2

"Good morning!" I say, hugging Cat as she comes over, "Thank you so much for covering for me on Saturday night!"

"That's fine," Cat grins, "Where did you end up crashing?"

"Beck's," I reply, and she gasps, "I wasn't even the one who texted you. I drank so much that I passed out before I could, so he totally saved the day."

"So he let you crash on his couch?" she asks, "That's super cool of him. And your mom was okay?"

"Yeah, although Trina almost dropped me right in it," I groan, putting my face in my hands, "She saw me leaving with Beck."

"Yeah, well I'm not surprised she came to that conclusion," Cat chuckles, "Do you remember giving a lap dance to him?"

"No, although I apparently gave one to André too," I say, grimacing, "I honestly don't know what happened. I've never drunk so much in my life."

"Eh, you'll be fine," Cat says, "Ooh except…Does Jade know what happened?"

"Beck said he's gonna tell her," I reply, "We'll see if he did a good job when I see her next. You know if she tries to kill me or not."

"That might be happening sooner rather than later," Cat says, "There she is." Cat points across the room to where Jade has just walked through the door, and I put her between us, backing away cautiously.

"YOU!" she snarls, breaking into a run. I scream and turn to run away but she's too fast and she catches me by my hair, slamming me into the lockers. "You have one minute to tell me exactly what happened," she hisses, "And don't you dare lie. Beck's already told me everything."

"Told you what?" I squeal, "I passed out drunk and Beck took me back to his."

"And that's all?!" she snaps, "You didn't give him a lap dance at the party?"

"Yes," I admit, "I did. I don't even remember doing it though, Jade, I was out of my mind. I also gave one to André, for crying out loud, and you know there's nothing between me and him. It meant nothing, I'm sorry, just please don't kill me!"

"Stay away from my boyfriend," she says, kneeing me in the stomach, "I won't tell you again, Vega, he is mine."

"Jade!" Beck walks through the door and immediately runs over, "Jade, let her go! We talked about this!"

"Fine," Jade says, but she doesn't let go, "This isn't over!"

"Yeah, it is," Beck insists, "There's nothing more to say about it, Jade."

"Why are you protecting her?" Jade shouts, and Beck rolls his eyes.

"Because it's not worth it," he says, "There is nothing more between Tori and me than her passing out on my couch."

"And the lap dance!" Jade shrieks, and I cringe inwardly as her grip tightens on my neck.

"Which she doesn't even remember doing," Beck shrugs, "It meant nothing to either of us, Jade, please just calm down." He pulls her off me and kisses her forcefully, drawing all her attention away from me. Cat edges me away from them as I massage my throat, breathing heavily. I shoot Beck a thumbs up as they finally separate and then walk away, snagging André and dragging him off to our class.

"Beck and Tori," Sikowitz says as the bell rings, "Please wait behind." Jade hovers too and Beck kisses her once, insisting, "Babe, go, I'll just be a minute. Get us a good table."

"Sit down," Sikowitz says, "I have some exciting news." We sit down and lean forwards and when Sikowitz is convinced he has our full attention, he starts to speak. "A friend of mine is an up and coming director, who has decided to make a new version of Romeo and Juliet. It's going to be very traditional, which means that he is looking for teenagers to play the leads. I put all of your headshots and resumes forward to the casting directors and he selected the two of you to go forward to an audition."

"Wow," I say brightly, hi-fiving Beck, "That's awesome."

"The director, however, has recently signed on to a new project for a major studio," Sikowitz continues, "He doesn't want to leave this film so he's decided that he wants to start and finish it within the next six months."

"Is he insane?" I ask and Sikowitz chuckles.

"Possibly," he agrees and Beck and I laugh, "Anyway, for that reason, he's looking for leads that have worked together before, who already have the on screen chemistry needed for these roles."

"Right?" Beck says, "I don't really understand what you're saying?"

"He's only seeing actors in pairs," Sikowitz explains, "Couples who have been put forward by teachers or agents because they have chemistry. If you two get this role, you'll get it together. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," I nod, "So we have to decide together whether this is something we want to do?"

"Exactly," Sikowitz agrees, "I need to respond to them this afternoon, so please can you make your decision quickly?"

He leaves the room and I turn to Beck who has his head in his hands. "What are you thinking?" I ask and he groans.

"I'm thinking that this is the best shot I'm ever gonna get," he confesses, "and that I'd be a fool not to take it."

"I'm sensing a 'but'," I say, "What's the problem?"

"Jade," he shrugs, "She'll kill you if she finds out we're working on Romeo and Juliet together."

"I can protect myself," I insist, "I'm not going to let this opportunity pass just because I'm scared of her."

"So you're up for it?" he asks, "You want to go for this part?"

"Beck, we might not even get it," I say, kneeling on the floor in front of him, "We have to give it a go – this is an amazing shot for us."

"I know, I know," he agrees, "I'm just thinking about how I can tell her."

"We'll get through it," I promise, "But you have to want to do this, we've got no chance if you go into this half-heartedly."

"I want it," he insists, "I'll give it 100%, Tori, I swear! I'll even go and find Sikowitz right now and tell him we want it."

"Okay," I agree, "So we're doing this? We're really going for this film?!"

"Yeah, we are!" He laughs, hugging me tightly, and then pulls away. "I'll call you later when I've spoken to Sikowitz, okay?"

"Sure thing," I smile, "Thanks, Beck."

"Mom!" I shout, "Have we got any milk?"

"Tori? What are you doing?" Mom shouts; she comes running down the stairs, looking at me suspiciously.

"I wanna make a cake," I say, sticking my bottom lip out, "Will you make a cake with me?"

She hesitates, looking back upstairs, thinking of all the work she's leaving undone, and then smiles. "Sure I will," she agrees, "Come on, you get the ingredients out and I'll go and get the milk from the other fridge."

Half an hour later, I am covered in flour. "I think some of the flour is actually supposed to go in the bowl," Mom laughs, "Come on, I'll get some more. You add the milk."

"I'm glad we're doing this, Mom," I say, "We don't hang out enough anymore."

"I know," Mom says, "You're so busy nowadays with those friends of yours. I hardly ever see you!"

"I'll try and make more time for you," I promise, "There's just been a lot of drama at school recently, and Sikowitz is trying to get us some more professional work. Did I tell you that he got Beck and me an audition for a version of Romeo and Juliet?"

"No!" Mom says, clapping her hands, "Wow, Tori, that's amazing."

"Yeah, apparently it's very traditional," I say, "It's just an audition, but it's an amazing opportunity!"

"Well, I'm sure you'll do wonderful. You and Beck work amazingly together. How's André doing at that studio by the way?" Mom asks, "Has he asked you to sing on any more tracks?"

"Yeah, he's just written a new one," I smile, "We're supposed to be going in on Sunday, but his grandma's just gone into hospital so he's just gonna see how he feels."

"And Cat's got that new part in the movie, right?" she says, and now I just grin.

"Yeah and she is loving it," I reply, "It's the perfect part for her. She's gonna be out of school for a while though, so Robbie's gonna give her the work."

"How are Beck and Jade doing?" Mom asks, "I heard they got back together. They still bickering?"

"Bickering is putting it lightly," I can't help but roll my eyes, "They fight like cat and dog all the time. I don't know why Beck puts up with it."

"Do you think they'll break up again?"

"Well they dump each other every other week but they always get back together," I shrug, "Unless he makes that move, I don't see them ending it permanently."

"I'm sure they're just going through a rough patch," she insists, "They'll be back to normal soon."

"Hopefully," I nod, "Right, this cake is pretty much ready to go in the oven."

"Okay," Mom nods, "Shall we put it in?"

"Yeah, and then I can make up some icing," I smile, "You can go and finish your work if you like?"

"I don't wanna," she complains, "Come on, let's just watch some TV."

Just then, there is a loud, abrupt knock on the door. "Put that in the oven please," I say, running across the room, "Who is it?!"

"Beck!" the voice comes from outside the door, "Tori, please let me in!"

"Right, I'm going upstairs to give you two some privacy," Mom says, "Tori, whatever happens, please don't forget about that cake."

"I promise," I grin at her, and then as she leaves the room, I tug the door open. "Beck!" I gasp, "You're soaking!"

"Yeah," he laughs, "That's what happens when it rains. Can I come in?"

"Of course, of course," I apologise, "Come in, I'll get you a towel. How are you?"

"Uh, not so great," he shrugs, "I talked to Jade about Romeo and Juliet."

"You broke up again, didn't you?" I say and he nods. "Wow," I say sarcastically, "You almost made it 24 hours there."

"She said that I either gave up the audition or I gave up her," he says sadly, "How can I be with someone who can't support my hopes and dreams, Tor?"

"So what exactly is your plan here?" I ask, "It over for good this time or are you gonna make it up again?"

"I don't know," he says, "Why?"

"Because you can't go like this!" I insist, "It's awful for all of you. What do you actually want from your relationship, Beck?"

"I don't know," he frowns, "I don't…I don't even know what I want…What do you think I should do?"

"The way I see it you have three choices," I say, "Number one, you break it off with Jade for good. You draw a line under that relationship and move on. Number two, you try and make it work. You stop breaking up and getting back together without ever really solving your problems."

"And number three?" he says pleadingly, desperate for a third choice.

"Number three, you take a break," I suggest, "Not a day, or a week, like a proper break. A month. You see other people, you do other things, and at the end of the month, if you miss each other, you give it another go."

"That could be dangerous," he says, "What if only one of us wants to get back together?"

"Then your relationship isn't going to go the distance," I shrug, "Beck, there is no painless option here. You have to make the right decision, not the easy one. Do you love her?"

"Of course I love her," he says, "I've been with her for two years."

"I didn't ask you how long you'd been with her," I insist, "Do you love her? Does she give you butterflies? Does she take your breath away when you see her?"

"Yes," he says, "I love her, Tori, I want to make this work, I just…I'm so tired of fighting with her."

"So lay your cards on the table," I suggest, "Tell her you love her more than anything but that you need to be able to do your own thing too, and that she needs to trust that you will stay faithful to her."

"How are you so good at this stuff?" he asks, "You always know exactly what to say."

"I'm a girl," I shrug, "That's what we do."

"Jade's a girl," he comments, and I laugh.

"Good point," I chuckle, "I'm a normal girl though."

"Fair enough," he smirks, "Thanks, Tori." He hugs me tightly.

"Listen, do you wanna hang out?" I ask, "I've gotta get the cake out of the oven, but we can have some if you like?"

"Yeah, sounds good," he grins, "I never could turn down a piece of cake."

"Awesome," I say, bouncing up from the couch and running over to the oven, "It's chocolate with white chocolate chips, is that okay?"

"Of course," he says, sitting at the kitchen table, "Listen, did Sikowitz email you the script for our audition tomorrow?"

"Yeah," I nod, pointing to a sheet of paper just in front of him, "I liked the scene, it's one of my favourite parts of the play, so I'm excited to act it out. I think I've learnt most of it, but I was thinking we should rehearse before the audition?"

"Sure," he says, "I don't know it all yet either, but we can run it now if you like?"

"Love to," I say excitedly, "Let's do it!"

"Tori," Mom comes downstairs, interrupting Beck's speech, "It's almost 11 – Beck should be going now."

"Okay, Mom," I say, "We just need to run this one more time, okay?"

"You've been running it for hours, darling," she says, "I know you're nervous, but you're both incredible actors and the best thing you can do now is get some proper rest. It'll either happen for you tomorrow or it won't."

"Alright, alright," I say, "Could you just give me a minute to say goodbye? Or is that too much to ask?"

"Okay, I can take a hint," she laughs, "5 minutes – and you better not have eaten all that cake."

"I should go then," Beck says as she leaves the room, "Please don't stress about this, Tori, I think we'll be awesome."

"Thanks for rehearsing with me all evening," I say, hugging him tightly, "Get a good night's rest and I'll meet you at the studio tomorrow?"

"Sure," he smiles, "8.15, don't be late."

"I think you're more likely to be late than me!" I object and he chuckles.

"See ya."