Jaded (Rock Star Trilogy) (14 page)

“Did I mention he bought it for me with
my
money?”

“
What! Your parents sound terrible!”

“
They are.” She doesn't even know. I hadn't talked to my father since last Monday. He emails me daily, begging me to reconsider. But my mother, I haven't talked to since Christmas. She only talked to me then because I flew to the UK and forced her to have a Christmas dinner with me. Neither of them truly
care
about me. They
tolerate
me, and only because of my money. They
hate
me.

Ethan pulls out of his driveway and I follow closely behind him.

“Stephan's got it bad for you, huh?” Bridgett already knows me well. I love that she changed the subject from my parents to Stephan, because it is exactly what I need.

I can't help but smile at the mention of his name. “Yes, I believe he does.”

“What about you?”

“
I like him a lot more than I should,” I admit.

“
Has he asked you to commit?” she asks.

I shake my head. “Not yet.”

“He will be soon.” She is confident in her statement.

I suddenly remember our conversation in study hall, and can't help but be excited. “He did sort of hint at wanting to be in a relationship, but I barely know him. I mean, I have known him a total of seven days, Bridge. That's definitely not long enough to commit myself to him.”

“But what does your heart tell you?”

Ethan pulls over to the side of the road and I park behind him. I then turn to Bridgett. “My heart is
screaming
at me to take a chance and go for it. But my head is telling me to stop, because he's going to break my heart.”

“
Heartbreak is a part of life. Take it from somebody who recently got her heart broken. But even though Martin was a total jerk, I wouldn't take back one day of it.” She smiles sadly at me. “Go for it, and stop listening to your head.”

She get's out of the car, and shuts the door. I sit there for a few seconds, contemplating what she just said. I know that she's right, but I still don't want to put my heart on the line.
I've heard enough Taylor Swift songs to know that heartbreak sucks.

I hear a peck on the window, and jump. I look up at Stephan who is standing on the other side. I open my door, and he holds out his hand and helps me out.

“So, you are announcing to the world that you have a
twin sister
at a high school party?” Stephan asks.

“
I hadn't really thought about it, but I guess I am.” I walk over to Bridgett and link my arm with hers. “Are you ready?”

She looks at me and smiles. “More than ready.”

8:12 pm

Are you happy now?

Bridgett and I link arms as we walk together towards the beach. Ethan and Stephan are walking behind us. Close to the water there is a huge bonfire, and  over 100 kids are scattered up and down the beach. It's nothing like any party I've ever been to, but I think I
actually
like it
better
. It already feels more relaxed, and fun.

Most of the parties I went to in LA were at mansions. Different celebrities, or social elites would host, and I was always invited. Some of the parties were wilder than others. I went to a few of them, but they never held much interest for me. I would've rather spent my time playing music.

I became friends with Lily Vargo, a socialite. Her father was very rich. She wasn't a celebrity, but the paparazzi loved her. She was often in magazines, pictured alongside celebrities. She was all about power and status. Looking back, I wonder how we ever became friends. We had nothing in common. But she made parties fun for me, and she knew where all the great parties were. I've never considered myself easily influenced, but it was because of her that I got into drugs... Not that it was all her fault. I was the one who took the drugs. I gave into temptation. I would never forgive myself for it.

Thankfully, I realized what I was doing before I got addicted. After my scare in July, I stopped hanging out with Lily. Tonight is the first party I've been to since then, and I can't help but feel nervous... Not just about introducing Bridgett to the world, but about being around this scene. I can't imagine ever doing drugs again, but like they say, old habits die hard.

I hear my song come over the speakers, and I can't help but smile.

“
Does that ever get old?” Bridgett asks me.

“
Never,” I reply. It's absolutely the truth.

“
Scarlett!” I hear somebody yell. I look over to see Ginny and Britney running over towards us. I suddenly wish that I had time to run and hide, because the more time I'm around the two of them, the more I find them annoying. I really don't want
them
to be the first of my girl friends that I introduce to Bridgett. Not that I have
girl
friends.

“
I apologize in advance for them,” I whisper to Bridgett, and then turn to Ginny and Britney. “Hey!” I'm pretty good at faking enthusiasm. I have to be, considering I perform 200 or more shows a year, whether I feel like it or not.

“
Whoa! I think I've had too much to drink,” Ginny slirs, looking between Bridgett and me.

I smile. “You're not seeing double, I swear. This is my twin sister, Bridgett.”

Stephan walks up behind me and puts his arms around my midsection. “I'm stealing my girlfriend,” he tells them. I follow him.

“
Is it safe to leave Bridgett with them?” I ask.

“
She will be fine,” he promises.

“
Wait...” I stop, as realization of what he just said hit me. “Your
girlfriend
?”

He smiles, and even in the dark, it's breathtaking. “Um, well... If you want to be... I'd like for you to be...” Stephan is usually so confident, it's kind of fun to watch him sweat.

“What happened to taking it slow?” I ask, wanting to tease him for a little longer.

“
Just because you're my girlfriend doesn't mean we can't take it slow.” He pulls me closer to him, obviously feeling more confident. “We can go as slow as you want.”

“
I would like to be your girlfriend.” My heart speeds up as I say the word
girlfriend
.

I AM STEPHAN MONTGOMERY'S GIRLFRIEND!!!

He smiles.

“
Can I see your phone?” I ask.

“
Why?” He questions, but hands me his phone.

I save my phone number into his phone, and set one of my songs as the ring tone. “You have to have your girlfriend's phone number.”

He looks shocked. “Wow. Scarlett Ryan trusts me enough to give me her phone number? This is huge!”

“
Don't let it go to your head.”

“
Scarlett!” I hear somebody else yell at me. Stephan and I both turn to see Mona running up to us. She looks furious. “What the hell is
he
doing here?”

“
HE
is with
ME
.”

“
He is not invited, and he needs to get out of here
NOW
!” She's screaming, and I can see her whole body shaking.

“
Why?” I push. “What did he do to you?”

“
His father killed my mom
!” She begins sobbing, and a crowd is starting to form around us. “Are you happy? Now you know.”

For a moment, I'm stunned. “Wh... Wha... What?” Nobody says anything, so I turn to Stephan. “Explain, now!”

“Not here,” he says.

“
If you don't leave
now
, I will call the cops,” Mona promises.

Stephan looks both furious, and crushed. He is shaking, and it scares me to see him like this. I grab his arm, and pull him towards my car. “Come on.”

9:35 pm

Too late.

Stephan gets in the passenger side of my car, and I am about to get in the driver's side when I see Bridgett and Ethan coming.

“
Can you take Bridgett home?” I ask Ethan. “He needs me right now.”

“
Of course,” Ethan says.

“
Take your time, Scar,” Bridgett tells me.

I get in the car and drive. I don't go in any particular direction, I just drive. Stephan and I sit in silence for about 30 minutes, before either of us say anything.

“
Let's get coffee,” he finally says.

“
Ok,” I say. I drive to the 24 hour coffee shop, and we go inside. Once we order, and sit down at a booth, I push him for answers. “Please, explain.”

He sighs, and looks a little sad. He's looking out the window as he talks. “Just... When I tell you this story, please don't think any less of my father. He was a good guy. He just made mistakes.” He then looks at me. “My father was in love with two women, my mother, and Mona's mother. He didn't want to choose between the two, so he didn't.

“My father married my mom, but he saw Mona's mom on the side their entire marriage. Mona's mom married somebody else too, but that didn't stop the affair. One night while they were... together... my father had a car accident. They had both been drinking a little too much, and he drove off Hope Creek Bridge, killing them both instantly.

“
Mona blames my father, therefore, she blames and hates me. And trust me, I hated my dad for a little bit after I found out what he did. My mom was devastated. Not only did she have to deal with the pain of his death, but also the fact that he cheated on her for nearly 19 years. But my father was a
good man
.”

I am trying to process everything he said. “So, Mona is your half sister?”

He shakes his head quickly, and almost looks annoyed. “No. Mona's mom had a husband. He is her father.”

“
Are you sure?” I ask, though I'm not sure why.

“
Yes, Scarlett, I would know if Mona was my half sister.”

Stephan is angry, and I know I shouldn't push it, but I can't seem to help myself. “Was there a DNA test done? If her mom was sleeping with her husband and your dad at the same time, there is a possibility you two could be related.”

He slaps his hand down on the table. “Dammit, can't you just drop it! It's
too late
now anyway!”

I jump from the noise. The coffee house is empty, but the people behind the counter are staring at us now.

“I'm sorry,” I say so softly that I am almost whispering. “I just thought you would want to know if she was your half sister.”

He narrows his eyes. “Just because you
found your long lost twin sister doesn't mean I want the same thing. Especially
not
Mona.” He gets up from the booth. “Can we just go home? I am done talking about this tonight.”

Friday, September 18

3:05 pm

I love you... I mean... your music...

Stephan ignored me all week long. Actually, he ignored everybody. I knew that I shouldn't have pushed him so hard about Mona, and I was feeling bad about it. Maybe he was right, maybe I
was
trying to overcompensate for the lost time with Bridgett. Stephan and Mona look nothing and act nothing alike. They've known each other their whole life. Certainly if they were brother and sister, they would know. Besides, even if they were, it wouldn't be any of my business.

During Stephan's absence, Bridgett and I got some much needed sister time. We spent lots of time swimming, watching chick flicks, and just talking about the last 19 years. We also had plans for shopping the following weekend.

Ethan came over and helped me study on Tuesday, and Thursday. Thanks to him, algebra was making a little bit more sense. He told me how moody Stephan had been since Monday night, which I apologized for. It was
my fault
he was in a pissy mood. But, on the plus side, Bridgett and Ethan seemed to enjoy the party after we left. Nobody even noticed that Bridgett wasn't me.

Mona, and the the other “
populars
”
haven't talked to me anymore, which is almost a relief. I'm glad they haven't invited me to their table anymore. But they do seem nicer to Ethan... Nicer, as in they don't turn their heads in the hallway when he walks by. I even saw one girl smile at him.

Unfortunately, they are being really mean to Stephan. Somebody even spray painted “SCUM” across his locker. If I would have just stayed out of it, he would just be ignored, as usual. Now, people are bullying him. He puts on a strong front, but I can tell it's getting to him. It hurts to know that
I
am the cause of that.