Camp Paramore

by Wendy Lea Thomas

  “I don’t want to have this conversation now,” I said, trying to stand still while Ethan sopped up the cherry pie off of my ass.

  “Answer the question. Are you in love with him?” his voice echoed across the room.

  Ethan stopped what he was doing and rose to a standing position. Pierce stepped up to Avery, gripped his arm, and pulled him back.

  “Don’t do this. Not here. Not like this,” he said.

  Avery looked at me with revolt, and then ran his hands through his hair roughly. “Fuck!” Avery called out.

  Wren pulled on his other arm and Avery was dragged away from me.

  Colt gave me a sympathetic look as he guided Sara, Maya, and Sienna over to the bar. I could see Sara giving Colt an ear full in anger.

  Maya was devastated by all the drama and by my destroying her wedding cake. Sara was furious, I could see it in her eyes.

  Travis rose to his feet and headed to the bar for some ice. I couldn’t stop thinking how Avery’s one look tore my heart to pieces.

  Ethan put his hands around my waist and helped me stay upright while he slipped my shoe back on.

  I was spinning. I was crumbling and I was taking Avery down with me.

  I wanted to go back to the bar and order a double. But Maya and Sara were over there. I wanted to hide. I was suffocating. I looked around the room and suddenly felt claustrophobic. I didn’t want to be here anymore. I couldn’t do it.

  I broke away from Ethan and headed towards the door. I pushed past Elias who was scrambling to get my coat as I headed his way. But I had to get outside right now. I couldn’t handle all of the judgment being leveled at me. I didn’t care if I froze to death. I had to get out of here. I didn’t want any of this anymore. I hated this place and what it had done to me. I had finally come undone.

  The horizon filled with the vanilla-colored glow of the moon as I stepped through two inches of freshly fallen snow. It was chilling as it slipped up over my heels. I ran away from Paramore as quickly as I could, my shoes falling off in the cold wetness.

  The chill of the ice snapped me out of my drunken panic and I finally stopped to breathe. I stared at the beautiful moonrise as it brought the stillness of the forest out of the darkness and into its halo. It was dead silent except for approaching footsteps crackling in the snow.

  A buck and his doe stepped softly up to the lake and rustled through the snow with their noses then began drinking from the water’s edge. I had never encountered a more beautiful moment.

  My heavy heart lightened slightly but the only thing that was clear was that I was in love with two men. And I didn’t want to give up either one.

  “Aria,” Ethan called out after me.

  I shook my head at him and kept walking deeper in the forest. I felt his hand on my arm and I stopped but didn’t look at him.

  “Tell Maya and Travis I’m sorry for ruining their wedding,” I said sobbing, trying my best to render a fake smile as Ethan handed me my coat and gave me my heels back. I slipped them on slowly. I was going to get pudding and cake all over the inside of my coat but I didn’t care.

  I used my sleeve to dry my eyes before they froze and removed some of the icing off of my face. Then I slipped my shivering hands into my pockets.

  My eyes snapped opened immediately and my breath took, sharply sobering me further. My phone.

  “Oh my god, not now,” I inhaled searching my pockets just as Dorian approached.

  “There’s no way in hell you’re leaving me tonight, Luv, even if you are covered in wedding cake,” Dorian affirmed, stepping up behind Ethan.

  “I’ll take care of her now, mate,” Dorian said.

  Ethan stepped backwards, giving in to Dorian’s will but stopped short of moving more than four feet away. Dorian moved closer and went to wrap his arms around me.

  “Get away from her you British Bastard! Enough is enough,” Avery’s voice seemed to float across the snowflakes as the darkness brought an increasing winter storm with it. Dorian took an unsure step backwards. I didn’t need their fighting right now. I needed to find my phone. I continued to search my pockets frantically.

  “Aria, are you alright?” Avery asked.

  “I need to talk to you,” I said.

  “We’re not doing this in front of him, Aria. Let’s go to my office.” I looked over at Dorian then back to Avery.

  “Avery, this can’t wait.” Avery shook his head. “Fine, we’ll do this here then.” I walked up to Avery and grabbed the lapels of his tuxedo jacket.

  “Avery, listen to me.” He looked at me quizzically. “I don’t have my phone. I forgot to turn it in when I arrived tonight. I left it in my coat pocket and when I stuck my hands in my pocket a moment ago, I realized it’s not there anymore.” I could see the disappointment in his eyes that I would be so careless yet again.

  He stared blankly at me for what seemed like several uncomfortable seconds, but then his eyes lit up, and he grabbed his cell out of his pocket and scrolled through. Once he found what he was looking for he reached out, grabbed my arm, and started to pull me back to Paramore.

  “Come with me right now, Aria.” As we moved towards Paramore, he gripped my arm tighter.

  “Oww, Avery you’re hurting me.”

  “Not bloody likely, mate,” Dorian said as he reached up and grabbed Avery’s arm and forced him to stop in his tracks. Avery looked down at me then back to Dorian as anger flooded his eyes and his fist slammed into Dorian’s jaw, knocking him into the freshly fallen snow. Then Avery looked over at Ethan.

  “Pick his ass up and follow me,” Avery commanded.

  We hurried through the snow and back up the steps and entered Paramore. Ethan had his arm around Dorian as they moved behind us. When we entered the Manor, Avery steered us directly to the coatroom. Then he turned to Ethan.

  “Throw him in the corner,” Avery said as he gestured to Ethan.

  Then Avery sat me in a little chair off to the side, walked up to Ethan, and whispered something in his ear that made Ethan promptly turn and head out the door. Next Avery turned to Elias who was quite startled by all the bustle and commotion.

  “I need you to take a break old friend. Go over to the bar and have a drink. Make sure Kim knows you’re on break. Wait at the bar until I call you.”

  Elias nodded with a concerned look on his face, finished hanging my coat on the rack, and then headed out the door.

  Avery moved over to the door, closed it, and guided me to the backside of the coatroom where Dorian was still sitting dazed on the floor holding his jaw, and then turned off the lights.

  “What are we doing here, mate?” Dorian asked. Avery looked his way in the darkness and simply whispered, “SSSSHHHH.”

  We waited silently in the dark for about fifteen minutes.

  “What’s going on, Avery? Why are we in here?” I asked.

  “Just wait,” he said.

  “I really think we should talk, Avery,” I whispered.

  “Just wait, Aria.”

  Finally after about twenty minutes we could hear footsteps walk up to the door.

  They paused for a moment, the doorknob turned and a silhouetted figure stepped into the coatroom. Avery then reached out in the darkness and switched on the light. There she was. My mouth fell open and Dorian’s eyes intensified.

  “Oh my, god,” I said.

  Jenna was standing there holding my cell phone in her hand.

  Avery stepped up to her barely an inch from her face, and then he slapped my phone out of her hand. It landed hard into Dorian’s head knocking him backwards into the wall.

  “Oww, piss off, git!” he said, as he slumped backwards, dazed.

  Jenna didn’t say a word but the friendly look in her eyes that I had come to know, was gone.

  Ethan, Pierce, Travis, and two security guards stepped through the door; they had been waiting out of sight.

  “Take her to my office,” Avery instructed.

  “Bloody Minger!” Dorian said, as the two sec
urity officers grabbed each of Jenna’s arms and led Jenna out of the room with Pierce and Travis leading the way. Ethan stood there nearly as heartbroken as I was, when Wren ran up to his side.

  “Yo, what’d I miss?” Wren asked incredulously. Ethan just glared at Jenna and shook his head as if to say not now.

  *****

  Avery sat behind his desk with his forehead resting against both of his clenched hands. Then he looked up at Jenna who was sitting in a cushioned chair across from Avery, flanked by two security guards who stood just behind her.

  Pierce and Travis hung back by a large bookshelf as Dorian and I positioned ourselves by a small fireplace and a large black leather sofa.

  “Care to say anything yet?” Avery said.

  We had been staring at each other for about twenty minutes in silence. The only sound that hung in the room was the ticking of a small wind-up clock on the east wall.

  Jenna slumped back in her chair. “No. I want my lawyer,” she replied.

  Avery smirked. “Oh, you’re not under arrest…not yet.” Then he leaned towards her. “You will talk. That’s a promise.”

  I was still in shock. She had befriended me, manipulated me, and even pleasured me. My heart froze. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around what was happening. How could she be Tor?

  Dorian walked across the room and put his hand on my lower back. Avery’s scowl sent a clear message for Dorian to back off. Dorian grinned smugly like he knew better, but thought he’d test Avery anyway. Avery then gestured for Dorian to start. Dorian fluttered his eyes then stepped up to Jenna and leaned lower towards her.

  “Care to tell me why you’re trying to ruin my career?” Dorian quizzed.

  “I would think all the press coverage helped it. You’re all over the news. All anyone talks about is Dorian Macallan and his new girl,” she assured. “How do you know I even did anything? Maybe…just maybe, I saw Aria’s phone fall out of her pocket when she ran out of the Manor tonight. Maybe I was just returning it to her…maybe I didn’t want her to get into trouble by giving it to her in public and simply wanted to slip it into her coat pocket without anyone noticing.” Jenna’s leer proved she wasn’t intimidated.

  “The cell phone was gone from her coat before Elias picked it up. So, it couldn’t have fallen out.”

  “Oh, I see,” she said frowning.

  “Plus, this was posted fifteen minutes before she went outside,” Avery said, as he spun his computer around and there was my blonde hair dirty dancing with Dorian on the dance floor.

  It was posted at the Newsnet blog and the headline read: ‘Dorian Macallan’s Secret Wedding Photos. Who is this New Mystery Girl?’

  “That photo is still on Aria’s phone. Its metadata is geo-stamped from this location,” Avery affirmed. “So, why are you trying to destroy my business?” Avery asked.

  “Well…sadly, as great as you all are to fuck with,” she continued looking over at me, “It’s you I came for, Aria.” I blinked in confusion.

  “What the fuck did I do to you?” She didn’t answer. “You were my friend, probably my best friend here. I confided in you and trusted you. I don’t understand any of this,” I said.

  “Tell me why you’d ruin my business and Dorian’s career just to fuck with Aria,” Avery asked. She still didn’t answer.

  “What did I do to you to make you hate me so much?” I continued as my eyes welled up from the emotional strain this was having on me.

  “Oh, my sweet, Aria, it’s not me that hates you,” she said coyly.

  “Was this for Genevieve or Jezebel?” I asked, fearing her answer. Then Avery interrupted us as he spun his laptop back to himself, switched windows, and spun it towards the rest of us again.

  “Have you been listening, Sergeant?” he asked of the slightly wide officer now appearing in the computer monitor on Skype. It was police Sergeant Winkle from Hawaii.

  “Yes. Is Pierce with you, Mr. Jameson?” asked Winkle.

  “I’m right over here, Winkle. You’re the man,” Pierce said as he leaned in so Officer Winkle could see him clearer.

  “Thanks, Pierce. Now, concerning your earlier phone call, Mr. Jameson please turn me so I can see her better.” Avery adjusted the laptop so Winkle had a clear view of Jenna. “Yes, that’s her,” Officer Winkle said.

  “Who? What are you talking about?” asked Dorian. I could see that Avery finally figured it out and looked pissed. I was extremely worried. Then Jenna turned towards me.

  “I’m surprised that you haven’t figured it out yet, Aria. Think about it. What person has every reason to hate you?”

  I held her hard gaze. “Who?” I asked hesitantly. Jenna paused.

  “Officer Winkle. Please explain to everyone,” Avery requested.

  “Certainly, Mr. Jameson. When you and your party ran into Miss Brady at our police station in Hawaii she had just arrived to bail out Mr. Gregor.”

  “Mr. Gregor! Why were you there to bail him out?” I bellowed.

  “Who is this Mr. Gregor fellow?” Dorian interjected as Jenna rolled her eyes.

  “My cousin, Nathan Torrence Gregor. You probably know him better by his blogger name Tor.”

  The room fell silent as I broke down. My knees began to buckle. Dorian reached out to steady me.

  “Oh my, god. Why…why?” I fell to my knees as tears flooded my eyes.

  Jenna smirked. “This is why,” she answered as she pointed towards my defeated state kneeling before her.

  Dorian reached down to help me up and then moved me over by the couch to sit. Then once I was resting, he stood up and continued.

  “Can someone catch me up here,” Dorian asked.

  Jenna giggled as her cold dead eyes stared through me ignoring Dorian’s prompting.

  “Aria, my cousin says to tell you hello and that he can’t wait to finish what he started with you,” she said with as much hatred in her voice as the terror twins. My heart dropped to my stomach. Jenna continued to explain, as she turned to Avery who sat emotionless.

  “After you so unceremoniously had him arrested and fired from the restaurant in Hawaii, my cousin took a job reporting for the blog Newsnet, under the pen name of Tor. He then sent me here as his photographer. He had heard of Paramore when he stayed at Camp Jameson this past summer but didn’t know its location. When you invited me to Paramore, you conveniently provided the means for your own downfall. Nate knew that your camp could only function if its clientele remained anonymous, and the location kept a secret. Nate couldn’t resist the opportunity for a little payback and, honestly, it turned out better than either one of us could have hoped,” Jenna laughed wickedly.

  “Who would have guessed that the world’s biggest movie star would come to visit and end up with Aria as his housegirl? Nate couldn’t have scripted it better. His revenge is complete. Although, I don’t see why my cousin and these two are so infatuated with you, Aria,” she said, meaning Avery and Dorian. Both of them seemed insulted by that comment.

  “Where is he now?” Avery seethed.

  “Oh, he’s around. He is always around. Honestly, you should really fire your security team,” she said, looking at Pierce and Travis. “They’re worthless. It was too easy to walk into Aria’s room to get her phone and email in the photos. In fact, her room is one of the only places in the Manor that can get cell reception. It was child’s play to email the photos undetected.”

  “Pierce, get her out of here. Lock her up in one of the prison cells until the authorities arrive,” Avery ordered.

  Jenna looked unapologetic. I stared dumbfounded as Pierce and Travis escorted her out of the room. She was just as insane as Nate. I never put the two together. She had picked Nate up at the police station. Why didn’t we see this before?

  “Who is Nathan to you, Aria?” Dorian asked again.

  “Nate is my ex. He was the first man I had ever been with. But he was the one who rejected me. I was only a one-night stand for him, but then when I moved on he decided he couldn’t live with
out me. He tried to hurt me last summer at Camp Jameson when I refused to sleep with him.” Dorian bristled and so did Avery.

  Avery stood and moved to the small side bar, poured a couple of whiskeys, and handed one to me. I downed half of it trying to get a grip on what had just happened.

  “I told Jenna so many private things. I opened up to her and she backstabbed me. She was never my friend. She was doing all of this for her fucking cousin.”

  Avery rubbed his hands over his face then looked to Dorian. We both knew that Nate wasn’t done with us yet.

  “I’m ready to conclude our deal, mate. Send the papers to my attorney this week and I will sign them. As fun as this is, I must get back to Vancouver,” Dorian said.

  It was over, finally over. But, I wasn’t sure I could say goodbye quite yet. I needed to get out of here. The drama was too much. I wanted to go back with Dorian for one more night. I had to clear my head before I could deal with Avery. This was all too painful, at the moment. I rose to my feet and began to follow Dorian out of the door.

  “You are going to leave without talking to me first?” Avery’s eyes were filled with pain. I looked away, trying to recollect my thoughts. Avery motioned for Dorian to leave without me. I could see he didn’t want to. He wanted me one last night also.

  Dorian silently walked out and closed the door behind him.

  “I’m losing you, aren’t I?” Avery breathed. I could see his strength as he was trying to hold it together, but inside he was a mess. “Don’t push me away. Stay with me tonight,” his voice broke.

  “I just need some time for myself right now. I have to clear my head of all this,” I said.

  He ran his hand over the back of his hair in frustration. “You mean time for one last night with Dorian. I should have never agreed to any of this.” Then he clenched his fist around his glass and threw it in the fireplace, smashing it into tiny pieces. My heart sank. I filled with fear. Then guilt. I made him this way. Because of me, Avery was falling apart and his business was failing.

  He trusted me with his heart and I was breaking it. I rushed to his chest and broke into sobs. I didn’t know how to fix all of this. I didn’t know how to bring us back into the light. I didn’t know if my heart was big enough to love two men at once. I held Avery as we both cried. I felt his chest shake and his tears falling on my face below. I never wanted to make him cry. I never wanted to lose him. I never asked for any of this. What had I done?