Our Song (4 page)

Chapter 5

I could’ve spent the rest of the day doing one of two things: lounging on the couch in my pajamas watching
The Notebook
with a box of tissues in hand or partaking in some retail therapy. Given how gorgeous the L.A. weather was, the idea of being cooped up inside my
apartment sounded unbearable, so I decided to go shopping.

I threw on a white and pink sundress and a pair of pink flats. I wasn’t about to brave wearing heels again today—not after the shoe disaster hell that was yesterday. I spritzed some hairspray onto my long waves, hoping it would protect them from frizzing out in the heat.

As I headed into my apartment building’s lobby, the concierge glanced over in my direction. “Miss Pierce! May I have a word with you?”

I walked over to the front desk. “What is it, Ronaldo?”

“I should warn you that the Paparazzi are all over the place,” he explained in a low voice. “I’ve already had to have security escort them out twice so far. My best suggestion would be to have your driver pull up to the side entrance and make your grand escape from there.”

“Okay, I’ll do that. Thank you for letting me know,” I told him with a smile.

I sent a quick text to Eddie to let him know the plan and then walked over to the side door to wait for the limo to pull up to the curb. From where I stood inside the building, I didn’t see any Paparazzi, but I was sure they would swarm around me like bees on honey the moment I stepped outside.

It wasn’t even surprising that they were out there. I should’ve been expecting it, really. They were all looking for a comment from me on the Jake and Alyssa news. Inconsiderate assholes. Why couldn’t they just let a brokenhearted girl grieve without charging at her like a damn stampede of wildebeest?

Actually, scratch that whole line of thinking. I couldn’t consider myself a
brokenhearted girl
. I couldn’t allow myself to give off that image.
The last thing I would’ve wanted was for Jake to see photographic evidence of how hurt I was over his new relationship. I needed to give off the impression that I was happy, which meant keeping a smile plastered
on my face at all times. Considering I’d always been told I had resting bitch face, it was going to prove to be a challenge.

As Eddie pulled the limo up to the curb, I pulled my sunglasses over my eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

Just as I was about two feet away from the car, I heard someone yell, “There she is!”

Photographers swarmed at me with questions from every angle. I heard the sound of their cameras clicking and saw the lights flashing even through my Ray-Bans.

“Ms. Pierce, how do you feel about Jake Palmer’s new lady love?”

“Can you give us a statement on your thoughts on Jake’s new relationship?”

“Viola, did Jake end things with you because of Alyssa Morgan?”

“Are
you
dating anyone, Viola?”

I thought about telling them I had no comment, but that would’ve been the only thing worse than giving them an actual comment. It would’ve made me look butt-hurt by Jake’s new relationship—even though I
was.
My butt might as well have fallen into a fire ant nest.

Instead of saying anything, I turned my back on them and made a mad dash for the limo. Thank God I’d chosen to wear flats, because otherwise, I probably would’ve fallen flat on my face.

As I climbed into the car and slammed the door shut behind me, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. I needed to come up with some sort of statement soon, or else this was going to be never-ending.

“They sure are relentless,” Eddie commented. He honked at one of the photographers who stepped out in front of the limo, trying to get another set of pictures. Once the coast was clear, he pulled away from the curb and glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Where are we going today?”

“Shopping. I need retail therapy,” I confessed.

“You got it.” He nodded as he pulled out onto the main street. I didn’t even need to tell him what shopping center I wanted to go to; Eddie had been my driver long enough to know where I went when I needed to make a feel good purchase. And trust me… I’d definitely done my fair share of retail therapy since Jake had left me.

“So, I heard the news. How are you doing?” Eddie asked.

“I guess I’m doing okay… considering. Thanks for asking.” I gave him a small smile. I was sure he could probably tell just how forced it was. Eddie knew better than anyone else just how badly Jake had hurt me. I may have been able to pretend to be happy when I was with my other friends, but my driver had seen firsthand how many tears I’d shed when I was alone in the limo and how much I’d stayed cooped up in my apartment all by myself.

“If you need anything, just let me know,” Eddie said, and I noted the sincerity in his voice. See, people said things like that all the time, but I’d learned the hard way that pretty much no one ever actually
meant
it. My driver was the exception to the rule. He was one of the few people I knew I could really count on.

“I will,” I promised.

As he focused his eyes
on the road
,
I pulled my cell phone out of my handbag and dialed Natalie’s number.

“Viola?” Her voice came into the phone after three rings. “I was just about to call you. The press is having a field day with this. They all want a statement from you.”

“Yeah, I’m honestly not even sure what to say. Can you come up with something for me? Just make sure it’s something that makes me sound like I’m happy for him and that I’ve already moved on.” Not that anything I could’ve possibly said would’ve been enough to convince Jake that I was actually over him; the text messages I’d sent him every night since we broke up spoke volumes. But I didn’t want the rest of the world to know that.

“Okay, I’m on it. How
are
you, though?” Her voice was full of concern.

“I’m fine. There was actually another reason I called you,” I told her, hoping to dismiss the topic of Jake and Alyssa. “I need you to get in touch with Colton King’s assistant for me.”

“
Colton King?
” My assistant squealed into the phone. “Oh! Let me guess. You want to ask him out. I have to say, he would be the perfect person for you to move on with. He’s hot, and it would make Jake
so
jealous.”

I rolled my eyes. “No, that’s actually
not
why I need you to get ahold of his assistant. Colton and I are going to be writing and recording a few songs together for my next album. We’re going to be working at my apartment, but we haven’t worked out the details of what day and time. I need you to figure all of that out for me.”

“Okay, I can do that.” She paused. “But are you
sure
you don’t want me to ask his assistant if he would be interested in going on a date with you while we’re at it?”

“Is his assistant a guy? In that case, I might consider going out with
him
, but if you’re still talking about me going out with Colton, then the answer is no. This is purely a business venture.”

Business venture
? What the hell. I was starting to sound like Mads.

Natalie laughed. “Okay, okay. I won’t ask about you dating him, I promise. I’ll get back to you as soon as I figure out all the deets.”

“Thank you.” I hung up the phone and slid it back into my handbag, just as Eddie pulled up to the curb of the shopping plaza.

“I’ll text you when I’m ready to be picked up, but I’m thinking it will probably be awhile,” I told him.

“Okay, no problem. I’ll be nearby.”

As I climbed out of the car, I headed straight for Ambrosia’s, my favorite boutique. I knew I would probably be able to kill at least an hour shopping for accessories in there alone. And I also really needed a new pair of white heels to replace the ones I’d just thrown out, so there was that, too.

I headed into the store, still wearing my sunglasses. Eyes fell on me and people froze as they silently stared or whispered. It was clear they thought I was either Viola Pierce or her doppelganger. Since I was alone, I was pretty sure most people would assume the latter.

I wasn’t one of those celebrities who called a store ahead of time to ask them to close it just for me, mostly because I felt like it was inconsiderate to other customers. And while I sometimes brought my security guard, John, with me when I went places, I usually didn’t have much to worry about at shopping outlets. I pretty much only had to deal with fan girl teenagers and their moms. Those I could handle. It was the Paparazzi and men who I needed John to deal with.

Speaking of John, I wondered where he was when I’d left the club the other night with Colton. He was supposed to look out for me. Letting me go back to a hotel with a man (even if he was good-looking, well-respected in the industry, and more famous than me) while I was clearly intoxicated wasn’t part of his job description.

Perusing the racks of clothing, I grabbed a few dresses to try on and then walked to the back of the store.

“Excuse me, Miss? Would you like to try those on?” Charmaine asked, flashing me a grin. She was the manager of the boutique, and while she and I were on a first name basis and were what I would call acquaintances, she also knew better than to say my name out loud and cause too much excitement.

“Yes, please.”

She led me to one of the dressing rooms. I stepped inside and pulled the curtain closed behind me. Stepping out of my shoes, I took off my sunglasses, set my purse down, and then peeled off my clothes.

I pulled one of the dresses from its hanger. It was a short emerald green dress. I had no idea where I would wear it; it was too dressy to wear casually, but it also wasn’t fancy enough to wear to a red carpet-style event. Still, for some reason, it just felt like it was calling my name.

As I unzipped the dress and stepped into it, I heard a girl say in a low voice, “That blonde looked
just
like Viola Pierce.

“Sort of,” a second voice agreed. “Except I always figured that Viola had to be way skinnier than that girl in person. She was, like, kind of chunky.”

Well, hmpf
. My BMI was within normal range. So what if I liked to binge on my Lucky Charms from time to time? Was that a crime?

I guessed in the world of size 0 celebs, it pretty much was.

“True, she should be a lot skinnier,” Girl Number One agreed. “I did hear she’s been snorting coke. Apparently, she’s, like, an addict now.”

“Really? Hmm, I heard it was heroin. But yeah, I heard she’s turning into a train wreck. Like, she’s supposed to be the next Lindsay Lohan or Amanda Bynes or something.”  

“Yeah, it’s so sad. She used to be so talented. Then again, who can blame her? It must really suck to be dumped by Jake Palmer,” the first girl said sympathetically.

“Well, I don’t feel bad for her. I heard the whole breakup was entirely her fault. Like, I heard
she
cheated on
him
, and now she wants everyone to feel sorry for her. Like, did you hear that new song of hers that just came out? It’s, like, seriously pathetic.”

“Yeah, it is pretty terrible,” the first girl agreed.

What the fuck.

I could just feel the anger rise to my cheeks. I would’ve loved to know where these girls had gotten their info from. None of what they were saying was true; I didn’t cheat on Jake, I’d never abused any type of drug in my life, and I didn’t want attention.

A part of me wanted to speak up and set them straight, but an inner (and slightly
wiser
) voice told me it was better for me to just keep my mouth shut. Besides, they probably would’ve thought I was just a chunky imposter of myself, anyway.

Their conversation shifted in the direction of the dress one of them had tried on. They decided it made her hips look too wide, so she wasn’t going to get it. A moment later, their voices drifted away as they left the dressing room area.

Meeting my own eyes in the mirror, I swallowed hard. I didn’t want people to think I was pathetic. I didn’t want them to think I craved attention. And most of all, I didn’t want to be a negative influence on young, impressionable girls. I wanted them to know that it was okay to be single, that it was okay to be dumped, and that everyone suffers from a broken heart on occasion but in the end, you’ll be okay. I wanted people to think I was strong… fierce… a fighter.

Today only confirmed what I already knew: Jimmy Jones was right; I needed to go back to writing happier music. But first what I really needed was a shot of whiskey.

Chapter 6

I walked out of Ambrosia’s carrying every single dress I’d tried on and not just one but
two
new pairs of new white shoes, as well as a few brightly-colored scarves. I never even wore scarves, but they were sparkly, brightly colored, and cheetah patterned, so I hadn’t been able to resist.

As I crossed the sidewalk to where Eddie was waiting for me in the limo, I thought about who I could possibly ask to go out drinking with me that night.

Finn was out of the question. It was amazing he’d even been able to meet up with me the night before, given his crazy schedule. And most of my friends were also Jake’s friends. I saw them on occasion, but I really didn’t want to see any of them right now… not after the news about Alyssa Morgan.

I wrinkled my nose at just the thought of Alyssa, which really wasn’t fair of me. It wasn’t
her
fault her new beau was the biggest douchebag I’d ever met.

Sighing, I climbed into the limo and dropped my bags onto the floor of the car. “We’re making a stop at this address,” I said, digging the address Skylar was staying at out of my purse. I handed the napkin to him through the window.

“Sure thing.” He nodded and pulled out of the parking lot.

Grabbing my cell phone out of my bag, I sent a text to Skylar’s number.
Ready for move in day?

Then
I dialed Natalie’s number. She answered on the third ring.

“Hey. I was just about to call you. It’s like we have ESP or something,” she said. “I got ahold of Colton’s assistant, and she’s supposed to get back to me once he lets her know his schedule for this week. As of right now, it’s looking like we might be able to work something out for Thursday.”

Great. Thursday was only two days from now.

“Okay, thank you. That actually wasn’t why I was calling you, though.”

“Oh! Your statement about Jake,” Natalie remembered out loud. “Let me read it through to you. I wanted to get your approval before sending it.”

“No, that’s okay. You don’t need to read it to me. I trust your judgment,” I said, reall
y
not wanting to hear what “I” had to say about my ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend.

Ha. That should’ve been the title of my next song—My Ex-Boyfriend’s New Girlfriend. I
t
sounded kind of catchy. But it would probably only make people think I wante
d
attention again, so scratch
that
idea.

“Okay,” she agreed.

“The reason I was calling was actually because I wanted to see if you were busy tonight,” I explained.

“No, I’m not.” She paused. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to go out and have a couple of drinks with me.”

The other end of the line went silent as she paused for a brief moment. I knew my question had probably come out of left field for her. It was the first time I’d ever asked her to go out with me that didn’t involve business, but I just felt the urge to go out and she and Mads were the only ones who came to mind. And while I was desperate, I was pretty sure I would’ve rather drank in solitude than with Madeline Agossi.

“Sure,” Natalie said after a moment’s hesitation. “Where do you want to go and what time?”

“How does the Pink Dragon sound at, say, eight o’clock?”

“Works for me. I’ll see you then.”

“Bye.” I hung up the phone and leaned against the headrest. So much had happene
d
today—so much that would make me a different person. Actually, it’d
already
made me a different person. I could just feel the changes brewing within me.

In some ways, it made me angry that it’d taken me this long to realize everything. I’d wasted so much time focusing on trying to win Jake back when I could’ve spent this whole time bettering myself. If I’d just done that from the get-go, I wouldn’t have been in the position I was in—getting ready to work with Colton. I’d been trying to keep it off my mind for the most part, so I didn’t need to think about how much I was dreading it.

Yes! :),
Skylar got back to me just as we were pulling into her hotel’s parking lot. It surprised me; I’d been expecting that I’d need to wake her up, but I spotted her sitting outside on the curb with her suitcase.

“Thank you
so
much.” She exhaled her relief once she was sitting next to me and Eddie was driving us home. “And this is going to be
so
much fun. It’ll be like having sleepovers every night. We can go out and party, except I bet the parties you go to now are
much
cooler than the ones we went to when we were younger.” She glanced over at me. “You’ve come a long way with your music, Vi.”

“Thanks.” It didn’t seem like the right time to tell her my career
was currently in a Make-it or Break-it state. “But actually, I don’t go to many parties—maybe two or three a year if I’m lucky. My social life is kind of boring.”

“Oh. Well, that’s okay.” She waved her hand in the air, even though I could sense he
r
disappointment. She probably thought we’d be invited to one of Justin Bieber’s parties every week. “I’m sure we’ll find
some
way to entertain ourselves.”

“I have Netflix,” I offered.

She giggled. “You’re really living on the wild side these days, Vi.”

Things
had
changed a lot with me, I realized. But so what if my idea of a fun time these days sometimes involved a few glasses of wine and the newest season of
Orange Is the New Black
?
It wasn’t like I
never
went out. I planned to go out tonight, in fact.

Oh.
I guessed that meant Skylar would now be tagging along with Nat and me. I would’ve felt weird leaving her alone in my apartment while I went out and had fun without her. We probably should’ve been celebrating our reunion.

“I like Netflix,” she quickly added when I didn’t say anything.

“Good. But hopefully you’re in the mood to get trashed tonight,” I said.

Her eyes lit up. “It’s me you’re talking about here. I’m
always
in the mood to get trashed. What are we doing?”

“Nothing
too
exciting, so don’t get your hopes up. We’re just going to a bar.”

“That’s way more exciting than anything I’ve done lately, considering I didn’t even have a place to stay for a little while.”

“What happened to Nashville?” I’d been dying to know.

“I’m done with Nashville,” she said dismissively, a dark look clouding her brown eyes.

I frowned. It wasn’t like my best friend to not spill her heart out to me. I wasn’t sure what had changed while she’d been trying to pursue her career in country music, but something must’ve. “Do your parents know you’re back?”

“Nope, and I don’t want them to find out just yet.” She glanced away from me and down at her fingernails, which were painted coral.

I wanted to ask her why she wasn’t moving back in with her parents, but I knew it was really none of my business. Maybe something had happened between them, or maybe she just didn’t want to “move back in with Mommy and Daddy” at twenty-three years old. I supposed that was only natural; it didn’t seem like
anyone
wanted that. Not that my orphaned self could relate. I would’ve traded
anything
to be part of a family, instead of entirely on my own.

“Good thing you said something before I ran into your mom or she called me or something.”

I didn’t see her parents except for when we ran into each other on occasion, but her mom still called me pretty regularly and thought to send me my favorite homemade double chocolate chip cookies around the holidays (which were probably another factor that contributed to my “chunkiness”).

She raised an eyebrow. “She calls you?”

“Every once in a while she’ll call to catch up,” I replied with a shrug.

“I don’t mind or anything, it’s just that she hasn’t called
me
in a while,” Skylar said quietly, glancing down at her hands.

“Does she have your number?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Well, she has it
now
.”

“She really doesn’t call me that often,” I reassured her, even if I
was
downplaying it.

When Eddie pulled up to the side door of my apartment complex, I slid my sunglasses back on.

“Thanks Eddie. See you later,” I said as we climbed out.

Skylar grabbed her suitcase. “I can’t wait to see what my new room looks like.”

You would think the paparazzi got bored sitting around waiting for my return, but it wasn’t long before I heard the familiar questions again.

“Viola, are you ready to talk about Jake?”

“Viola, is it true you were Alyssa’s friend first?”

Pushing my shoulders back, I led Skylar through the crowd and into my building, not allowing myself to seem fazed by their questioning.

After the door was safely shut behind us, Skylar’s jaw dropped. “If
that’s
boring to you, I can’t wait to see what our drinking night will be like.”

With all of the craziness the day had brought, I had a feeling I was going to be in for one hell of an interesting night, too.