Just For The Cameras

chapter 26 ~ i'm a real gentleman

CHAPTER 26 - I'M A REAL GENTLEMAN

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"I wasn't allowed to tell you about it." I said in a weak voice. I was still debating whether or not I should sit down next to her on the couch. But she basically made the decision for me by getting up from it to be on eye level with me.

"I know about that. I read the whole contract while you were gone." She replied angrily.

"If I had told you, I would've had to pay five hundred thousand dollars."

"Yeah, but only if someone had found out that you told me about the contract. Do you really think I would've told anyone else about it? I can keep a promise Payton; you should know that as my best friend."

"I didn't mean it like that Macy; I know that you can keep promises."

"Great. And why didn't you tell me about it if you trust me?"

"Because I thought it would be easier not to tell you about it, it's not a big deal." I said and threw my hands up in despair. How was I supposed to make her understand that I wasn't keeping it from her because I thought she'd tell the media?

"It's not a big deal?" She yelled. "Of course it's a big deal Payton. Buying a new pair of shoes is something you wouldn't call a big deal. But guess what? You'd still show them to me."

"That's different."

"No it's not. What I'm trying to tell you is that we're best friends and that we promised to tell each other about everything. But you tell me about every new pair of shoes you buy and about every movie you make but you don't bother to tell me about faking a relationship. Instead you introduce him to me as your real boyfriend and probably tell me as much as you tell everyone else out there who doesn't even know you in person." She yelled and was clearly out of breath when she had finished her little speech.

"I'm sorry, I was just afraid anyone would find out about it. I don't think you would've told anyone but I just didn't want too many people to know about it."

"So Nathan, your agent and you were the only people who knew about the contract?" She asked.

"Yes, that's right." I replied.

"And what about the guy you were at the beach with?" She asked, referring to Braden.

"I ... I had to tell him about it when we started dating." I said and ran my fingers through my hair. All of this was so messed up.

"You're dating him? I thought you were only meeting him to prepare for a job." She yelled and made me cringe again.

Oh shit, I must've forgotten to tell her about it. Didn't I mention it sometime during the last few minutes?

"I am. He's my boyfriend. We've been dating for about two months now, but I couldn't tell you about it because it was a secret. I'm sorry, I really am."

"You're sorry? I can't really believe that, Payton." She said and took a step closer to me. "First you tell me that Nathan is your boyfriend, then I find out that you were lying to me and that you two are fake dating, then you tell me that you couldn't tell me about it because you would've broken you contract but then I have to find out that you also have a real boyfriend which means that you'd actually broken your contract anyway. So why didn't you tell me about it Payton, why could you get yourself a boyfriend but couldn't tell your best friend about the contract? Both were forbidden, there's no difference."

By now she was looking daggers at me and I was nervously playing around with the ring my parents had given to me on my 18th birthday.

I had to admit that she was right about the things she was saying.