The Last Thing

by Gaitan, Briana

  I sat up and wiped the tears from my face. I couldn’t break down again. This time someone else was depending on me. This life inside me.

  “I know.”

  “Now, Quinn. I know that I’m rude to him sometimes but I can see it when he looks at you. It’s a look that Bash never gave you. He loves you. Don’t let this tear you apart.” She picked up my cell phone from my nightstand and put it in my hands.

  “People hate me. They think I’m the other woman. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. We were supposed to come out as a family.” I told her before pulling my knees up to my chest. They wouldn’t understand that what Chase and I had, it was more than just physical. I should have listened to him when he wanted to make a public statement. Right now, when he looked at me he saw the real Quinn. He didn’t judge me. Things were just beginning to feel perfect.

  Ginger grabbed me by the shoulders and roughly shook me.

  “Don’t do that. Don’t go back to shutting everyone and every feeling out. Feel what you have with Chase and fight for it! Do you want to be with Chase?”

  Was Chase what I wanted? Yes, I was sure of it. I hadn’t realized how much until now. However, this situation brought up horrible memories. Bash, a whole town that thought I killed him. I curled up inside of myself as I thought about all of the whispers, accusing eyes, and threatening letters. Chase wouldn’t leave me to handle this alone. He’d stay by my side.

  “I want him,” I whispered. “I didn’t think I could feel this way about anyone ever again, but I do. Chase makes me feel everything that I shut away.”

  “Good, then go to him and find a way to fix this. Don’t let Chloe James make you look like the bad person.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chase

  I sat in the big brown club chair at my publicist’s office. Rhea set a bottle of water in front of me, but I was far too pissed off to acknowledge the gesture.

  “How many times have I told you this? When you get yourself in these types of predicaments, you need to tell me beforehand so I am not blind-sided by these God damn stories!”

  She threw a few magazines on the floor and leaned forward to look me straight in the eyes. Even though I wasn’t afraid of her, I cringed. She could get ugly when she was mad.

  “ And luckily, one of the reporters down there owes me a huge favor. He tipped me off about Chloe’s big story. We have time to prepare a statement and maybe, just maybe, minimize the backlash.” She scrambled in front of her desk and started going through papers. Her salt and pepper bun sat on the top of her head, and she pushed her black specs higher on her nose.

  “Are you positive?” It was the only thing I could force out of my mouth. Chloe wanted fame, but I hadn’t realized just how far she’d go to get it.

  “Chloe James sold her story to the press. She is playing it off like she is the victim and you knocked up some other girl. This is bad, Chase.”

  I couldn’t shake Quinn from my mind. I wanted to be next to her, to shelter her from the shit that was about to go down. The media would tear her apart; portray her in an unfair light. This was entirely my fault. I couldn’t protect her like she needed. She had even warned me, told me that same thing.

  “Positive. Quinn’s story never made national news, but it was still quite a story on the east coast. Sabastian was a football legend. Here’s a news article I dug up about the accident.” Rhea tossed a newspaper my way, which I swiftly caught in my hands. I didn’t want to look at it. I didn’t want to a face to put with Sabastian’s name. My curiosity got the best of me, and I glanced at it. Quinn stood in a cheerleading uniform next to a guy in a football uniform who stood about a foot taller than her. She looked different, younger in the face. Her hair was shorter, but she appeared happier, not so lonely. That was the Quinn I wanted more of; this girl on the picture was not the scared and emotionally unavailable one that came out sometimes.

  “This doesn’t change anything. I still love her,” I said, matter-of-factly. That much I was sure of.

  “Yes, it does. You don’t love her. This is infatuation. You want the one girl who didn’t want you back. This is the type of thing that will ruin your career. People will judge you like they did her. She was made an example of, Chase. And now she’s pregnant? How stupid could you be? I encouraged your playboy antics because I thought you were smarter than this. I have to figure out a way to spin this story, but I can’t make promises. You should have convinced her to take care of the baby.”

  The way Rhea talked about our child caused my stomach to wrench. The horrible taste in my mouth wouldn’t go away, so I picked up the water bottle and gulped down about half of it. Rhea was making everything clear. It was Quinn or my career. I couldn’t have both. My mother had sacrificed everything so that I could follow my dreams. What would she think of me now? What would she say when she heard the rumors? Twenty-four hours ago, I’d been so certain that Quinn had been the one, the only one for me. All feelings aside now, I needed to put her first. I would have to sort everything else out later.

  “Break it off,” Rhea demanded.

  “No.”

  “Break it off, Chase. I am warning you. A scandal with a girl like her is not what your reputation needs right now. You can’t be photographed with her.”

  “We can fix this. Surely, there is something in the contract about Chloe selling this story to the press. I can’t lose Quinn.”

  “Maybe; maybe not, but what’s done is done. The studio will want you to salvage the movie. Two months before the release date, Chase. Two months. That is all I’m asking, and let’s not even get into the fact that you had the nerve to keep this relationship a secret from me!”

  “I didn’t have a choice. This is her life too.”

  “Your reputation is the only one I am concerned about. Do the right thing, Chase. Do you really think a girl like this can handle a life like yours? She cracked under a little bit of pressure. The media will eat her alive. Do you really want that for her?”

  “No…”

  Rhea was right. I didn’t want Quinn dragged into this any further than need be. Losing Quinn was the last thing I wanted, but I knew by now that you didn’t always get what you wanted in show business. I picked up my phone and dialed her number. I glared at Rhea and moved from her office into the bathroom for a bit of privacy.

  “Chase. I’m so glad you called.” Her voice caused my stomach twist in pain. She wouldn’t be happy in a few minutes. When I didn’t answer, she spoke again.

  “Chase…you’re scaring me is everything okay?”

  I savored her voice. Who knew when I would hear it again.

  “Chloe’s the one who sold the story to the paper.”

  “What? How did she find out about me? Did you tell her?”

  “No, I didn’t say anything. She picked up on things here and there. She may have overheard me talk about you to Harlow. She is obsessed with media attention. I just didn’t realize how far she would take it.”

  “What are we gonna do?”

  I took a deep breath and closed my eyes so that I could get the words out without breaking down. I shouldn’t be causing her stress, but doing this would cause tremendously less than staying with her.

  “We can’t do anything, Quinn. This was all my fault. I should have never agreed to let the press think she and I were dating. I shouldn’t have hid you away like my dirty little secret. I should have loved you every moment I had the chance.”

  “I don’t understand what you’re saying, let me come by. Where are you?”

  I didn’t want her here. If she were, I wouldn’t have the strength to finish this. I had to do this over the phone.

  “No, please…. I don’t want you to get caught in everything that is about to go down. I’m under contract for two more months to do what my studio says. People will pick you apart when Chloe tells them who you are. What I’m saying is…” My voice broke and I struggled to find the right words. “The press will start hounding me after this story is released, a
nd I need to keep you as far away from it as possible. Let them get over the shock, and then we can eventually go on with our lives.”

  The line was dead. Her silence was breaking my heart.

  “Quinn, please say something.”

  “You’re… leaving me?”

  “No, not leaving. I’ll always support you and take care of you and our child. This is only for a few months. We need to take a break.”

  “A break? I get it, I hide in the shadows until the baby is born and let the world think that I am a slut?”

  It sounded terrible coming from her mouth.

  “No, that’s not it at all. Can’t you see I’ m trying to protect you? We can talk on the phone and even Skype. I thought we could come out as a family, but I don’t want you to have to deal with it this way. You deserve more than what is about to happen.”

  “I’m sick of text messages and Skype. You just came home and now you’re telling me that we have to be apart, again? We need you. Me and the baby. Don’t give up on us; don’t leave me alone.”

  “No! I don’t want you to hurt yourself again!”

  I heard her intake a sharp breath. I regretted it as soon as it left my mouth. How could I have thrown that in her face?

  “That’s all you needed to say,” she spat out. The line went silent so I put my phone away.

  My stomach lurched till I found the toilet and threw up. Hurting her was the worst feeling in the world, but I had no other choice. If we went public now, they would drag her through the mud. Last time, she’d tried to kill herself. This time, who knew what would happen. I wasn’t willing to take the risk that she was stronger now, not with my child inside of her. I was being much too protective. It was a long time before I felt better. But I finally made it out of the bathroom and into Rhea’s office. She took her glasses off and sighed.

  “Listen, Chase. I sent out your official statement. Do not contact Chloe. I need you to pull yourself together. No girl is worth this much anguish. It looks like Chloe had someone tailing you for a while. She has pictures, a lot of them. Any reason why she is so mad at you?”

  I shrugged. I was the one thing she couldn’t have.

  I stared down at my phone, which showed twenty missed calls. Scrolling through the list, I saw that my mom, Harlow, and Quinn had called.

  Dammit, my mom called.

  I put the phone back in my pocket and made a mental note to call her later. Without hesitation I also sent a quick text to Randall. I wanted to make sure Quinn was kept safe. If people found out who she was, I could never forgive myself if something happened to the baby.

  “So? What now?”

  She sat back down in front of her computer and started typing away.

  “I’m writing press releases, and you need to stay out of the public eye. Go home and relax. I’ll call you when I figure it all out. But you better believe you’re paying me overtime for this shit.”

  “Just make it all go away,” I mumbled while rubbing my temples.

  Unable to stomach the thought of going to the new house, I left her office and went back to my condo near the beach. I sent a quick text to Harlow to let her know that I was okay, but ignored her calls. I tried to call my mom, but didn’t get an answer, so I left her a voicemail apologizing and promising to explain everything to her in the morning. Right now, my entire world was crashing down around me. I could have either my career or the woman I loved. I couldn’t have both, not right now.

  Quinn

  The second I’d walked out of the restaurant, the photographers rushed in from the sidewalk. They covered me from each side, and I felt the world start to pulse and quickly close in on me. I kept my sunglasses on my face as the cameras flashed. All around me, the photographers yelled out. Some of them were nice, but a bunch of them were outright cruel. Someone at work tipped them off after seeing the photo in the paper, so my manager had sent me home.

  “Homewrecker!” “Whore!” “Gold-digger!”

  My vision blurred as I searched for a way through the crowd.

  “Move back! Can’t you see she’s pregnant?” a loud voice boomed through the crowd.

  I looked up to see Randall, Chase’s bodyguard, pushing his way through the crowd. I’d never been so happy to see his scowling face. He grabbed my arm and tucked me behind him. Using his hands, he tried to clear a path for me to walk through.

  “Quinn, can you tell us if Chase is really the father?”

  “Quinn, have you spoken to Chloe? How to you feel about ruining their relationship?”

  Their questions stung me, but I ignored them.

  “Keep your head down and ignore them,” Randall demanded.

  I did as he said and before I knew it, he had pushed me into the back of a limo.

  “What’s going on?” I demanded.

  “Chase sent me to make sure you were safe.”

  “Whatever.”

  Randall whispered something to the driver and we began moving.

  “Believe it or not, but Chase asked me to keep an eye on you. He’s afraid for you.”

  “Afraid that I’m not strong enough to handle myself? He and Ginger treat me like a china doll sometimes…”

  “I know that he loves you. I’ve been his bodyguard for six years, and he’s never cared about any woman before. He just believes that he’s protecting you from the press.”

  “He abandoned me, when he promised he wouldn’t let anyone come in between us. Why are you so sure that he’ll come back?”

  “Why are you so sure that he won’t?”

  I wasn’t sure what to say, so I sat there with my hands crossed in front of my chest until the limo came to a stop. The pain swelled in my chest. As terrible as I felt, I wished for the numbness to come back.

  Hours later, my feet dangled off the edge of Ginger’s small pool in her backyard. The warm water engulfed my legs, but I felt nothing. Chase had done the one thing I’d expected, abandoning me for his career. I felt stupid for expecting anything more from him.

  Though the moon was high in the sky, Ginger’s back yard was dark. I knew why Chase had run, and I can’t say I blamed him. I’d stayed away from the TV and papers all week, but Ginger told me that the backlash wasn’t as bad as it could have been. She’d been surprised when I’d suggested a swim. I hadn’t so much as dipped a toe into her pool since moving here. Ginger sat down beside me in her red bikini and splashed her long legs against the water.

  “Everything okay?”

  “No, but It will be.” I wouldn’t let myself cry over another man. It wouldn’t happen again. Chase would come back to me; he just had to.

  “I hope he rots in hell.”

  “He’s just trying to protect me. I understand why he did it. I don’t like it, but I understand.”

  “No shit, he’s trying to save his career. You were both planning on announcing your relationship anyway, what’s the difference?”

  “The difference is that Chloe already sold a story to the press saying that he had been cheating on her this entire time. The whole world thinks I’m a slut!” I buried my face in my hands in shame. The news had to have hit home by now. Everyone thought the worst of me.

  “I know I have this love hate relationship with Chase, but I’ve never seen you happier than with him. Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

  “Being away from him is not what’s best for me, but I was given no choice.”

  “I don’t know, celebrities recover from scandals all the time. There has to be something more to the story... maybe he really is trying to protect you and the baby.”

  “Maybe…I wish that he could have trusted me to stand by his side.” I stared out at all the twinkling city lights in the distance. Neither of us spoke for a long time, just enjoyed the quiet view.

  “What are you going to do now?”

  Just like that, the silence in my head disappeared. I knew exactly what I needed.

  “Live,” I told her.

  I wasn’t going to take the coward’s way out
this time. This time I was going to fight for myself. I wasn’t going to let anyone bully me, especially people who didn’t know me. An undeniable urge overcame me. I pushed the thought away. I couldn’t do anything but twiddle my thumbs as it pushed harder against me.

  I stood up, carefully since it was harder to get around with this huge stomach.

  “I have something that I need to finish,” I told her.

  After throwing on some clothes, I got in my car and drove across town to Bel Air. As I walked into the elaborate house, I instantly felt safer. This should be home. Nowhere else. I walked inside and made my way to the baby’s room. I sat in the nursery surrounded by all the paint buckets. Chase had wanted me to design it. I didn’t have inspiration before, but I did now.

  The walls were already painted a medium gray. Without thinking, I grabbed my pencil and tape and began stenciling out the trunk of a tree. Woodsy would be the typical choice for a baby’s room, but I planned on making it more. When I had the outline sketched out, I began painting. On the walls, I created a scene of white bare trees against the gray. While I made the long strokes across the wall, I finally let the tears fall. I cried for myself, I cried for Chase. I cried for our unborn son. I cried for the future I always wanted, but would never have. When I finished, I laid down on the floor to catch my breath.

  While staring at the ceiling, a scene came to mind. I stood up and climbed up the old metal ladder in the corner of the room. Using blues and yellow, I created a starry night scene on the ceiling. My neck hurt from using the roller, but I quickly finished. The sun was beginning to rise, and even though I’d been up all night painting, I couldn’t stop. When I touched the brushes, the extension of my mind blended into colors. My passion had returned. I wanted to create more. I wanted to sculpt and return back to special effects makeup like I’d originally planned.

  After searching downstairs for a few minutes, I was able to find a piece of paper and used my pencil to sketch. Picture after picture, I created images from my mind. They had no real purpose, no real meaning. From images of nature to scenes from a horror movie. Whatever came to my mind, I sketched it on paper. Around eight in the morning, my stomach began to ache. It reminded me that I needed to take it easy. Too tired to go back home, I pulled off my dirty clothes and crawled upstairs into the bed that Chase and I were supposed to share.