Out of Tune: The Original 2015 Draft

chapter 27

For me, singing sad songs often has a way of healing a situation. It gets the hurt out in the open into the light, out of the darkness-Reba McEntire.

I'd never had the past blow up in my face. I'd always tried my best to live a life where I didn't have any regrets, where I had no secrets that had the potential to ruin my relationships with friends and family. I'd never had the past blow up in my face...until today.

As I sat in my hotel room, with Taylor standing above me glowering, all I could think was that I should have told Spencer last night what had happened between Jay and I and the unwelcome kiss. Because I had a feeling that the next time I saw him, it was not going to be a pleasant conversation.

In my lap, on the front page of some tabloid newspaper, was a picture of Jay and I in a compromising position. It had been taken seconds before I'd pushed him off me but the camera hadn't caught that part. Instead, it looked as if I was willingly letting Jay Dawson put his lips on mine. The caption read: Jay's New Girl. There was only a small blurb about the picture on the eighth page of the magazine. It read:

The infamous Jay Dawson has been spotted with new girl Aileen Prince from the rising band Imagine Reality, which was featured on the Mindy Manson Show in February and has been continuing to gain publicity in the past weeks. Dawson and Prince were spotted in a romantic embrace late last night. They're said to be touring together with the #SpectacularYou Tour that is raising awareness about bullying and staying true to yourself all across America. Dawson and Prince were not available for comment but it seems like there is nothing but romance in store for the blossoming couple.

The papers slipped from my fingers, falling to the ground where they lay like a piece of garbage.

"Do you want to tell me what this is?" Taylor asked. Her voice was flat, dark. I'd never heard her sound so angry.

"It's not what it looks like," I said, fully aware of how overused that line was. "He kissed me. I pushed him off me a second later, I swear." My hands shook as I placed them in my lap.

"Aileen," Taylor said as she sat beside me. Her voice was softer but still carried an edge of anger. "Did this happen before or after Spencer texted you saying that we were out for pizza?"

I took a breath. "Before."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

My eyes locked onto hers. "It didn't mean anything, Taylor! I didn't think it was a big deal."

"Not a big deal? Aileen, that ass kissed you and now it's on the front page of a magazine. And you think it's not a big deal?"

I bit my lip. "Has he seen it yet?"

"I don't think so," she replied. "But he's going to find out. Dawson's been flaunting around the lobby all morning. I went down fifteen minutes ago for the itinerary for the day and he practically threw the picture in my face. He's trying to bait Spencer into a fight and it'll happen. Spencer's level headed about a lot of things but he cares about you so much. If Jay says anything it won't end well."

"Oh, my god," I whispered. "This can't be happening."

"Well, it is," Taylor snapped. "It's happening and we've got to do something about it before it blows wildly out of hand."

And then, as if the universe was just waiting for her to utter those words, the door to our room flew open and Spencer hobbled in on his crutches looking more pissed off than a storm cloud during a hurricane. In his hand, he held a copy of the magazine from hell.

"Spence," I said as I lurched to my feet.

He threw the magazine down on the ground, at my feet, so that the picture of Jay and I was facing me in all its infinite glory. His blue eyes blazed with unabated fury. "What the hell is that?" he asked. He didn't yell. Instead, his voice was dreadfully calm and that was almost worse than if he were shouting.