Born Too Late [Elvis Presley]

Chapter 8: Shades of Cool

The next day,
10pm

Penny Jones

"What're you talking about, Peggy?"

"Are you kiddin' me?" Peggy - my manager - says through the telephone, clearly irritated with me. I roll my eyes, sitting on the edge of my bed. "It's on the front page of every damn newspaper in the country - Penny Jones breaks up with hometown sweetheart Jonny Davis."

"Sweetheart?" I repeat, my eyebrows furrowed. "People are calling Jonny a sweetheart?" Jonny is a lot of things, but a sweetheart certainly isn't one of them. I cannot believe that's how this is being portrayed!

"I mean seriously, Penny?" The disappointment in Peggy's voice makes me feel shameful. But then I ask myself, why should I feel shameful for leaving a bad situation?

"I told you it's best for you're image that you're in a relationship. I am your manager, I know what's best, and you need to let me do my job!"

I stand up, the telephone cord stretching as I begin pacing back and forth in my bedroom. "Listen, Jonny did more harm than good. I wasn't happy with him and I'm not going to-"

"Yeah? Well this, Penny, is going to do far more harm than good for your career! How could you be so stupid? You should've come to me first and I could've figured something else out. I mean-"

I slam the telephone back on the receiver before Peggy can say any more, storming out of my bedroom. I need to clear my head, I think to myself. So I run downstairs and grab my car keys. "I'm going to stay at Sharon's tonight, dad!" I shout over my shoulder as I pull the front door open. "Love you!" I slam the door shut behind me and run towards my car. I step into the vehicle and put the key in the ignition, speeding out of my father's driveway, the radio automatically turning on.

"Pop star Penny Jones is now a single lady-"

I change the radio station before I can hear any more.

"Penny Jones broke up with her boyfriend of one year recently-"

I change the station again as I speed down the road, having absolutely no idea where I'm going to end up.

"Fellas, ya hear this? Miss Penny Jones is now single-"

I slam my finger down on the off button, finally getting some silence. But it doesn't matter if it's silent elsewhere, because my head is too loud.

I am well aware that I'm not the good guy - there was no good guy in Jonny and I's relationship - but Jonny was just as much to blame for our break up as I was. But of course the tabloids label the cheater as the sweetheart. That makes me want to scream. I want to scream at the top of my lungs, but it feels like there's no air left in this car, even though the roof is down. I feel suffocated. Completely and utterly suffocated.

It's as if my body goes into autopilot because before I know it, I find myself turning a corner and speeding down the road towards Elvis's house. The drive takes under a minute due to my high speed. It's as if I'm driving so fast to try to outrun my thoughts, but it's no use. I speed through the gates of Graceland, my head is screaming at me every second of the way. I hear Peggy's voice in my head as I step out of my car, walking towards Elvis's front door.

"It's on the front page of every damn newspaper." I hear her in my head as I knock on the door. "Penny Jones breaks up with hometown sweetheart Jonny Davis." I hear her as I await an answer.