Okay, this is the second update to my November 11 posting, so make sure you read chapter 15 before reading this one or it won't make much sense.

Rating: T

Chapter 16

UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
225 Charles E Young Drive
Los Angeles, CA

Freddie felt as if he was walking into a trap while stepping inside the building and loitering in the main lobby, but he was cautious or undeterred. Ryder could have lied about his relationship and how it ended with Lindsey and easily called or text the blonde.

He glanced at his phone and saw the time was approaching the end of a class block then shoved his phone back in his pocket and had a seat on one of the couches lining the hallway. He thought he was in a perfect position to spot Lindsey making her way out of the building—assuming she just didn't have another class in the building in a few minutes or used one of the less used and smaller exits of the building.

Fortunately, luck was on his side and he spotted the blonde making her way down the hallway engrossed in reading something off her phone. He hoped it wasn't a message from Ryder. If it was, he wasn't going to give her a chance to process a warning. He got up from his seat and casually approached her with a sweet charming one that the ladies outside of Seattle loved.

"Hey Lindsey."

Lindsey looked up from her phone and was caught off guard by the smile and his very presence. Any other time she would have been thrilled to have such a smile directed at her, but she remembered Tori's warning. She returned with a tight, uncomfortable smile.

Freddie continued on in a friendly, easygoing manner, "How are you doing? I haven't seen you around, but I haven't really had the chance to hang out in the performing arts building. You know, just still adjusting to college and my schedule."

She hesitantly answered, "I'm doing fine. How are you doing?"

"I can't really complain…" He shrugged a shoulder. "…other than having that really bad hangover from the welcoming party."

"We ah… we didn't serve any alcohol," she nervously replied, shifting her weight back and forth onto each foot.

"I know. I didn't drink any, but… I drank something that knocked me out so bad that Tori and Jade had to carry me out of the frat house. People thought that I was showing off leaving with a girl on each of my arms. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

The blonde tightened her jaw and her face became a mask, her acting ability coming into play. "Why would I know anything about that?"

Freddie instantly knew she was hiding something. He thought he'd take the direct approach and asked as he recalled one important detail about his drink, "You got me at least two of my drinks, so…"

"You think I had something to do with what happened to you?"

"I didn't spike my own drink."

Despite Lindsey's nervousness at being verbally cornered, she recalled what Tori had told him about what he really thought happened and what would happen to her if Freddie found out otherwise. "Are you sure that it was your drink? All the cups were red; you could have easily switched with someone."

Freddie raised an eyebrow and softly questioned, "You're not the only one that has suggested such a thing. Tori thought that's what had happened when she and Jade found me, but… when I caught up with your ex Ryder, he suggested an interesting alternative."

Lindsey's fear quickly turned to anger and defiance. "You're going to take the word of that loser? You know what he did to girls at Hollywood Arts, including Tori? How do you know it wasn't him trying to get Tori, but you picked up her drink instead? You were all over Tori—not literally—that night and he had good reason for revenge on her. She embarrassed him in front of the whole school."

"Yeah, I do, but as much as I might agree with you that perhaps he could have tried that in revenge, he didn't have opportunity. Like you said, I was with Tori the whole night and he didn't get a chance at her drink, but you had two opportunities with my drink and he seems to think you're just willing to use people like him. Did he get it from you?"

Any sense of rallying her defenses against him disappeared when in a panic, Lindsey spoke, "I can't tell you."

"Can't tell me? You can't tell me what happened to me that night? Why?"

"Tori'll hurt me."

Freddie cocked a disbelieving eyebrow. He eyed her as if he was questioning her sanity and slowly asked, "Tori will hurt you?"

"She may be all sweet and nice, but she can be scary and Jade… she's always been scary. I heard guys would wet themselves at times around her."

"Why? Why would Tori hurt you?"

The blonde remained tightlipped and gave him a defiant look straight to his eyes.

Freddie set his jaw square. "I'll find out one way or the other. It might as well be from you because if I do ask her, she'll know I talked to you and… do I have to finish that statement?"

"Okay, but if you tell anyone that I said this I'll call you a liar and say you tried to do it to me."

He was naturally outraged by the condition of being falsely accused of something. He hissed out, "I did something to you?" He put the last piece together and spoke in a tone of wonder than accusation, "You are the one that spiked Tori's—my drink."

Lindsey bowed her head, the defiance in her eyes not enough to whether the younger man's gaze.

Freddie asked in a low growl, "Why? You don't even know me other than through Tori. You have some grudge against her?"

The former Hollywood Arts student snapped her head up and met his eyes, but instead of her self-confident look, they were filled with confusion. She reluctantly admitted, "Nothing, you're just hot and I thought you'd be a good lay."

"So you drugged me to rape me? What stopped you… were you stopped?"

"Yes… Tori and Jade found me before I was able to… they jumped me and threw me out of the room. Tori nearly tore my hair out and Jade nearly broke my nose."

"You'll pardon me if I can't muster up much sympathy for my attempted rapist."

"Hey, I wasn't forcing you—"

"No, just taking away my right to consent. You're no better than guys that physically force girls."

Lindsey scrawled, offended that he saw it that way instead of getting a hot lay with her. "I was just loosening you up so you'd respond. Who thought you had the constitution of a damn bull and collapse instead of wanting to get frisky?"

Freddie just looked at her in disgust, being reminded of Sam and her inability to ever take responsibility for her actions. He truly pitted the man that ever would get involve with her… He cut off that train of thought because he didn't want to have any sympathy towards Ryder.

The pretty blonde pulled him from his thoughts and asked, "You're going to keep it between us, right? I don't want to be at the end of those two's wraith and… you don't want them throwing you out of school when I tell them my side."

Freddie glared at the blonde and coldly stated, "I'll keep your secret, because I don't want the hassle right now, but if I hear you trying this with anyone else, I'll shout it from the rooftops that you tried to pull it on me and to Hell with the consequences… besides, I'll have two females take me side—two females that are going to be real famous real soon—to back me up." He started his way out of the building, leaving Lindsey fearful whether or not to trust him.

Neutronium Records
Los Angeles, CA

Tori sat on the stool with her right hand holding the side of a pair of headphones, her eyes closed with her head slightly leaning to her right shoulder and happily singing into a microphone. As much pain as she had felt over the last two days with the soft respites with Freddie and Trina's presence, she had found another point of happiness while singing one of the songs she had been working on since before graduation.

Actually, she had enough material from her on and off writing from the summer, but of course there would have cuts, additions and rewrites and perhaps some collaborations with other artists on Mason's label in the coming weeks before her album was done. She didn't mind as she was back on getting her musical career going and she felt confident enough that she would keep enough creative control over her music. Other than Freddie's welcome addition into her life, this was the other bright spot in her life during her family's deterioration.

Jade was sitting on the other side of the recording booth on a couch behind the technician and one of Mason's junior producers, lazily tapping her foot. Everyone knew she gave Tori grief on practically everything, but there came a point that denying Tori's talent in front of everyone simply looked petty and childish. The girl had talent as proven during her productions at school and her blowout performance at the PMAs, but some resentment towards Tori lingered out of habit.

The brunette wrapped up the last line of the current song she was singing then after several seconds of silence, the producer on the other side of the glass raised his thumb and praised, "That was great Miss Vega. Why don't you take a break and let us take a listen to these tracks?"

The brunette smiled contently with a nod of her head while pulling the headphone from her ear and setting it across the microphone stand. She exited the booth while the producer and technician made their way out of the studio.

"That was pretty good Tori," Jade lazily remarked, not wanting to give Tori a big head about her singing.

Tori eagerly asked, "Thanks. Really?"

Jade sighed loudly, "Yes Tori, I thought that was pretty good and the song itself wasn't that bad."

"Thanks. It's nice to get back on track for my career."

Tori grabbed a bottle of water from the mini-refrigerator at the end of the couch then had a seat next to the fairer skin darker brunette. She unscrewed the top and took a sip while Jade casually remarked, "Yeah, it's about time… just in time for you to pickup a man to share it with, so when are going to tell Freddie you have a thing for him?"

Tori nearly chocked on her water with some of it bubbling past her bottom lip and nearly spilling on her shirt.

"Sorry," Jade halfheartedly apologized, enjoying Tori's discomfort a little too much.

Tori tried to suppress an embarrassing smile, but Jade could see right through her.

Jade looked away and towards the recording booth while she continued, "I'm only asking because with Trina back in town… she might make her own move on him if you don't stake a claim on him first."

Once Tori cleared her throat, she reluctantly answered, "Actually, I kinda told him yesterday."

Jade raised her pierced eyebrow and looked back to her onetime rival. "You did?"

"Yeah. It wasn't the best time, but… it had to be said." She looked to Jade and whispered with a vulnerable voice, "Please don't mock me over this."

"Oh Tori… no I won't mock you…"

Tori smiled, grateful that Jade would be so considerate.

"…it wouldn't be fair to Freddie."

The younger Vega sister rolled her eyes muttered, "Gee, thanks."

"You're welcome," Jade answered with a bigger grin. Her smile faded quickly and her voice dropped into a serious tone, "Seriously though, I'm not going to give you a hard time because, I still remember when my parents divorced and it sucked. You don't need me getting on your case."

"Thanks, but I don't want them divorce. I want them to—"

Jade dryly remarked, "We don't get a say in the matter."

Tori looked down at her knees, the news bringing her down from the upswing she had felt from this morning in sharing breakfast with her sister and Freddie.

Contrary to the last two years of knowing Tori, Jade felt real sympathy for the girl and offered, "Even though they may breakup, you have to remember that… they may love you. I always picked that up from your parents."

The older one of the pair softly challenged, "It wasn't that way with you. I don't mean to be mean, but your relationship with your father isn't very good. I saw one of your videos saying how you don't like how he's practically ignored you and spending all his time with his new wife."

"Yeah… my relationship with my dad isn't how I want it, but… I may talk some chizz about my mom at times—and give it to her, but I know she loves me. I know I can always count on her. I think you have to remember that about your parents over the next few days, weeks… years this plays out."

Tori quietly spoke, "Thank you."

Jade looked away and felt the need to clear her throat, unable to meet Tori's thankful gaze.

The door opened and the ladies turned their attention to those entering, assuming it was the technicians to record her next song, but surprising them both was that Mason stepped inside.

The record owner clapped his hands together and tightly smiled. "Hello Tori. Jade, it's nice to see you, but it's pretty unexpected. I hear you signed up with Shawn Quincy."

"Yeah, we're hammering out the little details. My mom wants to make sure I get a fair deal… she doesn't want me to give up all my creative control to a record producer that will just mold me into some play thing," Jade causally answered with a convincingly innocent smile.

Mason smiled to deflect the dig at him for his 'antics' he put Tori and Jade through before the PMAs earlier in the year and continued, "I hate to interrupt your visit, but I'm sure Tori needs got get back on track. We've unfortunately gotten behind in capitalizing on her appearance at the PMAs," finishing in a tone that suggested the complete opposite of his stated feelings.

Tori answered with a carefree tone, "It's okay. We're just taking a little break. I'm just waiting for them to come back then we'll work on the next song."

Mason tried to maintain his easy going expression and demeanor as he countered, "That may be true, but… I'm not sure if it is appropriate for Jade to be here while you record and work on your album. She is competition now."

Tori glanced to Jade then back to Mason, feeling a rush anger course through her. "I guess she is, but if she wants to sit and listen to me record then she gets to do that and I resent you implying that she would steal any of my songs."

He held up his hands and quickly tried to backpedal, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply—"

The brunette interrupted in a fierce tone, "That's exactly what you implied and I don't appreciate it."

Jade looked stunned at Tori's willingness to defend her. It shouldn't have really surprised her after all the times Tori had supported her.

Mason tightened his smile further. The musicians with the backbones were of course the most difficult to contr—productively collaborate to further the artist's career. After what happened at the PMAs earlier in the year, he thought the best thing to do was to figuratively back up. "Well I'll leave you to your recording."

The record owner hastily turned and headed out of the studio.

Tori frowned at Mason's retreating form.

"Thanks," Jade reluctantly spoke.

The lighter brunette was pulled from her thoughts and directed a bashful smile towards the pale teenager. She shrugged a shoulder and explained, "You're my friend."

Jade parted her lips to reply, but paused as she wasn't sure what to say.

"You're my friend and even if you can't admit it."

"Do you really believe that? Even after everything that's happened between us?"

"You gave up your chance at the PMAs for me."

"I said that I couldn't do that to even you, not that you were my friend. I did that because I wasn't comfortable with what Mason was doing to me and… I saw you turn down Beck when he tried to make a move on you while I was at the Boomerang rehearsing."

"What?"

"On Cat's PearBook. She left a chat open and I watched you. I thought I kind of owed it to you not to go on."

Tori licked her lips, trying to quickly process that Jade had known the truth the entire time. She finally slowly replied, "Like I said to Beck: I couldn't kiss my friend's ex-boyfriend… even if you made me eat 'meat feet'."

Jade tightly smiled at that stunt she had pulled on the lighter brunette. She set that aside and asked, "Even if you liked him?"

The lighter brunette freely admitted with a reassuring smile, "Even if I liked him."

"Maybe you're just stupid?"

"I like thinking of myself as caring and loyal," Tori answered with a confident smile.

Jade stared at the girl that she had held an undercurrent of resentment since the day she met her for reasons that had been discarded since graduating, trying to process what she was hearing and seeing with all she had felt towards the brunette since she met her rubbing on her boyfriend. Everyone seemed to still love Tori, something she couldn't change, but since graduation, she wasn't competing with her (and unfairly losing out) on parts and with Freddie in the picture, there was very little chance of her losing Beck to Tori.

Tori actually rescued from having to respond by asking, "I'm not André, but do you want collaborate on a song?"

Jade flicked her right eyebrow up in mild awe at the suggestion then when she realized Tori was serious, she smirked and eyes shined mischievously. "You really want to antagonize him?"

"I want to remind him that I'm going stand on my principles and I want to sing with my friend."

Tori wanted to record with her despite everything and now being on rival labels. She cracked a rare smile towards the lighter brunette and answered, "I'd like that."

Apartment 316
Venice/Barry Apartments
11811 Venice Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA
Monday, October 8, 2012

Freddie had a cold knot in his chest, a knot he hadn't felt since Carly left.

He was the intended victim and instead of being grateful that Tori and Jade had saved him, all he felt was fury and indignation towards them—perhaps Beck if he really knew the truth. She had lied to him. He was finally opening up and trusting again and the first person he thought he could trust, someone who had learned the hard way of betrayal, was willing to lie to him.

The former Seattleite was so caught up in his thoughts while reaching the door and pulling out his keys, barely realized a lanky tall redheaded young man, perhaps Freddie's age or just over it, approached him with a nearly goofy smile. "Ah, hello. Do you live here?"

Freddie turned his head and cautiously eyed the taller boy and slowly answered, "Yeah, why?"

The young man held up an envelope and explained, "Good, I'm from student housing. We've been trying to get a hold of a…" The redhead held the envelope at both ends and looked at the name and address again. "…Tori Vega. Are you him?"

"No, I'm her roommate."

"Her?"

"Yeah."

The taller teenager furled his brow and pursed his lips, giving Freddie an odd stare. "But you're a guy."

"Yeah, I know. It was a mix up in room assignments. So you're here to tell us that they finally found her a room?"

Freddie felt a wave of disappointment in asking such a question. It may have been right for them to separate according to his upbringing, but that didn't mean a part of him—the majority of him wouldn't miss her when she moved out.

"Oh, I don't know. I just work there for my work-study and they wanted me to personally deliver it to his—her apartment to make sure she gets the letter. It's the third time I'm told housing has been trying to get a hold of her."

"Third? This is the third time you've tried to deliver something to her?"

"Not me personally. I'm here because we've mailed it through her box and emailed her, but we haven't heard back. They had me run over here to make sure she gets it."

"I'll make sure she gets it," Freddie answered with a wide grin.

"You will?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can finally impress my boss and hopefully keep my job for the next quarter."

"Not a problem. You take care and good luck."

The lanky teenager nearly skipped away towards the stairs on his way back to Student Housing.

Freddie shook his head, slightly jealous at being that happy, then slipped his key into the lock then entered the apartment and glanced around. He didn't see any sign of Tori, but wasn't surprised that she hadn't returned. She was busy after all working on her album and at the studio. He closed and locked the door behind him and headed for the couch.

He threw the envelope onto the coffee table then dropped his book bag on the seat next to him on the couch. He pulled out his laptop and started on his work for the week, hoping to distract him from his feelings and at least be a little productive.

About an hour or so after Freddie had arrived home and started on his work, the door opened and Tori stepped inside with a bright smile. She spotted the back of Freddie's head above the backrest of the couch.

Freddie got up from his seat and looked to her with a guarded expression. He cautiously greeted her, "Hey."

Tori pursed her lips and gave him a curious gaze, sensing that something was troubling him. "Hey. Is everything alright?"

He held up the envelope and forced a smile he wasn't feeling. "I'm not sure. This is third time they've tried to contact you from student housing. Did you miss the other two times including an email?"

The lovely young lady's lips turned into a frown at seeing the letter and hearing his words.

"A funny fellow from student housing personally delivered this for you. Why aren't you returning their messages and packing up for your new room? It's what we've waiting for."

Tori swallowed nervously, feeling trapped for a moment at facing what she had been ignoring and hoping would just go away, but now it was staring her straight in the face, right between Freddie's fingers. She fumbled over her words, "I… I don't… I don't want to move out and I don't want you to move out either."

Freddie slightly shook his head and let his shoulders slumped, momentarily forgetting his anger towards her when seeing her dejected expression. He answered her more sympathetically than he expected for himself, "I can't just stay with you or you with me."

"Why?"

"You know why and yet you can't respect my wishes on the matter, but keeping it a secret… but it's not your first deception towards me is it?" his voice became chilly and accusatory.

Tori slightly frowned, trying to think of what he could have talking about because he couldn't know about what Lindsey. She quickly thought of her erotic dream about him that she had initially kept secret from him and her growing attraction to him. She laughed in a tension relieving manner, believing she had guessed right, "Deceive you? I was just keeping my feelings to myself… okay, I kept the dream secret, but you can't hold that against me. I was embarrassed about it, especially on how I woke up in a compromising position."

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the party. Your drink wasn't the one drugged, it was mine."

The color drained from the lovely half-Latino's face. "What?"

"Lindsey spiked my drink. It wasn't yours, but… you knew that. Lindsey told me you knew and you and Jade threatened her to keep her mouth shut about it. You did a good job because she's afraid of you two."

A wave a heat boiled form her stomach at Lindsey talking to him, but that would have to wait as fear gripped her at seeing Freddie's look of simmering anger and perhaps hurt in his eyes. She took a deep breath then answered, seeing no point in keeping up the charade, "I didn't want to disappoint you. I thought you'd blame me for what happened. You were supposed to be welcomed and safe going with me, but then that happened. You might even think I had set you up. I knew you had some bad experiences with Carly and Sam—which you told me about yesterday morning—and I didn't want to be like them to you."

Freddie blinked and shook his head. He felt dumbfounded while asking, the logic escaping him, "So you wanted to keep my trust by lying to me? That makes sense to you?"

"I, I ah… Jade suggested I tell you most of the truth, so I went with it. I just didn't want to face you thinking you couldn't trust me after you put so much trust into me already."

The Seattleite threw up his hands and shouted in disgust, "So Jade was in on it from the beginning? You didn't drag her into it after the fact? Oh good, another mean bitch in my life that will manipulate me."

"Hey! That's not fair—"

Freddie dropped his hands and stared at her in frustration while his anger boiled. "I don't care about being fair! It wasn't fair to me that you couldn't tell me the truth. You don't think you owed me that when you wanted to be my friend regardless of how I would have reacted? You just couldn't tell me the truth like I did with you? I'm just the little plaything that people get to enjoy messing with."

Tori pressed her lips tightly closed, not knowing how to respond to him.

He shook his head and turned away towards the hallway to their rooms. He spat in disgust over his shoulder, "I'm not dealing with this chizz again."

Tori immediately called out before he could leave her sight, "What are you doing?"

"I'm grabbing some stuff for the night and leaving. I'll be back for the rest later."

The brunette's heart sunk and asked in near panicky voice, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get myself a room tonight and in the morning I'm going to student housing and see if they can find me a new room—at least I won't ask them to evict you since you're settled here and have more stuff."

"Freddie…" She trailed off when she saw the stern look in his eyes. He disappeared down the hall, into his room and slammed the door shut behind him.

The shocked brunette stood there frozen as her emotional composure started to crumble. She didn't know how long she stood there as a statue, her mind unable to accept for the time being how things were spinning out of control. The time must have been a few minutes because Freddie soon exited his room with his workhorse of a backpack on his back and a large duffle bag in hand. He barely passed her an angry glare as he walked past her and to the door.

Tori turned and watched him go, unable to utter a sound to ask him not to go. She took a few steps to the door and placed a hand on off white door, feeling the physical barrier between her and Freddie walking out of her life. She turned and slump against the door and covered her face with her hands. She let out a loud sob then slid down the door until she was sitting down and her legs were drawn up to her chest. She dropped her face into her knees and cried.

Author's Note: Okay, things have hit the fan on a number of fronts. We'll see if they can pull it together and be happy or just spiral out of control. Thank you for reading.