Disclaimer: I don't own. Also, got lazy, and didn't do an edit.
:}
Ryder Daniels hated very few people in his life. Sure, Tori Vega humiliated him in front of the whole school, made him make up the grade she was supposed to guarantee him. At the time, he did hate her, and the other main people of her grade. Only, as he got into collage, that one indecent caused him to stop relying on his looks and charm, and start working. In fact, his scholarship was entirely because he had to prove to his parents that he could put in the work, make it. So, hate was a strong word. He disliked them, and some of them, he respected. However, that didn't mean there weren't guys out there who he saw a good deal of the old him in, and for reasons he hadn't been able to understand, he tended to dislike them.
Steven Carson, however, that was a guy he could hate.
As shallow as Ryder had been, using girls for grades, at least he respected what those girls could do. Ryder had learned to respect talent, and a part of his game was accepting that each girl is unique, special. Sure, he hated that part of them, their special, talented, parts that he wanted to use. He hated that part of them, of himself, to the point where he often fantasized about being gay. It would make his life easier. At least he knew how to be friends with guys.
So here he was, waiting to meet up with the other member of the "We hate Tori Vega" society, and he knew that meant Steven Carson, the slug who wanted multiple girlfriends, not caring about what any of those girls wanted. And Steven had always wanted the best. Like Tori Vega, or that internet girl, Carly Shay.
"We sure he's coming?" He asked Fawn Lebiwitz. The brunet had come a long, long way from when she blamed Tori for her being kicked out of Hollywood arts. Ryder liked to think it was one of the few good things he'd done, agreeing to date the obviously crazy girl. He liked to think that, by helping her have stability, helping her see her own value, and helping her see that she could succeed on her own, if she just accepted she was weird, then he'd have helped make up for some of the bad he'd done. He believed he was partially responsible for her own personal growth.
The truth was, he asked her out, put up with her crazy, because Steven was taking an unhealthy liking to her. Something about her resemblance to Samantha Puckett. Ryder wasn't sure what, not at the time, and now he no longer cared, because his machinations had produced a quirky, funny girl with a genuine caring that complimented her almost crazy creativity. Fawn had developed into a keeper, to the point where Ryder had done something with her none of his previous conquests had ever achieved. He'd introduced her to his mother. 'Not that Fawn deserved that, but I did want her to know how special I feel she's become. It also made these meetings more tolerable.'
Hayley Ferguson and Tara Ganz made their way to where he was sitting. "So, Steven here yet?" The dark hared one, Hayley, asked. The disdain she felt reflected in her voice at the mere mention of Stevens name. The two mean girls had ruled Karaoke Dokie before they'd run into the Hollywood Arts gang, and Ryder had assumed they'd hate him like they did the others. Instead, they'd been neutral the hot Hollywood Arts alum, and really had no opinion on anyone else in their group, up until Steven dated them both, behind each others back. Oddly, it was Fawn finding the old video, from iCarly, where he was called out as a two timer, that shifted their dislike from each other back to Steven.
"Nope." Fawn said. "We sure he's coming?"
Mrs Lee walked over to say hi, and make sure they gave their orders. She disliked the Hollywood Arts main people as much as anyone, but had other ways of dealing with her dislike. Wasting time in a group that hated one member was, to her, bad business. However, she was willing to give them a small discount, on certain items, when they ordered a total of thirty five dollars or more in food and beverages. "So, that nice Steven hasn't arrived yet?" She inquired. She liked him, as long as he stayed away from her daughter.
"Should be here soon." Ryder said. Mrs Lee just drifted off to see what her other customers were needing.
"Probably out looking for others who hate Tori as much as we used to." Hayley noted.
"You'd think there would be more like us." Tara echoed. "I mean, how many people did they wazz off in their little misadventures?"
"Some people can't risk joining any hate groups." Fawn said. "Like Dale Squires. He'd join, man had plenty of reason to, except his fiance gets angry when he thinks about it."
"Kendra gets jealous like that." Tara said.
"Plus, she is Andre Harris's cousin." Ryder added.
"What about Chris Burm?" Hayley asked.
"In prison for that one gag where he blew up that stuffed toy and injured three kids from that choir." Fawn said. "He claimed the squib was harmless, not thinking about the fact that he was using an explosive. I mean, he once blew up his own chair, hurling himself up into the air. That was more dangerous then he'd expected. Man took risks, and if you're not willing to pay the price…"
"And the plastic eyes on that stuffy became projectiles… Not a good plan." Ryder finished up, smiling at his girl.
Just then, Steven walked in, looking smug. "I decided to reach out to an unlikely potential, and so I've been in contact with Jade West."
"Betting that blows up in his face." Hayley said to Tara.
"Not taking that bet." Tara replied.
"Okay, so you're reaching out to someone who was in on the humiliation I went through?" Ryder asked. "I know she wasn't involved in yours, but she was the instigator of what Hayley and Tara endured…"
"We're over it." Hayley said. "In fact, we're over a lot of this garbage. The only reason we keep coming to these meetings is because it's become a sort of self help group, helping us get over our lack of talent. Plus, Ryder there has helped us sing better, so we legitimately win some of our contests. Not all, too many amazing singers, but some."
"You forgot about Hope." Tara added. "She's been a really good friend, once we got past the whole spoiled bitch part. I like hanging with her at Karaoke Dokie, because sometimes acts from her daddies label show up, and rock the house."
"Plus, she's always willing to pay." fawn added.
"Not on point." Hayley rolled her eyes at her best friend. "The point is, we've all moved on, let go of our dislike, while you're still holding on."
"I get it, they humiliated you on line, in front of potentially millions of people." Fawn added. "But I think there's more to it then just that."
"He doesn't think much of women." Ryder said. "Lord knows I didn't, before I was introduced to this bevy of strong, confident women. Look, Steven, we're not friends. Frankly, you're a jerk. But I will tell you, let it go, because my spy at Hollywood Arts…"
"His half sister is going there." Fawn said. "Plays clarinet. She's really, really good….."
"But according to my spy, they're really tight now. Close friends even." Ryder finished.
"Sometimes, I just want to sneak onto that campus, wait for Tori and Jade to get into it, and yell 'Get a room!' Think they'd get the hint?" Tara asked her friend.
"Wait, what now?" Steven looked confused.
"Tara thinks they're hot for each other." Hayley said. "I doubt they'd do anything about it as long as Beck with the good hair is in the picture. Too bad, I could so rock his world."
"I'd like to give that Andre a try." Tara added.
"Betting you would." Fawn smirked at the girls, a bond showing to Ryder he'd have missed just a few years prior.
'They've come a long, long way…' He thought.
"I just thought, given how much Victoria has taken from her, Jade would jump at the chance." Steven said. "She seemed interested. Besides, I know her type, can wrap her around my little finger."
"Man, I so want to let him try." Ryder said to Fawn.
"I don't know much about Jade." Fawn said. "She loved my evil Tori doll, but spent her time plotting some kind of revenge on her best friend for taking her eyebrows. Other than that, we didn't interact." Her face looked to Steven. "But a girl willing to shave her best friends hair, even in mock, cause she really didn't, that girl is way more frightening them even I'm willing to deal with right now. I'm good. Smart and capable and I know how to convert the soda machine into a hiding place, but some of the things she comes up with, from what my spy says…"
"She talks to Kelly." Ryder shrugged. "My half sister."
"I just think we need to focus more on the purpose of this group…" Steven started.
"And for once, I agree with you." Ryder said. "Only, I think, while the hate brought us together, we're more than the sum of our dislikes for Tori Vega. Like, Fawn has grown so much…"
"Halving a sick Trina kick my ass from one side of the street to the other was a good indication I wasn't the tough girl I thought I was." Fawn said. "But I'm cute, and feisty, and I enjoy my life now that I've learned to use my weird constructively."
"And we gained more from this group that any revenge." Hayley said. "Like, we have friends, and sometimes get to hang out at RPX…."
"And why is it Hope doesn't hang with us any more?" Steven asked.
"Easy." Tara perked up. "She's a recovering self centered bitch who never hated Tori so much as hated Andre, which is sad, because sometimes I think about maybe having his baby. You know, in a casual kind of way. But, because she never had anything personally against Tori, and has been learning how to keep friends without buying them, she's not invested in that much of this group. Honestly, she stopped because…"
"You were going to say because she wasn't getting anything from it, right?" Ryder cut in. "But if we're honest, she stopped attending about the time she stepped in and saved you two's friendship." His eyes turned to Steven. "Honestly, you make a lot of drama. I think you even like it. Me, I'm done with that drama, have a perfectly good girlfriend, getting good grades at school, and I don't need to hide my relationships from anyone."
"Sorry, but your mom's a bitch." Tara blurted.
"Which is why I was reluctant to introduce Fawn here to her." Ryder said without blinking. "But back to the point. Steven, you just don't think much of women, other than conquests you can trick into believing you're the only one. Yes, lots of men make bank these days selling how they work that game. But a lot of women, girls and older, are not happy with the results. They okay with sharing, thats one thing. But you want to love bomb them, get them off guard, and then what? What happens hen just having multiple girlfriends isn't enough."
"It could be." Fawn said. "Boy could become a pilot, have girlfriends in multiple cities. Only, sooner or later, things run into each other, and we have a problem."
"I think the point is, we put up with you for the sake of the group." Hayley said. "But the group's moved on. We're done with making Tori Vega the center of our lives. The result, we have lives, and have fun. No, I could hate you for what you did to me and Tara, except I have to accept I knew the kind of guy you were, and still fell for it. Doesn't mean I like it, but I refuse to let anyone dominate my life like that again."
"So, we doing this?" Tara was smiling a huge smile, her hands shaking with anticipation.
"It's time." Fawn said. "Steven, we've put up with you because we were hoping that, once you grew up a bit, we'd see someone better under the surface. We were wrong. Still, when we say we don't want you around us any more, what we're saying is, this is a group of friends now, and cannot be about hating anyone."
Ryder was catching up quickly. "So the clubs gone? Gonna miss those occasional discounts when we spend thirty five dollars or more, but that's the price we pay to be better people."
Steven Carson stood up and started, glaring at the betrayal he'd felt from this gathering. "At least I have Jade…"
"No, she's playing you, cause I think, she never needed anyone before, so why start now?" Ryder said.
"Because she needs to move on, break up from beck and start her true life romancing Tori." Tara said.
Ryder watched the girls get lost in this new conversation as Steven made his exit. No, Ryder didn't hate many people. But he did hate Steven, simply because that was what he could have become, had he not found a better way.
:}
Okay, that was something I wrote, and it's different enough. Thoughts?