"Excellent duet," Finn said after Kayli and Riley had struck their final poses at the end of their song. The rest of their team clapped as he added, "See how great you can be when you work together?"
The girls nodded, grinning mischeviously as they took their seats together. Everyone other than Finn was extremely confused and slightly terrified about why those two seemed so pleased with each other, but when Finn called up Helen and Jared for their duet, nobody had a chance to comment on the spontaneous, most-likely feigned friendship.
"This is a song," Jared began next to an anxious duet, "that I think we both collectively decided was too fun to skip out on a chance to sing."
["Over My Head" by The Fray.]
Helen: I never knew. I never knew that everything was falling through. That everyone I knew was waiting on a cue. To turn and run when all I needed was the truth.
While Helen was the most nervous, she sang a good chunk of the song, while Jared stuck to playing his guitar. It was a pretty smart choice, as her singing was at a much higher level than his and she couldn't play any instruments.
Both: But that's how it's got to be. It's coming down to nothing more than apathy. I'd rather run the other way than stay and see.
Helen: The smoke and who's still standing when it clears.
Helen looked around at everyone as the two sang, while Jared alternated between looking down at his guitar and looking up at her.
Helen: Everyone knows I'm in
Both: Over my head. Over my head. With eight seconds left in overtime.
Jared: She's on your mind. She's on your mind.
Helen: Everyone knows I'm in
Both: Over my head. Over my head. With eight seconds left in overtime.
Jared: She's on your mind. She's on your...
At first, they'd felt pretty uncomfortable about being paired together, since he'd embarrassed himself by asking her out when he didn't know she was already seeing Jackson. Who knew kids in glee club even dated each other? After some time of practicing, however, they eased down a bit and now they were doing pretty well together.
Helen: And suddenly I become a part of your past.
Jared: I'm becoming the part that don't last.
Helen: I'm losing you and it's effortless. Without a sound we lose sight of the ground. In the throw around. Never thought that you wanted to bring it down.
Both: I won't let it go down till we torch it ourselves.
Almost all groups had already performed, with the exception of Adrianna and Autumn, so they were pretty calm. However, Jackson was not too happy about the pairing, particularly because he now knew that Jared had at one point been interested in his girlfriend, and for all he knew the guy still liked her. He hadn't been dating her for too long so maybe she'd leave him and that thought made him uneasy.
Jared: Everyone knows. She's on your mind.
Both: Everyone knows I'm in over my head. I'm in over my head.
Helen: I'm over my...
Jared: Everyone knows I'm in
Both: Over my head. Over my head. With eight seconds left in overtime.
Jared: She's on your mind
Both: She's on your mind...
When the number was over and everyone clapped, Kayli and Riley made sure the clap the loudest, cheering and whistling obnoxiously. They knew they smelled an eventual love triangle and it was evident that Jackson did too by the way he scowled as he tried to congratulate them on their number. Jared and Jackson had made it far too easy and neither girls cared enough about Helen to keep from screwing with the guys.
***
"And then I was thinking we could rearrange the shelves because the way they originally had them," Bree was saying over the phone as she stood in her disorganized boutique, which would be opening in a week but still had a lot of work needed to be done.
Jake and Stefan walked into the shop, however, eliciting a tiny ring from above the door, so Bree looked up and spotted them there.
"Hey, listen, I'm going to call you back, ok?" she said, hanging up her bluetooth quickly. "Well, well, well," she crossed her arms, staring at the boys. "Not the two people I expected to see here. Certainly not together. Stefan, shouldn't you be in college? What are you doing with each other?"
"Oh you know," Stefan answered nonchalantly. "Just hangin'." He leaned his shoulders back slightly so Jake patted his back to straighten him up and gave him a look.
"I was driving out of the station when I saw Stefan walking out on his own," Jake explained, a reason which was much more credible to Bree. "So then I offered him a lift but I had to make a stop here first."
"And why is that?" she asked curiously.
"I needed to check in about Riley," he answered. "Without her or Kitty around."
"Why not Kitty?" she asked, aware that Stefan had started snooping around her merchandise boxes.
As the blonde placed a lilac lace crop top to his chest, Jake responded, "I feel like Riley lies and then Kitty covers for her. I don't know. They're just too much alike to count on either of them for this. So what has Riley been up to?"
"Uh..." Bree muttered, remembering that Riley was now handing out with a potentially more devious girl and wondering whether she should say something. Instead, however, she took upon herself to point out, "Finn's probably the best guy to ask about how she's doing. He sees her every day, and around her friends, which is probably the best indication."
As Jake considered this and began to dial Finn, Stefan walked over to Bree, a smirk on his face as he said, "So... You hear the good news?"
With fake enthusiasm, she gasped, "Prince William is in town!"
"Prince who?" Stefan asked, confused. "Um, no. I meant my news."
"Oh," Bree said, not hiding her disappointment. "No, I haven't heard anything."
Despite her not asking, he said, "I've been drafted for the Cleveland Browns. You know... the football team? Why don't you look more excited?"
"I don't really follow football," she sighed, disinterested. "And those teams I do know of are much more impressive."
"I currently am the star player of the top collegiate team in the nation," Stefan bragged. "I could've gone to play with the freakin' Patriots. But I wanted to stay close to home and it was either Cleveland or Cincinatti."
"Aren't they rivals?" she asked nonchalantly, thoughtlessly rearranging magazines on the register counter.
"So you do know about the teams!" he pointed out with too much excitement for her liking. She looked up and raised an eyebrow, so he got to the point, which was, "Well, anyway, I'm moving back to the Lima area now. The rich neighborhood, of course. I've been talking to that hot glee chick, the realtor, and I've got myself lined up a pretty sweet pad on the east side of town."
"Ooh, what a shame," Bree said sarcastically. "I'm on the west."
"I know," he grinned. "So are Marley and Peyton and a few others, I gather. And meanwhile, I'm over by a lot of our mutual friends. Across the street from Jake and the Hudson-Berry clan... Just a few blocks from Alex and Julie and Amity. You know, all those other pals I'm sure you visit pretty often. So it looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other."
"Might I remind you," Bree said, leaning in as though she was about to say something incredibly fascinating, "that there's a girl who will probably want to move in with you as soon as she hears the news... You know... Blonde, spunky, calls herself your girlfriend..."
"Carrie won't matter," he shrugged nonchalantly.
She shook her head as she said, "She will to me. She and I happen to be very good friends since sophomore year of high school."
"Oh yeah?" he said, crossing his arms. "When was the last time you hung out with her?"
"Well," she said, racking her brain for a good and honest answer. "There was Amity's gallery..."
"You said like two words to each other!" Stefan exclaimed with a chuckle. "And it wouldn't have stopped you in high school."
"I've grown up since then," she said, rounding the corner to the register just as Jake walked back around, his conversation on the phone over. "Maybe you should try it," she added to Stefan in a lower voice."
"Let's roll," Jake said to Stefan, rubbing his hands together after waving at Bree. "I've got things to do and I have no idea where to drop you off at."
"Carrie's," he said. "I have some news to tell her."
Bree forced a smile at him, waving goodbye as the guys left the store and hoping the rest of her visitors were all female or gay.
***
"I'm really nervous about this," Adrianna chimed as she and Autumn prepared their number in the otherwise empty choir room. "Everyone else was so good. What if we screw up? What if I open my mouth and nothing comes out?"
"We chose a safe, yet fun song for a reason, Ade," Autumn reminded her, doing her best to stay calm for the both of them. "If it helps, we can run it one more time."
Ade nodded, signaling the piano player to begin, and shook her hands nervously as Autumn began to sway. They had been an odd pair, but a good one, as it turns out.
["Fallin' For You" by Colbie Caillat. Which I later reuse and pretend I didn't already use here.]
Ade: I don't know but I think I maybe. Fallin' for you dropping so quickly. Maybe I should keep this to myself. Waiting 'til I know you better.
If not for Autumn singing with her, Ade wasn't sure where she'd be. Autumn constantly reassured her that she had one, if not the best voice in glee club, much better than her own. While Ade wasn't sure that was actually true, she appreciated that Autumn was trying to make her feel better. And it made her feel much better.
Ade with Autumn: I am trying not to tell you. But I want to. I'm scared of what you'll say. So I'm hiding what I'm feeling. But I'm tired of holding this inside my head.
Now, Autumn was smiling at her, encouraging her with every twinkle of her eye, and it filled Ade with so much warmth and comfort. If she did that when everyone else was watching, maybe Ade wouldn't screw up after all.
Both: I've been spending all my time just thinking about you. I don't know what to do. I think I'm fallin' for you. I've been waiting all my life and now I found you. I don't know what to do. I think I'm falling for you. I'm falling for you.
For Autumn, all she could do was watch Ade and wish for the best. She lacked the most confidence out of everyone in glee club, yet she had one of the best voices. Definitely better than all of the guys and better than over half of the girls. Top tier for sure.
Ade: Oh, I just can't take it
Autumn: My heart is racing
Ade: Emotions keep spinning out.
But there was just so much more in her head that was stopping her. If only Autumn could figure that out, maybe she could help... For a child prodigy, she didn't feel very capable at all.
Autumn: I've been spending all my time just thinking about you. I don't know what to do. I think I'm fallin' for you.
Both: I've been waiting all my life and now I found you. I don't know what to do. I think I'm fallin' for you. I'm fallin' for you...
Ade: I think I'm fallin' for you.
As the only freshman, but girls had one thing in common: they were intimidated by the rest of the glee club. Ade wasn't used to singing around other people and Autumn wasn't used to being around others her age at all. One shy and the other previously home-schooled, maybe that was the reason for being paired together. At least Autumn thought so.
Autumn: I can't stop thinking about it. I want you all around me. And now I just can't hide it.
Ade: I think I'm fallin' for you
Autumn: I can't stop thinking about it. I want you all around me. And now I just can't hide it.
Ade: I think I'm fallin' for you.
Both: I'm fallin' for you. Oh. Oh no no. Oh... Oh, I'm falling for you
Ade, however, was already feeling her thoughts wrapped around many other ideas, some which she didn't necessarily like. As they finished their song and Autumn smiled at her, she couldn't help but notice how pretty Autumn was. How kind. How noble. How determined. Before she knew it or could do anything to stop herself, she had pressed her lips against Autumn's.
Pulling away just a second later, Ade realized what a huge mistake she'd made. She'd read all the signs wrong. Autumn was now staring at her, wide eyed, probably panicking inside.
"I'm not—" Autumn began, slowly shaking her head.
"Sorry," Ade muttered quickly, rushing out of the choir room in a matter of seconds. Autumn reached an arm out to stop her but then let her go, ultimately deciding she was the most unqualified person for the situation.
***
"So what if you say that you're a meat salesman," Alex heard Peyton say when he walked into his apartment. Too exhausted from the week to ask any questions, he glanced over and saw her in the living room with Dan. When they saw him, they looked up and began to greet him, but he had already passed over to his bedroom.
"What do you think he's up to?" Dan mumbled, worried about his pal's behavior lately.
Peyton shrugged. "No clue," she said. "Speaking of clues. Let's get back to this case. If you call the guy I told you about and say you're a meat salesman, you can tell him he's just won himself a lifetime supply of—"
She stopped when Alex came back out of his bedroom in a hurry, carrying a bag of things. "Where are you going?" Dan asked him.
"I'm meeting with Amity," he answered, not giving much other explanation as he headed out.
"He doesn't look very happy," Peyton said as she turned back to Dan.
"It's been a thing for a few days," he shrugged. "Ok, so back to this whole casino thing. You can't show your face anymore, but I still think that it's worth a shot for me to go down and check it out. You said before that they only take VIPs. I'm an actor. How much more VIP can it get?"
"You're a squeaky clean celebrity," she pointed out, shaking her head at his idea. "If we really want to get someone we know in there, it'll have to be someone who... Knows... Oh my gosh, how didn't I think of it before?"
"What?" Dan asked. "Who? What are you thinking?"
"Remember Shana's friend?" Peyton asked with a smile. "The model who was in the video with us?"
"Leila?" he said after thinking of her name for a few seconds.
Peyton nodded and explained, "We know her well enough to ask but not well enough that our worrying for her well-being will prevent us from getting things done."
"Wow..." he murmured incredulously.
"Oh, you know it's true!" she exclaimed. "So, you think we should give her a call?"
"On one condition," he nodded. "If she agrees, I get to go in with her." Peyton frowned so he said, "Pey, you know you need someone like me in there. Someone you can trust and someone, who, by the way, is amazing at Poker."
"You do have the money to blow..." she sighed. "And you don't currently have any work-related projects to deal with... It'd be easier than asking, say, Sam or John or even Alex. Alex would flip."
"So me and Leila?" Dan asked with a hopeful smile.
"Let's just talk to her first ok?" she responded, having mixed feelings of letting him take such a big risk for her.
***
"Just so we're clear," Leila said as she and John walked into the restaurant where they'd agreed to meet Marley and her boyfriend. "What are you even hoping to get out of this evening? Did you want to get back with her by the end of the night or..?"
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no..." he stopped her, making her suppress a laugh. "Not at all. I don't have any of those intentions with her so..."
"Right," she nodded, unconvinced. "See, I figured there was more to this ex-girlfriend than you were telling me, so I asked around. Jake says she was the love of your life."
John rolled his eyes and responded, "She was his at some point, too."
Leila smiled, not replying to this comment. "That aside," she began once again, "it's important to note that your not-love-of-your-life-anymore has a very real date. And he is very handsome."
Creasing his brow in confusion, John tilted his head slightly, then followed Leila's gaze to where Marley was sitting, next to a tall, elegant man in a suit, smiling at something he'd said.
"Oh look at that," John said spitefully. "Telling jokes like some kind of... Some... I don't know..."
"Ugh," Leila scoffed satirically, "Can you believe that guy? God forbid he make her laugh. It's very disgusting."
He gave her a look, which she responded to with a coy smile, and said, "Leila, you are so lucky you're my date right now."
"Like you treat them all that well," she giggled as he led the way to the table for what she was sure would be an awkward but entertaining encounter.
***
"That was great, girls!" Kayli exclaimed as she dismissed the Cheerios from the last-minute practice she'd called for. While the rest of the girls disappeared towards the locker rooms, she jogged over to Helen and tapped her shoulder. "Hey," she grinned in as friendly of a manner as she could.
"Hey..." Helen mumbled back warily. "What's up..."
Kayli shrugged casually, continuing to smile, and said, "I was just wondering how things are with you and Jackson. I hear you two are dating officially now. That must be fun."
***
"So you and Helen, huh?" said Riley as she slid into a seat at The Lima Bean in front of Jackson. "Fun."
"What do you really want, Riley?" Jackson cut straight to the point. Two years her senior, he was sure there was something fishy going on.
***
"I'm just wondering because," Kayli continued, leading Helen to the girls' bathrooms, 'I noticed a little something between you and Jared the other day when you did your duet."
"There's nothing between—" Helen began.
"Maybe I'm just imagining things," Kayli shrugged. "But maybe you were a little hasty in choosing your lover." Helen's eyes shot up at the blonde cautiously as she added, "Don't get me wrong, Jackson's great. But what have you done so far? Gone to his hockey games? Watched him hang out with his friends? Hockey players tend to surround themselves with the softball girls, don't they?"
"I guess," Helen shrugged, trying to pretend she hadn't noticed the division.
"But Jared, he's a football player," Kayli continued, leaning over the sink and lightly applying lip gloss after fixing her ponytail. "And they just love cheerleaders. They treasure us. Imagine the relationship you might have with him. It could be more than cheeseburgers and chili fries, I can guarantee that much."
***
"I just wanted to make sure I was getting things right," Riley shrugged as Jackson squinted his eyes at her. "After this week, it just seemed like she and Jared—"
"That's nothing," Jackson cut her off, a bit angrily. "They aren't even really friends."
"But he likes her," she reminded him.
He shrugged, unconvincingly disinterested, and told her, "He doesn't matter. She's with me."
"Look, I'm on your side here," she lifted up her arms defensively. "Everyone and their mommas knows that I have a soft spot for anything anti-jock, particularly the Jared variety, so I'm kind of really leaning towards a world in which he doesn't get his way. And if his current goal is to steal Helen from you, which by the looks of it, it is. Then I'll help."
"And why should I believe you?" he asked, far more intrigued now that he knew her endgame.
"Because..." Riley grinned mischievously. "I know for a fact Kayli is going to do whatever she can to help her buddy. So I thought you might want a buddy of your own. A better one."
***
After finishing her conversation with Helen, which undoubtedly left the poor girl confused, Kayli stuck around in the restroom, until a distant voice made her hide in one of the stalls. After a few seconds, she heard small feet checking around the room and, satisfied at the thought of being alone, begin to speak.
"Ok, I can talk again," said a voice which Kayli immediately recognized as Autumn's. "I can't tell you how awful I feel right now. I mean, when she kissed me, I was just speechless. I should've said something but I didn't. And I had the whole duet thing in glee club, but I couldn't do it. It was just a bad day overall. So overwhelming."
She? Kayli covered her mouth in shock. Was Autumn into girls? Scandalous!
Immediately following Autumn wrapping up her conversation and leaving, Kayli emerged from the stall, a grin on her face. "Things are about to get really interesting around here," she whispered, biting her lip before heading out.
***
"This is really good," Marley beamed as she tried some of the stake on her fully decorated plate.
"The food here is great," Leila agreed.
"Well, the chef is amazing," Marley told her, looking at her date.
"Robert, you're the chef here?" Leila asked in awe.
As Robert nodded, John muttered, "So how's the food when you're the one cooking it?"
Leila kicked him under the table and turned to Robert and Marley, a smile plastered on her face as Robert said, "So what about you two? Musician, model. That's got to be exciting."
As Leila nodded and began telling made-up stories of their adventures together, John caught Marley's eye, and in that moment they both felt like they were telling lies.
"Excuse me," John said suddenly, standing up. While Marley watched him walk away, the rest of their party remained deep in conversation, feigning interest and further pretending.
["Broken Frame" by Alex and Sierra.]
Marley: You and me sitting here spinning gears. We're like a stolen car. Hand in mine, feeling like this is right. But it's just not ours.
John had disappeared and Marley was sitting in a conversation that didn't even feel like hers, even though her name kept coming up. Eventually, she just blocked them out.
Marley: The greatest pretenders forget to remember the lies. We're falling forever, we're far from together tonight.
As John walked into the men's room, thankful that it was empty, he wondered what it was that he'd been expecting after all. He didn't necessarily want to date Marley again, but he didn't want her with the wrong guy either. But then, did any of them? Jake and Julie hadn't let go. Alex and Amity were still holding on. When would he be able to stop?
Marley with John: The light at the tunnel is a runaway train. The stars that we wish on are only airplanes. The love that we're chasing is a heart break away. 'Cause we're picture perfect in a broken frame.
John had dated plenty of girls in his life time, and they'd all been these crazy, loud, fun girls. But Marley was the only one who was just the quiet girl-next-door. There was really no one like her. It painted the perfect picture in his mind, though there was no reason that meant they could ever work out.
John (and Marley): Time is on neither side, no one's wrong. And no one's right. Hiding pain, Novocaine is gonna fade. There's no good in goodbye. The greatest pretenders forget to remember (the lies). We're falling together, the ties that we sever (tonight).
And as he walked back out, not wanting to hide out anymore, he realized what it was that they were all doing wrong. Sticking around Lima, holding on to past loves. Despite their individual successes, none of them had really accomplished anything if they couldn't move on.
Both: The light at the tunnel is a runaway train. The stars that we wish on are only airplanes. The love that we're chasing is a heart break away. 'Cause we're picture perfect in a broken frame.
Marley had figured this out years ago. She wanted something more than a life of repeating past mistakes, which is what she was trying to do. But there was something about proving to those who had hurt her that she had overcome it all, something that felt necessary. John had this seemingly perfect girl by his side and she had a perfect guy. So why didn't any of it feel perfect?
John: Gotta open up, open up. Oooh ooh ooh. Gotta open up.
Both: Open up. The light at the tunnel is a runaway train. The stars that we wish on are only airplanes. The love that we're chasing is a heart break away.
Marley: 'Cause we're picture perfect.
Both: In a broken frame. In a broken frame. In a broken frame.
John returned to the table, unaware of what the conversation was even about anymore. He watched Marley carefully, and though he felt deep affection towards her, he wasn't in love. He hadn't experienced that thing that made Kitty cringe, Julie cry, Sam act foolish, Jake sacrifice, Alex change... If he had, he didn't think he could've ever left her.
***
"Hello," Alex said, standing at Amity's doorway. Shana had opened the door, but Amity was just a few feet away, sitting on her living room couch.
"Alex," she said, standing up and frowning at the sight of him.
He looked terrible, which both girls noted, so Shana reached for her purse and mumbled, "I'm going over to Albany's," on her way out.
After she left, Alex stepped in and carefully closed the door, taking a few steps forward before softly saying, "You should sit down."
Amity did as he said, though she growing increasingly worried. "What's going on?" she sighed. "Are you... Is everything..." She couldn't figure out what to ask, at least not anything to which she didn't already know the answer. So instead, she took a deep breath and remained still, allowing him to speak.
"Ok," Alex said, already beginning to pace the floor in front of her. "Before I start, I promise not to raise my voice. I promise not to be unnecessarily unkind. I promise not to—"
"Ok," she stopped him. "I appreciate what you're doing. But you're starting to freak me out. Just talk to me."
"I'm trying to," he sighed. "I really am... I've just never been good at this. Being honest, talking about my feelings. And that's the thing. All of those great things that you are... I've never been them. You're an amazing person, Amity, and you have this huge heart. You like to do good. And I... I like to cause havoc. I usually let people like you take the fault, clean up after me, and... and... And I like to smoke. I do. I like to ignore people who don't already mean something to me. And I like to—"
"Alex, you're not making any sense," Amity shook her head, standing up despite his efforts to stop her. "What is this about?"
"I was talking to Kara the other day," Alex replied. As soon as he mentioned her name, Amity looked down at the ground. Somehow, she knew his behavior in the last days had to do with her. She just knew.
"Hmm..." was all she could say, helping herself down to the couch once again.
Taking a seat next to her, he took one of her hands and said, "It's not about her. Not really. But... She raised a few really good points. Like... I'm somehow not myself when I'm around you. Not anymore. We've been dating for a long time and it's been great but—"
"But it's been too long and you've never done it before," Amity finished for him. "And you want to be a single 22-year-old and go out with whoever and—"
"No, no, no," he stopped her, squeezing her hands tightly. "I love you, ok? I love you so, so much... It's just that. Whenever I think of us as a pair, I think about you making me a better person. You making me... this guy who... I don't know... It's just not me. I love you for believing in me but I can't believe in this me."
Amity stayed completely still, her eyes going from him to the ground as she tried to make sense of what she was hearing. "Ok," she finally said, not catching his eye but nodding.
"Ok?" he responded, letting go of her hands and trying to meet her gaze but giving up when it became evident that she was avoiding his. "Is that all you have to say?"
"Well..." she tried to come up with the right words. "I mean, what do you want me to say? To stop you? I can't... If this is what you want, I have to respect it." Alex nodded slowly and stood up. "Where are you going?" she asked.
He turned around and said, "Unless I completely misunderstood, I think we just broke up... So I was thinking I would just walk away..."
Amity took a deep breath as he forced a smile which he could only hold for half of a second. Once he was gone, she slumped down on the couch and realized she would have trouble moving again after what had just happened.
***
"I'm back!" Stefan announced as he strutted into Bree's boutique, a smile on his face. She was busy pulling things out of boxes, but looked up and frowned.
As she stood up to face him, she said, "Twice in one week? Am I really this unlucky?"
"Oh, come on," he grinned. "I have news."
"More news?" she raised an eyebrow, wondering what could be compelling enough for him to drive across town to her.
"Yeah!" he exclaimed jovially. "Ok, so I did tell Carrie about my news. And as it turns out, she doesn't want to date a lame football player on an 'ok' team. She wanted an NFL Super Bowl Champ!"
Bree looked at him with confusion. This was his good news.
"She broke up with me!" he continued, his smile not fading for a second. "This means that I can focus on you now."
Bree held up a single, skinny, manicured finger and said, "I'm sorry, what now?"
"We make a great team," he reminded her. "You and I are like... like... I don't know a good comparison... But anyway, I think you're an uptight business-type snob."
"Great way of sucking up to me," she sighed, turning back to her things.
"Old Bree would've had something witty and fun to throw back at me," Stefan continued. "This new you is unbearably boring. What do you do for fun now? Work?"
"Well, actually..." Bree thought about it.
"It's not just you," he said. "Kitty and Julie are, like, all about the work. You're the only three girls who didn't notice or compliment my new haircut."
"Your hair looks the same it did in high school," she shrugged.
"I dyed it and cut it!" he exclaimed, highly offended.
"Ok, fine, go bug one of them," she groaned, turning back to her things once again.
"No," he shook his head. "Bree, I care about you a lot. And I'd like to think that if Jack hadn't showed up when he did back then, you and I could've had something. Instead you went out and started a business and skipped all the fun that it is being in your early 20s. Lucky for you, you're only 23 so there's still time to make up for it. Let me help you what you've been missing. With me you'll see a whole new world."
"A dazzling place I never knew?" she responded, not taking him seriously.
"Yeah!" he exclaimed, nodding passionately. "Wait... Oh forget it. Look, just give me a chance to prove to you that you'll like my way of living life a lot better."
"I'll tell you what," Bree sighed, having too much work to do to handle his nonsense. "You help me finish setting up this place and I'll think about it."
"Deal!" he said, helping her with a box she was carrying.
"Oh, and, Stefan?" she mentioned quickly. "It's Joe. My boyfriend's name was Joe."
***
"Oh my gosh," Shana gasped when she arrived back at Amity's apartment and found her face planted on the couch. "Honey, what's the matter?"
She looked up, her face red, and said, "It's over... Alex said he didn't like who he was anymore and he needed time apart and... I had to give it to him."
"Oh baby girl," Shana softly murmured, rushing over to comfort her.
"I didn't want it to end," she cried, shaking her head. "But what other choice did I have? It just feels so wrong for us to be apart."
"If it doesn't feel right it's because it isn't right," Shana told her. "Honey, you always have a choice. You fight for what you want. And a world without Amex isn't a world I want to live in. I refuse it."
"I can't fight it if he doesn't want it anymore..." she whispered. "I'm sorry but... I really need to be alone tonight."
"I'll go back to Julie's," Shana nodded, standing up. "You sure you're ok by yourself?"
"I kind of have to get used to it," Amity answered, her voice shaking. The girls hugged and Amity walked her front out the door, doing her best to be strong. But it was hard just to make her legs move, let alone to get back to her bedroom. So instead of making the attempt, she just locked the door and leaned back against it.
["Stay" by Rihanna & Mikky Ekko. Fun fact: This was going to be a Jalie or Julex duet. But not anymore!]
Amity: All along it was a fever. A cold sweat hot-headed believer. I threw my hands in the air, said, "Show me something." He said, "If you dare, come a little closer."
As though she was taking her last breath, Amity closed her eyes and let her mind be flooded of her greatest memories of Alex. Before they dated, during, after high school... And now...
Amity: Round and around and around and around we go. Oh now, tell me now, tell me now, tell me now you know.
And there were just so many things she should've said but didn't. What if she'd asked him to try? What if she'd said she could change? But that wouldn't have worked with him, would it have... No... As she slid down to the ground, she realized there was no positive way to spin this. They were done.
Amity: Not really sure how to feel about it. Something in the way you move. Makes me feel like I can't live without you. It takes me all the way. I want you to stay.
***
Stefan: It's not much of a life you're living. It's not just something you take–it's given. Round and around and around and around we go. Oh now, tell me now, tell me now, tell me now you know.
Smiling at Bree, Stefan wondered whether his plan would work. Was he enough to get her smiling again? Well, nobody else had really seemed to notice the light that was gone from her face. So maybe it was up to him after all.
Stefan: Not really sure how to feel about it. Something in the way you move. Makes me feel like I can't live without you. It takes me all the way. I want you to stay.
Bree rolled her eyes at his every move, but something inside her made her want to let him help. She had been avoiding him for a while because he somehow always pulled out a side of herself that she wasn't sure was the best. But maybe it was what was best.
Amity: Ooh, ooh, ooh
Both: The reason I hold on
Amity: Ooh, ooh, ooh
Both: 'Cause I need this hole gone. Funny you're the broken one but I'm the only one who needed saving. 'Cause when you never see the light it's hard to know which one of us is caving.