Beverly Hills: Season 5

Season 5, Episode 2: After All

~~~(Forget You by Edei)~~~
   Alice struts down the runway at LA Models, pursing her lips as the two large fans in front of her blow her hair back, opening up her long gown that has a slit up the right side. The dress is silver and shows off a large amount of cleavage but Alice doesn't mind. She keeps her shoulders straight and her steps straight and even. The audience is empty since this is only a dress rehearsal but she still wants to look her best. Her dad didn't pay all that money to get her into this agency for nothing.
   "Great job, Alice." One of the coordinators claps her hands together offstage, a clipboard pressed against her flat chest.
   Alice shoots the coordinator a pose, putting her hand on her hip and spreading her feet apart. She waits several seconds before spinning around and heading back up the runway. She knows that some of the other models here hate her already for basically running the show but she doesn't care. She's only here for herself and that's it. She's not worried about any of these other bitches.

   That same Saturday morning, Anna sits across from her dad's girlfriend's daughter, Meg McKay at the patio table behind her house. The sun is shining down on the blue water in the pool and the rest of their family are all settled at the table with the two of them, breakfast waiting to be eaten throughout the middle. Even though Anna and Meg's affair was exposed last year, doesn't mean no one has moved passed it. Mr. Adams and Natalie still think believe their daughters aren't fooling around, along with Josh, Eli, and Bethany- their siblings. Anna is completely okay with going back to her old ways with Meg. Sneaking around isn't the best form of romantic but they're making it work for the time being.
   Meg reaches for the last cinnamon roll that Anna reaches for, as rehearsed. "Um, excuse you."
   "Excuse YOU." Anna looks back at Meg's pasty white skin and red hair. She tries her hardest not to smile at her beauty.
   "I reached for it first." Meg tells her.
   "And I reached for it second." Anna blinks, feeling the eyes of their siblings on them now. "What does it matter?"
   "It matters because it's polite to let the person who reached for it first have it." Meg grabs one side of the cinnamon roll.
   Anna grabs the other side. "In case you've forgotten, you're at my house. Be a polite guest, would you?"
   "Be a polite host." Meg pulls her side of the cinnamon roll so that it tears in half.
   "I didn't 'want half of it one." Anna whines, throwing her half at Meg. "I wanted the whole thing!"
   "Anna!" Her father says from next to her. "What is the matter with you?"
   "SHE'S the matter with me!" Anna pretends, trying her best not to just burst out in laughter. "Does she HAVE to have EVERY single meal with us? Can't they afford food of their own?"
   "That's incredibly rude." Natalie speaks up, her hand on her own daughter's shoulder.
   "She didn't mean it." Adam quickly tells his girlfriend, scratching the back of his head. "Sit down."
   "Can I be excused?" Meg stands up from the table, some white glaze from the roll dripping from her long red hair.
   "Please." Anna gestures to the double doors leading into her kitchen. Meg storms away from the table as Anna takes her seat, satisfied with their performance to trick their families in order to get them to believe that there's nothing going on between them anymore. If any of them knew the truth about them again, Meg will once again be taken from her. And Anna has no intention of going back down that road again.
~~~(END SONG)~~~

   On Monday at school, JC walks down the hallway after shutting the door to her locker. She catches a few of the students on either side of the hall staring at her but she's almost used to it by now. The entire school heard about JC slutting around after finding out about her step brother sleeping with her boyfriend behind her back. JC has no trouble regretting hooking up with strange guys at bars. She knows that what she did was wrong- especially since one of the dudes she slept with gave her gonorrhea. People are still gossiping about it but she doesn't mind. They can call her a whore all they want. They can say that she's dirty a million times. They can even throw condoms at her. JC doesn't care though. At least her experience taught her a lesson. She turns the corner into her biology classroom where some of her classmates are already seated at their desks or chattering to each other before Mrs. Palmer actually starts the lesson. JC sets her stuff down next to Holland Taylor, some weird kid that never talks to anyone and always looks mopey. She's never really talked to him too much except an occasional, "can I borrow a pencil?" JC glances at Holland, who has his head rested on their shared desk, his arms covering his face.
   "Looks like everyone is here so we can get started." Mrs. Palmer appears at the front of the room. She has brown chin length hair and she's just over five foot. She's always super pumped in the beginning of class but for some reason, she looks extra energized today. "We are going to be skinning frogs today."
   "Ew." JC mumbles to herself as she leans back in her chair. Why do they have to do this, exactly? She didn't sign up to skin a frog.
   "The goal of this assignment is to work with your partner, skin the frog, and then put the bones back together with crazy glue." Mrs. Palmer explains. "You can align the frog in whatever position you want and you can even create a backdrop for it and everything. I want as much effort put into this as possible since this will count towards most of your grade for the semester. Any questions?" Everyone remains silent. "Alright, come get your frogs."
   After JC fishes a giant green dead frog from the bucket of water at the front of the room, she returns to her desk where Holland organizes the tools they'll be using to skin it. JC adjusts the latex gloves on her hands while Holland slides his own pair on. "Alright, I guess I'll do the head of it. You can get legs?"
   "Sounds good." Holland picks up a tiny pair of scissors that's used for cutting open the skin. His sandy colored hair hangs over his forehead and his lips are in a stern line under his nose, glaring at the frog as he starts to cut.
   JC glances at him as she cuts open the top of the frog's head. She doesn't know a single thing about Holland. She only knows of him since they've been in the same grade for years now. But she can't help but notice how gloomy he looks all the time. "Why don't you smile?"
   "What do I have to smile for?" Holland looks at her. JC doesn't say anything. "That sounded a bit depressing."
   "A bit?" JC echoes. Every time she looks at him she can't help but just see a dark cloud. She doesn't want them working together to be awkward or anything. If they work in silence and not say anything, that will make things a little uncomfortable. Why not get to know her lab partner for the semester? "There are SOME things to smile for."
   "Maybe for you." Holland starts making a pile of frog skin. "But why are you all smiley? Don't you have an STD?"
   "No." JC answers honestly. She's completely clean now. "You have a family to smile for, don't you?"
   "Nope." Holland responds as if he doesn't mind the answer he's giving. "Dad abandoned me and mom makes me think it was my fault. No siblings either."
   JC raises her eyebrows but doesn't say anything right away. She knew that this dude was kind of dark but she didn't think his home life was that rocky. "How about Elenor? You two make a cute couple."
   "Oh, we're not dating." Holland shakes his head but lets out a chuckle.
   "But I seemed to crack a smile." JC points at his face. Holland attempts to stop smiling but he shakes his head as he continues with the frog, JC going back to her work as well after sneaking a peek at him.