*Saturday the of February 2017*
Victoria's POV
Today we're all having a barbecue at Stormie and Mark's house. They invited Nadine to come with us so we're currently all getting ready. "Have you seen my red shirt?" Ross asked as he placed his hand on my hip and I turned slightly to look at him. "The long one? I think it's in the back of the closet," I said and he kissed my head. "I'm gonna go take a shower," I announced and he nodded. "Can I join you?" he asked and I nodded before we both walked into our bathroom.
I stripped out of my clothes and immediately shivered before quickly stepping into the shower. I immediately opened the warm water and after second it was warm. I sighed in relief as I stepped beneath the shower and felt my muscles relax. The shower door closed before Ross's arms snaked around my waist and he rested his head on my shoulder. "Do you want to tell everyone today?" Ross asked and I leaned back into his touch. "Yes that's fine," I replied as I closed my eyes. "Are you excited for Monday?" Ross asked and I smiled lightly. "Very. It's something new, you know? Something I've never done before," I said and he hummed. "And just think about all that Pantene shampoo and conditioner you'll get," he said and I giggled slightly.
"Yeah. When's the trailer coming out for Status Update?" I asked curiously and he sighed. "Couple of weeks. They're just finishing some stuff," he said and I hummed. "And for My Friend Dahmer?" I asked and I felt him shrug. "Don't know," he said before kissing my shoulder.
"How are we gonna have a barbecue in this weather?" I asked and Ross chuckled. "Maybe we'll do it beneath the patio, but we'll probably eat inside," he said and I hummed. "Luckily I already finished the potato salad and stuff," I said and let out a relaxed sigh. "Luckily," Ross said and silence fell over us. "Thank you," I said in a hushed tone and felt Ross raise his head. "For what, babe?" he asked curiously and I shrugged. "For everything. For sticking with me through everything. I don't know a lot of twenty-one year olds who would stick around through all that," I said and he smiled against my cheek. "I would do everything all over again if it meant I would still be standing here with you," he said and I blushed before turning around and giving him a soft peck.
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"It's really cold," I said as goosebumps rose all over my body as I quickly dried myself off. I was literally shaking. "Luckily you didn't wash your hair. Just get dressed quickly into a hoodie or something," Ross said and I grabbed my pair of underwear that was laying on the bed. I quickly put the pair on before slipping into my jeans. I struggled slightly because it was skinny jeans and my body was still slightly wet. After I finally got it on I quickly slipped on my shirt and one of Ross's hoodies that was laying on the bed, for. I left my jacket that I was actually wearing on the bed, I'll put that on when we leave, before slipping on my socks. "Tori you're shaking," Ross said as he suddenly appeared behind me. "I'm fine," I said as he grabbed me and pulled me into his chest. "You're blue," he said in a worried tone and I shook my head. "I'm fine," I said again as his body heat started warming me, but I was still shaking. I felt him move slightly before a fuzzy blanket was draped over my shoulder and I snuggled further into Ross. He cuddled me close to him as he rubbed my arms, trying to get me warm. I nusled my head into his neck and he did the same. He opened his mouth and his warm breath hit my neck. I sighed in appreciation as he warmed me up. I felt my eyes drooping before I snapped them open and I took a deep breath.
I have no idea what the hell's happening.
I pushed my body harder against Ross's and he tightened his arms around me, still breathing on my neck. As I felt the heat returning to my body I stepped away slightly. "Are you okay now?" Ross asked and I nodded. "I'm fine. Thank you. Sorry I don't know what just happened," I said and he shook his head. "It's fine, but maybe we should make an appointment at the doctors for you? Just to make sure everything's okay, yeah?" he asked worriedly and I shook my head. "No. No. I'm fine. I don't need a doctor," I quickly denied as I walked to the vanity mirror. "Tori," Ross sighed as he walked closer to me and kneeled next to the vanity chair. "Look at me," he begged as he grabbed my hands, but my eyes were on myself.
I look different.
My eyes were different. They're not that shiny anymore. My face is smaller. I've lost weight. Again. Vague traces of black bags were under my eyes. My body felt heavy, but it was so small. Too small almost. My hair was different too. More dark. About a shade darker. Everything about me looks different.
And I don't like it.
"I need to see a doctor. And maybe a psychiatrist," I whispered as I continued staring at myself and Ross gently rubbed my back. "We're gonna get you a full check up. Both of us. We'll get you to a psychiatrist if that's what you want. We're gonna make it through this," he promised softly and tears started burning in the back of my eyes. "What exactly is this, Ross?" I asked confused and he sighed. "I don't know, baby, but you're gonna be fine. I'll make sure of that," he promised me.
I tried. I tried to believe him, but it's very difficult.
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Ross's POV
"Ross," my dad started as we were in the living room and I looked at him. There was a football game on and the others still had to arrive. Tori, Nadine and Mom were in the kitchen I think. "Yeah?" I asked. "Is Tori okay?" he asked concerned and I shrugged. "I don't know, Dad. Something's wrong and I don't know what it is," I said softly as I started worrying again.
"Why what's going on? Did you guys have a fight or something?" my dad asked concerned as he turned slightly and I immediately shook my head. "No. We're the happiest we can be. Things are great between us. Something happened this morning. It's like the Tori that we all know disappeared overnight. She's completely depressed. It was so sudden. She was a little quiet this morning, but I just thought she was tired. And then after our shower it's like she fell into this deep, deep hole. I have literally no idea what the hell happened in that hour. I am so worried about her," I said softly and Dad frowned deeply. "Ross remember just after she got out of the hospital?" he asked and I nodded. "I noticed something strange. She was too happy too soon. I mean sure it's because we all tried our very best, but it's like she didn't really suffer from that. She was fine. She was completely fine and way too soon. Son I think it's catching up to her. Ross she's not fine. Ross listen to me. She's not okay. She's not fine,"
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Ryland's POV
I parked my car in front of Shay's apartment before climbing out and I quickly walked inside, trying to get out of the rain. Today Shay and I were having a relaxing day at her apartment. Her roommate's out of town so that's nice. My family actually has a barbecue tonight, but I already told them that I had other plans. Luckily they understood.
I got into the elevator and another middle aged man also walked in. He was standing in a navy blue bath robe and he was slightly bald. You could see some spaghetti sauce, or a type of sauce, on his chin and food stains on his robe. He looked through the tons of envelopes in his hands and grumbled to himself. Something about bills. Well he's obviously not happy.
Shay lived in a nice apartment building. It was very clean and neat. Well except for the man in the robe. The elevator dinged and I quickly walked out with my duffle bag slung over my shoulder. I'm actually sleeping over tonight. It's the first time we're spending the night together.
I knocked on the door and just after a second it opened revealing my beautiful girlfriend.
I grabbed both sides of her face and she placed her small hands on my elbows before I placed my lips on hers. We kissed each other softly and I could hear footsteps behind us. A male voice grumbled about how disrespectful teenagers are these days and how they don't have any shame. I internally rolled my eyes as I recognised it to be bath robe man before snaking my tongue into Shay's mouth.
What? We haven't seen each other this whole week okay?
After a while both of us pulled away and I grinned wildly at her. "Hi," I said and she giggled loudly causing my heart to flutter. "Hi," she said before pulling me into her apartment and I closed the door behind me. "How was your week?" I asked as I placed a piece of her curly hair behind her ear. Her hair was in a bun. "Busy and kinda bad, but better now that you're there," she grinned cheekily and I chuckled. "Oh is that so?" I teased and she hummed before placing her lips on mine again. I immediately kissed her back and pulled her flush against me.
After a while the kiss got more heated and I gently pushed her back into the wall. I placed both my hands under her thighs before easily picking her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist. She softly tugged at my hair causing me to groan into her mouth. I slowly started walking to the bedroom and she kissed me more hungrily.
As I got to the bed I slowly laid her down before climbing over her. She slipped her hands under my shirt and started to take it off. While I pulled my shirt off she also took hers off and my breath caught in my throat as I looked at her. She was beautiful.
"You're beautiful," I said before kissing her again and she pulled my close to her. "Ryland," she started as she pulled away. "I'm ready," she said softly and I swallowed thickly. "Are you sure?" I asked and she nodded. "Yeah. I-I mean if you are then I am," she said and I nodded. "I'm ready, too," I said before both of us got under the covers to keep ourselves warm. "I love you, Ryland," Shay suddenly whispered and I grinned wildly. Last Saturday was the first time Shay and I confessed our love for each other. I now understand why Ross says it to Tori every time he gets the chance.
"I love you, too, Shay," I said before kissing her again.
Shay
Rocky's POV
"Finally," I said as the plane landed and the beauty next to me chuckled. I looked at her with a wide grin on my face and she was looking at me with her blue shining eyes. The storms were so bad that the had to land the plane in New York before we could go further. We finally landed in California and it's still raining. "I thought Cali was always sunny," she teased as she looked at the storm through the window. I practically melt every time she talks. She has such a beautiful accent. "Me too," I said and her beautiful giggle filled my ears.
After the flight attendants said that we could get off we grabbed our carry-ons and quickly walked into the airport. "It's your first time here, right?" I asked as we walked into the building and Michelle shook her head. "No. I was here once before," she said and I intertwined our fingers.
After we did everything we needed to do we grabbed our bags and walked towards the entrance. "I already organised a cab," I said and she nodded. "Are we going to your apartment first?" she asked and I nodded. "Yeah. After that we can go to my parents' house. If you want to," I said and she nodded with a smile. "That would be fun,"
Michelle
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"It's just your family right?" Michelle asked as we were driving to my parents' house. "Yeah. You already know everyone. You have nothing to worry about," I said as I placed my hand on her knee and she nodded.
My childhood home came into view and I pulled into the driveway behind Riker's car. "We gonna make a run for it?" I grinned and Michelle giggled. "Let's go,"
After she grabbed her phone we both ran for the door and quickly got inside. "Hey," Ross said as he appeared from the kitchen. "Hey!" I yelled before we shared a bro hug and gave each other a tight squeeze. "Hey, Michelle. It's nice to see you again," Ross said with a friendly grin and gave her a friendly hug. "It's nice to see you, too," she said and they let go. "So how was the trips?" Ross asked as he looked between the two of us and I intertwined my fingers with Michelle's. "It was great," I said and he smiled. "You okay?" I asked as I inspected his face. Worry lines were clear on his face and you could see he's been running his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, but I could tell he was lying.
"Rocky!" we heard a yell and Tori appeared from behind Ross. "Tori!" I yelled before pulling her into a hug. "It's so-" I cut myself off with a gasp as I actually hugged her. I could feel her ribs. "It's so nice to see you again," I quickly recovered and loosened my grip on her, afraid that I'm going to hurt her. "Hi, Michelle," Tori said and Michelle opened her arms for a hug. As the girls were greeting each other my worried gaze met Ross's. I'm literally shaking.
Suddenly my mom appeared and tackled me into a hug. After everyone, except Ryland, greeted us we all walked towards the living room. All of us sat down on the many couches and I grabbed Michelle's hand. She looked at me weirdly as she held my shaking hand and I shot her a small smile. Everyone asked about our trip so we told them about it, leaving out unnecessary details.
"I'm so glad you're here. For two reasons actually. One; I missed both of you. Two; Tori can finally tell us what she's been keeping secret," Rydel said excitedly and Tori send her a teasingly, but fake, smile. "But Ryland's not here," she said and Rydel glared at her.
"Okay fine," Tori said and everyone laughed. "Okay here's the first one. Pantene is doing a new campaign. It's called Strong Is Beautiful-" "And you're designing for them!" Rydel cut her off and Tori shook her head. "No I'm not actually. I'm modeling for them," she said shyly and everyone, except Ross and Nadine, looked at her shocked. "Oh my stars! Tori that's amazing!" my mom yelled and everybody congratulated her. "That's not even the most exciting one," Nadine said and everyone looked at Tori with anxious looks. "What could be more exciting?" Sav asked. "On Tuesday I got a call," Tori started and I gasped. "No! No you didn't!" I yelled in fake shock and everyone laughed. "It was from The Whitehouse," Tori continued and everyone looked at her shocked. "You're kidding," Riker said and Tori shook her head. "I'm serious. It was Melanie Trump. Her designers dropped her a while ago. She wants me to design for her. Pajamas, outfits, red carpet dresses anything you can think of," Tori said and everyone jaws dropped. "Tori are you serious?" my dad asked and she nodded. "I accepted the offer yesterday. Wednesday I'm flying to DC to meet her and her husband," Tori said. "That's amazing!" Riker yelled and immediately stood up to properly congratulate her.
After everyone gave her hugs we all sat down again. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart," my mom said and Tori's face blanked. "What?" she asked with a distraught look on her face and I furrowed my eyebrows. "I said I'm proud of you," my mom said and Tori looked at her for a couple of seconds. "Thank you," she said and faked a smile. What was that about?
I looked at Ross questionably and he only shrugged. "I'm gonna go check on the food real quick," my dad said and stood up before walking out of the room. "So, Michelle, how has everything been since we last saw you?" my mom asked as she turned to Michelle. I looked at Tori as Michelle started talking. Tori was staring at the rug, deep in thought and her hands were shaking on her lap. She looked like she was about to have a panic attack. I noticed her taking a deep breath and she closed her eyes for a second before focusing on what Michelle was saying. Ross intertwined his fingers with Tori's before looking down at them. Their hands were shaking slightly because Tori's were shaking. He looked at her worriedly before he moved even closer to her.
Something isn't right. Something weird's going on.
÷÷÷
"So how's everything been?" I asked Tori as we were standing in the kitchen. I was coming to drink something when I found her on her way back from the bathroom. The rain has stopped so everyone's outside under the patio where my dad is busy barbecuing. "I'm good. Everything's been great," she smiled before taking a sip of water. "You sure?" I asked and she looked at me with a harsh look in her eyes. "Why would I lie, Rocky?" she practically hissed before placing her water down on the counter. "You tell me," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest. She placed her palms against the edge of the counter and I then noticed that her hands were shaking a lot, again. "I'm fine," she whispered before slowly turning to face me. "I'm fine," she said more sternly and I looked at her closely. There was a crazy look in her eyes that I've never seen before. "I'm fine, Rocky," she said again before slowly backing out of the kitchen, keeping her eyes glued to me. She turned around before practically jogging out of the kitchen and outside.
She's not fine.
She's everything, but fine.
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Ross's POV
I grabbed the rest of the glasses before walking into the kitchen. Tori and I offered to do the dishes so that's what we're currently doing. As I walked into the kitchen I placed down the glasses and walked to Tori. She was standing with her back facing me and she was looking out the window. I placed my hand on her shoulder and she gasped before taking my hand and turning before twisting my arms around with such force that it had me hunching over.
"Tori, baby. It's me. It's Ross," I said as I looked into her eyes. They were very distant. She gasped before letting go of my arm and taking a step backwards. She looked petrified. "Tori-" "Stay away from me, Ross," she said as she held her arms out in front of me and I looked at her confused. "Baby it's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you," I said softly and she nodded. "I know, but I'm gonna hurt you. I'm going mad," she said with her voice trembling as she took another step backwards. "Baby you're not. It was just a reflex. I'm not mad at you. C'mere," I said as I stepped closer and she stepped backwards again as she shook her head. "I'm insane, Ross. I'm mad," she said as her body trembled and tears rose in her eyes.
"Tori you're not insane. I'm fine. You're fine. Come here. It's gonna be okay I promise," I whispered and she looked at me with doubt. "I don't want to hurt you," she whispered. "You won't, I promise. Come here, baby," I said and she just looked at me for a second. I opened my arms for her and she took a small step forwards. She fought with herself in her head before taking a step forward and walking into my arms. "You're gonna be fine," I promised as I held her close to me and I felt my heart breaking. I could feel her ribs through her skin.
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Victoria's POV
I looked to my side and saw Ross sleeping soundly. I sighed softly before carefully sliding away. I quietly climbed out of bed before taking my pillows and tiptoeing out of the room. I quietly closed our bedroom door before walking over to our longest couch. I placed my pillows on it before going into the guest bathroom and opening the door that was inside it. I quickly walked into the small linen closet before taking out a fluffy blanket and I quietly walked out again. I switched off the bathroom light before closing the door and walking over to the couch. I laid down and threw the blanket over me before staring at the wall.
I'm going insane.