Disclaimer: All characters property of Hasbro/ Sony Wonder.
Stormer
"Outta my way, loser!" Came the echoing screech, followed by the loud protests of startled papparazzi.
I sighed in embarrassment, hurrying after Pizzazz, who was jostling her way noisily into the midst of the party. Jetta and Roxy caught up quickly, wheedling reassuring compliments in an attempt to calm her. Clash and I traded the same look of exasperation as we followed. She had been so happy, so pleasant before Kimber upset her proverbial apple cart.
"'Zazz, I know you're mad, but -" Jetta began, as Roxy interjected, "You gotta ease up a little!"
Our enraged leader whirled on the two girls, her face contorted in a grimace. "'Ease up'! Why the hell should I do that? That little Benton bitch started it, she ruined my entire night!" She snapped, whipping her lime green tresses behind her as she stalked straight over to the open bar.
"Bloody hell." Jetta muttered, anticipating a fevered binge, which would cause even more trouble. Loud trouble. "Oh, just get out of my way so I can handle her," Roxy said, pushing Jetta aside. She ignored Jetta's outraged expression and ran up to Pizzazz, whispering something in her ear. Pizzazz didn't slow down, but her posture softened just enough to make us sigh with a measure of relief.
Clash snorted. "And she always thought I'd be too much trouble for the Misfits. Kettle, meet pot."
The three of us caught up with Roxy and Pizzazz, who had already gotten into more than a few shots of Grey Goose, making a face as the bitter liquid shot down her throat. Tentatively, I laid a hand on her arm.
"Pizzazz, don't worry about her. Will you please try to relax?" I pleaded, giving her my best little-miss-innocent gaze in hopes of getting through.
Pizzazz gave a harsh, dissapproving cackle. "You think I care what that brat thinks of us? Please, they've always hated us. It's the way she accused us of plotting against her precious Jem, just like old times." She scoffed, reaching for the shot glass again. "That's what pisses me off."
"Oh, come on, never mind that now! Just look at all we've accomplished tonight! Everything we've done for ourselves without Eric, that's what matters, not anything Kimber or any of the Holograms say."
She narrowed her catlike eyes at me, her sour expression beginning to soften into a smile. "Yeah," Pizzazz purred thoughtfully, tapping a sharp pink talon on the surface of the bar. "You're right, Stormer." She said decisively, suddenly standing up straight and alert.
"We're the real winners tonight, and that calls for a celebration. Hey, barkeep!" Pizzazz barked at the startled young man wiping glasses in the corner. "A bottle of your finest champagne! And make sure it's cold enough to freeze!" She yelled after him as he rushed off to appease her. Shaking my head, I couldn't help but laugh.
"This is as calm as she's gonna get," I murmured to Roxy, who was giggling in agreement.
Beaming with a newfound enthusiasm, Pizzazz grabbed a glass of champagne off of the barkeeper's outstretched tray and held it aloft, waiting as we all did the same. "Okay, I propose a toast," She announced loudly, "first off, to our new Misfit, Clash, who has proved herself tonight to be an asset to us, instead of just an ass." Roxy and I groaned. Clash rolled her eyes, but said nothing, cradling her glass idlly in one hand.
"And to Stormer, too, for putting up with, and heartily participating in, all the crap we've pulled over the years." She continued, making Roxy and Jetta laugh. I felt a flush of color rise to my cheeks, and averted my gaze, hiding a wry smile. It wasn't like Pizzazz to be so open with her compliments, to say the least.
"But most importantly, I raise my glass of this here bubbly to our kicking ass tonight, and long overdue freedom from the clutches of Eric Raymond and Stinger's Sound. Here's to our bright new future, Misfits!" Pizzazz exclaimed, as we all let out exuberant cheers, clinking our glasses together in unison. Just for that moment, a bit of light reflected through the sparkling gold liquid, illuminating our faces. I took a small sip, swirling the sweet bitterness on my tongue thoughtfully.
There was a spattering of excited gasps and applause to our left as Jem and the Holograms made their grand entrance. Arm in arm, they sauntered glamorously past the hungry papparazzi, walking as one through the courtyard gates. Aja, Shana, Raya, and Kimber smiled courteously at everyone, while Jem was noticeably more reserved.
"Well, la di da, hail the conquering heroes." Roxy remarked, her voice dripping with the usual sarcasm. Clash snickered, then downed the rest of her drink. I watched with apprehension as the five women advanced towards us, my eyes fixed on Kimber, who seemed to be lagging behind the other four Holograms.
Aja nudged Jem gently with her elbow. Her eyes flickered in annoyance before fixing on us, her thousand-watt smile beaming at us with exaggerated exuberance.
"I just wanted to say congratulations to you all!" She bubbled, clasping her hands together nervously. Pizzazz folded her arms under her bosom and raised an eyebrow at Roxy, who pretended to gag herself with her finger. I started to laugh, promptly clapping a hand over my mouth to muffle the sound. Our frontwoman smirked back and turned to Jem. "Yeah," she drawled, "right back at'cha, Pink Lady." Her eyes glimpsed Kimber's red mane and narrowed resentfully.
"Jem!" Cried two female voices in unison, followed by the furious clicking of high heels. Danse and Video came running up to the Holograms, resulting in a joyous, hugging outburst amongst the group of friends, and a disgusted sneer from Clash. Video didn't see it; she was too busy whispering something intently to Jem, who teared up and nodded. Danse and Video embraced her.
There was a gentle tug on my sleeve as the chatter continued unabated. I turned to look at Kimber, who in turn looked at the ground. Reluctantly, I allowed her to pull me aside.
"What do you want?" I asked bluntly, still bruised from her verbal attack in the dressing room. She bit her lip and met my eyes. I cocked one hand on my hip expectantly, waiting for her apology.
"It wasn't really you, was it?" She asked in a low voice. I shook my head vehemently. "I don't even know what you're talking about, Kimber. I just know I must have done something that really set you off."
Kimber bowed her head. "You didn't do anything. I just thought you did."
"What? Why?" I asked, dumbfounded.
"It's really not important," She replied offhandedly, in a manner that told me it was, in fact, important, but not enough so to tell me about it. I rolled my eyes and waved my champagne glass dismissively.
"Yeah, okay. But you know what? I didn't like what happened back there, Kimber." I snapped at her, indignance swelling inside me. "I don't like knowing that you don't trust me and apparently, barely even like me, never mind all the nonsense you were spewing about 'ruining Jem's life' and 'tricks of light'!" I could feel my face burning red with anger as my voice rose.
Kimber's eyes worriedly shifted towards her lead singer, and she touched my arm plaintively. "Oh, Stormer, I didn't mean those things. I overreacted, and I'm so sorry. Please, you've gotta believe me."
Turning away from her, I grunted, still feeling hurt. "Like I'd ever believe anything a Hologram said." I shot back, and immediately regretted it. Her shock was palpable in the heavy, uncomfortable silence that hung in the air between us. Kimber had finally recovered enough to speak again when we both realized everyone was looking at us.
Before I could think of a logical response, there was more applause as Howard Sands stepped onto an elaborately constructed stage, erected just for the occasion. He flashed a warm smile at the guests. Inwardly, I thanked him for providing a much needed distraction.
"I'd like to thank all of you for coming out tonight," He spoke into the microphone. "Congratulations to all of tonight's winners and nominees, you're all big stars in my eyes. And a very special congratulations are in order to tonight's big winners, Starlight Music's Jem and the Holograms! Take a bow, ladies!" Howard exclaimed with a sweep of his arm in Jem's direction.
All the lights and cameramen focused on the Holograms as the audience clapped in approval. Jem waved and managed a genuine smile. Kimber took the opportunity to quietly slip away from my side, her glare resounding more than my words ever could. I sighed, shaking my head at my own stupidity.
Howard smiled back at Jem and turned to the audience again. "On that note, I'd like to start the evening off with a little mood music, courtesy of VTV's artist of the month, Jade!" A cool, flamenco inflected melody began to waft through the air as the curtain rose, revealing an exotic young woman standing behind a lone mic stand, clad in a teal sari that clung to her curves. Her band played inconspiciously in the shadows behind her. As she began to sing, a few people began migrating to the dance floor.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a solo Riot sauntering towards us, and groaned. "Oh, great. Just when we had Pizzazz nice and mellow." I muttered as I rubbed my temples, preparing myself for more drama.
But instead of lashing out as she had in the past, Pizzazz watched the coiffed blonde man closely with an evil eye as he slithered up to Jem. "You were wonderful tonight, Jem." Riot intoned smoothly, kissing her hand. "Congratulations on your hard earned awards. You deserve each of them." Jem shrank back a bit, casting a wary look at the Holograms. "Thank you... I think."
Roxy cleared her throat expectantly. Riot looked up at her in annoyance, but kept his ever-present composure. "Misfits, my congratulations to you as well." He said with an agitated sigh, then quickly returned his attention to Jem.
"Jem, my lovely, have you heard from Jerrica recently?" He asked, and she peered at him curiously.
"Jerrica?" Jem repeated, perplexed. "Why do you want to know?"
Riot was silent, mulling over his answer. "I had some information for her," he said finally, "something important I think she should know." Even from my angle, I noticed Jem's frantic look.
"What is it?" Aja interjected bluntly, clearly irritated by Riot's presence. He glared at her and returned to Jem. "I have reason to believe she may be in some danger, if you must know." Aja's eyes narrowed.
"Danger? Okay, you'd better not be messin' around, Riot, cause if you are - " Shana threatened. Jem's eyes become watery and reflected deep fright. In spite of myself, my heart went out to her.
Riot sighed. "About a week ago tonight, I arrived in the morning to find Eric Raymond drunk in his office. He woke from his stupor speaking Jerrica's name, and mentioned your termination of his services," he said to Pizzazz. "Later that day, I caught him in a suspicious phone conversation, taking extensive notes. It disturbed me greatly, and I felt I should relay the information."
My stomach flipped over anxiously. I knew Eric wouldn't take our departure well, but I sure didn't expect him to take this kind of turn. From the look on Pizzazz's face, I took it that she hadn't, either.
Riot looked at Jem, who had turned pale from the information, taking her wrist between his palms in a comforting gesture. "I didn't mean to frighten anyone. I just wanted you to be aware." He said, but Jem's expression did not change.
"Hey, I think Blondie here may have something." Pizzazz said thoughtfully to Aja, ignoring Riot's resulting glare. "What Jetta says she saw onstage with you guys, if it actually happened at all, sounds more like Techrat's handiwork than anything else. And he doesn't do anything like that without Eric's financial backing. I'll bet you anything he built some kinda projection device that made you - " She directed a look at Jem - "look like Jerrica for a second, just to screw with everyone. Cause, you know, there's rumors out there that you guys are the same and stuff. But that's bullshit, right?"
Jem's face went instantly white. All of the Holograms, including Video and Danse, exchanged wide-eyed looks before erupting in laughter that sounded a little too raucous to be genuine. Jem's eyes darted back and forth nervously, laughing weakly along with them.
"The same person!" Kimber hooted, and I stared at her. "Have you ever heard anything so crazy?" Raya added, slapping her thigh for effect. Jetta and I exchanged a look. Her gray eyes were deep with the knowledge that no one spoke aloud, but all the Misfits suddenly realized.
"You may be right about Eric," Shana told Pizzazz after their laughter died down. "We'd better keep our eyes open," she looked directly at Jem, "just in case."
That omnipresent smile wavered dangerously, but did not collapse.
Rio
I can't believe this. I can't believe what I saw on that stage. It's not possible. It must be a hallucination..but the whole audience saw it, too, they gasped, I know they did. The power cut out for that one second, something happened, and I have to know what it was. I've got to find Jerrica. Or Jem. Whoever she's decided to be.
I knew it all along, I thought heatedly, weaving my way through the throngs of airheaded socialites assembled like chess pieces along the promenade, lining the pool with willowy figures. My head was swimming as I scanned the crowd in a near panic for Jerrica's familiar face.
"Where the hell is she?" I muttered, using my hand to block out the glare of the flourescent lights illuminating the pool area. Undeterred, I tried looking for Kimber or one of the Holograms instead. They're always so protective of her...and now I know why.
God, who am I kidding, I always knew. Ever since New York, that time I asked her flatly if she was Jem. She didn't answer, but her eyes spoke volumes. I guess I've been in serious denial, never admitting to myself exactly why I felt so compelled to be with both women. And beating myself up for it every misguided step of the way.
Well, that was a brilliant plan, I said to myself caustically. Now look at you, weaving through the palms as if you were drunk, trying desperately to grasp a hold of reality.
I stopped where I was and thought a moment, trying to clear my head. I did feel inebriated; the rush of information flooded my senses and blotted out any rational thought. My eyes closed and opened again slowly, detachedly taking in the lush tropical scenery.
You've got to relax, I told myself in a steady voice. You still love her, that much has always been true, no matter what she's done.
Pursing my lips, I exhaled my tension out in a short burst of air. How was I going to go about this?
As the thought crossed my mind, I finally caught sight of Jem on the other side of the courtyard. Riot was back by her side like nothing had happened, and from my angle, it definitely looked like they were flirting again. I scowled with fierce determination.
"He may still have designs on Jem, but I'll be damned if I let him get Jerrica too," I muttered through clenched teeth.
As the music undulated, I made my way calmly past the palms, across the floor to where Jem stood, her cohorts huddled around her in a casually defensive fashion. Blue eyes that I knew in my heart were Jerrica's glittered with anxiety as I approached, and the Holograms eyed me with suspicion. I ignored the silent animosity. Riot, sensing I meant business, wisely backed away.
"Would my golden lady care to dance?" I asked, my voice supplicating, offering her my hand. Jem/Jerrica bit her lip and looked at Danse, who leaned in and whispered something to her. Jem/Jerrica nodded and met my eyes again. Without a word, she slipped her hand into mine. I gently led her onto the floor, noting that her hand still felt comfortably familiar in my grasp.
Jem
"Go ahead," Danse whispered to me reasussuringly, her eyes focused squarely on Rio. "It'll be all right."
The others gazed at me with sympathetic eyes. Aja touched my arm and nodded. Suppressing a sigh, I nodded and tentatively took Rio's outstretched hand. A dizzy, unreal sensation took over me, and I felt as though I were mindlessly drifting through space.
I noticed the huge Olympic sized pool stretched out behind the shining dance floor, lit underneath to look like a turquoise jewel under the night sky. Flood lights illuminated the cool, white concrete structure looming over the festivities, glinting attractively off of the mosaic glass windows. Calla lilies, gardenias, and other exotic blooms decorated the spacious courtyard, lightly scenting the night air and reminding me of nights long ago spent in the Hawaiian islands. A makeshift stage was set up at the forefront of the glittering dance floor, where Rio's gentle hand was leading me.
I took painstaking note of the smallest details of my surroundings, focusing on anything but the present situation. Satisfied with an adequately secluded spot on the floor, Rio pulled my body to his by the small of my back, moving with me in a slow, deliberate rhythm. My eyes closed.
"I'm sorry I didn't catch up with you backstage," He murmured in my ear, his breath tickling my skin. "and for all the tension between us lately. I never meant for things to turn out the way they have."
His words felt heavy with foreboding, and I shivered. "That's okay, Rio." I assured him, nestling my head on his shoulder. "These things happen."
Haunting tropical beats throbbed through the air, making me vibrate with tension. I hoped that Rio couldn't feel my trembling, but there was no way he couldn't, the way he had us pressed together. The dizzy feeling melted into another kind of sensation, that familiar guilty desire as my body became acutely aware of his. God, I want to tell him now. I want all of this to fall away and let it just be the two of us again, forever, like it used to be.
"If I tell you, if I tell you the whole truth," the sultry young singer moaned as if on cue, "will you still wanna bring out the best in me..?"
Rio said nothing, continuing to sway with me to the music. I thought I heard him sigh with sadness, and looked up at him. His eyes were filled with an obvious anguish.
"What's wrong?" I asked him in a timid voice. He looked into me deeply, and leaned in to press his lips to mine. My eyes closed as his mouth softly opened against mine, sweetly savoring one another's affection. I reached up to press him closer, tangling my hands in his dark hair, wanting never to let go.
"I just miss Jerrica, that's all." He said to me when the kiss finally broke. I frowned. Rio's gaze was piercing, and a little twinge of alarm went off inside me. "She was supposed to meet me here tonight." He said pointedly.
I tried to breathe, but my chest felt as if it were caving in on itself. Opening my mouth to speak, I couldn't summon my voice. He knows. Oh my god, he really does.
Clearing my throat, I fought hard to regain my composure. "Um, I think I saw her over by the pool," I lied, hating myself for continuing to stretch the truth. This is different from the other times he's asked after me, I thought in a near panic. "I'll go see if I can find her." I choked out, and fled for the nearby cabanas.
My heart racing, I backed up against the cool white linen of the little tent, hoping vainly that it provided enough privacy. Making a hastier check than usual for onlookers, I reached for my earring and shut my eyes.
"Show's over," I whispered, swallowing hard, "Synergy."
I felt the usual breathy evaporation of the hologram dissolving, and looked down at myself, seeing a conservative dark blue evening dress in place of the shiny silver-pink confection I had worn so proudly mere hours ago. I'd never felt more utterly naked and exposed.
As I stepped out from my so called hiding spot, I realized why with a cold, sinking horror. Leaning for support against a tall concrete pillar of the house was an aghast Rio, staring at me, the real me, his eyes burning with pain. At that horrible moment, I wished with all my might that the ground would just open and swallow me up.
"Jerrica, how...why!" He pleaded. "All that time it was really you, and you never told me. I don't understand." Rio swallowed hard and turned away, his face flushing bright red. "Just tell me one thing."
"What?" I managed to respond. Rio looked me dead in the eye. "What did I do wrong?"
Choking back a sob, I stared down at the concrete, wringing my hands. "Nothing! You didn't...Rio, I'm the one who's wrong. I decieved you, I admit it, and you have no idea how sorry I am." I looked back up at him, gauging his reaction.
Rio's jaw clenched. "No, no, you're still holding back on me, Jerrica. I must have done something horrible, something that would cause you to lose enough trust in me to test me by using 'Jem'. Just tell me that much, what did I do wrong!" He shouted, slamming a fist into a nearby palm tree. People around the pool began to look up with concern. Cringing at his frightening outburst, a long repressed flame of anger flared in me and I snapped.
"Your temper, Rio!" I cried out, my nerves tingling with adrenaline. "I was afraid of your temper. I was afraid that you..." My anger dissolved as quickly as it had ignited. "I was so afraid that you would leave me." There. I'd said it.
Rio's face crumbled upon hearing my tortured admission. He let out a shaky sigh. "You were afraid of me?" He asked. I bit my lip and looked at the ground again, searching for the right answer.
"Not of you." I relented. "Afraid of losing you to your temper." My eyes met his in a silent standoff.
"Jerrica!" A familiar female voice shouted. I looked up to see Riot and the Holograms all striding towards us. I spun around to look at Rio, who rolled his eyes in agonized frustration. Then with a last, deeply longing look at me, he turned and left, fleeing into the night. A crushing sob escaped me as I watched his departure. Keening anguish tightened in my throat, and I fled in the opposite direction.
Someone else, maybe Aja, shouted my name again as I darted through the palms. My legs pumped furiously, leaving both of my heels behind in the foliage, racing barefoot as far from Sands' estate as I could.
My life is over, I told myself miserably as I ran. Rio knows my secret, he's left me like I always knew he would, and soon, thanks to some stupid malfunction onstage, the whole world would know my secret, too. Jem is no more, there's only me. A very tattered, torn, and ravaged Jerrica Benton, dead to the world.
Just up ahead, there lay an expansive private beach, serenely lit with the bluest moonlight. I stumbled and lurched towards the midnight oasis, choking back my sobbing screams in a strangled voice. I all but fell face first into the cool white sand, heaving on my hands and knees where I had fallen. Unbidden, a grieving wail heaved out from my burning throat, it's horrible echoes fading into the night. I screamed again, and again, until my voice gave out completely. My body curled up into a ball there on the sand as I rocked back and forth with grief.
A thick silence settled over my surroundings as my agony began to subside. Wiping my face with a gritty hand, I sat up and pulled my knees against my chest, looking blankly at the gently ebbing Pacific. It tried to comfort me with the sounds of it's waves gently breaking on the shore, whispering to me.
The hair on my neck stood up as I dimly realized the whispering was not the waves, rather, it sounded human. Tense with fear, I turned slowly to face the threatening sound.
No sooner did I peer cautiously into the darkness that someone grabbed me from behind. I tried to scream, noting with a pang of horror that I could not, and struggled as a gloved hand clamped tightly over my mouth. I could hear Synergy clamoring in my ear, begging me to tell her what was happening. I thrashed against my attacker, not willing to go down without a fight.
"Shut up!" An oddly familiar voice hissed at me, piercing my stomach with cold terror. Then I was being lifted by my arms, dragged harshly across the sand, and thrown headlong into the back of a van.
A black van! I exclaimed silently as four huge men tumbled inside after me. Sharp pain from the back of my head blinded me, and the ceiling I stared at faded to black.
Rio
The first thought that shattered through my mind was, how in God's name did she do that?
The fractured rush of endless questions that spilled out afterwards filled me with the most desperate, blinding shock I had ever experienced. Everything that happened then seemed to play out in slow motion.
I watched as an eerie mauve light shimmered over Jem, leaving Jerrica in her place. I knew it was her, but I couldn't begin to wrap my mind around how or why, and I think I began shouting. Someone was shouting, anyway, and it sounded like my voice. My entire being seemed to burn.
She recoiled in what seemed like shame, and averted her eyes. My fist struck against something, and then she was the one who shouted. Crowds of people looked at us, looked at me and judged me coldly with their eyes. The air seemed to close in on me, and that was when panic overwhelmed me entirely.
I ran from that shattered look on her face, away from those deep blue eyes bulging in shock, as far as I could from the horror that was swallowing me up inside. I couldn't take it.
I didn't bother taking my van, opting instead to go by foot. My steps became long purposeful strides, each putting more distance between myself and the painful scene behind me. The gaping, Jerrica sized hole in my heart filled itself with a black numbness as I walked, not caring in the least where I was headed.
How could this have happened? I asked myself endlessly as the night deepened and my surroundings became neon bathed city streets. I loved Jerrica so deeply that I fell for whoever she decided to be. I always made sure that she knew it. At least, I hope I did. But I don't know who she is anymore, and my so-called temper supposedly drove her to do it.
It doesn't matter, I resolved to myself bitterly once the mental haze began to clear. Nothing matters now.
My mind replayed that one moment of the Holograms' set over and over, trying to figure out how she'd been doing this all this time. Jem just seemed to dissappear, and then there was Jerrica standing in her place. It was impossible. I could see if she had been using wigs and makeup, but obviously that wasn't the case. It was almost like a signal had abruptly cut out, since the switchboard flickered at that same moment. But how?
Wandering past the trendy nightclubs and the seedy bars, I obsessed over it. Steam rising from the hot, rain drenched pavement floated into the glare of a neon sign, like an apparition. It was then that I had a sudden flash of memory, of Emmett Benton hunched over his top secret project, fervently explaining to me how this new computer of his was going to change the way the world thought about entertainment.
"Christ, that's it!" I marveled aloud as it hit me, cursing myself for not realizing it earlier when it had been right in front of my face. He built her a machine, a projection device that somehow enabled Jerrica to use it to disguise herself. It seemed incredibly strange to me, why she would have gone to such lengths when makeup effects would have saved her the trouble. But this had to be it. As crazy as it was, it was the most plausible explanation for the technical side of this.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice that I had stumbled onto the main road. A huge pickup truck whizzed past me, almost knocking me over as it's driver leaned rudely on the horn. I stared after it as it sped off, cursing to myself for not watching where I was going, and stepped back up onto the sidewalk. One car slowed down to get a better look at me, and I felt my anger simmering.
Your temper, Rio! I was afraid of your temper.
The car's driver beeped at me twice, and I spun on my heel, more than ready to lash out at whoever dared to harass me. "What the hell do you want!" I shouted at the offending motorist.
Not tonight, I thought, any other time but tonight. The window slid down to reveal a slender, moustached black man, his concerned face peering at me from inside the vehicle. I sighed heavily with relief.
"Rio? You need a ride?" Anthony Julian asked me politely. Swallowing hard, I put my pride away for the time being and nodded gratefully. My friend leaned across the passenger seat to open the door, and I slid myself inside. The car, a Pontiac Trans Am, I noticed absently, slowly merged back into the thinning traffic.
We were both quiet for a long time. I didn't volunteer anything, and Anthony didn't pry at first. After about a half hour and a few more miles on the freeway, he finally spoke up.
"So what happened?" He inquired, pulling onto the ramp that led to the highway. "This isn't like you to be wandering on the streets like that." I sighed deeply, remembering all of the night's traumas, and rubbed my hand across my forehead. "Everything's wrong, Anthony. My whole life is in shambles."
Anthony glanced up from the road. "How's that? You have a fight with Jem or something?"
A sharp pain pierced my right temple, making a vein in my eye twinge uncomfortably at the mention of that name. "Jerrica is Jem." I stated wearily, and cursed loudly as the car veered wildly off the road for a split second, gripping the sides of my seat for dear life. Thankfully, Anthony recovered and kept driving.
"What!" He cried, staring at me like I had lost my mind, and I didn't blame him. "What the hell does that mean, Jerrica is Jem? Rio, do you need a doctor or something? Maybe I should bring you to the ER."
I pressed my head to the chair with a thud, rolling my eyes at the ceiling. "I'm not insane, it's the truth. You saw that weird thing that happened during the Holograms' set, along with half a million people. Besides, I caught Jerrica in the act."
Anthony blinked, drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel. "Caught her in the act?"
"She changed somehow from what I thought was Jem...to who I knew was Jerrica." I replied, heaviness in my voice. "I couldn't believe it, and yet somehow I've known all this time."
Anthony said nothing as we continued on down the highway. After a few exits had whizzed by, I turned my head to look at him quizzically. "You going somewhere in particular, Anthony?" I asked him.
The ebony man shook his head wearily. "Going home, to bed." He met my eyes. "I think we both could use some sound sleep."
I nodded in sullen agreement. The Pontiac continued on.
to be continued