Just for Show

12. The Man in the Bar

12. The Man in the Bar

"You really think he went back to that guy?" Ben asked.

Mitch nodded as he plugged Scott's name into the search bar of Instagram. He didn't know how he knew, but there was no other explanation that made nearly as much sense.

"Didn't he blacklist him?" Kirstin asked, nervously.

"What's blacklisting?" Kevin asked.

Mitch located Scott's name right as Ben answered. "It's the agency's pathetic way of trying to protect their workers. It's when someone isn't allowed to hire anyone from the agency anymore."

"Do I want to know what kind of stuff you'd have to do to be blacklisted?" Matt asked, his tone anxious.

"Probably not," Mitch muttered, scrolling through Scott's page to see if there were any clues.

He hadn't posted since arriving in Hawaii. Mitch's heart ached as he looked at some of the recent photos, however. It hurt to see Scott's face.

"Whoa. 48.8 thousand followers. Go boy, go..." Kevin mumbled, peering over Mitch's shoulder.

"Have you tried calling?" Matt asked. Mitch's glare almost made him step backwards. "Okay, okay... just asking."

"He blocked my number."

"Maybe I should call?" Kevin asked. "Give me his number."

Mitch shook his head. "He'll probably blacklist me for harassment."

"Well, evidently that doesn't make a difference, if he can still come back to you," Kevin replied, thoughtfully.

"Mitch," someone called, and Mitch froze, praying that he had misheard the voice.

He hadn't. Colt walked towards him, looking pale and a bit sick.

Mitch watched as Kevin and Matt clenched their jaws upon seeing their friend. He was sure that they had no idea what that meant to him in that moment.

"Hey, guys. What are you all up to?" Colt asked, sticking his hands in his pockets, awkwardly.

"Damage control. You?" Kevin asked, his voice cold.

Colt grimaced. He clearly remembered what he had done. "In the doghouse a bit with Jessa. She isn't thrilled with... the scene I caused."

The group began to walk away, and Colt reached for Mitch's elbow. "Mitch... can I talk to Scott?"

Mitch glared at him. "No." He moved to shake out of the man's grasp, but he tightened his grip, his eyes desperate.

"Please, bud. I have to apologize. What I did last night was... disgusting."

"No shit," Ben chimed in, crossing his arms.

"You can't see him, Colt. None of us can. That's the problem," Mitch hissed, finally freeing himself from Colt's grip.

"What?"

"He's gone. Back to the guy you spoke to, I think."

Colt's eyes widened. "That psychopath?"

"Takes one to know one," Matt whispered.

"Fuck, Mitch, I'm so sorry." Colt muttered, pulling on his scalp for a minute in frustration. "What are you guys gonna do? Let me come."

They eyed him with suspicion, before Mitch sighed. "Let's go."

They broke up into pairs, and Mitch was less-than-thrilled to be left with the man who was partially responsible for this current state of affairs.