Reality

Chapter 11

Ok but I saw this lyric video (linked above) and it gives me major Alex vibes. lol Just thought you guys might enjoy! Anyway, on with the story...

I wake up to a noise from my phone, not that I ever really fell asleep anyway. After everything that happened yesterday I couldn't manage to find sleep, my mind running a thousand miles a minute during the night. It seems just minutes ago I was able to finally relax, my consciousness slipping.

With puffy, tired, and sore eyes, I roll over and find my phone. I blink a few times to adjust my vision and see that it's just past six in the morning. I unlock my phone and my heart drops looking at the article popped up on the screen.

They're finally released, the photos of me, Alex, and Hallie, and there are a dozen more articles from various entertainment outlets that posted them. All the articles that immediately pop up speculate that Alex has a secret love child after his crazy years of partying and hooking up... with me.

I feel sick.

Sitting up in bed I can't help but torture myself by scrolling through them, reading all the crazy speculations and lies. How Hallie must be Alex's, and Addison is in the dark about his past, and now he's possibly cheating on her with me his 'mystery woman'. My head is spinning trying to keep up with all the theories.

The photos taken of us do paint quite the picture, though. Fortunately there aren't that many, but the ones on display for the world to see can be easily twisted.

In the photos we all look... happy. They capture us all having a nice lunch out on the patio, the three of us with smiles and laughing as we talk. It feels like I'm looking at pictures that were taken years ago, but they were taken within the past twenty-four hours.

Fortunately, Hallie's identity is pretty well hidden. I don't think anyone could recognize her out on the street in passing without sunglasses. But still, I feel sick to my stomach with guilt and worry because it's only a matter of time before people do more digging.

Head spinning and heart pounding, I finally shut my phone off. I need to do something, anything to fix this.

My hand itches to pick up the phone to call Zack, to profusely apologize and see if there is anything I can do, but I know he's not up yet and I want him to get a few more hours of peace before waking up to this hell. None of the boys will be up at this hour, but I do know one person that will be.

With shaky fingers I dial an all too familiar number and wait for an answer. "Dad," my voice wavers. "Can I come see you?"

I walk into the boys hotel lobby, my dad already standing there waiting for me with his dark hair that's slowly starting to gray and the new glasses he needs shielding his kind brown eyes. In just a few quick strides I find myself tightly wrapped in his arms, crying into his shirt at the overwhelming feeling of comfort, safety.