A/N: Here's Chapter 24 of Hollywood Rivalries. So, here's when they meet Chelsea and the beginning of the talent show, so sit back and have fun.
Chapter 24: We've Got Talent, We've Got Trouble
Stan, Zoey, Nicole Logan and I were sitting at our usual table. We have this talent show thing to do today, as part of our media project. Stan and I are the MCs for this, Logan and Dana are doing a piano duet. It surprised me because I didn't even know Logan or Dana could play. I've been playing since I was five…but I'm more into guitars now. I still play the piano, but not as much. Zoey and Nicole are in some fashion show, and Vanessa is dancing.
"So what were you doing with Vanessa last night?" I asked.
"I made up with her, okay?" Logan said, somewhat exasperated. Stan's eyes widened.
"Are you serious? She didn't knee you in the nuts?" Stan asked.
"No…because if she did, I would have an icepack down there."
"Vanessa must've seen some good in you then," my girlfriend put in. "…but good for you."
"Thanks, I think…"
Where were Michael, Vanessa and Dana this morning? I think Michael was up before both Logan and I because we woke up and he wasn't there. That's really the reason why I was able to sleep like a baby.
I was skimming over the paper as I was going over the program. Two whole hours, but I do want to see Vanessa's routine. It'll probably be good.
"So, where is Vanessa anyway?" Dang, Stan beat me to it.
"Oh," Zoey started. Yeah, we were holding hands under the table. "Well, unlike Michael…she left us a note. She's at the auditorium trying to get in some last minute practice thing."
"You shoulda seen her outfit! It was so cute…" Nicole squealed. Ok, oww. Too early for this. It amazes how Stan and Nicole are still going strong. But hey, I think it's cute…in a twisted kind of way.
"I think we get it, Nicole…" Logan muttered.
"Oh, hey Dana…" I greeted, smiling.
"Oh, hey. Sorry, but I got the biggest bouquet of flowers ever. Had to put them all in water and it took me five minutes," Dana explained as she took a seat between Zoey and Nicole. She shot Logan a glare at the table. Logan must've sent her the flowers. "Logan, we need to talk…"
"Huh? Why?" Ok, great. He's playing stupid now.
"Because I said so!" Dana argued back. She walked over, grabbing his arm and pulled him off somewhere. Dana turned to us. "If we don't come back, we're at the auditorium."
"Ok, later Dana…" Zoey said, as Dana and Logan waked off. How many want to bet they'll get married?
I laughed, "Those two will never change…"
"You said it, man." Stan agreed.
Dana and Logan will always be the same but it works. One thing irks me; Quinn said something about a new roommate. I shouldn't be scared, right?
RIGHT?!
But then again, Quinn says a lot of things…
Oh, yeah. She so wants me! The only difference is I want her. We were a far way off from the table now. Not it matters… Nicole's squealing has managed to drive me crazy again. We stopped walking.
"Ok, spill it, Reese. Did you send me those roses?" Dana asked, as she crossed her arms. I smirked. I know, I keep saying this but she's extremely hot when angry. "Well?"
Used to seeing black and white
Never any in between
Waiting all the love of my life
To come into my dreams
Everything is shades of grey
I answered, with a smirk, "Well, what if I did?"
"Hmm, well, I was hoping you would say it was you," she said, stepping closer to me. Hold on…is she teasing me? I'm a bit turned on…
"What if I told you it was me?" I asked, partly because I was curious and partly because I wanted to know what was going on in that head of hers.
"If you had told me, I would have done this…" Dana replied, and before I could blink, she kissed me. Why am I shocked? Kiss her back, you fool! I kissed her back as her arms went around my neck. I held her, my finger tracing her all-too familiar frame, and my hands stopped at her slender, and quite sexy waist. Score!
"Logan…" she murmured against my lips. That's right. Say my name!
Never any blues or greens
Needed someone else to turn to
Someone who could help me learn and see
All the beauty that was waiting for me
"Shh, don't say…anything," I mumbled. "Just…kiss me…"
Our lips met and we kissed again. I opened one eye, and looked at my watch while kissing her. Talk about multi-tasking. Oops, we have to go to the auditorium to meet Mr. Bender there. I broke the kiss.
"Dana, we have to go!"
"Auditorium?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah…"
"Ok," she replied, and we held hands and intertwined our fingers. We walked across campus. "Oh, and Logan thanks."
You, you put the blue back in the sky
You put the rainbow in my eyes
A silver lining in my prayers
And now there's colour everywhere
What was she thanking me for?
"Thanks?" I questioned quite confused. "For what?"
"For finally giving up this battle with Vanessa…and for the flowers…"
"You're welcome. We both figured that the rivalry thing was kinda pathetic. It was fun while it lasted though," I replied with a smirk. "…and you're my girl, so of course, I gotta spoil you…"
She shook her head, "Come on, loverboy. Talent show starts in 30 minutes."
You put the red back in the rose
Just when I needed it the most
You came along to show you care
And now there's colour everywhere, everywhere
We made our way to the auditorium. I made sure my hair was perfect also. I always have to look good. It's a force of habit. One I will never, ever, break.
Dana's my girlfriend.
I'm Dana's boyfriend.
Yeah, the Big Guy knows what he's doing.
I sighed… two down, one to go.
I think we pretty much have this routine down pat. We've been up since seven-thirty practicing. This was our last practice and that's it. The music ended and it was the last practice ever. I'm dead tired and all I want to do is rest. I hopped off stage, and opened my water bottle, taking a long drink. Ah, all better now. Michael's in the routine thing too. Miss Lisa approved as along as we behaved ourselves because she knows he's my boyfriend.
That's right.
Michael and I are officially boyfriend and girlfriend.
Logan and I are pretty much good with each other and I've forgiven him. As I said before, life is too short to hold grudges. Pretty different than where I was at two weeks ago, huh?
We had matching outfits, and you could accessorize it however you wanted. It was a purple sleeveless tank which showed a bit of my stomach, with black jeans (mine had my name spray-painted on the side on the left leg in light purple). I had dark purple Vans too. For my hair, I had it in sexy curls, and with a matching purple headband for my hair and purple wristbands. You know, school spirit. I know. You thought I've gone overboard with the purple. Well, I have a purple belt with a silver skull and crossbones on the front as a belt clip.
"Hey, sexy…" a voice whispered in my ear. I turned, and smiled. It was only Michael.
"Hi yourself…" I replied, with a quick peck to the lips. "What's up?"
We sat on the floor beside the stage and my head was in Michael's lap, and he played with my hair. I liked being with Michael. He made me laugh, and he was sweet. I was kinda nervous about dancing. It's stupid because I've been acting since I was six, and it's not all that different, but still.
"Mike?"
"Hmm?" he asked as he softly stroked my hand.
"I'm kind of nervous. Pre-show jitters…"
"Well, don't worry about it 'Nessa. I love you and just try to have fun as you dance. I'll be with you, okay?"
"Ok," and he kissed my forehead. I sat up, lifting from my head from his lap and wanted to kiss Michael. My feelings for him remained unchanged. I leaned into him, capturing his lips. He soon captured my lips with his own… and we were making out right now. His tongue swept across my bottom lip, begging him to let him in. I parted my lips, slightly…and Michael took this chance as his tongue explored my mouth. I did likewise and soon we were exploring each other's mouths until…
"Ok, people…let's keep it clean," a familiar voice said behind us. I pulled away and looked up. Logan and Dana. Michael and I were sitting the way we were before, and they joined us.
I smirked, "Yeah, and you tried to bullshit me last night, Logan."
"How?"
"I was going to help you and Dana get together…your face went red as a tomato. Looks like I didn't have to do a thing," I explained with a small giggle.
"Listen, this pretty face does not blush under any circumstances, ok?"
"Oh, yes, it does…" Dana teased. Logan pouted. God, what a baby. I laughed.
"Aww, what's the matter? Hair gel all gone?"
"Love you too, Vanessa…" Logan said, sarcastically. I playfully punched his arm. I stood and linked arms with Dana. I missed hanging with her. Just her. I love Zoey and Nicole (awesome shopping partner!) but I miss hanging with just Dana. Like back in the day.
"Ok, boys…we're leaving. Behave yourselves," my best friend said to our boyfriends. Oh, wow. That feels weird to say. I left the boys alone partly because I knew Michael needed to talk to Logan anyway. I told him everything about last night. So I hope they straighten things out.
"Wanna learn part of the routine?"
Dana shrugged, "Sure, why not? I'll be bored if I don't anything."
We climbed on stage and I taught her the first ten steps.
"…so it goes like this 1…2…3…and pop and lock. Hold it, and 4, and down," I explained. Dana copied it exactly. "Oh wow, that was perfect. I seriously have to challenge you to a dance-off."
She smirked, "Name the time and place, and you're on."
"It's a deal…"
We did our secret handshake on it. After goofing off some more, we were pretty much dizzy and decided to sit down. I absent-mindedly stared at my belly button piercing. It's funny because I was drunk when I got this thing done. I didn't realize I had the piercing until I woke up with a massive hang over the next morning, but I've decided to keep it.
"I missed you, you know…" Dana said, finally looking at me.
"Yeah, I missed you too, but I had to move to Hollywood permanently, because of the divorce. Who knows? Maybe by some miracle they'll get together," I said with a sigh. I really wanted my parents to get back together. Then Marissa and I could be a real family with our family (parents). I continued, "I missed you too, but I was at the Brooklyn School of Arts two years ago, when you were in France…"
"Yeah. France sucked, and after a lot of begging… here I am back at PCA…" Dana explained, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. I smiled.
"But you've got to admit…Mother Hale Academy was the best when we were there," I said with a laugh. "Remember when you beat up Tiffany Derrington at recess?"
"Oh, yeah… you laughed so hard, milk came out of your nose!"
"Then there was that time Kathy Miller rolled down the stairs…oh god!" and we burst out laughing. "…then there was that time in kindergarten, we went around and kicked Henry, Travis and Marcus in the balls to see what would happen…"
"Then we got the time-out chair…" Dana added. "This was you… 'you can't tell me what to do! I'll tell my daddy on you!'" Then you'd walk out like there was red carpet waiting for you."
I laughed, knowing that was the perfect imitation of me.
"Oh yeah… at least I didn't pour a whole pitcher of juice all over Frankie Lombardi's head…"
"He had it coming. He wouldn't shut up about the Power Rangers. Everyone knew it was all about Sailor Moon back then."
"True," I agreed with a nod of my head. "Mercedes was always the quieter twin, anyway."
"Not always…" she defended. I know her and sister…and Dana was always the rambunctious of the two. Then again, I haven't seen Mercedes in years, so things have most likely changed. After more laughs, we settled down again.
"Dana?"
"Yeah…"
"Best friends for life?" I questioned, holding out my pinkie. She laughed and rolled her eyes at me.
"Duh…" and we intertwined pinkies. "Best friends for life…"
We smiled at each other. Hope Logan and Michael are just as good as we are.
"The girls are having fun, huh?" I said to Logan as my lame attempt to make conversation. Vanessa and Dana were doing back flips and cartwheels, and laughing. I remembered sophomore year when Logan and I fought over the single bed. Eating hot peppers and boxing was a big mistake, but we all know I won the pepper-eating thing.
"I guess…" Logan replied. Wow, he looks like he just lost his best friend. In a way, he has. I was so mad at him for hurting Vanessa…but I'm not anymore. The anger kind of faded away but itself. "Look, man. I have a confession to make…"
Confession? What confession?
"Okay…" I nodded slowly. Believe me when I say…I've never seen Logan rant the way he did. The only person I know that can do that is probably Nicole, and boy, can the girl talk.
"I was originally going to take Vanessa away from you," I frowned at this even though she already told me everything on the way here. I continued to listen, "I was an idiot, a bit drunk, but a drunken idiot nonetheless. I will always regret what I did, because unlike most things associated with me, it was dumb. I was going to get Vanessa back, but then I realized I loved Dana more. Vanessa loves you, man. I see the way she looks at you, and you're helping her recover, and you make her feel better…"
"So in a way are you saying you want me to be with 'Nessa?" I asked to make sure. As I said before, he was rambling.
"Yes, I don't do well with the talking thing so yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."
"Thanks, man," I said, with sincerity. Two weeks is a lot of time to think between gelling his hair and the two hours of 'Logan Time'. "We're cool. 'Nessa told me everything on the way here, so if she can forgive you, then there's no point being ticked at you."
We bumped fists just to show we were good again. Logan laughed.
"What's so funny?" I asked with raised eyebrows.
"You look like a giant plum!" my 'so-called- friend said, bursting into laughter. All I had was purple muscle shirt with a white t-shirt under it. To finish it off, blue baggy jeans with chains hanging off the side, and my black and white Converses.
"Dana!" I called to my girl best friend. That's right. Dana's almost like a sister to me, even though I have an older brother, Darien, and a twin sister, Angela. "I'll get you in trouble with your girlfriend!"
"Oh, puh-lease, I think it's pretty clear who wears the pants in this relationship," Logan said with a smirk and rolled his eyes.
"Is that right?" That was Dana. Ha! Someone's busted.
"Same old Logan…" Vanessa smirked, as she walked over with Dana. Vanessa's my girlfriend. That's right. Let's put this in math style for you. Michael Barrett plus Vanessa Stevens equals item, and possibly future life partners (as in husband and wife). I slipped an arm around my girlfriend's shoulder. "Some people never change…"
"Stop harassing, Michael…" Dana defended me. "You're lucky I love you, Reese."
"I love you, too…" Awww. He gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Vanessa whispered to me, "Yeah, someone wears the pants in this relationship, but it's not Logan."
I quietly laughed. We needed pictures of this moment. The four of us just chilling together. It's awesome.
"Ooh, before you guys practice for your duet, we need pictures," Vanessa said as she got out her digital camera. "Hey Jules!"
How does she know all these people? A girl about 5'3 came up to her. Oh, I know her. She's got a class and basketball practice with all of us. Julie's got skills…and she's dancing with us too.
"Oh, hey Vanessa. Dana. Logan. Michael…" she greeted. I nodded my head in acknowledgement, and so did Logan. It's a guy thing. That's the cool way of saying 'what's up', you know?
"You think you can take a couple pictures for us?"
"Sure…"
So we were posing for different pictures. There was one with me and Vanessa with my arms around her. We smiled widely for the camera. There was another with Dana and Vanessa. One with me and Logan. Another with Dana and Logan (it looked pretty romantic. I'm not admitting that though). They actually smiled! Oh God, it's a miracle.
"Thanks, Jules…" Vanessa said, getting her camera back.
"No problem. I gotta stretch so I'll see y'all later…"
Then…
We just pretty much goofed off after that. There was this one when Logan posed with the girls, as Vanessa and Dana kissed him on each cheek at the same time. Logan has this goofy grin on his face. I took that one. Then Vanessa and Logan decided to take us to "Hollywood 101".
"Hollywood 101?" Dana questioned.
"Yeah…how about to pose for paparazzi," my girlfriend said with a laugh. "Here, Logan and I will show you…"
So Logan and Vanessa took a whole series of pictures together. It was nice to see them getting along even though they're ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend. Sometimes they'd put Dana in the middle of them for fun.
"Charlie's Angels Pose!" That was Vanessa.
I took this one too. I didn't want to be in anymore pictures because I'm not as photogenic as them. Logan was in the middle, Dana on his left and Vanessa on his right.
"These pictures are hilarious," I said, flipping through the pictures. Haha… I put my girlfriend's camera in her bag. I turned to Vanessa.
"Don't we have to go backstage? Talent show starts in 20 minutes," I told Vanessa while Dana and Logan listened.
"Aw, shit. We do. Well, we'll see you guys later. We have to do some pre-preparation dance thing…" Vanessa said as she rolled her green eyes. She hugged both Logan and Dana. "Have fun with your duet. See you guys out there."
"Yeah… see you guys later," I added. I grabbed Vanessa's hand as we intertwined fingers and we walked off backstage.
We have a long talent show ahead. The Stingray Step Squad is after the kid who plays the national anthem with his armpits and some girl singing. Don't know who she is… then the piano duet. I know the fashion is like second to last though.
What if I slip up?
What if I mess up the routine?
Am I supposed to back flip or front flip?
Aw, crap. I have two words for you… I'm screwed.
I want to die. I would be very happy if lightning could temporary strike me. Quinn came by and guess who came with her? The devil herself!
Chelsea.
Chase is very acting calm, but I can tell he's utterly freaked because he's unbelievably pale, and is about to hyperventilate. I don't know what he's freaking out over. His ex didn't decide to just show up out of nowhere, and re-appear in California. Too bad. I'm with Nicole Bristow now, and there's nothing she can do about it. I looked down as Chase's grip on Zoey's waist slightly tightened. Ok, someone's marking their territory… well; at least he's not peeing all over her.
Gross when you think about it. Eww.
"Hey people," Quinn said, as she sat down. "Oh, this is my new roommate, Chelsea Myers."
I shot Chase a quick look saying 'we're so fucked!'. They sat down. Shit, I know those hazel eyes anywhere. The same ones I fell for, but turns out Chelsea decided to cheat on me because Chase tipped me off.
That was the end of that.
"Chelsea, this is-"
She cut Quinn off and smiled. So fake. Chase is glaring so hard, but he smiles at the same time. It amazes me how he can do that. He probably thinks that if he glares had enough, she'll burst into flames. Unfortunately, it doesn't work.
"No, wait. I can do this… um, Zoey, Nicole, Stan and Chase…"
"Well, welcome to PCA, Chelsea. You'll love it here," Zoey assured. I'm sure she will. She'll love torturing us every chance she gets. I was always raised to see the good in people, but this is just a lost cause…
"Thanks. I'm sure I will. After all I don't plan on going anywhere," she said, as she grinned evilly at me and Chase. Oh my God! No one booked that. She's already brainwashed them.
"So, Chelsea told me she comes from Boston too…" Quinn said to me. Nicole looked at me.
"Isn't that where you and Chase come from too?" She's cute when she's clueless.
"Um…yeah." Chase answered. At this point, Chase should be crapping himself from the fear.
I added, "Yeah, uh, Go Celtics…"
"That's awesome. It's probably just a coincidence, right?" Chase had to get the innocent girl, didn't he? We nodded yes. Yeah, coincidence. You said it, not us. "Oh, anyway, the talent show is starting soon and we have to pick our dresses for the fashion show, so we'd better go."
"Zo-ey," my girlfriend whined. "We gotta go before we get all the suckish dresses!"
"Ok," Zoey said, standing up. She gave Chase a kiss. Nicole kissed me, and I kissed her back. Ha! Take that and choke on it! "Oh, Chelsea…there are more of our friends you could meet so you should swing by our dorm, okay?"
"No!" Chase and I shouted at the time. Zoey and Nicole gave us weird looks. Shit. I hate lying to them. Okay, just the whole concept of lying period, but we have to do it. I don't want to be associated with…that.
"The male species is weird…anyway, I have to see Matt. He's doing the lighting for the talent show so I'd better get to the auditorium," Quinn said and walked off. We said goodbye to her and Zoey rounded on us. I'm her boyfriend's childhood friend…don't I get some kind of immunity here? Zoey placed her hands on her hips, and stared us down.
Uh-oh. I guess not.
"What do you mean 'no…'?" Zoey asked us.
"Uh, we meant… 'No! The Red Sox lost to the Yankees again!'" I clarified. "It's a sad day for Red Sox fans…"
"Well, you guys will get 'em next game…even though I know nothing about sports. I wonder if shopping is considered a sport…" Nicole asked out loud as she made a thinking face.
I think I'm getting better at this lying thing. Nothing a little white lie won't fix, right?
Zoey dragged Nicole off, "Bye guys…Chelsea, it was a pleasure."
Chelsea smiled again. Faker!
"Likewise, Zoey…"
Note to self: Keep Chase away from sharp things until graduation.
I'm loving this.
The fear radiating off of them. It's like killing two birds with one stone. Stan is dating Little Miss Airhead. Hmm, and I thought there would be at least some kind of competition. Turns out there's none at all. Zoey just plain annoys me. I don't know how to cause Chase emotional pain concerning her…but we'll see what springs up.
"Ok, cut the crap, Chelsea! What are you really doing here at PCA?" Chase growled at me. I laughed.
"Ooh, the boy stays in California and finally decides to grow a backbone. Bravo…"
"And you wonder why I broke up with you?" Stan retorted. His face is contorted into rage. It doesn't scare me…much. I crossed my arms over my chest.
"I'm not the one who just lied to their girlfriend," I countered but I was not finished there. "…who's a complete dumbass for buying them!"
"Don't diss Nicole like that!" Stan yelled, angrily. "She's way better than you. She won't cheat on me and parade it around with a freakin' hickey!"
"You weren't supposed to know… it just sorta happened…" I muttered. This is when Chase decides to be the jerk.
"So you were basically going to keep it from him," I opened my mouth to speak but Chase continued talking. "…don't you dare lie because I know what you're capable of. You said the following: 'what he doesn't know won't hurt him.' Am I right?"
Damn you, Chase Matthews! I've never seen Stan look at me the way he did. I feel my heart break but I refuse to cry!
"Oh, so you woke up and decided 'let's pull one over Stan's eyes because he's just that dumb', right?"
"Stan, I've apologized for that, honestly. I guess it doesn't matter anymore…but I love you!" I screamed and grabbed his waist. Stan gently pulled me off of him. He was never the abusing type.
"No…" he said, shaking his head. "I can't do this. I love Nicole now…"
"Why? What's she got that I don't?"
"I think I can name a few…" Chase said, standing beside Stan. Ok, bushy boy needs to stay out of it.
"Let's run through something, ok? I loved you before you hurt me…badly. You're scum…" Stan said to me. "…and if you try to screw around with my relationship with Nicole…I'll make you pay. And you will pay dearly…"
Stan shoved past me and Chase, and left. I let the boy I love go once…I won't let him go again. I turned to Chase. Yeah, he's just looking so smug right now.
"You're loving this, aren't you?"
"If by 'this', you mean…coming here and falling flat on your face, then yes…I'm loving this…"
I glared, "Well, let's get one thing straight, ok? We're not in Boston anymore. Anything's game. I'd be careful if I were you."
Chase's face was priceless.
Now, who's the fool? I smirked in delight.
"If I were you, I'd be careful…" she said as a smirk crossed her face. No doubt she's gotten prettier like Brent said, but I still think she's a toad. I thought this when I was eight and I still stand by this. I crossed my arms. "I'd hate for something to happen to sweet, innocent Zoey, unexpectedly…"
Oh no, she didn't. She DID NOT just go there.
"Leave Zoey out of this, Chelsea. I'm not playing around!"
"Neither am I," I know those hazel eyes anywhere. Look in the face of evil, people. "…I'm going to try to get Stan back. No, scratch that. I will get Stan back and if you try to stop me…"
I cut her off, "Nicole's my friend, so don't try hurting her. If I try to stop you, you'll what?"
She tossed her hair over her shoulder.
"As I said before, I wouldn't want anything to happen to Zoey, so back off!"
Why couldn't she be a guy? If Chelsea was a guy, I would've walloped her a long time ago. I don't hit girls, even if it is Chelsea.
"I don't have to listen to you," I said, with a smug grin on my face. I'm grinning because maybe I can't do anything, but girls can hit girls. Who are the toughest girls I know? Dana and Vanessa… so it works. "…therefore I won't. But I will find a way to stop you."
Without even saying goodbye (like she deserves it...) I ran off. I was already late to the talent show and Stan is long gone. I'm pissed off so that only made me run faster (if only Coach Keller could see me now. Oops, I spoke to soon). I zoomed by him.
"YEAH! PUMP THOSE LEGS, MATTHEWS!" I heard him yell. Yes, almost at the auditorium with 5 minutes to spare… "THERE'D BE SUSHEE TONIGHT!"
Yeah, whatever. I have my childhood rival breathing down my neck and all he can think about is sushi!? How Dean Rivers hired Coach Keller is beyond me…
Time to take Chelsea down, one way or another…
"Dana…do we have to practice this again…?"
"Yes, Logan." I answered, with a sigh. He sat at the black grand piano and I sat at white one on the stage. There were microphones were connecting to the pianos too. They (the pianos, I mean) were back-to-back so when we could see each other. "God, stop whining and count us in already."
"Ohh, I like it when my baby gets aggressive," he said with a wink. I like the sound of that, and couldn't help but a smile a little. I rolled my eyes, and kissed him on the cheek.
"There, happy?" I asked, with an amused smile on my face.
"No…"
"Too bad!" I answered, sticking out my tongue.
"Ooh, someone five…" my boyfriend joked, as he shot me a smirk.
"Let's just practice before everyone gets here…"
He sighed, "Fine, but I'm getting sick off this song…"
"Yeah, I know…Zoey and Nicole were humming it this morning," I explained as I positioned my hands on the keys. I've been playing since I was 4. My mom thought the piano was more "lady-like". "You ready, Reese?"
"Hit it, Cruz."
I raised an eyebrow, "Who says that anymore?"
"Just start, please?"
"Fine…"
I played the beginning and I opened my mouth to sing. I pictured it was just me and Logan. Corny, but it works.
Me: Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass
And I'm home bound
Logan jumped in and to be honest, he wasn't all that bad at the piano either. We were playing together. I played the melody and he played the harmony.
Logan: Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way
Through the crowd
We played the piano some more, and we'd steal glances from each other every now and then.
Me: And I need you
Logan: And I miss you
Both:And now I wonder…
Both: If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
I'd hate to admit this, but Logan is not musically impaired at all. His voice has this like, rock edge to it…but then again so does mine. Everyone says I sound like Pink and Mariah Carey combined because surprisingly I can hit all those whistle registers.
Logan sang as he winked at me, with a seductive smirk. I blushed but I didn't let him see. I hope.
Logan: Tonight
We played the piano louder only because we thought it was cool and sounded better. Screw what the sheet music says.
Logan: It's always times like these
When I think of you
And I wonder
If you ever
Think of me
Me: 'Cause everything's so wrong
And I don't belong
Living in your
Precious memories
I liked singing this song because it explained what I was feeling about Logan when I was in France. I acted like I didn't care but I did. All it did was eat me up on the inside, especially after Bryan. (He was the only other American kid there…and he cheated on me) What if I had stayed too long? What if time had ended? What would happen to us…and was there even a slight chance of us?
Logan: 'Cause I need you
Me: And I miss you
Both: And now I wonder…
Me: If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by (oohhh)
Logan: 'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight
We rocked. I can't believe I'm saying that, but we totally rocked. Our fingers danced all over the keys, and we cracked small smiles at each other. Now it was getting to my favourite part of the song. I don't know about him, but I loved it. We kicked up the piano another notch.
Me: And I, I
Logan: Don't want to let you know
Me: I, I
Logan: Drown in your memory
Me: I, I
Logan: Don't want to let this go
Me: I, I
Logan: Don't…
We turned, slightly to see Michael accompanying us on the drums. Sounded cool. We played the piano they way we did in the beginning. Not too loud, but not soft either. Even when we got to the chorus, Michael would do something cool like hit the cymbals or something.
Me: Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass
And I'm home bound
Logan: Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way
Through the crowd
Michael's still playing the drums. What the hell? Since when does Vanessa know how to play the violin? It sounded awesome. They're helping us get an awesome mark. Vanessa added her own stuff on to it. Logan laughed a little and shook his head as he played, and I sang.
Me: And I still need you
There goes Vanessa's violin… mixed with drums and violin. Of course, the piano is still there.
Logan: And I still miss you
More drums and violin.
Both: And now I wonder…
All four of us going now… it's great, but we'll need Chase because he's the best guitarist we know. After that, it was just me and Logan… also known as the pianos. Maybe soft drums from Mike. Our voices hit another note and the song was almost ended.
Logan: If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass us by
Me: 'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you...
I continued singing with everything I had within. I wanted a perfect on this thing, so was I going to wing it?
No way in hell. Vanessa and Michael were helping us too.
Logan: If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
We were singing softer now.
Me: If I could
Just hold you
Both: Tonight
We hit the final notes, and that's it. It was over. Vanessa smiled at us, and walked off. Michael walked off, twirling drumsticks. Then he came back, gave us the thumbs-up sign, and walked off. Probably some dance thing.
I laughed.
"What's so funny?" Logan asked as he came over to sit with me.
"Well, for starters. We weren't that bad…" I replied as Logan gave me an 'oh please' look. "Ok, fine. We're going to kill that talent show."
"Much better," he smirked, as he draped an arm around me. I would have sat with him some more but my phone vibrated, making me jump slightly.
"What's wrong?"
I opened the phone.
"Text message…from Quinn?" I answered, but it came out as a question.
Dana-
Guess what? Matthew and I are together now! I'll tell you, Nicole, Vanessa and Zoey all about it later. After talent show sounds good? Oh, and good luck with duet with Logan. Sounds awesome!
-Quinn
I really didn't want to hear about it, but I knew I'd be forced to. I texted her back. Logan is most likely reading over my shoulder. If it were anyone else, I would have punched you but whatever. This is important, but not-so-important. Either way, I'll listen because Quinn is my girl. I know, weird…but underneath all the weird experiments, she's actually a decent person.
Quinn-
I'm happy for you. Can't wait to hear about it. After talent show is cool. Thanks for the good luck wish. Logan says hi and who's Matt?
-Dana
I closed my phone and turned to my boyfriend.
"You don't know who Matt Keller is?" I asked, with raised eyebrow. Just when Logan was about to answer Chase came bursting in. God, what has been doing? Has Zoey been wearing the boy out? "Hi…"
"Chase…" Logan finished, as Chase ran backstage. Bushy hair and all. "I swear I don't know him sometimes."
"Be nice," I playfully scolded, giving him a light shove. "He is your roommate after all…"
"We gotta go…" I said, holding Logan's hand. We stood up, and walked across stage to the backstage. I rolled my sheet music so tight…about the accompaniment, Mr. Bender saw the whole thing, and let us have Mike and Vanessa on stage, but Logan and I were the only one that were going to be graded. Michael and Vanessa are cool with us. A six-minute dance routine is long enough for them.
We saw Zoey and Nicole there. They looked pretty good. Zoey had an ice blue gown, and Nicole had a white and pink one on. Hair and makeup were done too. They even had some accessories. Modelling isn't my thing anyway.
Chase and Stan look good too. They got all primped up. I wonder if they're in the fashion show.
"Oh, God. Sorry about that, you guys," Chase said, coming up to us. "You guys are after the kid that kids that play Yankee Doodle on the xylophone, and before the fashion show, and you guys didn't hear this from me, but Michael has a surprise for Vanessa at the end."
"We won't tell…" Logan assured. That smirk on his face usually means he'll spill.
"Neither will I," I assured and I pulled Chase in to whisper in his ear. "I'll make sure Logan doesn't blab."
"Thanks," he whispered back. Then he turned to the both of us. "I've got to go, but good luck…"
"Thanks, man," Logan told his roomie. "Wait, Chase?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you in the fashion show?"
He smirked slightly and nodded, "Unfortunately, yes…"
We watched Chase leave through the curtain and caught a glimpse of all the kids filed outside sitting in their seats. I sighed.
"You're nervous, aren't you?" Logan asked me as he slipped an arm around my waist. Me nervous? I laugh at that. Danger Cruz…nervous. Ha, that's funny!
"It shows, doesn't it?"
"Yeah," I wanted to hit him for saying yes, but then he said the sweetest thing ever. Depends on how you look at it. "…but don't worry if you screw up, you can take your anger out on some unfortunate victim."
I rolled my eyes, as a shadow of a smile appeared. There's this girl. Allie Johnson. We've been on each other's nerves for a while now. I smirked, thinking about the expression on her face when she got a whole strawberry smoothie dumped all over her cheerleading, pom-pom shaking ass. When I met her, she seemed nice and then she'd turn around and talk smack behind my back.
Thank God for Nicole's rambling. I can't believe I said that. Well, I confronted her. That turned into a full-blown cat fight. We've been enemies ever since.
Yep, typical high school drama.
"See, you're listening," Logan pointed out when he noticed my smirk. "It's Allie Johnson, isn't it?"
"Yeah," I answered, as I played into a lock of my hair. "I'd like to push her into oncoming traffic or something…"
"This does sound like much fun, but orange isn't your colour, and kissing you through jail bars wouldn't be fun either," Logan said, as he kissed me. It was passionate but short and sweet. He played with my curls and I kissed back, getting a whiff of his cologne. Smells nice. He should wear it more often. He pulled away causing me to smile. "So don't freak out…"
He wrapped his arms around me, and suddenly I wasn't so nervous anymore…
Logan kissed my hair, "I love you."
I giggled and looked into his chocolate brown eyes, "Yeah, you'd better."
Stan and I looked at each other.
We were hosting this whole talent show, and we shot each other glances. It was then and there that we decided that we decided to have fun. Forget Chelsea. We stepped out, and greeted the large crowd. Yes, they gave us microphones.
"Is this thing on?"
I tapped it and ok…it's on.
"What's up, Stingrays?" I asked the crowd. They went wild. Whoa… I smiled. I want to do things like this more often. Stan spoke.
"Well, we're your MC's. I'm Stan…"
"And I'm Chase, and without further ado, let's get this party started!" I said into the mc. Again with the excessive cheering. Note to Self: take Tylenol when this is over. I looked at the program quickly. I got primped up really good, with a dress shirt, an open blazer and some pretty swanky pants. Did I just say the word 'swanky'? Ok, weird. I got dressed to match Zoey, and Stan got dressed to match Nicole, but he was in all white. He even has a white hat that kinda tipped off to the side. He wore a pink dress shirt and tie though.
Very cool.
Stan turned to me, "So we all like jokes, right?"
"Yeah, nothing's better than a good laugh-out-loud joke…" I replied, and turned to all the spectators. "So, everyone help me welcome the comedy stylings of…Jordan McKay!"
"Make some noise!" Stan cheered as they cheered along with him. I've seen this kid work before. Hilarious. He's like the next Russell Peters. Jordan came on and we left to go backstage.
"You did a good job, Chase," Vanessa said, congratulating me. I smiled. "Stan too…"
"Thanks…"
She got out a digital camera. I wrapped an arm around her in a friendly hug as we smiled widely, and she held out the camera.
"Smile!"
The flash went off, and we looked at it. It came out nice.
"I'm getting that framed," she said, happily, and then her face changed into a slight frown. "We're up soon…"
"Yeah third…but good luck. Come here St. 'Nessa," That was my nickname for her. You know, because we both of Irish heritage (I'm half Jewish, half Irish. Vanessa is one-third Irish, but you get it. And yes, I celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah) She always called me St. Chase as well. I gave her a friendly hug. Vanessa has become one of my closest friends at PCA, even though she's my best friend's girlfriend. They were made for each other. We all know that. That's why, Logan decided to back off and date Dana. He loves Dana way more than Vanessa anyway. Vanessa hugged me back and pulled away.
"Thanks, Chase…"
Yeah, who needs to be scared of Chelsea when I have friends like these?
A/N: Oh boy. Long chapter for my first update. Not bad for my first update of the year, huh? HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I'm graduating high school in June. CLASS OF '07! Woot! Anyway, please review this chapter. Lots of things happened. Dana/Logan, Michael/Vanessa are officially dating. Michael's surprise will be next chapter so will Dana and Logan's duet, which I find cute. I was like, "Aw…" when writing it. So help me start 2007 getting by helping me get a lot of reviews. Clash of the Secrets will be updated by Wednesday. Thanks for your patience.
The following has been updated: Eternally Yours (Ch. 10), Rock-A-Bye, Chase (Ch. 4) and Love's Power: Rediscovered (Ch. 18), so please check those out as well, and leave a nice little comment on those too. Is it just me or has the site been acting weird?
Please review…
Okay, I've once again rambled. Sorry. I'm going to see Freedom Writers. Kristen Herrera (Dana Cruz) is in it. YAY ME! –claps like London in Suite Life-
REVIEW!
-Erika