I think everyone in the room paused and didn't say anything for a solid 30 seconds. Okay, it was probably like ten but it felt more like an hour.
"Okay, that was really good, Nessa."
I looked over at Zara who was standing beside Kayla. I looked back at Z and felt my throat start to burn. I didn't understand why I was feeling so overwhelmed since it's not like we didn't officially end things. I just felt like I couldn't breath. I kept looking back between Kayla and Z and then I quickly walked to the doors and stormed out.
"Nessa! Nessa!"-Kayla
I opened the doors and walked to the curb and sat down to catch my breath.
KAYLA'S POV
I looked over at Austin and walked over.
"Sorry, we didn't know this is where you guys were rehearsing."
"No, you're good."
"Is she okay?"-Z
We all looked at Z and I didn't say anything for a second.
"Uh... I don't know."-Me
We all just kind of looked at each other.
"I'm gonna go check on her."
"Uh.. Z, I don't know-"-Austin
"Just go rehearse I'll be there in a second."
Z turned around and walked to the doors and walked out.
VANESSA'S POV
I sat there a buried my head in my knees and tried to calm myself down. I heard the door start to open.
"Kayla, I know I looked like an idiot. I just freaked out when I saw him-"
I froze and so did he.
"Hey."-Z
"H-Hey."
"Can I sit?"
"Uh...I should probably get back-"
"Nessa... I just want to talk."
I looked at him for a second then I scooted over and looked at the ground. He walked over and sat next to me.
"So you dancing again?"
"No, I was dancing with my manager actually."
"Manager?"
"Yea... I got one of those now."
"That's really good."
"Thanks.."
We both kind of sat there and didn't say anything.
"Nessa, I don't want it to be weird between us."
"Well, that's kind of impossible."
"You were one of my best friends before we started dating. Actually you wouldn't date me at first because I was such a good friend apparently."
"Oh stop, you knew I liked you I just didn't know how to tell you."
"Kind of hard to know that after you friend zoned me."
We both started to laugh then he looked at me.
"I don't want to lose you as a friend too."
I took a deep breath and looked down at the ground.
"Zion, it would hurt too much to be around you every day and only be friends."
He sighed and looked at the ground.
"Us breaking up is what was for the best and I needed it. As much as it hurt and trust me it hurt like hell I needed to go through it to realize who I actually am. I loved and still love you with everything in me, but I realized that the most selfish thing I could do was to go into a relationship broken and expect you to fix me. I can't be friends and look at you everyday and want to kiss you. I can't look at you everyday and hear you call me a friend. It's not on you to sort out the mess I made and I'm not in the place to be around you and be okay and still have the responsibility of fixing my shit.. I need to figure this out on my own, Z. I'm sorry."
I got up off the curb and walked to the door.
"Nessa."
I opened the door and walked past the boys and Kayla and walked to Zara.
"I'm really sorry about all of this, but uhm.. can we talk tomorrow? I gotta get out of here."
"Sure, of course."
I grabbed my bag and phone and turned around and walked to the door. I walked to the boys and saw Z open the door.
"Kayla, I'll call you later."
I walked to the door and brushed past Z.
"Nessa."-Z
I walked outside to my car and got in and let out a deep breath.
ZION'S POV
I heard the door shut behind me and let out a sigh.
"Is she okay?"-Kayla
"I think."
"What did you say?"-Nick
"That I just wanted to talk and I missed us being friends."
"What did she say?"-Edwin
"She said she can't be around me everyday and only be a friend."
They guys and Kayla looked at each other.
"She said she had to figure it out on her own."
"Well, what did you tell her?"-Brandon
"I let her go figure it out on her own."
"Z..."-Austin
"We should start rehearsing."
I walked over and got ready to rehearse.
"I'm gonna see if she's okay...make sure he's okay."-Kayla
"We will."-Austin
Kayla kissed Austin and walked out the doors.
VANESSA'S POV
I drove home and turned on the radio to clear my head. I turned radio stations and then stopped after I recognized a song playing. I heard the start of Gone 2 Long and just sat there and listened. I heard Z and felt the tears form in my eyes. I blinked them away and focused on driving. I pulled into my driveway and got out and walked inside. I set down my keys and walked into my room. I sat down on my bed and let out a deep breath. I crawled under my covers and went to my camera roll. I started scrolling through old photos of Z that I had.
I felt the tears roll down my face. If I could be around him every single day and honestly be okay with being his friend I would, but I couldn't. Of course he was my best friend and boyfriend all into one, but just the thought of being just his friend hurt more than anything. I turned off my phone and rolled over on the other side of the bed and fell asleep.
NEXT MORNING
I woke up and rubbed my eyes. I rolled over to check my phone and a bright light went into my eyes. I turned around and saw my curtains were open and then I looked up at the ceiling and saw tons of gold balloons all over my room. I sat up and looked around in confusion then heard the door open and saw Kayla walk in.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
"Thank you. What is all this?"
"For you, duh."
"Kayla, I told you I didn't want to do anything for my birthday."
"You didn't do anything. I did."
She set down a plate of breakfast on my lap.
"You made me breakfast?"
"It's your birthday."
"Thanks, Kayla."
"Now, I'm gonna head out and get some more things for your special day. When I get back I expect you to be dressed and ready for our outing."
"Outing?"
"I'm taking you....shopping!"
"Kayla-"
"Ah! No, arguing with me on your birthday."
"Shouldn't it be the other way around?"
"Just be ready when I get back and look presentable."
I rolled my eyes.
"Love you!"
Kayla walked out and then I heard the door close. I finished eating and got up and got ready.
MY OUTFIT
I put my shoes on and walked into the kitchen. I heard my phone ring and picked up and answered.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Nessa. It's Zara."
"Oh, hey. What's up."
"First off, happy birthday."
"Thank you, but how did you know it was my birthday?"
"I'm your manager, Nessa. It's my job to know everything about you."
"Alrighty then."
"Speaking of that, I know it's last minute and everything but there's papers I want you to look at and there's some stuff I want to talk to you about. I know it's your birthday and everything, but I'm booked for like the next three days so I was hoping I could meet with you today."
"Uh...yea, I was gonna head out with my friend, but I think she'll understand."
"Perfect. How does 2:30 sound?"
"I'll be there."
"Great, see you then."
"Okay, bye."
"Bye."
I hung up the phone and heard the door open behind me.
"I'm back!!!!"
"Yay..."
"Oh stop. It's about time you got into the birthday spirit."
"It's just a birthday, Kayla. Not a lot to celebrate."
"You went through a lot this year. You conquered injuries, career changes, heartbreak...twice and I'm, along with a bunch of other people, extremely proud of you. So, you're damn right I'm gonna celebrate that."
"Thank you, Kayla. That means a lot."
Kayla pulled me in for a hug.
"Now, it's time I treat you to a shopping trip."
"Actually about that.."
"What?"
"I kind of have to cancel on our plans.."
"What do you mean cancel?"
"Zara called and needs to meet with me like asap to cover some stuff, and I really want to show her I'm serious about this especially after what happened yesterday."
"Speaking of that..."
"No, Kayla."
"I just want to make sure you're good."
"I'm fine."
"What did you talk about?"
"Kayla!"
"Sorry sorry, you know I'm nosey."
I took a deep breath.
"He wants to be friends."
"Oh really."
"I know he already told you and the boys so you don't have to fake like you're surprised."
"He kind of gave us a run through which didn't cover anything."
"I'm not in the place to hang out with him or go to the house again and know that we're just friends. I just can't do that. It might be selfish I don't know but I'm not gonna force myself to be in a position where I'm not comfortable just for the sake of being around him again."
"I get that. What did he say?"
"Nothing. He just let me go."
There was a little pause between us.
"How do you feel?"
"I mean there wasn't anything that he could say that would change my mind. Of course, if I see him I can act normal and be cordial it's just hard, but it did feel good to hear his voice."
"So if you saw him again, it wouldn't be like yesterday."
"No, I was just surprised to see him and caught off guard. It's not like I try to avoid him. I mean we dated for almost three years so I'm not uncomfortable around him. It's just difficult knowing that I can't just go hug him or kiss him, but I know it's for the best."
"Well, that's really mature, Nessa."
"Thanks."
I looked down at my phone at the time.
"Well, I gotta head out and meet Zara. I'll be back later."
"What time do you think you'll be back?"
"Uh.. I don't maybe like 6."
"Perfect."
"Why...?"
"Just meet a my place at 7 and dress nice."
"Kayla, what's going on?"
"Just do it."
"You're lucky I don't have time to argue with you about this. I'll see you later."
"Have a good meeting."
I grabbed my keys and walked out. I got in my car and drove over to Zara's office. I got parked and walked inside to the front desk.
"Hi, do you have an appointment?"
"Yes, Zara told she wanted to meet at 2:30."
"What's your name??"
"Vanessa Wilson."
"Oh, you're the one who called before."
"Yea, that's me."
"Wait, you mean Nessa?"
"Uh.. yea."
"Oh, Miss Truyvin told me about you."
"Really?"
"Yea, she told the whole office that you got a killer voice."
"Wow, thank you."
"No problem, you can head inside. Just take the elevator to floor 3 and then take a right."
"Thank you."
"Of course."
I walked to the elevator and then waited inside then got out on my floor. I walked inside to her office.
"Nessa!"
"Hey."
"How's the birthday girl?"
"I'm good, how are you?"
"A little sore from our dance session yesterday."
"Really?"
"No, I'm joking. I have the body of 20 year old yoga instructor."
"Oh wow."
"At least that's what the doctor tells me. Well, come in. Take a seat."
I walked over to a sleek black chair in front of her desk. Zara's office fit her personality perfectly. It was grey with white and black modern finishes. The more I was around her I figured more of her personality out. She was really passionate about what she does, but also very sarcastic. Probably one of the most intelligent people business wise that I've ever met, and they way that she carried herself would convince someone that she held all the power in the world.
"You're probably wondering why I called you here."
"Yea, it seemed really important over the phone."
"Well, it is. There's actually a couple things I wanted to talk to you about."
She rolled back in her chair and opened a drawer and pulled out a big stack of papers and put them on her desk in front of me.
"What is this?"
"That is your Ariel papers."
"Ariel papers?"
"It's a nickname I came up for my client contracts. You know in The Little Mermaid where she signs over her voice to Ursula. Yea, well I'm Ursula and you're Ariel."
I looked over at her and kind of didn't say anything.
"It's suppose to me funny. No one ever seems to laugh."
"Haha.."
"It basically covers the in's and out's for the next five years of your life."
"Wow."
"Obviously you're not going to cover all of this by yourself. Even though your of legal age and can sign all of this by yourself without parent consent I still want them to look over it too, along with your lawyers."
"My lawyers?"
"Yea.. you know those people in suits who cover peoples asses... sometimes."
"I understand what lawyers are."
"Then why are you looking at me like I just told you that Santa isn't real?"
"It's just... a lot."
Zara sighed and sat at the edge of her desk.
"Can we have a talk, like a heart to heart talk."
"Sure..."
"I've known you what, a total of like 3 days so far, right?"
"Rig-"
"Right, well I've observed some things about you and I'm gonna let you know the things I like and don't like about you, okay?"
"Uh.-"
"Alright, first. I love how careful you are and how you want to do things right. However, you think about shit way too much. If someone gives you the opportunity to change your life for the better you better take that shit and say thank you. Not that "Oh, well I don't know." or "Thank you, I appreciate it but I don't know." crap that you give everyone. No one likes a indecisive person. You take too long to answer questions in an industry like this and someone will come up and answer it for you."
"Uhm-"
"I'm not done. I love how big your heart is. However, you think with your heart sometimes too much and don't think with your head. Let's take yesterday as an example. I don't know the entirety of the situation, but the damsel in distress act can only run for so long. Face your problem head on and deal with your shit."
I kind of just sat there and didn't say anything.
"Look, Nessa. I think you're a great person, but the way you handle things in your personal life transfers to how you handle things in your career. You and I both got too much riding on this for you to take this shit lightly. If you are unsure or have doubts I need to know now because I got clients knocking on my door for an opportunity. I chose you because Mav showed me a girl who can sing her ass off, and I believed in the girl he showed me."
She turned around and handed me the stack of papers.
"I want you to look over this and think long and hard about what you want to do. I believe in you, but that doesn't mean shit if you don't believe in yourself. Whether you gotta work some shit out with that dude, your parents, or your cousin's cat I don't really care, but work it out and let me know. Because I don't have the time to waste on someone who has the potential to be a superstar, but the mentality of a waitress."
I sat there for a second and just looked at the papers. Zara got up and opened the door and stood to the side. I got up and walked to the door.
"Give me a call when you figure it out.
I looked at her and then out. I got in the elevator and then walked to my car and got in. I put the papers in my passenger side and let my head fall on my steering wheel. I couldn't be offended or angry at Zara because everything she said was true. If I didn't figure out how to actually fix the problems going on in my personal life how could I possibly truly focus on my career. I looked at the time and started my car and drove back to my apartment. I walked inside and put the papers down on the counter and walked to my room. I sat on the bed and took off my shoes. I looked around for a second and the picked up the phone and called my mom.
"Hello?"
"Hey, birthday girl."
"Hi, Mom."
"Did you get the flowers Dad and I sent you?"
"Yes, I got them. Their beautiful, thank you."
"Of course, sweetie."
There was a pause over the phone.
"What's wrong? You sound stressed."
"There's just a lot going on."
"Talk to me."
I told her everything that had happened since I met with Mav. I already talked to her before after everything ended with Z.
"Wow, that's huge."
"Yea."
"Well, your ready knew that you wanted to do singing so what's the issue."
"I know, and I still do. It's just whether the timing is right."
"Are you worried something is going to happen like what happened with dance?"
"A little."
"Well, I can't like to you and say that nothing stressful is going to happen and your not going to go through rough things, but no one ever succeeds by holding themselves back."
"Yea, you're right."
I looked at my phone at the time.
"Crap, I gotta go and get ready."
"For what?"
"Something Kayla planned. I'll talk to you later, Mom."
"Okay, sweetie. I love you."
"Love you too. Bye."
"Bye."
I hung up the phone and started to get ready.
MY OUTFIT
I finished up my makeup and went to grab my keys. I texted Kayla to tell her I was on my way. I walked outside and drove headed to her place. I parked and walked to the door. I turned the knob and opened the door and heard everyone scream..
"SURPRISE!!"
I looked over and saw Kayla smiling from ear to ear. I looked around and saw tons of people. Some I knew and some I didn't. I scanned the room and then looked back at Kayla.
"Happy Birthday, Nessa!"
"Kayla, what is this?"
"A surprise party, duh."
"Kayla, I said-"
"I know what you said, but your birthday deserves to be celebrated whether you think or not."
I smiled and gave her a hug.
"Now, let's party."
I walked over and hugged people I hadn't seen in awhile. I saw Mako, Tao, Pence, Reese, Kyle, Raelynn, and Mav. I talked to some people from my dance classes outside of AMDA. We all talked, danced, and laughed. There was probably like 200 people there so I didn't even know who was all there. I went over to grab something to drink and talk to Kayla. I walked over and grabbed a cup of whatever Kayla made me and went to grab my phone. I picked it up and saw Kayla's door open and my eyes got really big. It was the boys.