AN: Thanks for the reviews, they are always appreciated. SirRay, I can't disagree with your comments regarding what was said - though the issue will be addressed, and perhaps resolved, in due course.
"Hey Tori, how's your day been?" I asked my wonderful girl.
"Great thanks. Looking forward to tomorrow night and showing LA how well you can sing?" she teased.
It's Thursday evening – one more day until the end of my first week at UCLA. Tori's planning on dragging me to some Karaoke bar tomorrow. It's not that I don't want to sing, but I'm worried about stage-fright, about embarrassing her, particularly as she said some of her HA friends will be there. I'm also mindful that a poor performance could well find its way onto the internet for all time, and find its way to the attention of a couple of girls I still have to decide how to deal with. Fortunately there may just be a way of finding myself an out, though maybe not after we had to cancel our plans to meet tonight – she's too busy with schoolwork and her production, so I'm trying to use it as an opportunity to get ahead with the work that will inevitably pile up later in the semester.
"Actually Tori, I need to talk about that. I know we've plans but a few of the guys on the course want to meet up for a meal and an evening out to celebrate the end of our first week in college. I think it's important, especially with how things started, for me to be one of the crowd and make sure I've got some good friends, as I have to spend my next 4 years with these guys. Could you meet us on campus, I'm sure they wouldn't complain if you joined us for dinner, then maybe we can sneak off afterwards and still get to your Karaoke club?"
"Uh, sure. I know this is important to you, and it would be nice to get to know some of the people you hang with at school. When and where?"
"Rubio's, 7 o'clock?"
"I'll be there. Well, I have lines and songs to rehearse; I imagine you have homework and stuff to do, so I'll see you then?"
"Great. Thanks for this Tori." And with that we signed off.
Tom was sat on his bed, reading.
"So, what's she like?" he asked.
"Tori?" I said. "She's amazing. Really pretty, well you've seen her – obviously. She's so talented too, singing, dancing, acting – the whole package. And she's smart too, the whole package really..."
"No" he interrupted, "I mean what's she LIKE, y'know, in the sack?"
"What?" I asked, rather incredulous that he was asking personal questions.
"Oh come on, nothing wrong with a little guy-talk is there?"
"I guess not, but the truth is there's nothing to tell. Tori and I – haven't got there yet."
"Seriously? You're dating HER and not doing her? Dude, you're in college! The whole point of having a hot girl is HAVING her."
"Maybe for you" I countered, "But for me our relationship is built on respect. We were friends before we got together, I want it to work, I want it to last, and I'm not going to rush things or do something that might jeopardise it by listening to other people's rules." I saw Tom shake his head and a thought struck me. "Is that all you'd want I introduced you to Cat?"
He shrugged. "Well from what you've said it wouldn't be for the great conversation, would it?"
"In that case, forget it. She's a good friend of mine, and I'm not going to see her hurt."
He wasn't happy but I wasn't going to budge on this. Eventually he had to accept my decision (he couldn't really do much else) and we dropped the subject, reverting to mindless topics and trying to forget the conversation had happened.
I got to the restaurant just before 7 and met my course mates in the waiting area. There were 8 of us (excluding Tori who was yet to arrive) so we asked for a table for 10, ordered drinks and began talking about how the week had gone, how the place compared to our expectations, stuff like that – when suddenly the table went quiet and all eyes turned to a spot behind me. I glanced over my shoulder.
"Oh hey Tori," I said, standing up and pulling up an extra chair for her next to mine. She looked stunning in a black sparkly top and tight, dark blue jeans. "Guys, this is my girlfriend Tori Vega – I told you she'd be here" I added with a smile to the seemingly awestruck teenage boys sat at the table. "Tori, this is Andy, Gary, Tim, Phil, Sean, Danny and Joe."
"Nice to meet you all" she said, smiling round the table at them, "especially now that you don't all hate my boyfriend anymore!"
There were some embarrassed glances shared by my friends before Andy spoke up.
"We were wrong" he said simply. "We listened to the gossip and to one side of the story."
"It's cool guys, really." I said.
"Yeah, I was just messin' with you all" Tori said with a broad smile. "Well, that and looking out for my man" and she placed her hand possessively on my arm.
"So," I asked when we'd finished eating, "where are you guys headed next?"
"Probably just a couple of the bars around here – maybe to Cooperage to shoot some pool. How about you two?" Tim asked.
"Freddie's gonna wow the crowds at Karaoke Dokie" Tori teased me. I smiled back.
"Oh this I HAVE to see" said Andy. "Would it cramp your style if we came along?"
Tori and I exchanged looks but she said,
"Not really, some of my schoolmates will be there too so it's not like it would be just the two of us anyway."
So we made our way as a group to the Karaoke bar. The guys seemed rather confused when one of the patrons called Tori 'Louise' and asked if she would be singing tonight.
"Louise?" asked Joe.
I explained. "Two of Tori's friends got into an argument with the owner's daughter and her friend. They bet them that ANYBODY could sing better than Hayley and Tara could – and they picked what they thought was a no-hoper – 'Louise', who was Tori in disguise. A quite HIDEOUS disguise if truth be known." I smiled, thinking back to the photos I'd seen. "She ditched the disguise mid-song and brought the place to its feet with her singing." I turned to Tori, "I'm sure they'll be demanding you do 'Freak the Freak Out' tonight."
"Probably" she laughed.
"So why do all that?" Gary asked.
"To teach them a lesson" Tori supplied.
"Did they learn it?"
"Well they had to spend the evening with my sister, who'd just had her wisdom teeth removed, so I'm thinking yeah" she smirked.
"So what about you Benson? What are you singing?" Phil asked.
"I haven't given it much thought" I admitted.
Andy piped up. "$10 says you don't dare sing Number One by Ginger Fox."
I winced at the memory of the talentless diva, glanced at Tori, who looked a little horrified by the prospect, but turned to Andy with a smile and just said, "You're on."
I signed up and returned to the table as Beck, Jade, André, Cat and Robbie showed up, the latter still wielding his ludicrous puppet on his hand.
"Guys," Tori began, "PLEASE talk Freddie out of singing Number One tonight!"
"No way" said Jade, "this is gonna be the highlight of the night!"
Tori groaned and rested her forehead on the table.
"Go on Louise" I teased, "You need to sign up too." I turned to Jade. "Are you and Cat able to sing here now?"
"I'm signing up – so yes" said Jade simply and the two girls followed Tori to register their song choices.
All too soon I was called to the stage, and – to huge applause I might add – performed an adequate rendition of Ginger Fox's hit. Returning to the table I caught the look on Tori's face but as I sat down I simply commented,
"You may look away Tori, but you'd be surprised at what I'll do for $10!" as I held my hand out towards Andy. To my surprise all the guys pitched in and pressed bills into my hands, commenting that it was money well spent (I shudder to think how many of them filmed it) but I came away with $70 for my efforts. I waved the wad in Tori's direction and observed,
"Some lucky girl's going to get a good date out of this."
She smiled. "Suddenly I'm not embarrassed any more, and actually you were really good, considering the song choice."
"Maybe we'll pick something more suitable next time" I suggested.
The flirting was curtailed by Tori being called to the stage – under her own name this time – and, by popular demand, she did sing "Freak the Freak Out" again, once again bringing the house down and drawing particularly wild applause from my colleagues. Cat and Jade were next to sing, much to the annoyance of two girls who Tori informed me were Hayley and Tara. The rest of the evening was spent talking and an opportunity for the UCLA and Hollywood Arts crowds to socialise, bond a little and generally have fun. Sadly the evening came to an end slightly earlier than we'd have liked, Tori reminding us that she and Jade had another Saturday detention the next day, so they couldn't stay out too late. Tori and I kissed goodnight and I headed for campus with my friends while she left for home.