MY NEW STORY IS OUT!!! GO ON MY PROFILE AND CHECK IT OUT PLEASE!! IT'LL MEAN A LOT, BUT ANYWAYS, HERE'S THE CHAPTER!!
//21//
"Hey Adam," I said walking into the studio.
"Hey," he replied. "Let's wait for Jack to come in, and then we'll get started."
"Right," I mumbled awkwardly. I still wasn't ready to see Jack after everything.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, sensing my sudden change in mood. He didn't even need me to answer his question, because he read the vibe from me, and nodded understandingly. "You guys sure or something," he smiled.
"What do you mean?" I asked him curiously, quirking an eyebrow at him.
"I will explain once Jack gets in here," he answered.
Before I got the chance to ask him why Jack has to be here for him to answer my question, Jack walked through the door.
Adam clapped his hands together. "Great. You're here now, and we can get started." He sat on a chair, motioning for both Jack and I to sit on the chairs opposite of him. "Your last performance was phenomenal," We both smiled at that, proud at ourselves. "but it's still not enough for you guys to win the whole thing," he stated, resulting our smiles turning upside down. "It's obvious you guys are still cold towards each other. Look at you two," he laughed, "you guys are like 5 feet away from each other. If you guys can't get along, you guys can't work together. You need to at least be friends."
"We can just pretend to get along!" I argued. "No one will know!"
"Everyone knows," Adam said calmly. "You guys haven't been talking, which means you guys haven't put up a video for the fans in about two weeks. Unlike everyone else, who has been putting up videos every week."
"We can just get together for that and be friendly. After that, we can go back to hating each other. I don't see how that's not going to work," I argued again.
"And then what? What happens afterwards? Will you guys pretend to be friends for the rest of your life? How long until the paparazzi catch onto it, and release a story? How long until your fans believe some rumor they made up?"
"I just - "
"Instead of rehearsing today," Adam announced, "you guys will go out and enjoy some time together."
"What?" Jack finally spoke up. "That's useless. Why are we even going to do that?"
"So you guys can learn to like each other, at least be on speaking terms."
"We're wasting a day when we can be practicing for the competition. Elena won't even try. She's going to ruin everything," Jack scoffed.
"I think you're the one who ruined it first," I countered.
"I don't care what happened between you two. Just - just go out and learn to get along."
He basically shooed us out of the studio, and before we knew it, we were both standing outside the contestant's mansion for the first time in a month. We were immediately attacked by the paparazzi, and I shied away from their accusing questions.
"Are you guys back together?"
"Did you guys really break up, because Elena cheated?"
Jack stiffened at the question as we tried to get past them. I was getting lost in the midst of the commotion, and frankly, I was terrified.
"Did you guys break up, because Jack cheated?"
The reporters asked, and my head was spinning. I didn't want to think about how he could have possibly cheated on me, because I didn't reach his expectations. I didn't want to feel like shit anymore. I didn't even want to hang out with him right now.
There were too many confused emotions.
I didn't want to talk to Jack about the kiss. I didn't want to hear him apologize and pretend that everything was alright. I didn't want to spend the day with him, and end up falling deeper into the hole he wedged into my heart.
I wanted to be with Johnson. Even though, he didn't make me feel the way Jack did, he cared for me. He knew me before all of this fame thing really got started, and after everything, he still supported me. He was aware of my feelings for him, yet he's still okay with being friends with me and just being my shoulder to lean on. I feel bad for not returning his feelings, but he was my friend before all of it. He was the closest to Jack, and he took my side. It made me feel like I didn't do anything wrong at all.
"Ouch!" I cried out when I suddenly got pushed to the ground.
I felt trapped. I couldn't take the questions.
"How are Jack and Avery?"
I cupped my hands over my ears.
"Fans have been asking why you could be in the competition with her when she allegedly broke your heart?"
I didn't want to be reminded of the death threats that came my way, not even a day after we broke up. I didn't want to be reminded of the harsh claims from the people I thought were my fans. I didn't want to be reminded of the day I lost everything.
I felt pain. I felt it everywhere in my body. I felt pain in my back, from people unaware I was on the ground and were trampling me. I felt pain in my hand, and let out a somewhat loud sob when I saw blood trickle down my hand.
"Ellie?" Jack called out. "Ellie, where are you?" He sounded frantic, like he was actually worried about my sudden disappearance. He sounded like he cared for me, which led for me to cry out again. "Ellie!"
Arms wrapped around my body and pulled me up. I was currently being carried out of the crowd of paparazzi, away from everything I had tried so hard the past year to avoid.
"Ellie you're bleeding," he whispered, taking my hand in his.
He wiped the blood away with his shirt. I pulled back from him, not wanting him to walk around with blood stains on his shirt. People are already making hurtful accusations at me, and I didn't really want to give them another reason to start up another rumor. His grip on my hand was tight though, as he rid my hand of blood.
"It's just a little cut," he informed me. "I think you'll be fine."
I pulled away from him, and he looked at me in shock from the force I used. "What are you doing?"
"Checking to see if you were okay," he stated as if it were the obvious thing in the world.
"Why?"
"Because I care for you," I scoffed at his lies once again. "I made a promise to you."
"Which you broke the moment you broke up with me," I reminded him.
He sighed. "That was the biggest mistake of my life."
"And when you decided to date Avery not even that long afterwards," I reminded him again.
"You promised to always love me, so if you love me, you'd give me a second chance. We can both get second chances."
I laughed bitterly at him. "The promises were over the moment you decided to get her initials under the heart."
He looked at me sorrowfully as if he were sorry, as if he regretted hurting me. I wasn't going to buy his fake facade though. He took my hand in his, and rubbed his thumb over the spot the heart used to be.
"Don't you love me?" he asked softly, looking in my eyes.
"I do," I said, putting my other hand over his. "but I can't do it anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that I made a promise to myself. I promised myself to live for myself first, then worry about everyone else in my life. I need to be happy. You only hurt me."
A hurt expression flashed on his face. "What about the promise you made me?" He picked my hand up. "What about this?" He pointed to the heart - well, the heart that used to be there. Once he realized there was no more heart, but only a few lines there, he let go of my hand. "You promised to give me your heart."
I clasped my own hand. "That was before you decided to take advantage of it, and break me. We no longer have to be buried under our broken promises. We're even."
"We can be friends," I told him, "but that's all. You once made me really happy with my life, and I believe that you can again, just as friends. You need to respect my space, or else it's over."
He nodded solemnly, seeming defeated. He took my hand in his, and I look up at him with the 'what-are-you-doing expression.' He shrugged. "Friends can still hold hands, right?"
I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all. I didn't like how I still got tingles when he held my hand in his. I didn't like how I got the sensation of safeness now that I knew we were holding hands. I didn't like how I realized I missed this more than I can imagine. I didn't like that I loved it enough to not pull away.
"Why did you have a melt down down there?"
His question made me stop walking, pulling him back with me. He looked at me, curiously, follow-up questions seemed to cloud up in his eyes.
I cleared my throat. My gaze went to the floor as I mumbled out, "They reminded me of something I'd much rather forget."
I could Jack was still confused. "What happened?" he asked softly, resting his finger under my chin, lifting my head up to meet his gaze.
I knew he only did this, because he knew I couldn't lie under his gaze. He knew that even if I tried to lie, he would catch it, because he knew me.
I didn't like it. I didn't like that he knew me to well, so well that I could never lie to him, ever again. I didn't like how he knew that my eyes always went back and forth when I lie. I didn't like the fact that he knew the little thing most people wouldn't notice. I didn't like the feeling, the feeling of being special enough for him to figure out my ways, creeping into me again. I didn't like feeling like this. I didn't like it at all.
"I - um, I - well after we broke up," I finally managed to spit out. We were friends. We were trying to get along, so what better than to share a secret, right? That's the correct path, right?? "I was getting a lot of hate, and all these people, our fans, the people I thought were gonna support me through the time I needed them the most, blamed me for everything. I know you blame me too, but what they were saying.. it was so -" I choked on my words, being reminded of the trends on twitter and of everything. "It was so hurtful. It was even worst then when we first started dating. I thought that I had seen the worst of it all," I laughed to try to brighten the mood, but it didn't work, seeing that I couldn't stop the tears, "but I was proven wrong. I couldn't handle it anymore, and that was why I stopped using my social medias."
He wrapped his arm around me, and held me tight. I buried my head in his chest, just like the old times. "I don't blame you for any of that anymore," he whispered in my arm, rubbing my back soothingly. "What happened, happened. It's in the past, and should stay that way."
I didn't like this. I didn't like how his embrace immediately made me feel better. I didn't like how his kind words stopped my tears instantly. I didn't like how I felt so much at ease with his hand running up and down my back. I didn't like feeling so loved in his arms. I didn't like it at all, because this could potentially lead to my downfall again.
He pulled away, and used his thumb to wipe away my tears. He smiled lightly, and I couldn't help but smile too.
His eyes strayed away from mine as he caught onto something behind me. his eyes lit up, and he pointed in that direction. "Hey! Look at that!"
I turned away, but didn't really get the chance to see what he was pointing at. He grabbed onto my arm, and led me that way in a rush. All I could see was the huge crowd surrounding the area, as I tried to keep up with his pace, tripping over my own feet or even the ground now and then.
"Jack! Slow down!" I exclaimed, growing tired of running after him. I didn't even know where we were going.
He finally stopped us at the crowd, and looked excitedly at something I couldn't really see. I wasn't that tall, so I obviously couldn't see what Jack was seeing. My only view was the lovely backsides of people.
He looked back at me, seeing that I couldn't see a single thing. He bent down in front of me, and wrapped his hands around the back of my legs.
"What are you doing?" I questioned him, stumbling a bit.
"Jump," he ordered.
I obliged, and jumped onto his back, finally able to see the view everyone was staring in awe at. I gaped at the scene in front of me, seeing a guy in his mid-twenties, kneeling down on one knee. He held a navy blue, small box in his hand, staring lovingly at a girl who seemed to be in her early-twenties.
A song begin to play in the background, a song I remembered so well.
"Kate, I haven't known you long. Not as long as my younger brother and his wife who were high school sweethearts. I'm older than him, and he got married before I did. He even got engaged before I could even get my first girlfriend!" He exclaimed, laughing at his own statement, as well as the girl. "You saw me when no one else did. You stood up for me, and made me feel wanted. I was so lonely before you, and then you came and I felt like I belonged with someone. I never - I never knew what happiness felt like. You came into my life and opened my eyes. I realized I was in my own head. You made me understand that there were people who were going to bring me down, but I did have a family who cared, and then I had you too. You're the first girl I ever loved and I want you to be the last, so Kate Jenna Scott, I'll say will you marry me?"
The girl squealed, like literally squealed, and jumped into the man's arms with a huge smile on her face, along with tears streaming down her face. "Yes! Of course I will Brent! Yes! Yes!" She exclaimed repeatedly, with a more than happy tone.
I raised my hand up, and wiped my own tears that slid down my face during his whole speech. "That's beautiful," I whispered.
It truly was too. It made my heart churn, because I realized more than anything that I wanted this. I wanted a guy to look at me same way Brent did with Kate. I wanted a guy to speak that highly of me like Brent did with Kate. I wanted a guy to love me the way Brent loves Kate. I wanted what the couple in front of me shared, unconditional love.
"Hey, you two look familiar," a guy behind us said.
Jack turn around, making me turn around with him. We came to face with a young guy, maybe a few years younger than Brent. He looked awfully familiar. My eyes traveled to his hands, which were wrapped around another hand. My eyes met the eyes of a girl about the same age as him, and looking at the two of them, I remembered everything.
~*~
"Jack! It's a flash mob!" I exclaimed, tugging on his hand. I pulled him through the crowd, and jumped excitedly as I realized what was happening before me. "He's proposing!"
A girl was standing there, with her hands covering her mouth. She had tears running down her face, but you could tell that she didn't want to cry in front of the crowd, at the rate she quickly wiped away the tears.
A guy was across from her, standing in the middle front of the flash mob. He was the leading dancer, and they were all dancing to Jason Derulo's song.
"It's Jack and Elena," someone shouted, and all of sudden, half of the crowd's attention was on us.
I shook my head shyly as people gaped at us. I didn't want to be the center of attention. I was always shy, but when it comes to this, it's different. The guy who was dancing was obviously trying his hardest to do a romantic gesture and make it big for his girlfriend, and here we are, stealing it away.
A little girl came up to me, and pulled on my sleeve. "Can you guys sing for us?"
"Um, I-"
"Of course sweetie," Jack answered instead.
I turned to look at him, with my eyes wide. "Jack.. we can't." I moved my eyes to the poor guy and the girl.
He intertwined our hands together and pecked me on the lips. "Trust me."
He ran up to the speaker where the song was playing, and grabbed two microphones that were on top of it. He turned the volume of the song down, and smiled down at me.
"And if I lost everything," he sang, placing his hand on my lower back, encouraging me to sing.
So I did. "In my heart it means nothing, 'cause I have you, boy I have you."
"To get right down on bended knee," he sang, tucking a strand of my hair behind my knee. The guy behind us also got down on one knee, and pulled out the ring. "Nothing else would be better, better that day when.."
"I'll say, 'Will you marry me?' I swear that I will mean it.. I'll say, 'Will you marry me?'" We both smiled at each other, something different flashing into our eyes. We smiled also at the girl who nodded yes to the guy.
"A hundred and five is the number that comes to my head when I think of all the years I wanna be with you." He rubbed circles in the back of my hand as he continued singing. "Wake up every morning in my bed. That's precisely what I plan to do."
Tears brimmed the corner of my eyes, and I laughed trying to keep it in. "I love you," I sniffled.
It was obvious something between us changed, not a bad thing but a great thing. Everything became more real.
"I love you more," he softly said with a special twinkle in his eyes.
"I love you," we both said, sealing our unspoken promise with a kiss.
~*~
"Jack and Elena, right?" he asked. We didn't get a chance to answer before he spoke again. "Wow this is such a coincidence. You helped me with my marriage proposal and now you're here to witness my brother's."
"That's crazy," I said shocked. "The world truly is a small place."
"I heard that you guys broke up," his wife said, and I stiffened instantly. Who knows what she heard about me?
I nodded and the husband frowned at us. "Oh that's a bummer. The way you guys looked at each other, I was sure you'd spend your whole life together, like lose teeth together or something."
I bit my lip. "Well, I guess things change."
He looked at me with a smile on his face, shaking his head. "From what I see, not that much."
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