Chapter 2
She was standing in front of her locker, casually pulling out the books she would need for her next class. It was a class she and Beck both shared and one they equally enjoyed; Sikowitz's class. Even looking completely casual, she was still stunning enough to make him watch more than necessary out of the corner of his eye.
Beck remembered when he would be captivated by watching someone else performing that same action. Instead of Jade, this time it was Tori. He turned back to his locker quickly and pretended to be looking it over for items he knew he did not forget. Andre was standing nearby and waiting for him to finish so they could walk to class together. Beck felt a mixture of disappointment because he would not get this moment to be alone with Tori but he also felt relief this possibly awkward moment could be put off until a different time. He shrugged off his conflicts, which felt unusual for him to have.
A locker door shut. He did not need to look to know that she slammed her "Make It Shine" locker shut and she was now coming their way. Her feet barely made a sound in her brown fuzzy boots she wore often these days. Would she walk on by?
"Yo, Tori!" Andre waved her over like he was trying to signal an airplane.
"Heyyyy," she enthusiastically returned.
"What's up?" Beck said casually.
"I told you that you were special, Tori," Andre announced. "Remember in this spot over a year ago when you first came to Hollywood Arts. You looked at me, and I could see in your eyes that you truly thought you weren't good enough. Look at you now."
"Look at me now," she repeated, unable to believe it herself. "Thanks for everything. Sure I still got the strong teeth, but now I have so much more."
They both laughed. Tori made eye contact with both of her guy friends, making Beck smile as well. If she was thinking of the last time they talked, when they nearly kissed, she was keeping it to herself to prevent anything uncomfortable between them. Little did she know of what happened the last time he and Jade talked. She was probably so carefree because she did not know that he had Jade's approval. She did not know that they could date guilt-free now…
"Alright, let's get to class, guys," Tori concluded. "Though I'm sure Sikowitz won't be there on time."
Beck walked next to Andre. Tori walked on Andre's other side.
I will get a chance later. When Tori is alone, I will tell her.
Although normally so confident and cool, Beck was nervous.
The three of them made their entrance right as the elaborate bell rang. Beck closed the door behind him after filing in after Tori. All the other students had their seats claimed. Sikowitz was standing on the grand stage at the front of the classroom.
He greeted them by exclaiming, "Have't any of you thought to take the window? I keep telling you gurfs you gotta. Take. The. Window!"
"Gurfs?" whispered Tori in his ear.
He shrugged his shoulders with equal confusion.
"Please, sit. Class will begin in exactly…6.872 seconds."
In a quick glance it could be seen that there were exactly three empty chairs; two side by side on the left side of the room, then one by itself next to Jade. Jade was looking down at her phone (possibly googling what on earth a "gurf" was.) She did not seem to acknowledge that she knew the spot needed to be filled. With dread, Beck realized that Tori would expect him to sit there. She did think that, in a way, he still belonged to Jade after all. If he didn't sit there, Tori might think he was being too clingy to her despite what she said the night before. The 6.872 seconds were running out, and he had to make a decision. Tori already took one of the vacant seats off to the left. Andre was marching down the aisle to take a seat as well. Before he could turn to the left to join Tori, Jade reached out and yanked him down next to her.
"Right here," Jade mumbled as she did so.
"Okay," agreed a nonchalant Andre.
Jade cast him a short glance out of the corner of her eye. He would remember to thank her later. Beck took a left and joined Tori in the corner.
"And time!" Sikoqitz called. He pretended to be holding an imaginary stopwatch, which all the students thought was quite humorous. "We will now begin what we were talking about last time."
"You mean the TVs?" Cat guessed.
"No no no no NO. I mean the acting magic of…faking a romantic relationship between two not romantic people."
The students all watched as Sikowitz started writing their names on the white board. Half the class was listed on one side and the other half on the other. Sikowitz then deposited the marker to the garbage can, even though it was a brand new marker, and then continued.
"In many theater productions, the relationship occurring between two individuals is, no better word for it, fake. The audience can clearly tell that the two actors are just that; actors. But with training, all of you can sell it to the audience that you are indeed attached to that other person. Of course it is not real, but it can seem real. And everything we do in acting is about being as real as possible, correct?"
"Correct," responded all the pupils.
"I want all of you to close your eyes."
Beck closed his eyes, along with everyone else. He knew that Sikowitz was going to have them visualize a scene within their own minds.
"Think back to a previous relationship you had at one point in your lives. Think back to all the feelings that other person brought to you. Imagine them, right now."
A vivid portrayal of Jade appeared in his mind. He felt resistant to remembering her so deeply at first, and he wanted to shove it away. However, he remained strong and preserved the image. His thoughts about her flowed on like a river.
"Don't hold anything back, just think about it…Robbie, you are free to gaze about the classroom if you so wish," their teacher suggested.
Robbie countered," How do you know I never had a romantic relationship before?"
"Are you saying you have, girl pants?" Rex asked.
Robbie sighed. "I'll just stare."
"The rest of you, keep imagining. Take your feelings you are feeling now and match them to your acting partner. Whoever they may be, imagine them as that special someone if it helps you. If you have the pure look of affection in your eyes, the audience will believe the relationship. Now I will pick two names at random. One from each side! The two I pick will come up here and act out this scene I have chosen…My first actor will be Beck."
Beck opened his eyes and stood up. He leaped on to the stage, as he had done many times before. He was frequently chosen for acting exercises because of his gift for accurate acting.
"Beck's partner will be Tori."
Tori? Beck was pleasantly surprised, but the odds of him being matched up with Tori were very slim. Sikowitz gave him a sly look. It was obvious now. Their observant acting teacher was aware that Beck just ended his previous relationship, therefore making him a prime target to use for his exercise.
Clever, Sikowitz. Very clever.
He did not know that Tori was more than a friend, though. As Tori walked up to the stage, Beck concealed his nervousness. He pretended that he was as casual about acting with Tori as he would be with Cat or Trina. Tori was not at talented at hiding her emotions. He could see she felt uncomfortable as clearly as if she had a billboard declaring it hovering over her head.
"Here are your scenes."
They were handed stapled booklets of a short scene. Then they were abandoned on the stage.
"Take a few moments, then begin when ready."
Beck scanned his lines and let his new character, Kenneth, become him. In the scene he was saying goodbye to his girlfriend a.k.a. Rona. She was moving to a different state, and their relationship could not continue. It was a classic breakup scene, but sweeter. He looked up when he was ready to begin. When Tori did the same, they started the scene.
"I know it won't be easy, but you will find someone else," Beck insisted. His voice matched how Kenneth's would sound; morose, but with wavering optimism.
Tori pretended to wipe a tear off her cheek. "How could I ever find anyone else like you?"
"With your looks, it will be easy. Trust me."
"I do trust you…"
Tori grabbed his hand delicately. Beck held it as carefully he would a newborn kitten. When they looked into each other's eyes, the scene instantly became real. Tori was faking her sadness, but Beck still needed to comfort her. He brought her hand closer and stroked her cheek with the other. She blushed hot by his touch and her eyes were locked in his.
"Oh Kenneth."
"Yes, my lovely?"
"I know you say you want us both to move on. Can I ask…will that be easy for you? To move on?"
"Of course not," he declared. "How in all of the worlds could I move on from you just like that?"
She sniffled. "For me it will be hard. You are the most sweet, perfect guy I have ever met. I never thought I would get a chance to date someone such as you. I honestly didn't think such a man could exist. But me…I am just average. You will find many girls prettier and better off than me, so it will be easy-"
The script said to interrupt her and then say the next line, but sometimes to be a phenomenal actor a person had to do what they felt was right. The script was ignored, and Beck pulled Tori into a passionate hug. Her reactions of surprise were real and accurate. She hugged him back. He relished in that moment she was pressed up against him.
"-Never think you are less than the other girls. I love you for being you. I think you are the most beautiful girl I have ever met. If anything, it will be easier for you to move on because you will have hundreds of suitors swarming you like a colony of bees."
They pulled away from each other. Both of them were burning hot from the feeling the acting was bestowing upon them. On cue, Sikowitz made a noise that was supposed to imitate the car honking in the scene.
"That's my ride," Tori pointed out bluntly. "I…I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too, my lovely. So much."
There were many ways the scene could have ended. Beck impatiently went through the scene the whole time wondering how this scene would end. When he saw the rest of the page blank, he looked again to make sure he saw it right. Yes, the scene ended right there. It left the audience wondering what could have happened, but it was now leaving the actors wondering even more.
"And done," their teacher stated.
All the students cheered ecstatically for their classmates. The scene had to look impressive to them. Tori beamed at the cheering crowd with disbelief, just like she did at the Platinum Music awards.
"That was the best acting exercise for this subject I have ever seen, you two," complimented Sikowitz.
"Oh my gosh, you really think so?" Tori gasped.
"Completely. You two were definitely a believable couple. You absorbed your personal emotions inside of you and let them all out."
"Wow, thanks!"
"You two may now exit the stage."
Beck and Tori sat back down. Beck knew that he had to tell Tori soon. If that was just an acting scene to her, he would soon let her know that it sure wasn't to him. It was driving him crazy that she did not know. He tried to calm down, though he had no idea how he was going to make it through the rest of class with his feelings clenched inside of him and Tori sitting right beside him.
The clock said forty more minutes of class. Beck sighed and sat back in his chair. He was just going to have to deal with it.