The next day, Jade and I were waiting in the coffee shop where Asher said Brielle would be... but she was late.
Or maybe, she just wasn't coming.
Either way, my nerves were going through the roof, and that was only one of the reasons.
Despite Jade's positive attitude and usual friendliness (which—side note, I didn't know how she was pulling off with the media attention right now), I was about to fall to pieces beside her because I still felt so damn guilty for lying to her and sneaking around behind her back. I knew it wasn't a big deal... in fact, she probably wouldn't even care if Wesley and I were together. But it was still intimidating, because... well, Jade was intimidating by principal.
I fiddled with my coffee cup and tried to ignore the stares around me. My popularity had gone through the roof since those viral videos and the court case blowing up in the media. Jade wore a blank expression, and I tried to adopt the same look—but I don't think I was pulling it off the way she was.
I needed to distract myself.
"So..." I trailed off. "How was... Nathan... yesterday?"
Jade jolted a little.
"Oh—it was fine," she said quickly, flicking her black hair over her shoulder. "I mean, it didn't go badly. He said what he needed to say... we talked a little... that was about it."
I frowned.
"Really? That's it?" I asked. I was slightly disappointed that nothing more had come out of it—not that I was expecting or hoping for anything, but Nathan was the father of Jade's child, and you'd think that if he were going out of his way to apologise, he might have more to say to her. But at the end of the day, regardless of how his actions may have changed of recent, he was still Nathan Gilmore.
The tinkering of a bell made my head turn, and Brielle strode quickly into the shop, typing furiously on her phone. She located us with a swift glance up, proceeded towards us, an sat down just as she hit send on a text message.
"Sorry I'm late—I had a client whose meeting ran overtime."
She flashed us her perfect teeth, leaned back in her seat, and rested an arm on the back of her chair. "So, what can I help you with?"
I exchanged a nervous glance with Jade, but she gave me an encouraging look. I let out a deep breath.
"Well... you may have heard that I've been called to trial with Audrey and Lana," I said. She nodded slowly, and I continued. "In order to prove their claims false... I need a testimonial. A good one, with proof. At the moment, it's my word against hers, and Nathan helps... but he's not going to offer enough conviction in the case."
Brielle frowned. "What are you saying?"
"Well... if we had your testimonial... with Audrey and what she did to you... it would change everything. It would take her down for good."
Brielle pursed her lips and placed both hands in her lap.
"I don't know... look, I want to help you and I want to take Audrey down as much as you do... but I'm not prepared to get involved with her directly again. I can't do that after what's happened to me. I swore I'd never go through something like that again..."
"I know," I said quickly. "And I understand—I do. But you would save me, and save all the future girls who could get messed up by her company. You could make a big difference."
Brielle paused, thinking it over.
"I... can't make a decision right now," she said. "I need time."
I wanted to keep trying to persuade her, but I forced myself to reel back and nod. I couldn't push her or I'd push her away completely.
"Okay. But please think about it." I said. "I need to know by next week."
Brielle nodded, a clouded expression on her face.
"Is that all?" she asked, her tone darker. I bit my lip.
"Yeah—that's all. Thanks for meeting with me."
She nodded, and stood up. Pulling out her phone, she dialled another number, then turned to us.
"I'll let you know," she promised, before walking out. I let out a heaved sigh, glancing at Jade. A feeling of uneasiness rose in me—if Brielle said no... I would be in some serious shit next week.
Jade noticed my gloomy expression, and got to her feet—carefully, as her belly was rather big now.
"Come on, let's go get that camera equipment," she insisted, tugging at my arm to get me on my feet.
***
We wandered around the electronics store for ages, trying to decide on the right camera. I didn't have a big budget, but Jade insisted that if I was going to get a camera, to get one with some amount of quality.
"If you're not going to get a quality camera, you might as well just use your phone," she explained. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, but you can do a lot more with a camera. And you'll have more space, too. Here, I personally recommend this one," she pointed out a small, simple, black camera.
"Why that one?" I asked. Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference between all the ones in front of us.
"It's the same one I had when I first started out. It was really good—long battery life, great audio, and I also know the perfect tripod for it."
I grimaced, eyeing the price tag, and Jade noticed my hesitation.
"Hey—just think, when you get your first client, you're going to earn back this investment and then some. It's going to happen. You're great at what you do!"
I swallowed hard, then nodded.
"Yeah. I suppose that's true," I said. I slowly lifted the camera off the shelf, and took a better look at it. It did seem like a good camera, and I didn't know enough about cameras to make a good judgement for myself. So I ended up following Jade's advice and getting the camera plus her suggested tripod.
When we carried it up to the counter, the girl manning the till eyed the both of us. Recognition flashed in her eyes after a moment.
"Hey, I know you," she said—not in an excited way though, like a fangirl. In more of a dull, lifeless, I-hate-my-job-but-this-is-a-highlight kind of way.
I awkwardly smiled.
"Uh...hi."
I was still getting used to being recognised—but like, for real, and not as Wren from Starbucks.
"Are these for you?" she asked, holding the equipment and eyeing me. She had a bit of a goth look going on—heavy, dark eyeliner, dark clothes, red streaks in her hair. And I think she was chewing gum?
"Yeah..." I trailed off. She raised an eyebrow.
"So you're starting a channel now, huh? Riding off the fame of the JAWCK boys?"
I recoiled slightly—her tone was accusing.
"What? That's not—"
She rolled her eyes.
"You don't have what it takes—who's going to follow you?" she asked, and I was shocked at how vicious she sounded. "You're a nobody who people barely know—you've got all this negative media attention and scandals surrounding you. The only thing you'll be known for is a joke who got two seconds of fame destructing other lives. We don't need another Jake Paul, okay?"
My jaw fell wide open, and Jade stepped in front of me so fast she nearly sent me flying.
"You want to talk shit, how about you say it to me?" she asked. Her hormones were clearly fuelling her rage—I could practically see fire in her eyes. "Who do you think you are—?"
I quickly stepped in to stop her, and met the attendant's eyes.
"Just ring us up," I said flatly, and she did so, glaring at the two of us. She thrust the bag into our hands, and I took it just as stiffly, before we both walked out.
Jade was fuming by the time we got outside.
"What the heck was her problem?" she asked, as we headed for her car.
I shook my head.
"She's right," I replied, and Jade stared at me wide eyed. I was grounded on the sidewalk, numb from head to toe. "Who am I to think that I can do this? My priority right now needs to be this trial, and after that's over—assuming it has a good outcome, that is—I need to let this heat die down. There's no way I can build a credible brand for myself with all this shit going on."
Jade grimaced. I just shook my head. Was that really what people thought of me? Hearing it in person was ten times worse than seeing it online.
"So... what will you do until things die down?" Jade asked slowly. I leaned against the bonnet of her car.
"I was thinking about that road trip that Connor and Kurt are going on... and I thought I might ask if I can join them. It's near my hometown... I could visit my mom, clear my head... and get really clear on what I want and how I'm going to do this."
A smile grew on Jade's face.
"You know what, that's not such a bad idea," she replied.
"You think?"
She opened the door to the driver's seat, and added,
"Why don't we go ask them right now?"
I nodded, beaming, and we both got into her car and exited the parking lot.
***
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
The next update will be on the 10th October.