Behind The Bright Lights

Chapter 9

Friday. Their day off but Kimmy did not like to be idle or spend the day in bed. So she decided to go to the studio anyway and work on her outfits for the next week. Next week, the week she was going to appear on international TV - that gave her goose bumps. She was not looking forward to it - definitely. She tossed the covers aside and stepped into to the bathroom for her shower.

She was going to embarrass herself in front of the whole world and Nate. She had to back out of this thing now and tell Nate that she couldn't do it. Chase always told he that she couldn't do stuff like that. She was more suited by being behind the curtains and that's where she had always been all her life. Kimmy turned the facet on to maximum and the cold water hit hard on her body causing her to gasp. She liked bathing with cold water in the morning, it helped clear her mind but ever since she started this job, her mind had been foggier than ever and she didn't know what she could do to fix it. Maybe she'll go jogging sometime and let out all this tension she was feeling. It was probably because of the thought of going for that interview. She sighed and quickly finished showering and she dressed up remembering to put on heels. There was going to be no one at the studio but hey, practice makes perfect, didn't it? When she was done she reached on the dresser for her car keys then she remembered that her stupid car had broken down the day before.

'Urgh!' she mumbled 'This is just great.' Now she had to go by cab and she really did not have money to spare. Her "allowance" from Chase was almost depleted and her new job paid her at the end of the two weeks. Chase had told her to ask for more money at the end of the first week but considering the way she had been ignoring him, it was completely out of the question. He'd kill her. She still didn't know what got into her yesterday; to cut him off like that.

Locking the door behind her, she left the house and hailed a cab. The good thing about going to work on an off day was that she could go in a little later so the traffic jam would have dissipated so it was free roll all the way to the studio.

'Thanks.' She handed the cabbie a few bills then stepped out of the cab and walked into the building. Mmm...there were very few people working today which was perfect. She did not need to run into too many people today; all she wanted was to prepare her stuff quietly and leave quietly and then maybe she could go to the stage and try to prepare herself for The Day of Her Humiliation. Kimmy chuckled then straightened as she nodded at Barry in the hallway.

Once in the dressing room, she dumped her bag and phone on a table then she sighed. Okay, now all she had to do was focus on was her pieces and nothing else should even dare show up in her mind.

She heard the door opening and she turned and smiled at the seventeen year old petite intern, Ashley.

'Hey. What are you doing here?' she asked stepping away from the mirror.

'I knew you'd be here today so I thought I'd like, come and help you out, you know.' Ashley replied walking towards the clothes rack.

'Ashley, that's really nice but you really don't need to be here. It's an off day.' Kimmy said with a wave of her hand.

'I know but you're here.' she lifted her slight shoulders.

Kimmy smiled at the teenager and walked towards her. 'Yes but I work all the time so instead of working at home I decided to come here because there is a lot more space here. Don't you want to hang with your friends or something?'

Ashley blushed and looked down at her sandaled feet. 'I like it here. You just have to let me stay, Kimmy. Please.'

Kimmy studied her for a moment then laid her hand on her shoulder. 'What is it? Are you having a problem with your friends?'

She looked up sharply then glanced away again and shifted from foot to foot. 'No, not at all.' She responded in a rush.

'Ashley?' she was lying, even a blind man could see that.