"Hey, how you holding up?" Beck asked. We were sitting on the floor facing each other, divided by the prison fence. Everyone else was preparing for the big escape- I mean the big show we were going to perform at.

     "You know, as good as can be expected when you're in a foreign jail for treason against the country's leader." I replied and he laughed.

     "Well, when in Rome." We laughed for a little bit, but when the laughter died down, the conversation got more serious. "We should talk about, you know..."

     "No. What happens in Yerba, stays in Yerba."

~~~

     We were finally back from that awful trip, I was getting worried that we'd never make it out of that country. Everything bad that could've happened did. It was time to go back to school, and I never thought I'd say this but I couldn't wait. Too much had happened on the trip, and I'm excited to distract myself and focus all of my energy on my schoolwork. I'm going to try to do that at least. Principle Eikner announced that he was leaving the school to chase love. The new principal sped into the parking lot and almost ran over Tori, Robbie, and Sinjin, but ended up running over Robbie's new bike. We got told that we had to reaudition to stay at the school and everyone was freaking out. Well, everyone but Trina. The last class finally ended, which meant it was time to get to work on our auditions.

     "Liv!" I turned around and saw Jade calling me over from down the hall, with Beck standing next to her.

     "What's up?"

     "For the reaudition, I want to make a short film. Beck wants to work on his monologue, so can you help me? Oh, and I can help you with whatever you're doing too." My eyes quickly darted to Beck and then back to Jade. Beck was looking towards the ground, and he had his hands in his pockets.

     "Sounds fun," I said with a small smile.

     "Perfect. My house, 6 o'clock."

~~~

     It was 6 o'clock and I had just finished walking to Jade's house. "Hey," Jade said, as she opened the door. Liv followed her inside and they got right to work on the horror movie. "I'll meet you in my room, I have to get some stuff from the basement," Jade said, and I nodded. When I got to Jade's room, the lights were off and I couldn't see anything. When I turned the lights on, I noticed a young boy sitting in the chair in the corner of the room.

     "Hi?" I said, but he didn't answer. "Uh, Jade?" I called down to her.

     "What?" She yelled back, as she walked up the stairs.

     "Who's this?" I asked when Jade reached the top.

     "Neighbours' kid, he's in the movie."

     "Why was he sitting alone in the dark?"

     "I don't know, he's weird. Let's film." It didn't take them long to film, maybe a couple of hours at most. But, it felt like forever. The kid went home, and it was just the two of us. This was the first time that we had been alone together since before Yerba. Jade was calm, but I was very anxious.

     "Liv?" Jade asked, and I realized that I had zoned out.

     "Sorry, what?"

     "You've been distracted all night and you've barely talked, so you must be nervous."

     "Nervous? I'm not nervous. What would I be nervous about?"

     "The reauditions. It's okay if you are, but, Liv, believe me when I tell you that you're really talented and you have nothing to worry about. Hollywood Arts is lucky to have you, and Helen will know that when she hears you sing."

     "Thanks, Jade. That's really sweet."

     "You tell anyone and I'll make sure it's the last thing you do." She said and I laughed. I knew that Jade had a big heart, even though she puts on a cold exterior. She can be really nice to the people that she cares about. "So, what're you gonna sing?"

     "I have no idea..." I had been working on an original song for a while now, but something about it didn't feel right yet. "I better go and start figuring it out. See you tomorrow."

     "Okay, see you tomorrow. Let me know if you need any help."

     "I will." I practically sprinted out of Jade's house and started walking back to mine. I got about a block away from Jade's before it started raining. Great. It wasn't long before a car pulled over and stopped beside me. Beck's car, even greater. He rolled down the passenger side window. 

     "Need a ride?" He asked.

     "I can walk."

     "Liv, it's dark and your place is like a thirty-minute walk from here. Get in." I rolled my eyes away from him and looked the street. When I looked back he was standing in front of me, holding the passenger door open.

     "Beck, what're you doing? It's pouring!"

     "I'm not leaving until you're in the car."

     "You're crazy!"

     "Maybe a little." He shrugged and held out his arm towards the seat. I sighed but couldn't help but laugh at him. I walked towards the car and climbed in. "Watch yourself." He said before closing the door and running around the front of the car to the drivers' side. I shivered and he turned the heat up in the car. We didn't move for a couple of minutes, but it felt like hours. I hadn't been alone with Beck since Yerba. Yerba... I was snapped out of my thoughts by Beck. "Earth to Liv." He said, waving his hand in front of my face.

     "Hm?" I hummed and looked up. I did it again.

     "I was talking to you." He laughed. "Where'd you go?"

     "Why'd you have to kiss me?" I blurted out, without taking my eyes off of the empty road in front of us.

     "Um, I don't know. I guess old feelings came to the surface when we were together again after so long. I was mad about how Jade was treating you, and I guess I thought that was the only way to get back at her. I'm sorry for putting you in the middle."

     "Thanks, but I wasn't talking about the alphabet improv." I said looking at him, and he pursed his lips. "Jade and I had been in a really good place, which is what you wanted from the beginning. But you had to go and throw a wrench into that whole plan."

     "Don't put all of the blame on me. You didn't stop me before both times we kissed, and I seem to remember you leaning in first in Yerba."

     "What? You leaned in both times."

     "No, I-"

     "It doesn't matter. It happened, and we can't take it back. How you can even look at Jade, knowing what we did? I can't. Every time that I do, all I see is that stupid lapse in judgment."

     "Do you regret it?"

     "What?"

     "Do you?" I opened my mouth to speak, but I didn't know what to say. He nodded and looked out of his window. He knew, we both knew. I didn't have to say anything, my silence was loud enough. I didn't know how to answer his question because there wasn't a simple answer. I wanted to say yes so badly. I wanted to stay awake at night unable to stop thinking about, and wish that somehow I could go back in time and change what had happened. But, the horrible truth was wishing for a redo wasn't why I stayed awake. Wanting my best friend's boyfriend was. It was hard enough to admit that to myself, and saying it out loud would make everything too real.

     "I think it's time for me to go home."

     "Yeah, sorry I'll take you now." He said, placing his hand on the gear shift.

     "No, Beck. Home home."

     "Back to Canada?" He asked and I nodded.

     "I think that it's the right thing to do, the only thing left to do at this point. The only reason that I came out here in the first place was to have a clean slate. To start fresh, be someone new, no drama..."

     "I'm gonna take you back to your aunts, and you're gonna go inside, get some rest, and ace your reaudition tomorrow."

     "Beck-"

     "Just sleep on it. If you still want to leave in a couple of days, I'll drive you to the airport myself." 

     "Fine," I replied and he put the car in drive. We didn't talk for the rest of the car ride, and when I got to my aunt's we didn't even say goodbye. We didn't have anything more in us to say.