Jenalyn: Disconnected (#5) [Complete]

Chapter 16: Hayden

Mon. 12/29/08 • 8:22 P.M. EST

Jordan.

So Jordan is the name of the girl Gage is using to try to forget me.

We look nothing alike; She's tall and looks like a foreign model. As horrible as it sounds, my first thought upon seeing them together was questioning how Gage pulled this off! Did he pay her? Is this a joke?

Wait, wait! I got it!... Am I being Punk'd? I always wanted to be on that show! Is this another part of my Christmas gift? Getting to be on Punk'd?

Aw, Mama Gold! You shouldn't have!

"Are you kidding me?" I lean toward Ty to ask as we wait for them to meet us outside of the restaurant they texted us the address to. They walk, arm in arm, down the street toward us, this Jordan girl towering at least 5 inches taller than Gage. "You're kidding me, right? This is a joke?"

Ty scoffs and offers an amused smile, but says nothing. I know he's still upset with me, especially after having gave in on his battle not to allow me to drink anything tonight. But for the sake of any paparazzi that may be lurking around, and the fact that we're going on a "double date" with his twin brother- we have to "be okay."

"Big Bro!" Ty calls out to Gage as they get closer to us. They clasp their hands together once they reach each other, and hug. Jordan and I catch up with them at the same time, catching glances at each other other but not knowing what to do besides that.

"Hayden! You look so good!" Gage exclaims after a moment, embracing me in a sudden and awkward hug. I can't even bring myself to fully hug him back at first; "Uhm- This is Jordan, my girlfriend! She was so excited to meet you!"

Jordan is suddenly all smiles, almost as if she forgot to react until Gage nudged her toward me. I can tell that it was a rushed reaction on his part, an attempt to keep my attention from falling on him too long. If this isn't a joke, I'm sure he knows I have a feeling or two about his new development with this girl. "Yes! Hayden!" she says, shoving her hand out toward me. "It's a pleasure!"

I offer her one of Hayden's smiles, straight out of the "how to ace an audition" book before turning back to face Ty. A small group of paparazzi have started to form across the street, assumingly noticing Ty and Gage together. It's a lot harder to stay on the down low when you're a twin, I guess.

"Can we head in?" I ask after a moment, a familiar anxiety arising in my chest thinking about the paparazzi in New York. They work and sell so fast; It's not uncommon for Dane to pop up once he knows I'm over here because of a paparazzi picture.

I'm not ready to see him again. I don't know if I'll ever be ready for that...

8:51 P.M. EST

The resturaunt Gage and Jordan chose is a bit crowded, but thankfully everybody is being respectful enough not to make too much of a big deal out of us being here this evening.

"He didn't even call me back after the first date!" Jordan exclaims across the table to me and Ty, laughing as she explains how she and Gage got together. "I was so offended! When I saw him at a friend's house a week or so later, I wouldn't even talk to him! But-"

She pauses her story to turn toward Gage with a flirty but amused smile spread across her lips. It flusters him, but not for the reason I'm sure she thinks it does. He's so embarrassed right now; I don't know if it's just a typical "Gage, the shy guy" move, a sincere reaction to their obvious honeymoon phase, or the fact that I keep shooting him looks as if to question his sanity in dating this girl.

"Gage here has a way with this words, so... I gave in and let him take me out again!" she finally sums her story up, reaching her hand out to where Gage's sits on the table and grasping it as if she'd just told us they were getting married.

I'm smiling at Jordan because it's socially the right thing to do, but when I turn to shoot the smile at Gage I'm sure to hide a smirk behind it. It's funny watching his reaction to it. He tries to hide the embarrassment by releasing her hand to grab his glass of water instead. I see right through it, and what I see is more than enough for Jena to release some of the tension she felt knowing Gage might've moved on.

"Enough about us though!" Jordan laughs after a moment, turning to face Gage for a second before turning back to me and Ty. "How is that precious little girl of yours?! She is an adorable little thing!"

I think everybody waits for me to respond first. I guess that it's like... normal for the mother to take the lead whenever somebody asks about the baby?

I've already resorted to the fact that I'm not normal a long time ago.

"She's really good!" Ty exclaims after catching onto the fact that I've missed my social queue. "She's gotten really big! And has a little attitude already!" he laughs.

Everybody laughs, but Jordan is the first to respond. "Oh, God" she giggles, playfully flattening her brows in our direction. "I think she's had that little attitude all along! When Gage introduced me to her, I-"

I tune her out the moment I process her words, turning to face Gage and then Ty with my jaw dropped slightly agape. "She met my baby?" I can't help from asking, not even bothering to hide the anger that instantly finds its way to my voice. I quickly follow up, furrowing my brows at Ty for keeping yet another thing secret from me. "She met my baby before I did?"

Ty looks just as surprised as I was to hear this fact, and we both turn to Gage with expectant glares. He looks even more uncomfortable than he did before, his eyes darting between me and Ty before ultimately landing on Jordan.

"She uhm- she came over one of those mornings you had me watching Mads!" he stutters, turning back to us with his eyes reflecting the panic in his voice. "It was for like ten minutes... She was dropping my keys off because she drove me home the night before!"

Jordan starts going off, trying to apologize. I don't pay her any mind though, the voices in my head are too wrapped up yelling over each other, trying to process the wave of emotions rushing through my body right now.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" I ask Gage, cutting her off without remorse. Ty shoots me a concerned look, but doesn't say anything further. I don't wait for Gage to respond before I excuse myself from the table and make my way towards the bathroom hallway, expecting and knowing that he'll follow behind me in a moment.