All I Need {Sequel to We Belong Together}

Chapter 18: We Quit

            Tom strode into the studio with a sense of determination. He was not happy; that was all too apparent. Someone was spreading lies about him, and he was not going to let them get away with it. Normally, Tom would be able to let it go, but this time they had gone too far. It was hurting his image- but more importantly his relationship with Adrianna- and that was something he was absolutely not going to stand for.

            His first instinct told him it was Jade. Who else would want to tarnish his image? At the moment, he couldn’t think of anyone else, so he was going to confront her in hopes of figuring out before the rumors could continue their fiery spread. He had already contacted his publicist, and had them issue a statement for him. But in the meantime, Tom had every intention of finding the source of the rumors and put the fire out.

            He found Jade sitting off to the side, reading over the script in an attempt to probably learn her lines for the next scene. She hadn’t even noticed him standing there until Tom cleared his throat. “Yes?” she asked, looking up at him. “You need something, Tom?” The girl reached over the end table next to her and went to take a sip of her lemonade.

            “Yea, got a question for you,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Have you been telling the tabloids we’re seeing each other again?”

            Upon hearing that, Jade unintentionally spit out her drink. “What? Why the hell would I do that?” she asked. “Seriously, Tom?”

            “Don’t ask me why,” he practically hissed. “I’m just trying to get to the bottom of who’s starting this nonsense. Are you sure it isn’t you?”

            “I’m sure,” Jade promised, setting her cup back down before standing up. “I have no interest in destroying your relationship with Adrianna. And I certainly have no intentions of ruining my own relationship, so whoever’s doing this is about to learn not to screw with me.”

            Tom gave her a confused look. “And what exactly are you going to do about it?”

            “Figure out who’s behind it, obviously,” she retorted. “Seriously, there’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to film a simple movie with each other without people starting drama, Tom.” She looked away for a moment. “Give me a few minutes, and I’ll let you know what I learn.”

            Tom watched her as she walked away, beginning to make a few phone calls, it seemed. He sat in the chair Jade had just vacated, wondering exactly who she was going to be calling to try to figure out who was starting all the unnecessary drama. It was becoming incessantly annoying. Tom was not used to being a part of celebrity gossip. It was something strange and foreign to him. Most of the time, the limelight was centered on those celebrities who couldn’t keep themselves on the straight and narrow. Tom wasn’t a drug addict, alcoholic, or womanizer like so many of the others; why was someone so bent on turning him into one of them?

            He sighed, resting his head against the wall behind him. Hopefully this would all pass soon, and he could get back to his normal life. Or… as normal as his life could be at that given point. Admittedly, Tom was growing tired of acting. He longed to do something else, something more normal. Part of him wanted to drop this for now, and go do something with his life before he got too much older. He had always fancied the idea of getting an education, so depending on how this went, maybe he would do just that.

            Before Tom could get too lost in his own thoughts, Jade stormed back into the room, shoving her phone in her pocket angrily. Tom couldn’t tell if she had found out anything or not, and judging by her expression, either was entirely possible.

            “Find out anything?” he asked, somewhat nervously.

            The girl nodded. “Oh yea. I found out real quick who was behind it, and I am so done with this movie now,” she replied. “It was the director. He wanted to get more publicity for the movie, so he decided to make a few calls to people and spread some lies around about us.”

            The director? Tom hadn’t even thought of that possibility. “That… that is seriously selfish of him,” Tom struggled to find words to describe his anger. “How could he do that? And risk the emotional health of his actors? What is he? Stupid?”

            “Stupid might be an understatement, Tom,” Jade said. “This guy seriously tried to ruin our lives!”

            She had a good point. Hadn’t they figured out who had been making these rumors up, they both could be in their own personal hells right now. Adrianna had almost dumped him, and that would’ve been more than Tom could’ve handled. “So what are you going to do then?” he asked.

            “I’m quitting, that’s what!” Jade retorted. “Screw this movie, and screw this guy.”

            It was at that moment Rupert entered the room from outside, and was immediately concerned by the conversation that was unfolding. “Uh… screw who?” he asked, a very puzzled look on his face.

            “The director,” Tom answered. “He’s the one who started all those rumors. Just to get the movie some publicity.”

            “What the hell is wrong with that guy?” Rupert questioned. “Dude, I am with you guys. Screw him. So what’s gonna happen now?”

            “I don’t know about you boys, but I’m quitting,” Jade stated.

            “I never thought I would say this again, but I agree with you,” Tom decided, shaking his head. “I am done, and I am going home. This showbiz nonsense is just becoming too much.”

            “Well… if you’re quitting, so am I,” Rupert decided. “There’s no way I’m going to watch some idiot ruin my best friend’s life.”

            Tom acknowledged Rupert’s statement with a nod. “Shall we break the news to him, then? That his three leads are dropping out?”

            “Better late than never,” Jade sighed.

            On that note, the three of them began to hunt down the would-be director. After a fifteen minute search, they found him directing a scene among a group of secondary characters. Normally, Tom would’ve just sat there patiently waiting to speak to him, but today he was anything but patient- especially since the man had literally tried to ruin him.

            “Hey, buddy, we need a word with you,” he practically hissed.

            Sighing angrily, the director turned around to face the three of them. “What do you want? Can’t you see I’m busy?” he asked, obviously irritated that they had ruined the scene entirely.

            “We just wanted to say we quit,” Tom answered. “All three of us.”

            “We figured out you were the one spreading rumors about us,” Jade added. “We’re not working for someone who doesn’t respect us as human beings. If you wanted publicity that was not the way to do it.”

            “You guys can’t just quit; it’s against your contracts,” the director went on.

            “Screw our contracts!” Tom explained. “You tried to ruin our lives for the sake of entertainment. Find yourself new actors. We’re done.”

            The three of them turned on their heels, leaving the director in a stunned silence. Admittedly, Tom couldn’t believe he had just done that. He had never quit a job like that before, but he knew it was for the best. If the man couldn’t respect him as a human and not mess with his personal life, he surely couldn’t be trusted to add to his acting career either. It was time for him to move on, and that is exactly what he planned on doing.