Here we go with a new story! I told you guys I wasn't giving up just yet! Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

CHAPTER 1
Beck's POV

We all sat in the Black Box with Sikowitz. Jade had her legs on my lap and picked at her nails intently, as if there were something underneath them that just didn't want to come out. I sighed, looking around, a little bored. We had spent the past ten minutes watching Sikowitz set up a projector and screen at the front of the room.

Our acting teacher came out from behind one of the black curtains, smiling. He clapped his hands together to get our attention and said, "Okay, class! If you'll all look up here, I have something very exciting to show you all today." He had a mischievous grin on his face as he pressed a button on the projector and a blue window popped up on the screen hanging from the wall.

"Ooo, are we going to watch a video?" Cat asked excitedly, clapping her hands together in a childish way.

"No, Cat, Sikowitz is going to make us stare at a blue screen all day," Jade replied sarcastically, taking her legs off my lap and placing them on the floor.

"Really?" Cat said in a dead serious tone of voice.

Jade rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. I reached over and put my arm around her. She scooted closer to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

Suddenly, the blue image disappeared and in its place was a man standing in front of some tall buildings in a nice suit. He wasn't moving at first, because it was a still picture, but then Sikowitz pressed another button on the projector and the video played, just before he dashed behind the curtain again.

"Hi! My name is Jeffrey Highes, and if you don't already know me, I am the person who created and is in charge of the Vegas 777 program," the man said in a slightly monotone voice. The buildings behind him shimmered in the darkness as he walked towards the camera. People were milling around him, either completely oblivious to something being filmed, or it was a green screen.

"Vegas 777!" Cat squealed, putting her hands over her mouth in disbelief.

"Shush!" someone said: it was Rex.

Tori, who sat in the row in front of me, leaned over to André and whispered something in his ear. He said something back that I couldn't hear, especially with Jade's head blocking my right side's hearing.

"I am very pleased to inform all of you that for this month, the workers of Vegas 777 and I have chosen to host our program at the school of Hollywood Arts," Jeffrey continued, the corners of his mouth turning up into what looked like a rather uneasy smile, as if he didn't do it much.

"No way!" Jade said, her head coming off my shoulder so she could get a better look at the screen. I raised my eyebrows in surprise at the man's words.

"In two days, several of my workers will be coming to your school to collect the applications and conduct interviews needed to enter," Jeffery said, his face still plastered with the awkward smile. "My staff and I will look over every one until we determine which lucky student will be able to come down here to Vegas to help us with our show. I can't wait to see some of you and I wish you all the best of luck in winning."

He waved a quick good-bye, and the screen went black.

"We are so going to enter," Jade told me. I nodded in agreement.

Sikowitz appeared back in the front of the classroom. "Vegas 777," he said, his eyes twinkling. "It's very kind of them to come here to Hollywood Arts and host it. I'm sure whoever gets to go will have the experience of a lifetime."

"But wait, I don't know what Vegas 777 is," Tori piped up.

"What?" Everyone's head turned in her direction.

"The video told you everything you needed to know," Jade pointed out, starting to play with the ends of her dyed hairs. She actually looked pretty cute doing it. I smiled and knocked my head playfully against hers and she smiled back at me.

"It just said that Hollywood Arts got chosen for the program. It didn't say what the program was about," Tori argued, turning around in her seat to face Jade.

"Vegas 777," Sikowitz began, pulling up an empty foldable chair and sitting down in it. He waited for everyone to look at him before he continued. "Is a sort of special program that is located in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was created and run by billionaire Jeffery Highes, who you just saw in the video." He crossed his right leg over his left and used his hands to show expression with his words. "Mr. Highes believes that everyone deserves an equal chance at becoming famous one day."

"I agree," I said out loud.

"Yeah, I do too," Robbie called.

"That man is right," Rex responded.

"Yes, yes, we all agree with Mr. Highes," Sikowitz said, his hand flapping about to dismiss our interruptions. "So as I was saying, Mr. Highes owns one of the most popular news stations in Las Vegas, and every month he goes to different schools all around the world in search of students who he thinks would be good enough to help host the show."

"It's a huge honor if you get to go," André added, turning to Tori. "Not only are you representing your school, but a lot of celebrities' careers have gotten started because they were first seen on LV: Daily Reports."

"Wow, that sounds really exciting," Tori said.

"No duh," Jade mumbled. I patted her knee, the smile on my face still growing.

"Yes, I was quite excited myself when Helen first told me and the rest of the staff that Hollywood Arts was the chosen school for this month," Sikowitz said in a matter-of-fact voice, standing up. "And like Mr. Highes said in the video, two days from now the interviews will be held here in the Black Box for those who wish to enter."

There was a soft murmuring in the class as everyone talked to their friends.

"So on that quick note, I will be helping all of you learn how to become great show hosts and interviewers, in case any of you do win the trip."

From his back pocket he whipped out a piece of crinkled white paper. He held it close to his face and read aloud, "Jade and Cat, please come up here. I need one of you to be the interviewer and the other to be the interviewee."

Jade winked at me before she made her way towards Sikowitz, and a huge grin erupted on my face.

"I'll be the interviewer," she said to Cat, who bounced up to the front with her.

"Kay kay," her friend answered excitedly.

"All right, Cat, you are an obnoxious woman who is constantly changing the subject to issues with hygiene. Jade, you are a cranky old man who hates his job, which is interviewing people. Action!"

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Tori's POV

I stood at the end of the long line coming out of the Black Box with André, Cat, and Robbie. Jade and Beck weren't with us, so I assumed that they had gotten here earlier or they were late. But I knew for a fact that they were going to come eventually—I mean, who would turn up the chance win a trip to Vegas and star on a news show?

"I still can't believe Hollywood Arts gets a chance to participate in the Vegas 777 program," Robbie said excitedly. Rex was not with him thankfully, because he apparently had a 'stomach virus' and had to stay home.

"I hope one of us wins," André replied, a little anxiously, which was unusual behavior for him. "I heard that whoever wins gets to pick five friends and a teacher to go with them."

"Really?" I asked, turning to face him.

André nodded solemnly.

Well that's certainly even more exciting, I thought. So if I didn't win, and one of my friends did, I still had the chance of going. That was even cooler. The past two days were quite uneventful, and the only thing everyone talked about was the interviews that we would be doing to win the trip to Vegas.

Suddenly, a girl who looked like she was in her mid-thirties holding a clipboard walked up to us. There was a headset on her head, and she had the look of someone who meant business. I straightened my posture immediately, and my friends hastened to do the same.

"Hey, kids," the woman said in a friendly tone that did not match the look on her face, "I just wanted to let you know that these forms need to be filled out before you can be interviewed." From the clipboard she handed out sheets of paper to us, and from her pocket came a few pens. "Give that to the man before you start the interview. Here's a little information about the trip." She gave us a thin packet of paper. "And I wish you all the best of luck in getting chosen." She moved over to the people who had now gathered behind us and explained the same directions to them.

"Look, it says here that we get to spend a two-week prepaid stay in a five-star hotel," Cat said, jumping up and down excitedly. "One time, I got to stay in a five-star hotel, but then we got kicked out because my brother—"

"We'll have the chance to participate in at least ten broadcasts," André read out loud, interrupting Cat's story. I think he was too excited to contain it. "One per day, I think. Wow, that's a lot."

"Then that gives us four days to just hang out!" I exclaimed, smiling.

"Man, whoever gets to go will be like he luckiest people on Earth," Robbie commented, looking over his own paper.

We chatted a little more about what the papers said while we filled them out and the line moved forward slowly but steadily. Finally we got to the front and there were some men moving around a small area of the theater covered with fancy lights, cameras on tripods, and even a white backdrop to stand in front of.

Robbie went first, and it seemed to go well, probably because he didn't have Rex, who I think was the reason why he wasn't chosen to be on The Wood when we had had interviews back then. Cat went second, and she couldn't stand still and kept bouncing around. I hoped the people would overlook her incredibly bubbly personality and see what a really talented actress and singer she was. André wanted me to go before him, but I told him that he could go first so he did.

And then it was my turn. I stood in front of the biggest camera on its tripod, and put on a warm smile, trying to stay as relaxed as possible.

"So, Tori," one of them men said, looking over the papers I had given him, "why don't you tell us why you think you deserve to be sent to Vegas?"

I took a deep breath and gave him my answer.

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Beck's POV

We sat in Sikowitz's classroom, waiting for Helen to announce who had won the chance to participate in the Vegas 777 program. It was completely silent in the room, except I could hear Jade's soft breathing in my ear, as her head was rested on my shoulder.

"Hello everyone," Helen's voice finally came onto the loudspeaker. I could feel Jade tensing up next to me. Our interviews that we had done about three days ago I thought had gone pretty well, except Jade had gotten very upset with one of the younger ladies who kept trying to flirt with me.

"I am honored to tell you all who the winner of the Vegas 777 program is." She paused briefly to let her words take affect, and then continued. "I'm very pleased with this choice they made, as this person will definitely be able to represent Hollywood Arts well."

The room was filled with a deafening silence as we waiting for Helen to make her announcement. Jade's breathing sped up, and I could hear my heart beating. There was the sound of crinkling paper on the speaker.

Please be someone that I know, please be someone that I know, I thought desperately. After all, the winner was to bring five of their friends and one teacher with them on the trip, and I was on pretty good terms with a lot of people in Hollywood Arts, which meant that I did have a big chance of going.

Helen took a big breath, and I thought I was going to burst with the tension in the air. "The winner is…Beck Oliver!"

The classroom erupted into applause before jumping out of their seats to surround me. Jade pulled me into a very nice kiss, and I didn't even care that practically the entire class was watching us.

"Beck, we're best buds, right?" someone said.

"Hey, Beck, you want thirty bucks?" another person spoke up.

"You want my number Beck?"

Everyone crowded closer to me, hoping to catch my attention. I couldn't see my friends' faces in the sea of people, and it didn't help that everyone was pushing one another to get close.

"Hey everybody, back off my boyfriend!" Jade yelled suddenly, her arms still wrapped around me. "And he can only choose four people to bring as of now. Because I'm already one of the five." I smiled as everyone immediately backed off, and for once I was thankful for her jealousy issues that helped ease the pressure of only having to choose four other friends.

"Well," I said slowly, as everyone retreated to their seats, but still turned to face me, anxious and hopeful looks in their eyes. For some reason, it never hit me before to have chosen people I wanted to come with me in advance. But after taking a glance around the classroom, my decision was already made.

"Tori, André, Cat, Robbie," I said, naming off my closest friends. "Do you guys want to come with me—" I was cut off as Cat ran over to me and hugged me tightly, knocking Jade's arms out of the way. At first I was a little worried that Jade might say something mean, but she kept to herself quietly.

"You're serious, Beck?" André said in disbelief, coming over and giving me a hearty pat on the back, his eyes shining.

"Wow, thanks man!" Robbie exclaimed. "You're…you're amazing! My…my parents aren't going to believe this," he stuttered out.

Tori came up to me next and it looked she was about to hug me, but Jade stepped between else, a familiar scowl crossing her face. Tori looked slightly crestfallen, but quickly said, "Thanks so much, Beck!"

Jade said something before Tori could get any closer to me.

"Which teacher are you going to bring, Beck?"

I glanced over at Sikowitz, who was absentmindedly sipping at a coconut, sitting on the stage, his eyes drifting into space.

"Sikowitz?" I asked, and my favorite teacher snapped out of his trance.

"Yes, Beck?"

"Would you like to come and be our chaperone to Vegas?"

"Oh, me? Why of course!" Sikowitz said, standing up, the straw never leaving the corner of his mouth. "You know I once went to Vegas. With a bunch of circus people." He gazed thoughtfully into the distance. Tori had this weird look on her face, and André snickered loudly.

Helen's voice came back on the loudspeaker. "Beck Oliver, could you please come down to the main office?" There was a click as she turned it off.

Jade kissed me again briefly before I got up and headed down to Helen's office.

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Trina's POV

I was busy re-applying my lip-gloss when I heard the front door bang open.

"Trina? Are you here?" Tori yelled from downstairs.

I rolled my eyes and hollered back, "Yeah I'm up here!"

There was thumping on the stairs and suddenly my bedroom door burst open, Tori looking incredibly excited about something.

"Why are you so happy looking?" I asked.

"Beck won Vegas 777, and he picked me as one of the people to come with him!" Tori said, her smile getting bigger.

"Did he choose me too?" I asked.

"Well, you guys don't really know each other," my sister told me quickly. "So no, he didn't pick you. But I'm good friends with him and I hang out with him, like every day.

"And what has that got to do with anything?" I replied, standing up and moving towards her.

Tori had a confused look on her face. "It has to do with everything! I don't think someone's going to invite someone they barely know!" she exclaimed as I pushed past her and starting walking down the stairs.

Sometimes Tori had such illogical comebacks. If I had won, I would've invited anyone who wanted to come, regardless of how well I knew them. I mean, if you have people who really want to be with you, why not let them? Geez, Tori still had so much to learn in life.

I made my way to our couches and sat down, pulling my PearPhone out of my pocket, thinking to myself. If Tori got to miss school for two weeks to go to Vegas, why couldn't I? I know Beck hadn't chosen me to one of the five friends he brought with him, but that still didn't mean I couldn't go. Invited or uninvited, I would get to Vegas with them.

I had a plan in my mind. People always overlooked my smarts because my talent and looks often stopped them from looking enough.

I knew exactly what I was going to do. I opened up a new note on my PearPhone, flipping a stray strand of hair over my shoulder. First I would get their flight number and the name of the hotel they were staying at. It might be kind of hard to get the information out of them, but I was smart. I would find a way eventually.

And then I would just go from there. Sure, I didn't have too much money with me, because I spent most of it buying new clothes and makeup and such, but like I said, I would find a way.

After all, I am Trina Vega, and when I want something, I'm not stopping 'til I get it.

Okay, so how did you like it? Did it seem too rushed? Were someone people OOC? Let me know.

It's gonna get a whole lot less predictable as I get more in the story. Seriously. :)