first time."
Tori rolls her eyes. "Well, at least help me decide what to wear."
The next morning, the Vega sisters find themselves on their way to school in a brand new white Audi convertible – a gift from their grandmother. David and Holly had tried to object when Gloria handed over the keys, as they could already feel their daughters being overly spoiled, but there wasn't much they could do once Tori and Trina were running frantically to their new car. More than the car itself, the girls were excited to not have to get a ride from their father – who would also be driving to the same location – their new school.
"Look at that girl's Manolos," Trina says enviously as they pull into a vacant parking spot. "Everyone has such good shoes. I need to go shopping."
"Yeah, with all your money?"
Trina rolls her eyes and grabs her bag before closing the car door shut and locking it. As they step foot onto the campus of North Beverly Hills High School, it's clear to both girls that they are very clearly not in Tucson anymore.
"Everyone has such a unique style," Tori says. She looks down self-consciously at the jean shorts, tank top, and sandals that comprise her outfit.
"Well, we are in Beverly Hills," her older sister reminds her. "Alright, I'm walking this way. I'll see you around, okay?"
"Yeah," Tori agrees, not wanting to have to be babied. "I'm good. See you."
With that, her sister is gone, striding confidently down a hallway as if she knows exactly where she's going. With the help of absolutely no one, Tori manages makes it to her first class just before the bell rings. She takes a seat an empty desk, hoping that she isn't in anyone's assigned place, and watches as more students filter in. The last one in comes in just as the bell is sounding, prompting the teacher to eye his student precociously.
Tori does a double take at the girl, whom she's positive she's seen before. It only takes a second for her brain to click and she realizes how she knows her.
"Miss West," the teacher says, interrupting Tori's thoughts, "I believe you're late."
"Technically, Mr. Parker, I was inside the classroom before the bell had finished ringing – which, in fact, means that I was here on time."
"Yes, but—"
"Look at it this way," the girl, who Tori believes now has the entire class's attention. "You don't send me to get a late slip – I don't miss whatever fascinating portion of your lecture you'll begin your class with today. Everybody wins."
The teacher narrows his eyes and taps his fist on his desk. "Putting that DNA of yours to good use, aren't you, Miss West?" The girl smirks and shrugs one shoulder. "Well, I suppose you can use the same confidence you've exhibited this morning to take on a little job I have for you." Before she can object, Mr. Parker is speaking again. "Everyone, please welcome our new student, Tori Vega. She's from Tucson, Arizona, and her father is the new principal here at North Beverly. Jade, I'm sure you wouldn't mind showing Tori around today. Our school here probably isn't quite what she's used to."
Neither Jade nor Tori is able to get a word in before their teacher begins his lecture, but Tori is so stunned by the other girl's identity that she probably couldn't even speak if she wanted to. She keeps up with pop culture well enough to know that the girl two desks in front of her has a guest role on one of the most popular current TV dramas.
Once the bell has rung to signal the end of class, Jade gathers her things into her black shoulder bag and leaves the classroom. She's halfway down the hall when she hears an unfamiliar voice call her name from behind.
"Hey, Jade," the girl says, prompting Jade to momentarily turn around to see the new girl following her. "You totally don't have to worry about that whole showing me around thing. I'm sure I can find my way."
"Great," Jade says monotonously. She hadn't planned on playing cruise director for the day anyway.
"Mr. Parker almost seemed like he was punishing you with it," Tori offers, catching up to the taller girl. (Well, taller considering the four-inch wedges she's wearing.)
"Yeah, he doesn't like me too much," Jade divulges. "My father screwed him out of most of what he had when his ex-wife hired my dad for their divorce case."
Tori quickly decides that it's best to pretend she doesn't know Jade's father is one of the most successful and famous law practitioners in the country. "Your dad's a lawyer?" She asks, trying to keep the conversation and keep up with Jade's steps simultaneously.
"Yep," Jade answers, shaking her head at how clueless the new girl is. She clearly has a lot to learn, and Jade contemplates telling her so when she hears her name again – this time from a very familiar voice.
"Hi, baby." Her boyfriend stops in the middle of the hallway to kiss her lips. "Did you end up making it to class on time?"
"Barely. I talked Parker out of giving me a late slip."
"Of course you did. Torres made me get one."
Tori instantly knows who he is, as well, but for a completely different reason. She's torn between wondering if Jade is the same girl from two summers ago and wondering if the boy remembers her at all. Beck Oliver almost asks who the girl next to Jade is, but he gets the feeling he's already met her before. "Have we met?" He asks hesitantly.
"I'm Tori," the brunette answers. "Tori Vega. We met—"
"At the Davidson acting camp, yeah!" Beck finishes for her. "I knew I'd seen you. What was that, like, two summers ago?"
"Yeah." Tori smiles.
Jade looks between them. "You two know each other?"
"Kind of," Beck says, laughing. "It's been a while." He slips his hand into Jade's and the three of them move to the side of the hallway. "Did you move to California?"
"Yep, just this past weekend. My dad is the new principal here, so we left Tucson for Beverly Hills."
"You definitely traded up," Beck teases. "I guess you met my girlfriend, Jade." He gestures to the girl on his right, who is preoccupied with something on her cell phone.
"Sort of. We have first period together."
"You have Parker? Ouch. He doesn't like Jade too much," Beck laughs, nudging his girlfriend. "Can't win them all, though. She can't help it that her dad is the best lawyer in the state."
Tori's eyebrows go up as she nods, deciding it's best not to ask questions for now. She knows she already seems like a noob. An awkward silence falls over the two, and Beck saves the situation by calling out to another girl Tori has never seen before.
"Cat!" He says, getting the redhead's attention so that she comes over to where they're standing. "This is Tori, she's new here." He turns to the brunette. "You're still into theater and stuff, right?"
"Yeah!"
"Cat is the lead in the musical this semester, along with Jade."
"That's awesome!" Tori tells Cat Valentine, who is wearing huge diamond stud earrings that Tori assumes have to be real. "Which play?"
"Wicked," the shorter girl answers. She doesn't even bother trying to hide the way she eyes Tori's outfit from head to toe.
"I'm so jealous. I was the lead in my play back in Arizona, but I had to give it up when my family moved here."
"What was the play?"
Tori doesn't want to admit that she would have been playing the musical director in Once, as it clearly isn't anything as glamorous as anything the kids at this school are interested in. "Um," she says, scrambling to explain, "it was this new-age thing. An off-Broadway, Rent-ish, thing." She stammers over her words and smiles awkwardly. "Anyway, I'm just doing scenery and stuff behind the curtain now."
Cat nods disinterestedly. "That sounds like the perfect place for you."
Before Tori even has time to be stunned, the first bell rings to let students know they have a minute to get to class. "Babe, we need to go." Jade tugs on Beck's hand and Cat disappears to get to her class.
"See ya, Tori," Beck calls out, and Jade gives a nonchalant wave as she walks away with her boyfriend.
"B-bye," the brunette chokes out after the couple has already turned a corner. She's standing, confused and in the middle of the near-empty hallway, when a teacher crossing by eyes her.
"Are you lost?"
Tori winces. "Completely."
As of June 2, my username will be floridakil0s.