A/N: I appreciate those who take a moment to leave feedback. It really does mean a lot. I hope you like this next chapter and it's kinda a turning point for this story (at least, to me, it is). I feel bad that I haven't updated in a while, but I needed to get re-energized a bit. Also, one of my friends on this site asked for a recap of the last 11 chapters. I had no problem doing that as I don't expect you guys/gals to remember every detail. I will be doing the same for 'The Other Side'. For those of you that don't remember much, I hope this helps. For those of you that remember everything in this story, feel free to skip it. The recaps are for your benefit. Thank you. I don't own HHs. The recaps will begin after my 'thank yous' below. The line across the page ends the recaps so you know where you stop.

Kathryn L Malone: Thanks for the review! Thank you for still enjoying my 2 HH's stories (FT/TOS)! It means so much that you take the time to leave feedback. I hope you like this next chapter.

Hhlover112414: Thanks for the review! You're welcome on using the song suggestion. I liked the one you mentioned (god gave me you by Blake Shelton).

momto642: Thanks for the review and for the compliment!

Holly: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're still a fan of both of my stories!

Guest: Thanks for the review!

marirosa1979: Thanks for the review!

dutchHHfan: Thanks for the review!

Recaps for Chapters 1-11:

Loren and Mel decide to go to a party on campus. Loren isn't in the mood, but Mel convinces her to go. Eddie/Ian decides to go to a party on campus (the one Loren/Mel end up at) as they're in the 'bad boy' stage. Eddie feels the world has wrecked him, first with Chloe cheating on him with Tyler and then with his music not doing the best. So, Eddie wants to cause some mischief. His dad Max/Jake didn't agree with his choices, so Eddie cut them out of his life. Eddie/Ian meet Loren/Mel and Eddie becomes fascinated with Loren but she rebuffs him and gives Ian/Eddie attitude. Mel is completely outgoing and flirts with Eddie. Ian likes Mel, but Mel doesn't notice. Eddie/Loren bump into each other occasionally in the park and at first, Loren gives more attitude to him, but eventually grows to befriend him. They get along better. They start to grow closer without realizing it. Eddie opens up about his troubled past (Eddie hates that Chloe betrayed him with Tyler & that Jake/Max tried to talk some sense into him, but he ignored them. Eddie's last 2 cds weren't the best and when Jake tried to reason with him, he cut both Max/Jake out of his life. Ian at the moment doesn't care either way. The tabloids are going crazy about Eddie's life. Loren revealed that she doesn't pay attention to the tabloids, but her college classmates do. Mel wants to ask Eddie out and asks Loren how she feels about that. Loren claims that she doesn't like Eddie that way and gives Mel the okay to ask Eddie out. Eddie privately doesn't think of Mel that way, but decides Loren is better off without him and decides to give Mel a chance. Ian feels Eddie is making a mistake on that. Ian knows Eddie/Loren feel something for each other. Loren is on the outs with her mom Nora as Loren caught her dad, Trent, cheating on Nora, but Nora wouldn't believe it and chose to believe Trent. When the truth came out, Nora tried to make amends with Loren, but Loren wouldn't have it and cut her mom out of her life. Mel tries to get Loren to reason with Nora, but Loren won't have it. Mel in the end leaves it alone. The two friends decide to leave it be and concentrate on the present/future. Loren doesn't want to admit that she may have feelings for Eddie. She is determined that she doesn't think of Eddie that way, but wonders if that's her head or heart telling her that)


Chapter 12

***Weeks Later***

(Loren didn't completely know what to think of the idea Mel had on asking Eddie out. She knew her friend was serious, but she didn't know when Mel was going to do it. Mel had asked Loren how she felt about Eddie. Loren made it clear that she didn't think of Eddie in a romantic light. However, the more serious Mel got on the subject, Loren knew that she had to reexamine her feelings. Did she like Eddie more than a friend? Truthfully, she asked herself that question many times. She didn't think that she did. Was that her head talking or her heart talking? She had to think long and hard on that one)

(As Loren decides to go for a walk, Mel is in their dorm room sitting on her bed. She skims through the numbers in her phone list before coming across Eddie's. Mel smiles confidently as she prepares to call her crush. As she presses send, the line rings until the person on the other end picks up)

Eddie: "Hello?"

Mel: (cheerfully) "Hey, Eddie."

Eddie: (chuckles) "Hi, Mel. How's it going?"

Mel: (chuckles) "Better now that we're talking. What are you up to?"

Eddie: "I am at my piano working on a song. Or trying to anyway."

Mel: "Not coming along very well?"

Eddie: "I keep hitting roadblocks."

Mel: (shrugs)"Maybe I can help. What's it about?"

Eddie: (chuckles) "Ah, I don't give out details about my songs. Just the way I am. When it's finished, you can be the first one to listen to it, if you like."

Mel: (giggles) "Awesome. You know that I'm a major fan of your music, Eddie Duran."

Eddie: (nods) "I'm glad. So, how have you and Loren been? Haven't seen you or talked to you both in a while."

Mel: "Keeping busy with school. Finals are coming up." (sighs) "Lo seems a bit distracted, but she doesn't say anything. I just give her space. I've made the mistake of trying to get her to talk in the past and it blew up in my face."

(Eddie couldn't help but grow a bit sad on Loren. He witnessed her despair before and it had to do with her mom. He hasn't admitted it yet to anyone. He was starting to realize that Loren was growing on him)

(It was weird as no one has had this much of an impact on him since Chloe Carter. Eddie wasn't even sure that Chloe counted as that relationship ended badly because of her affair with Tyler Roarke. The way Eddie saw it, the last woman who had a deep impact on him was his mother, Katy. He felt Loren had an influence on him, just like this mother did. Eddie didn't know why as he didn't know Loren well enough yet. Then again, they both opened up about their pasts)

(He had to admit that some things he told Loren, Ian didn't even know. What was up with that? Why was Eddie letting himself get lost in the life of Loren Tate? He honestly didn't know. In the end, though, he was coming to realize he was trusting Loren more and more)

(His thoughts were dashed when Mel spoke again)

Mel: "So, the reason why I called...I was wondering something."

Eddie: "What's that?"

Mel: "Do you have any plans tomorrow night? I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me?" (chuckles) "I know usually the guy asks the girl, but I wanted to be bold."

Eddie: (laughs) "I see that."

(Eddie thoughts went back to Loren. He didn't know why the hell he was thinking about her so much. Why was she having this much of an effect on him? Despite his best efforts, his mind completely wanders to Loren)

***Dream Fantasy***

Loren: (laughs) "You always seem to know where I am, don't you?"

Eddie: (laughs) "What can I say? Your favorite place to relax is the park, just like mine. It's not my fault that we can read each other like a book."

Loren: (smirks) "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Eddie: "I choose to believe it's a good thing." (smiles) "For the record, Loren Elizabeth Tate, I'm glad we met."

Loren: (smiles) "I am, too, Eddie Scott Duran."

(She can't help but tilt her head and smirk at her next comment)

Loren: "Remember when we first met?"

Eddie: (laughs) "How can I forget? You couldn't stand me! You thought I was an arrogant ass who thought I knew everything."

Loren: (gasps) "You WERE an arrogant ass, Mr. Duran! You came across as a know-it-all!"

(Eddie takes her in his arms and smiles sweetly at her, kissing the tip of her nose before speaking)

Eddie: "But you tamed me and got to know the REAL me. You saw behind my arrogant self and realized that I was just a lost soul who needed help with his life as he had a troubled past." (smiles) "THAT I will forever be grateful to you for, Loren Tate." (lowers his head a bit) "That's what you did to me."

(Loren tilts her head and smiles as she completely wraps her hands around his neck)

Loren: "You did the same for me, you know? Before I met you, all I was was a college student who had a rough relationship with my mom. Mel is wonderful, don't get me wrong. But because you knew about rough relationships..."

Eddie: (nods) "Me and my dad."

Loren: (nods) "You got me to see that my mom and I needed to make amends. Life is not about holding grudges or staying mad. It took you a long time to resolve things with your dad. Just like it took me awhile." (smiles) "But, in the end, we did it, Duran. Thank you."

Eddie: "We helped each other. Thank you, as well."

(Eddie clears his throat as he casually smiles, leading Loren to be curious)

Loren: "What's on your mind there, Duran?"

Eddie: "There's something I've wanted to ask you for awhile."

Loren: (slight weird look) "What's that?"

Eddie: "Would you do the honor of going out on a date with me?"

Loren: (nods & smiles) "I would love to."

(Eddie wants to kiss her more than anything in the world, but decides to wait until the end of their date. He felt like the happiest man in the world. He finally had his dream girl)

***End of Dream Fantasy***

(Eddie shakes his head in confusion at Mel's voice)

Mel: "Eddie, are you still there?"

Eddie: (chuckles nervously) "Sorry about that. I, uh, I had a few more song lyrics pop into my mind. So, I wanted to jot them down before I forgot."

Mel: (giggles) "No problem. I'm glad that you are feeling so inspired. Did you hear what I asked you?"

Eddie: (chuckles briefly) "Yeah, we can hang out sometime. That's cool."

Mel: (laughs) "Awesome! Do you have any place in mind or would you like me to pick?"

Eddie: "Hmmm...How about you surprise me?"

Mel: "Ooh, I like that idea. I will call you when I know all of the details."

Eddie: (nods) "Sounds good."

(After they both hang up, Eddie looks a bit nervous)

Eddie: "Did I just make a big mistake?"

(At the college dorms, Mel can't help the squeal from escaping her lips)

Mel: "I can't believe it! I'm going on a date with Eddie Duran!"

(Mel's thoughts go to Loren)

Mel: "I'm glad that she's fine with everything. Otherwise, this date wouldn't be happening."

(Meanwhile, in the park, Loren is on a swing. She sways a bit as she is deep in thought. After a few minutes, she completely stops and sighs deeply)

Ian: "You look like something is weighing heavily on your mind."

(Loren is caught off-guard by Ian's presence. She quickly turns her head to face him)

Loren: "I-Ian. H-Hey. I didn't hear you just now."

Ian: (chuckles) "That's because you were deep in thought."

(He sits on the swing next to hers and faces her)

Ian: "I know that we don't know each other that well."

Loren: (shakes her head) "No, we don't. To be honest, I'm not totally sure how to act around you yet." (sighs) "I know that sounds mean, but..."

Ian: "No, I understand why you feel that way." (smirks) "To be honest, I thought you were a bitch when I first met you."

(Loren can't help the laugh from escaping her lips)

Loren: "I thought you were an ass."

Ian: (shrugs) "I imagine that you're more at ease with Eddie."

Loren: (puzzled) "Why do you say that?"

Ian: "You know him better than when you first met him. You know more about his past then most people. For some reason, he trusts you. In a way, you barely know him. In another way, sometimes I think you know him more than I do."

Loren: (scoffs) "How can you say that, Ian? You're his best friend. Yeah, him and I have shared a few conversations and opened up a bit."

Ian: (nods seriously) "It's more than that, Loren. I think you know that."

(Loren sighs in frustration. His observations or whatever the hell he calls it was getting annoying)

Loren: "Don't you think you're making too much of an insinuation or something, Ian?"

(Ian makes sure Loren is facing him. He looks and speaks to her in a tone that makes her see him in a new light, a sincere one)

Ian: "In the few times that I have seen you two together, I have seen the impact you have on him. You changed him for the better. Before he met you, he was in a drought. He was lost. Chloe Carter screwed him up royally. He is in denial about you. I know him, though, Loren. I know you, too. You try to portray yourself as tough. Granted, I don't know you that well. But what I DO know...is that you're different around him. You try putting up a brave front. You're lost. Just like he is. I would never betray my best friend's confidence, but I will say this. You treat him better than Chloe ever did. That tells me that you're more mature and more caring than her."

Loren: (sighs deeply) "Ian..."

Ian: "I know you and Eddie care for each other. Right now, though, you're in denial. So is he. I hope you two realize your feelings for each other soon before it's too late. You both deserve to be happy...together."

(Loren looks away from Ian and shakes her head. She attempts to deny Ian's claims. She looks back at him before looking down in defeat as she knew he was right)

Chapter 12 Done

Thank you for reading. Please kindly review and let me know your thoughts. I have a 3rd HH's story that I'm almost ready to post. It will be called 'Hollywood Heights: Season One'. Someone abandoned their story years ago and I picked it up. I hope you will consider reading/reviewing that one too when it's posted. I will give you a heads up when it's ready. Right now, it's being edited by my beta.