I sit back in the car and close my eyes just as my cell phone rings. I pull it out with a groan and check the display. It’s Ali so I answer.
“What the FUCK was that all about?!” she greets. “And where are ya?! I’m standing outside the hotel so swing by and pick me up before Nick notices I’m missing.”
“Uh…”
“C’mon! Two heads and all that!”
“Ok,” I sigh and tell the driver to go back to the hotel.
Minutes later, Ali jumps into the car and we drive away.
“Where we goin’ then?” she sits back and I shrug.
“I hadn’t thought…”
“Someplace with lotsa chocolate,” she decides and leans forward to speak to the driver. “Know of any small places which serve the best chocolate cakes?”
“That would be Ruby’s,” he replies.
“Ruby’s it is then!” she says and sits back again. “Can’t beat chocolate for when you’re in crisis,” she tells me with a wink. “And believe me, I know.”
“Ohhhh!” I moan and hit my head back against the seat. “It’s such a MESS!”
“Hell yeah,” she agrees. “But you still got me.”
“Thanks,” I smile as her cell rings.
“Nick,” she says and pulls it out. “Hi babes… I’m with Jade… Because she needs me… Sorry but I think she needs a little time away from y’all… He did?… Oh yeah, bad JC… Nick, I’m gonna hang up now. You take care of your friend and I’ll take care of mine,” she hangs up and switches her phone off.
“What’d JC do?”
“Nothing. Apparently Brian was ready to hit him and he just calmly walked away. ‘Course Nick says that means he’s a smooth bastard but…” she shrugs. “Guy obviously has sense.”
“Yeah,” I mutter. “But if he had any real sense he woulda stayed away full stop.”
“All you had to do was ask him to leave,” Ali says. “And you didn’t.”
“I should’ve, shouldn’t I?” I moan and my cell rings. I pull it out and check the display. It’s Justin so I answer. “I’m not sure that I’m still talkin’ to YOU.”
“Uh, I take it JC arrived ok then,” he says cautiously.
“Oh yeah. JC arrived just fine. I think right now he’s hiding from Brian.”
“Huh?!”
“Brian saw JC with me and it all kicked off big time,” I tell him. “It ended with them both yelling they wanted me more in the hotel lobby and me leaving.”
“Oh fuck…”
“I can think of WAY worse words.”
“I’m sorry Jade. I didn’t think he’d fly out to see ya. I just thought that maybe he’d call you or something.”
“I wish he had! This is SUCH a mess J!”
“I know. Look, we have the rest of this week off, want me to come?”
“And declare your undying love for me?!” I joke weakly and he chuckles.
“I would but I think you’re kinda busy as it is. I can talk to JC, get him to back off a little. And WE could talk. Maybe it would help you to get your mind straight.”
“Thanks but I have Ali for that. And JC isn’t putting any more pressure on me than Brian,” I sigh.
“I’m gonna come anyway,” he decides. “You’re my friend and so is JC. I can’t let him be here alone with Brian’s friends.”
“You’ll just make it worse J!” I exclaim.
“Or better. See you tonight,” he hangs up and I groan in frustration.
“What?” Ali asks.
“Now JUSTIN is coming here!”
“Justin?! Why?!”
“To back up JC! Oh, GOD,” I groan. “I just wanna catch a flight home now.”
“You gotta sort this out first,” Ali tells me and my cell rings again. I grab it, thinking it’s Justin again.
“I really don’t want you to come!” I exclaim into the cell.
“Uh…” it’s Brian and I groan.
“Brian, I thought I said for you to leave me alone right now.”
“You did but I…”
“Couldn’t resist the chance to get one over on JC?”
“NO!” he yells and then sighs. “I just wanted to say that I love you. I want you to be with me.”
“I already knew that,” I sigh.
“Don’t you love me anymore?” he almost whispers.
“I DO love you but I’m not sure if that’s enough. For EITHER of us.”
“It’s enough for me Pookie,” he uses my nickname and tears fill me eyes. “I know so much about you. Does he know even half as much?”
“He’s only just met me,” I remind him.
“You can’t just throw away what we have over some dumb lust case!”
“I’m going to hang up now,” I tell him. “Just give me a little space,” I hang up. “Ya think I can throw this thing outta the window?” I remark to Ali who laughs.
“So, was Brian hassling you?”
“Not really. Just breaking my heart,” I add and stare out of the window.
“Ohhh God this chocolate cake is…” Ali rolls her eyes in ecstasy and I can’t help but laugh.
“It IS pretty good,” I take a big bite.
“I totally have to bring Nick here,” she remarks and then gets serious. “You’re not REALLY going to leave Brian?”
“I don’t know,” I admit.
“But you LOVE him!” she exclaims.
“I know but it’s like a SAFE love. When I’m with him, it’s good but there’s no excitement anymore. Or any big passion. And when we make love, it’s…well, FAMILIAR.”
“That’s what happens when you’ve been together a while.”
“Well I’m not sure that I want that kind of love for the rest of my life.”
“If you chose JC, it would get safe and familiar eventually,” she reasons. “THEN where will you be?”
“I wish I knew,” I sigh.
“I wish I did too,” she admits. “I mean, I love Nick so much and I would never do ANY thing to hurt him but sure, I get tempted by other guys. It’s human Jade.”
“Yeah, TEMPTED,” I repeat. “You don’t act on it like I did.”
“I can’t believe you’re really thinking of leaving Brian,” she mutters.
I shrug and my cell ringing stops me having to answer. I check the display and see that it’s Britney so I answer gratefully.
“Hey Brit.”
“Jade, are you dating Justin now?” she asks without any emotion.
“Uh, no,” I say, a little surprised. “Why?”
“Cos there’s a picture of you guys hugging in People and the article even names you as his new girlfriend. The reason he dumped me apparently,” she adds bitterly.
“I SWEAR to you, I am NOT dating Justin. You know yourself how pictures get misinterpreted ALL the time!”
“Ok, ok, I believe you,” she sighs. “I’m sorry. I just feel like crap.”
“Are you back home now?”
“Yeah, in LA. And I feel worse. He’s completely moved out of my house. It feels so lonely.”
“I’m sorry. Have you called him to talk?”
“Not yet,” she sighs.
“Well I know how to make you feel better,” I say dryly. “My life just exploded on me.”
“What?”
“I went to watch the video shoot for Girlfriend by NSync, ended up spending the night kissing JC…”
“For the cameras?”
“Hardly,” I groan.
“For REAL?!” she exclaims.
“Uh huh. Then Brian asked me to marry him, I freaked and he dumped me. I told him about kissing JC and he freaked even more. Then your darling ex-boyfriend told JC what was going on and he flew out here last night…”
“Oh my God!”
“AND, Brian saw him and they had this huge argument over who I should be with which ended in me walking out. And I don’t know what to do!” I wail.
“But I thought you love Brian,” she says confused.
“I do but it’s kinda SAFE y’know. And JC does things to me whenever I see him,” I confess and she sighs.
“Oh boy… You’re right, my problems seem so much smaller now.”
“At least I’m useful for SOMETHING,” I joke.
“Come to LA,” she says. “Come stay with me. Maybe a little space from them both will help. See which one you miss more or something.”
“Really? I might take you up on that.”
“Do!” she exclaims. “I would love to see you.”
“Things aren’t gonna get any better here. Guess who’s flying in now.”
“Who?”
“Justin.”
“Why?! It’s nothing to do with HIM!”
“I know. But he has some dumb idea that JC needs backing up.”
“Fine. I’m coming too,” she declares and I groan. This is turning into a complete farce.
“You stay away Britney,” I warn. “The last thing I need is you and Justin at each other’s throats.”
“Hey, I will play nice if he will. And you need somebody who’s on your side.”
“It’s not about sides!”
“No? Ok, let’s see… You’ve got Brian and his four bandmates, yeah they’re REALLY gonna be rooting for you to make the right decision for YOU. And now JC has Justin… And then there’s Ali, NICK’s girlfriend… You’re alone here Jade!”
“I’m quite capable of dealing with this myself.”
“Well, now you don’t have to. Where are you? If you don’t tell me, that’s fine cos I can easily find out."
“Oh God, I really wish you wouldn’t.”
“Well, tough. Where are you?”
“Philadelphia,” I tell her with a heavy sigh.
“Which hotel?”
“The Delphi,” I mutter.
“Thanks Jade. I’ll be there by tomorrow. Hang in there girl,” she hangs up.
“Ohhh God!” I bang my head down on the table.
“Let me guess, Britney is coming now.”
“YES!”
“Well, this is gonna be fun,” Ali says dryly.