To say that the couple was panicked was probably not enough to describe exactly how they were feeling. From the moment their eyes laid on the, now trending, photo they were filled with nothing but panic.
Scarlett didn't have the words to describe how she was feeling, and Chris was feeling rather guilty. They were only just beginning to move on with their lives. Getting in a good place with Nicole, but this, for some reason made them believe it was a setback.
"What are we gonna do?" Scarlett finally let out. "We weren't ready for this."
"We could lie about it, say she is my niece." Chris offered as a possible solution.
"Chris, you have talked about all your nieces and nephews on tv before, someone's gonna wonder who Nicole's parents actually are," Scarlett said.
"Well, maybe she is like a cousin or something." Chris tried once again.
"Do you understand what's gonna happen when we actually do reveal it to the world? Everyone is gonna be so mad at you in many different ways for hiding her like that. Not to mention all the hate we both will get for our hook up then letting our child go." Scarlett said.
"Why would be people hate us for giving our child her best chance?" Chris asked, causing Scarlett to groan in annoyance.
"Chris people have their own image of what the system is like. Movies portray it as a certain way and in some cases, it is that way." Scarlett explained. "So not too many people will be sharing our joy, especially after we just took her in when we were good and ready."
"You're making it sound really bad," Chris said.
"I am just showing you what the world is gonna think when the full story comes out Chris." She grabbed his hands and sighed. "I am sorry, I am just very stressed."
"How is Nicole going to take this? It's all over social media which means it's probably going around her school. She can't go to school like this."
"well she already had her last day of school, but going out in public might be hard-" Scarlett was stopped when Chris's phone started to ring, her face turned pale white. "oh no, it's your publicist."
"What? Oh man, I'm in trouble."
"oh no, do you think he knows?" Scarlett asked now panicking herself.
"Scarlett, why are you so nervous? No one knows about you! It's all about me!" Scarlett thought for a moment before realizing that it was true, no one knew of Scarlett's involvement yet, which means things were only going to get messier.
"You're right." She said. "Hurry up and answer your phone before Nick gets suspicious." Chris nodded stumbling to get his phone before answering it.
"Nick hey!" he said faking his excitement on the phone.
"Chris. Do you understand that I woke up this morning have a normally peaceful day? I woke up with a smile actually. I had a wonderful lunch and even better dinner. My day was almost over, then it happens. My phone is starting to go crazy with people reaching out for a statement trying to get you on a show, and I couldn't understand why."
"Well people are certainly very weird, who knows why they do the things they do." He said hoping to calm his very tense publicist.
"Chris. Do you mind telling me why people are asking for a comment the alleged rumors that you are either A, a pedophile, and god I hope that's not true, or B a super-secret father." Nick asked very slow and stead.
"Really those are my only two options? Pedophile or father? No in between?" he asked. "What if it was a niece or cousin?"
"Chris answer the question." He said Chris could tell he was biting his tongue to hold back any screams. Chris looked over at Scarlett begging for a response she shrugged.
"Well, it's complicated, to say the very least. I can't give you an answer quite yet," he answered very carefully.
"What do you mean you can't give me an answer!? Chris do you understand the world is going into a panic over this and I need to give them a response before your career explodes and not in a good way." Nick complained on the phone.
"Listen I know this is a mess, and I promise to fix it if you just give me a moment." He said. "I will call you back."
"Don't you dare hang up on me Chris." He said quickly into the phone.
"I am so sorry, I promise to fix this." He said.
"Chris don't you dare-" Chris ended the call with a big sigh. This was a mess and he didn't know what to do. He looked at Scarlett who looked just as panicked and felt the need to assure her everything will be okay, even if it didn't seem like it.
"Hey, we are going to get through this." He said, he almost believed that lie.
"I don't know how true that is." She whispered. Chris moved closer to her taking his hand in hers.
"well we have done a lot of things that just don't seem true, how different could this be?" he said with a smile. Scarlett sat up and placed her hands on his face.
"How can you be so infuriating optimistic?" she said with a smile.
"Because it's who I am," he replied simply. Scarlett smiled moving closer to his face. "promise me you won't leave me alone in this mess Scar,"
"I promise." She answered almost immediately. "I am with you, whether you wanted me or not."
"Guess you're lucky that I want you," he answered. Scarlett brushed her lips against her and he groaned. "You're gonna be the death of me Scar," he said as she pulled away and kissed him on the cheek.
"Slow remember."
"Trust me I remember." He laughed.
"We should probably call up Jasmine and Brett, I can't imagine how crazy things are over there."
:
:
:
"Well on the bright side you're famous," Ava said sitting in the kitchen of Nicole's house as everyone was mildly freaking out. Nicole's brother, Eric was having a grand time with this, while her sister Emma was unfazed.
"Ava," Nicole said with a glare. "I am the subject of terrible and untrue stories! How in the world could that be a bright side."
"Well it could be worse, Scarlett could have been brought into the whole drama but she wasn't," Ava said. "Have you tried to call them?"
"Tried calling Chris but the line was busy." She answered.
"Well obviously, people must be dying to hear his statement," Jasmine said with a groan of annoyance. "How did this even get out? Do you guys know who took the picture." Nicole almost laughed.
"Of course I know mom, but that won't change the fact that it won't be coming down," She peered outside her window and saw many kids from her school outside, "This is ridiculous, why do people even care?"
"Because of anything on the news in more interesting than their own lives, so of course they would care. As soon as those lives streams go viral, people including paparazzi will be here," Ava said. "Or at least the ones who really need a story, 'the high class' popular ones are probably looking for Chris,"
"What are we going to do?" Nicole asked. "we can't just leave because they" she pointed out the window, "Will follow us like bloodhounds."
"I don't know what to do," Brett answered. "I don't think this has ever happened before."
"ugh, why can't the world mind their own god damn business!" She yelled out in frustration, and as if right on time her phone rang, Nicole raced to grab it. "Hello?"
"Nicole," Scarlett sighed into the phone.
"Oh hey," Nicole responded. "Why are you on Chris's phone."
"There is so much going on right now but you want to know why I am using Chris's phone?" She asked.
"Well..." Nicole trailed off.
"How are you doing?" She asked, Nicole and Scarlett's overall relationship was improving slowly, however, it wasn't as close as Nicole's and Chris's. Nicole, however, made a promise to herself to help improve their relationship, she didn't want to deal with this weird awkwardness thing anymore.
"It's crazy, there are people outside my house." She said.
"Outside your house? Well of course if the picture came from someone at your school, one person probably gave out your address." She sighed.
"This is why I am an introvert who doesn't do anything, the moment I go out everything goes downhill," Ava said, causing Nicole to send a glare over her way. "Sorry," She muttered. Jasmine motioned for Nicole to put the phone on speaker.
"Do you think this will die down anytime soon?" She asked.
"It really depends," This time Chris said. "People are waiting for a response, and I haven't given one yet. The sooner I give one it will die out faster, or at least that's the hope."
"What response would you be giving?" Brett asked.
"That's the question." Chris sighed. "No matter what we say, I don't see a way out of this that won't affect Nicole in some sort of way."
"If we have Chris announce that story, it will trend it will go everywhere, people at her school will start asking how she feels about it," Scarlett said. " The moment we give my name it will also increase."
"Is there another option?" Jasmine asked.
"One that won't send the world into a panic would be that Nicole is a cousin, we say that it won't be as exciting, or maybe even a family friend." Chris gave an option.
"But if we do that, she can't fully bring you guys into her life in a more close nit family parent sort of way." Jasmine sighed, she knew Nicole was excited about the future.
"If we want the world to believe the story then time spent together would become more and more... spread out." Chris said.
"You mean I wouldn't get to see you guys as much?" She asked, she just got them back she didn't want to lose them.
"It would allow your life to get back to normal," Chris explained. "We would still get to see you but things like your trip down here just won't-"
"No," Nicole said. "Can't I decided how this goes down?" She asked. "I am going to be the one everyone wants a story from, shouldn't I decided what you say to the press?"
"Scarlett and I live a very different life Nicole, and while we wish it was different it just isn't so doing this will be better-"
"Better for who? I don't want to just have to spend less time with you guys just because the world doesn't like it." Nicole said. "I want to be able to visit you guys, in like two months no one would even care about this, by the time I go back to school it will be old news."
"Nicole..."
"Please." She begged. "Can we just tell the world?"
"Is this what you really want?" Scarlett asked a small bit of happiness in her voice.
"Yes it is, I don't want to hide away from the truth anymore, from my truth."
"Okay then," Chris said. "Jasmine, Brett? What do you say?"
"I say," Jasmine started looking at her husband who nodded his head. "If this is what Nicole wants then we will stand with her in full support."
"thank you," She smiled to her mother.
"Okay, I will call my publicist and we can have something set up on your trip over here," Chris said. "Are you sure about this?"
"I am positive." She reassured.
"Okay, I guess we will see you in LA very soon," Chris said happily before hanging up the phone to call his publicist about the news. Nicole looked up at her parents who were smiling proudly at their daughter.
"Get ready, life's about to get a whole lot more crazy!"