"Award winning?" asked Santana with a laugh. "She won a Teen Choice."
"So did you," Shana told her. Santana nodded, accepting the response and turning her attention to the stage, where Julie was greeting everyone.
"Hey South Beach!" Julie exclaimed, smiling as the crowd responded favorably to her presence. "I hope you all don't mind me crashing your party for a bit."
The crowd cheered again. "Oh I love her," said the girl Ryder was talking to as she turned around to watch.
"Yeah," Ryder responded. "Me, too."
He followed the girl as she tried to get a better view but they couldn't get past the crowd, so they stood in the back and listened.
"I'm going to slow it down just a little bit," Julie said. "To play a song that I've never ever played before so... Don't hate me if it sucks, ok?"
She laughed nervously and grabbed the microphone tightly as the DJ played the track from her phone. "What's happening here?" asked Kitty as she joined her fronts who were up front.
"Julie's going to sing," Jake said.
"No shit, but why?" Kitty responded. The music began so Bree shushed them both and the crowd slowly silenced.
["Back to December" by Taylor Swift.]
Julie: I'm so glad you made time to see me. How's life? Tell me how's your family? I haven't seen them in a while...
Julie didn't bother looking around for Ryder, knowing that he was there listening regardless. She could see her friends who were right in front of her giving her comfort and the rest of them were around somewhere, listening in.
Julie: You've been good, busier than ever. We small talk, work and the weather. Your guard is up and I know why... Because the last time you saw me is still burned in the back of your mind. You gave me roses and I left them there to die...
As Ryder heard the words Julie was singing, he almost wanted to believe them. To rush to her side and just kiss her there in front of her. But he'd fallen for this sing-a-song, make it all better technique of hers before and it wasn't enough anymore.
Julie: So this is me swallowing my pride, standing in front of you saying, "I'm sorry for that night..." And I go back to December all the time. It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you. Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine. I'd go back to December, turn around and change my own mind. I go back to December all the time...
As Ryder began to walk around the crowd, knowing he had to get himself out of there, Julie finally spotted him. He was the only person moving and easy to see that way, so she followed him with her gaze.
Julie: I miss your tanned skin, your sweet smile. So good to me, so right. And how you held me in your arms that September night. The first time you ever saw me cry.
Some of her friends saw him, too, all of them watching in hopes that he wouldn't leave.
Julie: Maybe this is wishful thinking. Probably mindless dreaming. But if we loved again, I swear I'd love you right.
But as Julie made her final plea for him to stay, he took a deep breath and walked away.
Julie: I'd go back in time and change it but I can't. So if the chain is on your door I understand...
Under different circumstances she might've cut the performance short and gone after him but it wasn't up to her anymore. This was give and take and she'd just given. Now it was his turn to give back for her to take and she'd done all she could.
Julie: But this is me swallowing my pride. Standing in front of you saying, "I'm sorry for that night." And I go back to December... It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you. Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine. I'd go back to December, turn around and make it all right. I'd go back to December, turn around and change my own mind.
With her head hanging low, Julie finished the song.
Julie: I go back to December all the time all the time...
After everybody was done clapping for her, she cleared her throat as the music cut off and said, "I'm so sorry for bringing down the mood like that! How about I make it up to you by bringing out a group of guys who always bring the house down?" They cheered excitedly so she said, "Awesome! Give it up for my awesome friends, Crystal Army!"
She clapped and made her way off the stage as the guys walked onto it. While passing her, Sam said, "You alright?"
"I will be," she responded. "You do your thing."
She patted his arm and walked through the sand to her friends. "Ok, everybody!" John said into the mic. "This is one we hope you all know and love so go ahead and sing along if you want to. Let's all have a good time."
As the music began everybody began moving around. They were either dancing, socializing or just watching the performance but everybody seemed to love Crystal Army.
["Cake By The Ocean" by DNCE.]
Amity and Bree clapped their hands and listened to the song but Kitty and Jake were distracted by Julie, who didn't seem in the mood to party anymore but was still bobbing her head and clapping.
"I'll go talk to Ryder," Jake said.
"Don't," Julie told him.
"Yeah, don't," Kitty agreed. "Because I'm going to." As she walked away, Julie tried to stop her, but there was no point in trying to change her mind. Jake directed Julie's attention back to the stage, where John started to sing.
John: Oh no... See you walking 'round like it's a funeral. Not so serious, girl; why those feet cold? We just getting started; don't you tip toe, tip toe.
From several feet back, Leila stood with Marley, Shana and Santana, trying to get into the song but not able to because John happened to sing a lot of this one. Seeing her, Shana rolled her eyes and said, "Come on. You have to get past this." She grabbed Leila's arm and led her towards the front where some people were dancing.
John (Crystal Army): Ah! Waste time with a masterpiece, don't waste time with a masterpiece (Huh!) You should be rolling with me, you should be rolling with me (Aaahhhh) You're a real life fantasy, you're a real life fantasy (Huh!) But you're moving so carefully; let's start living dangerously.
As the guys sang through the chorus, Shana pulled a couple of random guys from their friends and girlfriends to her, getting Leila and Santana to dance with them, too. Marley refused and politely walked towards the front beside Amity. But despite Shana's attempts at keeping Leila distracted, by the end of the chorus she had already lost her attention again.
Sam with Crystal Army: Talk to me, baby. I'm going blind from this sweet, sweet craving, whoa. Let's lose our minds and go fucking crazy. Ah ya ya ya ya I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean. Walk for me, baby. I'll be Diddy, you'll be Naomi, whoa. Let's lose our minds and go fucking crazy. Ah ya ya ya ya I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean (Huh)
Up on the stage, John was having a great time, especially when he saw that his friends were all dancing along and having fun, too. When he spotted Marley next to Amity, he smiled and made his way closer to their side of the stage.
John: God damn. See you licking frosting from your own hands. Want another taste, I'm begging, "yes ma'am" I'm tired of all this candy on the dry land, dry land, oh.
Looking down at the girls, John sang to Amity and then winked at Marley, who practically gasped in shock at the nerve he had.
John (Crystal Army): Ah! Waste time with a masterpiece, don't waste time with a masterpiece (Huh!) You should be rolling with me, you should be rolling with me (Aaahhhh) You're a real life fantasy, you're a real life fantasy (Huh!) But you're moving so carefully; let's start living dangerously. Whooaa!
Then John returned back to the rest of the guys, singing with Sam as Alex sat behind his drums and watched incredulously, having just seen what John did.
Sam with Crystal Army: Talk to me, baby. I'm going blind from this sweet, sweet craving, whoa. Let's lose our minds and go fucking crazy. Ah ya ya ya ya I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean. Walk for me, baby (walk for me now) I'll be Diddy, you'll be Naomi, whoa. Let's lose our minds and go fucking crazy. Ah ya ya ya ya I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean.
Amity was oblivious to the whole thing, singing along and pumping her fist in the air energetically. Marley, however, searched the crowd for the other girls and saw Leila there, dancing with a guy but watching John with a frown. Surely, she'd seen the whole thing.
Crystal Army: Oh aaahhhh. Ah ya ya ya ya I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean. Oh aaahhhh. Ah ya ya ya ya I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean (Huh)
The crowd joined the guys on clapping their hands.
John: You're fucking delicious. Ha-ha. Talk to me, girl!
John was working the crowd pretty well and it was as if they'd all forgotten about Julie's ballad. Even Julie found herself dancing, her spirits lifting as Jake handed her a beer and they sang along.
Sam with Crystal Army (John): Talk to me, baby. I'm going blind from this sweet, sweet craving, whoa. Let's lose our minds and go fucking crazy. Ah ya ya ya ya I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean. Walk for me, baby (walk for me now) I'll be Diddy, you'll be Naomi, whoa. Let's lose our minds and go fucking crazy. Ah ya ya ya ya I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean. Huh!
As the song faded in the distance, Kitty finally reached the sand dunes, where Ryder had taken a seat and was now watching from far away. She rolled her eyes and snuck up on him.
Crystal Army: Red velvet, vanilla, chocolate in my life. Funfetti, I'm ready; I need it every night. Red velvet, vanilla, chocolate in my life. Ah ya ya ya ya I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean (Huh)
While the DJ started playing another song, Kitty sat down next to Ryder and said, "You're a fool."
He turned to her, spooked, and then looked back at the beach. "What do you care?" he asked. "You told me not to go for it to begin with."
"Yeah, when I didn't think you stood a chance," Kitty said. "But Julie has once again proven herself unpredictable by turning away from a possible life with Sam, the father of her children, to be with you."
"Only after Sam didn't want her anymore," Ryder said.
"Oh," Kitty said, crossing her arms. "That's what all of this is about. You're afraid she still would rather be with him." When he didn't respond, she lifted her arm and smacked him in the back of the head.
"Ow!" Ryder complained. "That hurt!"
"Good," Kitty said. "Because you earned it. You're an idiot, Ryder. An idiot. If Julie didn't feel the way she does about you, she wouldn't say that she does. She doesn't play around with that stuff, ok? She has put herself through enough without you making this harder on her. Yeah, she chose Sam. Because she wanted it to be easier. Because she cares about her daughters more than anyone else. Because she, like I, did not think she deserved you after all this time. But she just stood there in front of a lot of strangers with camera phones, knowing this would be in the media and the video uploaded to YouTube by the time she got off the stage. Why? Because she's trying, Ryder. You've been wanting this for so long. We all want the person we love to do something like that for us. So don't be the idiot that gets in and then throws it away. Don't throw her away."
Kitty stood up, wiped her rear, end walked away, back towards the party. When she reached her friends again, Shana and Santana were going after Leila. "Don't do it!" Shana exclaimed.
"I have to," Leila responded, pushing past a few people to get towards the stage. As she began talking to the DJ, Shana tried to go on there and stop her, but Santana pulled her back.
"Just let her," Santana said. "Nothing you say is going to change her mind."
"What's going on?" Kitty asked.
"She's going to go up there and sing," Shana sighed. "This is awful."
"Why?" Kitty asked, confused.
"Because she just saw John sing to Amity," Marley said, joining them. "Didn't she?" Shana nodded, angry as she searched around for Amity. She was standing where she had been before, with Julie, Jake and Crystal Army. As Shana made her way towards them, the music faded away again and everyone turned back to the stage.
"It looks like we have another brave soul getting up here tonight, folks," said the DJ. "Please give it up for Leia!"
"Leila," Leila corrected him, as she took the microphone. He shrugged, not really caring, so she turned to the audience and said, "Hello everybody. My name is Leila and I'm in a group called Rhythmix."
"Show us your boobs!" someone shouted from the crowd.
A few people laughed as Jake turned to the guy and said, "Hey cool it, man."
Leila looked around nervously and said, "Not everyone from my group is here so I'm going to perform a song. By myself."
"What's happening?" asked Sam, looking around at his friends for answer.
"So here it is..." Leila said, turning to the DJ and indicating for him to start. The crowd was pretty rowdy now and not as receptive as they had been with Julie, but as soon as Leila started to sing and they realized this wasn't another party song, people started to shut up and listen.
["Stone Cold" by Demi Lovato.]
Leila: Stone cold, stone cold. You see me standing, but I'm dying on the floor. Stone cold, stone cold. Maybe if I don't cry, I won't feel anymore. Stone cold, baby. God knows I tried to feel...
As Shana and the other girls joined the others up front, Harmony and Shawn also appeared. "What's going on?" Harmony asked. None of the others answered, too busy watching Leila up on the stage.
Leila: Happy for you. Know that I am. Even if I can't understand. I'll take the pain. Give me the truth. Me and my heart, we'll make it through. If happy is her, I'm happy for you... Hmmmm.
Leila continued to sing, completely shattered as she did, and John couldn't look away. Shana stood beside him and said, "This is your fault, you know?"
"Why?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the stage. "I've hardly said a word to her."
"Exactly," Shana said. "If you were going to start dating a friend, you should've told her first."
Leila: Stone cold, stone cold... You're dancing with her, while I'm staring at my phone. Stone cold, stone cold. I was your amber, but now she's your shade of gold. Stone cold, baby. God knows I tried to feel...
John turned to Shana now, confused, but then he saw Marley a few feet away and realized what this was about. "I was just kidding," he said, but Shana wasn't listening, looking up at her heartbroken friend. John looked back at her, too, shaking his head as he realized this was all due to his attempts at messing around with Marley, who had clearly taken him too seriously.
Leila: Happy for you. Know that I am. Even if I can't understand. I'll take the pain. Give me the truth. Me and my heart, we'll make it through. If happy is her, I'm happy for you.
While Leila continued, people seemed to have really settled down, but there were still a few annoying guys behind Jake who were murmuring about her.
Leila: Don't wanna be stone cold, stone...
Leila didn't seem to be paying attention, to deep into her song to hear them.
Leila: I wish I could mend this but here's my goodbye... Oh!
However, Jake heard them pretty well, and he kept turning around shooting them looks in hopes that they would stop but they continued to talk and laugh.
Leila: I'm happy for you. Know that I am. Even if I can't understand... If happy is her... If happy is her..!
And just as Leila finished her song, they turned back to pay attention to her.
Leila: I'm happy for you...
The crowd clapped for Leila, who had given a fantastic performance, but the drunk guys weren't happy. One of them shouted, "Now will you show us your boobs?"
Leila was nearly in tears, turning to them confused. Jake also turned around and said, "That's enough."
The DJ tried to start another song but the guys wouldn't give it up. "What are you, gay?" one of them asked Jake. "Why don't you want her to show her boobs?"
"She doesn't have to do anything for you pigs," Kitty told them.
"And who are you, bitch?" the guy asked her.
"Alright, that's it," Jake said, stepping towards the guy threateningly but having Sam pull him back.
The guy was drunk and looking for trouble however, so he said, "Oh look, it's his boyfriend. I knew the boyband was full of fags."
His friends laughed so Sam said, "I tried," and let go of Jake, who gladly stepped forward and punched the guy. His friends came in to the rescue, so Stefan immediately jumped in to help out, as did John.
Kitty gasped when one of them hit Jake, but was soon distracted by a girl who had pulled out her camera. Other people were doing the same so when Alex tried to help his friends, she pulled him back and said, "No, we have to get away from here. They're recording it."
"I don't care," Alex told her.
"You should," Sam said. "This is bad press, dude."
Tyler grabbed John's arm and pulled him away from the fighting there was a lot of commotion and movement everywhere as the guys and Kitty walked away, with Amity grabbing Julie's arm and saying, "We should go."
Santana turned to Shana and gave her a signal that it was time to leave, too, so Shana pulled Leila, who was still shocked at what had happened, from the stage and walked away with her. The rest of their friends left, too, except for Bree, who couldn't see Stefan and Jake anymore with everybody fighting, including people who hadn't been in the argument to begin with.
She ducked under several arms and dodged a few punches before finally spotting Stefan. "Let's get out of here," she told him, grabbing his hand and pulling him away. Stefan grabbed Jake's collar and pulled him with them, the three of them managing to get away without the drunk guys who started the fight even noticing.
When the group walked into the resort, no longer being followed by the cameras, they all gathered in one of the private dens on the first floor. Peyton and Logan were there, cozied up by the fire. They looked up, alarmed, when all of their friends started bursting in.
Peyton sat up and asked, "What's going on? What happened to the party?" When she saw Bree examining Stefan's eye, she gasped, "Did you get into a fight?"
"I did actually," Jake sighed while Julie took a look at his face. "I'm fine, just really pissed off."
"And going to be in a lot of trouble tomorrow," Santana told him. "There were people recording your every move since the guys got on stage. How could you be stupid enough to get into a fight in front of cameras?"
"He was defending me," Leila said. "Thank you." She turned to Stefan and said, "Thank you, too."
"Yeah, thanks guys," Kitty nodded. "Those guys were jerks to us and you defended our honor like true gentleman." She looked around, spotted John, and said, "And I saw you throw in a punch, too, so... Thank you."
"I would've thrown in two if Tyler hadn't—" John began.
"He did you a favor," Sam assured him. "We shouldn't have been around that but I'm glad those guys at least got a couple of black eyes for the way they were talking to Leila and Kitty."
As they began explaining to Peyton and Logan what had happened, Bree turned to Stefan and said, "I'll get you some ice." She dashed out of there before he could say anything, so instead of waiting he followed after her.
Meanwhile, John pulled Leila outside and said, "We should talk."
"No, we shouldn't," she shook her head. "I'm grateful that you jumped in to fight those rude boys but... I don't think we should talk."
"We should," John nodded. "I was told that you think I'm dating Amity and you should know that it isn't true."
Leila frowned, confused. "But I thought—"
"I said some things to Marley that made her think I was," he admitted. "But that was just to mess with Marley. I've always liked screwing with her because she's gullible but I should've known it would get back to you and I'm sorry. I only joked about it because I thought it was kind of ridiculous."
"So you and Amity are not..?" Leila asked.
"Not at all," John said. "We're really good friends and she's been helping me out. Believe it or not, I was heartbroken about our breakup, too. It was a tough decision but it was the right one. I'm sorry if you were hurt today. Everything that happened is my fault."
John forced a smile and then walked back into the room and Leila let out a deep breath. Her friends had been right—talking to him had only made it worse for her seeing as he had once again proven how great his sweet side was. As she stood there, regretting everything about the day, Jake stepped outside.
"Oh hey!" she exclaimed, stopping him. She rushed to him and threw her arms around him.
"Oh, ow," he said, wincing from the pain of having been hit several times.
"Sorry," she told him, backing away. "Thank you. Out there, I was mortified. Absolutely embarrassed. So thank you for standing up for me."
Jake smiled. "I had to," he said. "No guy gets to demand to see your boobs without getting my fist to his face."
She laughed. "Where were you in sixth grade?"
"I'm going to go wash up," he said. "But before I do, I just want you to know that... Whatever you're feeling... It'll go away and you'll get better. I've been broken up with and I've had to watch someone I love move on without me and... It sucks but then you always end up finding something that's better for you so... Just keep your head up."
She nodded, silently thanking him as he walked away and she was finally ready to return to her friends. Meanwhile, Bree and Stefan stood in the lobby as an attendant handed them a bag of ice. Taking it in her hand, Bree led Stefan to a small couch and they took a seat together.
She held the bag to his face and he winced in pain for a second before letting it settle on there. "Does that hurt?" she asked.
"Little bit," he said.
"You deserve it for getting into that fight," she told him. "But I'm glad you were there to support Jake."
"I heard what those dudes were saying," Stefan said. "They deserved me punching them. Ow!"
"Sorry, sorry," Bree apologized as she readjusted the bag. He put a hand over hers and then slowly moved it as he took the bag from her and held it on his own.
She sat back and looked away from him as he said, "Thank you..."
"You're welcome," she responded, looking up at him.
They stared at each other for a moment, only to be interrupted by Ryder, who stumbled in. "Where's everybody at?" he asked.
Bree couldn't help but laugh. "Where have you been?" she asked him.
"I went for a walk," he said. "And then when I got back to the beach everyone was gone. What happened?"
"You'll see it on the internet tomorrow," Stefan said. He turned to Bree and smiled. Ryder watched, confused as the two of them started chuckling.
He shook his head at them, not sure if they remember that he was there, so he walked away and ran into Alex. As they passed by each other, Alex suddenly stopped on his tracks and said, "Hey, where have you been?"
"Did nobody realize I had left?" Ryder asked.
"We all noticed," Alex told him. "Where'd you go? Or better question: why did you go?"
"Because..." Ryder shrugged. "I just didn't really..."
"You don't know, do you?" Alex asked him, shaking his head. "Come with me."
"Where?" Ryder asked.
"Just come," Alex said, leading him out of the hotel and towards the parking lot.
While Alex and Ryder walked out into the darkness, the rest of them started to head to their rooms, calling it a night after yet another disastrous turn of events.
"That wasn't so bad," Santana said as she walked with Shana towards the elevator. "I mean, sure, Sebastian will probably be calling to bitch in the middle of the night but at least we're getting press. And it's not like the guys were in the wrong when they started fighting."
"I guess," Shana shrugged. "I'm just glad Leila seems to have finally gotten closure. "Or at least I hope so. But I am so ready to go and take a bath and just relax and—"
"Aren't you going to the hot tub?" Santana asked.
Shana snapped her fingers and said, "That's right! I almost forgot!" She turned on her heels and said, "Where are those?"
"There's one on our floor out on the balcony," Santana said, clicking the elevator button and watching as the doors opened up for them.
"Oh cool," Shana said, stepping into the elevator with her. "Hey, why don't you come join me? Wind down after all that just happened."
Santana smiled and as the doors closed she said, "I thought you'd never ask."
***
"So that's what all of that was about?" asked Amity as she and John walked into their floor. "That's why Shana was so mad at me all day?"
"I'm assuming," John shrugged. "It's my fault, though. I shouldn't have been so mysterious about it with Marley."
"Yeah," Amity laughed. "That was dumb of you."
As he walked her to her door, he asked, "Have we really been that glued to the hip that our friends actually thought that we were dating?"
"It's what they do," Amity told him. "They like to make up stories and put everyone together and start rumors. There's parts of our group that just never graduated high school."
"Ok, so it's just them, then, right?" John said. "Because I don't see it."
"Me either!" Amity exclaimed, giving him a high-five. She laughed and said, "Anyway, I should get to bed. Dan gets here tomorrow and then we'll be rehearsing for our show on Thursday and..."
"Yeah, go ahead," John said.
Amity searched for key through her pocket and then clumsily pulled it out. When she tried to pass it over the sensor, she dropped it, so she bent down to get it.
John bent down, too, saying, "I got it."
"No, I—" Amity began, bumping her head with his as they both reached for the key. "Ow!" she exclaimed as he started to laugh.
She looked up at him, laughing for only a second. Then she froze up. He stopped laughing, too, not sure what had come over her. "What?" he asked.
Amity continued to stare at him and then out of nowhere reached over and kissed him. Crouched down on the floor, he was very still until she pulled away and said, "I just had to, uh... I had to see if there was any merit to what they said, but... There wasn't so... Glad that's out of the way."
"Yeah," he said, confused.
"Anyway," she told him nervously, standing up. "I should get into my room."
"Yeah," he repeated, also getting up.
"Goodnight." She quickly opened the door and stepped into her room, glad that Shana wasn't there at all. She closed the door and leaned against it, pressing her lips together as she tried not to freak out and failed.
Alone in the hallway, John was still surprised about what had just occurred. He looked at Amity's door and then let out a deep breath before walking towards his room. When he stepped inside and saw Sam lying down on the bed, he took off his shoes and headed for the bathroom.
"You're sleeping on the floor," Sam told him.
"Yeah, that's fine," John called out from the bathroom, turning on the sink. He dipped his hands under the faucet and splashed his face with cold water, looking up at his face in the mirror, thinking back to the kiss that had happened just a minute ago. He didn't understand what he was feeling, so he turned away from his reflection and mumbled, "Do I have feelings for...?"
"You say something?" Sam asked him from outside.
"I said I'm going to shower," he responded, closing the door and doing just that in hopes that whatever was currently going through him would just go away overnight.
***
"What is this?" Ryder asked as Alex led him into their tour bus.
"It's a bus," Alex responded.
Ryder gave him a look. "I know that," he said. "But why are we inside of it?"
"Because there's something you need to see," Alex told him. "Yesterday I spent a big part of the afternoon with Julie, who told me that she was in love with you." He didn't bother looking up at Ryder as he shifted through the equipment. "She needed help writing a song for you so I helped her out and now you need to hear that song."
"I already did," Ryder told her. "And I walked away because—"
"Because you're an idiot," Alex interrupted. "I'm aware. But that wasn't the song. She wrote that one today. I think John may have helped a little. But that's not the song she showed me." He dug through his belongings and said, "She recorded the song on my phone so it's not perfect but... I put it here so... Just listen to it, ok? And when you're done, stop being an idiot and either go get the girl or just do her and yourself a favor and get yourself a plane ticket home."
He hit play and made his way out of the bus as Ryder sat down and started to listen.