Chapter 4

- Chapter 4 - The next day of rehearsal was as bad as it was yesterday. Ross and Laura didn't have that same chemistry and they both kept stuttering and screwing up their lines. This was the 19 take for this one scene that was completely Auslly. Ross started to zone out, again. Laura walked over to him, playing Ally. It was the only time she would talk to him and look at his eyes. "Austin, you really mean a lot to me. I want you life too out of-. I mean, i want you to be in my li-." Laura says, screwing up her line again. "CUT!" The director shouts. "Come on, guys! It's not that hard! Take 20!" Laura redoes her part. "Austin, you really mean a lot to me. I want you in my life." She sighs, sounding majorly hesitant and untruthful. Ross looks into Laura's eyes. "A-Ally, you... Are my..." Ross trails off. "UGH, CUT! ROSS! LAURA! MY OFFICE, NOW!" The director yells. When Ross and Laura sit down in the chairs. The director slams his hands on the desk. "I am done. You two have been screwing up and messing up everyone else because of your stupid breakup. I've had it. Both of you make up or the show is over. This is pointless." Ross and Laura don't say a word. "I'm not going to force you guys to hang out but i strongly suggest you do. I'm gonna give you guys a couple of weeks to make up. You better start now. The rest of today is off. You are dismissed." Ross and Laura walk out of the office and the director tells everyone the news. Rocky, Riker, Ratliff, Rydel, Calum, and Raini get up to go to Ross and Laura. "Now is our chance!" Rydel says. "Hey, Laura, we are all going to a pizza place tonight. Do you want to come?" "Actually, i would love to but Vanessa is home alone, right now. So, i better-." Laura starts. "Actually, we invited Vanessa. And she said that there was no food in the fridge." Riker says. "And since she dropped you off here, you have no ride to get to the pizza place. You can ride with us." Rocky says. "Um... Okay." Laura says, not really having another option. "Okay, let's see." Calum says. "Riker, Rocky, Ratliff, Ross and Laura can ride in the Lynch's car. Raini can take Rydel and i'll go by myself." "Wait, why should you ride by yourself while five of us are jammed in one car?" Ross asks Calum. Calum ignores him. "I guess that's settled then." He goes to his car. "I call shotgun! Rocky yells and heads to the car. Raini and Rydel head to Raini's car. When they get outside, Riker gets into the driver's seat, and Rocky gets into the passenger's seat. Ross gets into the backseat. "Oh, dang! I forgot something in Ross' dressing room. Let me go get it." Ratliff says, so he could avoid sitting in between Ross and Laura. He leaves and Laura stands outside. "Don't you think there would be a little more space if i just rode with Raini and Rydel or Calum?" Laura asks, stalling the situation. Just then, Raini's car and Calum's car pass by. "Nevermind." Laura says. "Come on, Laura! You can fit in the middle! Ratliff never fits in the middle." Riker says. "Yeah, just sit next to Ross. He won't bite." Rocky says. Ross pulls out his phone, acting like he didn't care. Laura sighs. "Fine." She says and then gets into the car next to Ross. The seats were close so their legs touched. Ratliff comes back. "I couldn't find it. Whatever, i might find it one day." Laura looks to him. "What were you looking for?" Ratliff gets in the car. "Um... My pack of gum." Laura narrows his eyes at him. "Sureee." Riker starts driving and purposely makes these weird right turns to make Laura kinda lean towards Ross. Laura sits up forward, towards Riker. "Hey, Riker. Um, can you stop that?" Riker looks at her. "What? This?" He says and does a quick hard right. Laura bumps into Ross. She glances at him. "Sorry." She mutters. Then, she leans back toward Riker. "Yes, that. Stop doing it." She says, sternly and then leans back. Riker does it one more time and Laura knocks into Ross. "Riker!" "Sorry, Laura. I thought i saw a dead deer." Riker lies. "Liar." Laura says. Riker smiles. . . . For some odd reason, everyone hurries to their seat and leaves two open chairs next to each other for Ross and Laura. Laura takes her chair and then Ross does. "Hey, Vanessa." Laura says. "I would sit next to you but, i can't." Vanessa was sitting by Riker and Raini. Raini sat by Calum and Vanessa. Rocky sat on the end by Riker and Ratliff. Ratliff sat next to Rydel. Rydel sat next to Ratliff and Laura. Laura sat by Ross and Rydel. "That's fine! We sit by each other at home." Vanessa says. "Oh, yeahh." Laura says as Vanessa starts talking to Riker. They order their food and drinks. Ross puts his hands in his pockets and looks around under his chair. "Guys, where is my phone?" "In the car. You left it there." Rocky says. Ross sits back in his seat. "Great." Soon, Raini talks to Calum, Riker talks to Vanessa, and Ratliff and Rydel talk to Rocky. That left Ross and Laura not talking to anybody. They awkwardly avoid eye contact. While Laura looks away, she spots a table of a couple of people watching. They had a few cameras and phones out. Laura nudges Ross. "Paparazzi." Then, she tells everyone at the table. Ross looks at Laura. "What do we do?" "Act like we are together." Laura tells him. "Wish we didn't have to act." Ross mutters holding out his hand on the table. "You could have changed that." Laura says, interlocking fingers with his. "I'm not the one who said that we should break up." Ross says. "Well, i'm not the one who caused me to say that." She says. "Well, i'm not the one who-." Ross starts but Riker cuts him off. "Guys, seriously? Cut it out." He says to them. "Change the subject before you start yelling." Ross rolls his eyes. "They're trying to force us back together." Laura looks at him. "I've noticed." "Why?" "Think about it." Laura says. "W-." "I don't want to think about it. I want you to just tell me." Ross says. "God! I am going to tell you just wait!" Laura says, loudly. Everyone at the table looks at her and then, she looks to the paparazzi. They kept glancing at them. "Forget something?" Ross asks her, rhetorically. "No. You just get on my nerves." Laura says. "Since when?" Ross ask her, narrowing his eyes. "Forget it." Laura says, looking away. After a while, she notices Ross still looking at her. "What?" Laura says. "Ugh! You were going to tell me why they're trying to force us back together! God, you yell at me for being impatient and now you yell at me for being patient?" Ross says, keeping control of the level of his voice. "Just calm down." She says, rolling her eyes. "They are forcing us together because we are messing up everyone else and affecting other people... I think." "That's not the best reason." Ross tells her. "Jesus, Ross! That's what I think! Why don't you come up with a better reason? Ugh, i cannot stand this." Laura says. "Can't stand what?" Ross asks her. "I can't stand talking to you because at this point all if our conversations turn into arguments." Laura tells him. "Wait, did you just say you can't stand talking to me?" Ross asks her. "Okay, fine! I meant, i can't stand arguing with you!" Laura says. "Then, don't." "Only if you stop arguing with me." Laura says. "I'm arguing with you because you're arguing with me." Ross argues. "Guys!" Riker says. "Is this for real? You guys are arguing like a bunch of little kids. Stop, before the paparazzi notices." "Last time i checked, we weren't talking to you." Ross tells him. "No, you weren't. You weren't talking to anybody, you were yelling at her." Riker says. "I wasn't yelling at anybody." Ross argues. Rydel groans. "Seriously, Ross? Do you have to argue with everyone?" "I'll argue with the people who keep telling me what i'm doing." Ross tells her. "No one is doing that!" Rydel says. "Oh my god! Everyone is doing that!" Ross says as he lets go of Laura's hand and gets up. "Where are you going?" Riker asks him. "The bathroom. Wanna come?" Ross asks, sarcastically. Riker rolls his eyes. Ross starts walking but he accidentally bumps into waiter, who accidentally spills a plate of spaghetti on Laura. "Sorry!" Ross says to both the waiter and Laura. Laura gets up. "It's fine. Let me just go, clean this off." She says, sound irritated. "I'm deeply sorry, ma'am." The waiter says and then hurries to the kitchen. Laura looks to the paparazzi, who haven't seen yet. She walks to the bathroom. "Dude, go help her." Rocky says. "I mean, you did do it." Ross rolls his eyes and goes to the one room bathroom. Raini looks at everyone. "Did Ross just go in there with her?" "Oh god, let me make sure no paparazzi go by there." Ratliff says and walks over to the bathroom. Ross locks the door. "You didn't need to come help me." Laura says, reaching down her white shirt to get the spaghetti out. Ross takes some spaghetti off of her chest on her shirt. "It was kinda my fault." Laura smiles at him. "You do realize we are in a bathroom... Together." Ross smiles at her. "Whoops." "Oh, well." Laura says, taking the rest of the spaghetti out her shirt. Ross takes the spaghetti off of her neck and out of her hair. "If this is your way of getting me back for slapping you, this is kinda going overboard." Laura says. "Trust me, i didn't do this on purpose." Ross says. "I'm sorry, though." "It's okay." Laura says and then she puts her fingers on his chin and turns his head to see where she slapped him. He turns his head and she touches his cheek in the space she slapped him. "Does it still hurt?" "Yeah, it kinda bruised. That hurt like crap." Ross tells her. "Sorry. I didn't mean to smack you that hard. I guess, i was just really angry and frustrated." Laura tells him. "I could tell. Sorry about saying that and trying to make you jealous." Ross says and Laura looks down. She wanted to forgive Ross but, she couldn't. Laura just couldn't believe what he did. It wasn't Ross-like. It didn't really matter, they would still argue. "What happened to that girl anyway?" Laura asks him as he continues to take spaghetti off of her neck and chest. "I told her that i really wasn't with her in the first place and she dumped some soda on me." Ross says. "Oh. You know, that's what girls do. You can't just use them." Laura tells him. "I told her before i 'got with her' that i wasn't really going to go out with her. She just didn't listen." Ross says. "So, i already told her i was using her. It's not my fault she didn't pay attention." Laura doesn't look at him. "I still can't believe you did that." "I said i was sorry." He tells her. "'Sorry' isn't good enough." Laura says, looking at him. "Then, what will be 'good enough'?" Ross asks her. "You shouldn't be asking me that." Laura says. Ross goes to get a paper towel and he wets it with water. He goes over to Laura and starts to clean her face and neck. "I cannot go out like this. It looks like someone just barfed all over me." Laura says. "You could put on my jacket." Ross suggests. "Okay, thanks. Let me just take off this shirt." Laura says. "Do you have anything under it?" Ross asks her. "Only a bra." Laura says. "Why?" "No reason. Do you want me to turn around or leave?" Ross says, taking off his jacket. "You could just turn around." Laura says. "And don't turn back around until i say unless you want to be slapped again." "Not going to turn around, got it." Ross says and turns around to face the wall. Laura turns around, too and takes off her shirt. "Ross," she says. Ross holds out his jacket so Laura could take it. She puts it on and zips it up. "Okay, you can turn around now." Ross turns around. "Ready?" Yeah, they go out of the bathroom and see Ratliff standing there. "You guys realize you went in the bathroom together, right?" He asks them as the walk over to the table. "And Laura, you look cute in Ross's jacket." "Shut up, Ratliff." Laura says, hitting him. They sit back down in their seats. "I'm impressed, guys. There was no yelling in that bathroom, at all." Ratliff says. "I wonder what you two were really doing." "First of all, no." Laura says. "And second, i wish you sat next to me so i could hit you." Ratliff sticks out his tongue at her. Rydel rolls her eyes. "I'll hit him for you, Laura." She says and hits Ratliff. "Ow." Ratliff says. "Rydel, i thought you were on my side." "I am, but that last part you said, that wasn't necessary." Rydel says smiling. "Thank you, Rydel." Ross says. . . . The paparazzi followed them outside. The moon shined brightly int the murky sky so, everyone could see each other. Riker goes to Ross and Laura. "Kiss and hug." "Do we really have to?" Laura asks. "We don't want anyone to start to be suspicious." Riker says and he goes to talk to Vanessa. Laura looks at Ross. "Okay. Let's just get this over with." Ross leans down to kiss her and Laura stands up straighter so that she could reach him. She wraps her arms around his neck and he puts his arms on her waist, closing the space between them. Their lips were centimeters apart, their foreheads touching. Laura couldn't bring herself to meet his lips. "What are you waiting for?" Ross says, softly. "It feels wrong." Laura says. "Because we're forcing it. If it really is going to kill you, we don't have to do it." Laura tilts her head up and she presses her lips against Ross's lips. They close their eyes, taking in the moment. It's been a while since both of them felt the soft texture and sweet taste of each other's lips. Laura pulls away and rests her head on Ross' shoulder, feeling dizzy with butterflies from the kiss. "Wow." Ross laughs a little. "It's been a while." "Yeah. I have a feeling we'll see each other real soon." Laura says. "I know. See ya later." Ross says. Laura pulls away from him. "Bye." As she walks away, Ross watches her. Riker, Rydel, Ratliff, and Rocky go over to him. "You miss her, dude." Rocky says. "No, i don't. I could care less." Ross says and then gets into the car. Rydel looks at the rest of them. "He's gonna care after what we do tonight. Vanessa is already going with the plan." She says. "The next couple of weeks are going to be sooo fun." Rocky says.--------------------------------------------- Heyyy! I would like to know what states you guys are from because the time zones seem pretty different. Haha i get comments at like 3 AM. So, im just curious. I'm not trying to come to any of your houses. (That's creepy.) And i'm kinda desperate, so please vote. :0 - allaboutraura