A/N: Hi! I'm alive! I really apologize for the long wait. I just finished spring beak, most of which I was out of state (and away from my computer) for, and I head school stuff to do today and Monday, but I'm back! This chapter is fairly short compared to the others, but this length means I can get another one out sooner. Hope you enjoy! And thanks to XTurtleInstinctX for bouncing ideas with me :)
OK, so here's how the next few chapters will work. I don't want to overload you guys with showcase performance after performance, so I'm setting the rest of the story after showcase, and I'll revisit all of their performances gradually, in a sort of flashback way. Got that? Ok.
"Trina!" Tori Vega looked at her older sister in dismay.
"What?" The other Vega girl asked through a mouthful of ice cream.
Tori took a seat next to Trina at their kitchen table, slumping in disappointment. "I was saving that ice cream, you know. I bought it for our post showcase party. Please tell me there's some left?"
Trina glanced into the ice cream container, scraping her spoon towards the bottom until she could see the white carton below the small mound of frozen dairy. "Not much. Sorry, sis."
"What's up with you? I thought ice cream didn't go with your fitness…whatever." Trina was usually concerned with staying fit. Sure, she was fine with occasional slices of cake or cookies and stuff like that, but downing a whole carton of ice cream was totally unlike her; and the classic sign of a sad teenage girl.
And then the floodgates opened. Trina told Tori all about Hunter and his stupid girlfriend Annabelle and how Trina ended up looking stupid in front of her whole class and-
"Whoa, slow down, Trina. You're getting all upset about some boy?" Trina nodded slowly, face crunched up. "Awe, Trina! Well, listen, he doesn't deserve you if he was being a jerk."
Trina dropped her spoon into the empty carton. "Thanks for telling me what I already know! Gosh, I looked so stupid though! And-it wasn't even Hunter's fault, okay? If I had just listened when he told me he had a girlfriend, I wouldn't have gotten laughed out of class!" Trina groaned, frustrated, and let her head fall into her hands. "And now he probably thinks I'm a psycho, and so do all his cute friends. Way to go, me!" She ended sarcastically.
Tori made a pouting frown for her sister's benefit. "Well, I still love you."
"Yeah, like that counts! Of course you love me, I'm your amazing older sister! But what about all the important people?"
Tori stood up, shoving her chair in harshly. "Alright, fine, Trina, I'll let you deal with this yourself then."
Trina whined her sister's name as Tori started striding up to her bedroom, having given up on playing the "sweet little supportive sister" role.
"Forget it!" Tori called back down. "We can talk later, I have to get ready for the party!"
"Eve, darling, you can drive yourself home from that party tonight, can't you?"
Eve looked at her mother, surprised that she was surprised. Of course her mom would be too busy to pick her up. "Sure, Mom."
"Remember, no speeding, drive carefully, and no driving your friends around-" Eve's mother paused, considering what consequences to put in place. She would threaten taking Eve's driving privileges away, but that meant inconveniencing both of them.
"Or-?" Eve prompted. She wasn't a fan of encouraging her mother to revoke her license, but it would be nice to see her actually put the threat down, act like a parent just this once, and tell her that she might actually do something. Like she might actually react to anything going on in her daughter's life. Maybe she'd even actually revoke it because Eve's bad driving scared her, worried her. Like a real mother should.
"Or…" Her mother sighed. "You'll be grounded this weekend." Of course, her mom had heard all of the horror stories about Eve's friends, even when her daughter didn't think she was paying attention. She'd heard about the girl whose father died in a drunk driving accident. Heck, she was pretty sure Eve had two or three friends who lost someone that way at least. "Be careful, alright? You haven't been driving very long and I'm still not very comfortable with you driving at night. Make sure you're home before curfew."
Even nodded. Of course, she knew she'd drive well enough to pass on that, but it almost made her happy to hear her mom do some interactive parenting again. Eve nodded again and went to pick up her silver keys from a bowl on the counter, its glass surface swimming in streaks of color.
"Oh, Bethy!" Beth's little sister Janine giggled.
"What have you got there?" The older sister smiled, looking over Janine's shoulder to take a glimpse at her picture.
"It's for yooooou!" She elongated her response, delivering it in a cutesy sing-song voice. Clasped in Janine Park's tiny hands was a white sheet of printer paper, covered in a five year old's crayon drawings. It showed a very basically drawn girl in a ball gown standing next to a black haired boy. "It's you and Jay!" She smiled brightly.
Beth wondered if Janine was trying to annoy her or not. "Thanks, sissy. Do you want to be an artist someday?" She asked innocently. If her sister was being sweet, she better be sweet back, and if she was trying to annoy her, better not to let her think it had worked.
Janine tilted her head in thought. "I don't know. I'm only five!" She smiled at getting a giggle out of Beth. "Do you wanna marry Jay? And then you guys would be hubby and wife, and I'd be your maid of honor!"
Beth blushed. "Where did you get an idea like that?"
"I watched wedding dress shows with Mommy today."
Beth took a deep breath. "No, silly girl, where did you get the idea about Jay and I ever getting married?"
Janine nodded, as if the clouds had cleared in her head. "Oh! Because Mommy was saying you guys is cute together." Beth glared at her, blushing. "Don't worry, you got me to help you. I picked out a dress for your party tonight!" Janine grabbed Beth's hand and lead her to Beth's room, where she had laid out Beth's pinkest, most girlishly glamorous dress in her entire wardrobe.
"Oh-oh, um, thanks, Jan, but it's not a fancy dance or anything. We're just celebrating the Big Showcase. I was just going to wear this." She gestured to her outfit; a pair of jeans with a gold swirling design on the pockets and down one leg, and a baggy yet pretty purple shirt.
"Okay, if you say so," Janine said reluctantly.
Beth ruffled her hair and pulled out her now vibrating phone, flashing a text that Jay was in the driveway waiting to drive the both of them to Tori's party.
Janine waved goodbye as her sister ran down the steps. "Good luck with Jaaaaaay!"
Tori opened the door once again. It was still pretty early. So far only Eve, Andre, Cat, Beth, and Jay had arrived. "Hi, guys!" She greeted Kiara and Jared (who had his arm around the black haired beauty).
"Come on in!"
A/N: And I'm cutting it off there because...I don't know how to keep it going without doubling the chapter, which means even more wait time. I'll update this-actually, I might not be able...OK, I'll update within the week, alright? Sorry again guys, next chapter will be longer!