Chapter 6

"For His Protection and Well Being"

"Did any of them hurt you?" I asked Beck as we started to walk back to my house. If any of them did I would turn back around then attack them as well.

"No, none of them did except Eli pinning me to the building."

"Well I already got my revenge on him. Who does he think he is calling me that?"

"I don't know, but the way you got him back was priceless. I bet you he wasn't expecting Tori Vega to turn around and give him a taste of his own medicine. All of the other guys were completely shocked. I even think their jaws dropped."

"Well what he didn't know was that he was poking a sleeping bear ready to pounce."

"Do bears pounce?" Beck asked while smiling at me.

"I don't know actually." I then started to walk in front of Beck but stopped the second he grabbed my wrist.

"That was really brave of you back there."

"Well it was self-defense."

"That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about when you told him to get away from me. Thank you. No one has ever done that for me."

"You're welcome, Beck. So you're sitting with us at lunch tomorrow right?" I asked eager to get off the topic.

"Ummm if you want me to."

"Of course I want you to sit with us. Why wouldn't I? Oh did you hear about the new play at school? It's called "You Drive Me Crazy". You're auditioning right?"

"Yeah. I always audition for plays."

"Great! This could be really fun. Auditions are this Thursday. I only know about this because André wrote the music for it."

"Ah that's cool I'm very fascinated with this play."

"Me too. It sounds like it's a love story though. I mean I don't know how I can act in love with someone."

"It's not that hard. I've had to do it many times before. You just have to imagine that the person you are looking at is the person you have special feelings for and it comes almost naturally."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I've been acting for a very long time. I pretty much taught myself this."

"Wow. You could be an acting teacher if this acting thing doesn't work out. You could give Sikowitz a good run for his money."

"Yeah but I like acting better."

"I figured."

We walked back to my house making idle chit chat. He said he was going to go home and change out of his blood stained clothes from yesterday. I practically begged him to let me drive him to his house for him to change. I didn't feel comfortable with him walking home. He left and not even an hour later I find him almost getting attacked again. He was very reluctant but I am very stubborn.

"I can't believe you talked me into this." I said as I started my car.

"Well it was the only way that I was going to let you drive me home."

"But we aren't even going to your house first."

"Yes we are. I'm going to change and then we can go."

"I can't believe your making me do this. Don't you want to go home and rest because of your pain?"

"Oh relax it'll be fun. I'm fine, really. I'm not as sore anymore. Come on please."

"Alright, alright. You owe me mister."

"I know I do."

I pulled out of the driveway and drove to Beck's RV. We were joking around during the whole ride there.

"Do you want to come inside while I get dressed really quick?"

"Sure."

We stepped out of my car and we up to his RV. He started digging around in his pocket for his keys. Suddenly his eyes widened.

"Oh man! I think I left my keys inside of the RV!"

"What! How are we going to get in and what are you going to do for school tomorrow and-"

"Tor, relax! I'm just kidding. They're right here." He said holding up his keys and jingling them in my face before he turned around and started to unlock the door.

"Man Beck you really had me nervous for a moment there."

"Well that's my acting skills for you."

"You are bound to get the lead for the play on Thursday."

"Hey you can get the lead too, you know."

"Oh please." He unlocked his door and opened it. "maybe the understudy for the lead."

"No I mean the actual lead. You can do it Tor, I believe in you. On your first day at this school you already mastered improv. That's pretty hard to do."

I blushed at the memory because Beck and I had kissed. Beck grabbed his clothes and walked into his bathroom to change. It's been a while since I've been here. It was pretty much the same. I looked around his room while I sat on his bed. Then my eyes landed on a side table that was full of picture frames. There were eight in total. I looked at the first four.

One of them was a picture of Beck and Eli together acting cool with leather jackets and sunglasses on. The next you was picture of Beck next to all of his friends in the Asphalt Café. The next one broke my heart because it was a picture of Beck and Eli laughing. The last one was all of Beck and his friends smiling and dripping wet at a water park.

That friendship was now over. All of those pictures are tainted lies now. None of them cared enough about Beck to stop Eli from doing this to him. They all just attacked him and didn't care. Then I looked at the other four and I was completely shocked.

All four of them are pictures of Beck and I. One of us just, taking a normal picture for my phone. Another one of us in Sikowitz's class with me behind him and he's looking at me. The third one was of Beck and I outside in the rain sticking our tongues out with ponchos on. The last one has to be my favorite. It was a picture of Beck kissing my forehead with his arm around my torso. I smiled at all of them. These were the great memories he still had, hopefully many more to come. I picked up the picture of Beck kissing my forehead and smiled.

I must've been in deep thought because before I knew it Beck was right behind me wrapping his arms around my waist and putting his chin on my shoulder.

"You like that picture?"He asked.

"I love this picture." I responded.

Looking at those pictures made me realize how much he meant to me. The way that anger boiled inside of me by just looking at the past and how everything seemed right made me realize that I cared for him much more than I thought I did. Also the fact that I felt warm when I saw the pictures of me and him, made me realize that I care about him so much.

"I hope you don't mind if I change my shirt out here. The one in brought in with me was to small."

"No not at all. Go right ahead."

He turned away from me and showed me his back. It has no scratches or anything. Just by the look of his back made me realize how strong he is. He quickly put on his shirt and walked over to me.

"Come on let's go."

"Alright. Let me just get my keys."

"Looking for these?" Beck asked while turning my keys on his index finger. "I'm driving" he simply stated before walking out of his RV and locking the door behind me. He hopped into the driver's seat of my car and took off towards our destination. He isn't telling me where we're going.

"Come on Beck, just tell me where we're going."

"Nope.

"Beeeeeeeck!" I whined

"Toriiiiiiiiiii" He mocked me.

"Please?" I asked giving him the look I gave him last night when I begged him to stay the night.

"Aw man! Come on, Tor. You know I can't say no when you give me that look."

"Please?"

"Look ahead."

I turned and I saw the park with the sprinklers on. We both stepped out of my car and ran towards the park. Beck took my hand in his and we started to walk on one of the paths. Suddenly I took off running into the sprinklers laughing. I heard Beck laughing as he followed me. We ran through the sprinklers laughing and chasing each other. Suddenly I felt strong arms wrap around my waist and picks me up and spins me around. While he's doing this my eyes are closed and I'm having a mixture of laughing and screaming. He spins me around five times before he puts me down and I turn around to face him. We're still laughing and then we just suddenly stop at the same time and we're looking into each other's eyes. I want to kiss him so bad, but I know what Eli will do if he sees me and Beck together tomorrow. He'll without a doubt go after him. I had to break our moment.

"Come on. Race you to the swings!" I yell as I take off running with him trailing closely behind him. My feelings for Beck have to be put aside for his safety and well being. I hurt him once, I can't do it again. At that moment I swore to myself that I will never hurt Beck ever again.