Shall We Dance?

Chapter 35 - Courtesy Visit

A soft caress on my cheek wakes me up. Fer stands next to me and holds a steaming mug in his hands. He looks pale, worried and through his thick glasses I can see the shadows under his eyes.

"Hey," he whispers.

"Good morning. What time is it?" I ask while sitting on his bed and gazing around the room for the place where I left my phone. 

"It's seven thirty. I know oversleeping gives you a headache," he says as he hands me the phone that I left on his dresser.

It surprises me that he remembers a small detail that I probably said in conversation.

"How long have you been up?" I ask as he hands me the mug.

"Got out of bed before seven. Been reading the newspaper since. Guess what? We are all over the entertainment section, even your ruined car paint job made it to the article," he grimaces and sits next to me. "The redaction made us the victims and Kevin the villain."

"And you don't agree with that?"

He lets out a deep breath as he stares at the wall. "I only wanted him to leave us in peace. It disturbs me deeply that things got so out of hand. The idea that he had something to do with Ale's attack angers me, and I want justice for that, but I don't find satisfaction in seeing other people get hurt. There's something really wrong with him though. He had a weird look in his eyes, truly out of his mind. I find it so hard to believe that someone could get obsessed over fame."

"He must have a motive. Not saying that is a good excuse."

"I get what you mean. He started as a production assistant, just like Bailey. Maybe he felt we didn't work our way up and got handed things easily."

"The reality is that Ale and you had to work even harder. You went from having no experience in front of a camera to hosting a show with a live audience. You had to learn fast and adapt, and it's that hard, consistent work what has kept your popularity." 

"It's the truth. Oh, Mae..." He sighs. "Do you think what happened to him was my fault?"

"No! And get that out of your head!"

Fer looks at me momentarily and then at the floor. I rarely raise my voice, but I won't let him carry a guilt he doesn't deserve.

"He was smoking while handling gasoline," I have trouble hiding the anger I've been bottling in me lately. "You didn't put that cigarette in his mouth, or lit it. He should count himself lucky that he had a small jerrycan and most of the liquid was on the side of my car already because it could have been worse."

Fer nods and stands up from the bed. "I want to check on Ale. Do you want to join me?"

"Of course."

After getting ready, we drive towards the hospital. Few words are exchanged during the ride and I don't mind. The recent events have depleted our energy and honestly I want things to go back to how they were before I signed for the dance show.

Fer holds my hand as we walk towards the entrance and suddenly a flash of light blinds me.

"Fer? Is it true that Kevin attacked Ale?"

"Is your brother in a coma?"

"Will you press charges?"

A group of people surround us and come too close for comfort with cameras, microphones, and phones. I feel the panic surging in me and my heart races. Fer holds my hand firmly as he looks at the press.

"My brother is recovering and we don't have details of who is involved. That's all I have to say."

"Why did Kevin appear at Madison's parents house?"