New Times Chapter 1
Hollywood Heights S-2 REPOSTING THE STORY!
Hi everyone! I'm excited about this story, grateful for all of your support and kind words. I've been thinking about doing my own version of Hollywood heights Season 2 because we know that show had potential to continue, why it didn't I'll never know, there's so much that could have happened. Many questions, unanswered, I'm not saying I will answer them all, but, this is my (Mari's) version. It's what I think could have happened on our favorite show. They're in the Jet, Jake's excited Loren's starting her career and Eddie's back, free from Chloe's claws, these are New Times while the Jet takes off! That's the title of my season 2. I own only the story, borrowing the amazing cast. Enjoy!
The Jet took to the runway, waiting for confirmation to take off; Loren knows her life will never be the same. She's in love and happy, the most important people are by her side, this is really happening; she's off to perform at the music festival in New York City.
Eddie's alive, that was Loren's priority at that moment, she's thrilled he's sitting next to her. She can't stop smiling, Chloe's did the right thing by dropping the charges against Eddie, he notices Loren's quiet and places a kiss on her lips. She cuddles next to him, the Jet's elevating; Eddie's pleased to have Loren with him, he knows she's been through a lot while he went missing. Max told him she was worried sick because they had no news on his whereabouts, he's glad to be back. This time he knows he's with the right girl, the one that loves Eddie Duran the person, not the Rock star, that alone means everything to him.
Kelly and Jake sit with Max and Nora, they know Loren and Eddie need privacy. Brenda offers them something to eat. Eddie and Loren decline. Eddie lays back on the sofa; he notices Loren's lost in thought. "You ok?"
She smiles; she's been doing a lot of that. "I'm afraid I'm going to wake up and realize this is only a dream."
"I'll pinch you if you'd like?" He teases.
She looks at him. "I'm here with you, this is all I need." Her facial expression changes. "You scared me."
"I'm sorry I put you through that." He caresses her cheek.
"It wasn't your fault." She sits up, and looks intensely into his eyes. "Why didn't you call? Those were the worse days of my life; I didn't know how I'd go on without you."
He kisses the tip of her nose. "I'm sorry I put you through so much pain, I thought about you while I laid there, that kept me going, I saw you every time I closed my eyes." She leans in to kiss him.
"I love you Eddie."
He holds her chin and brings her closer to him. "And I love you more, need I remind you this isn't a dream, it's real, I'm here next to you forever."
She down cast her look. "What's wrong?" He places his hand on her cheek, she looks at him and finally has the courage to ask.
"What happened to you? I don't want to overwhelm you with so many questions, where were you?"
He takes a deep breath, he knows he has to tell her everything, there's time right now, he wants this relationship to work, he has to be honest. He holds her hands and begins….
"I was upset when I saw Chloe that evening, I knew she was sending those spoof texts about you, I had to talk to her and tell her to stop, she had to understand I didn't love her anymore, she had to know the truth about my feelings." He pauses for a moment. "I don't think I ever loved her."
Loren holds his hand, reassuring him, he continues. "I saw her at MK, we had a huge argument, I knew something else was bothering her, she couldn't fool me, I guess I confused her because she had this weird look on her face, she knew I was suspicious about something, and she finally said it, she admitted to being in the car that killed my mom."
Loren's eyes widen. Was this even possible? Chloe? "OMG Eddie, I'm so sorry."
He could feel his heart racing; he has to continue. He squeezes her hands softly.
"My heart broke, this woman, the one I thought I loved, the one I was going to marry was in the car that killed my mother, she betrayed me, she had known it all along! She hit the car my parents were driving. She admitted Tyler was with her that night, she said he was driving, and the worse part." He takes a deep breath. "They didn't care; they drove away without acknowledging the accident."
Loren can see how painful this is for Eddie. He continues. "I was angry, all I could do at that moment was run, I was afraid I'd hurt her if I stayed. You have to believe me when I tell you I had nothing to do with her falling off the balcony."
Loren stops him. "I know that, you weren't capable of that."
He continues. "I had to get away from her Loren, I ran into Tyler downstairs and we fought, I wanted to kill him right there, he knew the truth this whole time and he said and did nothing! I told him I knew he was driving the car that horrible night they took my mom from us, he was shocked when I accused him of driving the car, he said he wasn't driving, it was Chloe! I couldn't take it anymore, I ran, I got into my car and without thinking I drove without stopping, not caring where I was headed."
He stops, Loren can tell he's agitated, she tries to stop him from continuing but he continues.
"I suddenly realized I had driven too far, so I stopped. I got out of my car and sat on the ground to cry, I had to grieve my mother's death all over again."
Loren's eyes fill with tears, she hugs him. "Please stop; I don't need to know anymore, I didn't mean for you to relive this whole nightmare, I was concerned and…" He interrupts her.
"Let me finish, you need to know everything."
"I realized I had driven for miles, I sat in the middle of nowhere, I knew my dad would be looking for me, I had to call you, then I realized I didn't have my phone. I stopped at the nearest gas station to fill up, I needed to find a phone to call you and my father."
Loren realizes this is where this whole nightmare began. "You left your phone at MK." Then it suddenly hit her. "That's where you were jumped?"
"Some random guy asked for an autograph for his girlfriend, I obliged, next thing I remember I woke up in Leah and Jeremy's farm."
"You scared us, the police found your car, it had flipped and fallen into a ravine, it was on fire, the driver burned beyond recognition, it was the worst night of my life when Max told us, they needed to do a DNA test on the body to confirm if it was really you."
He kisses her hand softly. "I'm sorry, I was grateful to Leah and Jeremy, they helped me get better, she did everything to make sure I was comfortable, I felt better I needed to change into my clothes, she offered to stop at my penthouse to get some of my things."
Loren's eyes widen. "That was her? I knew something was odd, I found one of your t-shirts on the floor, I mentioned it to Max." She stops and looks at him. "I'm sorry, I was living at your place."
"It's ok, when Leah told me someone was staying there, I knew it was you." He pecks her lips. "I knew you wanted to be close to me."
"I did; why didn't Leah or Jeremy call us?"
"By the time I came too they knew the police was looking for me, they knew I was the lead suspect in Chloe's fall, they wanted me to get better so I could clear my name, I'm very grateful for their help."
Loren sighs. "Chloe wanted to blame you for her fall."
"While I laid there healing, I kept dreaming of you every night, I watched your interview, you were amazing."
She smiles, she knows he's proud of her. "I thought you were gone, it was a horrible nightmare, I wanted to be close to you, I wanted to write a song to honor your memory, I asked Max if I could stay at your place. They were planning a memorial for you, I wanted the song to be perfect."
"You are amazing."
She holds his face with her hands, she looks into his beautiful brown eyes. She loves that sexy look, who's she kidding, everything about him is sexy, he gives her butterflies; she can't shake the feeling, it started the moment she heard his first song on the radio, she loved him from that moment. Then the contest happened, the moment she walked into MK that night, she knew her life would never be the same, she smiles remembering Mel teasing her about those infamous butterflies that fluttered in her tummy when his songs came on the radio, it's like a dream, but here she is, on the most incredible journey of her life, and Eddie is here with her, his orbs look intensely into hers. He could tell something is bothering her.
"What's wrong?" He asks.
She blushes, avoiding eye contact. "You give me butterflies when you look at me."
He smiles. "Really? I thought you were kidding the first time you mentioned it."
"I'm honest when it comes to you Eddie."
He leans in to kiss her, Loren allows the kiss to deepen, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Brenda walks in to tell them they're landing in New York in 30 minutes. She hates to interrupt; she clears her throat. "Seat belt lights are on you two, we will be landing soon." Loren looks at her watch. "How long have we been talking?"
"Not long enough." Eddie replies.
Nora peeks in. "It's a 5-hour flight; you two have been talking nonstop since we took off."
"Brenda served lunch after we took off, did you notice?" Max asks.
"Who needs lunch when we can fill our tummies with love." Eddie says with a smirk, he pulls Loren closer to him, she smiles. "I'm starving."
He smiles, that's his girl, he loves her hearty appetite. He signals Brenda to bring Loren a protein bar. "Perfect, this will have to do." She takes it from her hand.
The Jet lands. Their fans are outside, they're holding posters screaming for Eddie and Loren. Kelly stops Loren before she exits the jet. "There's a limo waiting to take you to the hotel, unfortunately, we don't have time to stop for the fans, you can do that later after you perform. I have a stylist waiting at the hotel, a make-up artist, and Beverly's there with several outfits to choose from."
"What time will the music festival start?" Loren wonders.
Kelly turns towards Jake; he flashes a smile. "3 hours, don't forget there are several artists performing as well, you're getting a huge break this evening."
Eddie nudges her softly. "You sure you're ready for this?"
She reassures him. "I'm ready for anything, there's no looking back."
"That's my girl." They kiss, they head towards the Hotel to get Loren ready for her first live performance.
Within a few hours, Loren's ready and dressed, her hair is loose with huge curls hugging the ends; her outfit consists of a strapless red top, a shiny black skirt that wraps perfectly on her body. She's wearing boots, her make-up is perfect.
Kelly hugs her. "You have to do exactly what you did at MK, remember we're flying back as soon as you're done to get back to school on Monday, you graduate in 2 months Loren."
"I know Kelly; I'm ready for everything."
Loren turns towards Eddie, he's standing nearby, he blows her a kiss, this is her night, there's no way he's going to steal her thunder.
Loren walks on stage smiling and waving to the crowd, they're screaming her name. Now she knows what it feels like to perform for the fans. She takes the mic and begins with the song that started it all. "Might as well be Mars" The fans love her, she's so excited and sheds a few tears of joy, with Jake and Kelly's approval she sings a second song, the one she wrote while Eddie was missing.
After the music festival, Loren spends time signing autographs, and taking pictures with her fans, she chats a few minutes with some of them. Kelly surprises her with dinner; they drive to Manhattan and enjoy an amazing buffet.
The following morning, they enjoy breakfast and tour the city of New York, Loren holds hands with Eddie, they walk ahead of Max and Nora. They stop to buy souvenirs; their last stop is at Central park.
"How does it feel to be a Rock star?" He asks Loren.
Loren laughs. "I'm just getting started Eddie, there's no way you can call me a Rock Star."
"Your performance last night was amazing, if that's any indication of what you're capable of; I'd say Jake and Kelly have their hands full."
"I can never do what you're doing."
He leans in to kiss her. "Never say never babe."
Loren pulls away. "Did you just say Babe?"
He pulls her closer. "You better get used to it; everyone knows you're my girl."
Loren hangs from his neck. "I love the sound of that."
Max and Nora sit a few feet away. "I think this is the first time I've seen my son this happy."
"I agree, look at them, kissing in the middle of the park, my Loren's in heaven."
Max holds Nora's hand. "We Duran men love the Tate ladies."
Nora laughs. Max leans in to kiss her. It's 1 a.m., they're boarding the Jet to fly back to L.A. Loren's graduating soon, she has to get that done, she decided to put Brown on hold. Music is her life, she has Eddie back in her life, nothing can go wrong.
Several hours later, Loren's back in School, just like Kelly promised. She's been through several classes, no sign of Mel, she wonders where she's at. Several students stop to talk to Loren. Seems everyone wants to talk to her, a few weeks back; no one cared.
She's in her locker to get ready for her next class. "Hey you!"
Loren sees a smiling Mel. "Where have you been?"
Mel takes a deep breath. "While your amazing boyfriend went missing I got behind in some classes, I had to come in early, per the principal, I won't be able to graduate."
"I've always told you to get ahead with your assignments, you never listen." Loren teases.
"I know Miss Rock Star." Mel snaps back.
Loren furrows her eyes. "Would you stop; my name is Loren."
"Ha!" Mel looks at her; she raises her eye brows. "You're kidding right? You realize you're Eddie Duran's girl, you performed in New York, you're on your way up!"
"Nothing is going to change."
"I'm not saying you're going to change; you realize your life is awesome."
They walk to their next class. "I'm not going to continue this conversation."
"Hey prom is coming up, are you asking Eddie?" Mel wonders.
Loren stops. "I forgot about that, I don't know if he'll be busy."
"You have exactly 10 days to get ready, tell him about it; you guys are going to make our prom unforgettable."
"Ugh Mel, don't make me nervous."
"You'll be the King and Queen of our prom."
"Good bye Mel, going to my class."
Both girls walk into the room, they take their seats. Adrianna walks in.
"Welcome back Loren."
"Thanks."
"I heard you were amazing in New York." She teases.
Several students look her way. "It went well."
She takes a seat a few rows ahead of them. "How does it feel to be dating Eddie Duran?"
"It's great." Loren responds.
"That's it? Just great?"
The teacher walks in, Loren's relieved; she has to get used to all the questions. It's 2:30 in the afternoon when Loren and Mel are walking towards their lockers.
"When are Phil and Adrianna getting married?" Loren asks.
Mel shrugs her shoulders. "I still can't believe she's going to be family."
"She's been very sweet lately."
"Ugh Loren, don't remind me."
Loren closes her locker and throws her bag over her shoulder, someone calls her. "Loren!" They stop and turn around. Loren smiles. "Hi."
"We finally meet Loren Tate."
Chapter ends here.