♘

"OUT OF ALL PEOPLE , why did it have to be her?"

André Harris chuckled as he looked at the girl next to him after ringing the doorbell. Riley Sinclair keeps complaining because she and Andre paired with Trina Vega, the most annoying and untalented girl at Hollywood Arts, in the upcoming big showcase. bound to get on his best friend's nerves within a few seconds when they arrived because he knew how she felt about the older girl.

"I don't know, but remember, I paid you $20 to do this, so you're gonna have to deal with it, Riles."

Riley glared at him, making the teenage boy hold his hands up in surrender. She rolled her eyes before hearing the sound of footsteps coming to the door. Trina soon answered the door, and Riley could tell she was equally annoyed herself for being paired up with the two.

"Come in," Trina sighed in an annoying voice and moved out of the way.

"Thanks," Riley thanked the older girl, walking inside with André.

They both set their stuff down, and Riley noticed another girl about her age. Because of the two girls' appearance similarities, Riley assumed they were sisters.

"Tori, that's Andrew and Ria." Trina introduced the two as she walked over to her sister.

"André and Riley," André corrected the brunette, who rolled her eyes in return.

Tori gave Riley and André a small smile, waving her hand in greeting. "Hey," she says politely.

Riley smiled at the girl as well. "Hey."

"You go to Hollywood Arts, too?" André questioned the girl.

"Oh, I'm not a performer," Tori gushed out and pointed to Trina, who stood next to her. "Just my sister."

"Yep. I got the talent, and she has the strong teeth," Trina informed us as she squished Tori's cheeks. "You know, she's never had one cavity?"

Tori shrugged. "I try not to brag about it."

While Riley looked between the two girls in confusion, André looked around the living room and noticed the beautiful piano.

"Woah, nice piano," he said.

The young teenager then sat on the piano stool before playing a few notes. Riley smiled at her best friend's talent while Tori looked at him in amazement, and Trina rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Oh my god, you're fantastic!" The younger Vega sister praised him as she sat next to him.

"He's okay."

Riley turned to glare at the older Vega girl at her comment before she smelled something that stunk up the whole room. She noticed that André had noticed the smell, too, as he was sniffing the air. She watched as he picked up Tori's hand and assumed that was what the smell was coming from.

"Fish mold," Tori confirmed, and immediately, André dropped her hand

"And I thought Sinjin smelled bad."

♘

The next day, Riley and André were in Trina and Tori's backyard, taking a break from rehearsal. While André was talking to his grandmother, Riley texted another friend of hers and André's, Jade West. She stopped for a second to pay attention to her best friend.

"No, Grandma, listen," André says into his phone just as Tori comes out with drinks in her hands. "There is no way you can drown at my school."

Riley gave Tori a small smile as the other girl handed her a glass, and Tori smiled at her back. The two then turned to André as he continued.

"You're not gonna fall in the toilet!" André rolled his eyes, pointing to his phone, and looked at the girls. "Look, I gotta- I got- I gotta-" he took his phone away from his ear and yelled into his phone. "I'll call you later!"

"Your grandmother's coming to the big showcase?" Tori asked after André hung up.

"Yeah, it's gonna be the first time she's left her house in six years," André answered the brunette.

Tori almost choked on her drink as she looked at André in confusion. "Why?"

"'Cause the woman is afraid of everything," Riley answered for André before listing the things Grandma Harris feared most. "People, umbrellas, rabbis, bikinis, breakfast foods."

"So if she saw a rabbi wearing a bikini, sitting under an umbrella, and eating pancakes?"

"The woman would burst into flames," André finished Tori's sentence for her.

Tori and Riley laughed a little at André's comment. We then heard the sound of a piano and then Trina's voice.

"Guys, come on!" Trina exclaimed from inside.

Riley groaned as she rolled her eyes and looked at the two next to her. "Back to rehearsal."

"Let's go."

The three walked back into the house, and the first thing they saw was Trina in a blue and white frilly dress with a tiara perched on her head. Riley was sure she threw up in her mouth and saw her life flash before her eyes.

"Well, what do you think?" Trina asked, twirling around. "Fabulous, right?"

"Do you need to wear that just to rehearse?" Tori asked her sister, pulling up her sleeves and standing by her.

Trina rolled her eyes and tapped Tori's nose. "A performer needs to be the part to feel the part," she explained like Tori was a child.

Tori glared at her older sister. "I thought we talked about you not tapping my nose anymore."

Trina laughed and waved Tori off. She then went back to her original spot. "Okay, we got the comedy stuff down, so let's start with my song."

"And by your song, I'm guessing you mean the song that Riles wrote," André says from the piano, gesturing towards his best friend. The slightly younger girl smiled at him, knowing he always had her back.

"No one cares who wrote the song," Trina laughed, causing Riley to give her a look. She cleared her throat and got into position. "Go."

André nodded and started playing the song until Trina yelled, "Slower!"

Riley stifled a laugh when André jumped, making a brr sound when we hit the wrong note. The boy refocused and played slower this time.

" You don't have to be afraid to put your dreams in action, " Trina started the song and dragged out the a in action.

Riley cringed and closed her ears in pain as she listened to the older girl's voice. It was painful to her, and she wished that she was wishing she was at home with her younger brother, playing video games with him instead of rehearsing.

"Trina--"

" You're never gonna fade; you'll be the main attraction. "

"Trina--"

"What?!" Trina hissed, turning towards her sister, and Riley jumped a little at her loudness.

"I think André was right," Tori told her, standing up straight. "You should let him play the song in a faster tempo, you know--"

Trina whined, interrupting Tori. "No, it has to be a power ballad so all the important people can hear my range and vocal clarity."

"But, I think--"

"No, just take it from when I make it shine," Trina ordered André as she straightened her dress.

André began to play again, and Trina started to sing.

" When I make it shiiiiiiiiiine !"

André looked up at her in confusion while Riley turned to Tori, who rested her hands on her head, looking ashamed that Trina was her sister.

"Well?"

André turned to Tori. "Do you have any aspirin?" He asked her.

Tori grabbed the bottle and poured a handful of aspirin into her hands, handing them to Andre as Riley pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

This is going to be a long rehearsal.

♘

Riley stood next to Andre as we watched Trina wail in pain. Her tongue was huge, and it looked like she was allergic to something.

"Ma tong!" Trina cried.

"Just. . . just keep your mouth open." Nurse Kotter, Hollywood Art's school nurse, ordered her.

"I can'd keep ma mouth open," Trina whines.

Lane, the school counselor, came running with Mr. and Mrs. Vega and Tori. "There she is." Lane pointed at Trina.

"Trina!" Mrs. Vega exclaimed.

She and Mr. Vega ran to Trina quickly, and Tori followed them.

"What happened?" Tori and Trina's father asked.

"Something's wrong with my tongue!" Trina answered, pointing at her tongue.

"Oh my god, it's huge!" Tori, who stood behind Nurse Kotter, exclaimed with wide eyes.

Trina started to scream something, but Riley couldn't understand because of her tongue. She assumed it was some insult or something as she was angry by what her younger sister said.

"Are you the school nurse?" Mrs. Vega asked.

"Yeah. Does anybody know how this happened?" Nurse Kotter asked everyone in the room, who shrugged, not knowing what happened.

Trina began to think until Tori pointed at her and said, "The Chinese Herb Gargle."

"That! That!" Trina said, pointing at Tori.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Mr. Vega asked.

"She found some website that shows you how to make this special Chinese herb gargle that's supposed to help you sing better," Tori rolled her eyes.

"Well, she must've had an allergic reaction to it," Nurse Kotter concluded.

"My tong feels fizzy!"

"Will she be okay?" Mrs. Vega asked our nurse.

"Well, her tongue is engorged and. . ." Nurse Kotter says and feels Trina's tongue. Her eyes widened, "Oh, it's throbbing erratically."

Tori's eyes widened. "Throbbing erratically?!" she questioned.

"It is thwobbing erwaticcaly!" Trina exclaimed, feeling her tongue.

"Anyway she'll be able to perform today?" Lane asked Nurse Kotter.

"Of course not," she immediately answered.

Riley watched as Trina did a little tantrum. She grabbed onto Nurse Kotter's shoulders and said something.

"Stop talking!" Nurse Kotter exclaimed. "Your tongue could burst!"

"Burst?!"

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but--" Mrs. Vega apologized.

"Maybe next year," Mr. Vega added.

"I'm gonna take her over there and massage her tongue," Nurse Kotter announced, packing her supplies.

Trina looked confused. "Massage my tongue?" she asked as Nurse Kotter pulled Trina away, and Mr. and Mrs. Vega followed.

"I guess my grandma came here for nothing," André frowned, crossing his arms. Riley rubbed his arm for comfort, knowing how important this was for her best friend.

"Wait, does anyone else know Trina's part?" Lane questioned as he looked around.

André smirked and pointed at Tori and his best friend. "Her sister and MJ both do."

"Me, sister?" Tori asked as the two girls both stared at him with wide eyes. "No, no, no, no. I just helped them rehearse. I'm not even a student here, but Riley is. Pick her !"

The girl shook her head vigorously. "No. I can't go out there! I have really bad stage fright, and I don't--"

However, André pulled Tori and her away to the side.

"You two know this whole thing inside and out. The song, the choreography," André listed. "You can do this, c'mon!"

"Uh-uh!"

"They said they'll do it!"

Everyone began to cheer as Tori and Riley protested, but both were ignored.

"Woah, woah! They can't go on stage looking like that!" Lane frowned, pointing to their outfits.

Tori raised her eyebrows at him. "Excuse me?"

"Go get them something cool to wear!"

"We are not going!" Tori and Riley aid together.

"Bring 'em."

André nodded and grabbed our wrists, dragging us to the dressing room. Riley and Tori began to struggle against the grip, and unlike Tori, Riley managed to escape. Before she could run out, André appeared and picked me up again, bringing her to the dressing room.

"This is kidnapping, André!" Riley exclaimed, struggling against his grip. "You know my dad is in the military!"

André ignored the slightly younger girl and took her into the dressing room.

"Set her down!"

Riley shared a look with the brunette girl before they began to run once again, but the crew members stopped them.

"Let go! My dad is a cop/in the military!"

With their statements, everyone let go of the two, holding their hands up in defense.

"Take them behind the screen and get them a dress! C'mon, c'mon!"

The girls began to drag Tori and Riley behind the screen, the boys following after.

Eww, gross! Perverts! Riley thought to herself.

"Just the girls." Riley heard Lane say.

The girls began to dress the other girls into completely different outfits. All the while, Riley had one thing on her mind.

Operation: Kill André after this.

♘

After the girls dressed Tori and Riley, Lane began to pull the teenage girls to the stage, ignoring them as they begged him to let them go. Riley and Tori were standing side by side, staring at the audience as they stared back, some in confusion. Riley and Tori looked over at André, and he gave them a reassuring nod. He then started playing the piano beautifully at a slow tempo.

From the corner of her eye, Riley could see her mother and younger brother watching from the sidelines. She figured that André must've told them that Riley would sing with Tori.( a/n: Italics is Riley , bold is Tori , and bold italics is both . Continue on!)

Here I am, once again

 Riley had sung in a soft voice before letting Tori sing.

Feelin' lost but now and then
I breathe it in to let it go

They looked over at André and gestured for him to speed up a little. 

And you don't know where you are now
Or what it will come to if only somebody could hear
When you figure out how you're lost in the moment
You disappear

By now, the backup dancers had joined in on stage, and the band was playing at a fast tempo. The backup dancers grabbed the girls and lifted them by their arms, setting them back down on the lower stage.

You don't have to be afraid to put your dreams in action
You're never gonna fade you'll be the main attraction
Not a fantasy, just remember me when it turns out right

'Cause you know that if you live in your imagination
Tomorrow You'll be everybody's fascination
In my victory
Just remember me
When I make it shine

Tori and Riley paused to dance with the backup dancers as the band continued to play. The audience was clapping to the rhythm as they cheered for the girls.

You don't have to be afraid to put your dreams in action
You're never gonna fade you'll be the main attraction
Not a fantasy, just remember me when it turns out right

'Cause you know that if you live in your imagination
Tomorrow You'll be everybody's fascination
In my victory
Just remember me
When I make it shine!

The audience was practically on their feet when Tori and Riley finished. They both looked at each other with smiles and hugged each other, then hugged the backup dancers. Riley then jumped down from the two steps and hugged André. 

"You are a horrible friend for making me do that but thank you! I can't believe I just did that!" She exclaimed in excitement, letting go of the hug.

He laughed at his best friend. "You were great out there, Riles! You and Tori!"

Speaking of Tori, the brunette came over, and the three hugged as the backstage people gathered around them. Soon enough, Riley's mother, Pamela, and brother, Zay, came up and tackled her in hugs. 

"Honey, you were so great!" Pamela told her daughter, holding her daughter's face in her hands.

"Thanks, Mom," Riley thanked her mother with a smile as Tori's parents came to their daughter.

"Oh my God, sweetie!" 

"That was incredible!" 

Lane came up next to her with a smile. "You're really Trina's sister?" he asked with a surprised look.

Trina looked offended and said something, but Riley couldn't tell what she said because her tongue still being huge. Suddenly, Principle Eikner came up to Tori.

"Excuse me. Who are you?" 

"II'm Tori Vega," Tori stuttered with a smile. "Who are you?"

"This is Mr. Eikner," Lane answered, gesturing to Principal Eikner. "He's our principal."

"You don't go to school here?" the principal asked.

Tori shook her head. "No. I just--"

"Do you want to?"

Riley's eyes widened, and a smile appeared as Principal Eikner asked Tori if she wanted to come to the school.

"Me?" Tori questioned with wide eyes. She looked around. "Well, should I?"

Everyone agreed, but she interrupted.

"But the kids who go here are all like crazy talented!"

Riley nodded at her statement. "Yeah, but so are you! You just proved to us that you are!" she exclaimed as everyone agreed with the girl.

"But what if I'm not good enough?"

They all began to protest her question, sentences collaborating. The curtains opened, and everyone on stage became dead silent as the audience stared.

André walked over. "Hey!"

"Hey, André!" Riley heard Grandma Harris from the audience.

Ignoring André's annoying face, Riley grabbed Tori's arm and looked at the audience. "This girl doesn't know if she's good enough to attend school here. What do you people think?"

The audience cheered and clapped for Tori, saying she was talented enough to go there.

"Okay?" André and Riley asked, looking over at Tori.

"Okay!" Tori answered, jumping up and bringing André and Riley into another hug.

Riley felt ecstatic that another Vega was joining them, but she had to admit, Tori did give her a weird vibe, and it wasn't a good one.

♘

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 -- hey, everyone! so, i decided to revamp this book and change it from first person to third person since it looks better in third person. and i am making some changes with riley's relationship towards tori so be prepared! hope you enjoyed it! please give feed back!

𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 -- 01/29/2023