When Stars Cross

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"I'm here." Jordan snapped at me, immediately after picking up the phone. I sigh heavily and ended the call, not even having the energy to spit the rude comeback I had planned. I was too nervous. A lot was at stake tonight. It was our first publicity date tonight, and a lot is on my plate.

For starters, I haven't even told Matt. He's at home, relaxing after his car accident. I know, I know, I'm a horrible person and should be banished into the deepest pits of Hell, I get it. Trust me. Not one is more upset with me than myself. We had been getting closer again lately, with me helping him get better, the love that I have for him has blossomed even more. Even his family, who used to despise me for my fame, has grown to adore me, and the feeling is great. Everything was going too well, and I didn't have the heart to tell him that I was publically dating Jordan Taylor. Not to mention, the soul crushing secret I've been carrying with me has been eating me alive. The amount of stress and anxiety I get when I think about all the things I'm hiding from Matt, makes me want to crawl under a rock. I know he deserves to know, but every time I tried to tell him, I would look down at his leg cast and crumble. It's just too difficult.

Then, as if that wasn't enough to make any teenage girls hair fall out, things with Jordan are going horrible as well. The hostility that he shows towards me is unbearable. I thought the teasing and insults were worse before, but they have intensified 100%. Plus, he's rubbing Angelina in my face every chance he can get. Making out with her next to the snack table, knowing I would see. Telling his friends on the cast about all of their late night escapades. I understand that he's angry with me, but he's taking it too far brining it into work. It's making filming the movie, interviews, and photo shoots, that much more difficult. We can't even be in the same room for more than an hour without ripping each others throats out. He changed into this cold, unrecognizable, shell of himself, and the hatred grows each and every day.

I'm angry for multiple reasons. The first, being that I allowed myself to develop any sort of feelings for him whatsoever, knowing his reputation was dirtier than underneath my bed. Second, that I cheated on Matt with the scum of the earth and got my heart shattered. Third, and the most upsetting, that I still, after all this time, feel a connection towards him. It makes me furious that the feelings still linger and refuse to go away. Just a slight touch from him sent me into a frenzy, and despite his evil demeanor, he makes my brain go haywire when I'm around him. The worst part is that I can't control it. No matter if he's been absolutely horrible to me, one look into those blue eyes, and I'm a puddle. A very angry puddle, that is.

There, I admit it. I have a freaking major crush on Jordan. But I know what he's capable of first hand, and there's no way that I'm letting this dumb contract change anything. He hates me more than ever, and I have Matt to worry about, and really, that's how it's always been. I have Matt, and Jordan has his girls, money, fame, and his motorcycle. If the whole hotel escaped didn't show me his true colors, then how he's acting right now is definitely giving me a clear picture.

I slip my phone into my jean pocket and adjust my maroon top. My chucks were securely on my feet, and I checked my curled hair one last time. I deemed myself somewhat decent looking and raced down the stairs. I passed Janet on the way out and she gave me the dirtiest look possible. I shook it off and said goodbye to the Ben in French, and headed out the door.

There he was, shining in all his jerk glory, perched upon the hood of his shiny black car. To say the least, he looked amazing. His dirty blonde locks were messier than usual, giving him a hot, rough look. A black t-shirt hugged his body in all the right places and I immediately shook the thought out of me head. I'm here to do a job, and that's it.

His frown deepened as he saw me and I resisted the strong urge to flip him off. He might be physically appealing, but he got under my skin like no other.

He rolled his eyes and swiftly hopped off his hood, not even bothering to give me a proper greeting. I walked to the passenger door and he unlocked it grudgingly from inside. I took a deep breath, and gathered some courage from deep, deep, deep down. I hopped in, fully prepared for the insults I was about to receive.

"I don't get why it takes you so long to get ready, you still look disgusting after all that time." He said with a grimace on his face. Despite the amount of preparation, it still felt like being stabbed in the chest. Dammit.

"Look, can we just get this over with without you being an egotistical ass? We have a lot of people to impress today, and fighting with each other isn't going to help us look like a couple in love." I spat at him. My face was already getting red from anger. I can't let him get to me, he's not worth it.

"You're right, it's not going to help. But, I just want you to remember where you belong. This deal doesn't change anything."

"Exactly. Not a thing." the venom in my tone caused his scowl to grow, and I didn't feel satisfied as I usually did when I won an argument with him. It pained me to say the words, which made me even more angry with myself. I felt tears prick my eyes, and I quickly recovered, looking out the window hastily drying my eyes. Jordan would not see me cry, ever again. The one time he did, he used it against me and almost destroyed everything in my life.

Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic, but you get the point.

We continued the rest of the torturous drive in painful silence. He was gripping the wheel so hard, his knuckles where turning ghost white. I had the urge the soothe him, but I quickly repressed it. He deserved to feel twice as much anger and frustration as I do.

He finally made it to the rock climbing center, and my breath caught in my throat. I don't want to do this. In fact, this is the last thing on earth that I want to do.

"Okay, so, um, I guess we start now?" I said awkwardly, my face burning. He turned to face me, and his eyes burned into mine. His expression was unreadable, and it added to my nerves.

"Lets just get this over with." He groaned, and got out of the car. I did the same, and as quickly as I was hit with the California sun, I saw at least a dozen paparazzi's surrounding our car in an instant. Jordan reached for my hand, and it took me a second to register that I was supposed to hold it. We had never held hands before. I took his soft hand and it practically swallowed mine whole. They were so large and butterflies erupted in my stomach unwillingly. A smile lit up my face, and my checks began to redden. Hopefully Jordan would think it was just for show, and not realize that I'm blushing because I'm holding his hand. I would be mortified.

He had a fake smile plastered on his face, and he was stiff holding my hand as we made our way into the facility, cameras flashing along the way. An unsettling feeling sat in my stomach, which caused my smile to falter a little. He had to force a smile, whereas mine came almost naturally. The thought didn't sit well with me. I began to think toxic thoughts.

All of the feelings and thoughts he had told me, were a lie. He didn't think I was amazing, or beautiful, or smart. Not even in the slightest. He just wanted to take advantage of me at the hotel, when I was weak, and vulnerable. All of the things he did off camera before, were just tactics to get me into bed with him. The meaningless compliments, the kitchen incident at my house, the coffee date. They weren't just things he did out of the kindness of his heart. He had it all planned out. He wanted me to fall for him, sleep with him, and then he would just toss me to the side, like I was nothing. But Matt's accident got in the way of his plan, and he grew frustrated with me, because I was still holding on to Matt. It all made sense. The reason why he's acting so hostile and rude is because he had it planned out to ruin me, and it didn't work.

By the time we reached the door, I was ready to puke. I didn't let my façade slip until we were securely inside. I ripped my hand out of his violently and took one look at him before I darted to the bathroom, letting the tears stream down my face. I heard him calling my name behind me, but I kept going.

I had finally realized the truth about Jordan Taylor, and the magazines are accurate. He's a heartbreaker.