I'm back, and truthfully very sad. I just watched Teen Beach 2, and I had such high hopes for it. It's my favorite movie, and I've been looking forward to the sequel for over a year. Now that the sequel has come out, Mack and Brady never met?! What the heck, Disney!? I don't approve. So, I decided to write a different ending. A better ending. Keep in mind, this isn't how I would've wanted it to end, but I'm trying not to change too much of the plot, so this is what I got. Personally, Disney could've done better.
It was a normal night on the beach. The boardwalk was crowded with people, little kids were eating ice cream, teenage girls were giggling about surfers, boys were goofing around, surfing and skating. This was all normal at a beach, especially on a beautiful, clear night. The stars glinting in the sky, fireworks booming from a nearby party, the smells of barbecued dinners wafting about. It was a normal night. For most people.
But right now, we're focused on a couple on the beach, trying to figure out a way to save their favorite movie without ruining anyone's lives. That's right, we're focused on Mack and Brady, whose lives had never been normal since the day they washed up on the beach at Wet Side Story, Brady's favorite movie.
"I have to go back." said Lela, "I'm going to miss you, Mack, but it's my duty. I can't let the movie disappear, and have all my friends vanish along with it. I'm going to miss you."
Mack started tearing up. "I'm so glad to have seen you again. We'll always be friends, no matter where we are."
Suddenly, Mack heard the slap of flip-flops against sand. "Mack, what's wrong?" called Alyssa, Mack's best friend.
Mack looked alarmed. "Uh, nothing!" cried Mack, struggling to keep her voice smooth through her tears.
"Come on, Mack." said Alyssa, "You know I know you better than that."
"You can tell her." said Lela.
"What!" cried Mack, "But...what will happen?"
Lela gave a sideways grin. "It doesn't matter. You need someone to talk about this with. Someone who isn't a boy."
"Mack, what's Lela talking about?" asked Alyssa. She couldn't help but shoot a look at Tanner. She hadn't been able to take her eyes off him when she'd first met him before going off to study geometry with Lela. And who would? He was gorgeous, and it touched her how loyal he was to Lela, even if there was a nasty rumor that Lela had been attracted to Spencer. So he seemed a little self consumed. For some reason, she saw intelligence in those eyes. Perhaps she was looking at the man who'd once called Lela 'stunning as the moon, lighting up the day.'
What she didn't see, was Tanner looking back at her. He may have seemed slightly...unevolved, but weren't all the boys at this beach like that? Except Spencer of course. It was strange. Despite his will to keep things the same, parts of him were changing, though slower. He was attracted to someone else. He could tell Lela was too. Perhaps he'd only loved her for their assigned roles. It was clear to him now, that Lela was better than anyone at home. The other bikers and surfers were...spacey. They said dumb things, and acted goofy. But Lela was different. She was more mature, she could take charge of situations kindly, she was smart and sophisticated and beautiful. She deserved to go to Mack's school, and get an education. It wasn't fair she was being dragged back down home.
Tanner walked over to Lela, to hear what she had to say about this. Yes, he could care about others other than himself.
"Girls," said Lela, "I...I really don't want to go home."
"Wait, let me get this straight." said Alyssa, "Lela is from a movie?!"
"Lela!" screamed Tanner, "You told her?!"
"I had to." said Lela. "Mack needs someone there for her."
"Wait, what movie is this, anyway?" asked Alyssa.
Lela took a deep breath. "Wet Side Story."
"Wet Side Story!?" cried Alyssa, "OMG! I love that movie!"
"You do!?" cried Mack and Lela in surprise.
"Yeah." said Alyssa, "I hear you and Brady talking about it all the time. One day, I decided to watch it myself, and I was hooked! The music, the outfits, the romance, it's the life anyone would want to lead!"
"No, it really isn't." said Lela. "I want a real life. A life where I don't know what will happen next. Where there's new possibilities, new gadgets being invented, new people to meet!"
"You think this world is good!" cried Alyssa, shocked. "We have to worry about college, taxes, money, providing for families one day! Wouldn't it be great to live in a perfect movie world, where there's always a happy ending, and you never have to worry?"
Lela shook her head. "You have no talents there. It's all decided for you. You never get a job, and just goof your way through life!"
"You think that's bad?!" cried Alyssa, "Why, if I had all the time in the world as an adult, I'd use it to help others! And since when is being able to provide for yourself without even needing a job bad?"
"Wait." said Mack, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"No." both Lela and Alyssa said, simultaneously.
"Alyssa." said Mack, "How many songs do you know from Wet Side Story?"
"Uh, ALL OF THEM!" cried Alyssa, "They're all so amazing! I love 'Like Me.' Lela-I mean, you-are totally my idol!"
"Aww, thanks!" said Lela.
"And what do you know about the characters?" asked Mack.
"Everything there is to know." said Alyssa. "I looked it up on 'Wet Side Story Wiki!'"
"What's that?" asked Lela.
"Long story." said Mack.
Lela sighed. "Let me guess. A piece of technology I'll never know about, because I'm leaving."
"Not exactly." said Mack, "Alyssa, how would you like to...be your idol?"
"What?!" shrieked Alyssa.
"Well, you're going off to college soon." said Mack, "You'd be living on your own anyway. How would you like you and Lela switching places?"
"M-me?!" asked Alyssa, "Sleepovers every night, tons of friends, no worries, a hunky guy…"
"Who, me?" asked Tanner, tapping Alyssa's shoulder.
Alyssa jolted. "Uh, I mean, um…"
Tanner grinned. "You're pretty foxy too."
Alyssa blushed. "I'll miss my family, but I was planning on going to a college out of the country anyway. Maybe even living there. I wouldn't see them often. Besides, they'd visit me every time they watched the movie!"
"I promise I'll tell your parents what happened." said Mack.
"W-wait." said Lela, "What's happening here?"
"Lela…" said Mack, slowly, "You're staying in the real world!"
Lela gasped. "You can't be serious! You mean, Alyssa will take my place, and we'll both get the best of both worlds?!"
Mack couldn't stop her grin, and nodded. Lela pulled her into a big hug, tears of joy streaming down her face. "I finally get my happily ever after." she whispered.
"You sure do." said a voice behind her. Lela turned and gasped. Spencer was right behind her. "Here's your knight in shining armor." he grinned, teasing her.
"How long have you been standing there?" gasped Lela, "What have you heard?"
"Everything." said Spencer, "I've been standing here the whole time."
"Do you mean hiding?" teased Lela.
"Maybe." teased Spencer, right back at her.
"Well," said Lela, with a sigh, "I guess you think I'm a freak now."
"No." said Spencer. "Lela...I-I like you. And I accept you for you. I don't think you're a freak now, just like I didn't think you were a freak when you called me 'cute' in school."
Lela blushed, remembering her stuttering self. "B-but Tanner." said Lela, "What about you?"
But she didn't really need to ask. Tanner was already gazing into Alyssa's eyes. "How could I say no to the most beautiful biker on the beach?"
"So it's settled." said Mack.
"Wait." said Alyssa. She walked up to Mack, and hugged her. "How will you do without your number one best friend and chemistry partner?"
Mack grinned. "We'll always somehow be friends, even in different worlds."
Alyssa nodded, tears of joy and pain streaming down her face. Then, she walked over and hugged Lela. "You two better be best friends forever." said Alyssa. "Or I'll personally come out of the movie to strangle you two."
All the girls laughed.
"The surfboard's all revved up!" shouted Brady, from the ocean. "It's now or never!"
"I better go." said Alyssa, "This isn't goodbye. You'll always be able to see me in the movie."
She handed Mack a special bracelet, that said 'Save The Beach BFFs.' "Whenever you wear that old thing, think of me." said Alyssa.
Mack grinned. "I'll never take it off."
Alyssa took Tanner's hand, and he lead her into the ocean, and helped her up onto the board. "Find your center of gravity." said Tanner, "You don't want to let the pull of the waves overcome you."
"Wow, Tanner." teased Alyssa, "You're a lot smarter than I thought you were."
Tanner grinned. "Yeah, well don't tell anybody."
Alyssa grinned. "Groovy."
As the surfboard zipped farther and farther away, on the beach, all Mack, Lela, Spencer, and Brady (who'd had surfaced) could see was a bright flash of light. At that moment, Brady suddenly recounted Mack's words from earlier. 'If this doesn't work, and Lela and Tanner disappear, and the whole movie never exists, doesn't that mean we never even met?' Well, he just had to hope the movie would give an exception for an...understudy.
The next day
"You should totally try on that golden top next, Lela." said Mack, as Lela twirled in front of a large, dressing room mirror. Of course, she was wearing a bright pink floral sundress, and loving it.
"I think it looks good on me." said Lela.
"Good, it looks great!" cried Mack.
"You know, I'm having a great time." said Lela, "Just the two of us girls, shopping for real clothes in a real store of the twenty-first century. It couldn't get any better than this."
"I totally agree." said Mack, as Lela changed into a purple, white, and pink sundress with beige and pink sandals with beads.
"Oh my, I love everything." said Lela, staring at the clothes.
"Well," said Mack, "You can only pick a few. That's one of the disadvantages of living in the real world. You don't have unlimited amounts of money."
"Drat." said Lela, but she had a big smile. A little thing like clothes wasn't going to ruin her real-world experience. Eventually, she chose the purple, white, and pink dress, the pink floral dress, the gold top, and a pair of mint green shorts to go with it. After all, if she was going to live in the real world, she was going to have to look normal.
"How's it going, girls?" asked Alyssa, through Mack's bracelet. Mack had been ecstatic when she'd first heard Alyssa's voice, and found out that the jewelry could contact the parallel universe. After all, they had recently noticed a tiny, familiar, flower charm on the bracelet. Anything with the flower charm acted as a connection from Wet Side Story to the real world, so even though they couldn't visit each other, Mack could send messages through the bracelet, and Alyssa would send her's through Lela's friendship forever necklace, that Alyssa now owned, as the 'new' Lela.
"Going great!" cried Lela, "What do you think of me in a golden top?"
"Give me a minute." said Alyssa, "Ooh! I just pictured it! You should totally get it!"
Lela grinned, "That's what I was thinking!"
The girls chatted for a while, before they heard a bang on the door. "I thought we were going to the movies!" cried Brady, "The movie will end if you guys don't hurry up!"
Mack rolled her eyes, but in a kind way. "Don't you know that shopping is an all day experience!?"
They heard Brady and Spencer groan from the other side of the dressing room door. The girls grinned. "Fine, we'll be right out." After putting aside their girlfriend differences, Brady and Spencer had become close pals, Brady teaching Spencer how to surf, and Spencer helping to get Brady's GPA up.
True to their word, the girls hurried up and payed for the outfits. They would put the outfits in Lela's new closet at Mack's house, because somehow, Mack had managed to trick her grandpa into thinking Lela was 'an orphan' and had talked him into 'adopting' her. Now, she and Lela lived together, and every day was better than the next. Not to mention, Lela could whip up a mean pie! She threw the best slumber parties in town, and, she was the best friends a girl could ask for, besides Alyssa, of course, who'd been willing to make the ultimate sacrifice (though she didn't appear to be losing) to let Lela be happy.
They all quickly raced through the mall to the theatre (the movie was starting soon and the girls had taken a very long time.) and got in their seats. Brady went out to buy popcorn, returned, and looped one arm around Mack's shoulder, the other one in the popcorn, as the last preview played. Mack leaned her head against his shoulder. Could things turn out any better?
"A movie theatre indoors?!" whispered Lela, in shock, "This world just keeps getting better and better!"
The movie title came on the screen, of course, Wet Side Story. it still amazed Mack such an old movie was back in theatres, but nobody could stop talking about it. Everyone was saying, the 'new' version with the 'new' Lela was even better than the first, it being 'original.' Alyssa always assured Lela via bracelet that no one could take her place as the original Lela, but Lela had come to terms with the fact that Alyssa made a better Lela than even the real Lela did! Lela wasn't jealous, she was even enraptured by her own movie when she watched Alyssa! Alyssa had the uncanny ability to move the whole audience with her hidden acting talent. She made every word important, and could grab the audience's attention with just a movement. She could easily play the classic damsel in distress, while at the same time being brave and bold. It was unbelievable, and the 'new' Wet Side Story was by far better than the first. And Lela couldn't shake the feeling of joy and relief when she saw Alyssa and Tanner gaze into each other's eyes during the 'Meant To be' song. You could genuinely see their love. And Alyssa had an incredible voice! But hey, just because Lela wasn't in a musical anymore, didn't mean she gave up singing. She'd been taking vocal lessons, and had signed up to be the lead in the school play (you guessed it!) Wet Side Story. Funny, huh?
Mack noticed Lela staring sadly at the screen, particularly at Butchy and her girlfriends, and leaned over to ask, "Are you okay? Do you miss them?"
"Yeah." said Lela, softly. "I'll always miss them. They were my family! But that was an old chapter of my life. This is the new chapter, and I've got to say, the future looks bright."
What do you think? Personally, this helped me relieve a lot of anger. I wish this could've ended up as LelaxTanner, but I think that if Lela had stayed in the real world in the movie, LelaXTanner would slip. I'm beginning to doubt they're meant to be, just because they're so attracted to others. So, raise your hand if you wish the ending to Teen Beach 2 had been happier. (Raises hand) Raise your hand if you wish this was the ending! Okay, I just wish things had turned out happier. This was the closest I could get to happily ever after. I hope you enjoyed! Many more Teen Beach 2 fics coming! Bye!