FAKE

PART III: ANDREW

VI: acting

A couple days pass by and Andrew doesn't talk to me. I know for a fact that something happened that he's not talking to me about and I'm going to get to the bottom of it. He told me he's just busy but when is he ever busy. I asked Evelyn about it but she said I was being an obsessive freak. That I needed to calm down because he was probably really only busy. But no, Andrew has been acting weird and that's a fact. When he talks to me, it's always too positive. As if he were afraid of breaking down into cracks. As if he was walking on a thin layer of delicate ice, praying and praying that it doesn't break. He's hiding something. He's, I don't want to say it, but he's becoming like Jason.

The only explanation there is would be that Ashely got to him and told him so bullshit lie about me. If that's the case, I'll beat the shit out of her. I did it once, I'm not afraid to grab her blonde hair and slam it against the wall until it bleeds. I'm not afraid of her at all.

I call Andrew and he finally picks up.

"Andrew. Tell me what's going on?"

"Nothing, I'm ok," his voice is so distant, it's almost cold.

"Did I do something? You have to tell me."

I can here a stifled cry on the phone and that's immediately when I know something is wrong.

"She's listening. She's listening to everything. She's connected."

I'm left stunned at what he says. He's talking about Ashley but why did he say she's connected?

I can hear Andrew cry over the phone and I feel helpless, numb, and sad all at once.

"Do you want me to come over?"

"I don't think that'd be smart."

That feels like a stab to the chest and sadness pours out of my open wound. Fear pours out of my eyes and drips onto my phone, sliding onto the floor. I'm scared at what he said.

"Andrew, what's going on. Please," I say, my voice breaking with every word and I almost can't even get the word 'please' out of my mouth. The tears comes in a flood and drowns out anything.

"I can't right now," Andrew finally says after minutes of silence and crying. There's this void against us now and I swear if this is Ashely's plan of ruining my relationship, she's not going to win.

"Well if Ashely wants to beak us, I'm not going to let that happen. Andrew, I love you and anything you've heard is not true. I promise."

"I love you," Andrew simply responds and sets his phone down, leaving his room. He comes back a minute later and he's done crying.

"You're not ready to understand. Just know that I love you no matter what people try to prove otherwise."

The word prove pierces through my head and I'm reminded of the video with him and Jason. Is there more to that video? Is that what he's scared of?

I try to think of a million scenarios that he could be referring to as "prove" but none of them I can believe other than a second part to the Jason video.

I don't know what I would do if I saw a second part, depending on what the video consists of.

The thought of that terrifies me. I really hope that isn't the case.

"Just tell me, so whatever it is doesn't affect me if I know you confess it to me first."

"I don't think I want to talk about it," he dodges the question. I almost know for a fact that it's the Jason scandal all over again.

But if it was, then why'd they wait until now? Is Ashley that sick and bored?

"Andrew, anything that surfaces or that I see, I will still love you. With all of my heart. You are the king of my heart, always remember that."

"I hope," his voice sounds cold and hollow. My eyes start to pile up with water and single tears start to slowly escape my eyes and run down my cheek. I feel completely useless. I don't want to know what he knows but at the same time I want to know. Why do people love to tear other people apart so much? I'll never understand that.

But like I told Andrew, I'll never stop loving him. He's my world and he's not done anything bad. One slip up with Jason is fine, I can definitely handle that and hopefully get passed that.

I hang up the phone with Andrew and lay in my bed. Jason started acting weird the day before the video of them was released. This shit is going to be released tomorrow. Ashley's threatening both of them. That evil bitch. My hands start to shake vigorously and I feel so angry at Ashley. She's making Andrew feel helpless. Everything we've been through, everything we've done, experienced, that's kept in my heart. He's the only one other than Evelyn that's stuck with me through thick and thin for the past months. I won't let some lame ass video ruin anything. It's probably nothing bad. I leave my phone on my hairdresser and get ready for bed. I have to prepare myself for the mess that's going to be tomorrow. Is this what my life has come to? Fearing the future because people feel happy on exposing dirt on my loved ones? Ashley really fucked up with the Jason video and I'm left here, in my dark room, wondering what filthy dirt she has on Andrew that will make me angry. Probably nothing. I roll around in my bed for an hour or maybe three. I finally get annoyed and run downstairs to take some Zzzquil. I hit the pillow and fall asleep.