. . .

This is completely non-canonical, just an interpretation of what could happen so don't read into it too seriously, hope you like it,

Acrobat

X

. . .

90210: 2012

"Look at the world of politics today, it remains ladies and gentlemen whether you approve or not a world of middle-aged, balding, incompetent men," the slideshow flashed up images of various world leaders, "and those women that are world leaders – Angela Merkel for example – are portrayed as being bullies and aggressive…"

Silver pinched herself as she blinked for a dangerously long period of time, it wasn't that she didn't love political science but when it was five in the afternoon and she could be at the beach with her friends instead of cooped up in a lecture hall her attention span shrank considerably. She hadn't written notes in thirty minutes, her mind wasn't on the lecture or on College…it was elsewhere…thinking about last year, about West Bev. and how much she missed it.

PICK YOU UP AFTER CLASS? X NAOMI

As covertly as she could she quickly replied and then refocused her attention on the lecture…only another thirty minutes of crap to get through and then she was free for two glorious days…apart from all the reading she had to do. Someone else was talking now; her gaze was drawn across the room to a tall, well-built, strangely-pale guy for someone living in LA.

"Yes Mr Stevenson?"

"Isn't it something of a generalisation to portray all female world leaders in the category of being bullies or being aggressive – there are some quite favourable depictions of leaders, for example Angela Merkel is seen as great diplomat in the Latin American press?" Silver admired the new guy, nice face, nice fashion sense – nice everything! And he was smart, and considering it was college that was a worrying rarity, her phone vibrated again.

HEY HOW ARE YOU, JUST GOT BACK! X

Navid. Something had to screw it up.

. . .

"So how is breakfast television?" she asked, briefly scanning the menu before Thai fishcakes grabbed her attention, the billing of sumptuous yet crispy selling the dish to her and making her decision pretty easy.

"Stressful and a world away from actually being a guest on a show but it's a new challenge," Adrianna smiled, "I think I'm gonna go for the-"

"Spaghetti Carbonara? You are so predictable!" They both laughed.

"I can't help it! I have a weakness for pasta! Anyway enough about me and Good Morning LA! How's College, how's Liam?"

Annie paused at the question. How where things with her and Liam? She could lie and say everything was fine, they were loved up and she was expecting a proposal any day or she could be truthful and tell her that they weren't talking to one another, they'd been having fights and that Ivy was acting as an intermediary between them while they were cooling off.

"He's fine, the Drama classes are…relaxed, I got a cameo role in the new Natalie Portman film, I might actually get to meet her," she calmed herself and allowed a façade of tranquillity to descend over her – no point in getting worried about something that would probably resolve itself in a few days, "I saw Navid landed a couple of hours ago, wonder how things with his dad went?"

Adrianna stiffened, "Guess you'd better ask Silver about that." she hailed a Waiter with her hand and he swiftly glided over to her, Navid was her ex – why bother caring he'd moved on and she'd been a bitch to him…she'd become self-centred and a walking disaster area after the whole Javier scandal; her life was back on track now and she was actually starting to be successful and happy again – she didn't have time to get involved with Navid.

Annie ordered her food and then regarded Adrianna again.

"Have you even thought about speaking to Silver?"

"Would you speak to her if she'd slept with Liam while you were going out with him?" Annie didn't allow the irony of the statement to phase her – that she'd done exactly what Navid had done to Adrianna when she'd slept with Liam whilst dating Charlie, she hadn't told them that part, she couldn't tell them that part.

"I'd be mad sure but I mean we used to be like the four musketeers I mean don't you want to get back to that?"

"Annie you three are in college and I'm presenting a Breakfast TV Show every morning, friendships change and people move on…it's nice to have you and Naomi but I don't need Silver, she betrayed me in the worst way possible, I just don't see the point in making up with her."

. . .

He didn't love in a revolving restaurant but the room was spinning regardless, gingerly he got up and looked at himself in the mirror, bleary eyed and resembling a lion-tamer that had had a run in with one of the lions.

Last time I stay out past three.

Even as he said it to himself he realized it didn't make a difference, he'd be staying out every night if that's what Marco wanted to do, sometimes he wondered if they did too much together…working out together, jogging on the beach together, classes together…he hardly saw anyone else outside Marco's group of friends. He still saw Dixon but only when they were both at the Apartment…he missed the West Bev. crowd, sometimes all he wanted was to be back in Senior Year.

"Morning," yelled Dixon, setting Teddy's hyper-sensitive ears on fire, he then shied away as Dixon flung the curtains open casting the glorious LA sun into the room, "another late night?"

Teddy nodded, following Dixon out into the living area, half walking and half shuffling. He grabbed the nearest glass and filled it to the top with water, downing it all before even thinking about talking to his friend, not that it did much good, it'd take a miracle to clear his head now. College had changed everything, they'd all said they'd stay in touch but they hadn't, sure he saw Annie occasionally when she came to visit, but Naomi, Silver, Ade, Navid, Liam…it was like they'd just walked out of his life and left him there.

"What's on your mind?" Dixon prodded. Teddy looked like a wreck, he'd gone from High School stud to…to what amounted to a male version of Ke$ha but with less grunge involved, he was out every other night, never saw anyone except Marco or their friends and Dixon was pretty certain Teddy had missed a lot of classes.

"That I never see you guys anymore," he admitted, "at first it just seemed like being a good boyfriend and spending time with Marco…now it's like all I do is spend time with him…I mean…I love him with all my heart but sometimes I need my space you know?"

Dixon nodded solemnly, "You ever ask him about it?"

"I didn't want to make things awkward – what are you doing today anyway?"

"Surf's good, though I might head down to the beach, see if Ivy can lure Liam out of hibernation."

"What's the matter with him?"

What wasn't the matter would've been a better question. Dixon spoke or saw his sister most days but she'd been pretty cagey about the whole situation, Liam had mirrored, as far as he understood it they'd both done something wrong – it takes two to tango – but he'd never seen Liam like this before, closed of and shutting everyone out, and worse Annie didn't seem too worried or upset about it. Every time he tried to raise the subject she just shot him down, it was like her and Jasper all over again, all she could tell him was that everything was fine and there was nothing the matter. The only person Liam was still talking to was Ivy and even then it was more like grunting – as Ivy billed it anyway. He wondered if there was anything he could have done as a friend but then reminded himself that it was Liam – once he formed friendships and trust he got protective over them, he wouldn't throw them away without reason.

"There's just some stuff that went on with him and my sister…details are pretty sketchy but there both in bad places," Dixon looked to change the subject and his nose gave him what he needed, "when was the last time you had a shower? You stink man!"

. . .

"You know what Dominique just run off to your fancy condo in the Hills and when you realize what a spoiled bitch you're being we'll talk!" she slammed the phone down on the receiver and let out a long, exasperated scream. Why did her mum have to choose now to go to Europe on a 40-day tour and leave her helming the Record Label, especially when she had to deal with brats like Dominique?

One freaking Number One Single and suddenly she thinks she's Britney or something.

She must have been dreaming.

"Hi babe – I'm back," her mom's mellow tones called out, her footsteps came closer and she walked into the office – she wasn't dreaming, her mom was home, "what's the matter, someone giving you a hard time?"

"The little she devil you know as Dominique," she snapped angrily, "she wants a 15% raise and a new three-Album deal or she's moving to Epic Records." She paused, "How was Europe?"

"Great but I decided Germany wasn't for me so I thought I'd come home early and surprise my babe – guessing it's been tough holding down the fort?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle," she protested immediately, "but yeah…not exactly how I'd like to spend my time, anyway I'm gonna go down to the beach so I'll see you later?" Without waiting for an answer she buzzed past her mom, heading straight for her car.

"See you for dinner?"

. . .

Anger.

The emotion he most understood and comprehended in the whole world, it could be his ally or his enemy depending on the day. Today it was his enemy, confusing him between anger at himself or at Annie for what had happened. His entire world had fallen apart and he didn't know why, whether there was some great entity somewhere mocking him or whether it was psychological and somehow his emotions had lead him here…a relationship based on a one night-stand just wasn't feasible. They'd ignored it for a while at first…that they'd slept together whilst Annie was dating Charlie…but then there had come a point where they couldn't…Annie had just been obsessed over what she'd done to Charlie and how immoral their relationship was…Liam had said some things he now regretted. And he couldn't deal with them…he just needed to lie in the darkness and fester for longer. His greatest foe.

The doorbell droned around his ears as he grudgingly rose from his bed and moved to answer the door – Ivy. The petite one-time fling of his had her overrule look on – the one that said I'm getting you out of her whether you're going to be a jerk about it or not.

"Get your suit and board, the surf's of the scale today – and Dixon and Teddy are going so it's not like it'd just be us two and I know you're going through some stuff but maybe surfing will take your mind of it or clear your head or something, sitting in the dark all day isn't gonna help you at all you'll just get depressed and miserable and I can't deal with that anymore, so are you gonna come with me or do I need to like drag you or something?"

"I don't need your help Ivy," he said, moving too slowly to stop her moving into the apartment, "can you please just leave already – I'm not in the mood for an intervention."

"If this was an intervention you'd already be in the car and on your way to the beach, this is a friend asking you to go to the beach with her and you know if you don't agree she'll just make pathetic little puppy dog eyes at you." Ivy mock puppy-eyed him, adding a little whimper to it.

"Fine." He grumbled.

"I'm sorry?" Ivy prodded mock-surprised.

"I'll come just give me a couple of minutes to get my things."

. . .

"You know you're gonna have to talk to him at some point Silver," Naomi said as she slurped the last of her ice coffee from the bottom of the plastic cup, hurling the garbage out of the car at the recycling bin, "you owe him that much."

"I'm fairly sure that he ruined my friendship with Ade so I don't really owe him anything." Silver retorted, annoyed by the comment. "When did you become Team Navid anyway – it was only a couple of months ago that you were telling me to go and rip his head off and never speak to him again."

"People change," she responded swiftly, "me and Annie have been talking Silver, what happened last year changes things but you need Navid, having everything happen between you and Teddy didn't help but Navid is a decent guy, and you two loved one another it wasn't just because of how Ade treated him – you two had a chemistry together and I just-"

"-just what Naomi? Want us all to play nicely, me to make up with Navid and then with Ade? I'm sorry Naomi but this isn't High School anymore – Ade publicly humiliated me and then didn't talk to me for months and then when I finally get out of Rehab and start college instead of being my side to reassure me Navid jets of to see his father after not talking to him because he was a child pornographer – so forgive me if I'm not in the mood to try and make things up with them!"

"It was just a suggestion because the way you two are behaving is putting a massive strain on me and Annie – neither of us want to be in the middle of all this and since we hardly ever see the boys anymore you and Adrianna are the only ones we have left at the moment and we want to rely on one another completely and your crappy little feud isn't helping." Shouted Naomi allowing venom to drip through her words as she poured out all her frustration of recent months. It was harsh but it needed saying, they couldn't go on like this.

"I'm sorry but I never asked you and Annie to stick by me through this, you know what Naomi you and Annie just go on peace-making because I'm done," she opened the door and got out, grabbing her back as she went, "call me once you've given up on me ever being friends with Ade again."