Power to the Players

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created originally by MonkeyxMonkey and are copyrighted to him/her, any reposting or archiving without written permission is an infringement on the copyright of this series. So in other words You damn well better ask before you steal it.

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Summary: In the ALL NEW 16th episode of 'Power to the Players', Beck's relationship with Melody takes an unexpected turn when a friend of Melody's makes some shocking claims designed to cause trouble. Later, Beck's depression hangs over her as she arrives at work to find she suddenly has a brand spanking NEW fan.

Original Airdate: Monday, September 3rd, 2012 @ 9:30 p.m.

Story Codes: no sex

I stopped in front of Natalie's home room and noticed Sasha and Mary walking down the hall towards us, along with what looked like Duncan.

"Oh God, here comes trouble" I groaned. Natalie just glared at Sasha and I told her that everything was alright.

"Nice to see you Beck. You're friend really did a good job beating on Chase today" Mary said sarcastically.

"Whatever Mary. What do you want?" I said sharply.

"You, Beck. We want you to break up with Melody" Sasha answered.

"And why the hell would I wanna do that?" I asked, not really caring what they had to say.

"Let's be realistic here. Who's going to vote for a gay Homecoming Queen? Not me and not half of the student body. I mean, Melody is my friend and I've been trying to get over this little phase she is going through with you. But it's about time to call it quits or at least until Homecoming is over" she replied.

"So you want me to break up with my girlfriend…so that she'll win Homecoming Queen?" I repeated.

"Correct" Mary said smirking. I looked between the two of them and frowned.

"Hell to the no. What's wrong with you? People are going to vote for Melody because they like her, not because who she's with" I growled.

"Yeah, but that's really what's important right now seeing that she's with you. I mean, who are you compared to Duncan Matthews, captain of the lacrosse team and nominating Homecoming King?" Sasha said, crossing her arms.

"Sasha, I'm not breaking up with Melody. And if you really feel that strongly about it, why don't you fucking run yourself" I said, taking Natalie's hand and brushing past them.

"Come on Smith. Be real about this! No one is going to vote for her as long as she's with you" Sasha yelled after me.

I looked down at the ground in anger and Natalie took my face in her hands.

"Beck, don't be upset about this. Nobody cares what Sasha and Mary think"

"But they're kind of right Nat. Who's going to vote for her as long as she's with me?"

"Um me! Lee, Mark, Hope, Jessie, Chase. We're all on your side about this"

"Wrong. Lee, Mark, Hope, and Jessie can't stand Melody and I don't even like Chase"

"Beck, I'm sure Melody isn't going to care what people think. She was brave for coming out like she did and even though you two have been through a lot; she's still there for you"

I looked at her and smiled. Natalie was right. I couldn't let Mary and Sasha get to me.

"Thanks Natalicious" I said, hugging her. She just laughed and hugged me back.

"You're going to make me late for class" she giggled, pulling away from me. "Fine, fine. Leave me in my moment of sorrow" I pouted.

"You'll be fine. See you at work later on today?" she asked.

"You know it. Bye" I said, walking down the hall towards my home room. Things between Natalie and I were actually better than ever. I could honestly say that she was my best friend.

"Beck honey, I need to talk to you".

I turned around and saw Melody looking quite distressed. "What's wrong?" I asked, pulling her towards me.

She sighed and rested her forehead on my shoulder. "Mary and Sasha…"

"Yeah I had a feeling that had something to do with this. Why do you still hang out with them? Sasha actually tried to convince me to break up with you today" I interrupted.

"She's running. She came to the office today and said that you gave her the idea!" she growled.

"Whoa! Hold on. Did you just hear what I just said? She tried to get me to leave you" I said, my anger starting to rise again.

"I heard you and I understand that but why would you convince my friend to run against me for something I want so badly, Beck" she said, pulling away from me.

"Your friend? Melody, are you hearing yourself right now? Maybe I should repeat things for you. Sasha, your friend, tried to get me to leave you this morning. And you're fine with that?" I shot back.

"Well, are you going to leave me Beck? Are you? I trust you so I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about the fact you told her to run!" she yelled.

"I was joking! I didn't think the bitch was taking me serious. I was mad that she was getting on my case like usual. If you were there, I know you would have done something about it but like always, you took Sasha's side over mine" I yelled back.

"I'm not taking her side!"

"Oh yes you are! If you heard half of the things she said to me, we wouldn't be having this discussion in the first place"

"Did you or did you not tell her to run for Homecoming Queen?"

"Melody, this is so stupid…"

"Answer the question!"

"Yes! Yes I did. Are you happy now Melody? She made me feel like shit for being with you and I was actually considering breaking up so that you could get what you've always wanted and all you fucking care about is this damn election!"

Her eyes softened and she tried to take my hand.

"Beck. Beck honey, I'm so sorry…"

"No! I don't wanna hear it. I'm actually gonna do you a favor and make this easier for you. I want you to win because that's what you want. Sasha wins again I guess. We're done Mel. I'm sorry but…I can't be with you if you're gonna keep putting a cold-hearted bitch like Sasha before me. I just hope that you realize how she's been playing you".

I walked back down the hall, deciding not to go to homeroom anymore. I just couldn't be anywhere near her right now. I guess Jessie was right all along. Sometimes friends don't make the best couples. I had tried my hardest to make things work but being together just tore us apart. I was secretly wishing that we could mend our friendship back into something it was before. I didn't want Melody to be totally out of my life. I just couldn't be with someone who always put me second in a relationship when it came to her friends.

I heard Melody calling after me but I wasn't going to turn back around. Hopefully she would find someone who could give her what I couldn't.

Wal-Mart

"God, where is she? She's late. Did you call her Lee?"

"I called her twice Glen. Geez, calm down. Beck will be here"

"I can't believe Rachael hasn't fired her yet. This is her third time being late"

"That's because Rachael's too busy fucking the night guards to care"

"Lee, that's horrible"

"Hey, it's true Nats. We all know why she had overtime every Wednesday night"

Mark ran into the store with Hope behind him and Natalie and Lee both looked at them in confusion.

"What the hell's wrong with you two?" Lee asked.

"Have you seen Beck?" Glen asked.

"Speaking of Beck, have you guys been on 'FB' recently?" Mark asked, smiling. They all shook their heads.

"Well, check this out" Mark exclaimed. He showed them his Blackberry and Beck's profile.

Relationship Status: Single

"What?!" Natalie and Lee exclaimed at the same time.

"Yup! I saw in shock too when Mark told me. Apparently they broke up this morning" Hope said.

"Why didn't see tell anyone?" Natalie asked.

"I guess she didn't want to hear all of us say 'I told you so'. There's been rumors going around but I wanna hear it from Beck herself. Oh and um Lee, you might wanna see this" Mark remarked.

He pushed a button on his Blackberry and a video of his fight with Chase came up on the screen.

"I've been forwarded this 5 times already" he said sadly. Lee sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"Can you believe she defended him? I mean, if anything that's what made me feel like a total tool. She just stood there and…and I realized that I've lost her" he groaned.

"You haven't lost her Lee. She's just still hurt" Natalie said.

"So, Nat. Now that Beck's single, are you going to go for it?" Hope asked, smirking at her.

"Not right away. I'm sure that Beck is kind of hurt. I mean, a break up is a break up and I wanna be a 100 and 10 percent sure that I'm not a rebound. I think I'll wait until after Christmas break" she said smiling.

"Or you could wait until Christmas and give her a present that will really cheer her up" Hope said seductively.

Natalie laughed and Mark just looked at her. "Can I get a present?" He asked, smirking at her. Hope just nudged him and he laughed.

"I'm glad you guys are all happy about Christmas but seriously, where is Beck?" Glen growled.

"She'll be here! How about this, I'll page you when she gets in, alright?" Lee said. Glen frowned and stomped away towards his desk.

"Even though he's our supervisor, I sometimes worry about him" Natalie replied. Lee just nodded and leaned back against his seat.

"I just hope that Beck gets it right this time. No more waiting around. She knows the answer this time" Mark said.

Natalie arched her eyebrows at him. "What are you saying Mark?" she asked.

- - - - - - - -

I walked home. Can you believe it? I walked almost 5 miles home after school was over. I tried my best to avoid Melody and I just didn't feel like talking to anyone. Sasha had signed up for the elections and I decided it would be in my best interest to avoid her as well. What I really didn't expect was for Jessie to pull up next to me and invite me in for a ride.

"Why are you walking down the street instead of riding with Melody?" she asked, turning off her radio.

"I broke up with Melody" I replied sullenly. She glanced over at me and frowned.

"I'm sorry Beck. What happened?" she asked in genuine concern.

"I just got tired of always coming second when Sasha was involved. I mean, she was my girlfriend but she still cared more what Sasha thought about her. I guess I was just kind of hoping that things would be different" I said sighing.

"Hate to say I told you so"

"Then don't say it! God, you know what. Just pull over here, I'll walk" I growled, unbuckling my seatbelt.

"Beck. Wait. I'm sorry, that was wrong of me. I guess I'm still upset about what happened this morning" she said softly.

I looked over at her and groaned. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that too. Natalie and I should have never said anything"

"He was going to find out anyway. I guess it was bound to happen" she said bluntly.

"But what did you do it? I mean, getting even isn't going to fix the problem, don't you think?" I remarked.

"I know that Beck, but Chase is actually a really sweet guy. I can't just knock him off like that. He's smart, he's funny, he's-"Exactly like Lee"

She glared at me but I just shrugged. "You know it's true. He acts exactly like Lee. He's like a Lee clone. He's even in the same damn club as Lee. You knew this was going to kill him" I explained.

"Beck, I'm not the one in the wrong here! It's like everyone has forgotten what he did to me!"

"Emphasis on the 'did' part, Jess. It was 2 months ago and he feels like shit for it. I think it's about time you let it go. I know he was wrong, we all do. But that doesn't mean you can walk around playing victim all the time. I'm sorry he cheated on you. People make mistakes. But you would be lying to yourself if you looked me in the eye and said that you no longer had any feelings for Lee because I know you still love him".

Jessie stared at me and we held eye contact until she sighed and looked over the side window. She pulled off of the curb and started to drive again.

"I'll drop you off home" she said almost in a whisper.

"Just please think about it Jess. Everybody deserves a second chance" I said, leaning back against the seat.

Home

I slammed the front door and Brandon jumped when he noticed it was me.

"Geez, anger issues sis. What's wrong with you?" he asked, arching his eyebrows at me.

"I broke up with Melody today" I replied through gritted teeth. He jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

"Say what? You finally broke up with her? Do you want me to call Natalie for you because I'll call Natalie for you" he said giddily.

I glared at him. "Brandon, believe it or not but I'm actually kind of upset here" I groaned.

He noticed the way I was looking at him and walking over to me, sitting down on the couch that I had collapsed on when I first walked in.

"I'm sorry to hear that Beck. Was it something she did?" he asked. I just nodded and looked up at the ceiling.

"It just wasn't meant to be I guess. Although I am glad I gave things a try with Melody" I said.

We were both silent for a minute until my dad walked in the door. He was carrying some groceries and Brandon quickly jumped up to help him.

"Hey guys! I'm home!" he yelled, looking around the house until he spotted me on the couch.

"What's wrong little foot?" he asked, frowning at me. I smiled a bit at the name but then remembered my current situation.

"Dad, remember when mom told you I was gay and that I was with Melody?" I asked.

He just nodded. "We broke up today" I said, staring down at the ground.

Dad sighed and sat down next to me. "You know, I always thought I would have this whole 'girl talk' thing with your brother" he said honestly.

"Hey!" Brandon yelled from the kitchen. Dad chuckled a bit but then looked back over to me.

"And when your mom told me, you know I wasn't mad. I was just…shocked. I couldn't believe that you would hide something like this from us and neither could your mother and I know you're upset now, but you need to hear this"

"…Sometimes when you think you're doing the right thing, you're actually doing the wrong thing. And sometimes when you think you're with the right person, you're actually with the wrong person" he said.

I arched my eyebrows at him and frowned. "Dad…I don't know what you just said" I groaned, pulling at my hair.

He just laughed and put his hand on my shoulder. "Just think about it Beck. You'll understand soon…Now go help your brother unload the groceries. Your cousins are coming down for Christmas and I want this place loaded with food before then" he said, getting up from the couch and walking upstairs towards my parent's room.

My head was hurting from my father's wise words and I looked over at the clock.

3:37 pm

Wasn't I supposed to be somewhere at 3:30? Oh shit! Work! I jumped off the couch and ran towards my room, quickly throwing on my clothes and dashing back down the steps.

"I'll be back later!" I yelled grabbing dad's keys. "Drive careful Beck. I know you just got your cast removed but I still want you to be safe!" Mom yelled after me.

"Alright! See you later!" I ran across the yard and jumped into the driver's seat of my dad's worn down car.

"Please don't die. Please don't die" I whispered over and over again. The car started up and I shouted in joy before peeling off the curb and towards my job.

Wal-Mart

"I'm here. I'm here. Sorry, I'm late" I said breathlessly, leaning against the counter.

I saw Mark, Hope, Lee, and Natalie all looking at me weird. "What? Is there something on my face?" I asked, running my hand over my jaw.

"No Beck. Why didn't you tell us about Melody?" Hope asked.

I sighed and jumped over the counter next to Mark. "I didn't want to bother you guys, plus I was just upset" I replied.

Lee nodded his head and then quickly picked up the phone. "Glen, to the front. Glen, to the front" he said over the loud speaker.

I arched my eyebrows at him, wondering why he was paging him. Lee noticed I was confused and laughed a bit.

"I told Glen I would page him when you came in" he answered. I just nodded and glanced over at Natalie.

She smiled at me and then pointed over to the 'Starbucks'. I groaned. "Are you serious?"

She just nodded and pretended to zip her lips shut. Lee laughed and I trudged over to the coffee shop. Buying her coffee everyday was starting to hurt my wallet but if it kept Natalie around, I would do it.

"Beck, it's nice to see you here on time"

I expected to see Glen but to my surprise, Rachael was standing there, smirking at me.

"Rachael, I'm sorry I was late. You see, my car got destroyed and I totally forgot I had to work so-"Beck. It's ok. Don't worry about it. Besides, you're here now and…that's all that matters" she said, walking closer to me with that same smirk plastered on her face.

I didn't like the way she was looking at me. Like a fox circling its prey. I knew what she was trying to do and it wasn't going to work with me.

"Yeah, I'm actually trying to get something right now so if you'll excuse me" I said, walking past her.

"Wait. What's the rush? Can't we just talk for a minute?" she said, running her hand up and down my arm. Even the smallest touch had turned seductively somehow.

I pulled away from her and walked/ran towards the 'Starbucks'. I asked Candace for the usual and almost jumped out of my skin when I felt something touch my arm.

"Whoa! Beck, it's just me" Natalie said, jumping back a bit. I sighed in relief and pulled her closer towards me.

"God, you scared me. I thought you were Rachael" I said, smiling at her.

She arched her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest. "And why would you think that? Did she touch you?" she asked, her anger starting to rise.

"Well, yes kind of but I'll take care of it Natalie. No worries" I replied, holding her against me to calm her down.

She sighed and held me back. "I just don't like the way she looks at you" she said softly.

"Wait. She's been looking at me? Since when?" I asked, getting kind of worried now that I knew she's had her eyes on me.

"For a while. I think it was after she hooked up with the night guards. I told Lee about it and he said I should be careful too. Apparently, she's had her eye on a couple of people…I just didn't think she would approach" she replied.

I frowned and glanced back over to where Rachael was standing. She was talking to a customer and when she saw me, sent a quick wink my way.

I shivered and quickly paid for Natalie's coffee before handing it to her and taking her hand.

"Come on. I don't wanna be in her sight right now" I said, walking back towards Lee.

"I'm not liking our manager right now Lee" I growled behind clinched teeth.

"Hmph! You're talking to the president of that club right now buddy. I wish I could file a sexual harassment charge against her but I can't because…well, you know. If I had more evidence I'm sure someone else could" he said, glaring over at her.

"What about the night guards or someone she's been messing with?" Natalie suggested.

"I'm sure the night guards are fine with getting a piece of ass every now and then while they work. They're not gonna say anything about it. And so far, she hasn't messed with anyone besides them" Lee said, dismissively.

"…What about me? What if I could somehow trick her into something?" I said, looking over at him.

"You mean like, make her flirt with you and stuff but then pull a sexual harassment charge on her ass!" Lee exclaimed.

"Yeah, except without all of the excitement" I said slowly, arching my eyebrows at him.

He smiled sheepishly and Natalie shook her head. "I don't really like the idea of her touching you, yet alone you allowing her too" she said, sadly.

"Natalie, I wouldn't be allowing her too. I just need her to make a move so that we can get her out of here. I'm actually missing Patti right now even though she was a stone-cold bitch" I said, sighing.

Lee nodded in agreement. Natalie just frowned. "I still don't like it" she pouted. I laughed and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"I promise you, I won't let her touch me anywhere that you haven't…Ok?" I said, smirking at her.

She blushed a little but nodded. I kissed the top of her head and Lee smirked at me.

"You want Natalie, don't you?" he mouthed to me. I thought about it for a minute.

We had been close since I started going out with Melody and the idea of being with Natalie always excited me.

Maybe it was about time to take my father's advice.

"Sometimes, it's best to go in full force and show that you're ready for this"

Well, I was ready for this. I was ready to be with Natalie.

I looked over at him and nodded.