The One That Got Away.

Home Sickness and Meditation

Kelly was getting used to waking up alone by now, as Jared and Josh spent most of their time rehearsing or recording. This morning was no different except that breakfast was already waiting for her on the table when she awoke. And with it a brown box with her name on it. 

She opens the box and pulls out a brand new laptop. A handwritten note read: If you are going to edit for me, you need the proper equipment. 

Shayla pops her head in. "Oh, sorry. I thought you were done by now. I'll come back later," she pivots to leave and Kelly calls after her.

"You know, you don't have to wait on me all the time-"

"Do you know what I do?" She interrupts, folding her arms as she pivots back around to face Kelly.

"I- uh," Kelly stammers, not sure if it's a serious question or not.

"I work for Jared. I do whatever he tells me to do. And he's told me to make sure I take care of you and you have everything you need or want. So just let him do it, Kelly. What more do you want from him?"

Kelly stutters unable to reply but Shayla doesn't wait for one, she turns and leaves while Kelly grapples for the right words. 

Her first instinct is to call Erica or Patrick but instead, she grabs her skates and camera. She skates to the practice bay and finds it empty. She skates her way through the enormous hallways and corridors to find the recording studio. She can see Josh in the recording booth, headphones on and singing into the mic. She's transfixed. He looks so good, and even though she can't hear him, she knows he sounds good too. She quietly skates in and raises her camera to take a photo when she hears a strange man's voice behind her.

"Hi, there. I'm Craig Kane, who are you?"

Slightly started, Kelly turns around just as Jared roughly grabs her arm. "This is our photographer and I told her not to take pictures while we're recording." He rudely leads her out of the studio as she gives him an annoyed look. It was all part of the act on both sides, Kelly knows that.

Outside of the studio, Jared closes the door and very quietly says to her, "Send Shay a text and tell her you are ready to meet me." He slips back inside the studio. 

She does as she is told.

I'm ready to meet Jared.

Almost immediately, Shayla replies.

Meet me in the kitchen

"Follow me," she says to Kelly when she rolls into the kitchen. She leads her into a room Kelly has never been in before. Every time she thinks she has seen every room, she is surprised yet again. There is always something new to discover in this place, whether it was a room, an artifact of some kind, or a new crevice leading to God-knows-where. 

Shayla leaves her in the room alone, closing the door behind her.

This room was one of the plainest, and if Kelly is being honest, one of the ugliest. It's small and dank, with no windows and dirty powder blue walls. There is no furniture other than a bed with a lumpy mattress, an ugly floral patterned quilt that looks like it hasn't been washed since the Clinton Administration, and an even uglier cream-colored bedskirt. She looks around trying to find a secret exit but can't figure out where one could be. She is quite excited that Jared wants her to come in here to fuck her but thinks this choice of room is rather odd.

Jared enters the room and Kelly stands up, grinning with anticipation that he is going to whisk her off somewhere to fuck her good. He takes her left hand in his and looks her in the eye.

"Where the fuck is your wedding ring?"

That is not what she thought he was going to say. "Uh.. what?"