Diary of a Rockstar

Chapter 8

Chapter 8; Shopping and Confessions::

"So, let me get this straight." Clare crammed a whole cookie into her mouth.

"Mike came to Indiana to get you because of a book you wrote to him last month?"  Jade nibbled on a cookie of her own for a moment and then shook her head.

"No, he didn't come to Indiana to GET me. He came to visit me.  I just ended up coming back to California with him."  She didn't particularly want to disclose the reasons why.

"But you truly did write the book?" Clare ate another cookie whole.

"Yeah. Are you sure you aren't pregnant?"  Clare laughed suddenly, blowing cookie crumbs out in front of her, and then covered her mouth to stop them.  Jade watched her oddly.

"No. I'm not pregnant. I just like to eat." 

"Man, I wish I could eat like that and not gain an ounce." Jade looked at the floor in a feeble fashion.  Clare blinked and then licked her lips after taking a bit of another Oreo.  She watched Jade for a moment and then shifted where she sat.

"So, what was in the book?" Jade's heart sped up a bit.  She hadn't wanted to explain that particular detail.

"Uhm, nothing of any really big importance."  Clare chuckled.

"Well, obviously it was or he wouldn't have gone all the way to Indiana to single you out."

"I just...I guess I'm not ready to talk about it just yet."  Clare swallowed and then nodded slowly.

"Okay. That's cool.  I didn't mean to pry."  Jade shook her head, taking a drink of milk. 

"It's okay." Clare took a breath and decided to go another route.

"So, doesn't Mike's wife get frustrated that he's spending so much time with you?"

"I don't know. I've only ever met her once and she didn't stay long." 

"Did they seem happy?" Jade shrugged, not particularly wanting to talk about Mike's love life.

"As happy as they could seem, I guess. They didn't seem UNhappy."  Clare nodded.  Jade took another drink of her milk as her phone began to scream the opening bars of "What I've Done" by Linkin Park.  She swallowed her milk quickly.

"That's Mike." She grabbed the Razr, flipping it open.  Her eyes flew across the screen, reading the text.

Where are you at? I'll pick you up. I need to get out of the house.

Jade looked at the message oddly and then quickly let her thumbs tick out a text back.

I'm at Clare's. I think she had plans anyway.

She closed the phone and looked at Clare.

"He wants to pick me up," she told Clare.  Clare nodded.

"It's cool. I needed to go run some errands anyway."  Jade nodded and read the reply from Mike.

Be there in 20.

~*~

Jade opened the door to Mike's Lexus, climbed in and buckled her seatbelt before looking over at Mike.  He looked somewhat deflated.  His left elbow was rested on the windowsill and his cheek leaned on his fist.

"Ready?" She nodded.  He put the SUV into gear and started out of the apartment complex parking lot.  Jade eyed him for a moment before opening her mouth to say something.  He spoke before she could.

"I need to go to the mall. I need new jeans."  She nodded, looking forward again, all thoughts of what she was going to say suppressed.  Mike didn't utter another word throughout the ride to the store complex.