A/N: This chapter was fun to write but I cannot wait to show you what comes after!

My apologies for this chapter being way shorter than average...

This week was busier than most, so maybe I will have the next installment out this weekend.


Lauren and Luisa were working on a very serious scene. In the story, Lisa wakes up in the middle of the night to find Maria attempting to hang herself. But the girl tearfully rips at the hastily made noose as they're not allowed to have anything sharp. In the show, there would be a small platform hidden from the audience's view to simulate Maria's suicide attempt. Since they weren't working on the actual set (still under construction) the girls improvised using a chair.

Luisa stood on it, wearing a red scarf, while Lauren tugged at the garment which served as the stand-in for the bed sheet rolled into a rope. They rehearsed the catching part of the scene, building up trust between them like a morbid team building exercise. Lauren guided Luisa's limp form to the floor. She pantomimed performing CPR on her and Luisa opened her eyes in a coughing fit.

The girls locked eyes, both out of breath from the intensity of what happened. Luisa in character cried into the arms of Lauren's character, stroking her hair to try and calm her down. This was the pivotal moment in the story where the two unwitting roommates become close friends. In the following scene, Lisa promises Maria not to rat her out so that she is spared from being put under psych watch. But Lisa will tell on her if she doesn't talk to her and otherwise allow her to share her feelings so that she's not tempted to try this ever again.

"Wow!" Lauren sighed, fanning herself. "Seeing you cry is starting to make me cry."

"Great, use it for the scene!" Luisa laughed.

The girls took a much-needed break after that intense scene.

"I'm all sweaty," frowned Lauren. "I knew there would probably be dancing but I didn't think this was going to be this physical!"

"But what do you think so far?" she asked.

Lauren wiped her brow and grabbed a water.

"I'm having a lot of fun. And you?"

"Well..." Luisa strained as she stretched. "Let's just say I am now."

Because of how the actors were paired up for rehearsals, Luisa began working alongside Vanessa Hiller for the scenes with Lisa. First off, her attitude sucked! She was impatient and quick to anger when something went wrong and they had to back up and try again. Vanessa ignored Luisa's experience in acting and would talk very condescending toward her like she was a little kid. On top of that, her performance was sub par and she wasn't open to ANY constructive criticism.

She had an okay voice, serviceable. But the actual acting left something to be desired. Luisa felt she had to carry her in the scenes they worked on together, like Vanessa knew her lines and her marks and that was about it. She could play the part, but Vanessa wasn't engaging. Stark contrast to Lauren. Her portrayal of Lisa was filled with warmth and humility; you could see an audience rooting for her. Luisa enjoyed her time with Lauren much more and could see them as friends outside the show. Lauren felt the same sentiment.


Chase entered the theater and was already a bit turned around. Since he had only been there once, he didn't have the layout committed to memory. There were clusters of actors going over their lines with hints of singing here and there.

He had returned to L.A. the other day and was hoping to surprise Lauren and spend some time after she wrapped up for the day. If Chase was lucky, he might sneak a peek at his girlfriend acting. The premiere was weeks away and he was curious about the production and how Lauren was coming along.

But first, he had to find her.

"Um, excuse me?" he asked a girl leaning against the brick wall by herself.

"What do you-" Vanessa's words stopped when she gandered at the boy. "What can I do for you?" she quickly course corrected.

He brushed back his hair and cleared his throat.

"I was hoping you could help me...I'm...do you know Lauren Jackson?"

Vanessa's face turned sour.

"Yeah...I've heard of her," she huffed.

"I was looking for her and..."

The girl with the devilish grin took him by the wrist and led him with determination away from the others.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"It's too noisy here," Vanessa said. "Bet I know where she's at."

(You took my part, I take away something of yours!)

Vanessa escorted him to a dimly-lit area just off to the side of the curtain controls. On opening night, this area would be properly illuminated but right now it felt like standing outside at night. He quick saw that she wasn't around.

"Um, sorry, I didn't catch your name. Haven't met her new friends yet..."

She rolled her eyes at the conceit that her and Lauren were friends but switched gears to be the seductress.

"It's Vanessa..." she softly stated, hitting the "s" sounds to where she sounded like a snake. "And you are...?"

He looked around, getting a bad vibe.

"Chase..." he replied automatically. "I don't think Lauren's here..."

The tall boy practically jumped when she pretended to fall and landed in him arms. Deliberate or not, his instinct was to not let the girl potentially fall and hit her head. Vanessa chuckled as she stroked his arms. Chase tensed up and sternly helped her to her feet, relieved that she complied. The sooner he got out of this the better.

"Okay, look, I don't know what your deal is but I need to find..."

Without looking, Chase's right foot tripped over his left and the teen spun around, crashing through the curtains. When he landed, Chase was in full view of just about everyone. Lauren gasped at the surprise of Chase showing up and his less than stellar entrance.

"Oh, my god, Chase!"

"Found you," he sighed with a half smile.

The singer rushed over to her boyfriend who was in the process of getting back up. Some were whispering about the unfamiliar face who "crashed" the party. That was when Vanessa emerged from behind the curtain, shooting her best smarmy expression at Lauren. Her attention then focused on Chase, whom she was about to put her hands on a second time.

"HEY!"

Everyone turned to around to see where that was coming from, and they were flabbergasted to see it was the sweet and unassuming Lauren. She had fire in her eyes and it was startling to the uninitiated.

"Oh, no!" pouted Vanessa. "And we thought we'd be alone."

Her face softened at Chase and then went back to pissed off when looking toward Vanessa.

"Cut the shit, Vanessa! I'm not an idiot."

Chase used the distraction to slide away from her and swiftly joined his girlfriend's side.

"Missed you, babe" he whispered leaning in.

"Later," she whispered back.

Lauren then stepped forward, pointing squarely at Vanessa.

"What was this...to get a rise out of me?" she asked the mean girl. "My boyfriend would never..."

Vanessa scoffed and crossed her arms defiantly.

"Oh, you know he would once he sees what I had to offer."

(Oh, this bitch!)

"Now you listen to me, little miss vanity! I have HAD IT with your shitty attitude! From the moment we met, you were insufferable. I tried to make it work; we all tried to roll with..." she gestured with her hand. "ALL of this! We gave and we gave while you gave us nothing in return!"

"You can't talk to me like..."

"SHUT! UP!"

Those two words rang out across the backstage, making half turn to them with fascination or turn away with fear. Lauren wasn't one to raise her voice, except when she was singing, so everyone's butt tightened when the soft spoken girl ran out of fucks to give.

"We're a team, Vanessa!" huffed Lauren. "We all have a part to play...literally. If you got the role, and I was the understudy, I would work my ass off because everyone is counting on me as a backup. Instead of you seeing the importance of your place, you'd rather make everyone else miserable. Well, I've got news for you, girly and the headline is: Respect's earned, not given!"

Vanessa scanned the room and was turning red at how all eyes were on her and nobody was saying much in defense of her character.

"What matters is the show, Vanessa. Xander Tundra picked all of us to bring it to life! We are taking this responsibility seriously and so should you! So, quit trying to hover above us, come on down and show your fellow actors some damn respect, and maybe you might make a friend along the way. I don't give a damn if you're Meryl Streep or Angela Bassett; nobody wants to work with a total bitch. You want to become an actress? You need to learn how to treat others better!"

The little diva grumbled as she stormed away, totally humiliated. That made some of the cast clap for Lauren's dressing down of Vanessa. Chase hugged her, which brought the girl's blood pressure down considerably. Luisa and Matt gathered around Lauren, eyes wide.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Matt. "Where was this the whole time?"

"I thought She-Hulk was supposed to turn green and get bigger when she came out," grinned the Latina.

Lauren couldn't help but chuckle, especially as Chase's hands instinctively started massaging her shoulders. Her posture melted in pleasure from the relief.

(Thanks, babe. I needed this!)

"I see you guys haven't met angry Lauren before," smirked Chase. "People assume that this angel never gets mad. That her joy has no bottom. They forget about it, but it is there. And heaven help you when she reaches her limit!"

"Ah, so you experienced it first hand?" Luisa mused.

Chase leaned his chin on the top of Lauren's head.

"You could say that."

"This is Chase," sighed Lauren. "He's my boyfriend."

Matt folded his arms.

"Well, duh! Don't think you would've snapped at Vanessa like that if you were just pals!"

"Sorry, who are you guys?" asked Chase.

"I'm Matt!"

"And I'm Luisa. We're Lauren's co-stars."

Matt put his arm around Luisa.

"We're kind of a big deal," he grunted with an exaggerated stoic voice.

Chase smiled.

"It's nice to meet you both. I'm glad she's found some friends here."

"Not that it's hard...she's awesome," quipped Luisa.

The tall boy hugged Lauren tightly, planting a kiss on the side of her head which made her giggle.

"I don't need to be told that!"


Lauren and Chase were hanging outside after rehearsal had let out and her new friends had dispersed.

"Oh, my God!" exclaimed Lauren, putting a hand on his arm. "I still can't process that you were in a tornado!"

"Not like inside but, yeah..." he chuckled. "That was...probably the most scared I've ever been."

She recognized that look. It was the same face Chase had the night at the hospital when he found Mia. Lauren hugged him.

"All I could think of...was getting back home. Then when I saw that kid...everything changed and it was about keeping him safe."

Chase's breathing was slow and long. Having her nearby was a comfort. He didn't know what he would do if memories of that day came back when he was by himself. Chase needed another person to give him that physical assurance that everything was alright.

"Someone had an angel looking out for him," she sighed.

"I guess I did, huh?"

Lauren smiled up at him, finding it amusing that he didn't quite get what she was saying. Chase thought she meant someone was watching out for him. But she was actually implying that he was the guardian angel for that boy. He's alive because of him.

She looked up at him with adoration.

"What?" asked Chase.

"Nothing," Lauren replied before kissing him.


A/N: I'm in that weird funk as we're coming toward the end of this story mixed with the excitement of starting the next one.