A/N: Another really long chapter :) Like I said, moving forward chapters are going to be significantly longer!
We've been filming for almost two weeks now. This show is hilarious and unreal. There hasn't been anything like this on TV which means it's either going to flop or be a hit. NoLa has been a blast, I haven't been back since tour and before that, I was last here when I filmed a movie. It's such a beautiful city, so rich in culture! I love it!
"Ahhh! Fuck! Sorry! What was the line?" Abby laughs.
Abby tries again, "Did you have a tumor for breakfast?" this time without laughing and an actual bitch face.
I deliver my monologue and Jordan, the director, calls cut and immediately Abby punches me square in the arm.
"Ow! What the fuck?" I laugh rubbing my arm where the tiny but mighty girl punched me.
"That was for making me laugh during that scene and this.." she punches my other arm, "is for always nailing every scene in one take!" she laughs.
"Didn't you know, Abby? Liv is a one-take wonder, ever since she was a kid!" said Jordan.
"What???"
"I've known her for years!!!! She has a photographic memory, reads something once, maybe twice and it's stuck in that brain of hers. Can't believe she didn't tell you that!" Jordan says.
I'm still rubbing my arms because like I said, tiny but mighty. That's definitely going to bruise. Sigh.
*BOOOOM! POP! CRASH!* One of the lights right above me explodes causing everyone to stop and scream from being startled.
"LIV!!" Abby yells running up to me dusting off the broken glass.
Thankfully, I was able to duck and cover in time for none of the glass from the light bulbs to hurt me. My hearing though is off, my ears are ringing from the popping of the lights.
"Olivia, are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"Someone get a medic over here!"
"Liv, try not to move until we get the medic here!"
"Babe.."
I can barely hear what everyone was saying to me and it was taking my eyes a minute to adjust. I rub my ears and try to sit up by Abby gently pushes me back down onto the sofa I was sitting on. Everything everyone is saying is muffled but I can somewhat make out what they're saying.
A medic is accessing my "injuries" I'm honestly fine and my hearing is already coming back, it's not serious at all.
"Guys, I'm fine. It was just my ears, and the ringing is already starting to stop. Please! I'm fine!"
"Olivia! Stop being so stubborn and let the medic take a look, please!" Abby begs, she looks so worried I swear she's about to cry, so I agree.
No more than fifteen minutes later I'm back in my trailer asked to take an hour break to take it easy after what just happen. It really wasn't all that serious, I don't know why everyone was making such a big deal out of it.
I'm just getting comfortable on the couch before Abby comes barging into my trailer with her lips pursed and her brow furrowed, "I told you to go to the trailer and that I'd meet you there." Oh she's mad...why is she mad right now?
"I did! I'm in my trailer waiting for you to meet me..." I say slowly.
"We always meet in my trailer," she says shortly.
"Ugh. Abby..." I groan and roll my head and my eyes back. "We're here now. Just come sit." I tap the empty spot on the couch next to me. She walks up and sits directly on top of me instead of the spot I smoothed for her. Of course.
"I was so scared," she says quietly leaning back onto me and pulling my hands around so they're under hers pressing against her stomach. Her head resting on my left shoulder and my head poking out behind all her beautiful Italian hair. This is probably only comfortable for her. I just feel squished and slowly running out of air.
"I know, it was scary but I didn't even get hurt. I was just under the lights when it happen. I'm fine!" I insist.
*RIIIINNNGG*
"It's yours," I say to Abby. I only know it's hers because her phone is in her ass pocket and her ass is currently on my lap and I can feel her phone vibrating.
Abby rolls to her left so she can pull her phone out of her back pocket but rolls back on top of me...still squishing me...
"It's Calvin...hello? Okay, she's right here, hold on. Okay! Okay!"
"Am I on speaker, Abby?"
"Yeah, what's up, Calvin?" I say.
"Good. Now listen to me and listen to me very closely. I thought I was clear when I said you guys had to stop making my job so freaking hard," Calvin says angrily.
"People are talking. They're talking about how you guys disappear together, that you share the same trailer and are generally attached at the hip. I seriously doubt you've been all that discreet. The media's going to start to listening to all that chatter one of these days. Every new tabloid is on this story, want to know how I know? Oh, well let me tell you how I fucking know that it'll be out very, very soon despite my valiant efforts of setting you two up with these two really hot guys and spinning every story that's come out so far. I know because those kids on Tumblr already know. They know everything! They 'ship' you too so freaking hard. You guys know what your name is?? No? Let me tell you...LIVBY. Fuckig LIVBY sounds like a reject Teletubbie."
Silence but more of a second for Calvin to catch his breath.
"Listen, I can spin every story that comes out but once those Tumblr kids confirm it, and trust me they will. You're screwed. So, Abby...consider this your countdown. Either come out balls busting or distance yourself from that hot piece of ass you call your girlfriend while you're filming this TV show together."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Abby and I have been working really hard. Not just on the show but off-screen to undo what we supposedly had done since we started filming together. Maybe it was just feeling like we were on tour again and untouchable by the press that we could do whatever we wanted. Since that explosive call from Calvin, we've stayed in our own trailers during downtime. Always stayed in groups with the rest of the cast, never too close with one another. Made our work strictly professional. No more social media posts of just the two of us.
"Why does Matt have to come the one weekend I'm not here, Abby?" I whine.
"Scheduling just so happened to work that way, Calvin said. How long will you be gone?"
"Just the weekend, I'll be back Monday night. What are you guys gonna do together?"
"I don't know, Calvin hasn't said anything. Is Derek still meeting with you in NYC?"
"Yeah..." I sniffle away a tear. Ugh. Fucking, tears. Stop.
I pack up my keyboard for the trip and Abby wheels my carry-on to the door. I wipe the tears out of my eyes and turn around to face Abby. She has the saddest look on her face, our expressions match. It's not that I'm leaving for the weekend, it's that we haven't gotten to be as much as a couple since that call and we're forced to spend the weekend with two men we don't care for, all for the media.
I pick up Abby by the legs and firmly press our lips together pushing her up against the door of our condo. She gasps and wraps her legs tight around my waist. I push her hard against the door so I can place one hand on her left breast. She moans deeply into the kiss groaning as she rolls her hips against mine. She tugs my hair back and moves her lips onto my neck, grazing her teeth against my pulse point, sucking hard -- marking her territory again. When she's finished I move my lips across her jaw and onto her neck to one of her tender spots, behind the ear just below it, she growls. I nibble the spot I want, the spot I suck hard and leave my mark for Matt to see this weekend.
I brought my hands down to Abby's hips and pulled down her yoga pants enough for me to see her soaking wet panties. I surprised myself with my own strength to be able to do that and hold the tiny girl up, wow, my workouts are paying off.
"Mmmm," Abby grunted and bit her lip. I slid the girl down on the floor because we didn't have time, I had to be in the car 10 minutes ago.
I slipped down, moving my mouth wetly down the length of Abby's body. I moved up her shirt to lick between her breasts and down her ribs, then across her stomach, feeling the muscles bunch and tighten beneath my tongue. I puffed my breath across the wet tracks I made watching the goosebumps rise under the warm air. It made my lady shiver.
I wiggled down and settled between Abby's thighs. I hooked my fingers in her panties and yoga pants and tossed them by my carry-on. She pulled one knee up, giving me more room. I stared at the sight of Abby's glistening and swollen and growled. I flattened my tongue and chased up to a trickle of moisture that was rolling down Abby's inner thigh.
Abby rolled her hips and moaned loudly. I did it again, licking up even higher this time.
"Oh my god," she groaned and fisted one hand back into my hair.
I laughed and rolled my head around, trying to shake Abby's hand loose. Abby only twisted her hold even tighter and tugged. I leaned in and licked slowly starting as far down as I could reach, weaving my tongue all the way up and then finally flicking across her swollen clit.
Abby hissed loudly and raised herself up off the floor of our condo, following my touch.
"Fuck, do that again," she whimpered.
I did, leaning in deeper and harder. I pulled my tongue up and dipped it inside her, then up and over her clit. I closed my lips tightly against her clit and Abby bucked her hips up so hard, squirming, trying to get me to go where she wanted me to go. One more time, I touched her with my tongue, sliding up through her slickness, just enough to feel it but not enough to give her the relief she wanted. I played with her clit with the very tip of my tongue, swirling over it, grazing it.
"Baby, please! Now..." she grunted.
I licked along her clit, sucking hard but not too hard and not for too long. I slid two fingers slowly up inside her, rubbing against her and making her whimper and grind into her hand. Just when Abby started to tense and quicken her pace, I would pull my fingers out and start everything all over again.
There's no point in rushing now, I'm already late. These moans are more than worth it though.
After a few times through, Abby was groaning and quivering; her breath ragged. Every time I touched my tongue against Abby's clit, she would clench and jump and she was constantly writhing beneath me. I knew I could put an end to everything in a heartbeat with a bite, a lick, a hard thrust, but Abby was letting me tease and hold her at bay so she must be liking it. As long as she'd let me, I would keep right on doing it. I dipped my tongue inside Abby, just deep enough to tickle that insanely wicked sweet spot and I curled the tip against it.
"Liv, yes," Abby gasped when I first touched it and she whined again each time I swept across it after that and rocked her hips steadily. I knew I could make her come this way, hard. When I thought she might be getting close, I slid my tongue in deeper. Abby groaned and pulled my hair painfully. I could tell she had been teased enough and she wanted relief.
"Tell me what you want," I say in my raspy voice. "Say it, munch. Tell me what you want."
"Ma-ma-make me come," she begged.
I moved my mouth up to Abby's clit and closed my lips over it. I sucked on it, tweaking it hard under my tongue. I pushed two fingers back inside her and rubbed my fingertips firmly against that same sensitive spot, sending Abby into overload. Abby's heel dug hard into my lower back so I knew I was doing everything right.
I laid my hand across Abby's stomach and held her down and then I bit down on her clit. Abby cried out and pushed up hard into me. She was already falling and I just licked and rubbed harder, faster pushing her over the edge. I could feel Abby shudder and spasm and just fall completely apart against my mouth. I pushed my fingers deep inside her and twisted them, Abby tightened against them and squeezed as I sucked hard on her clit. This sent waves rolling all over again and my girlfriend gasped and groaned loudly. I kept licking gently until I felt her go completely still beneath me. Then, I tipped my head over and rested my face against Abby's thighs and laughed.
"Something for you to think about while you're with Matt and I'm in New York this weekend."
I get up and look in the mirror by the door and fix my hair and wipe my face. Abby is still on the floor with her eyes closed.
"Sweetheart, I really gotta go now," I lift her arms and hoist her up. She's still buzzing so I pick up her yoga pants and panties that I threw and slide them on, running my hands slowly up her legs as I went.
"Mmmm, what about your turn?" she said hums and she kisses me softly on the lips as I open the door and make my way down the hall.
"Rain check for when I get home!" I laugh down the hall.
In the elevator I pull out the camera on my phone looking at my neck where Abby left her mark, I can already see the bruise forming. Great.
"Seriously? I've been waiting here for almost 30 minutes! We have a plane to catch! What the hell was so im-...oh gross, I can smell the sex on you. Ugh. You couldn't help yourself, could you guys?" Angie jokes.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
We get to the city and I rush to my first class of the program. I run into Julia, her boyfriend Fabian, and Nathan outside.
"Hey guys! Am I late?" I ask.
"Hey, superstar! No, we were out here waiting for you, thought we'd walk in with the cool kid," Nathan joked.
"Ready to go back to school?" Fabian asked.
"Ready as we'll ever be," answered Julia.
"Fuck..." I say under my breath.
"Is the superstar nervous?" Nathan joked.
I feel like I was just suffocated with information. Oh my god. That was intense. At least 10 times I asked myself, "what did I sign up for?" We walk to the next room where we're all going to perform a song for the rest of our cohort — anything. Just so we can all get comfortable with one another. Some icebreaker.
There are 11 other people in our cohort. None of them seemed very keen on me being there the dean's advice, "use the struggles you are undoubtedly going to face as fuel to keep you going to prove us all wrong..." repeats in my head as my friends stupidly volunteer me to go first for our icebreaker.
"Great! Ms. Riviera, thank you for volunteering. And remember we like to keep things a little less contemporary, maybe," Professor Watters said. She already didn't like me and she wasn't afraid to make it very obvious. None of the other students like me except for Julia, Fabian, and Nathan. I'm sure they all think that I bought my way into the program or that I'm a sell-out because of my career. They probably don't think I have an ounce of talent. But that's fine...I've never let shit like this stop me or convince me otherwise.
"Okay, well, my name is Olivia Riviera and I attended the early admissions program here a few years ago, I honed my craft of piano and composing while I was here. I'm from LA but travel to the city often. I've known Julian, Nathan, and Fabian since we first started the early admissions program and they're the most remarkably talented people I've ever met, and I'm sure you guys are just as talented as well. I look forward to getting to know all of you," I try to say as sincerely as possible. Because how is one supposed to be sincere when people decide they don't like you before even trying to get to know you.
I start to play a medley that I put together my last year here and is my favorite piece to warm up to. It's also pretty impressive, it caught the attention of a lot of people when I was here last, also why I decided to play it.
I start with Tchaikovsky, then Chopin, and lastly Rachmaninoff. It's a long piece but I love it and I play it perfectly. I have since I first put it together.
Professor Watters is impressed and she's trying her best not to show it, she makes a note in her notes and nods approvingly to me. The rest of my cohort also tries to contain how impressed they actually are -- half of them actually applaud...the other half I'm sure I can work on earning their respect.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
"Oh my god, you guys, we killed that icebreaker. The others were good but we were good if you know what I mean. No one expected you to do your medley, Liv! Nice choice! You too Fabian using more than one instrument, fuck! We're gonna rule this program!" Nathan said excitedly after a few beers.
We had decided to celebrate getting through our first day. We were going to keep it just the band of us but the fewer enemies I have the better, so I invite the few other members of our cohort that actually looked at me like I was human; Bridget, Arlene, Rigo, Victor, and Pauly. We go to Finnegan's which is the pub that all the students go to -- Finn's is a place for all the students to showcase their work and whatnot. Smart record executives know to come here when they're looking for fresh new talent.
"So, why does everyone ALREADY hate me," I turn to my right to Pauly who is a few drinks in as well, he still looks nervous to be sitting next to me.
"They hate that you're a sell-out that bought your spot into the program, other than that they think you're talented as fuck. Like they know you're talented, they just wish it were them that got their big break, probably. It's a jealousy thing," he begins to slur.
"They also hate that you're actually a good person, it would be so much easier to hate you if you were a selfish, rich, LA bitch, but you're not so they can't justify hating you," Bridget adds.
"Well, what about Professor Watters? What's her deal? She hates me too!" I put my head on my arm on the wet and sticky table automatically regretting it but too drunk to do anything about it.
"Ha! That woman hates everyone until the end of the program when she sees that you've learned, at least that's what someone who was in the program said. She's just got a tough exterior, I think," Arlene replies.
"Nah, Watters hates Olivia for the same reason the rest of the cohort does," Nathan laughs.
"UGH!!!! This is going to be an agonizing two years," I laugh. "DANNY! ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOTS!!!! WE'RE CELEBRATING!!" I shout to the bartender.
"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS CELEBRATING AND OLIVIA I THOUGHT I GOT RID OF YOU YEARS AGO!" he shouts from the bar.
Danny brings the tray of eight shots personally to our table to greet us all, Danny knows everyone. "What are you guys celebrating? It's good to see you lot back here, by the way. You, Olivia, I thought you were done with us," he teases.
"I could never really leave Finnegans, Danny! And we're celebrating that everyone hates me! Or didn't you hear? I'm a sell-out that has no real talent." I'm drunk.
We all walk out of Finn's after last-call singing "We Are the Champions" from the top of our lungs,
Nathan sings:
I paid my dues
Time after time
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime
Followed by Julia:
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face
But I've come through
All of us sing together:
We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting til the end
We are the champions, we are the champions
No time for losers cause we are the champions
Of the world
Fabian points to me:
I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls
You brought me fame and fortune and everything that goes with it
I thank you all
But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race
And I ain't gonna lose
We finish the song together all singing perfectly in harmony and on key because...obviously, we're all Juilliard students and we sweat talent.
Despite our trying day with Professor Watters, Nathan and I end up at Julia and Fabian's studio apartment in Brooklyn -- the celebration of our first day apparently still isn't over.
"Literally like old times, huh guys? The only thing missing is-," I begin to say before Fabian lights up a joint.
"Hahaha wow, are we early admins again? Gimme that," I say.
"Whoaaa you still...? I'm shocked," Julian says.
"Why? Because I'm all LA and about that healthy life? Nah, this is only a social thing," I blow out puffs of smoke.
"What time is it?" Fabian asks. "3:27, babe," Julia says.
"Oh fuck, I never called Abby..." I cough out more smoke.
"Abby? Abby Ricci? STILL?? AFTER ALL THIS FUCKING TIME, LIV?? GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE! YOU BETTER BE HITTING THAT BY NOW, AT LEAST! AT LEAST!" Nathan laughs.
"You don't know what you're talking about, Nate! Shut the fuck up!"
"Uhhh so you're saying you're not dating her? Because I'm pretty sure you were in love with her when you were still living here. Then you guys became like best friends in LA..." Julia objects.
I puff out O's and put my head back on the couch, "you assholes can't say anything..."
"OHHHHHHHHHH WE FUCKING KNEW IT!!!!" all of them scream and laugh.
We laugh for a while longer and catch up, this time on each other's personal lives.
"Guys, what if we started a band?" I suggest at 5 am.