Before We Were Fifty

Chapter 12

Getting out of my Cooper this morning, I feel less than enthused about last night. How could Penn be such a dick? Granted I was using him too but....shit! The paper! The print! Whatever Mattson did is going to be everywhere if he didn't follow instructions. Fuck. Heading toward my trailer, I'm in the clear so far- no weird people running from the wood-work to interview me, get my picture or harass me. Perfect. Opening my door, I set my things on the table and then jump when I turn around and find Jamie leaning against my counter, arms folded and angry gaze hitting the floor.

"Fuck! Jamie, you scared me!" I hold my chest and try to calm my racing heart. The more innocent I come off, maybe the easier he'll go on me for the rumor.

"It's funny, I scared you." He says mildly. I don't respond, but lean against my table- trying to act like I have no idea what he's talking about. "The last few days, you've been scaring me. What with yer disappearance, what happened on set the other day- I thought maybe I did something wrong- til I got this in the mail today."

Tossing Mattson's article at me, the headline reads loud and clear. Badgley the Father- Dakota Johnson's Secret Love Life. The cover is a fake People's magazine with the picture of Penn and I making out and a sub picture of him and I entering my condo last night. Opening it up, the whole magazine looks pretty official...shit- that's cause it is! Fuck! No way am I paying that little fuck for publishing this for everyone to see. Damn it! Mom and Dad! Looking over the article, Mattson uses a ton of photos he took yesterday and even put in a few of Penn and I on set of Cymbeline and the ones of me and Lukas together. Fuck! Looking up at Jamie, he seems as if he's about to explode.

"Jamie, I didn't know..."

"It has your quote in there Dakota! Tell me, am I being the fool or did you just set me up from the beginning?"

"Me? One, I never even said this! And two what about you and Eloise? You played me like a god damn fiddle, but you've been fucking her! And she's pregnant to top it off- how do you think I feel?" I throw the magazine back at him- whipping him in the face as I turn to leave, but he catches my arm.

"Dakota, you know that's not true!"

"How the fuck would I know that? It seems you like to follow the same suit! Fuck a woman once- get her pregnant- let her go! Will it ever end with you?" Getting up in my face his eyes pierce into my soul and a firm grip on my shoulder pins me to the door.

"That only happened with you an Amelia! I thought Eloise was inviting me to have a beer with her and you and Victor- that's what she said, but you never showed up!"

"Did Victor?"

"N...no. No, it was just her. I dropped her off at home after dinner, a peck on the cheek as a gentleman and that was it."

"What about the shop photo?" He scoffs and shakes his head, letting go of my shoulder and slumping into the bench at the table.

"I had to pick up Dulcie some new clothes. She happened to be passing by and she offered to help me pick up a few dresses. I don't know what little girls like to wear- I needed help- I needed you, but you refused to pick up your phone. Then I kept getting the message that my number had been blocked, so I had no choice but to use Eloise's phone. She knows I don't feel that way about her- and she's been seeing one of her old college friends. It hurts that you believe everything you get from Paparazzi's." Running his fingers through his hair he sucks in a deep breath and I feel like shit. I should've known he wasn't like that, but now the world assumes Penn is Lukas' father.

"I'm sorry for accusing you of things..."

"Why were you out with that guy?"

"We are old friends, he wanted to cheer me up- so we went to the park and then the bar."