Tori and her friends are dealing with everything in their own little ways, but its harder when you're popular, and under the spotlight.

7even

Headlines

Dreams Emotions Could Buy. Andre baptized in absurdity. He'd been the lucky one able to bury his emotions for the time being, and he'd managed to fool himself into thinking he'd moved on. Of course, that wasn't case. He and Tori hadn't really spoken; they had their song, and maybe a rehearsal here and there before the showcase was all they needed. It was cool, they would find the time for one another eventually.

How did a pound of emotions become a mountain of confusion? A bottle of misunderstanding became the fountain of alienation as the two hid themselves behind Teairra's room.

An internal battle within Tori surfaced. Her heart, her mind, and her reasoning were all faulty. 'You think I'm all caught up in where I am right now' her emotions said to her brain. 'Let Andre go' her mind replied.

Tori and Andre found themselves around different crowds of people. It was nothing intentional, it just happened. Finding interests in others helped mend the wounds and cracks in their friendship, or whatever was left of it.

As predicted, Jade and Beck didn't speak; they didn't eat together, walk together, or acknowledge the other, for that matter. Cat and Robbie were left in disarray. After weeks of spending lunch breaks alone, they stopped eating altogether.

Their group was no more. Robbie and Rex spent their time alone, doing this and that, trying to get things back to where they were. Tension within the group murdered any chance for Cat and Robbie to come to terms with their own emotions for each other. It was a pity. What could have been a fairytale story of six friends, all caught up in love and passion, turned out to be a battle ground of hostility and wrongful thinking.

They were caught up in the headlines. Their separation didn't go unnoticed. They sat separately in classes, making things pretty gloom for their other classmates. A mixture of, 'What happened to you guys?', "is everything okay?', and 'did something happen?' from their schoolmates only agitated them further.

The celebrity group of the school had fallen apart, and any and everyone opted for the chance to rebind and fill that void. People Robbie didn't know asked to sit with him and Cat at Lunch; Jade and Beck developed their own cliques; and Andre and Tori settled for wherever they were accepted.

Tuesday evening, Cat and Robbie left their final classes and joined to walk to the parking lot. They didn't really speak that much either; they only wanted privacy when there were friends around to keep secrets from.

"How have you been?" she asked in a small voice. The separation had affected Cat drastically. Usually bubbly and eccentric, Cat had become pretty dismal and gray.

"Alright" Robbie sighed. He grabbed her hand and held it until they got to his car. She'd asked for a ride today even though she really didn't need one. "Are you okay?" Robbie asked as he started the car. She nodded, and then sighed. "Noo…" She looked down and saw Rex's hand on her knee.

"What's the matter?" Robbie asked. "I hate that we're not talking anymore" she admitted. Robbie frowned at her. "We still talk…I called you this morning. We ate lunch today" he explained. "Noo… not us" she said, making a little heart with her fingers. "Us…" she said, putting her arms in the air and making a big circle. He understood.

"Yea" he replied. He backed out of the driveway and made off towards Cat's house. "Me too…"

"Is there anything we can do about it?" she offered, tossing Rex's hand off of her knee. Robbie shook his head. "Um… I don't know. Jade and Beck are going to have work things out themselves" he began. "What about Tori and Andre?" she asked. Robbie shook his head again. "I mean…they haven't argued or anything, so I guess that's good… but we might just make things worse. They have to admit that they want to be together first." Cat understood, but she didn't.

She wanted to sit them both down, accuse them of being stupid, and have them kiss and make up. However she knew that if they didn't put their feelings out there for each other to see, they were going to be too scared to listen.

Robbie pulled into Cat's driveway and shut off the car. "Things always get better" he began. She looked at him. "The showcase is in a few weeks…maybe after the Winter break we'll be able to pick things back up."

Cat smiled and nodded. "Okay… do you want to come in for a while?" she asked. Robbie hesitated before replying. "Sorry… I have to get home soon, maybe another day." Cat gave him a deep sigh and got out of the car. "Bye" she said. He wished her bye, watched her open the door to her house, and then left.

Robbie regretted the drive home. He'd lied to Cat, for reasons he now felt foolish over. He was scared. Tori promised Andre that their friendship wouldn't be affected by their emotions, but it had been. Robbie was scared that he and Cat were going to share the same fate as their other friends. Any other day he would have been the needle in the hay stack; the one that stood out and said f the drama, I love you Cat, and I'm not scared…but today wasn't any other day. He and Cat fell victims of the headlines.

6:03 ~ help me with the routine?

6:54 ~ we can go to Teairra's Room

7:22 ~ Beck?

Beck read Sierra's messages as they came in, but he didn't reply to any. He couldn't bring himself to it. He and Jade were through, that was certain, so he couldn't understand why he felt guiltier with every text she sent.

She got the message, or at least she should have; Hollywood Art's longest and most noticeable couple had broken up, and everyone knew. They weren't safe from the publicity of their school-wide celebrity status. Sierra knew also. She pushed thoughts of her being the reason why they'd broke up to the back of her mind. No one else from Hollywood Arts had been there at Karaoke Dokie that night to witness the breakup, so it hadn't been relayed at school.

Beck didn't want to let Jade go, but guilt and regret smothered his true feelings. He was tired of Jade. It wasn't so much her personality, he'd fallen in love with her for who she was, but he was no longer happy in the relationship. He faulted himself for falling for a woman so bitter. He was the only one she really opened up to, and he'd fallen in love with her over that. But they were polar opposites; hopefully they could become friends again, but holding on to a piece of affection they'd once shared wasn't enough for him anymore.

Jade, on the other hand, was a bombshell of emotions. There were a lot of things she didn't understand and couldn't come to terms with. She was human, and she had feelings just like everyone else, but she didn't have the mindset meant for showing them. She didn't want to be that mean girl that everyone talked about and wanted nothing to do with. People wanted to be her friends, but it was only so they would receive the sweeter end of her harassment.

She'd known this the whole while, but never had the courage to change. It's hard for a person to wear their emotions on their sleeves, and Jade was no exception; she was the epitome of complicated.

She couldn't see herself and Beck making up; no one could. She hoped more than anything that they could go back to being friends. She was no longer angry at him. The truth was, she had never been, and the only person she was upset with was herself. She'd driven Beck to the point where he wanted to be with someone else. He wasn't a cheater, and deep down she knew it. The lashing she'd given him was merely from frustration and confusion. Jade was lost as how she could allow Beck to feel the way he did. Whatever… they needed their space, and even though they weren't getting back together, it got her through the pain.

Andre sat in his car Wednesday morning in the school's parking lot, thinking over the last couple of weeks. He remembered his talk with Robbie where it was brought to light that he and Tori weren't getting any better. They hadn't spoken in days. No phone calls, no texts. His phone was filled the brim with texts from Sherry, however.

She'd been acting crazy lately; a little more happy to see him than she should have been. He pulled out his phone and searched through his contacts. He dialed a number and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" said Tori.

"Hey Tor" he replied.

"Hi Andre."

"Are you at school?"

"Yea, I'm at my locker right now, what's up?"

"Nothing really, I just wanted to hear your voice." On the other end of the phone Tori smiled; that was really heartwarming to hear.

"It's nice to hear from you" she replied.

"Yea… well um… later."

"Bye Andre."

The ignorance of a man; Andre thought their ten second conversation was enough to hold them until the showcase. It wasn't, but it was better than nothing.

He and Tori met up after school that day to talk about another rehearsal. Afterwards they walked together to the parking lot. They stood at his car, not looking at one another, but enjoying themselves deep down.

"Let's hang out this weekend" Andre offered from nowhere. Tori looked at him. "Seriously?" she asked. "Yea" he replied. "They're having movie night here Saturday, in the auditorium, we can go together" he offered. Tori smiled and nodded. "Um yea… okay" she replied. Andre smiled and nodded a goodbye.

Later that night, Tori called Cat and told her about movie night Saturday. Cat was trilled and suggested that Tori mend their friendship and pick back up on their relationship.

"I don't know Cat" she admitted, "We haven't been alone in weeks. I don't think I'll be able to do something like." "Stop worrying Tori!" Cat begged from the other end. "You think it's a good idea?" Tori asked. "Of course!" Cat sang. "Okay…I'll think about it. Are you going, Cat?" "Em hm… me and Robbie and Beck but I don't know about Jade but me and Robbie and Beck are going to be there and so are you and so will ANDRE!"

Tori rolled her eyes and laughed. "Later Cat…"

"Bye!"

Andre picked Tori up Saturday night at around seven. He waited in her driveway for a minute or so before she finally came out. She wasn't wearing anything fancy, just jean shorts, scandals, and pink cami.

To Andre, she still looked amazing. "Hi" she said as she hopped in the car. "Hey" he replied. Andre backed out of her driveway and they made their way to Hollywood Arts. The drive was long and awkward. They didn't speak much; these days there was little for the two to actually talk about.

They parked and made their way inside. The school was locked, but the doors to the Auditorium had been left open. Andre and Tori found Cat, Beck, and Robbie sitting near the bottom by the stage and took seats next to them. The movie hadn't started yet, but it was about to. "Hi!" Cat sang when they sat down. "Hi you guys" said Tori. "Hey" said Andre.

Robbie shot Cat a look that asked, "What did you do?" she understood and shook her head. "I didn't do anything…" she whispered.

Minutes passed and things had begun to seem normal between them. They each got their bit of sarcasm from Rex, they laughed and smiled and joked over the few memories they liked talking about. Everything went smooth, until Sherry showed.

She found the group and sat down in the empty seat next to Andre. Everyone went silent. "Thanks for inviting me Dre" she said as she sat down. Tori gaped at Andre. "You… invited her?" she asked, furious. Andre nodded; he noticed the anger in her expression. "Y-Yea" he stammered.

"Yes… he invited me" Sherry began. Tori looked at her and mugged. Sherry took the flare in her nostrils as a challenge. "What, did you think you were on a date or something?" Sherry asked. "Andre?" Tori begged out of frustration. "Is everything okay?" Andre asked. She hadn't told anyone about the encounter she'd had with Sherry at her locker.

Tori didn't say anything else; she thought best to just let it go and get through the night, but Sherry wasn't as quick to give up. She wanted more.

"You two are done Tori!" she said, causing those around her who weren't already listening to shut up and listen. "Get over it!"

"What is your problem?" Tori asked, turning to face her. "I'm not the one with the problem, Tori! Why can't you just let the past go?" Sherry replied. "You're insane Sherry, you need some help!" Tori spat. Sherry laughed and looked around at the faces staring at her. "Calm down…" said Andre, but Sherry ignored him. "I'm not the crazy, one, you are. You need to get over the fact that—" "Stop telling me what I need to do, okay?" Tori cut across.

"Fine…actions are always better than words" Sherry said calmly. "You want me to prove it apparently." Tori looked at her and shrugged. "Prove what Sherry?" she pleaded.

Sherry leaned over so that her face was in Andre's. Tori tried to brace herself for what she knew was about to happen, but she couldn't look away in time. Sherry kissed Andre full on the mouth, and when he finally made to stop her she pulled back and grinned at Tori. "See."

The students watching gasped and erupted into a long, "woooooooh!" Boys whistled here and there, and girls broke into shock laughs. Tori shut her eyes and stood. "Tori—"Andre reached for her hand, but when he grabbed it she pulled away. Tori put her face in her hands and made to leave before any tears came.

Andre stood to follow her but Sherry grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "Just let her go…" she asked, giving him the puppy dog face. "No!" he replied. He stood again and she grasped a handful of his jeans. "Yes!" she demanded. "Get off of me!" He said, snatching away from her and making his way up aisle after Tori.

He'd nearly pulled Sherry completely on the floor, and when she stood to straighten herself she found that EVERYONE was staring. "What?" she asked the closet stranger.

"Tori!" Andre called as he made it the parking lot. Tori was at her car, trying and failing to put the key in the lock. "Tori!" he said once he'd made it to her.

"Leave me alone Andre!" she said, unlocking the door and trying to open it. He put his hand on the window and grabbed her free wrist. She pulled away. "We need to talk—" he began. "There's nothing for us to talk about" she replied. "Can you move?" she asked, defeated. "No" he replied. "Not until you talk to me." "Fine" she said, folding her arms and leaning against the car. Andre sighed and let go of the door.

"Look, I'm sorry about Sherry, she shouldn't have—" "You don't have to apologize for Sherry, Andre" she cut across. "No?" he asked. He smiled. "So then… we're good?" he asked. Tori huffed and rolled her eyes. "We're not good" he added, depressed. "Do I really need to answer that question Andre? Why did you bring her along in the first place?" she asked. "I don't know… she asked me what I was doing Saturday night, and I told her I was coming here with you. She asked if she could meet us and I told her yea."

"Sherry is not over you…" Tori whispered. "Yea, I see that now—" "You should have seen that a long time ago!" she blurted. "Okay…you're mad… i hope you're not mad at me—" "Oh no Andre, how could I ever be mad at you?" she teased. He stuttered, confused. "You know, I feel like I'm the only one still trying to make this work Andre" she added. He blinked his eyes in confusion, then groaned. "Ohh…" was all he could say. "Yea, oh. Did you forget that we were supposed to be taking things slow?" she asked, looking deep into his face.

"Tori, we agreed to chill out… I didn't know that—" "You didn't know? So what, are you saying that this school year hasn't meant anything to you? Our kiss, did you forget that Andre? Did you forget stupid Club Paradise?" she asked.

"Hey, calm down Tori…" "Don't tell me to calm down, Andre. Please." "Okay… but—" "But what Andre?" she asked, throwing her hands in the air from confusion. "All of this time I thought you were into me; I thought you were in this with me. It's been two months and you've been just pretending" she finished. "I haven't been pretending Tori, I just—" "Whatever Andre, just forget it." "Can I get a sentence in, please?" he begged. She looked at him, no blinking… no signs of emotion.

"I was scared Tori…" he began. She laughed and rolled her eyes. "I didn't want anything like this happening to us" he continued. "You were scared? You weren't too scared back in the auditorium Andre! For goodness sake, a kiss doesn't has to last ten seconds before you realize you don't want to be kissing!"

"That wasn't my fault Tori!" Andre blurted. "Why Sherry? Huh? Why go back to her? She's worth some time, but I'm not Andre?" Tori asked. "How can we get anywhere if you won't even listen to me?" Andre asked. "I'll listen when you start being honest Andre!" Andre threw his hands up in defeat. "What's your problem Tori?" he asked.

"What's my problem? What is yours?" she replied, in his face again. "Calm down! Please, Tori!" Tori swallowed hard and looked away. "I'm just tired Andre" she said finally. "Tired? Tired of what?" he asked, nearly mocking her. She looked up at him. "I'm tired of this!" she began. He looked away then. "I'm tired of putting myself out there for you, everyday Andre! I'm just tired of all of this drama, and all you can seem to do is whine about how you're scared and how you thought this and how you thought that!—" Tori closed her eyes and took a breath. "I'm just tired of being in the headlines, Andre."

"What, and you think that I'm not? I'm tired of having all of the scenes in front of groups of people. I'm tired of people whispering about me when I walk by. You're not the only victim of the spotlight Tori!" "Yea well it sure seems that way. I don't go around kissing my exes, now do I?" "Are saying that I asked Sherry here just to make a scene?" Andre asked, kind of hurt. Tori shrugged her shoulders and looked away.

"Well forget it Tori! Forget everything. After the showcase, we don't have to be friends!" he said. Tori couldn't believe he'd said that. "Well we might as well forget the showcase!" she spat back. Tori couldn't believe she'd allowed herself to say. Andre took a slow breath and shook his head.

"Whatever, this is stupid Tori! You're being real childish." "And you're being a coward!" she replied. His mouth fell and he backed away. "Why would say that?" he asked.

"Tell me that you care about me Andre!" she yelled as he backed farther and farther away.

Andre shook his as he continued to back pedal. "Naw…that's not what a coward would do!" he called back. He turned and made his way back to the Auditorium.

Tori opened her door and sat down in the car. One hand went to her forehead as she leaned her head back against the seat. She could feel the tears forming, but they weren't because of Sherry, or the kiss. Tori and Andre had never argued, and she called him something horrible, a coward. To make matters worse, Andre couldn't tell her that he still cared about her. That hurt the most; she took it as a no.

The auditorium fell silent when Andre reentered. Curious eyes followed his every movement as he made his way back to his seat. He wanted to leave, but he had to set things straight first.

"What is your problem?" he said to Sherry as he approached. "What do you mean, Andre?" she asked. "Why would you do that? You know how me and Tori feel about each other" he replied. Sherry smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Oops…"

"So you and Tori are together" said one of their classmates. Andre looked at him. "And you brought her along with you!" said a girl. "That's what's up Andre!" said a guy. "No it's not! How could you do that?" said girl. "Yea, that is messed up Andre" said a guy.

He couldn't believe it. He'd fallen into her trap and allowed himself to get caught up in the spotlight. Now everyone around them was mumbling something under their breath or to a friend. Hollywood Arts was certainly not going to let the Tori and Andre fiasco go, ever.

"Stay away from me!" Andre said to her finally. He turned and stormed up the aisle and back outside, contemplating the whole drive home the mistakes he'd made and the one that he'd just made.

Well forget it Tori! Forget everything. After the showcase, we don't have to be friends!

The anger in his voice rang throughout his head.

Whatever, this is stupid Tori! You're being real childish. Why would he ever say something like that to her?

The pity of it all was simple: Tori and Andre were meant to be together, but they were destroyed by the people around them. Caught up in Teairra's Room, they allowed their relationship to rupture under the headlines.

Next

Finding Tori