I stepped out into the hall, making sure there was no sight of Jessica. I went back to where everyone had been assembled earlier. Jessica was in there, and I openly glared at her. She gave me a broad satisfied grin. All I could do was seethe.
You just wait till you�re exposed for who you are, I thought. But how was I going to do that when Nick wasn�t speaking to me at all. Getting him alone was next to impossible these days. He was always with her, or the rest of the Boys, or his bodyguard. I decided to try sending him a text message. I whipped out my phone and typed: NEED 2 TALK! REALLY IMPORTANT! Then I hit �send�.
The Boys were just returning to the room. I figured Nick probably didn�t have his cell phone on him. I kept my eyes on him hoping he�d glance my way. He didn�t. I watched as Jessica ran up to him and attached herself to his side. Nick threw his arm around her shoulders without even looking at her. She smiled up at him and started talking animatedly. About what? I don�t know. I could only imagine her telling him about her conversation with her mother or rather, her version of the conversation.
All I could do was wait until Nick got my message. They had a show that night but rehearsals and sound checks for most of the afternoon. I�m going to have to go to the rehearsal, I thought. An opportunity to tell Nick the truth would have to present itself sometime during the rehearsal, and I just had to use that opportunity to my advantage. Maybe I�ll drag him into an empty room, I thought.
The Boys were being taken to the arena right after the radio thingy. I would go back to the hotel and then catch a cab over to the arena from there. I had to find out if Jessica would be going back to the hotel or following Nick to rehearsals.
�Hey Lexus,� Zeke called as I hopped into the van going to the hotel.
�Oh hi Zeke, what�s up?� I replied. Zeke climbed in next to me. I was so preoccupied by my present situation to even notice what he called me until it was just too late to respond. Cookie had stayed behind at the hotel since we were just taking care of the Boys that day. Since she was only a makeup artist she wasn�t needed as much as Zeke and I who both did hair as well as makeup. Sometimes it seemed as if the Boys� hair was growing on the same schedule because that day they all needed trims and shape ups.
�I was wondering� since we have some time to kill before the show, if you wanted to go hang out around town with me. I know some bomb places we could check out together.�
�Oh no I can�t. I promised Cookie that me and her would do some shopping when I got back. I don�t think you want to hang out with a couple of shopping chicks,� I lied.
�Oh aight,� he said looking slightly disappointed. Then he asked, �When we gonna hang out again Lexus?�
�I don�t know but, you might want to stop calling me �Lexus�. After that we�ll see,� I told him. We rode the rest of the way to the hotel in silence.
�You just got back. Where are you rushing off too? We don�t have to be at the arena for hours,� Cookie said standing between me and the door.
�I�. I have to talk to Nick, now,� I said.
�Wait a minute. Nick? Nick Carter? I thought we were forbidden to speak that name. Or is there another Nick Carter that I don�t know about? What do you have to talk to him about? You two have ignored the other�s mere existence for the past two weeks. What�s changed now?�
�I just found something out and I need to tell him, immediately.�
�I really wish you two would make up your minds about each other. First, you hate him then, you like him then, you�re back to hating him. Now, I guess you like him again.�
�What I have to tell Nick is a little more important than my personal feelings about him.�
�Why? What�s so important?�
�Don�t worry about it. Are we done?� I asked getting annoyed.
�No we�re not done. What�s going on? Why are you running after Nick all the time.�
�I�m not running after him all the time.�
�Really? That�s not what I see. That�s not what everyone else, including the Boys, sees.�
�I. . . don�t. . . know what. . . you�re talking about.�
�You know exactly what I�m talking about. When you�re not mad at him you�re hanging all up under him. Then you swear up and down that you don�t like him like that. You swear that you�re just good friends. You know what they say, �Friends make the best lovers.�,� all of this she said coolly as if she were talking about the weather or something. She continued, �Can you at least admit that you like Nick? And I mean in more than a friendly manner.�
Damn was I really that obvious? Was it that noticeable? I thought. I had admitted to myself my feelings for Nick but I just wasn�t sure if I were ready to say it out loud to another person.
�Ok. I�ll admit to thinking of Nick as more than just a friend. But look at him he�s not exactly a dog,� I said finally. I know that was a feeble defense. Cookie only looked slightly smug.
�Well, I can�t say that I�m surprised. So what�s the crisis with you and him now?�
I didn�t know what to say. Cookie didn�t know about Jessica�s pregnancy. Nick swore me to secrecy. Cookie didn�t strike me as someone who would run her mouth, though. I stared at her, she stared back expectantly. Something about the way she was looking at me told me that she wasn�t going to let me out the door unless I told her. With my decision made I said,
�Ok if I tell you this you have to swear to me that you will not tell another living soul. I mean it, no one. Don�t even confess it to the priest.�
�I�m not Catholic but all right. Now, what�s going on?�
�No seriously, swear it!�
�Ok, ok I swear. Do you need me to pinky swear it or something, too?�
�Hhhmmm,� I said thoughtfully.
�Oh come on, Alexis.�
�Alright, alright, it�s about Jessica. She�s pregnant.�
�She is? How do you know that?� she asked seemingly mildly curious.
�Nick told me,� I replied hesitantly. Her expression started to change so I hurried on. �He was scared. He didn�t know what to do. She told him right after that fight we had. That�s what made me suspicious in the first place. I mean why tell him then?�
�Ok, if he knows about her pregnancy than, what do you have to tell him that�s so important?�
�I have to tell him that the baby that Jessica is carrying is not his,� I said. Cookie gasped, that being her first and only reaction since we started the conversation.
�How in the world do you know that for sure?� she asked.
�I heard her talking about it in the ladies room on her cell phone today.�
�Well, weren�t you well-located? What were you two-�
�She didn�t know I was in there. I went to the bathroom after the Boys were fresh faced and neat looking. She came in shortly after me. I hid in the stall,� I interrupted.
�You hid in the stall?�
�I didn�t mean to eavesdrop but I didn�t feel like having a confrontation with her, either. She�s lucky I did stay in the stall because we were alone and there were no witnesses. After hearing her phone conversation I was ready to murder that little whore.�
�Ok, ok calm down. So now you�re going to go rushing off to tell Nick what you heard.�
�I was before someone got in my way,� I said.
�Isn�t Nick still mad at you over that fight you two had?�
�I can only assume so.�
�What makes you think he�ll listen to you?� she asked. I had to think about that. He hasn�t answered my text message, yet, I thought. Maybe he�s too busy.
�What did you and he fight about, anyway?�
�It�s kind of a long, complicated story,� I sighed going to sit on the corner of the bed. Cookie remained standing by the door.
�Give me the Reader�s Digest version,� she said. I looked at her thinking, What choice do I have? So I told Cookie almost exactly what the fight was about. She listened to everything patiently, not saying a word. When I finished she said,
�Calling Jessica a bitch to Nick�s face was kind of harsh.�
�Oh please he�s done the same thing before right in front of me.�
�Yeah but it�s different when it�s coming from someone else. Besides, to him, you were calling who he thinks is the mother of his child a bitch.�
�You may have a bit of a point,� I said.
�From what you�ve told me you were both wrong. He shouldn�t have asked what he did the way he did. You shouldn�t have made it about Jessica. If you ask me, he sounded jealous.�
�Jealous? Jealous about what?�
�You know something Alexis, you�re a little bit dim.�
�Dim? How am I dim?�
�You can�t even see what�s right in front of your face. Nick didn�t ask about your �outing� with Zeke because he was curious. He asked you about it, the way he did because he was jealous.�
�Jealous? Of Zeke? You�re crazy.�
�No not jealous of Zeke in particular. It could have been anybody. You could have gone out with Brian and he would have done the same thing. It wasn�t the person. It was the fact that it wasn�t him. And I think you�re crazy for not noticing any of this. I don�t think you should tell him right away.�
�Why not? He deserves to know,� I said ignoring her comment about the real reason Nick asked about my night out.
�I�m not saying he doesn�t deserve to know. I�m saying he probably won�t believe you. He�ll think you�re just making it up. I mean after all, it�s real interesting that you just happen to hear Jessica telling her mom her intentions.�
That scenario had never occurred to me. She was right, of course. If I told Nick what I heard now, he would think I made everything up. He wouldn�t believe me and then he�d be stuck with Jessica and Jake�s kid. I felt deflated.
�But he has to know the truth,� I said.
�You�re right. Maybe you should go to one of the Boys and let them tell him,� she advised. I wasn�t sure I could do that.
�I can�t do that, Cookie. I have to tell him,� I said quietly.
�Well maybe you should wait a little while. Or try talking to him again before you drop this bomb in his lap. You know, regain his trust.�
�But won�t he be upset that I didn�t tell him immediately?�
�Possibly. It�s kind of a �Catch 22�. You�re damned if you do and damned if you don�t.�
�You know what Cookie? You�re not helping,� I said with a slight laugh.
�Just trying to give you something to think about, doll.�
�Yeah, well, now my head hurts. Ok I won�t go to him, now. I will tell him, though, hopefully sooner rather than later. I think I care too much,� I said.
�I think you�re falling for him,� Cookie said. I ignored that comment too. I mean I knew I was but hearing someone else verbalize it was unsettling. I reached for my hand bag, pulled out my cell phone to send Nick another text message. This time I typed: Never mind�. And then hit �Send�.
