Hello Everybody! Once again thank you so much and enjoy! :0)
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Jade felt poised. She felt elegant. Beck always made her feel like this.
Beck lay beneath her, his eyelids half closed and breathing ragged breaths. She thrust her hips a little harder, just to hear his breathing spike. There was a certain pride that swelled inside of her whenever that happened. She leaned forward, her hair spilling onto his face as she pressed her lips to his. She opened her eyes a little, and saw that his were still closed. She didn't know why, but she was a little disheartened by it. She always wondered what she'd looked like through his eyes. She rocked her hips harder and kissed him again, feeling the catch in his throat when he finally finished.
Jade rolled off him, her breathing returning to normal as she wrapped herself in the sheet. She was still hot, but she wanted to put her clothes back on. She needed a cigarette, and she knew better than to smoke in the house.
"Where are you going?" Beck asked as she stood, but she just gave him a look. He should have already known. He sighed, turning away and getting himself dressed.
"I don't know why you hate it so much," Jade said, a little annoyed when she saw he was actually getting ready for bed. "You used to smoke, too."
"Yeah, well I don't anymore," Beck replied, pulling pajama pants over his boxers. Jade, surprised at herself, just turned and made her way out to the balcony. She didn't want to fight right now. Fighting after sex was always something she avoided actively. Even she, with her combative spirit, had to draw the line somewhere.
Lighting up, Jade inhaled and she couldn't help but smile. There was some truth in the saying that a cigarette after sex was satisfying. She glanced behind her and saw that Beck was already lying in his bed, arm draped over his eyes. Whenever he did that, it meant their night was drawing to a close and she would have to go soon. She thought back to the time when he still lived in the trailer in his parents' driveway, before they had both started getting the roles that had started their careers.
Jade had immediately moved out of her parents' house. It wasn't that she didn't love them, and they honestly hadn't been all that surprised. Jade had always been a loner. Beck was different though. He had made that little trailer his home, and Jade was convinced that if she hadn't kept bugging him, he probably still would have stayed there. The apartment itself was very plain. He had little bits of his personality in places; there were posters of classic movie actors and his CDs and books were awkwardly shoved onto different places on the shelves. He kept his notebooks where he wrote thoughts and scripts in a drawer by his bed, and his laptop on top of that. Other than that, the little apartment was basically bare. The stark white walls just seemed to close in, but that didn't bother Beck. A lot of things didn't bother Beck.
Jade walked back into his room and heard the soft, even breathing of sleep. She wanted to wake him up, and usually on other nights she would have. But she had to get going herself, seeing as she had to be on the set early again tomorrow. Her job was tiring, but she loved it and loved the role she was currently portraying. She kissed his lips softly and waited. He didn't wake up. This usually wasn't a surprise, but Beck had actually gone to bed sober this night. When alcohol wasn't coursing through his blood, Beck was usually a light sleeper.
Jade walked out, locking the door behind her, and started home. She knew Beck had been tired from work, but that didn't usually stop him from consuming some sort of elicit substance after he had stepped off the set. It wasn't that Beck didn't spend his nights sober, but Jade couldn't help but be surprised that he didn't choose the other option. He'd been choosing it a lot more over the past year.
Jade saw the streetlights pass over her little car in waves as she got on the ramp to the highway. Being in the Los Angeles area always guaranteed that she would never be alone on the roads, but tonight the cars were relatively light. It was the perfect atmosphere for a contemplative drive.
Beck loved acting, but everyone knew he wanted to be a director one day. He wanted nothing more than to bring the whole story, rather than the single actor, to life. She remembered when she had met him their freshman year, the way his eyes lit up when he talked about it. The drive that had first taken her in. She didn't even know how she had ended up his girlfriend, and despite her bitch attitude, it wasn't lost on her that she was lucky. She had a great guy, who looked enough past her attitude to get to know and even date her. They were so different, and maybe that's why sometimes she felt the insecurity roll off of her in waves. Unfortunately, it usually manifested in an attitude that was the cause of many fights. And yet, they had managed to make it through those things.
Jade didn't want to think about the future too much. She knew that she was still young, but she couldn't help but wonder about how she and Beck would turn out with time. She imagined their careers growing, and them growing together. She never told him that, but she did think about it. All the time.
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Tori had texted Andre to tell him she wouldn't be making it to their first class. He had immediately responded with "What's wrong?" She didn't answer, but had instead gotten ready for school deliberately slow, assuring that she would miss the class. Robbie and Cat had also sent concerned text messages when she didn't show up. Tori was never one to skip class, especially not her first one, because it was vocals. She had always been grateful that was how her Monday mornings began. It had always made the dreaded start of the school/work week a little more bearable. Tori had actually lost guest spots on certain TV shows because they would not accept her request to not work Monday mornings. Her stubbornness was famous among her peers.
Tori had made it to school in time for her dance class, and she dropped her bag angrily on the ground. The action had not gone unnoticed by her teacher, whom Tori had a love/hate relationship with. The class always started with the class dancing together, and then continued with either breaking into groups or performing individual pieces. The opening dance today was a slow, classical music beat. Tori was pissed; her mood wasn't meant to be synced up with the melody. She could usually dance, but her body was stiff with anger this morning. This didn't go unnoticed by her teacher, either. They had broken into group exercises, but just as class was ending Tori's teacher called out to her.
"Vega, why don't you do an individual dance for us?"
Tori glared daggers at her teacher, whose cool and solemn expression didn't falter. Making a point to sigh loudly, Tori came to the center of the class, raising her arms and getting ready for the music. When the it started, Tori was surprised. The music was an angry, sultry Latin beat. Tori raised an eyebrow at her professor, but the look in her eyes was clear. Dance.
Tori started to shuffle her feet, her body loosening with the angry vibrations of the music. In some way, she was grateful. She twirled, moved her hips, and stomped, the routine becoming easier and more natural as she went. Tori hoped her stress would fall off like a second skin, maybe transforming her back to her peaceful self.
She closed her eyes and thought of the night before. It had been bad. She had been having dreams. They didn't always come, but when they did, it was like watching a bad movie on repeat all night. These dreams were focusing on her breakup with Rider, and they were bombarding her to the point that she had woken up with a headache and crying. She had gone to the kitchen and as she poured herself a glass of water, she couldn't help but feel she somewhat deserved the sleepless night. She knew ignoring the issues wasn't good for her. Before Tori could delve any deeper into her thought process, however, she heard the front door open, followed by a loud crash.
Tori rushed to the doorway to find Trina face down on the floor, giggling to herself and barely moving. She reeked of alcohol, and as Tori bent down to help her sister, she noticed Trina's dress was unbuttoned and disheveled. She didn't look at her as she helped her to her feet. Trina leaned on her, the heels on her feet making her a good three inches taller than her little sister.
"Tori," she slurred, voice heavy with alcohol. "What are you doing up? It's so late. Don't you have to go to that big, fancy college of yours tomorrow?" Tori ignored Trina's comment and helped her to her room, sitting her on her bed and digging through drawers looking for a pair of sweat pants and a tank top to dress her in. Trina kicked off her heels, one of them colliding with a hard thud against one of Tori's calves. She winced, but continued on.
"You don't have to dress me," her sister told her indignantly. "I can dress myself."
"Be quiet, Trina," Tori said, as she removed her sister's earrings and necklace. Trina giggled, taking the necklace from her sister and twirling it between her fingers.
"Mr. Stewart liked this."
"Who's Mr. Stewart?" Tori asked, already dreading the answer.
"This producer I met when I was working on that movie last month," Trina slurred, raising her arms and allowing Tori to pull the dress off of her. She wasn't wearing underwear, and Tori went back to the drawers to look for a pair of those.
"He was so nice to me," Trina said, unhooking the bra she was wearing as Tori shoved a pair of underwear in her hands. "He took me out to dinner."
Tori turned and pretended to arrange things so that her sister could put her panties on.
"Did he?" Tori said, turning again and relieved to find that Trina had not only put on her underwear, but her tank top and pants as well.
"He did," Trina slurred, getting up and pulling a pack of cigarettes out of her purse. Tori led her to the balcony, bolstering her as they went. Even without the heels on, her sister could barely take two steps without stumbling. Tori lit her sister's cigarette and took one for herself, already feeling the stress building in her stomach. It was only when Trina had herself leaned against the balcony that Tori allowed herself to take a look at her sister's face. Her mascara and eyeliner were running, her pupils pinpricks. Her lipstick was smudged around her mouth and Tori noticed a cut on her lip as well.
"Trina, did he do anything to you?" Tori asked, a little worried about her sister's state. She would have been more worried if this hadn't been a repeat of so many nights in the past.
"He did something for me, alright," Trina said, giggling again and coughing. "I got a guest role on that show 'Blind Ties." Six episode contract. I'm so happy."
"Trina, how can you do this to yourself?" Tori asked, anger flaring. "You're so much better than that. You don't need to-"
"Oh look who's talking," Trina said, turning haphazardly to face her sister. Tori was taken aback. The anger blazing in her sister's eyes cooled Tori's own anger so quickly. "Don't you dare judge me, Ms. Tori, talent, full scholarship everyone loves me Vega! Just shut the fuck up."
"Trina-" Tori began, but her big sister cut her off again.
"You've never had to work hard. You sing one song one day and all of a sudden, talent scouts want you and you're living your dreams. You can even afford to be picky. Must be nice, not having to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Everyone thinks I followed you out here to try and make money off your fame. Because you were the one who was gonna be famous, the whole God damn time we were growing up. Well guess what? It's my dream too. You're not the only one who's gonna be famous."
"Trina," Tori said, her heart wrenching as her sister's confession settled in. "Please."
"Just shut the fuck up, Tori," Trina spat, throwing her half lit cigarette at her sister's hair. Tori ducked. "Ms. Righteous and wonderful. The golden angel with a chastity belt that she's too fucking scared to take off. No wonder Rider dumped you."
Tori slapped her before she could even register what she was doing. Trina quieted, holding her hand to her cheek. Both sisters said nothing for a long time. Finally, Tori broke the silence.
"I'm happy for you, getting that part and all," Tori said, her voice ice cold with anger. With that, she turned and went back inside, lying in her bed and just staring at the ceiling. She hadn't even heard Trina come back inside before she had dozed off.
Tori felt the music wind down, and with it she winded down her movements. When it stopped, she still kept her eyes closed. She could feel the thumping of her heartbeat as she fought to breathe normally. She opened her eyes, but kept them cast low. No one in her class said anything.
"Beautiful, Ms. Vega," her professor said, a cautious approach in her voice. "Very powerful." Suddenly, one lone person started clapping. Tori turned and was surprised to find Beck Oliver standing in the doorway, still clapping, as if he knew her personally. She locked eyes with him and immediately felt uncomfortable. His eyes were honest and open, probing even. And right now they were curious.
"Tori."
Tori thought that Beck had called her name, but it wasn't him. It took her a second to register that beside Beck stood Andre, Cat, and Robbie. How long had they been standing there? Andre cleared his throat to address her again.
"Hey Tor, look who decided to come to school today."
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"I can't believe we're sitting with a celebrity," Cat gushed, taking a bite of her sandwich. Beck rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile at the redhead.
"Cat, for the tenth time," Beck said gently. "I'm not a celebrity."
"Bullshit," Andre said, playfully punching his best friend in the arm.
"I have to agree, Beck," Robbie said, coming to sit beside Cat with a tray. "I saw the 'Playboy Diaries,' and you were really good."
"Thanks," Beck said, taking a sip of his soda through his straw.
Tori said nothing.
Beck felt, in some odd way, that she was mad at him. He knew logically that she couldn't be; they still hadn't officially said two words to each other. But she had refused to look at him since her dance class.
Beck showing up at school wasn't lost on the student body. A lot of people he had never met, and a few he had, had been coming up to him all day. There were so many questions he tried to answer, some he couldn't, and some he blatantly chose not to. He was so grateful to see Andre's familiar face appear in the crowd. He was even more grateful when his best friend grabbed him by the arm and ran, telling the crowd sorry but they were late for their class. Down the hallway and a slammed door later, Andre turned to his friend and smiled.
"You really know how to make an entrance, don't you, Mr. Hollywood?" Beck smiled, choosing to ignore the comment and take a seat. It was good to see some of his old friends, and soon the redhead and guy with the glasses Beck recognized from Andre's house came through the door, taking a seat on either side of him. He introduced himself, Cat gushing and Robbie stammering.
"We had class together before, right?" Beck asked Cat.
"Yes!" Cat squealed, starting to giggle. "I can't believe you remember me."
"It wasn't that long ago," Beck said, refraining from rolling his eyes. He looked over at Andre, and instead of finding his best friend following along with the playful conversation, saw a concerned furrow in his brow instead.
"What's wrong?" Beck asked.
"Tori's not coming to class." Beck didn't see this as a big deal, but then Cat gasped and Robbie's face changed to mirror Andre's concern.
"She never misses Vocals, though!" Cat said, immediately taking out her phone. No doubt she was sending her friend a text message. Beck turned and was surprised to find Robbie doing the same thing on his left.
"What's the big deal?" Beck asked, earning him an incredulous look from Cat. Beck raised an eyebrow at Andre.
"Tori never misses Vocals. Ever." The ominous tone in his friend's voice was interrupted by their professor coming in, surprised to see Beck there, herself. After quizzing him on how life had been so far, she finally started class, calling a student from the far end of the room to sing. Beck couldn't really pay attention though. The girl's voice was fine, but he couldn't help but wonder at the concern radiating from the three people around him. Once class ended, Cat jumped up.
"Tori's next class is dance. Let's go, Robbie!" And with that, the redhead grabbed her boyfriend and zoomed out of the classroom. Beck looked at Andre, wondering what they were going to do next. His best friend read his mind.
"Just follow her."
Beck and Andre walked at a slower pace, and Beck couldn't help but humor the fact that if Cat were a cartoon character, there would have been a line of smoke behind her.
"Is it really that big of a deal?" Beck asked. "The fact that Tori didn't come to class?"
"Tori never misses class unless she's on a job," Andre said, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder. "But the thing is, she NEVER misses vocals. She's lost parts on shows and advertisements because she doesn't miss it."
"Why's she do that?" Beck asked incredulously, never having heard of any student at HA giving up opportunities for their own classes. Andre shrugged.
"Tori's just special." The affection in Andre's voice didn't go unnoticed by Beck, but before he could ask him about it, he felt a tug on his arm. Looking down, he saw Cat.
"Come on!" she said, pulling both Beck and Andre by the hand. He couldn't believe this was the same girl who was shocked that he remembered her only an hour earlier. Robbie was already standing in front of the classroom door. Cat was pacing and anxious, and yet no one went to open the door. As he reached for the knob, Robbie grabbed his wrist to stop him.
"Uh, Beck," Robbie began, clearing his throat. "I know it's been a while, but just so you know, no one interrupts Kayla's class."
"Who?"
"The dance professor," Andre explained. "She'll bite your head off if you interrupt her class. We should just wait." So they did wait. Robbie and Cat sat together, writing and scribbling and then writing again in a notebook. Beck talked about his latest roles with Andre, but every once in a while Andre would disconnect from the conversation to start one of his own with Robbie and Cat. Watching them, Beck felt strangely isolated. They were all waiting here for one girl, just because she didn't come to her first class. Suddenly, Cat sat up and loudly clapped her hands.
"Tori's class should be done by now."
Beck slowly opened the door, the three others behind him. The class was starting towards the door and Beck saw the girl from the picture adjusting the strap on her black leotard.
"Tor-" Andre had started to call out, but a voice interrupted everyone and made the class turn.
"Vega, why don't you do an individual dance for us?" Beck watched with a raised eyebrow as Tori turned to stare at her teacher, not saying anything. After a moment and a long sigh, Tori made her way to the middle of the floor. A loud, angry beat started to pulse through the air. And after a moment, Tori started to move.
Beck watched her move, taking in the way she dipped her body and moved her hips. Tori's body started stiff but quickly turned into fluid, her arms and legs in sync with the music. Her hair was loose around her face, the dark brown locks flying in the breeze. She kept her eyes closed the whole time, and the pained look on her face drew him in. He had to force himself to take his eyes off her.
He knew he wasn't the only one. Glancing to his side, Beck saw his three friends watching her with a certain type of reverence. No one in the class was having any side conversations, and her teacher was watching intently. Tori didn't notice any of that though, her body becoming wilder with the climax of the music. And suddenly, it was winding down. She twirled, the hair falling away from her face so that everyone could see her. Then she stopped, head down. No one said anything. Beck heard a muted "wow," leave Robbie's mouth. The teacher was the first to break from the trance.
"Beautiful, Ms. Vega. Very powerful."
Beck started clapping, the sounds of his hands seeming to break everybody from their spell as well. He couldn't help but clap, seeing as the performance he had just witnessed really was beautiful. Tori turned wildly, as if someone had fired off a gunshot. That was when he met her eyes. They were brown, but he knew that from the picture. What he didn't know was the depth he would find. For a second, he thought he saw hurt in her eyes. But that was quickly replaced by indifference.
The indifference still hadn't faded as she slowly ate her French fries. Beck couldn't help but watch her, noticing that when addressed directly by one of her friends that her face changed from gloomy to bright, as if she was acting for their sakes. He wondered if anyone else had seen it. Deciding to break the ice, Beck cleared his throat and addressed her.
"That dance you did was really beautiful."
Tori looked up, her mouth forming a surprised O. It was as if she had completely forgotten he was there.
"Thank you," she said, the cheer in her voice feeling a little too forced. Cat, not picking up on this, cut in.
"It WAS!" Cat gushed, grabbing her friend's arm and squeezing. "Is that why you didn't come to vocals? Because you were practicing that dance?" Tori took a long sip of her soda before she answered Cat's question.
"No… just had some problems with Trina last night." Beck looked at her face, the way her eyes went downcast when she said this. He didn't know anything about this girl, but he knew that the story she was telling wasn't as nonchalant as she was conveying.
"She come home plastered again?" Andre asked.
"Something like that," Tori said, taking another bite of her French fries. Robbie sighed.
"Don't worry, Tori, I'm sure she's recovering well today. You know Trina."
"A little too well," Tori sighed.
"That's not all that's bothering you, is it?"
Tori's head shot up at Beck's question. She tilted her head, as if analyzing him. Truthfully, he was doing the same to her. He didn't even mean to ask the question aloud; it had honestly come out accidentally.
"Of course it is," Tori said, her smile a little to forced. "Why wouldn't it be?"
"It just doesn't seem like it," Beck said. He had honestly meant the comment well intentioned, but the look in Tori's eyes told him he had crossed a line. Andre shot him a confused look. It took Beck a second to realize that Andre hadn't seen through Tori's story. It wasn't a lie, but Beck could see something was wrong in her eyes. They were open eyes, the kind that told all.
"It just sounds like there's more to it."
"There's not," Tori said, slurping the rest of her soda up, the sound loud and obnoxious in the air. "Okay?" He just stared at her, and she at him. He had it a nerve. She kept eye contact, but Beck knew she would be the first to break it. He had no problem looking at her face, but he knew, somehow, that she was shaken by his astute observation. Finally, she turned her head away and started rummaging through her bag.
"We're gonna be late for Skiowitz's class," Tori said. "Come on, guys." Cat jumped up, followed by Robbie, and the three walked ahead. Andre shot Beck a look.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing," Beck said. He honestly hadn't. "I just asked a question."
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"Mr. Oliver, so nice to see you again!" Sikowitz said, coming forward to hug his student. Beck side stepped out of the way last minute, causing everyone to laugh, including Skiowitz. Tori made a point to take a seat and avoid the action.
"Well, as nice as it may be to see you, life goes on and so does class. Everyone to your seats. Except you, Mr. Oliver. Maybe you can start the class off with a little acting exercise?"
"Sure," Beck said, putting his bag down and heading to the front of the class.
"Excellent," Sikowitz said, clapping his hands together. "And where is your partner, Ms. Vega? She can do the honors of being the one to act opposite you."
Tori stiffened in her seat. She could feel the jealous stares of her classmates on her, but she didn't care. They could have her part.
"I'm okay, Mr. Sikowitz," Tori said. "Someone else can go."
"I said Ms. Vega and I will have Ms. Vega," Sikowitz said. "Now please come up here and grab this script." Tori thought about protesting again, but deciding against it, made her way to the front of the room and took the chair next to Beck. She felt him look at her, but didn't think she could handle looking at him. She couldn't forget his question from lunch, the look he gave her as he tried to dig deeper. He had no right to do that Sikowitz handed both her and Beck a script, then proceeded to hand the script out to the rest of the class.
"Everyone take ten minutes to read, and then we will watch these two act it out."
Tori looked down and recognized the scene from a play she had gone to see recently at a Latin Community Arts theater. It was a passionate argument between lovers, the woman trying to tell the man she knew they weren't meant for each other. Great.
"Okay, let's go," Sikowitz exclaimed. "From the top. Elena and Alejandro are outside of her house." Tori stood and so did Beck. Without even looking at him, Tori began to read.
"'Alejandro, what are you doing here?'"
"'I had to see you,'" Beck replied, stepping closer to her. Tori stepped back quickly.
"'You shouldn't have come. I told you that we have nothing more to offer each other.'"
"'The mouth you lie from is the same one I was kissing the other night, Elena,'" Beck said, his eyes looking hurt. Tori was impressed by how quickly he could get into character. She felt intimidated, and put her discomfort aside so as to get into character better, herself.
"'I am not for you, my love,'" Tori said, bringing herself closer to Beck, closing the big gap. The character of Elena was starting to radiate within her chest. "'I thought you told me you understood that.'"
"'I am not for you, and yet you call me love?" Beck said, bridging the gap even more. "'Elena, I only asked you for one thing and that was to believe in us. What has happened that you can't do that now?'"
Tori could feel the heat radiating from Beck's stare. It was powerful. She now understood why he was revered by the student body for his acting skills. She tucked her hair behind her ear and continued with her lines.
"'Alejandro, go home,'" she said, stepping forward and placing her hand on his cheek. Tori almost jumped back immediately, feeling a sudden shock as she touched his skin. Stupid static electricity. She put her hand down slowly, and Beck placed his hand where hers just was. Tori stepped back.
"'I'm not going anywhere,'" Beck said.
"'Well, then I will. Goodbye, Alejandro."
As Tori started to turn, she felt a powerful grip on her arm turn her back. Suddenly, she was slammed against Beck's body, her leg between his two as she struggled to keep herself steady. Beck seemed to be holding her up, his hands gripped tight on her arms. She was pressed against him, staring directly into his eyes.
Tori felt her cheeks flush and she didn't know if it was his heartbeat or her own that she was hearing in her ears. The look on his face was so intense.
"'Don't walk away from me, Elena,'" Beck said, his face so close to her own. "'I love you.'"
Tori stared, the magnitude of the line reverberating. His legs were warm against her own, and Tori vaguely wondered if she would fall if he let go. She didn't know how long they stayed like that.
Sikowitz's cleared his throat, a pointed reminder to continue. Tori broke the trance and Beck helped her steady as she pushed away from him. She felt like her whole body was on fire. Taking a second to breathe, Tori continued her lines, bringing forth her character of Elena's mindset and closing off the moment she just shared with Beck.
"'Alejandro,"' Tori said, making a point to look at the ground and not at Beck. "'I'm sorry. But I have to go now.'" And with that Tori turned to finish the scene, vaguely wondering if Beck would grab her again. He didn't, but as she walked back to her seat among her classmate's and Skiowitz's complements, she could have sworn she could still feel his eyes burning into her back.
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Thanks to everyone who continues to read and who reviews! I wanna wish everyone Happy Holidays and I hope to get another chapter out soon!