Road Trip ⭐️

2 - Need a Break

"So, what's next for you? I mean you won the awards, the tour is done...what's next?" Jimmy Kimmel asked as I sat on his late-night talk show.

"Um...I haven't really decided yet. I know I get a small break but not sure what the plans are yet." I said.

"Any new music going to come out of this break? It seems like anytime you take a break there is new music." Jimmy chuckled and I just shrugged.

"Don't know...we'll have to see." I smirked.

"Now I have to ask because the pictures had made their rounds. When you were leaving the People's Choice Awards after party you were seen having a brief exchange with Captain America himself, Chris Evans. Are we seeing a new budding romance?" Jimmy asked as the audience squealed with delight.

I had to fight the urge to throw up right there. The bile was rising in my throat, but I bit it back. I just shook my head. What was I going to say? Lie. Lying was the best policy.

"Never met Chris before that moment. As I left, he told me congratulations on the two wins, and he liked some of my music. That was it." I lied. It sounded believable, everyone there believed it at least.

"Well that makes sense. If he wasn't a fan of your music, he would be insane!" Jimmy said and I smiled.

"Thank you!"

The interview soon ended, and I headed backstage. I unhooked my microphone and went to leave the studio. As I got to the car that was taking me to my house my cellphone vibrated. Hollie handed it to me.

"It's your mom." She said and I shook my head.

"I don't want to deal with it right now. Tell her I will be in town after I'm done with the shows in New York." I said and she nodded answering the phone. She explained to my mom when I would be in town and then looked at me before she could hang up.

"She is insistent on talking to you." Hollie whispered and I groaned.

"Hi mom." I grumbled.

"You certainly don't sound like someone who just won two awards."

"I'm just tired. I have to fly to New York tomorrow for a few talk shows and then I will be home." I said.

"Well, I wanted to ask you...about Chris..."

"No mom, don't start."

"But you guys talked! Was it uncomfortable?"

"Very, wouldn't want to relive it."

"So, no hopes in a reconciliation?"

I huffed, "After all these years? No."

"What happened between you two?"

I noticed Hollie was listening, trying to figure out what was going on. "Mom, can we just discuss this later?"

"You promise?" She asked and I groaned.

"Maybe...I got to go, okay?" I asked.

"Okay, I love you." My mom said.

"I love you too." I said and hung up. I rested my head back on the seat.

The car was silent, but I could hear Hollies questions loudly.

"Can you stay at my house before you go home for a few minutes? I need to show you something." I said turning my head and looked at Hollie.

"Sure." Hollie said and I gave a slight nod and went back to staring at the ceiling of the car. I must have dozed off because when the car stopped Hollie tapped my arm.

"You're home." She said. I looked at the house and then sighed getting out of the car. Hollie followed me inside. I kicked off my heels, picked them up from the floor and continued back to my room. I stopped noticing Hollie wasn't following.

"Come with me." I said. She followed me to my room.

"Give me a minute to change. You want something to change into?" I asked noticing the heels, dress pants and blouse.

"I got some clothes in the spare room. I'll go change and be back." She said and walked out. I changed into some lounging pants and a t-shirt. I washed off the make-up and hair was thrown into a ponytail. I was sitting on the bed with a box when Hollie walked back in.

"What's that?" She asked and I sighed.

"Something I think you need to see in case it keeps coming up like it did at Kimmel." I said and she just looked at me. "As well as I know you heard my mom." I added.

I opened the small box and pulled out a stack of photos. She started looking through them.

"What are these?" Hollie asked.

"Chris Evans and I grew up together. We graduated together and then headed out here to LA together when we graduated. We were teenagers trying to make it in the adult world that we knew nothing about. We didn't think that actions had consequences had effect or that words had meaning but they did. Once we made it from Sudbury to here in LA at my aunt's house, we were barely speaking and then we finalized not speaking when we said goodbye." I explained.

"So, him speaking to you leaving the awards show...?" Hollie asked.

"Was the first time we had spoken in 12 years." I said and she sighed.

"Frankie...this is something big and I can't believe you kept it from me." Hollie finally spoke up after going through all the photos we took during the road trip, all the good photos showing an amazing friendship.

"It wasn't something I thought would ever matter. I mean honestly, I just thought I would never run into him again." I said.

"Was he the reason you wanted to leave the party the other night? I mean you asked to leave after I told you he was there."

"He wasn't the main reason, but he was part of it." I admitted.

"Is there ever a chance you two would be able to get along again?" Hollie asked. I looked down at my hands in my lap as I fidgeted by picking at my nails.

"No, there's no chance. Things were done and said that can never be forgiven." I sighed.

Hollie handed me the pictures back. I closed the lid on the box.

I heard Hollie's voice as I was putting the box back. "Uh-oh."

"What? What's uh-oh?" I asked rushing out of the closet.

"I just got the line up for Fallon when you will be on in a few days..."

"Yeah, what about it?" I asked sitting back on the bed. Hollie just handed me the phone and I read the email. My eyes got as big as saucers, and I just dropped my head.

"Chris is going to be on too..."

"Do you want me to back out?" Hollie asked. I just kept my eyes gazed down once I opened them.

I didn't realize I was shaking my head until my voice spoke, "No, just let it go. He means nothing anymore and I will just work on controlling the narrative." I said and Hollie said as I handed her back her phone.

"You think he will go along with it?"

"He won't want his perfect Captain America rep ruined. He will go with whatever I say..." I said.

"What really happened between the two of you? Will you ever tell me?" Hollie asked and I shrugged.

"I don't know."

The only people who knew the truth and what really happened were Chris and I. Also, I didn't see either of us spilling those beans to anyone. At least I hadn't...had he?

I just wanted to be on break...a few more appearances. I could do this.