The next day, Pete and Kaci decide to spend the day at the house just hanging out with his friends by the pool.
“What are you doing?” Pete asks Kaci sitting down next to her by the pool.
“Just posting a blog, nothing that important.”
“Oh well, I was talking to Patrick and Travis and we’re going to go to ONE Sunset tonight. Are you up to going with us?”
“Yeah, of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Um, because you seem to be avoiding Alex and I know he likes to go there.”
“Oh well, that’s a minor detail. I’m down for going out.”
“Alright cool. Oh and don’t post it to your blog that you are going to ONE Sunset. You never know who reads those things!”
“Gotcha,” Kaci says laughing.
Pete goes back to hanging out with Patrick and Travis while Kaci finishes up her blog. (To Read The Blog, Click Here.) Later that night, Kaci and Pete go out to ONE Sunset with Patrick and Travis, among others.
“Hey,” Maksim says to Kaci when he sees her at the bar.
“Hi,” Kaci says to Maksim, wondering if Alex is with him.
“What happened to you the other night?”
“I got a ride home, why?”
“Home?”
“Yeah, home.”
“I know you weren’t with Alex,” Maksim says looking Kaci in the eyes.
“I never said I was,” Kaci snaps back at Maksim.
“Right. So, who are you here with?”
“That, Maksim, is none of your business.”
“Alex isn’t here, he has been in the recording studio since you ditched him. You can tell me Jess. I know more than you think I do.”
“Is that so? Well, you can tell Alex that I will be at his house on Sunday then and to quit calling me because I am not going to call him back.”
“Alright, but is there something that you want to tell, or should I say ask, me?”
“I’m guessing you’re talking about the choreographer job I had in mind for you?”
“ That’s what Alex said.”
“Well, he is right. I did want you to be my choreographer.”
“Do you still? I would be glad to do it.”
“Right now, I don’t know. You being all buddy-buddy with Alex, right now, I just don’t know. I have your number, I will let you know. It’s not like I need a choreographer right now anyways, I don’t even have an album, let alone a song, out.”
“I understand. I hope you know that you can talk to me about things and I won’t tell Alex. In fact, I took your side when he called me the other night.”
“Well that’s nice of you to do that. I bet he was pissed at you.”
“He was, but you know what, I don’t see his point. He isn’t your man, so I don’t think he has the right to claim you as his.”
“Well, that’s for damn sure. I have to get back to my friends. Please don’t mention a word about seeing me here.”
“I won’t, and if you need someone to talk to, you can always call me. What we discuss is between us, I promise Jess.”
“Thanks,” Kaci says taking her drink and walking back over to where Pete, Patrick and Travis are.
“Who was that you were talking to?” Patrick asks Kaci.
“Just a friend,” Kaci insists.
“Who knows you’re here?” Pete asks.
“I ran into Maks at the bar. He swore to me that Alex wasn’t here and that he wouldn’t tell anyone I was here.”
“If Alex shows up here tonight, I’m not dealing with it. That will be all you, I’m just warning you.”
“Alright,” Kaci says getting defensive. “Maks isn’t one to bullshit, I’m pretty sure I can take his word for it that he won’t say anything except for what I told him to say.”
“Ugh,” Pete says annoyed. “And what did you tell him?”
“That he can tell Alex that I will see him on Sunday and to tell him to quit calling me because I was not going to answer or return his calls.”
“Why Sunday?”
“Because I have to fly back to Florida with him, remember? We discussed this already, I’m not discussing it again.”
“Oh, I thought you were just going to show up at his house Monday morning, I guess I misunderstood you.”
“You shouldn’t be complaining babe, I’m spending all my time with you.”
“I know, but just the thought of you being with someone else right now tears me up inside.”
Kaci and Pete enjoy their night out with Patrick and Pete’s best friend Travis, and head home for the night. (Click Here for photos from the night out at ONE Sunset.)
“Hey, do you have anything planned for tomorrow?” Kaci asks Pete as they’re lying in bed.
“No, why?”
“I want to get another tattoo. Nothing important, but if we don’t have anything better to do, that’s what I want to do.”
“If we have time, I will take you to get a tattoo,” Pete says pulling Kaci close to him.
Eventually, Kaci and Pete fall asleep in each others arms. The next morning, Kaci gets a phone call from the President of her record label, Latium Entertainment.
“Kaci?”
“Yes,” Kaci says trying to sound awake.
“I got a message for you. Are you able to speak with me right now?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“How soon are you able to come back out here to Los Angeles?”
“I’ll be out here next week, but only for a few days, why?”
“I have a photographer to do a promotional shoot for you. I need to know what your availability is.”
“Oh, um, well, I’m flying back to Florida on Monday but I’ll be back here the week after, but only for a little bit because I have to get back to Florida on the 16th.”
“Can we set up something maybe that Tuesday or Wednesday?”
“I have to see what Justin has planned because he booked studio time for us out here, so I don’t know when he did that for. Can I call him and then give you a call back?”
“Sure. Just please make it today. The photographer came to us and this is a great opportunity for you to get some amazing promotional shots so that we can get you marketed in the industry.”
“Okay, I will call you back after I talk to Justin.”
“If you can’t reach me, just leave me a message letting me know what’s up and I will give you a call back.”
“Okay, that sounds good. I will talk to you later I guess.”
Kaci hangs up with the President of Latium Entertainment and decides not to call Justin until she can talk this situation over with Pete.
“What was that about?”
“It was the president of my label. He wants me to have a photo shoot while I am back out here. He said the photographer came to him.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“It would take a whole day out of recording for me, and I don’t want Justin just sitting around when we could be recording.”
“But Jess, honey, this is your career we are talking about. You need those promotional shots, that’s what will get your name and face around. You and Justin can record any time you want, you have a studio at your house back in Florida. If I were you, I’d call the guy back and say that you’ll do the photo shoot.”
“But what about Justin? What will he do? They want me in a photo shoot for a whole day!”
“Justin can hang out here or he can go see Los Angeles. There’s a million things to do out here, I’m sure he will be able to find something to do to occupy his time for a day.”
“I don’t know, I think I better call him.”
“So go call him, but make it quick, we’re going out to lunch so you have to get ready too.”
While Kaci discusses the situation with Justin, Pete goes and gets a shower and gets ready to go to lunch with Kaci.
“Hey,” Kaci says when Justin answers his phone.
“What’s up?”
“I got a call from Charles Chavez.”
“The president of Latium?”
“Yeah, him.”
“What did he want?”
“He wanted to know when I was coming back out to Los Angeles. He has a photographer who wants to do a shoot with me for promotional pictures.”
“So do it!”
“It would be while we’re out here, for a whole day.”
“Your point? Jessica, you need those photos, we can work on songs here at the house. Call him back and tell him that you cleared your schedule to do the photo shoot!”
“Alright, but what are you going to do that day?”
“I’m sure I can find something to do while in Los Angeles,” Justin says realizing that their father is standing behind him. “Um, Jess, I gotta go, we’ll talk later.”
Justin immediately hangs up on Kaci and turns around to see his father standing behind him, not looking happy at all.
“What was that all about?” Robert asks Justin.
“Jess got a call from Latium about a photo shoot and it was when we had talked about working on songs for her album, so she didn’t know what to do.”
“She’s taking the photo shoot, right?”
“Yes,” Justin says, curious as to when his father will bring up him overhearing the conversation being about Los Angeles.
“Do you know when she is coming back from Los Angeles?”
“I believe she’s coming back on Monday, why?”
“Because I found out that she lied to me,” Robert says showing Justin pictures of Kaci and Alex leaving Ed Hardy from when she first arrived in Los Angeles.
“Oh,” Justin says, not knowing what to say since he knew she was not in Los Angeles with Nick like she told her father.
“Did you know?”
“Everyone knew,” Justin says.
“Everyone but me apparently. Were you in on this?”
“No.”
“But you knew.”
“Yes. Mom knew too. She even talked to Nick a few days ago. She said Nick didn’t know that Kaci told her the truth.”
“I see,” Robert says turning to leave Justin’s room. “Oh and by the way, you can inform your sister that she’s grounded when she gets back here.”
Robert walks out of Justin’s room closing the door and Justin immediately calls Kaci.
“You are in so much trouble!” Justin informs his sister when she answers her phone.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because your father just overheard our conversation. Oh and he has pictures of you and Alex.”
“Just fucking great! What did he say?”
“He said that when you get back here on Monday that you’re grounded.”
“Yeah, that’s what he thinks.”
“I don’t know Jess, he might be serious.”
“What exactly did he say?”
“Well, he heard me talking to you about Los Angeles and asked what I was talking about and so I told him what you told me and he asked if you were going to do the photo shoot.”
“You told him I was, right?”
“Yeah, then he asked when you were coming back from LA.”
“Okay, and?”
“I suggest that you don’t show your face here. He is quite pissed because he found pictures of you and Alex leaving Ed Hardy. He asked if I knew, so I told him the truth, that everyone knew that you were really with Alex and not Nick like you had told him.”
“Great Justin, just fucking great.”
“And then he told me to tell you that you’re grounded when you get back here.”
“Well, that’s what he thinks!”
“I just thought that I would inform you, so that you can be warned and prepared when you get home. Alex better be prepared to face the heat as well.”
“But I’m not coming home with Alex.”
“What?”
“Well, I’m flying back to Orlando with him, but he isn’t coming back home with me.”
“Does he know this?”
“No. I haven’t seen him since Wednesday afternoon. He will find out Sunday when I see him. I figured I would give him some time to himself so that he realizes what an ass he was being.”
“And what about Pete?”
“What do you mean?”
“You mentioned that Pete was going to fly here and we were going to take the jet to Los Angeles.”
“Yeah, he is going to stay with Feco.”
“Does Feco know this?”
“Not yet. I gotta call him.”
“Or he could just stay in the guest house.”
“But what if dad goes out there? The whole point is for him not to know.”
“You know, you already lied to him and got caught, why don’t you try telling him the truth? Maybe he would be okay with it, instead of you going behind his back with everything Jess.”
“
Well, feel him out for me about Pete, see what he says and let me know.”
Chapter 51/Story Index/Chapter 53/E-mail Brittany
Kaci and Justin hang up with each other and Kaci goes to get ready to go to lunch with Pete.