All trivia is in BOLD. Well not this part that I'm typing now. It's not trivia. This is the sequel to A Secret Love, A Movie, and A Ring. People wanted it to continue, and it is. So here's part 2! Takes place right after the first one ends. BTW, I support ZANESSA, not Zashley, I just used to like Zashley and I was like hey I'll combine them so I did! Hope you guys like it!
All author's notes are in italics.
Vanessa's POV
I can't believe Ashley and Monique ran out on me after hearing my big news. I mean, hello? Aren't they supposed to be happy for me? I ran into my bedroom and collapsed onto my bed. Pulling my blue sparkly comforter over my head, I broke down crying. How could my two best friends do this to me?
At that moment, my cell phone rang. I jumped a mile across my room (not literally). Maybe it was Ashley or Monique apologizing! Or Zac offering to help me. He always knew how to fix these kinds of things. Yes, that's it. It's got to be Zac. Not even bothering to check the Caller ID, I picked up the phone and said, "Hello?" My voice was shaking uncontrollably.
"Van?" Oh. It was my little sister, Stella. For a fifteen-year-old, this girl sure knew a lot about me. She could solve almost any problem.
"Hi, Stella." My voice cracked.
"Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah, thanks." I sniffled. "All right, no, I'm not. But in a way- well, Stellie, can you come over?"
I knew Stella hated it when I called her that, but I could sense that she immediately knew that meant something was wrong. "I'll be right there, V. I'll get Trev to drive me."
Being only fifteen, my sister couldn't drive yet, but her boyfriend, Trevor, was seventeen, and he could. Trev worked with Stella on their hit Disney Channel series, What You Thought. Right now, they were denying that they were together, but we all knew fans suspected something. Actually, to me, it sounded a lot like Zac and me a few years ago. Magazines were already insisting there was a "Trevella." So cute!
"Thanks, Stel," I said glumly. "See you in a few."
"Yeah, see you." There was a clicking noise on the other end as Stella hung up.
I stayed in my bed until I heard the doorbell. "Come in!" I yelled. She had the key. And it's not like it would be anyone else. First of all, what robber rings the doorbell? Second, who would be coming to my house at eleven-thirty at night besides my little sister and her boyfriend?
I heard the door open, and two pairs of feet leaped up the steps. "Nessie, can I come in?" Stella asked.
"Yes," I moaned, burying my face in my pillow. Stella and Trevor walked in, and I could feel my mattress sink down a little as the both sat down on my bed.
"V, what happened?" Stella rubbed my back. I don't know why, but for some reason, it always seemed to relax me when she did that. "Zac didn't- do the flower thing, did he?"
"The flower thing" was Stella's and my code for breaking up. We came up with it when Stella sent her boyfriend dead black carnations with a note that said, "We are so done!"
"No, Stella, Zac didn't do the flower thing," I sighed. "Actually, exactly the opposite." I held out my hand.
"Oh my freakin' God!" Stella screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Stella, keep it down," I said.
"Sorry," she gasped. "You have a ring!"
"A ring?" Trevor asked incredulously.
"Are you getting-" Stella began.
"Married!" I exclaimed. "To Zac."
"Vanessa Efron," Stella experimented. "Sounds okay."
I laughed through my tears. "Stel, I'm not changing my last name."
"Oh, good." My sister sighed in relief. "That's so cool! Am I gonna be a bridesmaid?"
"Of course!" I told her. "But first things first. Ashley and Monique were just here, and-"
"Oh." Stella, of course, knew all about Ashley's crush on Zac. I don't see how you couldn't, actually. "What happened when you told her?"
"Well, Mo was happy for me," I replied, then added, "At first."
"Then what?" Trev wanted to know.
"Ash ran out of the house hysterical," I said. "Screaming she hates me and sobbing. Mo followed her. I tried calling their cell phones, but neither of them picked up."
"They're jealous," Stella suggested. "Monique's thirty and single. And Ash is twenty-five and just found out her boyfriend is cheating on her with Amanda Bynes."
"Really? That doesn't sound like Amanda."
"She didn't know."
"Oh. That does soundlike Amanda." I paused. "But Ashley didn't tell me."
"She called me while you were out," Stella informed me. "She had just found out from Amanda a few hours ago."
"So that's why she was in such a bad mood," I realized. "Oh my God! I feel so bad now! I've got to call her! Oh, but she won't answer my calls. Damn it!"
"Somebody's angry," Trev commented. "Here. Use my phone."
"Thanks, Trev," I said, taking his phone. I punched in Ashley's number and waited.
One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Finally...
"Hello?" I recognized Ashley's sister, Jennifer, immediately.
"Oh, hi, Jen," I said, trying to sound cheerful. "It's Vanessa."
"Um, V, I'm not sure if Ashley wants to talk to you right now," Jen said.
"Well, maybe she would if she heard what I wanted to say to her."
There was a long silence on the other end. "I'll go get her," Jen told me.
"Thanks." I waited for Ashley to come.
For a second, I thought Jen had hung up just so her sister wouldn't have to talk to me, and I was about to close my phone when I heard Ashley's miserable little voice say, "What do you want?"
She sounded so pathetic, I felt even more sorry for her. "Ash, look, I just wanted to apologize to you about what happened tonight. I'm really sorry."
"It's okay. I overreacted."
You think? But I wasn't going to say that. Not right now, at least. "No, you didn't. One of your best friends is marrying the guy you've liked for the last five years! You have every right to be mad at me."
"No, forget it. I was just in a bad mood, is all."
"Stella told me."
"Don't drag me into this!" Stella cried, alarmed.
"How much did she tell you?" Ashley asked.
"Not much. Just the whole Amanda Bynes thing. How come you didn't tell me?"
"I didn't get a chance. The second you walked in, you were all, 'Zac, Zac, Zac'... All you ever talk about is Zac! Enough already! You could learn to be a bit more sensitive, really."
Okay, now, I don't have much of a temper, but that was it. I called her to apologize and now she was doing this? "Because you were never all 'Jim, Jim, Jim'?" Yes, his name was Jim.
I knew I'd hit a nerve there. "Well," Ashley said coldly, "If that's how you feel, then why did you call me?"
Oh, like I was going to tell her I felt sorry for her. "I just wanted to tell you," I began, searching for an excuse, "That..."
"That what?"
"That- that-" I looked at Stella, trying to think of something to say. Trevor's arm was wrapped around her shoulder. That's it! "That... Trevor and Stella broke up!"
"What?!" They both screamed.
I could tell Ashley was surprised, although she tried not to show it. "Oh. Well, I don't really care."
"Okay," I said. "Just thought you'd like to know, you gossip girl, you."
"Right. Goodbye, Vanessa Anne."
Vanessa Anne? Ooh, the full name. Oh well. I'd expected something like this to happen. "All right. I'll go talk to Stella now. Bye, Ashley Michelle." I know. I'm so childish. But I couldn't help it. I hung up.
Ignoring the fact that Ashley and I were still in the middle of our biggest fight ever, Stella screeched, "Trevor and I did not break up!"
"Well, apparently now you did," I shrugged.
"V!" My sister exclaimed. "Don't you know what's wrong?"
"No, what? Just go along with it!"
"How do you not know? You said it yourself!"
"I did? What is it?"
"Vanessa," Trevor reasoned. "Think back."
"Ashley's a gossip girl," Stella said, like duh. "And she's mad at you, and she has Teen People, Star, and CosmoGirl on her speed dial!"
"So?"
"Nessa!" Stella cried. "She's going to call all the tabloids and blab what supposedly happened to them! By next week, half of America is going to think that Trev and I are over! No more Trevella, and I don't get as much publicity. None of us do. And that includes you."
"Oh, crap," I whispered. "That's not good."
"Really," Stella said sarcastically (ooh, tongue twister, try it!).
"What are we going to do?" I asked hoarsely.
"War," she replied. "Call them before she does. Tell them a story about her, do anything. There is no such thing as bad publicity, Nessa."
"But that's mean," I protested. After all, Ashley was my best friend- wasn't she? This was the last thing I'd ever expect from my sweet little sister! Maybe dating an older guy was going to her head.
"All's fair in love and war," Stel pointed out.
"I guess, but-"
"Ness," Trevor added, "She's right. You've got to do something. Soon."
Ashley's words rang in my head. "Okay," I agreed. "Stella, call CosmoGirl. Trev, here's the number for Star. I'll get Teen People. And there's a whole long list, too."
"Wait, V," Stella remembered. "Aren't you on Jay Leno tomorrow night?"
"Hey, yeah," I said. "Good idea! Add to the madness. This is war."
"Sure is," said Trevor, taking his phone back.
Two hours and twenty-three magazines later, I finally got off the phone with Tiger Beat and asked, "Are there any we missed?"
"Don't see how we could have," Trevor sighed, collapsing on my purple armchair.
"Well, what about Popstar?"
"Done," Stella and Trevor chorused, exhausted.
"Teen?"
"Done."
"The Los Angeles Times?" (is that even a real newspaper? I have no idea!)
"Done."
"J-14?"
"Done."
"Seventeen?"
"V, get over it, yes," Stella said.
"I'm just making sure!" I paused. "What about Vogue?"
"I'm leaving!"
"No, stay," I begged. "Sleep over?"
"Fine," Stella said. "Trev and I can share a room." She giggled and grinned at her boyfriend.
"No way," I argued. "Not my little sister. You are each getting your own room. No, your own floor."
"Fine." She pouted. "Be that way. You can get married, but I can't even sleep on the same floor as my boyfriend for one night..."
"Exactly," I replied. "Greta-Ingrid will show you your rooms." Greta-Ingrid was our Swedish housekeeper (if anyone can tell me what book the name Greta-Ingrid is from, you win the, uh, book-reading contest and I'll mention you people). "Now go. I gotta be alone."
"Girls." Trevor shrugged and followed Stella and Greta-Ingrid down the stairs.
I lay in bed for hours that night, unable to fall asleep. I stared at the poster of Zac and me I had ripped out of Bop two years ago that I kept on the ceiling. It was such a cute picture. I actually did read those teen magazines- just to see what they said about me, Zac, Ashley, Monique, and of course, Stella and Trevor. There was a poster of "Trevella" next to my closet, and a cutout of Ashley, Monique and me next to my bed. I had to remind myself to take that down. And if you think my walls weren't plastered with Zac's and my four-year-old Hawaii pictures, you're insane. I had the cutest picture of Zac right next to my door, and I could see it perfectly from the position I was in. I sighed. How could I possibly get so lucky as to be marrying the greatest guy in the world?
My eyelids were feeling heavy, but there was no use closing them, I thought. I wouldn't be able to fall asleep, anyway. I decided maybe listening to some music would help, so I turned on my iPod, put it on shuffle, and tried to clear my mind.
I nodded my head in time to the music, whispering, "Wash away the miles between us, 'cause without you, it's just an ordinary world." That was how I felt without Zac. The world was just ordinary. Aww... I was starting to get even more tired. The music was working. The song started to fade out, althoughI knew it was nowhere near the end of it. What was happening? I pressed my eyes shut tightly.
Suddenly, the world was spinning, bright lights were flashing, and I was struggling to stay upright in my six-inch jimmy choos. I looked down. I was wearing a long white gown with big bows on it. My dad was next to me, looking down at me with tears in his eyes and wearing a tux.
"My little girl, already," he sniffled, wiping his face with his embroidered handkerchief.
I heard a voice behind my and jumped slightly. "Nessa, you look so pretty," Stella gushed. She was dressed in a lavender bridesmaid dress and sandals that camouflaged in with the grass in the tent that we appeared to be in. She was holding the train of my dress. Wait. Train? This was my wedding?
"Yeah, you do, Vanessa," Trevor added. He looked slightly uncomfortable in a suit, and my guess was that Stella had bought the tie for him. As usual, he was slouching slightly, with his hands in his pockets. I noticed his pants already had grass stains. Hmm. Wonder how he managed that. I checked the back of Stella's dress. Nothing. Good. Then I honestly didn't care how those stains got there.
"Thanks, Stella," I said. "Thanks, Trev."
"Are you nervous?" Trev asked me.
"Trevy!" Stella scolded him, punching his arm.
"No, I'm not," I said. "Why would I be?"
"Well, you know," Dad shrugged. "Not every girl has reporters from nearly every teen magazine in America at their wedding."
"And let's not forget about Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and Diane Sawyer reporting live," Trevor pitched in.
"But on the plus side," Stella pointed out, "You've got J.Lo, Paris Hilton, Kelly Clarkson, Orlando Bloom, and Lindsay Lohan, all in the first row!"
"But just think, what if you screw up?" Trevor said.
"How do you screw up at a wedding?" Stella hissed.
"Vanessa, get ready!" I don't know who said that, but I snapped to attention as our bridesmaids walked down the aisle to meet Zac. Wait. Who were they? I had promised Monique and Ashley that someday they would be my bridesmaids and it would be the same when they got married, but I couldn't really picture that right now.
Looking closer, I realized that the one in the front was my co-star from Lost Love (remember that?), Alexis Bledel. Behind her were Zac's old Hairspray buddies, Nikki, Amanda, and Brittany. Last was Kaycee Stroh, from High School Musical.
Okay, just a note from the author. I have no idea if this is the right order for the wedding whatever you call it, but I wanted to include everybody so maybe in the future they changed the order. And left a lot of stuff out. Back to the story!
Behing Kaycee were our ushers, Elijah Kelly, Lucas Grabeel, and Corbin Bleu. Corbin had cut his hair about six months ago so he could donate it to Locks of Love, but it was almost all back by now. Still, it looked weird.
Next were our two flower girls. One was my preschool-age cousin, Marissa. The other was Zac's six-year-old cousin, Elizabeth. Marissa looked so much like me, it was scary. Stella thought it was unfair that nobody inherited her genes. The guests ducked as Marissa and Elizabeth threw flowers at their heads, tangled leaves in their hair, or dropped petals down girls' dresses.
Right before me was our ring bearer- Stella's and my four-year-old brother, Jeff. He looked so smart in his little tux as he walked down the aisle, grinning from ear to ear with the rings held proudly out in front of him.
"Your turn," Stella whispered as Jeff got to the front. Dad held my hand as I walked down the aisle. Flashbulbs exploded in my face all the way up to the (oh, snap, what's he called? I'm Jewish! I have no idea! We'll call him Reverend Thompson for now. Hope that's right!)
Stella was walking behind me, and I knew she wanted to scream. The smile painted on her face was purely for the photographers. The second we were alone, she would start swearing like a rap artist and using some very un-ladylike language, believe me. (yes, that was from a book, it sure would make a lousy song)
And now, down to the dirt. "Does anybody have any objections?" Reverend Thompson asked.
"Yes!" I heard a voice from the audience scream out. Ashley stood up, dressed in a long, gold dress. She had on dark red lipstick and looked like she hadn't slept for days, but maybe that was just the eyeshadow. "I have an objection!"
Reverend Thompson raised his eyebrows. "And what would that be, Ms. Tisdale?"
Ashley stomped into the aisle. She looked completely crazy. Monique followed her, wearing a short green dress and matching heels.
"Vanessa Anne Hudgens," Ashley muttered, "You are a liar!"
"Really?" I said. "And why is that?"
"You don't love Zac," she said, stumbling over her words and nearly tripping over a chair leg as she made her way over to me.
"What makes you think that?" I asked, trying to remain calm.
"What do you mean, Nessa?" Ashley asked. "You mean you haven't been reading People magazine?"
"I haven't gotten a chance," I responded coolly. "Why?"
"Because they seem to think that you have another boyfriend!"
"Where would they have gotten that idea?"
"Oh, I don't know," she snapped. "Maybe you?"
That was enough. "Security!" I yelled.
Four strong men walked into the tent. Two of them grabbed Ashley, and the other two took Monique.
"Stop! What are you doing?" Monique shrieked angrily. "Let me go!"
"I'm sorry, Ms. Coleman," Big Tough Guy #3 said. "We are under strict orders not to let you go."
"Argh, I hate you, Vanessa!" Monique screamed at me. I just laughed.
"Vanessa!" A reporter leaped out of her seat. "Is all this true?"
"Of course not," I replied nonchalantly.
Another woman I didn't recognize jumped up and asked, "Didn't Monique and Ashley used to be your best friends?"
"Darling, that's ancient history now," I told her, smiling falsely.
"I don't care how much you badmouth me, Vanessa," Ashley growled, struggling to free herself. "I will not let you marry Zac."
I took a step towards her, the smile gone. I had a serious "Sharpay" look now. "Just try and stop me, Ashley."
"Oh," she said, "I will." She raised her head, snapped her fingers, and yelled, "Jenny!"
Jen staggered into the tent in her five-inch heels. She always did have a thing for the latest fashion. And twisted ankles. Hee hee. Wouldn't mind one of those right about now...
"What is it, Ash?" Jen asked.
"Help!"
"Oh, right." Jennifer took a pocket knife out of her purse (don't even want to know what it was doing there) and I winced as she dug it into one of the guards' arms. He yelled out, let go, and ran out of the tent, clutching his bleeding arm.
"Jennifer!" I cried. "Look what you did!"
"Oops, sorry, Nessie," she said, "But unless you want that to be you, I'd back off." Wow, what a snot.
"Hey, leave my girl alone," Zac defended me. He stepped in between me and Ashley.
"I should be your girl, Zac," Ashley replied, and she "accidentally" tripped and landed in Zac's arms. She leaned up and pressed her lips against his. I tried to pry them apart, but he was kissing her back, I could tell, and all of a sudden, cameras were flashing, and oh my gosh, what was going on? How had I let this happen?
"No! No! NOOOOO!!!!!" I screamed.
"V, wake up!" Stella was shaking me. "Nessa, Nessa, wake up!"
I put my hand to my forehead. I had broken out in a cold sweat, and I felt like I was going to throw up any second now. I looked around. At least I was back in my own room again. Music was playing in the background from my iPod, singing, "Cameras are flashing, but we're dirty dancing," (that was way too easy, but maybe that song's why she wanted to throw up). "Stella," I whispered, then turned my head and threw up all over my blanket.
"Ew!" Stella squealed, jumping back.
"I'll go get Greta-Ingrid," Trevor volunteered, but personally I think he just wanted an excuse to get out of that room ASAP. "She'll clean up." And he left.
"Van, are you okay?" Stella asked worriedly.
"No," I admitted. "I had a bad dream."
"Some dream, Ness, you've been screaming for the last twenty minutes. The paperboy rang the doorbell to tell me to get you to shut up."
The paperboy? The paper was here already? "Stella, the paper's here?"
"Yes, that's what I wanted to tell you!" She handed me a tissue and sat down in a chair eagerly. "Look at the headline!"
I gathered up the strength to look over at the front page, and was shocked at what I saw. There was a picture of Ashley, Monique, Zac, and me, and it was split into two halves. Under the picture was a caption: 'Are Hollywood's Biggest Stars Feuding?' From there, it launched into an article about how Ashley was a slut who tried to throw herself onto Jim just to make Zac jealous. They said that when Monique found out that her ex-boyfriend, Ricky, who'd been a long-time friend of mine, was cheating on her with Katharine McPhee, she was determined to make sure that I never got another guy again. They had heard rumors of Zac's and my engagement, but weren't sure if they were true or not. Oh, but they now knew that "Trevella" was official. Cute!
"No," I whispered. "How could we have done this?"
"What do you mean? It's brilliant, V, there is no such thing as bad publicity, we have been through this a thousand times before!"
"Stel, don't you see what this is going to do? Brittany managed to get bad publicity! Lindsay managed to get bad publicity! Paris managed-"
"You can't get thrown in jail for starting a few silly rumors," Stella laughed.
"I know," I replied. "But I have a callback for that movie, Watching Out For You, tonight, and I really want this role. Rumor has it I'm up against that 8 Simple Rules girl, oh, who is it, the redhead?"
"The redhead? Ooh, that one's my favorite! But she's so short. You're a shoo-in."
"No, redhead's a great actress, and I hear she can sing, too."
"I don't know about that."
"Well, I know she can dance! Stella, you've gotta listen to me. My dream told me something. We're just adding to the fire here!"
"What fire?"
"When are you going to get it? I can't do this. It's not going to do anything for me, it's just going to start one of those big Hollywood fights."
"So? You'll make friends with the redhead!"
"Stella, I don't think this is that hard. There is such a thing as bad publicity, and that's exactly what this is going to turn into."
"You're insane," Stella laughed.
"No, I don't think so," I responded. "I think I'm being pretty sensible here. I don't want to-" All of a sudden, my pocket started to sing, "If you're out on the road, feeling lonely, and so cold, all you have to do is call my name-"
"Vanessa, I think your pants are singing," Stella commented.
"No, no, silly, it's my phone," I told her, answering my bright blue iPhone. "Hello?"
"Hey, Vanessa, darling," somebody drawled in their Southern accent.
"Who is it?" Stella wanted to know. Like she hadn't recognized the ringtone.
"It's Tori," I said. Tori was my manger. She made appointments for me, set up auditions and callbacks, and still had time to find out what was going on with me in the daily news. I don't know how that woman does it.
"Yes, listen, Baby V," Tori said. "Some interesting headlines I've been seeing today."
I gulped. "Oh. Yes."
"Anything you'd like to tell me, daaahling?"
"Well... Yes, Tori, there is." Should I lie to Tori? If I told her what really happened, the whole world would know. Tori was only twenty-four, and she had the biggest mouth ever. But on the other hand, Tori had been a family friend even before she had been hired to work for me, and it could be really hard to lie. I wasn't sure what to do. "Tori... Zac broke up with me last night." Stella fell over, gaping at me.
"No!" Tori gasped, surprised. "But you two were going so well! This was so sudden..."
"It wasn't," I admitted sadly. "I knew it was coming. But Trevor and Stella are on fire!" I hoped that made up for my little Trevella breakup rumor.
"That's good to hear, at least," Tori sighed. "Well, I've gotta go, dollface, I've gotta bunch of other calls I have to make, I just remembered." She hung up.
"What was that for?" Stella asked. "For somebody who wants to get out of her web of lies, you sure don't hesitate to get into another one."
"I know," I said. "But I had to. If Tori tells all the local talk shows, by tonight, it'll be legendary! Don't you see? Even if it's lying, we have to give them what they want to hear."
"Who?"
"Ashley! Ashley and Monique!"
"Oh, not them again..."
"Stella, aren't they what this fight is about?"
"Sort of, I guess."
"Sort of, you guess?! Stella!"
At that point, Trevor walked in with Greta-Ingrid, who picked up my comforter, folded it up, and took it away. "Hey, what's up?" Trevor said.
"Nessa told Tori that Zac dumped her!" Stella cried.
"You did what?! Idiot! Sorry," he added quickly.
"You'd better be," I said. "Anyway, I had to. But I don't know what I'm going to do!"
"Forget this for a while," Trevor advised me. "Let's just throw on a baseball cap and sunglasses and head down to the pizza place."
"Can I call Zac?" I whimpered pitifully.
"Sure."
Two hours later, Zac, Stella, Trevor, and I were sitting around a table in Luigi's Pizza, reading a menu. "Thanks for taking me here, guys," I said. "I could use the cheering up."
"I really wish you could be happy today," Zac sighed. He had, of course, heard what happened.
"Me too, Zac, me too," I said. "You being here helps make me feel better. That's why I asked you to come." I leaned over and kissed him for a pretty long time.
"Ooooohhhh!" Stella and Trevor whispered, trying not to call too much attention to themselves. They didn't want to be recognized.
"Hello," a man said, walking up to us. He was wearing an apron and Italian shoes, and he had a dark mustache. "I am Luigi. How may I help you today?"
Since I'm so good at ordering food (Ashley told me that back when we weren't fighting), I ordered a cheese pizza for the four of us to share. "Thanks, Luigi," I said, disguising my voice the best I could.
"Is no problem, Miss Vanessa," Luigi said, and we all gasped.
"What?" Trevor yelled. Stella spit out her Pepsi onto my salad, and Zac nearly choked on his bread.
"How did you know that?" I demanded. Heads turned to stare at us, but I ignored them.
"Well, you look just like her, I thought it would make good joke," Luigi shrugged and walked over to the kitchen to go make our pizza.
"There's a reason I look just like her," I muttered. "We're distant cousins."
"I'm gonna go use the bathroom," Stella said, tossing her napkin aside and standing up. "Nessa, need to come?"
"No, I'm good."
"Don't girls always go to the bathroom in groups?" Trevor pointed out.
"Yeah, that's why she asked, but I don't have to go," I told him. "Be quick, Stella."
"Okay." She left.
I noticed that Zac seemed to be staring off into the distance. I followed his gaze, but there was no hot blonde across the room or anything, so I couldn't figure out what was wrong. "Zac? Are you feeling okay?"
"What?" Zac snapped back to attention. "Oh. I'm sorry, Van. It's just hard to concentrate. I really wish last night could have been more special for you."
"It's all right," I replied, shrugging. "What should have been special was special. Things kinda went downhill when I got home, that's all."
"Well, I guess," he said. "If you really think so."
"I really think so," I insisted. I leaned in to kiss him again, but we were interrupted this time by Stella.
"Guys! Sorry to interrupt, but I think you should really watch the news!" Stella pointed to the television, which was turned to the Channel 11 News.
"So," a brown-haired woman named Ariana Mitchels was saying, "Ashley, it's been great to have you and Monique on the news today. It feels so reassuring to know that all those horrible rumors about you aren't true. Now, Ashley, I hear you have a special guest with some news for us?"
"Yes, that's right, Ariana," Ashley said, flashing her pearly whites out at the audience. "Actually, to Vanessa, if you're watching, you're quite familiar with this person. In fact, you just talked to her a few hours ago! Give it up for Vanessa Anne Hudgens' manager, Miss Tori Martin!"
Zac, Stella, and Trevor simultaneously clapped their hands over my mouth to muffle the scream they knew was coming.
"Tori Martin? That little backstabber!" Stella whispered.
"Hey, y'all!" Tori waved enthusiastically. "It's soooo great to be here this afternoon!"
"So, Tori, tell us, please," Ariana said, "Why exactly did Ashley bring you here?"
"Well, Ashley's always liked me more than Vanessa has," Tori explained. "I could just feel something about it. I mean, Vanessa never came right out and said she didn't like me, but I could just feel it. Plus, all the work I've done for her, and she has never even said thank you!"
"Unbelievable," Monique said, like this was the first time she was hearing all this crap.
"I know," Tori nodded. "There was just a wall between us. But it was okay, because I got along with Ashley. But I called Vanessa today to ask her why she would possibly do something like this to a friend- I mean starting the rumors- and I have major dirt."
"Spill!" Ashley cried.
"Yeah," Monique and Ariana encouraged her.
"I don't know if I should." Tori pretended to hesistate. "Well, okay. I think the public should know. Vanessa told me she was just bitter because Zac Efron broke up with her last night."
"What?" Ariana exclaimed. The audience was too shocked to do anything. So was I.
"It's all true," Tori said.
"That's not what she told us," Ashley said. "Last night, she told me Zac asked her to marry him."
"She lied, sweetheart," Tori said.
"Why, that little..." I would have punched her if I had been there.
"Well, thank you, Tori, but it looks like we're out of time," Ariana said. "Until next time, I'm Ariana Mitchels, with the Channel 11 News." She gave the camera that winning smile of hers and they faded out into an old Full House re-run.
I burst out sobbing. Zac rushed me out of Luigi's Pizza, leaving Stella and Trevor alone together, something I never would have done normally, but exceptions had to be made. "I don't deserve this," I wailed. "Call Ashley. I need you to talk to her."
TO BE CONTINUED!!!!!!!!
Mwa haha. If nobody tells me "redhead"'s real name, there will be no Chapter 3 published, but I am writing one anyway because I have myself in suspense. Hope you guys liked this one and look out for part 3 soon!!!!! REVIEW!!!!!
