Helpless

Creep

Johnny and I were on our way to my dad's album release party. I was excited to have Johnny around my family and friends. We hadn't made our relationship public. It had been a mutual decision since both of us were extremely private. I was never one to be fully open about my past relationships. Growing up with a famous family, you learned to keep everything you loved, close to your heart. More than anything, I wanted to protect Johnny. He didn't trust the media. And I didn't blame him.

I knew that the Latino media was going to be at the event, and I had talked to my parents about Johnny and I keeping a low profile for the night. They had organized everything to make sure that the media didn't find out about our relationship. At least not yet.

When we got there, I introduced Johnny to the rest of my family and our friends. I hadn't realized how shy Johnny was until tonight. It was adorable to see him get nervous whenever I would introduce him to someone new.

"You, okay?" I asked, as we stepped away from the reception area and into the back of the room.

"Yeah," he smiled. "I didn't realize how many people were gonna be here tonight."

"I know," I laughed. "Mexicans tend to invite everyone, and we never have small reunions or small parties."

We both laughed. "I like it. My family was never this close, and we rarely had parties. This is a nice change."

I leaned in and kissed him. I loved that everyone in my family had accepted him and seemingly liked him. They all had taken turns getting to know him. That made me so proud.

"I'll be back," he said, kissing me again. "I need to use the restroom."

"Okay," I smiled.

A couple of seconds later, I felt someone sit next to me. Thinking it was Johnny, I turned around with a smile, only for my smile to completely fade away. It was Alex. What the hell was he doing here?

Shit. I had forgotten he was a family friend.

"Jennifer," he smiled.

"What do you want?" I said looking the other way. The last thing I wanted to do was to look at him.

"I need to talk to you."

"Well, I have nothing to say to you," I said looking him dead in the eyes.

"You might want to listen to what I have to say," he responded. "It's important."

I stared him down. Not saying a word.

"Please," he continued. "It will only take a couple of minutes."

"Fine," I said getting up and walking outside. He followed behind. "What's so important that you needed to speak to me alone?"

"Did you get the picture I sent you?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did," I rolled my eyes. "Was that all? Because if it is, this conversation is over."

"And you're okay with your boyfriend cheating on you with his ex?"

"He didn't cheat on me," I responded. I began to feel my blood boiling at this point. "But congratulations, you tried to get a good angle to make it seem that way. But you know what? It didn't work."

"What happened to the Jennifer I knew?" he frowned.

"She's standing right in front of you," I responded. He was not going to guilt trip me.

"No," he said getting closer. "She seems to have been replaced by this very weak woman who believes in lies. Who believes in manipulation. He cheated on you. And he will do it again."