Love and Hate Collide (JaDine FanFiction)

C5 • N

NADINE

• • •

The lights are now on, coloring the stage with shades of blue, purple, and white.

Being onstage is what makes me float like a cloud. I love everything about it, especially when I stop singing - and the fans do it for me. Or even their mere presence is enough for me to be happy.

"...But when I look into your eyes, you make me feel alive again," I belt out the lyrics, my breathing imbalance.

The fans scream.

I smile, and ended the song.

Our duet with James comes next.

He emerges from the back stage, approaches me, and holds my hand.

The fans scream louder.

The chorus came and he cups my face, looking me in the eye, giving me that smile every girl would swoon over.

I force myself not to.

"Period, no erase." I'm smiling at him, holding his hand, and I sigh to myself. Why can't life be this easy? Why does he have to hate me?

Why does the world think I'm stubborn and a bitch?

I've never dreamt about this. I've dreamt about touring the world, making movies, and performing songs, sure. But what I hadn't dreamt about was hiding under the mask that is the opposite of me.

We finish the songs. Still holding James' hand, we took a bow and waved. "Thank you, you're the best!"

"See you next time!" James bellowed.

We step down the stage and instantly we are greeted by an interviewer. So instead of dropping my hand like he always does, James tighten his grip, making me wince.

Good thing she didn't notice.

"So," the interviewer says. She turns to look at James, and I mentally sigh in relief. I don't want to be dragged in another Ericka VS. Nadine issue. "James can you explain the viral photos we saw with you and Ericka the other night?"

Uh oh.

I bit my lip, looking at James, who seem to be under control.

"Oh, we're just friends," James starts to say, wrapping his arm around my back to my arm. "Besides, I already have her."

This guy. I roll my eyes, mentally. I wouldn't want the interviewer to see me in disbelief.

He knows all the right things to say, or in this case, all the lies he has to say to everyone for them to eat up everything he says.

The interviewer nods. "Nadine, you're okay with this?"

I nod. "I trust him. And nothing really changes what we have now."

Lies, lies, lies.

First of all, I don't trust him. I'm terrified of him, of what he could do. One move by him and my career will be on the gutter.

I think my bashers are right– I'm only famous because I've been paired up with James. What would I be without him?

The interviewer smiles, thanks us, and leaves. Sorry, miss. I can't believe you fell for our lies.

I turn to James, a little mad.

"You can't just party without thinking that the paparazzi could just take pictures of you." I tell him, while we are inside our tent. "What's worse, you're with Ericka!"

James turns around, his face near mine. "Will you shut up? I don't care what you think!" He says, fuming. "I can party whenever I want and I can party with Ericka whenever I want!"

It stung. Everything he said stung.

"I know you don't care what I think, but at least think what the fans think? What if our career will be sent into the dump? Will you care?" I say, a little quieter than I did earlier.

James laughs sardonically. "Our career?" He asks. "Or your career? Huh, we both know I can make it without you anyway. And the fans, they can move on pretty quickly."

With that, he exits the tent, leaving me hurting.

It hurt because a part of me knows it's true. But a part of me wants to prove him wrong, too.

Wiping the stray tear that fell, I check my phone to find out that I had a text from Paulo.

Hey, game night? I'll bring food and you can pick the game?

I smile slightly. When all else fails, at least I had my best friend.

With that, I replied.

Meet me in my unit in 30.

• • •

FOUR HOURS LATER

It's ten in the evening.

I beat Paulo by a landslide in Tekken, the game we were playing.

"Ugh," he says. "I'm never letting you pick the game next."

Standing up, I pick up the boxes of pizza and brought them to the kitchen counter.

"Either way, I'll still beat you." I laugh.

Paulo laughs. "We'll see, won't we?"

I sit beside him on the foot of the couch, a random movie playing in the background.

He drinks his wine. "So," he starts. "How're you keeping up?"

Paulo's been my best friend for almost a year now. He practically is my parent. He knows me too well– so of course, he knows how I felt about James and how people are making up stories about me.

"It's all good." I say. "I mean, yeah, we don't talk outside work but at this point, I'm not surprised at all."

I told him about the interview and the little argument we had inside our tent.

"That jerk." Paulo shakes his head. "You know what you need?"

"A massage?" I ask, smiling.

He smiles too. "Nope." He says. "You need a break."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, right." I say. "I'm not sure I can squeeze 'break' in my hectic schedule, Paupau."

"Then drop them." He says, like it's the most normal thing to do.

"I can't just do that!" I exclaim.

"Yes, you can." He tells me, looking me in the eye. "Come with me next month to Italy. I'm taking a break, too, myself."

Paulo's been no stranger to issues. Lately, he's been accused of playing with Maja Salvador's feelings, which is false by the way because Maja is currently in good terms again with Gerald.

Pau says he's tired of all the issues so he's talking a year long break backpacking Europe, and talking about this now sounds like such a good idea.

I mean, I know I have this movie coming up with James but we have only one more week to shoot it. And I think I'm doing James a favor when I leave, right?

He'll make it big, either way. And with Ericka as his new love team, I suppose, he'll make it bigger in the industry.

I know I will risk my career but I'm not a nobody anymore. And as I think of it, is my career really more important than my happiness?

I step out of my reverie to find Paulo smiling at me, still.

"So what do you say?"