Chapter Nineteen:
Trust Me
Faith held the phone, and smiled evilly. "Thank God for dancers," she whispered to herself. After listening to the dancers gossip and speculate for over two hours, she had finally managed to extract some useful information from them. Jess, one of the youngest in the troop, was good friends with one of Nick's close friends. Brian had talked to Nick, who spilled everything to one of his buddies, who had trustfully relayed the details to Jess, who told the dancers her dirty knowledge under one condition.
"You guys tell anyone," she threatened. "And I will personally kick your ass. Got it?" Fifteen eager heads bobbed up and down. "It seems Brian and his little girlfriend are in a major problem."
"Such as...?" Faith questioned. The vague speaking style of Jess was no good, Faith needed direct truth.
"I don't know exactly," Jess smiled knowingly. "But apparently she refuses to talk to him... at all. Brian is quite pissed at her, and could have bitched about her forever, had Nick not cut him off."
People oooed, but Faith wasn't satisfied. "Why?"
Disgusted at the interruption, Jess swiveled her head in Faith's direction. "What do you mean, why?"
"Ass wipe," Faith muttered. She wasn't getting anywhere. "Why are they fighting?"
"If I knew, don't you think I would have said something?"
Angry and Jess and her stupidity, but still pleased with the new developments, Faith had tracked down Brian's phone number. Now, here she was, nervous but thrilled, and about to screw around with a superstar's relationship.
"How scandelous!" Faith declared softly. She pressed the numbers on the lighted keypad, and waited impatiently. The phone rang a few times, then someone picked up.
Brian narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the phone. "What?" he spat coldly.
"Is this Brian?" A sickly sweet voice resonated through the phone.
"Why?" he growled.
"Brian, it's Faith."
Dammit.
"Listen, I was wondering if I could get a ride with you to rehersal this afternoon. Silly me, I bottomed out my car." Faith laughed, and Brian could picture the shaking chest. He knew he shouldn't be thinking of it, bouncing away, but it was too draining to ignore such an image. "Anyway, I took it to the garage and have no way to get anywhere. So can I get a ride with you?"
He contemplated the thought. True, giving her a ride was innocent, but there were about a twenty reasons that Dana might have been angry at him for. About a dozen involved Faith in one way, shape, or form. Brian knew Dana didn't like her. He knew that the two girls were more than ready to spill blood, if they were prompted to do so. 'But,' he thought, 'To hell with Dana. She wants to play big time, we'll play big time.'
"Faith?" Brian smiled, his bitterness at the quick rejection by Dana fueling a mislead anger. "I'd love to."
- - -that night- - -
Dark sunglasses covered puffy black undereye circles. Heavy foundation covered the red splotches that hours of crying had prompted. Baggy clothes were draped over the little frame. None of the beauty Dana possessed was visible.
She pulled the glasses up a bit, rubbed one eye, and dropped them back on to the bridge of her nose. Running, Dana decided, hadn't solved anything. She hated Steve, and she quite possibly loved Brian. So why push the good away because of the bad? She waited in the parking lot of the studio, too afraid of the cold faces that would wait inside. It would be best to approach Brian alone, when none of his friends were there with ideas about why she'd left, and how ignoring her would be the best payback.
Her legs grew sore from standing, and she lowered herself on to the cool cement curb and waited some more. The rehersal had started nearly five hours earlier, and Dana was positive that it would be over soon. After another half hour of cool breezes and negative thoughts, she stood up resolutely. There was no way that waiting would solve anything.
Pushing the door open timidly, Dana crept through the expanse of hall, praying that the guys were using the same room as before. When soft voices floated towards her ears, she knew she was headed in the right direction.
- - -at the same time- - -
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Brian called sheepishly. He looked around the pink ladies washroom, and shuddered. "Faith, hurry up!"
"Just wait," Faith replied from a stall. "I'll be right out."
Brian drummed his fingers on the counter, and tried to block out the sound of urine trickling in to a toilet bowl. Finally, after what seemed like ages, the toilet flushed.
"Done!" Faith pushed the door open, and grinned at him widely. "I'm really glad you came with me, I hate being all alone in strange buildings at night." She advanced towards him slowly, and looked around the bathroom. "It's sort of romantic, don'tcha think?"
"If you go for that kind of twisted romance, sure," Brian shrugged, and backed away from Faith.
She sensed his apprehension, and walked over to the sink. "You know," she began, turning on the faucet. "You're a pretty good looking guy." If pure seduction wouldn't work, then Faith would have to go the long way.
"Thanks," Brian blinked nervously, and stood next to the door.
Faith towelled her hands dry, and slung one arm over Brian's shoulder. She pushed the door open strongly, and stepped in to the bright light of the hall. A silhouetted figure spun around.
"Brian?!"
He froze. "Shit!" Brian shook off Faith's arm. "Dana, it's not what it looks like."
Anxiety forced short, staggered breathing on Dana, but she maintained composure in her voice. "You better have a good explination, 'cause from where I'm standing it looks pretty bad Brian."
Brian opened his mouth to speak, but Faith stepped in front of him. "Day-na," Faith smiled.
"Dana," she growled. "It's Daa-naa."
"Sorry, Dana. I'm afraid you and your cruel treatment of people has resulted in one less friend. Brian here doesn't want to take your moodswings, he just doesn't like it."
"No, Dana," he shook his head vehemently. "That's not it at all."
Faith gave him wide eyes. "But that's what you told me," Faith lied. "You said you hated the way she got mad and wouldn't explain why. You even told Nick that."
Dana's eyes stared at him. "Is that so?"
"No!" Brian insisted. "Dana, I swear to God, I never said that." He walked towards her, and set one hand on her arm.
"Don't touch me," she seethed. "Don't you touch me!" Hurt welled up in Dana, and she felt like there was a cold hand squeezing her heart. She closed her eyes, and tears spilled over. "How could you?"
"Fuck, Dana, she's lying!" Brian pleaded with his eyes. "How can you not trust me Dana?"
She refused to meet his eyes. Curious faces peered at them, while Faith surveyed the mayhem with triumph.
"Look at me!" Brian yelled. He grabbed her chin, trying to force her to look at him. "Look at me, Dana!" Panic connected with him, and he shook her a bit. "Sweetie, baby please," Brian begged, and fearful tears revealed themselves. "Dana, come on. Who do you trust, Faith or me?"
Dana covered her mouth, her entire body shaking. "I don't know," she whispered. The image of Faith, holding Brian protectively, walking out of the room was burned in to her mind.
"If I were you," Faith interjected. "I would trust me."
"Dana, don't listen to her!" Brian wanted to kick Faith, to make her feel as much pain as he felt at that moment, but leaving Dana meant losing Dana, and that just wasn't an option.
"After all," Faith mused. "He certainly wasn't pushing me away-"
"-Don't listen, Dana-"
"-Or trying to make me leave-"
"-You know she's lying, Dana please-"
"-Trust me." Faith finished smoothly.
++Chapter Twenty++Chapter Index++Main Page++
