Chapter 19
Ashley and Emily had been hanging out together since Dan had deserted them, but not much talking was going on. At times, Ashley caught a glimpse of Emily’s personality. She wasn’t as aloof as she appeared. After she had stalked off, he had tracked her down and apologized for saying anything that may have upset her. She had forgiven him and they had been in a kind of limbo ever since.
"Fun party," Ashley remarked. Emily nodded. "There are a lot of people here." Emily nodded again. "Jocelyn’s half naked." This time, Emily nodded and smiled slightly. Ashley considered that a breakthrough. "You do smile. I knew it," he said. Emily’s smile disappeared. "Nope. You can’t hide it. I saw it!" Ashley exclaimed, smiling widely now. Emily turned to him.
"Why are you bothering with me? There are other women here whom I’m sure wouldn’t mind your attention," she said. Ashley was shocked that she was looking at him.
"I, uh, I know you, I guess and I just want to, like, spend some time with you…I guess," he said, sounding like an idiot.
"You don’t know me, though. I’m Maria’s cousin. That’s all you know about me," she told him.
"I know that you play the guitar," Ashley shot back. "And, and, you’re tall for a girl." Emily actually laughed at that. When she smiled, her whole face transformed. She really was a beauty. She looked a lot like Maria, only darker. Her eyes were a very dark brown and her long, dark brown hair had red highlights in it. He thought she looked…cool.
"What are you staring at?" she asked, locking her eyes with his. Her smile turned into a frown and turning suddenly, she walked off, getting swallowed up in the sea of party guests. Ashley was so surprised by her sudden departure that he lost her in the crowd immediately. ‘Damn,’ he thought as he took off after her.
Maria was still searching for Sarah and/or Trevor when she bumped into someone. "I’m sorry," she said.
"Actually, Ms. Carpenter, I was hoping to talk to you." Maria looked up into an extremely handsome face. A man, who appeared to be in his late twenties/early thirties, was now standing before her. He was holding a drink and smiling at her. He had dark brown, almost black, slightly gelled, wavy hair. A few strands hung down over his forehead. He was mostly clean-shaven, but had the beginnings of a goatee. He looked like he was right out of GQ magazine.
"What can I do for you?" Maria asked.
"My name is Robert Gray. I’m the Editor in Chief of Front Page News Magazine." He stopped, Maria guessed, waiting to see whether or not she recognized the magazine name.
"I’ve heard of that magazine. It’s a magazine of all of the current top news stories all over the world," she said. Robert Gray smiled.
"That’s right. And, like you, I interned for a while under Kyle Walsh," he said.
"Really? Gray. Gray," Maria said as she thought. "I’ve seen some of your work, I think."
"Probably. Kyle was my biggest supporter," he told her. "I’ve seen some of your work as well and I was hoping to get a chance to make you an offer…hopefully one that you won’t be able to refuse." Maria was curious. She listened as Robert Gray talked.
After the movie, Alex and Erik just sat and talked. Well, Alex was lying down, but they talked just the same. Erik didn’t bring up Carlos or any of Alex’s family. He also didn’t bring up the stabbing or what happened that night. It seemed too upsetting a subject and Erik was there to make Alex happy, not depressed.
"I can’t believe you’re really here," Alex said as she played with Erik’s hand.
"I am and I’m not leaving until midnight," he said. "Or, I’ll turn into a pumpkin." Alex frowned.
"Okaaaay. A very cute, pumpkin, though," she said with a smile. "So, this is Cinderella now? Do I get to wear the glass slipper or is that you, since you’re the pumpkin. Or are you the carriage?" Erik was confused.
"Huh?" he asked. Alex laughed.
"Are you my Prince Charming?" she then asked softly. Erik looked down into her eyes.
"If you want me to be," he said. Alex felt her heart begin to beat faster as a strange look came over Erik’s face. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear what he was about to say to her. "Alexandra, I know that we haven’t known each other long, but I’ve never felt this way about anyone and, honestly, it’s scaring the heck out of me." Erik laughed lightly. "I, I think I’m in love with you." Alex just looked at him. "No, I don’t think, I know that I’m in love with you." Tears came to Alex’s eyes.
"Really?" she asked, her voice a mere whisper.
"No, I’m just kidding," Erik said. He smiled. "Of course, really! I wouldn’t lie about something like that!" Alex laughed.
"I know you wouldn’t. And I think that I love you, too. But, I’ve also never felt this way, so if I don’t know what I’m doing, then…"
Alex never finished as Erik brought his mouth down on hers. Alex reached up to hold his face as she kissed him back. Tears slid from her eyes, but they were happy tears…very happy tears.
Sarah was drunk. Trevor felt bad because it was his fault that Sarah was drunk. They had somehow ended up in the hotel’s exercise room. Sarah was lying on a bench press while Trevor sat on the floor, his back against the bench press.
Sarah was giggling uncontrollably. "You know what?" she slurred. "Guys suck. All guys, not just some guys, all guys. They all want Maria and only Maria. She is the goddess that they want to screw!"
"Sarah, you have to keep your voice down," Trevor said. He had had a few beers himself and had a mild buzz going on, but he was in control of his senses.
"What? I can’t announce to the world that my sister is a slut? Hell, the world probably knows already," she said and burped. She laughed. Trevor smiled. He had to admit, it was amusing. "I like Jacob. Man, he’s so hot. Not ‘hot’ as in ‘totally drop-dead-gorgeous’ hot, but just ‘rebellious-dangerous-rocker’ hot." Trevor laughed now. "What?"
"Did you see the first season of Making the Band? You know Justin from N’Sync? Let’s just say that Jacob bore a striking resemblance to Justin when he first made the band." Sarah looked shocked.
"No way. You’re shitting me," she said, hitting Trevor’s head hard.
"Ow. No, I’m not. Jacob had curly brown hair with blond highlights and no facial hair whatsoever. ‘Dangerous rebel’ he was not. He was the farthest thing from it," Trevor told her.
"Well, I know that you’ve got the hots for Maria, so let me tell you, she wasn’t too pretty either. In high school, she used to dye her hair different colors. One time, she screwed up and her head looked like an Easter egg," Sarah said and went into a laughing fit. "She wore black all the time and hung out with drugged-out losers. Me and Joey? We were so damn embarrassed that we pretended Maria was adopted. There was a rumor that she was an alien sent to the Carpenter family from another planet." Trevor smiled. "I guess I kinda envied her for being able to be different, though. She never conformed. If someone didn’t like her, she was like, ‘Tough shit!’ I wanted to be liked so badly that I had to work to make friends. I had to be like everyone else so that I’d be popular. My friends used to tease Maria and her friends. Maria didn’t care, though. She even punched out one of my friends once."
"You’re making me frightened of your family," Trevor told her. Sarah started giggling again. Trevor turned to look at her. She was only eighteen, but she looked older. She also looked so sad and alone. "Just be yourself, Sarah. You don’t have to be just like Maria. Be your own person and good things will come to you."
Sarah stared at Trevor, her foggy mind trying to process what he had just said to her. She didn’t know why she did what she did next: she just did it. After sitting up, she then leaned down and kissed Trevor hard on the mouth. Trevor fought her at first, but she stayed on him like a leech. Eventually, he began kissing her back. Sarah smiled against his lips. He pulled her off of the bench press and sat her in his lap, their mouths never separating. ‘This is wrong,’ kept going through Trevor’s head. But right now, he didn’t care.
Dan and Dianna stood out by the pool. Dianna smiled at Dan. He had so far been very quiet, but she knew that he was probably curious as to her ‘status.’
"Since you won’t ask, then I’ll tell you," Dianna said. Dan looked at her confused. "The divorce is going slower then I would like. Curtis, my husband, is fighting it."
"Oh," Dan said. He really didn’t know what to say.
"It’s okay, Dan. We don’t have to be uncomfortable around each other. Yes, I’m technically still married, but it ended a long time ago. Curtis just doesn’t want to let it go," she told him.
"He doesn’t want to let you go. Isn’t that what you mean?" Dan asked.
"I don’t know. I’ve been told by my lawyer not to talk to him, but he always finds a way to see me."
"He’s stalking you?" Dianna laughed.
"No, of course not. I just mean that he’ll find a way to talk to me. He’s not peering in my windows at night to get a glimpse of me or anything like that. When he does talk to me, he makes sure it’s in a crowded place or somewhere where there are other people around. I’m not scared of him, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s not that kind of a situation," she explained.
"Well, that’s good," Dan said, smiling.
"I just wish Curtis would face reality and realize that it’s really over," Dianna said, a sad look on her face. Dan nodded. He couldn’t really comment on something he knew nothing about.
"Hey, there’s Dr. Williams." Dan waved and Kristi smiled as she walked over to them.
"Finally, someone I know," she said. The band had gone to the hospital to see Alex a few times since she’d been there, so Kristi knew them all.
"How’s Alex?" Dan asked. Dianna frowned. "I’ll tell you what happened later," Dan said to her.
"She’s doing well. I think Erik’s surprise will make her feel better," Kristi said. Dan nodded.
"He was really excited to go hang out with her. I hope what happened doesn’t, you know, affect her too much psychologically," he said.
"The psychiatrist spoke with her, so we’ll see what happens. She needs time to heal," Kristi told him. Dan saw how Dianna and Kristi were looking at each other.
"Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t even introduce you. Dr. Williams, this is Dianna Carroll. She was Jake’s physical therapist on the tour after he hurt his back. Dianna, Dr. Williams. She’s an intern at the hospital where Alex is recovering," Dan said.
"It’s a pleasure and please call me Kristi," Kristi said as she shook Dianna’s hand. Dianna smiled. Dan did, too, as they began to discuss medicine since they were both in that field. ‘Looks like I got lucky tonight. And I thought I wouldn’t have a date,’ he thought.
Mike C. cornered Jacob in the lobby of the hotel. "Have you seen Maria?" Jacob asked him. Mike shook his head. He crossed his arms over his chest.
"The sound people can’t hear you. Is there a reason for that?" he asked, frustration in his voice. Jacob smirked.
"My mic is off," he said. Mike sighed.
"Jacob…"
"I know, but the camera hasn’t even been with me tonight anyway. It’s probably following Ashley around. Fans like him the best," Jacob said. Mike shook his head.
"Turn it on," he said. Jacob nodded.
"Yeah, okay. There she is. Bye." Jacob left Mike standing in the lobby and made his way over to Maria, who had just come out of the reception room. She had a worried look on her face. "What’s wrong?" he asked her.
"I can’t find Sarah," she said. "Maybe she’s out by the pool."
"I just came from out there and I didn’t see her," Jacob told her. Maria sighed.
"Then where the hell is she? Trevor’s gone, too," she said.
"They’re probably hanging out somewhere away from all of the people. Relax." Jacob had a feeling that something besides Sarah and Trevor’s disappearance was bothering her.
"Maria, can you come in here, please?" Kyle had come up to them and he gently took Maria’s arm. Jacob followed them into the reception room.
"What’s going on?" she asked. Kyle just smiled. Maria saw a large display that was covered with what appeared to be a tablecloth, sitting on the stage in front of the DJ. She cringed when Jocelyn appeared at the microphone.
"Can I have everyone’s attention?" she asked. "Please. I have an honorable mention to make tonight on behalf of Walsh Studios."
"When did we become ‘Walsh Studios’ anyway?" Maria whispered to Kyle, who just smiled.
Jocelyn had now gotten everyone’s attention. "As you all know, this party is for O-Town for having one of the most highly sold cover issues of Star Power ever, so please, let’s give them a hand." Clapping ensued. Jacob looked around. He saw Ashley with an annoyed-looking Emily by the bar and Dan, Dianna and Dr. Williams were standing by one of the buffet tables, which was now covered with desserts.
The clapping died down and Jocelyn began talking again, "Now, I want to recognize the writer and photographer responsible for that wonderful issue. She spent months with the band, traveling all over the country on a bus with them. For that, she deserves an award!" Everyone laughed. Maria felt like strangling the half-clad bitch on the stage. "Maria Carpenter is the woman I’m talking about and as many of you know, she is Kyle Walsh’s star student and assistant at Walsh Studios." Kyle put his arm around Maria, looking proudly at her. "But all of Maria’s work isn’t just boy band material. Last month, Maria found herself right in the middle of one of the worst tragedies in American history." Maria frowned. Jocelyn pulled the tablecloth off of the display. There, for everyone to see, were blown up prints of the pictures of the disaster that Maria had taken. Maria felt the blood drain out of her face.
"What the hell?" she heard Jacob mutter. The guests, muttering appreciatively, had moved forward to get a closer look at the pictures. In the middle of the display was the photograph of Officer Peter Lansing.
"I have also invited a special guest to attend this party," Jocelyn said, smugly. Suddenly, right before Maria’s eyes was Peter Lansing. She frowned. ‘He’s dead,’ she thought. "This is Patrick Lansing, Officer Peter Lansing’s twin brother. Officer Lansing was an unfortunate victim of the September 11th tragedy. When Patrick found out that Maria was the last person to see his brave brother alive, he called the studio to see if he could meet her. Well, tonight, Patrick, you have your chance."
Maria just stared at Peter…no, at Patrick Lansing. Jacob had a firm grip on her right arm. Kyle was saying something in her left ear, but she wasn’t hearing him. She shook her head slightly. "Maria, come up here, please." She heard Jocelyn’s voice, but it was far away. "Maria? Come on, you’re not shy."
Maria was there again in her mind. She was in New York. A cute cop was flirting with her. Then, he was dead. She shivered. She felt herself being pulled from the room. Her eyes never left Peter, no, it was Patrick Lansing as Jacob pulled her from the room. She was shaking.
"I have to, to be alone," she said softly. Jacob looked around. He saw a hallway and led her down it to a door that read Exercise Room. He was surprised to find it unlocked. Jacob pushed the door open and stopped dead in his tracks. On the floor were Sarah and Trevor. Trevor was shirtless and Sarah’s dress was hiked up to her waist. They were furiously making out. Maria just stared at them. Trevor was the first to see them. He jumped up and stood there, looking guiltily at Maria and Jacob. "I don’t even want to know," Maria said as she turned around and left the room. Jacob frowned at Trevor and followed Maria. Sarah stood up, smoothed her dress, and ran after them.
"Maria! What’s wrong?" Sarah pulled Maria’s arm after she caught up with her. Maria glared at her.
"You are eighteen years old. What are you doing?" she asked, her voice low, but furious. She smelled alcohol on Sarah’s breath. Wonderful.
"I think you know. You do it with Jacob all the time. What? You’re the only one in the family who can act like a slut?" Sarah sneered, her voice slurring the words.
Maria slapped her. Sarah put her hand on her cheek, tears running down her face.
"I hate you! I wish you’d disappear and never come back!" she screamed as she turned and ran down the hall, away from the party.
Jacob went over to Maria. She shook her head. "Leave me alone. Everyone, just leave me the hell alone!" Maria then turned and walked down the same hallway that Sarah had disappeared down. Trevor had come up behind Jacob. He had pulled his shirt back on. There were some party guests in the lobby staring. Mike C. was one of them. He made his way over to Jacob and Trevor.
"What’s going on?" he asked. Jacob turned to Trevor.
"What were you doing? With Sarah? Jesus, Trevor, are you really that stupid?" he asked. Trevor frowned. Not wanting to make a scene, Trevor turned and headed for the men’s room.
"Jacob, is Maria okay?" Susan had now come over to him.
"I don’t think so. How could Jocelyn do that? Maria’s still sensitive about what she went through. That just messed her up," he said, his voice rising. Susan shook her head.
"Kyle is lecturing Jocelyn now. She lied to us. She said that she wanted to try and be friendlier towards Maria, so she had planned a display honoring Maria’s work and wanted to show it at the party tonight. We had no idea that she had doubles of those photos or that she had planned on making enlarged prints of them. If we had known, we would never have let her do it," Susan told him. Jacob sighed.
"I know. She’s just really upset right now. I don’t know what to do for her. It didn’t help that she caught a drunk Sarah making out with Trevor, either," he said. Susan frowned. She patted Jacob’s arm and went in search of Maria.
Ashley, Dan, Emily, Dianna and Kristi came out of the reception room, followed by Kathleen, Kevin and Geoff.
"Dude, what’s happening?" Ashley asked. Jacob shook his head and ran a hand through his messy hair.
"A lot," he said. "And Maria’s upset…wherever she is."
Maria unlocked the door to the room she had booked for the night. She closed the door and leaned against it. Sighing, she straightened up and walked over to the bed. A travel bag that she had brought to the hotel was on the bed. She unzipped it and pulled out jeans and a black tee shirt.
After Maria had changed, she sat down on the edge of the bed. She hadn’t cried. She was too stunned by everything to cry. Jocelyn’s impromptu ‘honor’ ceremony, Patrick Lansing’s appearance, finding Sarah and Trevor doing what they had been doing, slapping Sarah…it was all a jumble in her mind. Even when they had fought in the past, Maria had never laid a hand on Sarah. And now Sarah hated her. What had happened to make Sarah despise her so much? It was more than jealousy, more than Maria’s being with Jacob. Maria didn’t understand.
"I can’t stay here," she said out loud. "I have to do something." Maria didn’t like what she was thinking, but she had no choice. So much had happened in the last six months, she needed time to think, time to sort out her life. It wasn’t going where she wanted it to and she was afraid. Grabbing her bag, Maria took out her cell phone.
She made a few calls and when that was done, she looked over at the dresser. Maria stood up. She walked over to the dresser, grabbed a bunch of the hotel’s stationary, got out a pen and began to write.
An hour later, most of the guests had left. It was now close to 2 a.m. Dianna and Kristi had left. Sarah had reappeared from wherever she had run off to earlier and was now sleeping on one of the sofas in the lobby. Trevor was dozing on a chair. Dan sat on the smaller of the two sofas with Mike. The camera operator had been sent home a long time ago. Kathleen and Kevin were also there. Jacob had sent a murderous glare Geoff’s way and he had quickly left. Jacob and Emily were standing. Jacob was actually pacing. Maria hadn’t been heard of since she had disappeared earlier. He was getting worried. He hoped that Susan had found her and was now calming her down in the room that Maria had said she had booked for the night.
Kyle came over to the group. "I’m sorry the way things turned out," he said.
"Did you fire the bitch?" Jacob asked, angrily. Kyle shook his head.
"No, but she knows better now," was all he said. Jacob sighed.
"I don’t think the pictures bothered her as much as the ‘special appearance’ of that cop’s brother," he said. "Maria was doing so well, too. Damn that bitch!"
"Jake, relax," Dan said, calmly.
The elevator doors opened and Susan came out. She looked upset. Jacob ran over to her. "Well? Did you find her?" he asked, hopefully. Susan shook her head. Jacob frowned. "No?"
"She’s gone," Susan said.
"How? She can’t be. Her jeep is still here," Jacob told her. Susan shrugged.
"She probably called a cab and snuck out so that we wouldn’t see her. She left these." Susan handed Jacob an envelope with his name on it in Maria’s fancy handwriting. Susan also handed one to Emily and one to Kathleen.
Jacob stared at the envelope. A feeling of dread came over him. He didn’t want to read the letter inside it. He was afraid to read it. ‘I’ve lost her,’ was his first thought.
"Are you sure she’s not still here?" Kyle asked Susan, who nodded.
"There was a note on the bed. Paraphrasing, it said that she had to go, meaning she had to leave Orlando, and that she would be in touch. Her bag was gone, too," she said.
"It’s late," Mike C. said. "Let’s all go." Emily had opened her envelope. The keys to the jeep were there, along with a note that she’d read later.
Dan walked beside Jacob, who was still staring at the envelope in his hand. "It’ll be okay, Jake." Jacob didn’t respond. He knew that it wouldn’t. Nothing would be okay if Maria wasn’t coming back.
AN: I can’t believe that I’m done with 19 chapters already…and there’s still a lot that I want to do with this story! It’s not over yet. Also, like Star Power, the other magazine mentioned in this chapter doesn’t exist, just so you know. I made it up. Thanks for reading! More to come soon,
~Maura