Second Guesses, Second Chances

Chapter 1

Jade

The first bell of the day rings, signifying the start of a new day at Hollywood Arts. I make my way to my first class, which is acting with Sikowitz. Out of all of my classes, this one's my favourite. I enter the classroom and sit down in my usual spot next to my boyfriend, Beck, who hands me a large cup of the only drink that will get me through the day. He tells me he loves me and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek, before settling back into his own chair. I close my eyes as I take a sip of my coffee, savouring the bittersweet taste and warmth it brings to my otherwise cold body, grateful for both its existence and the person who gave it to me.

Suddenly, I hear a sickly sweet voice greet me, the sound of a large, heavy purse hitting the floor as the source of that voice sits down next to me.

And to think this day was actually going to start off smoothly...

"Hey Beck! Hey Jade!" Tori Vega says "how're you guys doing on this fine morning?" She finishes her question with an annoyingly cheerily giggle before my boyfriend begins to respond to her. I keep my eyes closed, trying my best to hold onto the pure bliss my coffee brings me to no avail, as the sound of that prissy brunette keeps drilling its way into my head. I'd rather stick knives into my ears than listen to another second of her pointless yapping.

God, I hate Tori Vega. Ever since she began attending Hollywood Arts, all she's ever done is be a thorn in my side and nothing else. Sure, I'll admit the girl can sing, but other than that, she's just an irritant who refuses to go away. The way she acts all sweet and kind and caring to everyone disgusts me, as I know it's all an act to make people like her and feed into that ever-growing ego of hers. Everyone falls for her ruse, except for me. I seem to be the only person in this school who sees through her dirty tricks.

She's tried to befriend me on numerous occasions, but I swiftly shut her down each and every time. I've even gone out of my way to be extra cruel to her to show her that she means nothing to me, and that I won't feed into her lies. Even though I've done everything I can to put her in her place, Vega continues to keep coming back to me, trying to be my friend, and it disgusts me just how determined she is to make me fall for her tricks.

"What do you think, Jade?" My boyfriend's voice brings me back to earth, and I open my eyes to see both him and Vega looking at me, expectantly.

"I'm sorry, what?" I say, taking another sip of my coffee.

"Remember what Sikowitz said yesterday? He's gonna pair us up for a project today," Vega replies "We're just wondering who we'll get paired up with." I give her the best death glare I can muster.

"Was I asking you?" I snap. This doesn't seem to faze her, which only bothers me even more. Unlike everyone else, Vega doesn't have the sense to back down when I try to push her away.

"Jade, be nice," Beck says, putting his hand on my shoulder. Suddenly, the door to the classroom bursts open, and our teacher enters the room. He's got a coconut with a bendy straw sticking out of it in one hand, and what looks like a list in the other.

"Okie dokie class! Today, I'll be putting you into pairs for your next assignment," Mr. Sikowitz says, "You and your buddy will write a script for a 5-minute play and then perform said play in front of the class."

Okay, that sounds easy enough. It's just writing and acting. How hard could this assignment possibly be?

"And now for your partners," Sikowitz continues "Cat, you're with Beck. Andre, you go with Robbie..." he proceeds to read everyone's names from the sheet of paper in his hand. As he says each name, I try to guess who my partner will be, my chest sinking further and further as more names are mentioned but not paired with mine. Eventually, there's only one name left for him to read, and I can already feel my simmering rage slowly turning into a full, rolling boil.