Final Project recap: As a final project before graduating from Hollywood Arts, all the students were assigned a different country to study their culture and art style to then take back as a presentation. All of our main cast got split up, except for Tori and Beck, who both got chosen to go to Japan. Though they still had lingering feelings for each other, Tori was dating Andre and Beck was dating Jade, so they assured everyone that nothing would happen in Japan. Until it did. Tori and Beck started an illicit affair that they both wanted and yet didn't. They knew it was wrong, but all their past "what if's" wouldn't escape them. Beck knew he wanted to break up with Jade and used his relationship with Tori as a springing board, but Tori's relationship with Andre was a lot more nuanced, and not as volatile as Beck and Jade's. This made choosing harder on her and it left her feeling a lot of regrets with the way things happened and turned out. Hurt that Tori would betray him like she did, Andre left at graduation to begin his solo music career. Jade also didn't want anything to do with Beck and Tori anymore, and the strain on the friend group caused Cat to leave as well. Beck didn't get accepted into Tori's college (NYCDA), and though he still wanted to go to New York with her, Tori didn't want him to throw away his life, thus leaving him behind. Tori was doing well in NY, though was still sad about how things ended up with Andre and Beck. But as she raced back to her apartment to call Beck, he was there waiting for her, telling her that he got a leading role in an upcoming TV show that would be filming in NYC. Tori was happy to see him, but she still had a lot of lingering feelings she needed to work through.
Melodious Endgame will take place about twelve years later and will show a lot of flashbacks about what went down during those years. This will be a story about regrets, forgiveness, and finding love again. ~This will be a Tandre story~ so if you want this tale to end with Bori, please simply consider the epilogue of Final Project as the end. For those of you that didn't read Final Project because you're a Tandre shipper, then I hope the recap above will suffice in getting you up to speed on Melodious Endgame. I will also be explaining a lot of where each character is in life now, so who they were in Final Project will not be the same them now (it has been over a decade after all). So with that, thanks for checking this one out, and happy reading!
~Enula
Melodious Endgame
Prologue
"Worked through every storm, kept my dreams in sight. Now I'm shining bright, yeah I'm doing allllriiigghhht-!"
"I'm on top of the world! Nothing can stop me now! Breaking all the records, showing them all how! This-"
Tori Vega danced, bounced, and ran around the stage as she felt the music course through her veins. All the bright lights were on her, and though this was not her first big concert, she still often found herself becoming breathless near the end of this particular song. It got her fans so pumped up that their energy flowed into her. But she knew her audience had her back. She walked briskly around the outside of the stage and held the microphone toward the crowd.
"…is my moment, this is my time to shiiine! Everything I ever wanted, now it's all miiinne! On top, on top! On top, on top!"
She brought the mic back to her lips and chanted the two words over and over with the thousands of people she could hardly see, making her way back to the middle of the stage.
When the song came to its end, she screamed a loud "Thank you, Los Angeles!" as the audience screamed and applauded as loud as they could. Tori waved both of her arms, the adrenaline still pumping through her body. She turned to head backstage, the roar of the crowd only slightly muffled.
"Great show, Tori!" her manager, Emily, said as soon as she ran up to her. A couple of assistants also came rushing over to take the mic and other wires off Tori. They handed her a lightly lavender scented cool towel (her favorite) to wipe away the sweat that continued to pool from her face.
"Thanks, Em," Tori breathed out, heading straight to her dressing room with Emily close behind. It was only when she was behind the closed door that she took out her earplugs, then took small sips of water from the water bottle that was on her vanity. Then, deep breaths in, deep breaths out.
"All good?" Emily asked, sitting down on the couch a few feet from Tori. There were already a lot of binders resting on the cushion next to her.
Tori nodded, smiling big, "I can't believe this was the last show of the tour. Feels like we just started!"
"That was a lot for six months," Emily reminded her, and Tori saw her glance at the binders on the couch, "And you can rest for a few days, celebrate the success. But we're going to have to—."
"Yeah, yeah, I know...start thinking about the next album." Tori rolled her eyes but also kept her smile on. She hired Emily years ago because she had a tenacity that was hard to come by, and Tori swore the girl never slept. If she wasn't right next to Tori egging her on, she was at the studio planning their next moves. Tori forced her to take some time off before, but then Emily took it upon herself to take some managerial classes to get better at her job when she returned. She was a blessing, but also quite exhausting.
"The company thinks the next album should have a different sound to it. Past album sales are fine, but with a new era of singers like you gaining popularity, we think it'll be good to get ahead of the game and come up with music that'll make you stand out again. You already have such a huge loyal fanbase that we know will follow you no matter what, now let's try to target a bigger audience."
Tori understood what was being asked of her, but it just felt like a lot at the moment, especially as she was still riding on the high of her concert. She plopped down on an egg chair that was in the corner, also reaching for her phone that had been lying on the dresser for the past couple of hours. She had two messages.
Mom: Call me tonight if you can! Love you!
Tori smiled, knowing that her mom knew she wouldn't call until tomorrow. Her concerts usually didn't end until between 11:30pm and midnight west coast time.
The second message was not a huge surprise, but it still made her heart skip a beat.
Andre: Congrats on another completed tour!
It was a little much to say that Tori and Andre kept in touch over the twelve years since high school, but they both still knew when each of them accomplished something big and took the time to send a congratulatory text. It started the autumn after high school, when Tori first saw Andre's very first music video and knew he got signed to a great record label. It took all the courage she had to send it, but she was glad she did. She found herself scrolling up through the texts between the two of them. Sadly, she didn't have to scroll too far.
Tori: Congratulations on the record deal and the music video!
She remembered wanting to also tell him that it was her new favorite song, but ultimately decided against it. Things were still strained between them, if it could even be called that. The last time they spoke was the night of graduation when he abruptly left without even saying goodbye. Not that she deserved a goodbye.
It took him two days to text back:
Andre: Thanks, Tori
It wasn't much, but it made her day. And it was this text, she believed, that completely upended her personal life (…again). But before she had any time to reminisce about it, the sound of snapping fingers brought her back to the present.
"Toriii, you listening to me?" Emily didn't even look annoyed; she was used to Tori zoning out after big events. Honestly, Emily didn't even know why she tried to talk to Tori about important things during these times, but she just got so excited about the prospect of the next big thing that she couldn't help herself.
Emily only just turned twenty-five, but her work ethic got her to where she was now and she loved everything about it. She was a planner and a doer from as far back as she could remember, so the constant go-go-go that came with being an artist's manager was her dream job come true.
And even though Tori was almost thirty-one, her mixture of work-hard play-hard attitude balanced well with Emily's personality, and it made her look up to Tori but also want to look after her.
"Sorry, Em, I'm trying," Tori said, followed by an overexaggerated yawn that made Emily roll her eyes. She knew Tori wasn't tired yet.
"We're going to have to get at least twelve songs for the new album. I feel like we outgrew a few of the songwriters you worked with in the past and, well, the songs you solo wrote never did quite as good as we need them to be."
Tori smiled despite the insult, "I'm so glad you're not blunt," she said sarcastically, "might hurt my feelings."
Emily knew Tori enough to know that she was joking (for the most part. Emily's to-the-point comments sometimes did sting a bit, but the truth hurt sometimes). "Yeah, so, I think our number one priority is finding a songwriter or two you can vibe with and can get us to the new sound we want for the album."
Tori was in the middle of crossing her legs on the egg chair when she froze. They needed to find a songwriter? One that she would vibe with over the next year or so to help her get to the next stage in her career?
Emily took out her phone and started scrolling, "I have some contacts that we can reach out to in the next few days to see if they're willing t—."
"Wait, Emily," Tori's heart was thumping in her chest, and she had to stand up to make sure her legs still worked, "I happen to know the best songwriter in the world."
Her manager raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously, "Oh yeah? And where has this person been your whole life?"
"Working on his own music. I—," Tori paused for a moment, debating on how much to say, "knew him in high school."
"Okay…well, what's his name and I can start making phone calls to see about willingness and availability."
"Umm…actually…" Tori wringed her hands together, but her phone was still in her hand, and it felt slippery with sweat, "Do you mind if I reach out to him first? We…haven't really talked in years and I don't want him to hear about this through managers."
Emily shrugged, and Tori was thankful she didn't notice her anxiety, "Sure, personal connections might be in our best interest. I'll still keep a couple people on speed dial in case this guy doesn't come through."
"Thanks…" Tori droned out, looking down at her phone that still had Andre's text messages on the screen. She hoped her mom wouldn't mind that she wouldn't be the first person she would be calling after her concert this time.
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Hello, and thank you for reading! This sequel is taking place eleven years after I finished Final Project, because it wouldn't stop eating away at me, even after all this time. If you're here because of Final Project, just know that this will have a completely different feel to it. If you're here because this new story caught your eye, then welcome to my brain.
~Enula