Chapter Two: School Was For Losers

It was 7:23 A.M.

The morning sun was radiating over the waking city, and Beck Oliver had just got back from taking a shower.

As he was getting dressed, he stopped to glance at his phone, looking at the status which he had just updated.

{Beck Oliver is no longer in a relationship with Jade West}

No turning back. Got to move on.

He wasn't going to let the breakup ruin his day.

And it wasn't.

It was the very last thing on his mind.

For some reason, his conversation with Tori last night completely overshadowed everything else.

It's not like these feelings have just now popped up. They were always there... but they weren't as strong as they are now.

Beck was still contemplating over whether or not he was really starting to have a crush on Tori.

It just felt weird how after breaking up with Jade, one memorable conversation with Tori changed everything.

A part of him felt eager to get to school just to...

Be near her.

Talk to her.

See that really cute smile that she always have.

Whoa... calm down! This is just a crush... it couldn't grow into something else. Could it?

Breaking his train of thought was the sound of someone talking outside. Stepping out of his RV, he was surprised to see four teenage girls standing near the door.

"Uh... hello." uttered Beck, unsure with what was going on.

All the girls did was giggle and flip their hair flirtatiously.

It was at that moment that Beck realized where these girls were from.

"Northridge?" he asked, waiting for the girls to finally respond.

The girls shrieked and started jumping around.

One of them, a cute redhead with freckles, was the first to speak, "We came over as soon as we saw your update!"

The redhead held up her phone to show Beck's relationship update.

"I posted that just five minutes ago." said Beck astonished, "How did you all get here so fast?"

"I ran!" screamed the blonde.

"I jumped out of my mom's car!" shouted the brunette.

"We were both on the school bus, but we had to hijack it to drive over here!" yelled the redhead, referring to both her and her raven haired friend.

All Beck could do was look incredulously at the four girls.

He could not believe that they rushed over to where he lived, simply because he posted that he was no longer in a relationship with Jade.

Northridge girls are crazy... really hot... yet crazy.

"What is it that you're expecting from me?" Beck asked, buttoning up his shirt, "A ride to your school?"

The girls shrieked with excitement.

Guess that's exactly what they wanted.

"Would you? If you don't mind." asked the blonde ecstatically.

Beck realized that he didn't have nothing better to do. Plus being around a couple of rabid girls would get his mind off of Jade and Tori for a bit.

"Sure. Why not?" he said, going back into his RV, "Let me just get my car keys."

Ten minutes in his car with a group of Northridge girls was one of the strangest moments of his life.

All the girls did were stare at him and noisily chew strawberry kiwi bubblegum.

Beck could have sworn that one of the girls never even blinked.

It was just that weird.

When he finally drove up at Northridge High, Beck spoke, "Well this has been a very lovely ride, but it's time for you all to go."

The girls just sat there, their eyes still fixed on Beck.

"Uh, you guys do realize that I have to get to school in about fifteen minutes?" he asked, looking at his watch.

The redhead once again spoke up, "We know, it's just that... we're all worried about you."

"Why?"

"Cause of your breakup. We just want you to know that if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, you can call me." answered the blonde, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Or me." added the raven haired girl.

"Or me! You can definitely call me." yelled the brunette, pushing the blonde out of the way.

"Thanks... I appreciate it." smiled Beck uncomfortably.

Immediately, the girls took out permanent markers and began to scribble their name and numbers on Beck's right hand and arm.

Around each of their names were either hearts, smileys, or the occasional I Luv U.

Why in the hell were they all carrying permanent markers? It's gonna take a long time to wash all this off.

Once the last girl got out of his car, Beck quickly drove off.

Can't say that I really enjoyed that, but at least it got my mind off of...

RIIINNNGGG! RIIINNNGGG!

His phone began to ring. Looking at the Caller ID, he saw that it was an unknown number.

I wonder who this is.

Answering the call and putting it on speaker, he uttered, "Hello?"

The voice that answered sounded familiar, "Hey, Beck."

"Tori?"

"Yeah, it's me."

Immediately, Beck began to feel the fuzziness that he had felt the last time he had talked to his friend.

"Oh. Um, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

'To what do I owe the pleasure?' Really?!

"Well, I was calling to see if I could get a ride to school."

"Sure! But what happened to Trina?" questioned Beck, trying to stay smooth.

"She left me early this morning to go to the Pear Store." Tori replied, "She kept muttering something about the PearPhone XT coming out today; but that can't be so, because I would have gotten an update about it."

Beck found it cute how Tori was eagerly explaining her situation.

It's funny how people can find cuteness in some of the most simplest of things.

"I'll be there in a little under three minutes." said Beck, returning to his cool demeanor, "See you then."

"See ya."

All he was doing was giving his friend a ride to school.

His really cute friend with the most adorable cheekbones that you've ever seen!

That was all.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

Arriving at Tori's house, Beck noticed that she was sitting on the front porch and fiddling with her phone.

If he wouldn't have honked at her, she probably wouldn't have noticed that he was out in the driveway.

Quickly turning around to see her friend, Tori got up and rushed to the car.

"You got here quicker than I thought." she said cheerfully, as she got into the idling car, "Ready for school?"

Before Beck had a chance to answer, Tori noticed the scribbled names and numbers on his arm.

"What the heck is that?"

Pulling out from the driveway, Beck replied, "Just some numbers I got from a couple of Northridge girls."

Tori just laughed, "Oh, okay."

"Anyway, about school, I much rather be somewhere else to be honest."

Tori quickly remembered that Beck probably wouldn't be too eager to get to school after the... you know... the breakup.

Geez, I thought you all knew this already.

"Well, why don't we?"

"Why don't we what?" Beck questioned, stopping at the red traffic light.

"Ditch school?"

Hearing this coming from Tori's, was completely out of the ordinary.

It was really strange.

Yet, pretty cool.

Tori Vega. The Tori Vega was suggesting skipping class.

Was it a sign of the Apocalypse?!

Or just a friend revealing that there's more to her than meets the eye?

Yeah, I know. I know! I just had to use that line from Transformers.

"You... wanna ditch school?" Beck asked her, raising a curious eyebrow at his friend.

"Yeah." Tori replied, with a hint of obviousness, "Wait... I just remembered that I have a History test during first period. Dang it."

Thinking for a bit, Beck came up with an idea, "How about I drop you off at school, you take your test; and as soon as you finish, you meet me out in the parking lot?"

This brilliant idea got Tori excited, "That's perfect! This is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to get this test over with!"

"Yeah, me too." Beck whispered.

"You say something?"

"Nope."

As they drove into the H.A. parking lot, Tori was continuing to dabble with her phone.

"Is that the new PearPhone XT?" Beck asked, waiting for the driver in front of him to move.

"No, it's the GX. I decided to just buy a new one instead of waiting for the XT." Tori replied, as the phone beeped, "I'm still trying to sync up all my accounts and contacts and I had to get a new number. That old phone was definitely a big pain in the ass."

Finally finding a parking spot that allowed him to see the school exits, Beck yelled, "Good luck on your test!" as Tori exited from his car and ran to avoid the late bell.

"Thanks! Oop! Sorry." she shouted, bumping into a group of students.

Beck simply chuckled at his friend's clumsiness. It was another one of those contributing factors that made Tori very appealing.

Clumsy ol' Tori... She really needs to watch where she's going...

Beck continued to sit in his car and watch passers-by walking down the street.

It wasn't long till someone specific caught his attention.

Stepping out of her car, the girl looked as if she seriously didn't want to be there.

After grabbing her messenger bag from the backseat, she began walking towards the school entrance.

She obviously didn't care that she was ten minutes late.

School was for losers, after all.

Stopping several feet in front of his car, Beck could see that the girl was searching for something.

Patting down herself and checking her belt, bag and boots, she couldn't find what she was looking for.

Beck could barely make out what she was saying.

"Shit! Where is it? Where are my scissors?... Don't tell me I left them home."

Sighing dejectedly, Jade West began walking once again to the school's entrance.

After she disappeared into the school, Beck began wondering about her.

Hmm, it's not like Jade to forget her scissors... Last night really must be affecting her.

He decided to just shrug it off and just take a nap in his car.

After all, he'd only gotten a couple of hours of sleep last night.

Might as well get some rest wherever he could get it.

Knock Knock!

The brief knocking on the window woke Beck out of his slumber.

Gazing at the passenger side window, he could see Tori waving at him to unlock the doors.

Damn, the time sure did flew by.

After he unlocked the door, Tori got in, "Looked like you were having a good nap."

"Yup, just trying to catch up on some lost sleep." Beck replied, yawning loudly and ruffling his hair.

"Had any good dreams?"

Beck simply stared out at the parking lot. His mind wandered on his content, yet brief dream.

As you would have guessed it, the main subject of the dream was Tori.

But before you jump to conclusions, the dream wasn't steamy or filled with several sexual innuendos.

Nope, it was just a replay of Beck and Tori's phone conversation from the previous night.

There was just something special about that night.

He'd just never felt that engaged in a conversation with Tori or anyone else in... well... he couldn't remember how long.

It was just so relaxing to just talk, and not worry about the other person becoming offended and then finding himself in an hour long argument.

Beck was so engaged in his thoughts that he'd forgot that Tori was still in the car.

"Beck... are you alright?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, he remembered where he was and cranked up his car.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Just my mind was elsewhere for a bit." he responded, as they pulled out of the parking space, "So where do you want to go?"

"I don't know, anywhere else but here." answered Tori, while they drove out of the school lot, "Just as long as it doesn't remind me of school."

Beck began to notice that Tori was looking a bit distracted.

He also saw that she didn't have her phone anymore.

"What happened to your phone?" he asked, making a left turn.

Coming to her senses, Tori uttered, "Umm, turns out the XT really was released this morning! So I wasted my money for nothing!"

Beck couldn't help but laugh a little, "Let me guess, you threw your phone away?"

Tori just sighed and looked up at the roof, "It was stupid, I know! But by the time I came to my senses, the janitor had already took up the trash."

Feeling somewhat sympathetic and wanting to help his friend, Beck asked, "Do you want to stop by the Pear Store and get a new phone?"

Tori's face lit up once Beck said this; it's not surprising that he felt pretty good to see her smile.

"Really? You don't mind?" she asked, smiling brightly.

"Of course not. Anything for you, Tori..." he stated, before quickly realizing what he said, "I-I mean, anything for a friend... which is you."

Tori didn't catch the slip-up and laughed, "Thanks you so much! You're such an awesome friend!"

She eagerly hugged Beck, who tried to maintain his focus on the road.

He couldn't help but feel a little fuzzy from the hug.

Mmm... she sure is warm and soft... WAIT! Wait... this is just a crush, it's nothing more! It's nothing more...

Once Tori let go of Beck, he felt as if he longed for another hug from his cute friend.

But none came.

After waiting in line for a little under an hour at the Pear Store and finally purchasing a brand new PearPhone XT, Tori felt like a little kid getting her present from Santa Clause on Christmas morning.

Except she was 17 years old.

It was late April.

And Cat's brother, who used to be the mall Santa, was currently awaiting trial for a record of strange charges that happened last December.

Yeah, he definitely won't be Santa Claus again.

Feeling giddy and perky, Tori began to chime in a playful voice, "I've got a new PearPhone XT! I've got a new PearPhone XT!"

"Cute..." laughed Beck, while Tori did a little dance to his car, "I'm glad to see that you've finally got your dream phone."

"I've waited months. Months for this phone! And now I have it!" she cheered, as they got into the car, "This is definitely a great way to start our adventure."

"Speaking of adventure, where do you want to go next?"

While Tori thought for a moment, Beck turned on his car and began to drive off from the busy store.

Looking around at the stores that were starting to fill from the early noon crowd, Tori finally came up with an idea, "How about we get some ice cream? I heard of this great place that serves you bucketfuls of it!"

Beck was feeling pretty hungry and it was starting to get really hot outside, "Cool, where is this place?"

The name of the ice cream parlor was The Polar Icecap. It was located a good mile and a half away from the Pear Store. Ideally situated close to the beach, the shop was sure to obtain huge amounts of customers during this time of the year.

Entering the packed ice cream parlor, Tori and Beck were nearly knocked off of their feet by the sudden burst of cold air.

"Whooooo!" Tori yelled, as Beck had to catch her from falling, "It feels like we're in a blizzard!"

Still holding on to her, Beck found himself looking deep in Tori's eyes.

He found it strange that he never notice how truly pretty they were, until now.

After a few seconds of silence, Tori spoke, "Is there something on my face?"

Snapping out of his trance, yet again, Beck answered, "No... you're good."

Tori just smiled as Beck helped her straighten out, "Thanks."

It didn't take too long before Tori and Beck were able to order their ice cream. Tori ordered one of her favorites, Cookies & Cream, while Beck order Chocolate Mint.

Turns out that Tori really was telling the truth, The Polar Icecap really did serve ice cream in buckets!

Disposable paper buckets, that is.

The sizes did vary though, from small to large. Most people seemed to order the medium, which was about six inches deep and five inches wide.

Deciding to eat their ice cream outside, the two friends carried their buckets and found a nice spot that overlooked the beachgoers.

"Wow. This... is a lot of ice cream." laughed Beck, as they began eating, "Pretty good ice cream, though."

Spending the next couple of minutes thoroughly enjoying his frosty treat, Beck began to notice that Tori was looking absentmindedly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking of something."

"Thinking of what?"

Tori stared at the partially filled bucket that was in front of her.

The condensation could be seen rolling down the cold container.

"It's just that... I've always wanted to come here with Andre... like on an actual date."

"Oh..." Beck muttered, as he stopped eating his ice cream.

*sighs* Didn't expect for his name to pop up.

Realizing that Beck may not have wanted to hear her sob story, Tori quickly added, "Sorry! Umm... I shouldn't have brought that up... especially since what happened to you..."

She stopped herself from continuing her sentence, but Beck already knew where Tori was going.

"Let me guess, you saw The Slap updates Jade and I posted?"

Tori just sighed, "Yeah."

Reaching out to touch Tori's hand, Beck insisted, "Look, don't worry about me. I find it quite relieving that I'm single now. I feel like I can actually breathe without pissing someone off. So please... please, don't feel bad for me."

Tori didn't react immediately to Beck's touch; in fact, she actually kinda liked it.

It felt more than just a friend trying to comfort her.

Much more.

But there was something that Tori quickly became aware of.

This simple gesture spoke more to her than her mellow friend did all day.

Could Beck... No... No, it can't be. He only thinks of me as a friend... but after all that happened last night, what if... just what if he's growing feelings for me?

Tori nervously pulled her hand away from his.

Feeling like he somehow offended her, Beck reassured, "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable... umm, it was a stupid thing to do..."

"Beck, you don't have to explain yourself." spoke Tori, getting up from her seat, "In fact, how about we just forget about it, avoid talking about Jade and Andre, and go see a movie?"

Tori started to walk towards Beck's car, but shortly came back to get her bucket of ice cream.

"I'm not done with it."

Beck stood there by the table for a moment.

He couldn't believe what had just happened.

Idiot! Why would you... Ugh! These feelings are driving me insane!

Not having much of an appetite anymore, Beck simply threw away the rest of his ice cream and returned to his car.

By the time he got in, Tori's bucket of ice cream was almost empty.

"You must have really been hungry." replied Beck, as he looked incredulously at Tori eating.

"So what? I'm a sucker for Cookies & Cream." laughed Tori, sucking on her spoon, "Don't judge me."

The two shared a laugh for a good bit.

It was actually good to have one after that very tense moment.

Just keep to yourself for the rest of the day and everything will be alright.

Beck cranked up his car and started to drive towards the nearest movie theater.

Both were eager to watch a good flick.

Anything that would help them forget what had just happened between them.

One was worried that he went too far with his kind gesture. Afraid that he sent his friend an unwanted message.

While the other was unsure of how she felt about her friend possibly having feelings for her. Especially since she may have feelings for him as well.

It was just turning eleven o'clock, and their day of skipping school was far from over.

In fact, it was just getting started.