Chapter Five: Getting Physical
All of the things that I thought were so easy
just got harder and harder each day
December is darkest and June is the light
but this empty bedroom won't make anything right
-“Calendar Girl”, Stars[/CENTER][/I]
Jenna watched the monitors from the writer’s room, softly sucking on the end of her pencil. She had her copy of the script open, ready to make any notes about the scene she had written that was being filmed at that moment. Streeter Cole, the tall dark and handsome star of the show, was in a confrontation with the female star, and it was getting intense.
He really is a talented actor, Jenna admitted as she watched him emotionally break down on screen. She was hesitant to write such a romantic scene for the character, but she was pleased to see it was turning out nicely.
As Jenna jotted down her notes, she let her mind wander to the only thing that she was ever thinking about…how much she missed Joe.
It had been two weeks since she said goodbye. The first couple days were rough, knowing that she would have to go awhile without seeing him. But she just threw herself into work, and enjoyed the phone conversations that they had, sometimes in the middle of the day, most of the time in the middle of the night. He called them their “phone dates”, and he never missed one. She took naps right when she got home so she could stay up with him on the phone, and they often fell asleep together. She would wake up, the phone still open against her cheek, and she would whisper she loved him and hang up. It was a horrible replacement for being with him, but it would have to do until she could see his face again.
No wonder I keep writing mushy, romantic scenes. I keep thinking about the day I’ll be back with him, Jenna thought while the director wrapped the scene.
Jenna bent over her script, furiously writing notes on the edge of the dialogue. She hadn’t noticed that someone was standing right over her until she felt a tap on top of her head. She looked up into the striking blue eyes of Streeter Cole.
“Hey, gorgeous. What are you doing? Taking notes on how good I look?” he asked her. Jenna rolled her eyes and stood up abruptly.
“I was going to compliment you on your performance, but now I just feel nauseous,” she said as she started to walk away. He grabbed her by the upper arm.
“Oh, I’m just kidding. What are you doing later? Want to get some dinner or something?” Streeter asked with a big smile.
“Streeter, I have a boyfriend, remember? The very first day I started you asked me out, and I said that I was in a relationship. Then for the next two weeks whenever you asked me if we were broken up yet, I told you to get lost. Do you remember all that?” Jenna said through clenched teeth. Streeter just smiled bigger.
“Sure, I remember. But you didn’t answer my question. Do you wanna get dinner or not?” he asked again.
“Or not,” Jenna answered as she yanked her arm away and stalked out of the tiny office. Streeter followed her, jogging to catch up with her fast walk.
“What do you see in him? I mean, besides the fact that he’s rich and famous. In case you couldn’t tell, I’m rich and famous too,” he told her with a wink. Jenna stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. He was so startled by her sudden stopped he ran right into her, bumping her chest a little.
“You want to know what I see in him? Ok, I’ll tell you. And you let me know if you possess any of these qualities. Can you make me daydream about the way you look in skinny jeans? Can you make my heart beat faster just by saying my name? Can you tell me exactly what I was wearing the first time you met me? Can you undeniably and completely commit yourself to me, even if it means giving up your career? Can you do any of those things, Streeter?” Jenna asked in a calm voice. Streeter was stunned.
“No, you can’t. But you know what? Joe can do all those things. He is the only one for me. So stop hitting on me, because it is pointless. I only have eyes for wavy-haired musicians in tight pants that trip over their own two feet,” she finished with a smug grin. Streeter said nothing, so she turned and walked away.
She was almost to her office when she was stopped again by Streeter.
“Why?” was all she asked him when she realized he was still following her.
“Look, I’m sorry that I’ve been acting like that. I just think you’re really pretty and I wanted to get to know you better, that’s all,” Streeter said. Jenna sighed and walked into her office.
“Well, I appreciate the compliments. But like I said, I cannot go on a date with you, I have a boyfriend,” she said as she turned on her computer.
“Who’s across the country, right?” Streeter pointed out.
“Not the point. But last time I talked to him, he was in Wisconsin. Just because he’s not here, doesn’t mean I am single in any capacity, Streeter. So back off.” Jenna was getting very tired all of sudden arguing with him.
“Ok, how about we go out as friends? I mean, the whole crew. Well, not the whole crew. But you, me, you’re friend Brandi, some of the other actors. What do you say to a group thing? As friends?” Streeter asked her with a pleading look.
Jenna stared at him, thinking about his offer. She was lonely, having spent most of her nights working or waiting for Joe to call her. That didn’t mean she couldn’t go out and have some fun, right?
“If Brandi comes, I’ll go out with everyone. But if you make any sexual comments, I’m outta there, got it, Cole?” she said with assertiveness. Streeter put his hands up in surrender and slowly backed out the door.
“Fair enough. How about we all meet tonight at Area? 10ish? We’ll do drinks instead of dinner, which is definitely more casual. See you tonight!” he yelled before she could protest. She spun around to her computer and logged into her email. She opened up a new message to Joe.
Hi boyfriend!
Just wanted to send you a quick email to tell you how much I miss you. I don’t know when you’ll get this, but I’m sending it anyways. Today was hectic, we had so many scenes to shoot and I have to do about a zillion rewrites. But I’ll tell you all about it later on our phone date. I look forward to them every day, you have no idea.
Reason#17 why I miss you so much: The way you push your hair out of your eyes when you’re being interviewed. It’s adorable.
Have a great show! Wherever you are, I miss you.
Love you!
Xxxxxxxx (all kisses)
JbombShe sent the email and leaned back in her chair. She looked at the photo of her and Joe on her desk. It was taken by Kevin a month ago in the studio that they were using to record their new album. She was sitting on Joe’s lap, smiling right into the camera. Joe was looking up at her, puckering his lips for a kiss. She thought it captured their fun nature as a couple, so she framed it as soon as it was developed. Now, looking at it made her insides ache.
“So, we’re going out tonight I hear,” a voice said from the doorway. She turned around to find Brandi leaning against the doorframe, looking at her with wide eyes.
“I guess. Maybe it’ll take my mind off of missing Joe so much. How do you do it, Brandi? You told me once you went six months without seeing your boyfriend when he was touring overseas. How did you get through it?” Jenna asked. Brandi looked thoughtful. Then she came over and put a hand gently on Jenna’s shoulder.
“Just by having in faith. In him, in myself, and in ourselves as a couple. You can’t stop the feelings of jealousy, or the loneliness. But you can stop yourself from doubting the fact that you’re gonna make it. I know you and Joe. You guys will be fine. It’s just because it’s the first time you’ve been apart since you guys got together. It’ll get easier, I promise,” Brandi said. Jenna nodded, feeling a little better.
“So, I’ll pick you up around 9:30, alright? Tonight will be fun!” she promised with a wink. Jenna could only laugh in return.
Maybe it will be fun, she thought reluctantly.
__________________________________________________
“Thank you, Milwaukee! Once again, I’m Rachel Hill. Next up, the Jonas Brothers!”
Rachel waved as the crowd erupted in cheers and applause. She jogged offstage, followed by Haven. When they were both safely backstage, she turned and faced Haven.
“What was that during the second song? You practically sang the whole thing yourself!” Rachel yelled at her. Haven blushed and looked down.
“I’m sorry, I guess my voice came out stronger than planned. I didn’t mean-“ Rachel put a hand up to silence her.
“Just don’t let it happen again. I’m the lead. The star. Not you, got it?” she said with a toss of her hair. Haven just nodded and walked toward the dressing room.
Rachel took a swig from her bottle of water, still buzzing with anger. The first couple weeks on tour had been amazing career-wise, but she was still not making any progress with Joe. If he wasn’t performing or doing interviews, he was on the phone with Jenna, texting Jenna, or hanging out with his brothers and talking about Jenna. Didn’t they get sick of it? She definitely did. Just by listening to Joe talk about her, Rachel could recite all of Jenna’s favorite movie lines, explain in detail how Jenna likes her pizza, and name all the cities that Jenna loves to visit. It was pathetic.
She spotted Joe wandering around backstage, probably looking for his sunglasses that he constantly misplaced. Rachel smiled to herself.
Seeing an opportunity, Rachel quickly splashed some of the water on herself, soaking her white t-shirt so her red bra was visible. She tousled her hair, threw her shoulders back, and walked over to him.
Time to do some damage, she thought happily.
“Hey, handsome! Looking for something?” Rachel asked him. Joe turned toward her, and opened his eyes wide when he saw her wet t-shirt. She smiled at him as he blushed and looked down at his feet.
“Um, yeah. I can’t find my sunglasses. Have you seen them?” Joe replied, not looking up from the ground. Rachel stepped closer to him, barely brushing against him.
“Nope, haven’t seen them. Why don’t we both go look for them…together?” she said, lowering her voice to a whisper.
Joe looked her in the eyes and smiled. Rachel smiled back, thinking she was finally getting through to him.
“No, thanks. I think I remember where I put them. Great show, by the way,” Joe finally said as he walked backwards. She watched him go, feeling very annoyed.
I pull out my best tricks, and he doesn’t even flirt back! He must be gay, Rachel thought as she walked back towards her dressing area to change.
Of course Rachel knew he wasn’t gay. All he talked about was how much he missed Jenna. She had even overheard him telling Nick and Kevin about some sexy nightgown she had bought for him. What a skank.
She was going about this the wrong way. She had to stop focusing on Joe and start focusing on Jenna. How could she drive them apart? She would need help, that’s for sure. And she couldn’t ask any of the boys, of course. And Kate hated her, that was obvious. But maybe Haven…
“Hey, Haven!” Rachel yelled as she spotted her up ahead. Haven turned, surprised to see Rachel smiling at her. She tugged at her red curls as she waited for Rachel to walk up to her.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier. You have an amazing voice, and I didn’t mean to be such a biotch,” she said with fake sincerity. Haven looked shocked, but she smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
“It’s ok, I guess,” she told Rachel. She was about to turn and walk away, but Rachel stopped her.
“Do you want to go with me to get some food before the guys go on?” she asked Haven. Again, Haven looked shocked.
After a couple seconds, Haven nodded and started walking with Rachel through the backstage area.
Rachel felt a sense of smugness wash over her. She felt like skipping to dinner.
Just what I need, someone to manipulate into getting exactly what I want.______________________________________
Joe walked back into the dressing room, having abandoning his search for his sunglasses. He started pacing back and forth.
“Dude, stop that or you’ll wear a hole in the carpet,” Nick said, not looking up from his blackberry.
“Sorry. Ok, I got to ask you guys again. Is Rachel flirting with you guys? Because she is definitely coming on to me,” Joe asked his brothers. They gave him a confused look, so Joe briefly went over Rachel and her red bra.
Kevin’s eyebrows went up. “Wow, what did the bra look like?” Kevin asked. Joe glared at him.
“So not the point, Kevin. Yes, she’s hot. And has a great body. But she’s not Jenna. In fact, she’s no where near Jenna. And she is really coming on strong to me, and frankly, it’s getting irritating,” Joe said as he started pacing again.
“Then let her down easy, man. Next time you think she’s flirting with you, just remind her you have a girlfriend and that you guys can just be friends. I bet she’ll back off after that,” Nick offered. Joe thought about that.
“Ok, I’ll do that. Just let her know straight up that I’m not interested. Because I’m not,” he said. Nick and Kevin shared a glance.
“Are you sure you’re not interested?” Kevin asked slowly. Joe stopped in his tracks and gave him a hurt look.
“How can you ask that? You know that I’m completely in love with Jenna. The only blonde girl I want is in California, waiting for me. And I really need you guys to support me these next couple months, not asking me if I’m interested in the opening act!” Joe yelled in anger. Nick stood up and put a hand on Joe’s shoulder.
“Easy, buddy. We’re just making sure you don’t have conflicting feelings. Because it’s totally normal if you find her attractive. I mean, Kevin is in love with Kate, and he was just drooling over your bra story,” Nick said matter-of-factly.
“In love with Kate? No, I’m not!” Kevin argued. Joe and Nick looked at each other, and then both burst out laughing.
“Oh, c’mon Kev! As a person in love, I can totally tell. You follow her around and you talk about her all the time. I mean, you guys have been friends for so long, and I think it just took you awhile to realize what a full blown hottie she became!” Joe said. Kevin narrowed his eyes.
“Don’t talk about her like that,” he said in a low voice. Nick and Joe started laughing again.
“See? Totally in love,” Nick said as he sat down on the couch and pulled out his phone. Kevin crossed his arms but didn’t say anything. He watched Nick chuckle to himself for a moment, and then pounced.
“What are you laughing at Nick?” he asked knowingly. Nick shot his head up, as if he was caught doing something wrong.
“Oh, you know. A text Haven sent me. No big deal,” he answered sheepishly. This time, it was Joe and Kevin who started laughing.
“Ooo, Nick is in love with Haven!” they both sang.
“You guys are so immature. Lay off it!” Nick said, trying to get them to shut up. They didn’t. Kevin and Joe just got louder.
“I just think she’s a cool girl! Stop singing, guys! I mean it,” Nick threatened. Joe stopped dancing around.
“Stop singing? Alright, you can go onstage tonight and do the whole show yourself, Mr. President. Better yet, why don’t you take Haven out there and sing her all the love songs. After all, you’d didn’t think you’d get bit by the looooove buuuug agaaaaain…” Joe sang to him as he started to walk out of the room.
Kevin didn’t have time to warn Joe. Nick threw his body across the room and tackled Joe to the ground.
___________________________________________
“One more shot, Jenna! Just one more!” Brandi yelled over the music. Jenna, who was already feeling tipsy, shook her head. Joe would be on the bus soon, and she wanted to be in a quiet place when he called.
“No, I’ve had enough. I think I should get going!” Jenna yelled back. Suddenly, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She fumbled for it, checking the caller ID. It was Joe.
Crap, she thought. Should she answer it or wait until she was home? It might be important. Finally, she pressed ANSWER and put the phone to one ear, and put her finger in the other.
“Joe?” she shouted into the phone.
“Jenna? Are you at a club right now? I can barely hear you!” he said into her ear.
“Yeah! I was just heading home so I could talk to you! Is everything ok?” she asked, trying to make her way through the crowd.
“Sure, everything is fine. I can barely hear you though-“ his voice was cutoff when someone bumped into her and made her drop her phone.
Jenna cursed loudly and got down on her knees to find her phone. She finally found it being kicked around by the bar. She called Joe back, but it went right to voicemail. Jenna swore loudly again and fought her way to the door. Before she could head outside, she bumped into Streeter.
“Hey! There you are! I’ve been looking for you all night,” he said as he leaned into her. He smelled like smoke and bar room floor. Jenna made a face and pushed him back.
“I’m heading home, but thanks for the invite out. See ya tomorrow,” Jenna said as she walked away. Streeter grabbed her arm and walked alongside of her.
“Well, at least let me get you a cab. What kind of gentleman would I be if I let you stumble out there all alone?” he asked. Jenna tried to shrug him off, but she was too tired and too drunk. She just let him escort her out into the main entrance.
As soon as they stepped outside, what seemed like a million flashbulbs went off in Jenna’s face. She put her hand up to block her face as she tried to push through the crowd. People around her were yelling.
“Jenna! Who is that?!”
“Did you and Joe break up?”
“Where’s your boyfriend, Jenna?”
“Enjoying the single life, are you?”
She let Streeter guide her through the crowd, for once grateful for him being there. Finally, she reached out a blind hand and felt the cool metal of a cab door handle. She hopped in, still hearing the paparazzi shouting things.
Jenna rested her head in her hands, knowing what the magazines and websites were gonna print tomorrow. She pulled her phone out to call Joe to warn him ahead of time.
“That was nuts,” a voice said next to her. She jumped in surprise and looked over the see Streeter smiling at her. She felt a wave of anger pass over her.
“What are you doing? You got in the cab with me? Do you know what that looked like to all those cameras? You’re an idiot!” Jenna yelled as she smacked his arm.
“Hey! Don’t get mad at me! I need a ride home too. Tell your boyfriend to relax. And if he’s so worried about who his woman is getting into cabs with, maybe he should be here instead of across the country singing for 13 year old girls!” Streeter yelled back. Jenna gritted her teeth, fighting every urge to punch him right in the mouth.
“Sir, could you stop the cab? We need to drop off some trash,” she said to the cab driver with her eyes on Streeter. He rolled his eyes as the cab came to a stop.
Streeter reluctantly got out. He slammed the door shut, and then leaned down into the open window so he was face to face with Jenna.
“If you ever get tired of waiting around for your underage boy toy to come back from his teeny-bopper tour, give me a call,” he said, making a phone gesture with his hand.
Jenna didn’t fight the urge this time. She drew her arm back and let her fist connect with his nose. Her punch sent him stumbling back on the sidewalk. Her hand throbbed with pain, but the rest of her felt amazing. She leaned out the window and stared down at Streeter holding his nose in agony.
“Joe taught me that. Have a nice night,” Jenna said. She motioned for the cab driver to go, and she sighed with relief as she headed home.
When she finally got upstairs to her apartment, she tried calling Joe again. This time, he picked up.
“Jenna? Are you ok?” his frantic voice filled her ear, and Jenna thought to herself what a crappy girlfriend she was.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry, my phone got knocked out of my hand as I was leaving the club, then I had to punch someone and-“
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You punched someone? You got in a fight? Who was it? Did they hurt you? I’m coming home,” Joe said, his voice getting higher and higher. Jenna shushed him.
“No, I’m fine. You know Streeter Cole? The guy on my show? Well, he was out with us too and he walked outside with me into a cab and-“
“He was with you? You went out with him? Did he hit on you? Is that why you hit him? Nick! Tell Mom and Dad I have to go home…” Jenna heard Joe yelling off into the background.
“Joe! Stop it! Will you just listen to me?” She said into the phone. Joe finally went silent. She heard Nick ask what was going on, but Joe ignored him.
“I let him take me outside because of the crowd of cameras. Yes, they took pictures and it probably looks like me and Streeter are an item or something. No, I did not go out with him. A bunch of people from work went out and I bumped into him before I left. He got in the cab with me, but I didn’t want him to. And when I made the driver pull over to let him out, he started badmouthing you, so I hit him. That’s the whole story,” she finished while letting out a big breath. Joe didn’t say anything for awhile.
“Are you mad, Joe?” Jenna asked in a timid voice.
“No, babe. I’m not mad. Just worried that something bad happened. Clearly, you can take care of yourself. Does your hand hurt?” he asked, the edge in his voice disappearing.
Jenna looked down at her hand. Her knuckles looked swollen and it hurt to move her fingers.
“Yeah, my hand kills. I think I might have broken something. I’ll take some Advil tonight and go to the doctor first thing in the morning,” she promised Joe. He sighed loudly into the phone. Then, he laughed softly, making her heart flutter.
“I can’t believe you hit some guy for talking smack about me. That’s…well, that’s quite a turn on, Jbomb,” Joe told her in a husky voice. She heard Nick make a disgusted noise in the background and she laughed.
“Well, when you get home I’ll have to show you my moves, won’t I?” she whispered. Joe let out a groan.
“Don’t say things like that when you are miles and miles away. It makes me miss you more, if that’s possible,” he said. Jenna giggled and smiled dreamily.
“I miss you so much too. That’s why I went out, to try and take my mind off of it,” she admitted. She heard Nick say something in the background.
“Sorry, hon. I gotta go, apparently we’re keeping his highness awake. But he says hi and that he misses you,” Joe muttered.
“Tell Nicholas I miss him too. And don’t forget to ask him to count all the “I’m Sugar Free!” posters he sees while on tour,” Jenna added with a laugh.
“Will do, ma’am. I’ll call you tomorrow after our radio interview, ok?”
“I get a phone call before 3am? How lucky am I?” Jenna teased.
“The luckiest. Have a great day tomorrow. I love you,” Joe said.
“I love you, too. And, I’m very proud of you,” she whispered. She hung up and flopped down on the couch, feeling very drained after the nights events. She rolled over and let out a yelp as she hit her hand on the arm rest. While her hand stung, her heart ached a little bit more.
It’s the price to pay when your boyfriend is in the hottest band on the planet, Jenna said to herself as she got up to find some aspirin.
_____________________________________________
Rachel was humming quietly as she skimmed the gossip websites on her laptop. She was trying to find any kind of dirt on Jenna, but so far all she could up with were articles about her hit show that she wrote for, and pictures of her and Joe looking very much in love. She tired to just skip over those.
She googled Jenna’s name again, and clicked on IMDB.com.
Hm, hometown is Indianapolis, Indiana. I wonder if I can get in touch with someone from her past, Rachel thought wickedly. She then clicked over to Perez Hilton and gasped when she saw the picture on the front page.
It was Jenna. And Streeter Cole, the hot guy from her TV show. And they were leaving a club looking very drunk and very together. Streeter was holding on to Jenna’s arm to support her, and Jenna was covering her face with one hand. But it was definitely her.
This is almost too easy, Rachel mused happily.
____________________________________________________
Oh, Rachel. What are you planning?
This was kind of a filler chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it regardless.
Leave your thoughts, Joner Heads! You guys rock my socks!
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On the up side...I'm liking Haven and Nick veeery much! Thanks for the post...now do it again! Quick! <3
hehe
lol