King of Nice

by R H Tucker

  “Yeah, everything’s fine. So, I had a plan for the breakup.”

  “Wait … breakup?” He frowns in confusion. “I thought … I mean, you said we needed to talk.”

  I stare at my fingers, taking a deep breath. You can do this, Skye.

  Forcing myself to smile, I meet his eyes. “Yeah, we did. EJ, this plan has gone better than I thought it would. Plus, you’ve got the meet-up set with Alicia this weekend, remember?”

  He nods, but I can still see the wheels turning, waiting for me to keep going.

  “So, I had the perfect idea on how we can officially end it. You got all the dirt you need to cover over the niceness, and now I know where we can show everyone how heartbroken I’ll be. It’ll be the perfect ending.”

  He scans the small café, then squirms in his chair. It gives me pause and makes me wonder what I’d do or say if he tells me he wants to change things. Does he want to possibly see if there could be something real between us? If he were to bring up the idea of not ending this and dating for real, I’d go with it. In an instant.

  But he doesn’t.

  “The plan,” he says, clearing his throat, seeming to calm the jitters he was just showing. “Right.”

  “So, tomorrow, my label is throwing this huge party for Lost Link.”

  He nods, trying to understand. “Yeah, they headline Saturday nights.”

  “Yeah. So, they’re inviting a bunch of artists and celebrities. We’ll be attending, and do you know who else will be there?” His head twists, giving me a suspicious glare. “Crystal Diaz. She sang the hook on the first release from their album.”

  “I’m not following.”

  “With the amount of people that will be there, I thought it’d be the perfect time for you two to meet up again.”

  He cringes, shaking his head. “I don’t know. Seriously, that thing at the Gracie James party was just a drunken kiss. Sure, she’s hot, but I’m not really into her.”

  “Well, that makes it even better. It’ll be easy for you to end it with her. You can even text me, and I’ll tell you the best way how, in time for you to meet up with Alicia.”

  Nodding, his eyes return to the table. He takes a deep breath, and seems to analyze the wood grain, trying to come up with the answers to the universe. Maybe this was a mistake. Perhaps I should just make the first move.

  “I mean, that is what you want still, right? To kick the King of Nice to the curb for good? I mean, would you—”

  “No, no,” he answers, getting up from the table. “You’re right. This was all part of the plan. Yeah, I’ll be at the party tomorrow.” Looking around the café, he pulls out his phone. “I just remembered we have this thing on the other side of the Strip. Text me the details later, okay?”

  I nod and start to answer, but he walks away from the table before I can.

  29

  EJ

  “Hey, what are you doing?” I lean on Maddox’s doorway.

  He’s lying down on his couch, scrolling along on his phone. “Just seeing what’s up for tonight. I guess a lot of people are going to that party for Lost Link. I might hit up a club or something.”

  “Oh …” I’ve been debating on this most of the day.

  After talking with Skye, I know there’s no chance of trying to start something for real. Her plan makes sense, and it seems like she’s thought it through, so I don’t really see any choice but to go along with it. I’m not going to try and push something if there’s nothing to push. Maybe if she had shown some kind of interest yesterday, but she didn’t. So, it’s time to get this thing over with. There’s only one problem.

  “I’m going to that thing.”

  “What thing?”

  “The party Skye’s label is throwing for Lost Link. Want to come?” He perks up at the offer. “There’s just one catch.”

  “And what might that be?”

  Letting out a long sigh, I scratch the back of my head, then stare at the floor. “I’m breaking up with Skye at it.”

  “Really? You’re not gonna listen to Jade?”

  Rolling my eyes, I slide my hands in my pockets and shrug. “There’s nothing to listen to. I talked to Skye yesterday. This has been her idea from the beginning, and when I talked to her, she thought up this whole thing. No point in trying to pursue something that’s not even there. But I think I might need your advice.”

  He eyes me for a moment, sliding his phone away. “Go on.”

  “That girl I was kissing at the party? Crystal Diaz? She’s gonna be there. Skye’s gonna set it up so we’re alone, I’ll kiss her, and then Skye will catch us.”

  Getting up from the couch, he walks over to me, lifting his shoulders. “Sounds easy enough. What advice do you need from me?”

  I scoff, staring at him like he’s crazy. “Dude, it’s me. What the hell do I know about hitting on a girl?”

  “You seemed to have no problem the other night locking lips with her.”

  “Yeah, and I had no idea what I was doing. We were dancing, I was drunk, and she was whispering to me. This time I need to be the aggressor.”

  He chuckles. “So, you’ve come to the master?”

  Rolling my eyes, I shake my head. “Will you help or not?”

  “Okay, okay. Calm down. You know I’m always down for a party. Of course I’ll help.”

  “Maddox, I’m serious. I need your help with this. You can’t go and disappear. I’ll mess this all up, and this entire month will be for nothing.”

  Throwing a hand over my shoulders, he lifts a finger. “What do we always say, EJ? Confidence. Make sure you got it, and you’ll be fine.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I shrug his arm off and head to my room. “Let me grab my phone, and I can get this over with.”

  The party Skye’s label is holding is almost as packed as the red carpet movie premiere we went to a couple of weeks ago. It’s held at a club next to the newest premier hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Spectral. The street is packed with cabs, limos, and fans all on the outside, trying to take pictures of everyone attending.

  Me: I’m here

  I text Skye. Taking a deep breath, I exhale, expanding my cheeks, and look around the packed area as we enter.

  The inside is just as crowded as the outside. It’s a regular club setting, with two bars on opposite ends, a small DJ booth, and a dance floor in the middle. Off in the corner is a small VIP section roped off, with dangling curtains for added privacy for the people inside.

  In addition to the buzz of everyone talking, others are mingling or holding out recorders and phones, interviewing other artists at the party. The loud music and the swirling red and yellow lights do nothing to dissuade members of the media, nor friends talking with one another. It’s a party and a business mixer all rolled into one. I anxiously look around, scanning the area for both Skye and Crystal, while fidgeting with my fingers.

  “You got this, EJ,” Maddox whispers over to me. I nod, then catch sight of Crystal. Her eyes meet mine, and she offers me a wave, starting to head over to us.

  “Crap, crap, crap,” I hiss under my breath. Maddox lifts a brow, staring at me. “Crystal’s on her way over here. I haven’t even talked to Skye yet.”

  He looks over my shoulder and then back at me. “Calm down. Make small talk when she comes over.”

  “What if she wants more?”

  “EJ, you’re in control here, trust me. Talk to her and tell her you gotta meet up with a couple of other people.”

  “Blow her off? Maddox, how will that help me later when I need to kiss her?”

  “You’re not blowing her off. Tell her you’ll be around and that you want to talk later. Be cool about it. Then, walk away. Don’t look back, just walk.”

  I stare at him like he’s crazy. Not only does that sound precisely like blowing her off, but it also sounds rude. However, he has been doing this longer, so I guess it’s either follow his advice or possibly ruin the entire thing.

  Crystal gets to me, giving me a playful slap
on the shoulder. “Did you ditch me the other night?”

  My eyes snap back to Maddox, not expecting that question.

  “Sorry about that,” Maddox steps in. “Jade was nervous about me, and she pulled him away to ask him for some advice. My fault.” He lays on the Maddox grin that I’ve seen all too often. Then he looks over at me, silently urging me to continue.

  “Uh, yeah. Sorry, Crystal.”

  “That’s okay,” she responds with a smile and starts rubbing my arm. “I’m glad you showed up tonight.”

  Glancing back at Maddox, I see his eyes widen at me. “Yeah, me too.” I take her hand and give it a soft squeeze. “Hey, I gotta go meet up with a couple people. You know, meet label reps and show my face. All that stuff.”

  “Oh.” She frowns a touch, averting her gaze.

  Still holding her hand, I wait until she looks back and offer her a smile. “I’ll find you later, though, okay?”

  The words brighten her up, and she nods.

  Walking through the crowd, I feel Maddox’s arm over my shoulder. “Nicely done, man. There might be hope for you yet.”

  I shrug off his arm. “You see Skye anywhere? I want to get this over with.”

  Walking over to one of the bars, I scan the area again, seeing people dancing around the DJ. Just next to his area is a staircase that leads to a second story. On the second floor, more people mingle and talk to one another. The strobe lights and the loud music should be inviting for the party atmosphere, but I already want to leave.

  Maddox grabs my arm, stopping me. “I thought this was part of the plan.”

  Letting out a sigh, I continue to search for Skye. “Yeah, it is.”

  “So, why are you so salty?”

  “Nothing, just forget it.”

  “EJ, do you really like her?”

  Turning to face him, I see Skye behind him on the other side of the room. Her eyes meet mine, and I nod to her, causing Maddox to glance over his shoulder. “You do like her. Then why are you going along with this?”

  “What else can I do? Skye’s made it pretty clear this is what she wants.” He looks like he’s about to say something in response, but I don’t give him the opportunity, and hurry past him. “I’ll be right back.”

  Getting to Skye, we meet at the other end of the bar, and I almost want to voice what I was just talking to Maddox about. I know standing my ground and voicing my opinion has never been a strong suit, but what if I did? Skye doesn’t give me a chance, though.

  “So, I didn’t realize how many people were going to be here,” she says. “I knew it’d be a party, but I didn’t realize how big. You brought Maddox?”

  “Yeah, I’m a little out of my wheelhouse with this one, so I figured he’d be a good sounding board.” She gives me a half-smile and nods. I scan the area again. “So, uh, yeah. I guess this is it.”

  She takes a deep breath, and her eyes widen. “Yeah, I guess so. We just need to find Crystal.”

  “I saw her already. She was on the other side of the room, so it shouldn’t be too hard to track her down.”

  “Cool,” she replies, and a small quietness falls over her. “EJ …”

  When she doesn’t finish, my gaze stays locked on hers. This could be my chance. “Skye, this month has been …” Even though I don’t finish, she seems to understand what I’m trying to say and nods. “If you’re having second thoughts about this, you can tell me.”

  Her umber eyes stay on mine. “Did you … not want to?”

  “I don’t know,” I admit, and finally look away. Why is this so difficult? Just tell her, EJ.

  “It is the perfect spot,” she says. “We’re all here, and we only have a few days to figure it out.”

  “But … what if we didn’t figure it out.”

  She studies me, and I reach out and take her hand. I’ve grown to like being this close to her. More than like. The words are on the tip of my tongue. Asking her if she wants to see if this is something real instead of focusing on the deal. But she speaks up first.

  “I guess we could wait, but if we do, what about Alicia? Plus, I don’t really want to take a chance on missing an opportunity for a big deal being made out of it. If we tell people we broke up through text or something, I mean, the optics of this will look a lot better than that.”

  She’s all business. Of course she is.

  I clear my throat, nodding, and let go of her hand. “Right, Alicia will be at the show. Yeah, that totally makes sense. Let’s get it over and done with. How’d you want to do it?”

  There’s a pause from her, and she glances down at my hand. Looking back up at me, she takes a deep breath and nods. I’m not sure if it’s at me or to herself, but any kind of emotions I may have been reading a minute ago are long gone.

  “Go find her,” she says. “I’ll keep my eyes on you. When you guys are together, I won’t interrupt until she kisses you.”

  Biting my top lip, I give her a quick nod and head back to Maddox.

  30

  Skye

  EJ walks over to Maddox and speaks to him. There was a clear-cut opening, and I could have taken it. Maybe I should’ve. But he could’ve said something, too, right? That’s the reason I threw out Alicia’s name. There are so many things in play right now: my heartbreaker name, his nice guy gimmick, the kiss with Crystal, and Alicia. If he really wanted to call this entire thing off, he would’ve finally felt comfortable enough around me to mention any of those things and his hesitation, right? But he didn’t.

  Heading around the other side of the bar, I watch Maddox whisper something to him and then point across the room. I follow his motion and see Crystal standing next to the DJ area. She’s talking to another girl, one I don’t recognize. Seeing EJ, she leans close to the girl’s ear, probably telling her she’ll be back, then walks over to EJ, who says something back to Maddox.

  I can’t watch this.

  “I told you this was a bad idea,” Leah says, appearing next to me.

  Her voice emboldens me, regaining the little confidence I have left. “And I told you that I’ve already decided. It has to be done.”

  “Sure it does,” she replies. “Well, you can’t catch them if you’re not looking.”

  “I know.” I glare at her, then roll my eyes. Turning back around, I look by the DJ area, but Crystal’s gone. I search near the bar area, but don’t see EJ anymore either. Pushing Leah out of the way, I try to scan the crowd, but don’t see them anywhere.

  “You should probably get closer,” Leah tells me.

  “I’m close enough,” I snap back.

  “Are you sure you’re prepared for this?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Getting in front of me, she ushers me off to the side. “Watching him kiss her? Are you gonna be able to handle that?”

  “You’re crazy,” I spit back. “I just talked to him, and we’re both on board for this plan. Plus, I’ve already seen him kissing her.”

  “Drunk,” she adds, and I twist my head, unsure what she means. “You saw a picture of him kissing her when he was drunk. That’s a whole different type of thing.”

  “A kiss is a kiss, Leah.” I return my gaze across the heads with strobe lights flashing over them. “What difference does it make?”

  “You know I know you’re full of crap, right?”

  Stamping my foot, I fold my arms, and hold my position in front of her. “Would you please stop already. If you’re not on board with this plan—your plan by the way—then just leave me alone. Once I catch them, it’ll finally be over.”

  Her stoic expression tells me she doesn’t believe me, but I can’t deal with that right now. I have to find EJ. Turning around, I search for them, scanning the crowd again. This time I see them. They are dancing to the music, but it doesn’t look like they are trying to be touchy-feely.

  I creep along the edge of the dance floor, attempting to act like I’m mingling with Leah, who’s following me. She rolls her eyes, and as a waitress walks
by with a tray of drinks, she grabs two, handing me one.

  “Drink this,” she commands.

  I take the glass but stare at it. “I’m good.”

  “It’s not to get you drunk, Skye. We look kind of weird just standing on the edge of the dance floor, barely moving without anything in our hands.”

  I scan everyone else and realize she’s right. Taking a sip, I turn back around and see EJ laugh at something Crystal says to him. Then I down the drink and hear Leah giggle behind me.

  She bumps my shoulder. “Look, I know how much the media saying you broke Charlie’s and those other idiots’ hearts annoys you, but this—”

  “Yes. This.” I turn to face her again. “You can tell me day in and day out how much you think this is a bad idea, or that you like us together, but guess what, Leah? I’m not the only person in this situation. He’s got lips and a brain. At any time during this, he could’ve decided he was feeling something serious between us and told me. But he didn’t, did he? No, what he did was tell everyone on a radio show we’re just friends.” She doesn’t reply, only staring in return. “So you can’t put this all on me. He has to be held accountable for something, too. And he didn’t want to. He wants this plan to work just as much as me. Maybe more.”

  She doesn’t argue, but she doesn’t agree either. Looking away, it gives me a moment to find EJ again. Taking his hand, Crystal escorts him off the dance floor and to the side, where the curtained-off VIP area sits. EJ glances back at Maddox, who smirks, and nods for him to go.

  Without another word, I leave Leah’s side and focus on getting closer to EJ. Making my way through the bodies on the dance floor, I feel like I’m trekking through sludge. Through something that’s slowing me down, grasping at my hands and legs, trying to keep me away. I fight off the feeling and head closer to the VIP area.

  Peeking behind the small curtain that blocks off the area, I see several artists are hanging out, sitting at tables, and talking to one another. The security prevents me from entering, but I show him my pass that I’m with the label, and he lets me in. I see one well-known blogger who’s talking to Lost Link, the band we’re all here celebrating, but I don’t see EJ. Traversing farther into the section, the music and lights still swirl around, and then I see them.