It's a super long one-shot! Okay, not as long as some one-shots but for me ... this is like a freakin' novel. So yeah, I didn't want to start up a chapter fic 'cause of Letters and also Pointless Ramblings being on hiatus, but this idea came into my head and I really wanted to post it. Of course, I don't own anything you recognize, it probably belongs to Disney, Taylor Swift, Metro Station and/or the English language. This took me about a month and a half to finish and edit, so I hope it pays off =P. Happy reading (: This story is in the POV of an ORIGINAL CHARACTER. Not Mitchie, Caitlyn, Ella or anyone else. ^^
Everyone always asks me the same question - what's the most important thing to know when you're a backup dancer for Tess? That's easy – don't be yourself, be who she wants you to be. I don't reply with this of course. I want to keep my job (if you could call backup dancing for Tess and being pushed around a job), and if I so much as utter how lacking our freedom was I'd be fired without hesitation. She tells us this frequently.
She'd mock us, looking down with distaste at our clothes or our hair, her trademark smirk lingering on her lips: "If you step one toe out of line I'll fire you just like that. Don't think there aren't other girls gagging for this job because we all know they are."
She didn't mention the boys that were also begging to dance for the famous Tess. The three that were hired were nice enough – Oliver, Christian and Michael. Tess was officially dating Christian, but for some reason I only thought she was doing this because other famous celebrities dated their backup dancers. Besides, it didn't take a genius to work out she was cheating on Christian with Oliver – in fact, Christian probably knows anyway. We all think that Michael's next. I hope he doesn't get hurt in the process, but I doubt he'll escape from Tess unharmed.
He's been through enough to get this job. He, like me, has no other choice. Both our families aren't the richest and this job pays good money. At the end of every month I send as much money as I can home, keeping just enough for myself. I hardly get to see my family, but I try and call them wherever I have the chance.
I remember the audition stages that led up to this job. I took weeks; there were so many girls that wanted to dance for Tess. I didn't want to dance for her – I had too. From what I'd seen in the magazines Tess tried to put on the innocence act. To me, she looked like a bitch. I was right with that assumption. As soon as we got the job she wasted no time in bossing us all around. I remember her words, too. We sat in a room, the five of us that had gotten the job, and she walked in smirking.
"Right, first off, you're never going to be better than me, so don't even try. Second, you can't socialise with any famous people that I go on tour with, and third, if you so much as breathe a bad word about me to the press, you'll be the ones paying for it."
She smiled innocently, and then flounced off – probably to sleep with the first guy she laid eyes on.
It didn't get much better either.
***
"That's it for today, girls."
The dance instructor nodded at us and we all breathed a sigh of relief. We'd been dancing for longer than usual today – six hours (with little over a fifteen minute break) to finish the final routines. Tess' tour started tomorrow, and we had been told to perfect everything 'or else'.
She, meaning the Ice Princess, was touring with Connect Three, and before you get any ideas, we've been told that we can't even look at them. Not that this came as a surprise to us, we're used to it. I've had this job for three years, and on the third tour we did with Jesse McCartney, one of the other backup dancers, Annie, became friends with him. Tess found out and fired her the next day.
There are five of us, not including the guys: Samantha (Annie's replacement), Lisa, Sian, Rachel and me, Jenna Kingsford. Other than Rachel and I, nobody has been here for the whole three years. We're close, being the only two females that have been Tess' dancers since the beginning. I was sixteen when I started (dropped out of school for the job, which proves how much I needed this money), and Rachel was almost seventeen. But anyway, back to the present. I don't think you want to hear everything, nor need to.
"Jen, want to come eat with us?" I looked up to see Lisa and the others all ready to leave. I was still in my dance clothes because I'd been daydreaming while the others had changed, so shook my head. I had to get changed and wanted to catch up on sleep for the start of the tour anyway.
"No, it's okay. I'll find something at home. See you guys tomorrow."
We all said goodbye and I headed into the bathroom to shower and change. This was going to be a long tour, one that I wasn't particularly looking forward to either.
As I showered I drifted away once again. It was November, which meant that next month I'd get my two weeks break and go home for Christmas and the New Year – the best time of the year without question. I missed being home so much, but I knew that dancing for Miss 'I'm-So-Special' was important.
By the time I got home I was too tired to bother eating, so I just collapsed on the bed and fell asleep quickly, ignoring my rumbling stomach. Breakfast was only a few hours away.
***
Beep beep.
I groaned, hitting my alarm clock with my fist. It was far too early, and although I thought I'd gotten used to this a long time ago, I had been proved wrong once again. It was six in the morning, and if I let myself fall back asleep, which I was guaranteed to do any minute, I'd never get up before seven.
I rolled onto the floor, feeling my body come into contact with the carpet. It fully woke me, which was a start. I grabbed my mobile, checking my messages. None, thank goodness. Tess wasn't on a rampage this morning, unlike last week when she ordered me to get her (low fat, no sugar) coffee. I was her dancer, not her servant. Not that I voiced these opinions or anything.
My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten last night, so I headed into the small kitchen of my flat, flicking the switch of the toaster on and opening the fridge to grab the orange juice carton. As I glugged down the orange juice (very unattractively), I heard my ringtone coming from the bedside table, where I'd left it last night.
"This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town. I was a dreamer before you went and let me down." I heard Taylor Swift (A.K.A my ringtone) and set the half drunken juice on the counter, running and grabbing my phone before it went onto voicemail.
"Hello, this is Jen." I said into the phone, walking back into the kitchen, taking the bread from the toaster one headedly and looking around for a knife.
"I know who it is, idiot. I called you." Ah, what a lovely greeting at six in the morning.
"Hello, Tess." I sighed, holding the phone between my ear and my shoulder, buttering the toast with a now found knife.
"Where the hell are you, Kingsford?"
"I'm in my flat." It sounded more like a question, because what I wanted to say was 'why the hell do you need to know where I am?' Did she want to make sure I wasn't running to Canada to get away from her or something? The thought had crossed my mind before, but I wasn't going to actually go through with it.
"You better be here in twenty minutes because Connect Three are arriving in an hour and you need to look presentable."
Oh, crap. I'd completely forgotten about that.
"I'll be there soon." I said, hanging up (I shouldn't have hung up on her, but I don't think before I act 85% if the time) and shoving the half buttered toast in my mouth. I had no time for manners.
Getting showered and dressed in ten minutes was extremely hard, but I managed it. As I raced out of the flat, knowing I'd probably forgotten something but had no time to figure out what, I grabbed my car keys. The door shut behind me as I winced. I'd probably woken up half the people by my door slamming, so I quickened my pace, not wanting to be confronted by Miss Hardy, the old lady who lived opposite me. I hated living in a flat, I really did, but I didn't want to cash out on a house I probably couldn't afford and end up in debt. I looked at my watch, sighing when I realized I have about seven minutes to get to the studio. Tess was going to kill me.
By the time I arrived I probably looked a mess, but I hardly had time to sort out my appearance. I skidded to a halt outside the correct door, wishing that by now the nerves I felt before being confronted by Tess would have disappeared. They hadn't. I was two and a half years older than Tess, yet she still scared the crap out of me. I took a deep breath before pushing the door open, my eyes fixed on the floor so I could avoid the stony glare of the seventeen year old.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, I honestly lost track of time and I know I should wake up earlier and I promise I will next time but I was so tired last night and then your phone call took me by surprise because I completely forgot that Connect Three were arriving and-" My crazed rambles died in my throat as I looked up and saw the four people sitting beside Tess.
Their manager was on Tess' left, furthest away from me and pretending like I hadn't just burst in on their meeting. I had yet to work out if this was him being polite or just annoyed. Shane was next, on Tess' right side. He looked a little shocked but I could see a sparkle in his eye that told me he was amused. Next was Nate, who looked like he was trying not to burst out laughing and then Jason, and instead of trying not to like his younger brother he actually was laughing. I ignored Tess' burning gaze and blushed. I hated being laughed at, and the fact that these boys were incredibly famous made it much worse.
They were early. Couldn't Tess have been kind for once and called to warn me? Or maybe she'd done this on purpose – I wouldn't be surprised.
The Ice Princess spoke up then, probably to defend her reputation. "This stupid girl is Jenna, one of my backing dancers." I flinched at the word 'girl'. Has it escaped her mind that I was in fact older than her? "Jenna will you please stop being an embarrassment to everyone and go and find the others? And don't interrupt again." Her voice was cold and I knew I wasn't going to hear the end of this anytime soon. She was just trying to show off her power and authority over me, but it still stung. I should be used to this now. I should be used to a lot of things.
"Sorry." I mumbled, my voice weak as I fled the room, my face burning red. Why me? I heard Jason's' laugh as I walked away, and even when I was out of earshot it echoed in my head.
When I entered the dance hall I walked over to the others, sitting down and tuning in to their conversation.
"I knew she'd break up with me –though she could have done it another time. It's a bit obvious" Christian broke off from his rant to greet me before continuing "she obviously wants to get into Shane Gray's pants."
I guessed at what they were talking about, and considering the topic was one we frequently talked about anyway (Tess and her love – no, make that lust - for Shane) it wasn't that hard.
"She broke up with you?" I asked, not really that surprised. We all knew, especially Christian, that it was going to happen sooner rather than later.
"Yeah, she said it was because she wasn't feeling anything anymore. Not that she ever did in the first place."
"I'm surprised she didn't fire you on top of that. No offence." Sian said from my right.
"I'm pretty lucky, I guess. Then again I wouldn't have minded if she'd fired me." Christian replied, leaning against the wall.
"Dude, don't worry about it. We all know she's a bitch." Oliver tried to comfort Christian "she cheated on you with me, remember? I was drunk and it only happened once, but seriously, she was all over me." Oliver and Christian were best friends, and Christian knew already about Tess and Oliver. He said that it was what first made him realize that Tess didn't like him, and I think this is probably the only time that cheating with your best mate's girl has helped a situation.
"I don't know why I liked her so much. Even when she broke up with me I was upset, you know? Why did I even think for a second she returned the feelings?"
"Because she's a manipulative person." Both Michael and I chorused, which caused everyone to laugh. Michael was my guy best friend, and sometimes I felt closer to him than I did to Rachel, but I can assure you that there is no romance there what so ever.
"Uh, sorry to interrupt-" My head shot up at the voice, and I instantly recognized Jason. Was he trying to be funny by interrupting us, like I had interrupted his meeting minutes before? Because it wasn't funny.
"I'm Jason" he continued "and I was wondering if you guys knew where Jenna Kingsford was?"
Everyone's eyes turned to me. My face was probably fire truck red by now. Why was he looking for me? Why did I even care? Jason turned to me and offered a smile which I didn't return.
"Can we talk?" He asked as everyone else's' eyes burned into me, all of them asking the same question that was going through my head: "Uh ... actually I-" I started, hoping to escape. I had no intention of talking to Jason, but then I saw Rachel nod her head discreetly and my mind was made up. "Sure, just lead the way."
What does he want?
I told myself this was the right choice, because everyone would be asking questions regardless to whether I went with him to talk or not, but deep down I knew this was wrong. I shouldn't talk with Jason, just saying one sentence to him put my career in danger. Then again, he probably only wanted to laugh at me again.
I followed him outside, the silence of the hallway almost deafening as an awkward silence fell around us.
"Uh, sorry about before."
I watched him carefully, hoping for him to twitch or something to show he was lying. Nothing. He was either telling the truth or a really good liar.
"It's fine." I said without much hesitation. I was meant to be nice to him, and even if we hadn't exactly hit it off he seemed okay. It wasn't like he told all my friends what happened a few seconds ago, right?
"So is Tess always like that?" He asked, and I laughed.
"Always."
"That's strange, she's nice to us."
"I'll quote my friend when I say it's all just to get in your best friend's pants." I said, hoping he wouldn't get offended. I already explained how I speak before I think, right? The words come out of my mouth before my (seemingly small) brain has time to process.
"Nate's?" He asked, shocked and disgusted at my reply. I shook my head.
"Shane."
"Ew." He said, pulling a face. I giggled. He reminded me of a child.
"Yep, pretty sick. But I suppose that's how she functions."
"That's-"
He never finished the sentence because a voice interrupted us.
"Jase, dude, Tess is looking for you." It was Shane. Jason took one look at him and burst out laughing, presumably from what I'd said about Tess. Before I could stop myself I started laughing to.
"I guess his craziness rubs off on people." Shane said, rolling his eyes.
It took a few seconds for both Jason and I to calm down.
"Hey, aren't you the girl that interrupted the meeting?" Shane asked, raising his eyebrow. Damn, why did he have to remember that? I bet my face has gone red ... again.
"I guess you're never going to forget that." I said, sighing.
Shane smirked, which made me go from embarrassed to irritated in about two seconds.
"Jenna, what are you doing?" This was a voice I knew so well, yet really didn't want to hear.
"Tess! I was just telling Jason that you were a brilliant singer." I lied quickly, half hoping she'd believe me.
"Yes, she was. Bye Jenna, thanks for the information." Jason covered for me, smiling a genuine smile. Tess narrowed her eyes at me before turning to Shane.
"How are you Shane?" I heard as I walked away, a small smile on my lips.
***
"And now, please welcome, the one and only...TESS TYLER!"
The crowd went wild, as predicted. I found myself thinking, as I do every day of the tour, if people would like Tess if they knew the real her. There were about one thousand more people in the crowd than previously, as we were in a huge venue and Connect Three were obviously here as well. It was almost like a joint concert, but Tess didn't see it that way. She saw it like a special guest appearance of some sort.
The fans didn't. Lisa told me that a group of fans had tried to rip Nate's shirt of when he was going inside the venue. Another girl had tried to jump Shane. The funny thing was, the first thought that crossed my mind wasn't 'Poor Nate' or 'Wow, Shane must have a tough time with fan girls'. It was 'Poor Jason'. He never got any attention, or little compared to his brothers. In fact hardly any interview I'd read (or been forced to read by Samantha) hardly asked him a question.
"Because when you see, see, see, there's more to me..." I jumped, realising it was my cue to start dancing. I hardly realized the crowd going wild for Tess, or Rachel shooting me odd looks thorough the song. What I did notice, however, was Jason coming on the stage with his brothers, and the dopy smile that stayed on my face for the rest of the concert.
Later, after the first day of the tour, all of us felt exhausted. Rachel had offered for me to crash round her house seeing as I'd probably kill myself if I drove home this tired. It was always like this on the first day of a tour, starting the routine up again. Tomorrow would be a little less exhausting, and with each passing day the tired feeling would wear down.
As I walked towards Rachel's car (where I'd promised to meet her), I heard my name being called.
I turned, coming face to face with Jason. A smile broke onto my face.
"Hey, Jason." I greeted, happy that of all the people to find me here it was him.
"Hi, how're you? The concert went well, don't you think? You were awesome!"
I laughed at his enthusiastic ramblings.
"You weren't so bad yourself." I responded, hoping Rachel wouldn't be angry if I was a few minutes late.
"So you want to go get a drink?"
It was ten at night ... who goes for a drink at that time? Okay, maybe people like Tess but certainly not me. Then again ... this was Jason, and I'd love to get to know more about him. Then I remembered Rachel was waiting for me.
"No thanks, I promised Rachel I'd crash at her place. Maybe some other time?" I was a little disappointed that I couldn't go with him, but knew that letting Rachel down wasn't really an option.
"That's fine."
Awkward silence. I hated silence at the best of times, let alone with famous people who probably had better things to do.
" I better go. I was nice talking to you." I finally said, breaking the awkwardness of the situation.
"You too. We're recording with Tess tomorrow so maybe I'll see you then." He hugged me before walking away and I shook my head and smiled. Talk about rushed conversations. As soon as he was out of my sight my message tone rang. I knew it would be Rachel, and sure enough the message read:
Get your lazy butt to my car and stop talking to your boyfriend. I turned around, suspicious to how she knew I was talking to Jason. Of course, he wasn't my boyfriend, and I would have to convince her of this later, but for now I wanted to work out where she actually was.
She was standing right behind me, an amused smirk on her face, holding her phone in her right hand so the screen faced me. I rolled my eyes and headed towards her. This was going to be a long confrontation session.
***
Sure enough, as soon as I sat down in the car the questions started.
"So, Jason?" She asked, glancing at me as she started the car up.
I rolled my eyes, something I would probably be doing a lot during this car journey.
"No, Rachel. You know how much I need this job. Tess hates it when people get more attention than her, I couldn't risk it." I said it like a prepared speech – which it was, seeing as I'd been saying it over and over in my head to ready myself for Rachel's questions.
"So you don't deny you like him?" She asked, keeping her eyes on the road. The small smirk creeping on to her face gave it away.
"I've only had two conversations with him, Rachel!"
"He believes in love at first sight." She said it so seriously that I didn't fully process the words.
"I – wait, what? How do you even know that?" I did a double take, watching her face for any sign that this was a joke. She kept a straight face, not looking at me as she drove.
"I read it in a magazine."
"Are you trying to get me fired? How the hell can I be his true love when we've only-"
"Like I said, he believes in love at first sight."
I rolled my eyes, refusing to reply. I was too tired for confrontation – especially about something I didn't even plan on happening.
By the time we got back to Rachel's house (her parents were rich and so she'd moved out at seventeen and bought a bungalow, it was a surprise she was a back-up dancer with the money she had) I hadn't said another word and had ignored her effort at striking another confrontation. I grabbed my bag and got out the car, heading towards the door.
"I'm sorry, Jen. I didn't mean to upset you." She said it before we even got inside, and I smiled at her. We hardly ever argued and I didn't want to do so over a guy.
"It's okay." I replied, and thankfully she changed the conversation.
"So, popcorn or marshmallows?"
***
The following morning I woke up to the sound of Rachel's phone alarm. It wasn't pleasant being woken up at 6am and being yelled at to 'shake, shake, shake shake, shake it'. I groaned, rolling over in an attempt to block out the sound. I knew I shouldn't have stayed awake with Rachel watching 'The Notebook'.
"Get up, Jen. We're meant to be there early for rehearsal." I winced as a pillow came into contact with the back of my head. Thank you, Rachel. You're such a brilliant friend.
"I'm up, I'm up." I groaned, sitting up groggily and rubbing my eyes. I must look a mess.
"We need to get ready. You want the shower now?"
We agreed that I would shower first while she made breakfast. I grabbed my clothes bag and headed to the familiar bathroom, hoping my relatively ok make-up skills would cover up the bags under my eyes.
An hour later Rachel and I entered the dance hall for rehearsals. The concert started in the afternoon today, so we had even less time to rehearse one new routine. As we entered the hall I did a double take when I realized Jason was sitting there with Nate. Jason came over to me, grinning.
"Hey Jenna!"
Rachel's words ringed in my ears. No, it was impossible. Love at first sight didn't exist. I knew that as well as any other person.
He believes in love at first sight.
"Hey Jason, what are you doing here?"
"I came to remind you that you agreed to go out for coffee with me."
My eyes widened. Was Jason trying to give me a heart attack? We'd only known each other for a few days. Then again, going out for coffee would result in me knowing more about Jason...
"Tonight then?" I asked, barely believing the words coming out of my lips.
Jason's smile widened. "See you after the concert. And during ... but that isn't the point." Jason semi-confirmed, laughing before being dragged off by Nate.
Everyone else in the dance hall froze momentarily.
"Please don't tell Tess." I said softly after a few agonising seconds.
"She'll find out." Lisa said from somewhere behind me. I had my eyes fixed on the floor.
"I know she will, but for now can I just be happy?"
"Good luck with that, Jen." Sian replied.
There was only one thing I knew at that moment. This was not going to end well.
***
Ten hours later, after another concert, I found myself sipping coffee with Jason Gray. The reality didn't set in until I was actually sitting down.
"So, twenty questions?" He asked after a few seconds of comfortable silence (at least we'd progressed from the awkward silence stage).
I nodded, setting my coffee cup down. "You go first."
"Okay. How many brothers and sisters do you have, and how old are they?"
Easy enough. "I have twin brothers, Charlie and Max, who are both nine, obviously. I have another younger sister, Poppy, who will be eleven in January and an older brother, Chris, who's twenty-three." I smiled at the memory of my family. I couldn't want to see them again at Christmas. Just one week to go.
"Wow, pretty big family."
"Yeah, but I love it. Okay, my question. Does fame ever get boring?"
Jason shook his head vigorously. "No. It might get tiring sometimes but I love what I do, especially because I'm with my brothers and playing the guitar!" I laughed at his childlike happiness.
We played for another hour, long passing twenty questions and heading nearer to fifty. I learnt a lot about Jason – his favourite colour is yellow, his dream present would be a birdhouse, he's double joined, he falls asleep easily and wakes up first out of his brothers, he was born on a Thursday and a whole lot more facts. By the time we fell back to silence again it was almost seven.
"Okay, one more question." Jason said, grinning as me as he leaned back in the chair.
"Shoot."
"Would you like to go out with me next Friday?"
My mouth probably hung open unattractively at that point. It was the last thing I'd ever expected him to ask. In fact there seemed more chance of him coming to the coffee shop in a dress and high heels. So many things were going through my mind. There were a lot of reasons why I should have said no. But somehow there was a nagging feeling that said if I did I'd regret it.
"Yes." I said it quickly, because if I sat in silence any longer I'd probably run away.
"You sure?" He asked, searching my face for something.
"Yes." I said it for the second time - smiling at him while at the same time trying to reassure myself that this was the right thing to do. I liked Jason – of course I did, but was he worth the thought of losing my job?
Tess hated being out of the spotlight, and if one of her dancers was dating someone from Connect Three (whose brother she wanted to snog senseless) I don't think she'd be that happy. Too late for second thoughts, though.
"We should probably go now...it's getting late and we have another concert tomorrow." He said, standing up and holding his hand out. I took it and pulled myself up, pushing all thoughts to the back of my head for now.
***
For the rest of the week all I could think about was the upcoming date. In the little time I'd know Jason I'd learnt more about him than any fan girl or the media knew – or could ever hope to know. It was unreal, how two or three conversation could lead to a date. It wasn't until Friday actually came around before I finally lost it.
"And step, twirl, freeze."
I was talking to myself as I practised yet the same dance routine in the hall. It was all I could do to take my mind off Jason and the date. He refused to tell me where we were going, no matter how much I whined. He just shook his head, ruffled my hair and rattled on about patience like I actually cared.
"Jump, turn, step, freeze." I continued to talk myself the dance instructions – although really there was no need to. I'd gone over this routine so many times that I could do it in my sleep. If I wasn't such a heaver sleeper, I mean.
I paused the music to take a sip from my water, blowing some hair that had escaped from my ponytail out of my face. I probably looked a mess – dancing for an hour without hardly any pauses didn't do well for appearances.
"Jen? Is that you?"
I whirled around, water sloshing onto the floor. I had half expected Tess to be standing there, but instead I saw Samantha.
"Oh, hey Sam. I was just practising."
"You've been in here for over an hour." She replied, sitting down on the floor beside me. I followed suit, giving her a questioning look. How did she know I'd been in here for that long?
"I have sources." She said with a laugh.
Rachel or Jason. I'm betting on the former.
Her laughter was cut short and I saw something on her face that caused me confusion. She looked worried, almost.
"Sam wha-" Before I could finish she interrupted.
"Are you sure about this, Jen?" She blurted it out and I frowned. Was she talking about ... Jason? No, she couldn't be.
"What?" I whispered, half frightened by the confrontation I'd been waiting for and half confused.
"You know what I'm talking about." She said it softly, and I winced. She was making it harder for me.
"I like him, Sam."
"I know you do but is he worth losing your job?"
Anger flared inside me. I knew it was wrong to be angry, especially when I'd thought these same things for the past few days, but somehow I couldn't help it.
"Sam, please." I said, trying to push away the conversation. It didn't work.
"All good things come to an end, Jenna. Remember that."
"No, I won't remember that. You have no right to come in here and talk to me about this! I know what I'm doing, Sam!" I stood up, glaring at her.
"Do you?" Her question caught me off guard and I froze. She said it quietly, her face staring straight ahead and for a moment I thought she could be talking to herself. It wasn't until she looked at me – her eyes full of ... confusion? Anger? Helplessness? Probably all of those.
"What do you mean; all good things must come to an end?" I asked softly, sitting down beside her.
"I mean that this is too good to be true."
"So because I finally found someone I like it means it's too good to be true?" I looked at the floor, not wanting to meet my friend's eyes.
"Jenna, just be careful." I heard her walk out, lifting my head too late. She was already gone.
***
"Jason, can you please tell me where we're going?" I asked, trying to feel in front of me to no avail. Jason has covered my eyes with his hands, refusing to tell me where he was taking me. In fact he was refusing to speak at all.
"Do you even know where we're going?" I asked. Still no answer. For someone who could barely keep silent for three seconds he was doing a pretty good job. I let him lead me in silence, trying to think of all the possible places he could be taking me. I had planned on wearing something formal for this date, but he'd told me that I had to wear old clothes so instead I was clad in comfy jeans a very old shirt and a jersey that I practically lived in around the house. I know he must have his reasons for asking me to dress like this, and I'd mentally ticked of a party or dinner, seeing as both of those generally required some sort of formal attire.
"Almost there." Jason said, though if this was to break the silence or inform me I couldn't quite decide.
After about a minute Jason stopped guiding me.
"Okay, you can look." He said, a note of uncertainty in his voice.
I gasped at the sight before me. "Oh, Jason! It's beautiful!" I breathed, a huge smile breaking across my face. At my reaction Jason looked like he wanted to happy dance. In front of me was a picnic blanket and a basket I assumed was full with food. That wasn't the best part – it was on the beach. The stars were in the sky and the sea was glistening. It was a breathtaking view and I took a mental picture so I could forever cherish this moment.
"You like it?"
"Jason it's ... wow. You did all this for me?" I was shocked, but at the same time I knew that this was Jason. He was a total gentleman.
"I wanted it to be special." He said as a way of explanation.
"Well, it definitely is special. Thank you so much!" I sounded like a little child but at that moment I didn't care. I hugged him tightly before kicking my shoes off and running so my feet met the sand. It was cold but I was too preoccupied to notice. I felt so free at that moment that it's hard to describe. I reached the picnic blanket and sat down, waiting impatiently for Jason. This was utterly perfect. Not for one moment had I expected anything like this.
For hours we sat at that beach. We'd eaten as much as we could when Jason had the idea of lying on our backs and staring at the stars. I'd never felt more comfortable at that moment, and as my head rested on his stomach I closed my eyes. His hand wrapped around me and I smiled. We didn't say anything for a while, just soaking up the moment before Rachel's words came back to me for the second time this week.
He believes in love at first sight, you know. "Jason?" I asked softly, my eyes still closed as I listened to his steady breathing.
"Mm?"
"Do you believe in love at first sight?" I didn't quite know why I asked it, but when he didn't reply I felt embarrassed. I shouldn't have asked it in the first place. There was a pause, and I wasn't sure if I should apologize or not. It was a personal question and I wasn't some wacky teen magazine asking questions.
It wasn't until he replied that I relaxed again. "Yes."
I felt like I had to say something back, but I didn't. Instead I just moved my hand so our fingers interlaced, smiling contentedly as I stared up into the stars.
***
I woke up to my phone ringing on my bedside table. I winced, the loud noise making my head throb. I'd barely had any sleep – I'd got home from the date (which had been one of the best days of my life, no doubt) at around midnight, and finally drifted off to sleep at two. I grabbed my phone, answering it with a groggily "Hello?"
"Jenna, get your ass here right now." It was Tess. She sounded extremely angry but in this state I couldn't be bothered to work out why.
"I'll be there in twenty minutes." I mumbled, wishing I could just fall back to sleep.
"I said now, not when you can be bothered." She snapped at me, making my head hurt.
I mumbled something along the lines of 'okay' and snapped the phone shut, forcing myself to get out of bed. My bare feet hit the cold floorboards and I shivered. I got dressed in record time; not bothering to eat breakfast even thought my stomach felt incredibly empty.
I arrived about ten minutes later, rubbing my eyes. I had no idea where I was meant to meet Tess so I decided the safest option was the meeting room. It seemed like an age ago that I'd interrupted the meeting that had ultimately leaded to meeting one of the best people I could have asked for.
When I entered I came face to face with Tess. She didn't say a word. I sat down, biting my lip. What could she possibly want this early? As if in response she slammed something down on the desk. I picked it up, my hands freezing as I read the headline:
"Has Connect Three member finally found love?"
Oh no. This wasn't happening.
"Tess I-"
"Save it Jenna. You're fired."
"Tess no! Please I-"
"You what? You thought that if you took away my spotlight I wouldn't mind? Back up dancers don't get the guy, Jenna. Everyone knows that. Get out of my sight."
I stood up shaking, tears in my eyes. I left without a word.
"Jenna?" At the sound of Jason's voice calling me the tears really did fall.
"Jenna, are you crying?" I ignored him, running as fast as I could away from his voice with Samantha's words ringing in my ears.
This was too good to be true. She was right.
***
"Jenna?"
I looked up, startled at his voice. It had been weeks, months, even, since I'd walked away from him. I'd steered clear of magazine interviews, television appearances and live concert broadcasts. I'd winced at every mention of his name on a fan girl's lips and I'd even blocked his phone messages.
In that moment I was torn between running away and hugging him. It's not a pleasant feeling.
"Jason." My voice sounded extremely foreign to me– like I was about to start crying. I probably was.
There was a terribly awkward silence. I could see people (mostly female teenagers) stop and stare at us before walking on. I'm surprised they didn't try and jump him. Minutes past, with us just simply staring at each other.
"I'm sorry." We both said at the exact same time. This caused us both to laugh and I realized how relaxed I used to be around him. I'd missed that. It had been three months, or just over, and I hadn't felt the same way since.
"No, I'm sorry." We both tried again, but to no avail. It was like we were physic.
"Let me talk first." Jason said quickly, before I can respond. I smiled softly and nodded.
"I'm sorry I took you on that date, I'm sorry I got you fired and I'm sorry I let you walk away." This was the first thing I'd ever heard him say that was ... deep. For Jason, of course. It didn't seem right, like he was a different person. My stomach churned at his words, yet my head told me to stay away. I would get hurt again. But how could I get hurt by Jason? Sweet, innocent, kind Jason? It was impossible. But it had happened before.
"It wasn't your fault, it was mine. I shouldn't have let myself get close to you. I've watched it all before. It happened to a girl that I knew, the exact same thing, and when you told me that you believed in love at first sight I just ... I finally realized how deep I'd gotten myself. The worst part was that I enjoyed it. I loved every second of that date and when you walked away from me after dropping me home I felt like pulling you back. Then Tess fired me and I realized that I didn't regret it. Not one second of our friendship." I was being brutally honest, not even Rachel knew how I felt about this. I'd been keeping my feelings bottled up inside ... until now.
"Oh." Was his long worded response. The innocent Jason, the Jason I really, really liked, was back.
"So ... what now?" He asked, confusion clouding his eyes.
"Friends?" I offered, not wanting to jump right into a relationship with the feeling of being so hurt lurked just beneath the surface, yet I didn't want to lose him.
Jason nodded happily. "Friends." He confirmed, pulling me into a hug.
And for now, that was more than enough.
***
Everyone always asks me the same question – what was it like working for Tess? That's easy – that it was absolutely rubbish.
But I wouldn't change it for the world.
Longest one-shot for me EVER! –Is proud- I liked this quite a bit actually, when normally I dislike everything I write. I think the ending will surprise some of you. Them being friends is good enough for me though (: Did you guys like Jenna? I did check for errors as much as I could but reading this much over and over made my head hurt. Songs used: Reviews are loved, favourites and brilliant and you actually reading the whole thing makes me happy!
Metro Station – Shake It
Taylor Swift – White Horse