Sorry for the wait. I own nothing.
Chapter 37
Tommy ran to the light switch faster than he could blink. "What the fuck are you doing here?" He yelled throwing his arms in the air.
"Waiting on you. Why do you keep fighting the attraction between us?"
"Suzie, there is nothing between us. I have a girlfriend that I love very much." Tommy couldn't believe it had come to this.
"I see the way you watch me when I'm in the recording booth. And where is this girlfriend? I never see her around. You stay here all hours of the night." She said standing up and walking over to him.
"That is really none of your business. Jude…"
"You mean Jude Harrison? I heard that washed up has been is in rehab." She placed her hand on his arm. "I'm right here." She smiled batting her eyes.
"Never talk about Jude that way again. If it wasn't for her you wouldn't have this little competition to compete in. And if you want to stay in this competition I suggest you get the hell out of here now." He was beyond furious when he slammed the door behind her.
Jude couldn't go back to sleep. All she could do was worry about what was going on back home. Was the love that she shared with Tommy strong enough? It had been less than a week; how was she going to make it a whole month? She knew she needed to stand on her own, but she feared what it would do to their relationship.
"Hey, are you okay?" Amie said sitting up in her bed.
"Bad dream." Jude shrugged.
"I get those some nights. You want to talk about it?" She offered.
Jude just shook her head. "How long have you and your husband been together?"
"Married for two years; dated for two before that. So all in all we've been together for four years. We met and I knew he was it for me. What about you and your boyfriend?"
"This time just a few months. Really every time we've been together it's always been short lived, but then we find a back to each other."
"And you're worried that you two won't make it." Amie said.
Jude shrugged. "We've never been very stable. I guess in the back of my mind I'm scared that we still haven't reached that stable place. Do you miss your husband?"
"Completely, but I call him everyday; plus my visitation restriction is almost over."
"I told Tommy I wanted to take the whole month apart, and I'm wondering if that was the wrong choice."
"Well, if you change your mind that is okay. You have time to decide."
"You're right. I think maybe I can go back to sleep now." Jude said pulling the covers back over her.
Show day was always crazy, and Sadie wished she didn't have deal with all the contestants. She'd gotten a call after midnight that Suzie hadn't come in. Darius had strict rules about curfew, so it was Sadie's job to find out why Suzie had violated the rules.
"Tom, have you seen Suzie?" She asked peeking into his office. She couldn't help but smile when she found him sprawled out on his couch sound asleep. She knew he hated going home with out Jude around. She also noticed a women's jacket on the back of his chair. She didn't put much thought into it since there were female employees in and out of Tommy's office everyday.
She looked all over G Major and found Suzie no where. When she was on her way back to her office, she ran into Suzie going toward Tommy's office. "I don't think so." She said blocking her way.
"Excuse me." Suzie said in a snide tone. "I need to get to Tom's office."
"He's not there." Sadie lied. "You have bigger problems anyway. I received a call that you didn't show up before curfew last night."
"I was still working on my performance for tonight; just ask Tom." She said with a smug smile.
Sadie chose to ignore that last part. "You should go find Karma; she'll be working with you most of the day."
Suzie huffed but did what she was told. She felt confident she'd get more time to work on Tommy. There was no way Darius would send her home just for missing curfew. She was bringing in too many votes.
Sadie shook her head watching Suzie storm away. She needed to go talk to Tommy before this got any farther.
Tommy felt eyes on him when he woke up. He hoped it wasn't Suzie again. He'd tried to make it very clear to her that there would be nothing between them. All he really wanted was Jude to be there, but that wasn't possible.
"I know you're awake." Sadie said twirling a pencil in her hand.
"What do you want, Sadie?" He said finally opening his eyes.
"Suzie missed curfew last night, and she said she was here working on her performance with you. Care to tell me what that is all about?"
"I started home last night, but I couldn't stand the idea of going home without Jude. I decided to come back here and sleep. When I got here, she was in my office. I kicked her out and went to sleep."
"Darius is not going to like this. I better go get this over with." Sadie said standing up.
"What do you think he will do?"
Sadie shrugged. "Who knows, if she doesn't know her song it won't matter anyway." She winked and left to find Darius.
Tommy looked at his watch and realized he had enough time to run home and shower before he had to meet with anyone. He wanted to put the events from the previous night behind him. Part of him hoped Suzie would get sent home and he wouldn't have to worry with her relentless flirting anymore.
Jude wasn't an early riser by any means, but when she didn't wake up until it was time for her session, she was a bit disoriented. She liked to have a shower and breakfast before having to think about all the sad stuff. It was throwing her completely off her schedule, so when Lessa started asking questions she completely clamed up.
"Jude, I know it's hard to talk about these things over and over, but I'm trying to get a good idea of who you are." Lessa said putting her clip board aside.
"I didn't have a good night. I had crazy dreams and sat up half the night not wanting to be a sleep. I didn't mean to sleep straight through breakfast."
"Okay, so let's change gears again. Tell me about your dreams. If you didn't want to go back to sleep, you must remember them."
Jude never thought talking about her dreams would really do much help, but talking with Lessa made her understand her dreams more. It made her look at everything in a different way.
"So, why don't we stop there, so you can get your shower and some breakfast? We will pick last night's session back up this evening."
"Okay."
Jude's day seemed to go better after getting over her dreams. She even opened up more in group. She knew she was going to have to talk more to understand why she started all the drinking and drugs in the first place. She didn't want to relapse as soon as she was back at home. She wanted to get her old life back.
Tommy was surprised at how smooth the rest of his day went. He didn't have to deal with Suzie once. Darius didn't send her home for the curfew violation, but he was keeping a sharp eye on her. He told Tommy if Suzie made it through the elimination, she would go back to Kwest. But even Darius was hoping she wouldn't make it at this point.
The most interesting part of the day was when Suzie missed most of her lyrics during her performance in the live show. Tommy couldn't feel sorry for her. She should have learned song better. He made sure she wasn't able to find him after the show. It was the last thing he really wanted to deal with.
Suzie was livid at the end of the show. This competition was going to be her way of making a name for herself. Her fate was in the voters hands and she needed a plan incase things didn't go her way. She wasn't going to give up without a fight. One way or another she was going to be famous. And she didn't care who got hurt in her path to fame.
Sadie turned her phone off after getting so many calls about Suzie. Executives of the show were concerned with why she bombed her song so badly. She didn't have an answer for them, and she didn't want to deal with it anymore. She placed her phone on the counter, and went to curl up with Kwest on the couch.
"More executives?" He asked wrapping an arm around her.
"Yeah. How am I supposed to know why she bombed her song? Darius should have cut her this morning after her missing curfew. She may have a good voice but she's more trouble than she's worth." She sighed placing her head on his shoulder.
"Well, we don't have to worry about it anymore tonight. Is there something else bothering you?" He knew her too well.
"She snuck in Tom's office last night. He says nothing happened and he kicked her out, but…"
"Sadie, T loves Jude with everything he has. He's not going to ruin what they have together while she is getting better. He's not the old Tom Quincy anymore."
"I know I just worry, and I miss my sister like crazy right now."
"I know, baby. Why don't we try to get some sleep? I have a feeling the next few days are going to be very interesting." He had a gut feeling that everything wasn't going to go as smooth as they hoped.
The next day at G Major was insane. There were rumors flying around about who was going to be sent home. Darius tried to tell everybody that no one knew the results except the voting company. He was stressed because the executives were pulling for Suzie because she was the most marketable of the whole group. They wanted to know if someone at G Major caused her to have a bad night. Most of the time he would put it off on Sadie, but he knew she was still having a hard time with everything in her family life. He was really glad this was their last Instant Star. He was tired of the politics that went in to it.
"Darius, have you seen Tommy?" Sadie asked coming into his office.
"Not since last night. Is something wrong?"
"I can't get him to answer his cell, and his office is locked. I just wanted to make sure he was okay."
"T's a big boy; he can take care of himself. We need to deal with last night's show."
"I know I turned my phone off last night. It was her fault. She was spending too much time hitting on Tommy and not learning her song."
"Well, if she makes it past tonight; we might have to deal with her breaking curfew."
Sadie nodded. She knew what that meant. "I will have all the paper work drawn up just incase." She stood up. "If you hear from him, will you tell him to call me?"
"I will."
Jude was starting to feel more comfortable talking with everyone. She even let Amie convince her to go to some of the activities around the facility. Crafts weren't her thing, but at least she wasn't sitting in her room by herself.
"You're Jude Harrison right?" A girl about eighteen asked. Jude nodded. "My name is Becca. I'm a huge fan."
"Thanks." It was the first time in the few days she'd been there someone acknowledged that they knew who she was. It had been nice because she was worried about what people would say.
"I still listen to your last CD all the time. Some days it is what gets me through. Do you think you'll ever record again?"
"I don't know. I haven't written a song in years." She said not making eye contact with the girl.
"Oh, well, sorry to bother you."She said and started to walk away.
"Becca, I'm sorry." Jude felt really bad. "Would you like to join me? I took too many beads." She said offering her a smile.
"Sure." She smiled back.
They sat quietly for a few minutes before Jude looked up. "You say my last CD; I hope you mean the remix." Jude said with a laugh.
Becca nodded. "I have both, though. It reminds me that even the people we look up to make mistakes; that we are all only human." She said with a shrug. "You know there is a music room on the third floor. If you ever get inspired." Becca looked at her watch. "Shoot, I have to go. It was really nice meeting you."
"You, too." Jude smiled. It made her feel really good to know she at least had one fan out there that didn't think she was washed up.
Suzie had no idea why she was called to the main office at the auditorium. She'd been so happy when she wasn't even in the bottom three. This competition was hers and she could feel it. Now all she had to do was get Tommy to forget about his washed up addict girlfriend. Her fame would be set. Winning the final Instant Star and getting the gorgeous Little Tommy Q would put her front and center.
"You wanted to see me?" She asked walking into the room where Darius, Sadie, and some man she didn't know.
"Please, have a seat." Darius said.
She sat with a confused look on her face. "Is something wrong?" She asked in an innocent voice.
"Suzie, this is Byron Billings; he's the head of our legal department at G Major. We have a little problem, and he needs to go over some things with you." Sadie said handing Byron a file.
"Ms. Collins, do you remember signing this contract before the show started stating the rules to compete?" He asked placing the contract in front of her.
"Yes, sir." She said batting her eye lashes. She still wasn't sure what this was about, but she knew putting on the charm couldn't hurt.
"It states here that every contestant is bound to these rules and regulations to stay in the competition. Were you aware of this before you signed?"
"Yes, sir."
Sadie took the file back. "All contestants are to participate together in group activities. This includes all public appearances; even group dinners. All contestants are to be back at the house by eleven o'clock every night. No exceptions will be made." Sadie read from the rules section of the contract.
"It has come to my attention that you have been missing group dinners and missed curfew the night before the live show." Darius says taking over. "You were lucky tonight that the voters didn't send you home, but we've discussed this and it would not be fair to the other contestants to let you continue in this competition. Everyone signed the same contract. Sadie will drive you back to the house so you can pack your bags."
"You can't do this." She argued.
"I'm afraid, Ms. Collins, they can. You signed the contract and are legally bound to it." Mr. Billings said.
Sadie was relieved when she was able to get away from Suzie. The girl bitched and cried the whole way to the house. She tried to tone her out, but she wouldn't shut up. Sadie really had bigger things to worry about. Tommy was still MIA. "Has he called? I went by their houses and he wasn't at either. " She said walking into the living room.
Kwest turned off the TV. "Nope, and he's still not answering. How did it go with Suzie?"
"She's gone. She was pissed, but we made sure everything was legal. She can't sue us." She said kicking her shoes off. "I just want to sink into a hot bath and then curl up in bed. I can't think of anywhere else to go to look for Tommy. You don't think he is off getting drunk; do you?"
"After what Jude is going through? No. He's probably just laying low. He misses her and he might just need some time to himself."
"I know." She said kissing him before heading to the bathroom.
Suzie sat in the hotel room that G Major put her in for the night. She was beyond pissed off. Being kicked off the show was not going to work for her. How could they? Unfortunately they went the legal route so she couldn't sue them. But she was going to make sure someone paid for this. She grabbed her cell phone and called information. "The Toronto Herald, please." She said into the phone with a smile. Oh someone was definitely going to pay.
Since it has taken me so long to get this chapter done, I am going to give you the beginning of the next chapter now.
Chapter 38
Tommy sat in the complete dark. He had no idea how long he'd been there, but he didn't care. He'd turned his phone off so no one could reach him. He needed time by himself to wallow, and went somewhere no one could find him. Jude was all he could think about. He liked to imagine she was sitting there in the dark with him. He could almost smell her shampoo. The month was not going fast enough for him and he thought about staying right where he was until she was released.
Sadie woke up to an empty bed. Kwest always had to be in early the day after the elimination show. She hoped this week wouldn't be too stressful. Darius had decided to make it a fun week. None of the remaining contestants were in jeopardy of going home the next week. They were going to have two weeks before elimination. The contestants wouldn't know that until the following Tuesday. But the theme was fun songs and Sadie just knew the atmosphere would be better with out Suzie.
She poured a cup of coffee and sat down to read the paper. Looking at the front page, her mouth fell open. She couldn't believe what she was reading. It was completely insane.
"I was kicked off of Instant Star because of my secret relationship with Tom Quincy" Sadie threw the magazine on the counter. Now she really needed to find Tommy. It was going to take a lot of work to clean this up. She just hoped the news wouldn't get to Jude.
There you go. Suzie is off the show, but still causing problems. Tommy has disappeared into the darkness. And Jude is starting to feel better about herself. Will she get her happily ever after or will something derail her all together? Stick around and find out. I will try hard to update before Christmas. It really just depends on how inspired I get. This time of year is rather hard on me. It was always my favorite growing up because my mom made it so fun. But I will try. Please keep the reviews coming.