Carson's Creed

8

THE NEXT day came quicker than anyone would have liked. Madison looked at her sister, as she walked down the aisle. She was indeed a beautiful bride. The reception had dragged, to Madison's dismay. She needed to sleep. Her eyes felt as though they'd defuse at any moment, "you okay?" Victoria asked her, as they watched couples dancing to a slow song. Troy and Melody were in the centre, and although they both didn't seem to know what they were doing, they managed to pull off a decent first dance, at least.

Even Amanda was dancing, with a gentleman that she'd brought as her plus one. As for her father, she'd taken a liking to his partner. Madison was still upset that they'd taken so long to tell her about the divorce, and of course, her father being gay. As if she was to judge, right? She wondered why he thought that he needed to keep it a secret. What was the cause? "I'm fine. Just tired," Madison responded. Victoria wanted to dance, but Madison didn't seem up for it. Madison's eyes travelled over the room, and spotted Carson sitting at a table by herself. All of the seats were vacated, except for where she sat. Wasn't she lonely? Should Madison go over to keep her company? It was the right thing to do, right?

"I'm going to the bar," Victoria said. Victoria placed a kiss on Madison's lips, before walking away. Madison touched her lips, and thought for a moment. How many times had she thought about Victoria kissing her? And when it actually happened, she wasn't interested.

Madison walked over to Carson, "how trustworthy are you?" Madison asked.

Carson's head snapped up with a confused look. That wasn't a good icebreaker, was it? "I'm not sure how to answer that."

Madison took a sip of her wine, before placing it down. She'd spent all night tossing and turning. At least what was left of the night, before morning came, and her thoughts still couldn't rest,

Carson leaned forward, and placed her arms on the table. She was exhausted, as well. How could she sleep when paranoia consumed her?

"I need to ask a favour," Madison looked at Carson with the dullest eyes that she could muster up. She knew Carson looked at those photos, and it was embarrassing. Her snatch was probably all over Carson's brain at that moment. Madison could tell.

"I'm listening," Carson wasn't sure what she could do to help in the matter. Other than trying to track down the person who'd left the package, in which they'd travelled to a dead end, there was no other evidence. The only thing left to do was fingerprint testing, but Madison had retrieved the items already.

"Release everything you know. Front cover and all. I'll even give you a few of the photos to include, is that legal?" Madison asked.

Carson was surprised. Why would Madison want to reveal her own secret? "Why would you..."

"Because I want to. Is it so hard to believe that an ex-pornstar would want to release her history?"

"But you've tried so hard to cover it up."

Madison ran the tip of her index finger over the stem of her wine glass and sighed. Yes, she'd pulled a lot of strings to remove those pages. Google was yet to take down the links, "Miss Jenner, as you know, I've got a secret that the world would love to know. Minds will be blown, don't you think?"

Carson gulped and shook her head. Certainly, people strived off of gossip. It's what she depended on. Carson did work for a gossip magazine, after all, "I just don't understand. Why let all your efforts go in vain?"

"Because it's my choice. I know when to draw the line. I know when it's time to stop with the lies. Miss Jenner, I'd think this would be beneficial for your magazine, why so reluctant?"

Yes, why was Carson so reluctant? Shouldn't she be elated? Shouldn't she be relieved? No, of course not. Spoiling someone's reputation made her sick to her stomach. But didn't she make a living off of that very thing? Carson thought of what Paul Fletcher had once told her, "you're just not like any other woman I've encountered, Madison. And..." she hesitated, "that's a good thing."

Madison pressed her lips together. "it's either you do it, or I'll find another magazine that will. It's your choice, Miss Jenner. Choose wisely."

With that, Madison got up, and walked towards the bar, where Victoria stood chugging down her fifth glass of wine that night. Carson drained the remainder of her wine, and grabbed another from a waiter passing by. What would a good woman do? What would a woman like her do? Carson wasn't sure what kind of woman she was. She'd been described to be a tigress, a man-eater, and the occasional, bitch. But what was the perfect label for her?

She closed her eyes, and the image that popped into her mind was one of her parents. What would they want her to do? They'd been taken away from her so soon. She'd always tried to live up to their expectations. What would make them proud? Carson grabbed her purse, and left the reception hall. She needed to talk to Paul Fletcher, and over the phone just wouldn't cut it.