Amara sat on her bed, feet dangling in the air, as she scrolled through the pictures of her and Oakley on her laptop. She had sent them off to the executives and her mother, breaking the silence that had settled between them. The harassment by the paparazzi, especially after that incident at Tesco, had strained their relationship even more than when she first left home. But now, with the pressure of the photoshoot lifted, she felt a sense of relief wash over her.
With a satisfied smile, she closed her laptop and basically sashayed to the kitchen to make breakfast for her and JD. He had been staying with her for the past few weeks, and she noticed he had been picking up the slack, showing up sober and even taking on a small assignment for her part of SKIMS. It seemed like everything was finally falling into place.
Humming a new song she was working on, she thought back to the photoshoot with Oakley. JD walked in and smirked at her, instantly sensing her good mood. "I know that look on your face. Why are you smiling like you finally got some?" he teased.
Amara stopped humming and gave him a playful glare. "Got some of what?" she retorted.
JD chuckled. "Yeah, we know you're a virgin, Amara. No need to rub it in to us whores and sluts of the world."
Amara burst out laughing and plated their food, explaining the tension between her and Oakley during the photoshoot. "Man, you could've just given him some instead of torturing the poor boy," JD joked.
Amara swatted him on the back of his head. "You know I don't get down like that, Jonathan."
JD shook his head. "Yeah, we know, Virgin Mary." he teased, taking a sip of his tea.
Rolling her eyes, Amara focused on her breakfast, turning on the TV in the kitchen to watch Outer Banks. JD tried to grab the remote to change the channel, but Amara held onto it, knowing he hated watching shows he played in. They ended up wrestling for the remote, laughing uncontrollably until they finally settled down to eat.
As they ate, Amara usually took some time away from her phone. She decided to watch Stranger Things instead, silently cheering on Caleb. JD scrolled through his phone until suddenly, his fork froze in mid-air.
"JD?" Amara said, sensing his tension.
He looked up at her, then back at his phone, before finally meeting her gaze. "Spit it out, JD," she urged.
He flipped his phone over, revealing an Instagram post that made Amara's heart drop. It had an intriguing headliner accompanied by a picture of Oakley and a girl together standing way too close for eachother for Amara's liking. The post reads;
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Amara grabbed the phone, disbelief written across her face. "Seriously? You've got to be shitting me." Amara gave him back his phone and went into her room to plug out her phone from the charger. As she walked back downstairs to her kitchen she scrolled through the post now on her own phone, her frustration growing with each message new from Oakley. She huffed in annoyance, causing JD to glance up from his tea. She showed him her notifications, and he rolled his eyes in solidarity.
"Why is he even contacting me right now? Is he not with his bitch?" Amara muttered, her tone laced with irritation.
Suddenly, a distinct knock echoed through the house, signaling the presence of one of her bodyguards, Dice. Amara strode to the door, hand on her hip, and swung it open, ready to confront him.
"Dice," she said, her voice firm as she awaited his message.
"Boss said to hit him back," he stated plainly, his expression betraying nothing.
Amara sucked her teeth in frustration. Dice knew her well enough by now to anticipate her response. "Tell your "boss" to kiss my black ass." she retorted, closing the door on him without waiting for a reply.
Returning to the kitchen, Amara began to pace back and forth, her mind racing with thoughts and emotions. Then, a smirk spread across her face, causing JD to look at her with concern.
"Amara, please don't do anything you'd regret—" he started, but she cut him off with determination.
"JD, pack your things. We're going to Calabasas," she declared, her voice leaving no room for argument. A few hours later, Amara stood in her living room with her bags packed and ready to go. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, fueling her swift packing process that took no more than two hours. She had arranged for a pilot and prepared her plane for the journey back home to Calabasas.
Before departing, she quickly FaceTimed her aunts, Kylie and Kendall. Their excitement at her impending arrival was palpable, and they immediately began preparations without needing to ask any questions.
As she finished her call, she called up Dice to her apartment to inform him of her plans to return home. His voice carried a note of concern as he spoke. "Amara, I really don't think you should test him—"
But Amara raised her hand to silence him, a clear indication that she didn't want to entertain any objections. Dice, who rarely spoke up, seemed taken aback by her dismissive gesture, but he complied and fell silent.
With everything in place, Amara and JD made their way to the airport, Oakley's incessant calls and messages continued to flood her phone. With each notification, her blood grew hot, but she refused to let it distract her from her plan.
Settling into their seats on the plane, Amara glanced at JD, who had been unusually quiet since she made the decision to return to Calabasas. She could sense his apprehension.
"JD, I appreciate you coming with me," she said, breaking the silence as the plane taxied down the runway. "I know this isn't exactly how you planned to spend your day."
JD shrugged, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Hey, what are friends for, right? Besides, I wouldn't miss this for the world. Knowing how you get this is probably about to be the best two weeks of my life"
Amara nodded, grateful for his unwavering support. Despite the chaos surrounding her, she felt a sense of calm wash over her knowing that JD was by her side.
As the plane soared through the clouds, Amara couldn't shake the feeling of anticipation that tingled in her veins. She knew that returning to Calabasas meant facing her parents and whatever awaited her there, but she was ready.
