King of Nice

by R H Tucker

  I glance at the clock on the wall. “Nine thirty.”

  Holding up his phone, he rolls back closer to me, giving a confused glare at the screen. “That’s weird. It’s Peter’s office.”

  “Your manager?”

  He nods, then answers his phone.

  “Hello?” He offers me another look. “Oh, hey, Barbara.” He covers the phone mouthing, Secretary. “Oh, really? … Um, yeah, sure. Transfer the call.” Pulling the phone away from his face, he narrows his eyes at the screen. “Alicia Summers called our agency about me,” he whispers to me.

  “The actress?”

  Nodding, his attention returns to the phone. “Oh, hey. Hi, yeah, I’m good. … Really? … No, I just woke up. Page Five is even running the story? Wow.” Holding the phone against his chest, he looks over at me. “Page Five and every other gossip rag is talking about my fight last night,” he whispers with an incredulous smirk. Placing the phone back to his ear, he chuckles to himself. “No, I’m here.”

  It worked. The plan actually worked. Why else would Alicia Summers go through the trouble of getting ahold of EJ?

  “Um, can you hold on a second?” Pushing the mute button, he runs his hand through his hair. “She’s going to be in town in a couple of weeks. She’s coming to the last show we’re doing and wants to hang out, but she’s asking about us; if we’re together.”

  “Really?” I try to sound excited for him.

  “Yeah …” His eyes jump around from me to the bed. “What should I say?”

  I force a smile to stay in place. “EJ, this was the plan, right? Tell her we’re just hanging out. That we’re friends.”

  “Friends?” He keeps his eyes on me, and I nod. Returning the phone to his ear, he unmutes it, biting his lip. “Alicia? Hey, yeah. Um … we’re just friends. She’s playing the Rocket and Moon Fest, too, so we’ve been hanging out. … No, it’s …” His eyes meet mine, seeming to ask if he should really say what I told him. Why shouldn’t he? “It’s not serious. … Oh, yeah? That sounds great. Well, you have my number now. Text me so I have yours. Okay. Bye.”

  He hits end and sets the phone down. Swallowing my nerves, I steady my breathing. I have nothing to feel nervous about. He’s getting what he wants, and by the time he meets up with Alicia, I’ll get what I want. He can break up with me, and we’ll put this all behind us.

  Sitting up, he’s quiet for a moment longer.

  I pull the sheets tighter around me. “So …” I clear my throat. “Didn’t you have to leave? You know, to get ready for the photoshoot?”

  “Well, it’s just down the street, so I—”

  “You should go.” He flinches, and I feel a tinge of guilt but force a giggle, shaking my head. “I mean, I think me and the girls are going to check out some stuff anyway, and … we have a thing.”

  “A thing?” He quirks an eyebrow.

  Smiling again, I nod and try to act as if everything is right in the world. “Yeah. It’s okay, EJ. We’ll meet up later, or tomorrow or something. You should go.”

  He nods, but his expression tells me he does not agree with me. After putting his pants on, he stands up and slips his shoes on. I bite my thumbnail, watching him as he stops at the door, resting his hand on the handle. As he turns back to me, I pull my thumb away quickly and try to smile.

  “Are you sure about this, Skye?”

  I feel my strained smile fade. “What’s not to be sure about?” He still doesn’t have his shirt on, so I quickly shoot my eyes back to the sheets. I don’t want to think about possibilities. Things that were just running through my mind while I watched him sleep.

  “I don’t know,” he says. “I just thought … I mean, last night was—”

  “Last night was great, EJ.” I can feel his gaze on me, but can’t bring myself to look back. “This entire thing has been great. But … this is what we’ve been doing it for, right?”

  Staring at the sheets, I wait for his answer, but it never comes. Summoning any sort of strength I can, I look over at him. He’s not hurt or confused. His eyes meet mine, and he’s indifferent.

  “Right,” he says, giving me a small nod. Opening the door, he leaves the room.

  “Hey, EJ,” I hear Roxy from the living room, cooing to him. “Found your shirt in the bathroom.” Her tease goes unanswered. A couple of seconds later, I hear the front door open and close.

  The bedroom door swings open, and Roxy stands in the doorway, still holding his shirt. “What happened? EJ looked … weird.”

  I don’t know how to respond. Grabbing a pillow, I pull it closer, hugging it tightly. When I smell EJ on it, I clench my eyes shut, shaking my head. “It’s nothing.”

  I don’t open my eyes until I feel the bed slump. Reaching over, she touches my arm. “Skye?”

  Taking a deep breath, I blink my eyes rapidly, making sure any mist dries up. There’s no reason to cry over this. “Everything’s going according to plan.”

  “Whose plan?” she asks, but I don’t have an answer. “You don’t have to stick to this crazy thing you guys set up. It’s obvious both of you are feeling something.”

  “It doesn’t matter, Rox. We’ve got less than two weeks of the festival, and by the end, he’ll get what he wants, I’ll get what I want, and it’ll be over.”

  “But is that what you really want?”

  Another deep breath. “I guess he’s all people are talking about today. That fight last night really did the trick, and I didn’t even have to set it up.”

  “Skye?”

  “And Alicia Summers called him. He’s meeting her after their last show.”

  “Skye.”

  “He’ll break up with me before his show,” I continue, making air quotes.

  “You don’t want to break up, though. I know you don’t.”

  “It’s doesn’t matter.”

  It doesn’t. He was hesitant to even agree to this thing at first. Then he figured out he could get the same thing out of it that I could. It was my plan, and it doesn’t matter if I’ve started to like him or not, because it worked. Maybe there could be something between us, but that’d mean I’d have to talk to EJ about it after he already agreed to see Alicia. A move I helped him set up.

  Roxy doesn’t say anything else. Through the corner of my eye, I see her wait for a moment longer before turning and leaving the room. I stay where I’m at, still clutching EJ’s pillow.

  19

  EJ

  Getting back to our apartment, I’m immediately met by Maddox. He stands in front of me, blocking my way toward my room, eyeing me up and down. I roll my eyes, knowing I still don’t have my shirt on.

  “Bro!” he shouts, slinging his arm around my shoulder. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” I respond, brushing his arm off.

  “What?” he asks, keeping pace with me as I walk toward my room. “Dude, it’s everywhere! Teen Weekly, Page Five, This Week’s Rock. They’re all play on words, but basically it’s about the King of Nice denouncing his thrown. Some are even comparing you to your brother.”

  “I don’t care,” I reply, raising my voice a little louder than I mean to.

  Maddox snaps his head back. “What’s wrong? You’re in a pretty salty mood for a guy that got some last night.”

  “Maddox, shut up.”

  “Dude, you’re the man right now. And I have to say, it’s even sweeter that you look like a badass popping Mitch in the mouth. That’s like the cherry on top.” He laughs.

  Getting to my room, I rummage through my closet, searching for some fresh clothes. After grabbing a shirt from a hanger, I throw it on my bed and start looking for pants. Glancing back at Maddox, I see him waiting in the doorway, a little calmer, but still smiling. “Are you done?” I snap.

  “What’s wrong? I’m just saying—”

  “I know what you’re saying, and I don’t want to deal with it right now, okay? Just leave me alone.”

  His smile finally leaves, and he wrinkles his no
se at me. Mumbling something, he turns to go, and I grab my clothes, heading into the bathroom. I turn on the shower, and as the bathroom steams up, I stare at myself in the mirror. This is what I wanted, isn’t it? Skye came up with the plan, I agreed to it, and now it seems like the entire world is seeing me in a new light. That’s what I wanted.

  Getting the call from Alicia out of the blue threw me for a loop. She’s an actress that’s all over the entertainment industry right now, starring in three of the biggest movies this year. I should’ve been ecstatic that she went out of her way to call our agency and get my number. She texted me when I was in the elevator, but I haven’t texted her back. I should, but … I don’t know.

  Last night was, as cliché as it sounds, amazing. I’ve felt something more and more being around Skye, and when we crossed that line last night, I thought that was it. I wasn’t thinking about our plan, and there weren’t any lingering questions, wondering if she felt something for me. I knew she did.

  When I finally fell asleep, I didn’t think when I woke up I’d be feeling what I am now. I knew we were going to talk. That we’d have to figure out exactly what we’re going to do now. I didn’t think I’d be told it was totally fine to go out with another girl who called me out of the blue, and that everything was all part of the plan. Sleeping with Skye was never part of my plan, and now I can’t get it out of my head.

  Finally getting in the shower, I let the hot water pour over me, trying to forget everything but not sure how to do that. A pounding at the door sounds, and I hear Derrik shout, “EJ, let’s go!”

  After everything that’s happened, I really don’t want to be out in public, and I especially don’t want to be on tap for a photoshoot. Getting dressed, I head out with the others down to our car, and we make our way over to the photoshoot. They’ve curtained off their pool with a large fountain in the middle, lined with cabanas where we’ll be taking the photos. It’s actually a gorgeous backdrop for photos, with the sun high and not a cloud to be seen. However, my mind’s still running two hundred miles per hour after everything that’s happened this morning.

  “You gunning for the crown?” Derrik says, laughing, and pushes my shoulder while we wait for the photographer to finish adjusting a light stand.

  “What?”

  “Last night, bro.” Lifting his phone to me, he shows me the headline on a gossip website; Game of Thrones: The King of Hearts Has New Challenger. It shows a picture of me with my arm around Skye at the party.

  Taking the phone from him, I scroll along, skimming the article. I see a picture of us making out on the red carpet, while reporting on not only us being together, but the fight that happened last night. The last line of the article reads: EJ Tyler was once known as the King of Nice, but that title might be getting tossed to the wayside as the king seems to be eyeing his brother’s reign to become the new King of Hearts.

  “Stupid,” I hiss and shove the phone back at him.

  “Whoa, calm down. It’s just a dumb article. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I reply sharply, side-eyeing him, then break away from them.

  “EJ!” Derrik calls out. “Dude, where are you going? The shoot’s about to start.”

  Rushing through the photographer and set hands, I rush up the stairs and into the hotel. I glance around, wanting to head back to our apartment and avoid everyone, but I know they’re going to be waiting on me for this stupid photoshoot. I can’t be here, though.

  Hurrying over toward a hallway, I discover it leads to another round of stairs. Going up to a second story, I find a small hallway with a few tables and seats set to the side so people can look down over the pool area. Down below, I see the photographer talking to Derrik, who’s waving his hands, I’m sure trying to explain what just happened. Maddox shrugs, then turns around and starts talking to one of the photographer’s female assistants. I stare down at the window sill, shaking my head and picking at the wood.

  “What’s wrong?” Jade whispers behind me. She walks over, sitting in front of me at a small, round table. “EJ?”

  “It’s nothing,” I answer, taking the other seat at the table.

  “If it’s nothing, then why have you been quiet all morning? And when you do talk, you’ve practically bitten their heads off.”

  Maybe I should talk to her. Jade knows the real situation now, so perhaps explaining to her can help alleviate some of this confusion that’s swirling in my head. But I don’t even know where to start.

  “Is this about Skye?” Lifting my eyes, I find hers and then look down at the table between us, nodding. “What happened?”

  I release a long sigh, raising my shoulders. “Nothing. Everything. I don’t know …”

  Staring at my fingers, I fidget with my thumb, and she stays quiet. When I glance back up at her, she gives me an unsure smile. “I wouldn’t do this if you were Derrik, and definitely not my brother. He’s already way too open with TMI stuff as it is, but … do you want to talk about it?”

  Continuing to scratch the top of my thumbnail with my finger, I keep my eyes low. “After we left the party last night … we …” The confusion over everything mixes with the embarrassment of talking about this with Jade, who’s like a sister. When she doesn’t answer, I glance up at her. “You know.” She offers me a quick nod, then shoots her eyes at the table herself. “Anyway, this doesn’t have anything to do with that. Well, I mean, it does, and it doesn’t. It’s just ... ugh! I don’t know.”

  “You like her.”

  I lift my brows in total agreement. “A lot.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  I shake my head, still feeling slightly befuddled, but the annoyance is starting to build up. “I don’t know. I thought she had the same feelings, especially after last night, and then this morning … Alicia Summers called me.”

  “Really?” Shock covers her face.

  I nod. “She called Peter’s office and got ahold of me. I was talking to her with Skye right next to me.”

  “Oh, EJ. You can’t do that.”

  “You don’t get it,” I reply, almost chuckling. “I didn’t know how to directly tell Skye what I was feeling, but Alicia asked if Skye and I were serious. I’d just woken up, and thought we might talk about everything. I wanted to tell Alicia that I wasn’t sure. I wanted to figure out what this is with Skye, but Skye told me to tell Alicia we’re just friends.”

  “She did?”

  “Yeah. That we’re just hanging out, leaving it open for me to meet up with Alicia when she’s in town during our last show. So … that’s what I did.”

  After a long exhale, I stare at my fingers. Turning my attention back to the window, I see Maddox has ditched the girl and is now standing next to Derrik. They look like they’re talking; waiting for me. Rising, I nod to Jade, motioning to head back out. “It’s fine, Jade. Like I told you, this was all part of the plan.”

  “But …” She pauses, getting up from the table. “Do you want it to be the plan?”

  “To be honest, I really don’t know. But it doesn’t matter. Even if I wanted to talk about it, what would I even say?”

  “You’d think of something.”

  I let out a chuckle. “Yeah, because I’m so experienced. She’d probably tell me I’m crazy.”

  “You’ll never know if you don’t ask.”

  20

  Skye

  The girls and I did have a thing. Leah wanted to visit the shops inside of Caesar’s Palace. After that, we visited the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef Aquarium. Leah’s been dying to go since we’ve been in town, and when I didn’t get out of bed for another three hours, they dragged me out, forcing me to tag along with them.

  Hopping in a taxi after aimlessly staring at different fish, all I want to do is get back to the hotel.

  “Oh, make a left here, please,” Leah tells our driver.

  “I thought you girls were going to—”

  “Yeah, no,” Roxy yells out. “Change of plans.”

  “Wha
t are you guys doing?” I ask. I’m sitting between them in the backseat of the mini-van taxi, so my head bobs back and forth, trying to understand what’s happening. We’re supposed to be heading back to the hotel now.

  “Strip bar!” Roxy shouts, laughing.

  There’s not a hint of humor on my face. “What?”

  “Kidding!” Wrapping her arms around me, she’s still laughing. “Skye! We’re not ending this day until you get out of this funk you’re in.”

  I didn’t tell Roxy everything this morning, but after we’d been out of the room a few hours, I finally told them both about me and EJ and his phone call. The list of names they called me when I finished telling them what happened was: moron, idiot, dumb-dumb face, whack job, and crazy head. And that’s just to name a few.

  I can’t exactly argue with them, but what’s done is done. EJ and I went into this thing with a plan, and mission accomplished. Just because I’ve started feeling something for him, it doesn’t mean things have changed. And I don’t have to look any further for proof of that than the call this morning.

  Yes, I told him to tell Alicia Summers we’re just friends and hanging out, but he could’ve hung up the phone at any minute. I didn’t force him to say what he said. He could’ve said he was busy, that we were a couple, or any number of things if he didn’t really want to meet up with her. I’m not mad at him about it. But it proves to me that even if he might’ve been feeling something, enough that he felt like what we did was the right thing, he was always in this for the same reason as me. And now that he can capitalize on that reason, I’m not going to hold that against him.

  “Oh, right here,” Roxy tells the driver, and he stops at a small strip mall.

  “You guys, what are we doing?”

  Leah gets out of the van first, and then I follow Roxy out. “This is Vegas Creamery. The world’s largest ice cream shop. Well, in terms of flavors. You go in, and get your choice of over one hundred and fifty flavors they have on tap. Or, you can create your own.”