Chapter 21: Fragmented III

Beck smiled at Tori across from the campfire.

"What?" She asked.

He stood up and walked over to her. "You have ashes in your hair. It looks kind of like snowflakes."

Tori started combing through her hair. She didn't want it all a mess, or even worse, to accidently catch on fire.

Beck stilled her hand. "Leave it, it looks good."

She stared into his eyes. How was she supposed to say no to that? He was too charming for his own good.

XXX

Tori laughed as she searched through the long grass.

"What made you think that throwing your keys where we can't see them would be fun?"

Beck shrugged. "I saw it in Whip It. It looked like fun."

She nudged his shoulder. "You know we're not going to find them in this huge field."

"You're right." Beck smirked. "Let's call for back up."

Tori added to him as he fished out his phone. "Have them bring a metal detector!"

XXX

"I don't think this is such a good idea." Tori closed her eyes tightly as she lifted the gun to her head. It clicked but there were no bullets in that particular chamber.

"Don't be a baby." Jade griped. She held up the gun and copied Tori's actions. No casualties.

Beck jerked his head in surprise when the nerf gun launched a foam bullet at him. "I'm out."

Jade smiled. "Now it's just you and me Vega."

Tori gulped.

"Come on guys, there's got to be a better way to play poker."

"Quit whining and lay down your cards!"

XXX

"Got it on tight?" Beck asked.

"Yes." Tori replied.

"Can't see anything?"

"Nope." She shook her head.

"Alright." Beck reached over. "Open your mouth."

Tori chewed on the candy he pushed between her lips. "Mmmm. M&Ms."

"Right. Here's the next one."

"Almond Joy?"

Beck laughed, "You got it. Here's this one…"

"Yum! Twix!"

This went on for a little while before Tori tried peeking out of the blindfold. Beck pushed her hand down and made sure she didn't see anything.

"Come on Beck! How am I supposed to eat the sundae if you keep feeding me bits of candy?"

"Just be patient. I'm almost done."

"Are we even going to be able to eat this?" Tori asked.

"Probably not. We better call everyone else after we have our share."

XXX

"The fences they have to be mended!" Beck announced as he made swiping movements with his arms like he was hammering something.

"But my love!" Tori cried. "We have all of our lives for a white picket fence!"

He kissed her on the lips. "But the audience won't appreciate a broken fence."

"Don't break the fourth wall." Tori retorted. "We have to go buy some milk!"

"No! We will use the cow we bought at the fair." Beck decided.

The classroom escalated into loud laughter as their comedy sketch continued on.

XXX

Tori shook her head at the madness scribbled on one piece of notebook paper.

Roses are red! – Cat
Violets make me blue – Andre
Let's not cut ourselves! – Robbie
If you sing about glass again I'll cut you. – Jade
No more violence now. –Beck
Let's all be nice – Tori
Forget that and have a piece of my presidential teeth pie –Sinjin

If she didn't get an A for the original poetry project she was assigned she didn't know what she would do.

Beck nudged her. "It's a good thing it was a group project."

XXX

"Your eyes are like chocolate."

Tori giggled. "Your lips are like red licorice."

Beck sighed. "Your hair is like… a flowing mud pie."

"What?" She didn't know whether to be offended or amused. However, with Beck she knew he rarely ever meant to offend. "What do you mean by that?"

"You have brown hair and brown eyes. I forgot what to describe your hair since I already used chocolate."

"Huh that's a good point…"

"How about my hair?" Beck raised an eyebrow at her.

"It's like dark chocolate." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"That's cheating. I already used that one."

XXX

Tori aggressively kicked the soccer ball away from one of her classmates. Jade shoved her, but Tori shoved back automatically. She had the goal in sight… She was going to win.

"No!" She screamed as Beck easily kicked the ball away right as the bell rung. "You!"

He cut her off with a smile. "You get way too aggressive when you play sports."

She pouted and opened up her arms like what he said was offensive. "I only want to win."

"Didn't your mother ever tell you winning isn't everything?"

"Nope."

"Liar, liar pants on fire."

XXX

"Gah!" Tori's noise made Beck laugh. She was getting frustrated at not being able to skip pebbles across the lake they were camping at with their friends. Everyone else had left to build a fire. Tori stubbornly refused to go without mastering what Beck had been easily doing all day.

Plop.

"Damn it."

Plop.

"Why won't it skip even once!?" Tori screamed.

He sighed. "Want me to help?"

"Yes." She whined.

Beck positioned himself behind her. He helped her flick her wrist in a way that the pebble went soaring over the water, skidding to a halt after a few skips.

She jumped on him. "I did it!"

XXX

"We've got to stop meeting like this." Beck teased as Tori tried to wipe off the coffee mess she left on his shirt.

"Seriously? This is the fifth time I've done this to you since we met." She grumbled. "Why does this happen to me?"

"Hey, you're not the one with coffee all over your shirt."

"I'm sorry, Beck. Really sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

"Lend me your shirt." He whispered. She froze at the thought of his lean body in the tight glittery top she was wearing. Tori started to giggle.

Beck gave an easy grin. "See? It's alright. There's nothing to worry about a little spilt coffee."

"At least it's not spilt milk." She agreed.

XXX

Can you tell what I'm thinking? Tori gave Beck a strange glance.

No, not at all. Beck answered.

Tori wrinkled her nose. It smells like wet dog in here.

Beck tried not to sigh. You're cute when you do that.

I wonder if we'll get a good grade for this.

Sikowitz is a nut job. Beck thought, but at least I'm not in Andre's shoes.

He stole a glance towards his best friend and girlfriend. Andre was pulling himself into the smallest ball ever at Jade's powerful glare.

I will eat you! Beck thought for Jade. Yeah, that's totally what she's thinking.

At the same time Beck and Tori wondered what the other one was thinking about.

XXX

Beck and Tori leaned on each other as they sat on a bench watching the sunset. The park was full of cherry blossoms. They were stiff from not being able to move for hours, but neither one was ready to complain since they didn't want to be anywhere else.

It was as close to a confession as it would come.

"Stay still." The artist whined. It was one of their classmates in need of an A to pass. Beck made a brief face that had Tori struggling to keep laughing.

Yes, they definitely wouldn't want it any other way.

XXX

"I think I know what I'm talking about!" Tori shouted towards the pretty boy.

Beck answered, "Nightingales are sprouting behind you." He said it like he was bored. It was all a part of the skit. She was supposed to be angry; he was supposed to be calm.

"Your nightingales can just…"

"They have beautiful singing voices." He cut off her would be curse. That was good. Tori really didn't know where she was going with that one.

"Well! What do you think of this?" She accused.

"It's your lipstick…"

"You know damn well I DO NOT OWN LIPSTICK." The brunette's eyes glowed. She was glad she knew Jade. The angry girl had rubbed off perfectly on her in order to act out her rage. Tori wasn't sure she would have known what to do otherwise.

"Anyway…" Beck changed the subject.

XXX

Tori whispered, "No, no, no, no…"

"Can't get the sand castle to stay up?" Beck asked as he kneeled down beside her.

"Why won't it work? I'm packing the bucket full of sand."

He laughed. "This is just like with the pebbles. Anyway loose sand isn't going to hold. Maybe get it damp or something like that."

Tori followed his advice and the cylinder of sand came out perfectly. Yes. One corner of the castle down.

"What are you doing just watching me? Let's make this the best castle ever!"

"You got it, Princess."