Synergy: Restitution (Synergy Series #3) [BWWM]

Chapter 3. 'Statement'

"Where's Jason?" a young blonde guy asked, following Dee around with his oversized camera. She had only been clothes shopping with her mom and the kids, but they were starting to follow her around at every opportunity now. She knew eventually her normal life would fade out; it was just part and parcel of being a celebrity's girlfriend, but she was starting to tire of the same questions over and over, and she wasn't even with Jason anymore. Why should she be hounded when she wasn't even a part of his life?

Honestly, the whole thing scared her now after her last bad encounter with the paparazzi. She was still in therapy because of last time, and she couldn't afford to get herself in any more trouble. Biting her lip and staying quiet was the hardest part for her, but she managed. She was more worried at that moment that her mom might say something, or even Tushaun. He was four now, and he was as chatty as ever. He knew she and Jason weren't together anymore, and she feared he might say just that.

"Just ignore him," Dee warned her family, walking briskly back to the car and allowing her mom to strap the boys in while she closed the door over herself in the driver's seat. She was safe in there.

"When are you gonna tell people?" Monique asked as she strapped Rio into his car seat.

"I didn't know I had to make an official announcement," Dee spat, annoyed by the whole thing.

"Well you better start saying something," replied Monique.

Dee knew she was right. It had been 3 months since she'd split up with Jason. He'd moved all of his stuff from the house, and he visited the kids when he could. They barely spoke anymore, only when it was about the kids, or something to do with finances. They didn't call each other anymore to check up or text each other about their day. She'd lost all right to that when she left him in that park.

Dee thought when she'd first split with him that he might fight for her, but it seemed like he'd lost all his fight. Maybe he could tell she was serious, that she didn't want anything to do with him anymore. She was aware that when she made something clear, she did it well. She still remembered his face when she left him that day, a picture of pure shock and hurt. He didn't see it coming.

She thought that by being the one that ended things, it wouldn't hurt as much, but she should have learnt her lesson the first time around. She was the one who ended it with Trey, once upon a time, after she caught him red handed, but it didn't hurt any less. Though she'd never tell anyone for fear of them thinking she was a 'real' girl, she'd cried for weeks after they'd split. She was young and left with a baby, and she found it hard to cope. He was her first love, after all.

Her split with Jason hadn't felt as final, in a way. Maybe because she never felt like she had him 100% anyway. It had been nice in the beginning, but once he started working, she'd started to lose him anyway. She'd suspected from the start that they wouldn't work out. They were from two completely different lives, and in a normal circumstance, they probably would have never dated. A man like him would never have approached a girl like her.

Their split hadn't felt any less painful though. She'd still spent nights crying about it, in disbelief that she'd ended up with a baby on her own again. She knew Jason would never stop seeing Rio, not like Trey, but just the humiliation of the situation was hurtful enough. She couldn't even make it a year into her son's life, just like before. She felt stupid, that she'd allowed herself to get into that situation again. That she'd allowed herself to get pregnant so easily, that she'd allowed herself to fall in love.

As Dee set off back home in the car, she moved slowly around another set of paparazzi further down the street who were trying to take pictures through the car windows. She could hear them asking about Jason again, and the anger boiled away inside of her. Why did they think they had a right to her life? It was bad enough that she'd seen her own face plastered on the front of magazine covers, headlines speculating that they were no more, without bumping into more of them as she went shopping.

As soon as she was home, Dee dug her phone from her pocket and called Jason. She didn't know if he'd be around or if he was working, but she needed to speak to him. Though they didn't speak on a personal level anymore, he wasn't too far down her recent contacts since they arranged visits with the kids regularly. Dee heard the ring tone start up as she walked to the kitchen for a drink, but it wasn't too long before he picked up the phone.

"Hey Dee,"

"I need to talk to you," she stated, avoiding all pleasantries.

"Shoot."

"I'm getting followed every day right now, people asking me where you are, asking if we broke up, taking pictures," she paused for a breath.

"Same here," Jason interjected.

"I'm on edge Jason," she complained, opening the fridge with her free hand for some juice.

"I can't get myself in any more trouble, but they're pissing me off."

"Do you want me to do something?" he asked genuinely, but Dee continued on her complaint.

"Seriously, this isn't even my life. I'm not with you anymore so why are they interested in following me?"

"I'll put out a statement, if you want."

"Would you?"

"Yeah," his voice croaked. He cleared his throat immediately after.

When Jason put down the phone, he sighed. He'd thought about doing a statement before, but he thought maybe people would just come to their own conclusions and eventually leave them alone. He didn't want to put out an announcement that they'd split. It was like he was washing his hands of everything they'd been through, like he was happy about the decision. He wasn't. Just hearing her voice on the phone made him weak. It was never his decision.

Dee was a strong woman and she made her own decisions, he had to respect that, but it didn't mean he had to like it. He didn't know what the future held for them, but as he searched through his phone's contacts and found his publicists number, he made a phone call that he'd been avoiding for three months.