Brenda looked up at her teacher Dirk Daggett who taught performing arts classes at West Beverly. Okay she'd made it to her earlier classes by studying the maps on the walls on how to get to them but when she found out they moved the acting class…again, she just about had a nervous breakdown in the hallway. If Gil the journalism advisor hadn't caught her in his strong manly arms, she'd be still lying on the floor just outside the auditorium.

Andrea had been out there passing out what looked like condoms again and she didn't know why. She didn't care enough to ask why because Andrea had this whole bizarre deal with sexual expression mainly because she wasn't doing anything or anybody. Brenda smiled as she thought of the cure for that…Cyrano had been patient with her because she hadn't wanted to jump into bed with him or anything. She thought it might ruin her artistic hunger for improving if she gave in to her more basal instincts. But they'd made out a couple times in his studio and at the latest artist festival on Melrose so he'd realize she wasn't a prude or anything like that…not like the bespectled curly haired girl handing out condoms with cute little cards attached.

Anyway Brenda had gotten her ass out of the hallway and hurried on to drama class where she realized that the new teacher Dirk Daggett didn't like her. He wasn't bad to look at, last year she'd thought him to be the perfect eye candy…built like a stud enough to make her roar. But that was when she'd been a young impressionable and naïve little girl. Now she was a grown woman with a major talent and a boyfriend who guided her to a better life.

"You're late Ms Walsh."

She flipped her hair back eying him casually.

"It's Brenda…my friends call me Bren," she said, "and I had an…episode in the hallway. I fainted."

Dirk snickered.

"Is there any reason I should care about that? You spoiled little princesses think that everyone else around you stops breathing just to hear what you'll say next…"

Brenda took immediate offense to being called a spoiled little princess. She wasn't Kelly or Donna after all. She was a poor middle-class girl from the sticks of Minneapolis. None of these pretentious snobs at West Beverly really got her…her unique perfection and host of talents that made her a step above the rest of the crowd here. Instead they expected her to beg even grovel for acceptance here and that wasn't going to happen.

"I'm not spoiled…and not a princess," she said, "I'm an artist…my paintings have been in exhibitions already."

"This is acting…"

She smiled.

"I know I'm a very talented actress as well. When I was at summer camp winnatoncawoohatick back in Minnesota I won the most talented acting award."

He didn't look impressed. In fact he looked bored. God, what was his problem anyway?

"So…that just makes you a little fish in an even more pathetically little pond…at least when it comes to acting talent," he said, "Do you know how many classes I taught here…Bren?"

She didn't know and she didn't really care if he was copping an attitude with her.

"No I don't…"

"I've taught a dozen and so far…no talent at all…just a bunch of pathetic hacks who read scripts like rote and can't emote."

"Emote? I can emote…you won't find anyone better at emoting than me."

What that word meant anyway, Brenda wondered but she knew she had to say something. He was so wrong about no one at West Beverly having acting talent. Well, mostly he was right but she was the exception to the rule.

"Oh please…you look like you never got over some traumatic birthday party when you were a girl where someone dropped a piece of cake on your lap. What do you know about the rawness and injustices of the world which are what hone all acting talent?"

She tried to think of all the injustices she faced just in the past week…let alone her most difficult life. But she was past all that, she'd focus on putting it all into her work.

"I can act Dirk…look at me…"

Brenda turned around at the shrilly voice to see Sue Scanlon jump up from the back of the room. She dressed in something rather garish but didn't seem to care. He looked at her carefully.

"Who are you…?"

She beamed, her curls bouncing off of her shoulders.

"I just finished doing a…part though it's not out yet. My mother's gotten me into doing commercials since my older brother…"

Her smile dimmed and Brenda knew she talked about…what was his name again…the nerd with the big hat who had bled on the carpet in his father's study from shooting himself. It was on the tip of…never mind, it'd come to her when it mattered.

"That's…very good Sue," Dirk said, "What about the rest of you? Do any of you have any acting experience?"

Did she! Brenda felt like bringing her resume of all the plays she'd been in since she was a toddler and had played the elf on the left of Santa in a Christmas play. But she'd left it at home. Still she wanted to make a good impression for Dirk even though he looked like a jerk…just to prove that she was so much better than everyone else…

But right now the person who impressed him most was Sue and that just wouldn't do.

Steve dribbled a basketball in the hallway on the way to class. He had to practice much harder now that steroids were banned from campus thanks to Brandon's expose. Damn him for ruining his chances to ride an athletic scholarship to Russ' alma mater USC. Damn him…it seemed that Brandon ruined most of his good times since he first met him back when they were both sophomores. He'd tried to help the interloper become cool…really he had but it hadn't worked out well.

Brandon still dressed like a nerd trying to be a hip Angeleno and so he'd distanced himself from him especially since Brenda who'd always been screwy had gone off in this latest bent of hers. But he needed Brandon to help him with the party to end all parties in Beverly Hills. Only Brandon had buckled himself into his studies…wanting to remain on the honor roll. Steve of course was on probation still for that stunt he'd pulled breaking into the admin building and Mrs. Teasley…well she owned him until graduation. She was his lord and master and he her subject…no chore that she gave him to do including cleaning johns this morning was too measly. But what could he do? Russ refused to buy the school another wing and Samantha his iconic mother had just said she couldn't take it anymore and went on some spa retreat for six months.

"Steve what are you doing?"

He looked up and saw Kelly and Donna all prepped out walking towards him, toting shopping bags from Rodeo Drive boutiques. Now if he ditched school to go shopping…Mrs. Teasley would be on him so fast about it but Kelly and Donna could do whatever they wanted and not face penalty. Donna could just blame her bad girl flirtation last year on her learning disability and get sympathy but not Steve Sanders. Never him…he'd be the most punished student, the most persecuted in the history of West Beverly.

When they grew close enough, he flashed them a dour look.

"Can't you see I'm busy? I'm borderline for the varsity squad this year and I'll be damned if I'll face the humiliation in JV."

They looked at each other shrugged and then glanced back at him.

"Whatever…Steve," Kelly said, "So when are we getting together to plan this epic party?"

Steve brightened somewhat. He lived to party and he wanted to be known by everyone as the best party planner in all of So Cal. The man who pulled together the best talent, best food, best crib together to put on the blowout to end all blowouts…

Donna curled her lip.

"I don't know…with someone threatening to kill us, maybe we'd better postpone the party."

Steve looked at her as if she'd blasphemed him.

"Postpone it…because of some nerd having a little fun with the most popular gang on campus? I don't think so…it just makes me more determined to make sure this party rocks the city to its foundations."
He screamed in glee pumping his fist so that everyone looked at him in the hallway but being used to his bursts of youthful exuberance they soon returned to what they were doing.

Andrea burst down the hall trying to shake off the angst that seized her that she couldn't get out of her shift as a pole dancer tonight. Mr. X had decided to throw another private party in the VIP room and no, she hadn't been selected as part of the exclusive roster of dancers who'd entertain his guests but she had to double up to work the regular crowd.

She hated, no she despised not being special at anything. She worked her fingers to the bone on the newspaper, the debate team, the honor society, the teen crisis hotline, the student activist network and now this new job to pay the rent charged by Grandma Rose.

"Hey Andrea…"

She looked up to see Gil leave his classroom and walk up to her. Maybe he thought she was special and just didn't tell her. Maybe he was an asshole, a chauvinistic pig to her because he really, really liked her. Maybe…

"What do you want," she asked breathlessly.

He grew serious.

"I just need to know if you know where Brandon is right now," he said, "I need him…the national journalistic awards is looking for young talented writers for its workshop next month and I thought I'd nominate him."

Andrea's lips quivered…why hadn't he thought to nominate her for the award? No, he'd never do that because Brandon was special…he was Bran the Man and she was just Andrea Zuckerman…a hack, a pretender to the throne of journalism…and everything else.

A fraud, that's what she had to be. Oh but she'd show the world she was no one's hack and no one's fraud but how would she do it?

She had to come up with a plan.