Ricky looked the same as always: dressed in some no doubt designer T-shirt and jeans, overly styled blond hair and tattoos. Jack almost ran into her when she abruptly stopped and now was glaring at Ricky, while his hand came to rest on Kim's waist.
Ricky looked at them with unreadable look on his face and then proceeded to nod at them both. Kim could sense Jack's reluctant response and she finally was able to move. Only now that the tension broke, she noticed that Ricky's manager was there too. As usual he was on his phone and only waved at her.
"I feel like we had this conversation before, but, why are you here? If anybody sees you, it'd just add the fodder to the gossip," Kim said quietly.
"It would. And I wouldn't have come here, but there is new development..." Ricky paused and Kim's stomach tightened with apprehension. "There is a footage of my performance in Seaford High from long ago."
"No..." Kim was shaking head in denial.
"Yes. It has our tug of war with Jack over you."
"How? Where? Who?" Shock was making Jack's speech short and brusque.
"Well... It is one of the former employees of mine. He has a bit of a grudge and would like to make my life difficult. He tried with tell-all interview about my jerkish ways, but there was little traction with that. Now, though, this footage would get him some decent money. Steve is trying to buy it off of him. But, just in case we don't succeed, I think we should discuss the common strategy about this whole thing."
He was right, Kim thought distantly. The situation was so surreal that her brain was processing it like a hypothetical scenario, not her actual life. They needed a strategy to deal with the fall out. If the video of Ricky and Jack pulling her in opposite directions becomes public, there would no stamping out the rumors of the love triangle anymore.
"Jack, you should really call your agent. I am surprised he hasn't called you already." Kim looked at him and at his sheepish expression she knew her answer. The agent called, but Jack did not answer. "Go. Call him. I'll be fine."
Jack looked at her thoughtfully and then turned on his heel and stepped out into the hallway, phone already in hand.
Kim sat down in one of the wing-back chairs and just drooped succumbing to the pressures of the day. Ricky approached her slowly and sat in a chair nearby.
"I really am sorry about this Kim. I wish I never run into you in that store." Ricky said emphatically and Kim only raised her eyebrow at him. "No... That's not true. I am glad I saw you again, but I wish that there were no photos of that. Unfortunately, it is my life now. And everyone with a phone has a camera, so ..." He was frustrated and sad and was looking at her sympathetically; and she thought that it would've been great if she meet this Ricky first.
"Hey, this is hardly your fault. You can't control behavior of every one you come across," Kim offered gently.
"Yes, but I did not help matters with that song..."
Kim was silent. She really did not want to discuss it. Some part of her was afraid that Jack's and everyone's suspicion was correct and the song was about her. She was afraid that if Ricky vocalized it, then there would be no going back from just pretending they were awkward acquaintances.
"Kim..." Ricky began and she could not take his earnest face anymore. She jumped out and hastily said something about little girls room and ran out of the office.
She wandered down the hall looking for Jack or Bobby. She heard muffled voices further down and went that way. She was almost by the door when Jacks voice suddenly rose in pitch and he firmly said, "Its out of question. I am not trotting my girlfriend out as a prop. She should not be subject to this. Studios should want me for the talent, no the publicity."
Kim did not stick around to hear more. Her thoughts and feelings were chaotic and she kept thinking back to the days when Jack was excited and hopeful about his budding acting career. She was deep in thought and slowly drifted down the hall until she reached what must have been a library.
She sat there thinking about this whole situation. It was such a mess and really, none of them were individually at fault for anything. She cursed herself for allowing the Kim Wasabi story to go unchallenged, but seeing how people were sticking to rumors over any actual fact, she did not think there would have been a difference. And now, now, Jack's career was in jeopardy. What was his agent implying? That Jack should milk this situation for free publicity? It makes sense, but she knew Jack. He was stubborn and always needed to play the hero. He was always protective of his friends, but especially her... He would refuse, of course, and it might hurt his career. She loved him for it and was mad at the whole situation that was presenting such tough choice to him.
Ricky and Bobby were practically bullet proof in this situation. They both were established names and this new scandal would be just another in the long list of such scandals.
Bobby had not specific career plans and Ricky was too talented and popular for anything to be a huge setback.
She herself was a non-entity. Just another name linked to the rich and famous. Once this particular scandal dies down, hardly anyone would remember her.
But Jack... Jack was another matter altogether. He just started making a name for himself. It was quite a different thing for him to have a negative reputation if studios were paying attention.
She winced remembering how Jack did not want them to start anything because of the kind of attention he was getting. Oh how the things have changed! It was now her turn to think that they should not have started anything, because of the kind of attention she was getting...
The thought of not being with Jack hurt like a punch to the stomach. She could feel the bile rising when she thought of the unfairness of it all. She was close to tears again and she kept them at bay by sheer force of will. She was not mushy.
She sat like this clenching her hands in fists until she felt her nails dig painfully into the flesh of her palms. Goddamn! Why? Why now? Now, when I know how it is to be so close to Jack?
Her thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and she hastily stood up to find Ricky standing in the doorway.
"Everybody assembled in the situation room," he gave a wan smile and she mirrored it.
"All right. I am coming." She went to door but had to stop because Ricky still stood there, blocking it.
"Kim, I want to tell you... No, you don't get to run away again. I know you might not want to hear it, but I like you. A lot. And I thought about you these past two years. I wasn't kidding when I said that you are an amazing tough girl, who does not take crap from anyone. You did not take any of my crap and I learned that it is very valuable, when people see you for what you are, when people are honest with you. It is so rare in my life now..."
Ricky moved closer to Kim, who froze in place when he began talking. He slowly raised his hand and took one of Kim's, "I won't lie and tell you that it was like love at first sight, but when I saw you in the music store I thought that here it was, my second chance with you. To get to know you, to learn all the things the make you tick. I want that very much. I want the opportunity to know you. And, if you allow me, I want to show you the real Ricky too." He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a small kiss on it.
"Ricky, I am with Jack now," Kim whispered and she could see the pained look on Ricky's face. It smoothed over quickly though.
"I figured... You know, I wrote that song in one hour after I saw you again at the dojo. You have no idea how gorgeous you are. And so honest, so real. I was blown away and when you said you had feeling for Jack, it crushed me. That song, it was all about you. I dreamed of you. You are like this hope, and a possibility, and a dream, and a curse, all in one. Tell me that I have no chance with you, and I will stop."
He was leaning in and Kim knew that the next thing would be him trying to kiss her and she started to pull away from him, because, as beautiful as his words were, he was not Jack and he deserved someone who loved him just as much as she loved Jack.
Before Ricky or Kim could do anything the door opened again and Jack stood there with a thunderous expression on his face taking in their position. They were close and Ricky still held her hand to his chest.
"Am I interrupting something?" Jack ground out and Kim wished for the thousandth time that this day was over already.
"No, you are not. Ricky just told me that everyone was ready in the office," Kim pulled her hand out of Ricky's and marched past both boys into the office. She did not stop to see whether they followed her.
While waiting for boys to come, Kim checked her phone, which was on mute to see that there were at least twenty new messages from numbers she did not recognize and one from Milton. She opened it - and only because the whole day was insane she did not gasp out loud - and saw that the story about the three of them got a new name. They were Kicky. And Kicky speculations ran from her being a heartless whore, who used both boys to get ahead in life (an expected spin); them being a triad (how very explicit for teenagers); boys being a gay couple using her as a beard (very open minded); her being with Ricky but hiding it and using Jack as a beard, who agreed to this because of the exposure it would get him (very cynical). One fact no one disputed was that she was Bobby Wasabi's daughter and, while her looks and moral fiber were trashed to hell, no one questioned her black belt and general toughness. Good god, people's imagination was limitless.
Jack and Ricky came in a little later looking rumpled and both their hair was in disarray. She looked at them questioningly, but they both refused to look at her directly.
"I was able to pay off the guy with a video and the immediate concern about it is put to rest for now. Our next step is coordinated denials of the whole thing about the romantic entanglement between my client and Ms. Crawford. I know you don't have a representation right now, Ms. Crawford, so you have no way denying anything. Some would say that you can take to social media and do it yourself, but I would not recommend it. It takes a while to build a presence on various fora and it is also easy to imitate or hack. That leaves Messrs. Wasabi and Brewer. You both should deny any knowledge of the romantic history between Ricky and Ms. Crawford through your agents."
"I don't like it." Jack bit out and stared directly at Steve. "It leaves Kim without a voice in the situation and she would be subjected to all sorts of made up stuff."
"I agree. Kim's name would be dragged through mud." Ricky added to this and earned an inscrutable look form Jack.
"Ricky, may I remind you that Ms. Crawford is not my client. You should be thinking about your upcoming album!" Steve was patently unapologetic.
"Shut up Steve. You may not care what happens to her, but I do!" Ricky snarled.
At this Jack jumped up to him and hissed, "She is not yours to care about!"
"It does not matter. I still care and you can't order me about how I feel!" Ricky stood there toe to toe with Jack and it was like watching a car crash in slow motion.
"That's it!" Kim exclaimed and put herself in between two teens and pushed them away from each other. "I need to talk to Jack and Ricky alone... Please."
Steve and Bobby left the teen alone with Steve muttering about ungrateful clients and hormonal youngsters. Bobby just smiled at Kim and said, "I'll be just outside, in case of anything." It felt weird, but she kind of liked this Bobby. She did not mind being linked to him at all.
There was a long moment of heavy silence, when boys just glared at each other over Kim's head and she was so done with it all.
"Did you hear about Kicky?" she said to no one in particular and was rewarded with a wha? from Jack and a choking sound from Ricky.
