On the Outside (Caught Inside #3)

by S. Briones Lim

  Charlie groaned. “If I was a jerk in any way, I’m sorry. I never like to hurt people.”

  “Say that to my brother,” Kacy snarled back.

  His angry gaze was diverted to her direction. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh yeah, I do.”

  Though I was curious, I did not have the time or patience to pry. Instead, I took another step toward Kacy. “Why don’t you go back to that stupid town of yours? Pretty sure you need to man that sorry restaurant you have up there.”

  Kacy’s lip twitched, but other than that she looked unaffected. “Oh, you mean the one next door to Riley’s store? You know, the one you never visited? Because you’re such a good friend and all.”

  That was it. I saw red. Like seriously, a tint of crimson clouded the corners of my eyes. “If you stop being immature for a second and just listen to me maybe you’ll find out that I’m not such a bad person after all!”

  “Oh, is that why Hollywood basically shunned you? Yeah, you’re America’s Sweetheart, all right.”

  Charlie cleared his throat. “I don’t want to butt in again—”

  “Because you never had a problem with it before,” I mumble under my breath.

  “—but we are garnering an audience. Maybe you two should quiet it down a bit.”

  For the first time I tore my gaze away from Kacy and noticed a group of extras, some non-professionals who were merely on set from winning a radio contest, gathering around us. Though I didn’t want to give in and let Kacy “win,” I knew I couldn’t risk tarnishing my reputation again.

  Just when I was about to call a temporary truce, Kacy snapped, “It’s a good thing I was able to talk my brother into seeing what a horrible person you truly are. Why else do you think he hasn’t spoken to you?”

  And just like that, I was at the point of no return.

  Chapter 33

  “Harper! Kacy! Stop it!”

  “Harper, get off of her!”

  Flashes of light went off in the corners of my eyes but I ignored the commotion to concentrate on pulling Kacy’s hair. I relished the feeling of her mousy brown hair entwined between my fingers and let out a laugh as I tugged at them. Letting my guard down briefly, I gasped when Kacy’s palm found my cheek. I winced at the sudden rush of pain and landed my own blow to her face.

  “What the fuck is going on here? Harper, get off my sister!”

  Xavier!

  Just like that I snapped out of my anger-fueled trance and for the first time noticed Kacy’s tiny body sprawled on the sand. She coughed a few times and immediately curled into the fetal position.

  “Oh my gosh,” I whispered in horror, bringing my hand to my mouth. “I can’t believe…”

  “That you beat up my sister?” Xavier rushed forward and knelt beside Kacy. “Are you okay?”

  “Kacy, Xavier—” I squeaked.

  “I think you’ve done enough damage,” Charlie interrupted. His look of utter disgust further caused me to wilt. “She’s so tiny and you’re…”

  “What?” I snapped, feeling insulted.

  “A lot taller and more fit than she is. That really wasn’t a fair fight.” He shook his head in disgust. “Are you sure you shouldn’t try out for one of those ridiculous reality shows? You’re a grown woman. Was that really appropriate? Maybe it’s a good thing you never agreed to go out with me. I wouldn’t want to be dragged down by you over and over again, Miss Tabloid Queen.”

  “Damn, everything I heard about her was true!”

  “The fight really wasn’t fair.”

  “I can’t believe she picked on that poor, innocent girl.”

  “Yeah, Harper is a bitch.”

  “Wow, did you see that?”

  Reminiscent of those movie scenes where the camera spins around you, I felt dizzied at the sight of the extras and contest winners who were busy filming the incident with their phones. Feeling my stomach drop, I just about cried out.

  Not again.

  Wyatt came running up with a police officer in tow. “Who started all this? I can’t have bad press attached to my film. It’s already been a bitch to make as it is.”

  Almost immediately all heads turned in my direction. If I wasn’t red before I certainly was now.

  “I…I didn’t mean…” My voice broke.

  “Save it, Harper,” Xavier interjected angrily. “Just save it. If you had only waited to hear me out—”

  “Geez, I wonder what that feels like,” I snapped.

  Xavier’s handsome features went slack. Shaking his head, he returned to attending to Kacy, whose nose was suddenly dripping with blood.

  I did that?

  “Miss, come with me.” The cop’s burly hands grabbed my wrist, tugging me gently.

  “But she started it—”

  “Really? I don’t see your nose bleeding,” he said with a sigh. He looked around at the extras and asked, “Care to tell me what happened?”

  And just like that all fingers pointed toward me. I shut my eyes and allowed my head to fall back. Of course on the last day of filming something like this was going to happen. After months of keeping a clean profile I was once again the bad girl of Hollywood.

  As the cop led me to his squad car—without handcuffs, thank God—a symphony of camera flashes followed me. To my dismay I spotted some paparazzi that had somehow snuck on set and were snapping away giddily.

  “Great, the world hates me again,” I muttered. I didn’t even want to think about what Robert, Monique, my parents, or even Riley would think. My mind stayed with the man I left tending to his injured sister and I couldn’t help but feel remorse and embarrassment from my immaturity. “Damn, I really am a monster.”

  The cop must have heard me because he soon leaned forward and whispered, “You’re the star of this movie, right?”

  I nodded my head.

  “Trust me; your agents will skew this situation so that it works for you. How much you want to bet your movie will do well?”

  I couldn’t help but let out a small smile. “I take it you’ve arrested rowdy actors before?”

  He tipped his hat forward. “I don’t work in Southern California for nothing.”

  Chapter 34

  “Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall. Ninety-nine bottles of beer—”

  “Shut up!” a raspy voice screeched from a nearby holding cell.

  I rolled my eyes and sulked back against the cement wall, gazing at the dingy metal bars that surrounded me. I didn’t even want to glance down at the seat I was perched on top of. I was sure it reeked of stains and bodily fluids.

  “I am the exact woman my parents warned me to stay away from.” I sighed and pushed my knees up to my chest, wanting to cry.

  I really had no one to reach out to with my one phone call, so after careful consideration I decided to call Robert, who was less than pleased with the day’s event.

  “Harper, we just fixed you! What the fuck am I going to do now? Your mugshot is already going viral online and on every television station in North America!”

  “Time to say so long to my career.” I choked back a sob, not wanting the other inmates to see me cry. Shit, I was among San Diego’s petty criminals and prostitutes, who probably had thicker skin than me. My situation was probably child’s play to them and I didn’t want to risk being seen as a weakling in case I had to stay here overnight. Thinking of Robert, I scowled in disgust. “Thank you, manager extraordinaire, for leaving me rotting away in a cell.”

  I don’t know how long I sat there thinking about the whirlwind my life had become. It was pretty ironic for somebody who hated rollercoasters to find her life full of the ups and downs and the—

  “Drops.” I sighed and rubbed circles against my temple. With a shake of my head I muttered, “Fuck it. Society wants to see me as a bad girl? Fine! I’ll show them a bad girl.”

  I ran different options and scenarios through my mind, trying my best to decide how to own the bad girl persona.

>   Drunken partying.

  Diva behavior on set.

  Drugs.

  I shook my head. “Definitely not drugs…and definitely none of the others. Who am I kidding? I’m not a bad person.”

  I shut my eyes tight, trying my best to fight back those pesky tears when suddenly I heard a voice call my name.

  “Harper Montgomery.”

  I looked up and spotted a different cop walking toward my cell. This cop looked less kind than the one who had initially booked me.

  “Yes?”

  He pulled out his keys and unlocked the gate. “You’re free to go.”

  “Wait, what?” I immediately jumped to my feet, prepared to bolt out of my makeshift cage. Lord knows how much I never wanted to be in jail again.

  “Someone posted bail for you,” he explained dispassionately.

  “Robert Richardson?” Maybe he wasn’t such an asshole after all.

  “No.” He looked annoyed at my interruption. “As I was saying, all assault charges have been dropped, but you will probably need to meet with a judge to discuss your charges for disrupting the peace.”

  His voice trailed off in my ears. I was so caught up in the fact that charges were dropped and that somebody other than Robert bailed me out that it didn’t even occur to me that I’d probably be hit with a pretty hefty fine. Not to mention the criminal record that would follow me around until the day I died.

  “It has to be Xavier.” My heart brimmed with hope.

  Filled with appreciation, I quickly exited the cell and was immediately escorted toward the front of the precinct. The person waiting for me was definitely not who I expected.

  “Kacy! What are you doing here?” And just like that my stomach dropped again.

  Damn rollercoasters!

  “Um, can we talk about it somewhere in private?” Her voice was missing its usual snarky edge and sounded almost apologetic.

  Apologetic? Nah, I must be imagining things.

  “Yeah…well, I guess I have to get processed out first, right?” I frowned and glanced at the officer in confusion. For Hollywood’s bad girl, I had never been arrested before and had no idea what to expect.

  Take that, America.

  Processing took a bit longer than expected, but Kacy remained patient, even shielding her eyes shyly. By the time I signed my last dotted line, I was more than curious as to what possessed her to drop the charges. Though I prayed it was due to Xavier’s urging, I knew better. If he did so, it wouldn’t be her picking me up.

  “Shall we go?” she squeaked.

  I nodded and followed her out into the cold California night, dismayed that I was arrested in my wardrobe from the set, which consisted of a crocheted tank, bikini top, and little daisy dukes. Wyatt would probably charge me for stealing as well. I shivered slightly as a cool breeze snaked its way up my bare back. Kacy must have noticed and quickened her pace.

  “My car’s parked at the meter down the street. I’ll turn on the heater once we’re inside.”

  I thanked her, though what I really wanted to ask was what the hell was going on?

  We jumped into her car and as she promised, she immediately put the heater on full blast. I shivered, allowing my body to thaw out.

  I braved a glance in her direction. “So…”

  She bit her lip uncomfortably “So you’re probably wondering why I bailed you out?”

  “Yeah.” Taking a deep breath, I also admitted, “I was hoping Xavier had something to do with it.”

  Her top teeth pressed against her bottom lip sheepishly. “Sorry to disappoint but it wasn’t his idea.”

  “You must be really happy about that,” I snorted angrily.

  She shut her eyes. Something about the action made her seem so vulnerable, and for the first time I noticed how pretty she really was when she looked calm. She had pixie-like features that were a cross between a wood nymph and a sexy vampire. It was no surprise given how handsome her brother was. Definitely good genes.

  “Harper, I need to apologize to you.”

  I nearly choked on my spit. “Wait, can you repeat that? I don’t think I heard that right.”

  She let out a nervous giggle. “I’m sorry, Harper.”

  I leaned my head back into the seat and felt my second-day hair crunch against my cheek.

  I didn’t even know where to start. I was at a loss for words. “What…what brought about this change?”

  Kacy sighed. “My brother.”

  “Wait, I thought he had nothing to do with this.”

  She bowed her head forward, hiding her tiny face behind a mass of brown waves. “It was because of Xavier but not because of Xavier.”

  “What do you mean?” I was so lost.

  “After he was tending to my nose—”

  “How is that, by the way?” I interrupted, eyeing her face, but unfortunately her mess of hair still covered most of her features.

  “It’s good.” She sounded appreciative of the question. “It’s not like I’ve never been in a fight before.”

  Surprise, surprise.

  “Is it broken?”

  “No.”

  “Good.”

  Damn, Harper. Stop stalling and let the woman speak.

  As if hearing my thoughts, Kacy continued. “Xavier was angry at you, of course. I mean, you did beat up his little sister.”

  Even hearing it spoken out loud made a horrible shame pass through me. I gulped and fought back my tears of regret.

  Kacy bit her lip and took a deep breath. “But he was also angry with me. He mentioned that none of this bullshit would have happened if I hadn’t kept picking fights with you. He said that he really cared about you and I ruined it by being the pigheaded woman I’ve always been.” Her shoulders shook a bit and it was then when I realized how much she cared about Xavier. I always chalked it up to her wanting to control him, but this…this was something different.

  “Okay, so what does that have to do with bailing me out?” I prodded.

  She gripped her steering wheel and shut her eyes. “You have to understand my relationship with Xavier. He’s always looked out for me. In fact, a few years back when my life went to shit he was there to push me so I got back on my feet. In fact, if it weren’t for him I would have thrown my relationship with my husband away and…”

  My eyes widened in realization. “So you thought looking out for him would kind of pay him back for everything he’s ever done for you?”

  She nodded. “And of course he’s my brother, so you know how that goes.”

  “Yeah, I think I do.” Damn, I wish I had a sibling so I would really understand.

  “My brother really laid it on me, you know? He wasn’t as understanding as you are now.”

  I’m understanding?

  “He was really pissed that I kept trying to break you two apart and even admitted that he only avoided you this week to get me off his case. I did go to some pretty extreme measures to try to keep you two apart.”

  “I’m still mad about that, by the way.” I scowled, wondering if Kacy went so far as to steal his phone to make sure he couldn’t text me. My mouth dropped open. “Wait. You didn’t take his phone, did you?”

  “Of course not!” she yelped. “But I did basically camp out in his apartment and I really didn’t give him any free time. I was quite ecstatic, really, when I realized he wasn’t even remotely attempting to see you or call you. He did a good job of convincing me, so I could only imagine how you felt. I didn’t figure it out until he told me today that he was only putting up the act to get me to leave San Diego sooner. He knew how stubborn I was. I probably would have stayed here for as long as it took to break you two up.”

  “Well, he did a good job of convincing me. He could have told me, you know? Explained his plan so I wasn’t stuck at home wondering if we were still together or not.”

  She let out a soft snort. “The thing with my brother is that he’s really smart, but doesn’t have common sense. Why else do you think he’s only eve
r had three girlfriends in his life?”

  I froze. “Really? Are you serious?”

  “Yeah, he had one girl who only lasted a month or two, and then he had Sheila, but he probably told you about her.”

  “And why would he do that?”

  Kacy looked at me, dumbfounded. “Because of Charlie?”

  “Huh?”

  Her eyes blinked wildly. “Wow, so he didn’t tell you about that. I’m surprised. He hates Charlie with a passion.”

  “I’m sure the feeling’s mutual,” I replied sarcastically.

  She let out a slow breath. “Eh, I’m already on Xavier’s bad side so I might as well spill the beans.”

  Thank God. I wasn’t sure how much more of the mystery I was able to take.

  “Charlie and Xavier worked on a small indie film a few years back. Down to Seven. Have you heard of it?”

  “Nope. Can’t say that I have.”

  “Yeah, didn’t think so. It really bombed.”

  “Imagine that,” I muttered.

  “Charlie was an up and comer and Xavier was a bright-eyed new producer. He was dating Sheila at the time and made a mistake of introducing Charlie to her.”

  “I think I know where this is going.” I felt my heart break for Xavier.

  “Yeah, she got caught up in the entertainment life and realized she’d much rather date the actor than the producer. So she ended up dumping him and actually dated Charlie the duration of filming.”

  I cringed. “Ouch.”

  “Needless to say, work sucked for him then but he bounced back, you know? He’s good at that.”

  I pressed my lips into a tight line and nodded. Hopefully not too good, considering he might bounce back from me.

  Outside the howling wind loudened, only muffled by the distant roar of the ocean. I was sure a freak California storm was looming and couldn’t help but wonder if my bad mood somehow manifested it.

  Kacy looked out the window and frowned. “It’s about to rain, and needless to say I don’t know how to drive in it that well.”

  “Californians,” I snorted.

  “Yeah,” she agreed, obviously not catching my insult. “Let me drive you home and I’ll continue my story on the way.”