by India Lee
“Where is your security?” he asked, gruffly. She could see he was clearly irritated. “We weren’t given enough warning that you’d be here and don’t have the manpower to properly handle this situation.”
“I don’t have security,” Gemma replied. It felt good to say despite the chaos that she found herself dealing with. The security guard rolled his eyes, calling every employee he could to help contain the mess of people that had spilled into the lobby.
“Either help me or call the police, but don’t just stand there!” he yelled to the people behind the front desk. Gemma followed the guard to the elevator bank, checking to see if she still had her hotel key card. She had somehow tucked it into her clutch. The elevator door opened and the guard gestured for her to go in. Gemma took one last glance into the lobby. She could still see people being pushed out the door.
“I’m sorry,” Gemma said. “I didn’t know I was going to end up here tonight. I didn’t know this was going to happen.”
~
Gemma’s phone rang. She couldn’t remember when she had turned it back on, let alone where in the large hotel suite she had placed it. After the mess she had run into downstairs, she wasn’t sure how she would react to everything the moment she was alone. The beautiful suite was unfortunately of no comfort. Despite being as high up as she was, she could still hear the crowd outside.
She was tempted to step out onto the balcony and look below but she knew that it could mean asking for more trouble. Instead, she waited away from the windows until the shouting died down. The moment it did, she threw herself into the plush bed and fell asleep.
She wasn’t sure how many times the phone rang before she woke up. It was dark out now, the sky as black as it could be in a city. Gemma saw the light of the phone on a console near the entryway and reached for it just as the ringing stopped. She looked at the screen. She had just missed a call from Tyler. No surprise there. But then she saw she had missed a dozen calls from Tyler. It was just 8pm and she knew he was still on set. He was probably calling between scenes but Gemma still didn’t feel ready to talk to him.
Right as she was about to turn her phone to silent, it rang again. She looked down at the name. Damian Evans. Gemma swallowed, surprised to see that he was calling. She wasn’t sure if the gossip blogs had gotten word of what had happened but Damian was probably close enough to where she was that he could have heard by word of mouth. Before she could think much more, she had realized her thumb had hit the button to answer.
“Hello?” she held the phone to her ear, sitting on the edge of the bed. For a moment, there was no answer.
“Gemma?” Damian said, cautiously. “I didn’t think you’d answer.”
“Then why did you call?” she asked, smiling at his surprise.
“I heard from a teammate that you were in town. And that it caused a riot downtown.” He paused, waiting for Gemma to confirm it was the truth.
“I’m in San Francisco, yes,” Gemma replied. Again, there was silence. Gemma had never heard Damian so hesitant and unsure.
“Why?” he finally asked.
“I just ended up here,” Gemma said. “There’s no reason.”
“I don’t know why, I thought maybe…” his voice trailed off. There was another long pause before she heard him sigh. “Never mind, I’m sorry to bother you.”
“Are you in town?”
“Yeah,” he replied. “I’m home.”
“Then come find me.”
~
“But why exactly don’t you want to take the role in Carbine?” Damian asked, breaking his long silence. He had been wordless as he listened to her rehash the events of the past weeks, nodding only occasionally as he stared at her with rapt attention. They hadn’t even gone that long without speaking but it was as if he missed her voice so much, he didn’t want to do anything to interrupt it.
“Why would I want the part in Carbine? I’m not an actress,” Gemma shrugged, confused as to why there was any question to it.
“But Tyler had a point. I mean, you’d be playing a singer and it’d a great opportunity and who doesn’t want to be in a Sidney Willis movie? I’m not a performer of any kind like you, Gem, but even I’d have trouble turning down a part in a project of his. So really,” Damian looked her in the eye. “Why didn’t you want to take the role?”
Gemma stopped, searching her brain for what she thought were obvious reasons why she didn’t want the part. “I mean,” she started, furrowing her brows for a clear answer. “It’s not like I got this job on my own. It’s not like I auditioned like everyone else and truly deserved the role. I was handed it because my boyfriend coaxed someone into giving it to me.”
“But no one would just give you the part if they didn’t want you in it.”
“I know, but still, I didn’t get the part by myself,” Gemma explained. “It’s not like a producer saw me and thought I was talented and brought me in. Or knew of my work and thought I’d be appropriate for the part. This all went through Tyler. I mean, I feel like everything I do just somehow goes through Tyler first. It’s like he’s this ring around me and in order to get to me, you have to somehow cross through something that has to do with him. I wouldn’t have had a career at all in the states without his attention, without him specifically calling me out. I’m already rarely in a place where he’s not. We moved in together after the whole Elizabeth thing, which again, was technically about me but started through him. And now without the world tour, I really have nothing to call my own. I guess I don’t tell him about my past because, well for one, it’s not something I like to revisit but I share everything in my life with him right now and I feel like I need something, anything to keep to myself.”
“That’s how it was with Nicki,” Damian nodded. “She was losing sight of herself because my life was taking over. My schedule was dictating her every move and I could see her almost turn into a different person. She wasn’t the same incredible, independent person I fell for. She stopped talking about her own goals and stopped seeing her own friends and I don’t know, everything became about my life on the road.”
“So how did you fix it?” Gemma asked. Damian bit his lip, looking to the ground.
“We broke up.”
“What? When?” Gemma’s eyes widened, stunned.
“It happened right before the Thierry Marc shoot,” Damian replied. “There just wasn’t a good time to tell you. I still care about her and love her but I want her to have everything she had always dreamed of and I know that it’s more than just being an NBA girlfriend, so it’s over. She’s going to re-enroll at UCLA for the spring semester.”
“I’m sorry,” Gemma said. She got up from the edge of the bed and walked to Damian’s chair. She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed to talk. And I’m sorry I went on and on like this without even asking about you. I’m sorry for being so selfish.”
“You’re not being selfish,” Damian laughed. “Besides, I think being a little selfish sometimes is underrated.”
“What?” Gemma smirked. “Never thought I’d hear that coming out of your mouth.”
“You’re nineteen. Right now, there’s nothing wrong with putting yourself first.”
~
Gemma’s heart raced as she sat up in bed. Something had woken her up but she wasn’t sure what. She was barely even sure where she was. In a second, she took in her surroundings and realized that she had fallen asleep talking to Damian in the hotel suite. Where’s Damian? The sun was streaming through the windows, illuminating the empty spot beside her. He had been sitting there when she had fallen asleep. Her eyes flitted around the room.
The desk chair was unoccupied though his blue hoodie hung on the back. The chaise lounge across the room was also empty and the bathroom door was open and clearly vacant.
Suddenly, Gemma heard voices at her door. That must’ve been what woke me up. She threw off the covers and swung her legs off the bed. Her foot graze
d a muscular shoulder. Gemma leaned over to see Damian rolling on his side on the floor beside her. He pushed himself up and rubbed his eyes.
“Why were you sleeping on the floor?” Gemma asked, laughing despite how bad she felt. “You could’ve slept on the chaise.”
“I wanted to stay close to you,” Damian shrugged, trying to wake himself up as the knocking continued. “But I didn’t want to be inappropriate.” He jumped to his feet and went to check the door but just as he did, it swung open. An imposing figure filled the doorframe.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Andro asked, shooting an accusing glare at Damian.
“Andro, you’re not on my payroll anymore in case you’ve forgotten,” Gemma said, coming up behind Damian.
“You’re right, but I’m now on Tyler’s,” Andro replied. Gemma blinked with surprise. “And since you live with him, you’re my responsibility too. Let’s go.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she snapped. “How the hell did you even find me? And at the very least, answer me this – why are you here?” She could feel her heart pounding her chest. With all the upsetting things that were happening recently, she thought at the very least she could find solace in her regained freedom from her overbearing security. Seeing Andro made her blood boil.
“You didn’t exactly get here quietly, Bee,” Andro explained. “Tyler and the rest of the world heard about your scuffle with the public last night.”
“This is a total violation, Andro! You just walked into my room!” Gemma exclaimed. “What if I were just getting out of the shower or something?”
“I knocked first but no one answered.”
“How did you even get a key?” Damian asked.
“Stay out of this,” Andro said, narrowing his eyes at him. “Better yet, get the hell out of here.”
“No, answer him, Andro. How did you get the key?” Gemma crossed her arms, glaring at him.
“In case you don’t recall, you used your joint credit card with Tyler to book this room. He had me trace it and find where you were staying so I could get you home safely. I got the key because Tyler gave me all the information of the card you were using as well as all my old credentials as your bodyguard. We didn’t know what kind of danger you might be in,” Andro explained. “You ran off without an explanation. You weren’t answering your phone. I thought, like Tyler thought, that you were in trouble so I wasn’t expecting to walk in on something like this.” Damian’s jaw tightened. It was clear he was angry but chose to stay quiet. Gemma closed her eyes. Though nothing happened, she somehow felt too tired to contest what Andro had said. It was an exhaustion that sleep wouldn’t help. Gemma was beginning to wonder if anything could fix it.
Chapter 11
TYLER CHASE CAUGHT CHEATING?
Popstar spends secretive evening at Madison Lennox’s apartment
Celeb-o-Matic
October 27th
Yup – he literally went there.
Tyler Chase is in hot water after being photographed leaving co-star Madison Lennox’s West Hollywood apartment last night at around midnight. Since then, the Internet has been ablaze with scathing insults aimed at Chase, who is also trending worldwide on Twitter under the hashtag, #ScrewYouTyler.
Neighbors allege that Chase had been spotted entering Lennox’s residential building around 8PM, and that neither party left for the duration of the whopping four-hour visit. Though we’d like to believe that Chase isn’t actually cheating with the seductive Lennox, it’s hard to find any other explanation for their lengthy late night hangout. In the photos, Chase is pictured wearing a dark hoody, ducking his head and looking around as he heads for the black Acura that he likely borrowed for the trip (Chase does not own any Acura vehicles).
Looks like someone was trying to sneak around undetected. Coming off a particularly stressful year of harassment and most recently, a shocking release from her label, we can only imagine what Queen Bee thinks about all this.
TIME TO OVERTHROW THE KING
Celebstan
October 30th
I’m serious. I have been betrayed, and so have you. For when our Queen is betrayed, we all are. I know there’s no cold, hard evidence of an affair, but let’s just cut the bullshit here. Tyler was at Madison Lennox’s house for four hours until midnight last night. Madison Lennox, who bullied our flawless Queen when she was in high school. That Madison Lennox. Alone. In her house. Till midnight.
And he actually tried to insult our intelligence by going incognito in an oversized hoody! As if we couldn’t totally recognize his face under it because UGHhaslkfjsldk, he is still incomparably good-looking despite now being a huge, philandering disappointment to my life. But anyway, back to the point – this incident combined with the reports of “electrifying” on-set chemistry while filming Carbine obviously = Tyler and Evil Witch boning. I know. He’s literally sleeping with the enemy. The thought makes me want to vom everywhere, which might actually be a good idea considering I’ve been grief-bingeing on Chipwiches and Monterey Jack taquitos from 7-Eleven since this story broke. The disappointment honestly feels like Tyler ripping my heart out and then doing a sexy dance routine all over it.
So in conclusion, this is very much the end of my stanning for him. It hurts, but it’ll prob feel better if we all join hands and say it together: #ScrewYouTyler. Screw you.
Flecks of pancake batter splashed the pages of Gemma’s Vogue as she slouched over Zoe’s white kitchen counter, her eyes staring blankly into space. Across from her, Zoe used both hands to grip a heavy electric egg beater, trying to keep it within the confines of the too-small mixing bowl of buttermilk and flour. With Gemma in a surly mood since yesterday, she was determined to cook a beautiful breakfast to start their morning on, despite the fact that she’d used her kitchen perhaps twice since moving in.
“Do you want me to turn the TV on for you?” Zoe asked, bending her head down to try and meet Gemma’s blank stare. “There’s like a billion remotes so I have to do it for you. You can watch while you wait for pancakes.”
“It’s okay, you don’t have – ”
Before Gemma could finish, Zoe had already darted to the living room, leaving a trail of flour behind her as she grabbed a remote in each hand, pressing a combination of buttons to turn on the television. It took a few seconds, but finally, the picture on the screen flickered on and the sound promptly blasted at full volume, forcing them both to shrink and cover their ears.
“… and now back to the big story rocking Hollywood. Is Tyler Chase cheating on Queen Bee with his co –”
“Shit!” Zoe yelped, pointing the remotes back at the television, trying in a panic to turn it off.
“Chase appears shifty in photos as he leaves Madison Lennox’s West Hollywood home –”
Gemma’s fingers drummed along the counter as she kept her back to the television. She’d seen the pictures days before when they’d first come out – she didn’t need to see them again, especially not emblazoned across a fifty-inch LCD screen. It was revenge for seeing Damian, she figured emptily. It had to be. Though if not, there was still no doubt in her mind that Tyler had been completely shady about visiting Madison – he’d gone in Mike’s car and a ratty old Lakers hoodie that he never ever wore, not even around the house. The pictures had made Gemma fall numb. It was the only emotion left for her to feel. Her anger had peaked out upon being caught in San Francisco and delivered home by Andro like a misplaced package. Like a zombie, she had stuffed her largest tote bag with clothes and headed straight for Zoe’s house. Seeing her mood, Andro had agreed not to follow, though she knew that his car probably tailed hers the entire way over to Studio City.
“Yes! Shut up!” Zoe yelled at the television, finally successful in shutting it off. She pumped her fist triumphantly before covering her mouth and spinning around to face Gemma. “Bee, you okay? Ugh. Fuck. I’m sorry about that.”
“I’m fine,” Gemma answered, swallowing the knot in her throat. She was unconvincing. Zoe pursed he
r lips.
“Hey,” she said gently, returning to the kitchen and pouring Gemma a mimosa. “You never answered my question from before.”
“What question?”
Zoe brightened. “About which method of ass-beating I should lay down on Tyler when I see him. We can do old school punching with our fists or get creative. Battery-filled sock attack, maybe?”
Gemma’s laugh was short. “You’re so weird.”
“I watch too many shows about prison,” Zoe admitted, ladling batter onto the griddle while her free hand silenced her vibrating cell phone. She glanced up at Gemma to see if she’d noticed it.
“Tyler again?” Gemma asked knowingly. She had been ignoring his texts and calls for more than two days now. They had come in droves so she eventually turned off her phone altogether, no doubt driving him wild. It was only a matter of time before he began contacting Zoe. Gemma sighed. “He probably got it out of Andro that I’m staying here. He’s going to be at your gate any second now.”
Zoe flipped a pancake. “Are you gonna hear him out or should I go ahead and put some batteries in my socks?”
“We’ll see how I feel when he gets here,” Gemma snorted, trying to sound casual despite her uneasiness. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to see Tyler yet. She was still so angry, and she was still unable to come up with a scenario in which his night with Madison could be deemed in any way appropriate. All she’d done for days was sit on the kitchen counter, carrying the same issue of Vogue opened to the same page that she hadn’t read a single word of, trying desperately to give him an excuse. But there was none, and she had no idea what she’d possibly have to say to him, though she’d have to think of it soon.
Within two episodes of Prison Wives, the buzzer at the gate sounded. Zoe flew from her seat on the couch to the foyer, checking the camera before calling a confirmation. “It’s Tyler.”
