Chapter Five
The smile on her face was evident as she looked at the paper. "Yes," she yelled with a laugh, in the confines of the limousine. "I can't believe it. It's already that high?" she asked with another laugh, stomping her feet on the floor with a happy shriek. The driver started to laugh along with Joe, who sat across from her.
"Yes, it's true. I don't think my ears are ever going to recover," he said ruefully, rubbing one. "Seriously, Brooke. Your first single is already up to number four. Not bad, huh?"
She looked at him, her green eyes wide. "Not bad?" she repeated, her mouth dropping open. "Not bad, that's incredible, considering that it hasn't been out all that long," she added. "Who's number one?" she asked, looking back at the paper. She squinted, her eyeglasses still in her bag. "No way. I wonder what JC would say if I bumped them out of the number one position," she said, laughing as she leaned back. Joe just smiled and turned his attention to the window, looking as the scenery of California rushed by them. Brooklyn was doing a quick media tour to promote the new album, and her next stop was for The Tonight Show. She was more than happy to find that she had a few days off after that, before she had a little more touring to do. It was nothing like a normal tour, and she was happy for the chances that she got to go shopping. It may have been October, but she was already getting ready for Christmas.
"Here we go, Brooke," Joe said, as the limo driver opened the door. She had been too engrossed in reading the piece of paper that she didn't even notice that they had stopped. With a smile, she hopped out and threw her purse over her shoulder. They were greeted by an intern at the back entrance, and escorted down to her dressing room for the day. She smiled and thanked them, while Joe went out to the lobby where he could make a few phone calls. Happily, she slid down onto the couch in the room, and pulled out her cell phone. It rang in her hand before she even had the chance to dial her brother. "Hello," she caroled, closing her eyes.
A chuckle escaped from the other person. "Only you can make a hello sound so musical."
"I try," she said with a smile. "Now, if there a reason why a certain country music loving pop star is calling me, or am I just a number dialed wrong like last time, Lance."
"Hey now, that was a mistake. I didn't mean to dial you, but I did. You're going to hold this against me for a long time, huh?" he asked, his light accent filled with sarcasm.
Brooklyn laughed, slipping down further on the couch. "Uh huh. Until the day I'm married, because you're going to be there. When I get my chance to speak and say how happy I am to marry whoever it is, I'm going to mention that my neighbor is there. My neighbor who happens to dial the wrong number, get ahold of me, and then rub it in my face like I'm not special enough to call. Now, Lance, I don't want to sound like a whiny singer, but come on," she said, pulling the whine out as long as she could.
She could imagine him shaking his head, and the very thought caused her to laugh. She didn't even know what he looked like, but she could still see him shaking his head. "I'm the one that convinced JC to sing with you on your album. For that, you owe me the greatest gratitude."
"And I wasn't nice enough when I sent both of you a rush copy of the album? I thought that you would have enjoyed it. Which, by the way, I haven't heard any thanks or nice job about. Feed my ego. I need it at this point."
"Ah, yes, you're on the media circuit, aren't you? It's hell, honey, but I'm sure that you'll deal. As for the album...it was great. Honestly. I like it more than the last one. I especially loved the duo that you guys did. I just have one question."
Running a hand through her hair, she sighed. "Shoot," she answered.
"Did you really play the violin on this?"
The young songstress started to laugh, and couldn't help letting it all out. Someone knocked on the door, and she raised herself to let them in. Waving in the makeup and hair artist, she finally quit her giggles and winked, even though he couldn't see her. "Yes, I did. Amazing, huh? I was forced, by both my tyrant of a manager, and by your little friend. Saying no to them was next to impossible." She held up one finger to the woman, and pointed to her phone with a smile. The woman nodded and started to set up. "Now, as much as I would love to talk the morning away with you, I'm doing Leno in something like forty minutes, and I really have to get ready. You don't mind, do you?" she asked.
"Nah, as long as you call me sometime later this week."
She grinned and leaned against the now closed door. "Of course, darling. Say hi to Jace for me," she said, betting on the fact that the makeup woman wouldn't recognize the name. If she did, she didn't make any mention, and she let out a little sigh of relief. All she needed was to have her name all over the tabloids and linked to either one of them.
"Sure. Bye, Brooke."
"Later, neighbor." She hung up and smiled at the woman again. "Hi, I don't think we've met yet. I'm Brooklyn Turner," she said with a laugh, shaking her hand.
The woman, with a reddish cap of curly hair and brown eyes smiled back. "Alyssa McMichael. I just started to work here, so I wasn't here last time you were." She turned back to look at her cosmetics and then back at her. "We should probably get started. The show starts in a half hour, so we don't have that long."
Brooklyn shrugged, sitting down in the chair. "All right. Let's get this done, and do you think that you could keep some of the makeup in the case?" she asked innocently, blinking her eyes before both of the started to laugh. "By the way, call me Brooke."
Alyssa nodded and started to apply concealer and foundation over her smooth face. "No problem. So, how many times have you done the show?" she asked curiously.
"I think it's been about six times now. My first time was when I was eighteen. Wow, that was a long time ago. I'm twenty five now." She chuckled and closed her eyes as she attacked her forehead. "Do you know how old that makes me feel?" she asked.
With a laugh, Alyssa dropped her brush and began looking through her eyeshadow selections. "Are you wearing that for the show?" she asked, nodding to the lavender tank top. Brooklyn nodded and she picked out a silvery lavender eyeshadow. Her eyes shut again as it was applied to her lids. "You think that makes you feel old? I'm twenty seven, and I don't know what I want out of life. I'm a licensed makeup artist, I have a degree in English History, and another in Journalism. I'm stuck doing makeup jobs on bratty musicians," she said with a laugh.
She opened her eyes and looked in the mirror. "You know, Alyssa, you remind me a lot of me. I like that in a person," she said, adding to the laughter. "You don't mind if I call you Allie, do you?" she asked, watching as a rouge covered brush came towards her face. Alyssa shook her head, concentrating on her job. "Cool. Now, if you could tell me if you have any plans for tomorrow, I would be more than happy to explain why I'm asking."
"Sure, hit me with your best shot. I'm not doing anything."
A smile overcame Brooklyn's face as she examined her lipstick choices, and finally decided on a light colored gloss, in a delicate shade of pink, for the country singer. "I was hoping, since you remind me so much of myself, that you have time off enough tomorrow to come out with me. Maybe a little shopping, a little food, and all of that good stuff. Please, my manager is such a bore to shop with."
Alyssa smile brightly. "Brooke, I'm more than happy to shop with you. Just make sure that you're wearing comfortable shoes, because I'm probably going to wear them out."
The applause was deafening as Brooklyn put her guitar onto the stand, and climbed up to the stage, exchanging a handshake with Nicolas Cage, and a hug with Jay Leno. She attached her microphone to the strap of her tank top, and sat down in the comfortable chair beside the desk. There had only been two guests booked for the night, meaning that Brooklyn had enough time to talk about her album and anything else the host could come up with. "Hello, there," she said with a smile, laughing when the audience finally calmed down.
"Now this isn't fair. She got more applause than me," the actor said beside her, sending a quick smile to her. She could have sworn that he winked, but she wasn't too sure.
"That's what true talent gets," she said with a laugh, before adding that she was just kidding. "It's nice to see you again, Jay."
The host smiled and leaned forward in his seat a little. Brooklyn picked up the navy blue mug with the words 'guest #2' on the back of it, and took a quick sip of water. "Yeah, this is what, you're seventh time on the show?" he asked. She nodded quickly, tucking her hair behind her ear. That was her and JC's little private message for hello. "I still remember when you first came here, all of eighteen years old."
"Please, you're making me feel so old. It's a little early for a mid-life crisis, I would think." She grinned brightly. "Yeah, a lot has happened since then. It's hard to think that I'm already twenty four."
"Not only twenty four, but you have seven albums out, including a Christmas album from last year, and this would make it number eight. Just came out in stores."
She blushed and nodded. "Yeah. It took a whole two weeks to record, and now it's out. It's kind of weird, how fast the process goes," she said with a small laugh.
"I can imagine. You know, I was listening to this last night, and it really is a fantastic album. I would say that it's your best so far. Also, you pulled a really big name to perform with you. The duet you do is incredible."
Brooklyn nodded again. "My manager had this huge list of people that I could have worked with, and the only one I didn't know was JC Chasez. He kind of scared me by flying JC out before I had a chance to say yes, I want to meet him, or not. Luckily, it worked out. He's a great singer, and most of the credit for the song goes to him."
Jay smiled, looking at her. He did remember the first time she had been on the show, because he had never seen anyone with a worse case of the jitters. It was her first television appearance ever, and to say that she was camera shy was being too nice. She had been absolutely freaked out, but managed to get through the interview like a pro. The Tonight Show had been her stepping stone, in a way, just like how Garth Brooks, who she opened for on her very first tour, had been her stepping stone in the actual music industry. Now, Brooklyn was absolutely comfortable with sitting in front of the camera, the two of them chatting like old friends. "She never takes credit for anything," he said to the audience, jerking his thumb in her direction. "Now, your next tour is starting pretty soon, and I suppose it's going to be as big as last time."
"Actually, there are talks that it could be even bigger and longer. I'll be heading off to Australia this time, and doing more dates in the US and Canada."
His eyebrows slid up, causing her to laugh at her patent move. He had picked it up from her after talking to her backstage her first appearance at the show. "You brought up JC, so I have to ask you, are you dating him, like all of the tabloids are saying?"
Brooklyn laughed harder this time. "Please, you of all people should know that the tabloids lie through their teeth. I am not dating him, nor any other member of. I have a boyfriend back home in Tennessee," she said, but was broken off when a few male fans of hers started to boo. "I'm sorry. I can't help it," she said with a laugh, smiling at them. "Anyway, I'm very happy with Tim right now, so no." She laughed again. "Even my brother asked me the same question. Everyone seems to be so obsessed with this question."
He flipped through the tabloid sitting on the desk and held it up to the camera. "Yeah but don't the two of them look so cute together," he said in a saccharine sweet voice. The audience started to applaud, but Brooklyn held up her hands in her defense.
"Yeah, about as cute as it would be for me to send a right jab to that chin of yours," she said, smiling sweetly.
He pretended to shy away from her, before looking back at the camera. "And with that note, we'll be right back." The red light on the camera went out, and she relaxed in her seat. The two made pleasant talk before the commercial break was over, and they both grinned in the camera. "Now, before we go, Brooklyn, would you mind singing us one more song?"
"Sure, why not," she said with a laugh, reaching behind her to pick up the acoustic guitar behind her chair. She placed it on her lap and began strumming it, letting her voice overtake the small studio setup. Only the chorus of one of her favorite songs on the album she was singing, but she still threw herself into it, her eyes closing as her voice rang out.
"I'd give up my sight just to see you,
I'd beg, I would borrow and steal.
I'd cut off my hands just to touch you,
And tear out my heart so you'd know how I feel.
There's nowhere that I wouldn't follow,
There's nothing that I wouldn't do.
'Cause I wouldn't want to be me,
If I didn't have you."
She put the guitar back and smiled, as she leaned back. "All right, I want to thank my guests for the night, Nicolas Cage, and of course, Brooklyn Turner, who's new CD, If I Didn't..., is now out in stores. Good night!"
"All right. Catch you later, Allie," she said into the phone, hanging it up. It was her last stop of her mini media tour, and she was more than happy to just relax on her hotel room bed. It seemed like only days ago, but it had actually been a few weeks ago that she had been doing the Jay Leno show.
She groaned, and fell back against the pillow, her eyes drifting shut. The tour was taking a lot out of her, considering that she was a little rusty since her last tour. The end of it had been very relaxing, and almost slow, doing a venue in between three or four days. Now, she was on the move almost every day, and dead tired.
The young woman rolled over, and was about to fall asleep, when a knock came at her door. With a sigh, she rolled off of the side of the bed to her feet, her eyes still shut as she made her way to the door. "Joe, you promised me that you were going to leave me alone for awhile," she whined, opening the door.
"Nice to see you, too, New York." Her eyes snapped open at the familiar name and voice. She looked up at his bright blue eyes and squealed before pulling him into the room, just in case there were some fans outside. Once he was in, she wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing. "Umm...am I allowed to breathe sometime soon, or should I just turn blue for you?" he asked in a choked voice while he grabbed her around the waist tightly.
She was still laughing when they pulled apart. "Breathing? Big deal. What are you doing here?" she asked, sitting down on the bed. He joined her with a sigh and fell back.
"I had a few days off, and you were looking a little...tired or worn down, so I figured that I would come out and see you." She smiled thankfully and fell down beside him, her eyes closing again. "You know, you were great on the..." he trailed off and looked over at her, smiling.
Brooklyn had fallen asleep beside him, rolling over onto her side. He sat up, cross-legged, watching her for a moment, brushing the hair out of her face. The smile on his face became more pronounced as she mumbled in her sleep, throwing one arm over her eyes to block the light. JC pulled himself up off the bed and picked up her legs, moving them so that she was laying down completely on the bed, before covering her with the blankets that were bundled at the bottom of the bed. He climbed back up and sat beside her, turning on the television, but making sure to keep it down.
Around two hours later, she opened her eyes and looked around. She didn't even remember falling asleep. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and looked at the television. She knew that she didn't turn it on, so there was only one person that could have. Her eyes traveled down to the warm figure laying beside her, and chuckled when she saw the remote control held tightly and possessively in his hand. She wasn't about to move it, but instead, looked down at him as he was sleeping.
A lock of hair had come out of the perfect hairstyle that he usually had, falling against one closed eye. His mouth was opened partially, and she couldn't help smiling as she watched him rise and fall with each breath he took. Idly, the words to Faith Hill's Breathe came into mind, and she hummed softly with the melody. The light of the television shifted over his face, causing his chiseled face to appear more chiseled than normal. Shaking her head, she turned away and settled down to watch a little television. While the remote was in his hand, she reached over and pressed the channel button.
She looked down, a little shocked, when she felt his hand overtake hers. "All I wanted was the switcher and he does this to me. What a time to feel friendly," she muttered, pressing the button again. She ended up on the four o'clock showing of Days Of Our Lives, and smiled, leaning back even further on the pillows. JC still didn't release her hand, but rolled over, pulling her with him. She wasn't ready for the pull, and ended up being thrown across him. He woke up with the impact, laughing sleepily when he noticed the position she was in.
"Umm...New York, is there something that you needed?" he asked, as she untangled her hand from his.
With a hit on his shoulder, she sighed and gave up on getting off of him. "Well, if someone, and let's just say for example, YOU, happened to grab me while I was trying to change the channel, you remote control hog, you. Of course, I didn't wake you up, because if you fell asleep, you were more tired than I noticed, and then, this mysterious person, also known as YOU, happened to pull me over ontop of you while you rolled over. Now, for someone that was trying to do something nice, as in not waking you up by yelling about a fake fire and this is the thanks that I get. Thank you, JC, for making my life complete."
He shook his head and brushed the piece of hair out of his eyes. "And just how do you think you're going to get off of me?"
"Considering the fact that I'm in a sleep weakened state, I have no idea. Why don't you use your super human strength and lift me off?" she asked, her voice radiating with sarcasm.
"Sorry, you have the wrong singer." She looked at him curiously, and he started to laugh. "Never mind. You'll understand one of these days, I'm sure." Brooklyn shook her head, and he spat her hair out of his mouth. "It always seems to be the two of us that get in these really weird positions, when someone really should have a camera, but we never do. How about I just roll back over? You should fall off that way."
She let out a squeal. "No way. I'll be folded up like an accordion. Thank you, but no. I think I can do this myself." With a yawn, she pushed herself off and lifted herself very slowly before falling back onto her pillow. "Ooh, Shawn and Belle," she said with a smile, sitting up higher to get a better view of the screen. JC just shook his head and sat up a little, watching the action on the screen.
"Are those two going out or something?" he asked, pointing to the screen.
Brooklyn shook her head when the scene changed to Hope and Bo. "Nope, but they'll end up going out eventually. You should have seen the dance scenes with them. They were beyond cute." She smiled, sighing when the next commercial came on.
"You really do have a thing for this show, don't you?" he asked, yawning, covering his mouth at the same time.
She nodded quickly. "My mom was worse, though. She took on the Horton family tradition, too. See, all of the members of the family have their own ornaments. They each have their names on them, and they would hang their own on the tree. The married people put theirs beside each other, and the kid's always went near their parents. They've done it from the very first season, and still do it today. My mom loved it so much that she got one made for all of us. Austin and I hang them on the tree every year now."
JC slid down further onto his pillow. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you lose your parents?" he asked, his voice lowering a little. He felt almost guilty asking her, but he knew that if he didn't do it now, he wouldn't ever.
"It doesn't bother me as much anymore, but it still hurts a little," she said, shrugging. "They died in a car accident when I was seventeen. Actually, just before my birthday. They got side swiped, neither was wearing their seatbelts. No big deal." She chuckled, a purely hurt tone. Something that he had never heard escape her mouth before.
He was at a loss for words. For the first time since they had met, she was hiding something from him. He could see the look of Brooklyn being reluctant in her emerald eyes, and the way her nose crinkled a little. After those few weeks, he knew that the nose movement was showing that she was lying. "New York...Brooklyn, I'm sorry, but you have to admit, death is a big deal," he said, deciding that using her nickname probably wasn't the best choice at the moment. He didn't know why, but after talking to Brooklyn as much as he did, he had learned a little bit about her. "I'm sorry, but that's just my opinion."
She chuckled again, but it was less hurt. "And you're entitled to your opinion. I'm not saying that you're not. It's just...I can't exactly bring them back anyway, and being upset doesn't help."
The way she said it made him think. There was a tone of uncertainty, a shadow that passed over her face, causing him to fall silent. He looked over at her, and watched as she blinked away a single tear that was sparkling in her eye like a diamond. It was almost like it never existed the way it disappeared. He wouldn't have even known it had been there, if he hadn't taken the chance to look at her from the corner of his eye. One hand lifted and brushed back her hair behind her ear. JC turned off the television quietly, Brooklyn not even noticing. "New York, tell me."
With an incredulous look, she shook her head. "Why? Does it really matter? It doesn't make a big difference. What happened and that was in the past."
"Brooklyn Turner," he said, warning her.
"It's not a big thing, all right? Can we please just drop it?" she begged. Despite that, the one tear started to glitter again. She shook her head, keeping her eyes forward. "Have you already checked in?" she asked him. He nodded slowly, knowing that she could see him. "Would you mind...I mean..." The words she was trying to say were obviously hard for her, but he knew exactly what she was trying to get out.
He lifted the corner of the blankets and sheets for her to crawl underneath, which she did willingly. "No problem, New York." She smiled hesitantly, and closed her eyes. He sat there for a moment, looking down at her. "Anything for you."
But she didn't hear a word he said. She was already asleep.
"Don't ask. Please. Just be glad that I'm off for three days," she said quietly, staring into the dark depths of her coffee cup. Joe, sitting across from her, sighed and looked at the country singer. Dark sunglasses were covering her eyes that morning, something that he wasn't used to seeing. She wore sunglasses only when she was upset, and trying to hide it. Even on the harshly bright days, she preferred to have her eyes uncovered. Remembering this, he reached for her glasses before she had time to protest or stop him, and pulled them off.
He wasn't ready for what greeted him. Her eyes were red and watery, like she was sick, but he knew that she wasn't. Dark circles underneath completed the unfashionable look, making her look distinctly like a raccoon. "At this point, I am glad. Brooke, what the hell happened last night? You look like someone tied you to the back of a vehicle and pulled you around town for a few hours."
With a nod, she agreed. "I know. Joe, you know I love you like a father, but please, don't ask what happened. I don't want to talk about it, and I'm hoping that you can respect that." He nodded reluctantly, and watched as she took her sunglasses from the table and slipped them back over her eyes. "Good."
He still couldn't help the smile that was spreading on his face. "Does this have anything to do with a certain pop star, or am I just wishing?"
Her hand came up from under the table, and threw her linen napkin down onto the table with a muted scream of frustration. "Since when is it so hard to believe that a woman and a man can be friends? You're worse than Molly, I swear." She leaned across the table, her elbow resting beside her empty breakfast plate. "Joe, just let me say this now. I am not, nor will I ever be, interested in JC, thank you very much. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go back up to my room and see if I can get some more sleep." With that, she pushed her chair away and stood up, walking out of the hotel restaurant.
Her cowboy boots made no sound on the carpet as she made her way to the elevator, smiling at the older couple that was standing in there. She pressed the button for the ninth floor and waited patiently, trying not to tap her foot. She could already see her bed, looking so lonely and unused, just waiting for her to jump in and pull the blankets over her head, shutting out the world.
The woman, who's hair was just beginning to turn a delicate shade of gray, pulled on her elbow. "Excuse me? I'm sorry to bother you, but are you...Brooklyn Turner?" she asked, holding her breath, almost like she was scared for the woman to answer negatively.
"Yes, I am," she said with a bright smile. Anyone who knew her would have known that it was fake. Still, it did the job for the couple, who looked very happy to meet her. Almost to the point of being ecstatic. Brooklyn loved those type of fans, because it was who made her. It was who created her, and kept her where she was. The adults introduced themselves, and she shook hands with them. "It's nice to meet you," she said, genuinely.
The woman looked down towards her feet, a faint blush overtaking her pretty, but aging face. "I don't suppose you would mind singing an autograph for us, would you?" Her husband nudged her with his elbow lightly, giving her a stern look. Brooklyn just smiled and reached for the piece of paper and the pen in her hands. It still surprised her to think that people much older than herself wanted her autograph.
"There you go," she said with a grin, handing back the sheet. "It isn't worth the paper it's written on, but you're more than welcome to it." She laughed lightly with them, when the elevator stopped on her floor. Stepping out, she turned back to look at them. "Have a nice day," she said with a wave.
The woman stopped her, however. "Thank you, Brooklyn. I think you've made my day."
With a sweet smile, Brooklyn leaned forward, stopping the doors from closing. Her hand covered the woman's and she smiled again. "Ma'am, I think you just made my day. Thank you." Pulling back, the doors closed and Brooklyn smiled one more time, turning away to go to her room. The card slipped through the slot, and she waited for the light to turn from red to green. Once it did, she opened the door and stepped inside, relishing in the darkness. The sunglasses she had been wearing were tossed onto the table, and her boots thumped down by the door.
Approaching the bed, she sighed happily and picked up one corner of the blanket to slip underneath. There was still a remaining warmth, telling her that JC had left, only minutes before she got in her room. She had been more than thankful to him for staying with her. The mere presence of someone she knew and trusted put her at ease, and stopped most of her nightmares that night. Not all, because only Austin could do that, but most, nonetheless.
She rolled over and pulled the blankets more tightly over her denim clad legs. The world, for the moment, was being shut out, and that was all that she could ask for. Brooklyn had never cared for darkness, but it was a relief, a release almost. The silence around her enveloped her, and she sighed happily, shutting her eyes. They were burning from the sleeplessness that she had the night before.
Most of the night, she had laid awake, afraid to fall asleep after her first nightmare. Thankfully, JC had been there to snap her out of it, but it still left her in a cold sweat. Trembling, she listened to the sound of his breath even out beside her, lulling her peacefully to a sense of semi-unconsciousness, though not sleep. When she did fall asleep, just before dawn, the sweat had run its course, but a slight tremble remained, staying with her until she fell asleep.
The thoughts tired her more than she expected, and she finally drifted away, in a more peaceful place than she had been the night before.
Her hair spread across the pillow in a golden brown cloud, the sunlight just illuminating her highlights slightly, she was still asleep when JC opened the door to her room with his spare key. She had tossed it to him that morning, after he had mentioned that he was still a little worried about her. The words had been teasing, but she heard the underlying worry in them, and willingly gave up her spare key.
He approached her bed slowly and kneeled down beside it. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was almost noon, and she should have been awake. His hand went out and shook her shoulder very lightly. She jumped at the contact and sat up in bed. "Huh?' she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
Chuckling, he sat down by her feet and grinned. "Come on, New York. You need to get some food in you, and it's just about lunch, so why don't you and I head down to the restaurant and get something to eat, huh?" he asked, tapping his hands on her feet, which were still buried under the covers.
She smirked, and slid out from underneath. "Something tells me that this is more about your stomach than my well-being. You're so transparent, JC," she said with a laugh, picking another shirt out of her suitcase. "Give me a second to change into this, and we'll be out of here, all right?" He nodded impatiently as she went into the bathroom.
Seconds later, she emerged, now sporting a long sleeved, two toned blue shirt. "Took you long enough," he whined, as she picked up her wallet and pushed her sunglasses on.
"Shut up and come on," she demanded, pointing to the door. He chuckled and followed her as she opened the door for him and shut it quickly. "So, how has your morning been?" she began brightly. He could tell that she was faking almost every emotion that she was showing, other than being incredibly tired.
He shrugged and pressed the button for the elevator, watching as she leaned against the wall. Her eyes were shut behind the dark glasses, as if she was in pain. Worry lines, or what looked suspiciously like worry lines were covering her face, marring the natural beauty that she possessed. "It wasn't bad. Nothing special. You know, that look sort of looks like you were sucking on a lemon. I was always told that if you use a look like that, it'll stick." The lines melted from her face, and she looked half normal. "Thank you. I've only taken out a woman once when she looked like that, but I'd like to hope that the look wasn't because of me."
"I only give scum looks like that," she said, stepping into the elevator as the doors opened. She finally looked at him and started to chuckle when she saw the baseball cap that was covering his hair and shadowing his features. "What are you, in the Witness Protection Program? You're going to flatten your hair with that." She pressed the button for the lobby floor and continued looking at him. He pushed on a pair of dark sunglasses, similar to Brooklyn's. "Umm...just to let you know, the restaurant will make you take off your little CIA thing you got going on, so can I suggest something a little less formal?"
Slowly, his head turned to look at her. "That's probably not a good idea." They stopped on the fourth floor, and another person walked in, looking suspiciously at the duo as if they were bank robbers, and then turned away.
A smirk appeared on her face, and she looked more like Brooklyn Turner than she had all day. "Don't be so afraid. I'll cover you, if need be." She caught the other man's look and smiled sweetly at him. Reaching up, she took hold of the brim of his cap and pulled his face down to meet hers. "Don't worry about it. I've got it covered," she said with a smile.
A bulking figure was sitting at one of the tables, close to them, but far enough away for their privacy. "Not for just anyone would I grab a security guard just to go to Burger King," she said with a smile, taking a sip of her chocolate shake. A french fry was held in between her fingers, and she waved it at him. "Just look at the poor guy. You can so tell that he'd rather be watching television or something, rather than escorting a spoiled pop star around."
He grinned and leaned forward, snagging the french fry out of her fingers with his teeth. After he was finished chewing, he smiled innocently at her look. The sunglasses still hadn't disappeared, but when the two of them were walking, they had slipped down enough to show him what she was hiding. "Yeah, and I normally don't take spoiled country stars that wear cowboy boots and sunglasses to hide the bags under their eyes to the nearest fast food place." He paused thoughtfully, allowing her enough time to take a bite out of her burger. "Of course, I've never taken a country star to Burger King before."
"I know. I'm just so special that it's not even funny," she said with a grin, looking back at their security guard. She waved to him with a smile, while JC took hold of her wrist to stop her. "What?"
With a shake of his head, he leaned back against the aqua colored bench seat. "You're attracting attention."
She turned around and looked throughout the restaurant. It was pretty empty at the moment, but they had noticed that the rush was about ten minutes ago. "Yeah, but just the attention of that cute pimple covered guy at the counter. He can put his boots under my bed anyday."
"He probably wears Keds still."
Brooklyn looked at him, mock astonishment on her face. "Do I detect a hint of jealousy, JC? I'm so sorry, but he's checking me out. What am I supposed to do?" Laughing, she leaned back in her seat and pushed the tray away from her. "I swear, I'm stuffed. I just want my shake and that's it."
His sunglass clad eyes looked at her tray and smiled. "I could imagine why. I've never seen a female that could eat two full sized Whoppers, a large fries, an order of those mini-cinnamon things, and a large shake." He shook his head in astonishment, finishing off the rest of his fries.
The smile on her face was as broad as it could be. "You need to hang around women like me more often. Screw the 'I ate a lettuce leaf and I'm full' sort of girls." She smiled and stood up, taking her tray with her. They dumped off their garbage and was joined by Brooklyn's rent-a-guard lookalike, before heading out the door into somewhat warm sunshine. "It's way too early to go back on a day off. Why don't we walk around for a little while longer." When she caught his look, she grinned and took his arm as an escort. "Calm yourself. Mr. Muscles is staying with us, right?"
The man nodded, and JC nodded reluctantly, as she pulled him along the street. The first place that caught her attention was a bookstore, which he didn't mind going into himself. The two split up in the aisles, the guard following JC under Brooklyn's orders. She was busy reading the back of a thick novel while JC snuck up behind her. One hand went over her eyes, the other around her waist. He bent down his head beside her ear and whispered in a low, sensuous voice. "Say you'll be mine. Run away with me to Morocco. Just you, me and..." he paused, looking at the book in her hand. "And Helter Sketler?"
She giggled and removed the hand from her eyes. "Uh huh. The true story of the Manson murders. Austin and I would love this." Craning her neck, she laughed harder at his face. "We're both obsessed with those true murder mystery stories. Just call us the Hardy Boys."
He removed the arm that encircled her small waist and smiled. "Well, if there was a character like you in the Hardy Boys books, I probably would have read more of them when I was younger. You done?" She nodded and took the book to the counter, ignoring the look she got from the old lady behind the counter over her choice. She paid quickly and accepted her bag, swinging it along as they walked back outside. Both pairs of sunglasses went back over their eyes as they continued down the road, heading towards the music store on the corner.
Without speaking, as soon as they walked into the brightly lit, loud store, they separated in two ways. JC to the country section upstairs (with the guard in tote), and Brooklyn to the pop/rock section. Immediately, he walked over to the little white plastic card with the bold T on it, and flipped through the discs, finding a large selection on Brooklyn. It seemed that they had every album she had ever done, including her Christmas album and the new one. He picked up her first disc, self titled, and looked at the youthful face carefully.
It was the same brown and blonde honey colored hair, and same green eyes, but there was something different about her. She looked more subdued, less flamboyant that she normally was. It was a similar girl that was looking at him, at all of seventeen or eighteen years old. On a basic black background, she sat with her knees up, her guitar leaning up against her. The haircut was slightly different, more of a bob than her now layered and in between look, but it was still her, to a degree. He picked up the disc without thinking, and flipped through the rest, taking three more at random, passing by the new one. A copy of it was in his luggage, though he hadn't had the time to listen to it yet.
His hand shot out, and picked out her Christmas CD on an impulse, heading back down the stairs. He spotted her flipping through the pop/rock section, obviously enthralled with whatever she was looking with. He walked up behind her, and looked at what was in her hands. "Oh, no, you're not getting that one," he said, taking the plastic wrapped package out of her hand and putting it back.
She snatched it back and put it in between the other two discs she was holding. "Yes, in fact I am. I'm really curious to listen to it now, especially since you told me that I wasn't getting it. Besides, the song Giddy Up sounds somewhat country," she said, innocently.
He groaned and led her away from the pop/rock and pointed her upstairs. "Country section. Go, buy something to pacify yourself. You're going to need it if you listen to that song. I think I'm going to be castrated, so I'll be hiding then." She sent him a bad look and followed him back up the stairs. She started to flip through all of the discs, laughing at some of artists that she obviously knew, but only picked up one.
"I'm done. Are you?" He nodded and the two walked back down the stairs to the front counter, where JC pushed Brooklyn ahead of him in the lineup. "Are you on something?" she asked, looking back at him.
"I'd just feel better if you were in front of me, and the mountain is behind me," he sad, smiling at her, as she turned back and opened her wallet. She passed the woman a few bills and waited for her change, tucking the discs into her bag containing her book. Once he was done, the two finally headed back to the hotel, for their last day together.
Brooklyn leaned back in her seat on the private airplane, closing her eyes. The two had just gone their owns ways, and she was proud of herself that she didn't cry, though she still didn't understand why she did the first time. Instead, they had exchanged hugs, promises to call, and then went to their own gates. Now, thirty thousand feet in the air, she reclined her seat and sighed happily.
Two more stops and then she was heading home to get ready for the upcoming tour. The long, most likely grueling, upcoming tour. She rubbed her eyes and opened her bag, taking out her personal CD player. Putting the small earphones in her ears, she opened the lid and looked at what disc was in there. It was still the one of her newest disc, reminding her that she had to practice more.
With a groan, she pulled a CD out of her bag and put the new disc in it's place. With a smile, she looked at JC's face on the cover of their debut album, before pressing random and pressing play. She let the soft melody play in her ears and smiled when she recognized it. Not only was it the single that they had done with Alabama, one of her favorite groups of all time, but it was also the song that JC had played on the piano when he was in her music room.
Taking the booklet out of the case, she opened it and grinned brighter when she found that she had picked Lance off of the cover herself, knowing almost instantly that it was her "neighbor." She chuckled and put it back in. "I rock," she said to herself, looking across the aisle to Joe. He was asleep, as usual, which she saw with a roll of her eyes.
Suddenly, the song changed and she frowned when a new one came on. She didn't care for pop music and avoided MTV at all costs, but this caught her attention. She brought her chair up a little and listened intently. Her mouth dropped open unattractively, her gum falling onto her lap. It wasn't even noticed. "Something tells me that they're not singing about horseback riding." Her voice was quiet, but started to grow in volume. "He's right. I'M GOING TO CASTRATE HIM!" she shouted out, waking Joe with a start. "Sorry," she said with a shrug and a smile.
It had been a little while since JC had taken a commercial flight, and he was enjoying it more than he thought he would have. Of course, he reasoned, anyone would enjoy first class, where there was extra leg room, and anything you could ask for. Almost anything. That didn't stop him from being a little cautious, but less than usual. His recent visit with Brooklyn showed him how deprived he really was, and how much freedom she had. There had been times when she was stopped for an autograph when he was with her, but no one freaked out, started to cry or scream. They just thanked her and went on their way. Nothing like what he usually encountered.
"Excuse me," a woman said at Brooklyn's shoulder. She turned willingly, a smile on her face. "You're Brooklyn Turner, right?"
She nodded and extended her hand. "Yes, I am, and you are?"
"Karly. I was wondering...I don't have a pen and paper with me, but could I get a picture with you, if you don't mind?" she asked, with a timid smile.
She took the camera from her hand with a smile and handed it over to JC. "Would you be an absolute darling and take a quick picture of us, please?" she asked, grinning at him. She stepped up beside the girl and looped her arm around her shoulder, smiling brightly. JC raised the camera to his eye and stepped back a few steps, pressing the shutter button. He handed the camera back to Karly and smiled at her.
"Thank you, both, very much," she said with another smile, and walked off.
Brooklyn grinned and started to walk down the street with him again. "So, how does it feel to be on the other end of a camera?" she asked, looking up at him. "More fun than you, thought, huh? That's why I'm the photographer out of me and Austin. He always manages to cut people's heads off."
"New York, it felt better than you know."
Not that it was a big surprise. She seemed to be teaching him the finer points of how to be famous, and yet have a life. The camera incident was just one of them. He had seen the look in her eyes when she had passed him the camera. It was almost demanding, like she was telling him that taking that one picture would be for his own good. It turned out that it had been, although he most likely wouldn't admit it to her.
Everything with her was an experience, and he was enjoying his time with her more than he thought he would. She was genuinely happy, and looked at the world with such an outlook that no one could help smiling with her. There was something about her that drew people to Brooklyn, something that forced you to befriend her, or at least say hello to her when walking down a hallway.
Those thoughts still fresh in his mind, he slipped one of her discs into his player and adjusted the volume, listening to one of her duets with Garth Brooks.
"You know a dream is like a river,
Ever-changing as it flows.
And a dreamer's just a vessel,
That must follow where it goes.
Trying to learn what's behind you,
And not knowing what's ahead.
Makes each day a constant battle,
Just to stay within the shores."
He smiled as The River finished playing, and settled back, hopefully to relax throughout the flight. Still, his mind couldn't get off of Brooklyn, and how upset she had been two nights ago. It was something that he had never seen from her, and he hoped that he never did again. Still, there was some sort of burning desire that wanted him to learn what it was, and in the process, everything about her that he could. He knew just where to start, too.
Chapter Six
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