𝐂𝐚𝐭, 𝐌𝐲 𝓥𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓮

I

Beck's POV

This morning was pretty uneventful for Hollywood Arts. I mean, nothing really weird happened, which wasn't usually the case. Anyway, things went by pretty quickly, and soon enough, the bell rang for lunch, to my relief. 

Once we got to lunch and I was sitting by myself, reading 'The Tragedy,' André Harris, one my best friends, sat down by me with two bottles of water. "Hey, Beck."

"Hey, André." I put 'The Tragedy' on the table and took off the sunglasses I was wearing. André then put a water bottle in front of me. "Congratulations! You just got a free bottle of water. from yours truly." I looked at the bottle and frowned. Huh? I gave him a very confused look. "Uh, I put a dollar in the machine and two came out."

Oh, that made more sense. I picked up the bottle and saw it was a Crystal Waters water bottle. No fish pee for me, thanks. "Ah, thanks. But I don't drink water from Crystal Waters."

André frowned. He looked at me like I was crazy. "Why not?"

I shrugged. "Because they get their water from mountain streams, which are full of fish."

André just opened his bottle of water. "So?"

I cringed as he started to drink the water. "Fish pee." André just shrugged like, "so?" while he was still chugging the nasty water. "You're drinking fish pee, Andre." André immediately stopped and looked back at the bottle, looking very disgusted.

Before André could say anything, though, Tori Vega ran up to the table. "Hey, boys!!" She immediately sat down and said "dude" before pulling out her phone. I just hoped she wasn't about to talk to me and Alyssa Vaughn like everyone else. I was starting to go a little crazy. "Look at what's on the Buzzfinger homepage." Tori showed me some picture of Jay Leno and Melinda Murray. God, I hated Melinda Murray. Well, at least it wasn't about Alyssa.

"Oh, poor Jay Leno." Dealing with Melinda Murray was something I hoped I would never have to do again.

Tori frowned and pulled back the phone. "No, not that! Under it!" There was a picture of me and one of my friends, Alyssa Vaughn.

I just chuckled and turned back to my food. "Oh." It wasn't a big deal; I didn't know why she was so excited about it. 

Tori looked shocked. "Oh? That's you and Alyssa Vaughn together!"

André looked just as surprised and grabbed Tori's phone. "No way." When he saw the picture, his expression became even more surprised. "That's Beck and Alyssa Vaughn together!"

I just frowned. It wasn't a big deal, at least to me. "Why are you guys so impressed?"

Tori threw her arms out like it was obvious. "Beause Alyssa Vaughn is famous!"

André was still looking at the picture and grinning. "And hot!"

"Her dad is a billionaire!"

"And hot!" Tori and I both looked at André. He looked up from the phone and realized what he'd said. "I didn't mean her dad was — uh — I drank fish pee."

Tori got her phone back and showed the picture to me again. "Explain this, Beck!"

I just shrugged. Hopefully, the perfect portrait of dismissal. I didn't want anyone spreading rumors about me and Alyssa Vaughn, or Jade would throw another rock at me. "She's in my yoga class. While we were leaving, some paparazzi showed up and took that picture. We're just friends, though."

Tori looked unconvinced. It was the truth! "Uh-huh. And how did Jade react when she found out you were 'friends' with Alyssa Vaughn?" André added the finger quotes on the word 'friend.'

I just chuckled and shrugged, but it probably looked a little more forced than I would have liked. "Jade was okay with it." Tori just raised her eyebrows. "She threw a rock at me."

Tori just shook her head. "That's what I thought. You know, I'd be careful, be cause I don't think Jade's the type to be okay with —"

"Attention!" a bunch of orange flyers landed on us and I immediately cringed when I saw Trina Vega's face on them. I tuned the rest of her announcement out until it was time for class. When the bell rang again, I was walking down into the building with Jade yelling at me about Alyssa Vaughn. Again.

"We're not done talking about this!"

I was getting really tired of Alyssa Vaughn this and Alyssa Vaughn that. "Well, I am!"

"So what? I'm not!" She finally caught up to me on the stairs and I stopped.

"Listen, Jade. Alyssa Vaughn is just a friend. Nothing else." I honestly had no clue how many times I'd said that today.

Of course, Jade had some sort of comeback. One of the things I loved and didn't love about her. "Yeah, a 'friend' who's already sent you twelve text messages today." A bing! sounded from inside my pocket and I cringed internally. "Thirteen," Jade growled.

I tried to seem casual. "You don't know that that's her." In truth, we both knew who it was, but I tried to ignore that. 

"Is it?" Jade snarled. I checked my phone and looked back at Jade.

"Hey, what's your favorite tropical fruit?"

Jade sighed again. "The mango and I don't like your new little relationship with Alyssa Vaughn. She's super famous, loaded, and not-to-mention totally gorgeous!" 

I showed her my phone. Why was she so angry? Alyssa is just a friend; I've said that so many times now! "It's just a text message. And I don't care if Alyssa is famous or pretty or ultra-rich. I'm with you." I pocketed my phone and walked over to my locker.

Jade just followed me, not giving up on her argument. "Well, what does the text say, then? Maybe, 'Hey, babe! My Daddy just got richer and I got prettier. Come over and let's make out!'"

I turned around, starting to get a little more frustrated. Why can't she just trust me? "So, because you and I date, I can't be friends with other girls?" I asked, frowning. "I'm friends with Cat and Tori and you don't have a problem with them." 

Jade just shrugged. "You can be friends with ugly girls." I rolled my eyes. Tori was pretty enough but not my type. Cat was gorgeous, though, no one could deny that. "But not girls who are gorgeous socialites that text message you a hundred times a day."

Wow. "You know what, you—" I saw Tori and beckoned her over. "Tori, can you come over here for a minute?" She didn't seem too thrilled about that. Jade looked very angry when she met my gaze again.

"You know what?" Jade stared at me.

Fine then. "Tell me what." I was still really angry and I almost never lost my temper. That was one thing Jade could get me to do like no one else.

Tori looked really worried and she gripped Jade's arm. "No, don't tell him what."

Jade ignored her. "We're over."

Tori looked shocked. "Jade!"

I was just as surprised. All this over my friendship with Alyssa Vaughn? She has to be joking. "You're breaking up with me?"

Tori looked very worried. "No, no, no, no, no, she's not."

Jade started walking away. "Yeah, I am."

"You're being ridiculous!" I shouted after her. And it was true; she didn't have to break up with me for us to figure this out.

Jade just stopped by the soda machine and turned around. "Why do you care? I'm not your girlfriend anymore!" Then she turned the corner and walked away. Wow, this was absurd. She was absurd.