Beck sits back on the familiar red couch nursing a black plastic cup filled with beer. Next to him sat two girls he's seen once of twice before. One of them has short dark hair and several piercings on her face. Sitting nonchalantly on the couch, she continuously nods her head as her red-head counterpart expresses her excitement, and nerves, about going on to college.
"Can you believe we just finished graduating? Where did the time even go?" she says. Beck slowly nods his head in agreement, even though she isn't speaking to him.
Where did the time go indeed? He can remember clearly stepping into the hallways of Hollywood Arts for the first time. He remembers walking to his first class, nervous inside but trying desperately to appear cool. His first day is fresh in his mind, even though four years have passed.
Just a few hours ago, he and his friends took the fated walk down the Asphalt Cafe as their names were called. With each step, they put high school behind them and got ready to turn the page and start a new phase in their lives. As he watched his fellow classmates step up to the podium and grab their diplomas, he became anxious. Everything he's grown to know is coming to an end, and in just a few months he will be traveling across the country, surrounded by a sea of unfamiliar faces.
The redhead next to him suddenly stands up and lifts her cup up high. "This is for us," she starts, her voice audible over the loud music and chatter, "for making it this far. And it's just the beginning" she finishes and brings the cup down to her lips. Numerous others cheer her toast and bring up their cups only to take a large gulp afterward.
Still in his seat, Beck raises his own cup slightly and nods his head. This really is just the beginning. At just eighteen years old, Beck can say he's experienced his fair share. He's met people in the industry that are willing to give him an opportunity to act, he's established amazing friendships and even learned what it means to be in love.
Even though his relationship with Jade didn't last as long as he would have liked, he cherishes the moments they had together. He got the opportunity to see Jade in a light that many people never did. Instead of the intimidating girl who no one dared approach, she let him see her as the vulnerable girl who fears letting people in and creates a barrier to avoid pain and rejection. While he tried to show her that she could in fact trust people, she went out of her way to put him as far as he could go, in every aspect of his life, just so he could reach his full potential. She had never been afraid to challenge him and as frustrating as it was then, he knows she is to thank for the person he is now. Because of her he isn't afraid to put himself out there and take risks.
Now, as he quietly absorbs the atmosphere, he can only smirk when he sees his ex-girlfriend on the other side of the room holding hands with her new boyfriend Adam. The once goth princess dons a light purple dress. Her hair is light as is her makeup and even from a distance, he senses an airiness in her that had never been there.
"Okay, okay people" he hears a voice from a distance and the music is turned down a bit. He turns to look back towards the staircase. He smiles when he sees Tori descending the stairs in her royal blue graduation gown and twirling the orange tassel with her right index finger. She stops halfway down the staircase and someone rushes over to hand her a beer can.
"I want to start by saying that I am grateful you were able to take the time to make it here tonight. It means so much to me that I can spend this day with the people who made my time in HA so amazing. I came into this school two years ago and you all immediately welcomed me and ever since you have become like my family. Even though we're all going off to do different things, we'll always be able to look back at our time together and smile. So instead of being sad that it's come to an end...let's have some fun" she cheers enthusiastically and everyone explodes in cheers and applause. The music is back on full blast and everyone's gone back to dancing and mingling.
"This is my song" the redheaded girl next to him says much to loudly and shoots off her seat as Chris Brown's "look at me now"comes from the speakers. Her dark-haired friend is left, shaking her head from side to side and Beck looks over to the spunky girl making her way to the dance area. She is surrounded by others just as excited and after a few minutes, they all turn to each other and try to keep up with Busta Rhyme's fast verse.
A few minutes later, Beck decides to go around the room and interact with his former classmates. Since this will probably be the last time he will see most of them, he might as well make the effort to be social.
As the hours pass and it nears midnight, the party dwindles. A few people have to be carried out after having too much to drink, their designated drivers not very happy to have to leave so early. Beck bid farewell and good luck to some of them. Among those early to leave are Jade, Adam and Robbie.
Standing over by the kitchen table, Beck watches as his ex-girlfriend walks towards a few people to say good-bye and, without walking over to him, grabs hold of Adam's hand and exits the Vega house. Even though they haven't spoken in several months, it still stings to not have a cordial relationship with her. After years together, they should at least be able to exchange pleasantries.
Beck walks over to a crate near the refrigerator and gets a beer can. This time he doesn't bother pouring it into the plastic cup. He pops open the tab and lets the frothy liquid fill the top before taking a sip. He looks back to see that just about twenty people remain, including Tori, André and Cat. He smiles and walks over to where André and Tori are talking.
"Hey guys" he says and they quickly turn to acknowledge him.
"Well, well if it isn't Mr. Julliard himself, where have you been?" Tori exclaims as she pulls him in for a hug.
"Oh you know, here and there" he says as he wraps his arms around her small waist. He looks over her shoulder and nods towards André.
"Hey Beck" André greets his friend.
Unwrapping his arms from Tori, Beck extends his fist and bumps it against Andre's.
"Are you having fun?" Tori asks him.
"Yeah, it's a great party" he replies.
Tori nods her head, thankful that her friend is having a good time. She quickly scans the room to make sure things are going well and before she can turn back to continue the conversation, she spots Cat just a few feet away, her hand much too close to a guy's face. "Guys" Tori exclaims and points towards Cat's direction. Beck and André turn to see where she is pointing.
They stay still for a few seconds and watch as Cat shakes her head violently from side to side. She is wagging her right hand back and forth, each time getting closer to touching the guy's face. Her left hand is resting on her hip and her right knee is slightly bent.
"That doesn't look good" André says and without having to wait for confirmation, he starts walking towards Cat.
"Should we go over there?" Tori asks Beck as her concern grows for her friend.
"No, André can handle it. She's probably just had too much to drink" Beck replies, never taking his eyes off his smaller friends a short distance away.
"I guess" Tori responds uncertain.
Noticing her apprehension, Beck asks her questions about her decision to go to NYU.
Tori perks up a bit. "I can't believe I even got it. I'm so excited. Getting to live in New York is amazing."
"I know, I'm excited to get out of California for a bit, just try a different scene" Beck answers.
"We're going to be really close too. We can hang out all the time and do whatever it is college people do" she says
"Like drink coffee and get incredibly wastes at a frat party" he replies which makes her laugh and shake her head.
"Nothing too crazy though, we have to be serious actors" Tori says and nudges Beck with her elbow.
"Whatever that means" he answers. He takes a second to glance over to Cat and he can see that André has gotten her away from the guy and over to the kitchen. "See? Told you André could handle it" he tells Tori.
She turns her head over to see her two friends sitting by the table. André places a glass of water in front of Cat who is still waving her hands around, but not as erratically as before. "I guess you were right" she tells Beck as she turns to look back at him.
The twosome talk for a few minutes and as they take a seat on the stairs, they start reminiscing about the past two years and all the crazy moments their small group had.
"I can't believe so much happened in such a short amount of time. We made it through Sikowitz class, got arrested in Yerba, you got to act in some really cool movies and plays and I opened the Platinum Music Awards. How crazy is that?" Tori tells Beck.
"Very crazy. I hadn't realized we had done so much."
"We have and I can't wait to see what else we will do" she says excitedly.
Beck takes a deep breath and drops his shoulders a bit. Here he is, nervous about making the move to New York and yet Tori is so optimistic about it.
"How do you know...how can you be so sure that things will be okay in New York?" he asks her.
Tori smiles and drapes her arm over his shoulders. "I'm not. I can only hope that it will be a good change for us."
"And it if isn't?" Beck asks, turning to look at her.
"If it isn't then you can always change your mind. But you should at least try it" she responds, her smile never faltering. Beck nods his head and as he starts thinking about her words, Tori lowers her head and rests it on his shoulder. He brings his hand up and wraps it around her waist. For a few minutes, the two of them sit silently, observing the remaining party guests talking and drinking the last few beers.
"Thanks Tor" Beck whispers.
Tori simply nods her head against his shoulder and smiles as a small circle forms and people start dancing to Beyonce's "single ladies." A few guys join in and move their hands backwards and forward in perfect sync with the song.
She lifts her head off Beck shoulders and as her smile broadens, he reaches over and turns her face towards him. Before she can react, he closes the small gap between them and crushes her lips with his.
Author's Note: I got the idea to write this story as I was re-reading a previous one I wrote. It'll be a short Bori two-shot which hopefully you will enjoy.