Chapter 42: Trending

Laura's POV:

The next morning the ringing of my cell phone woke me up.

I groaned and rolled to the side of the bed and slowly opened my eyes to adjust to the glaring sunlight creeping in through my window.

The phone rang up again, loud and shrill renting the calm air apart.

I lifted a hand to retrieve it from the bedside table. The call ended as I picked it up. I rolled up facing the white ceiling before staring at the phone and unlocking it. I thumbed on the call icon.

Geez! Why did Ryan give me sixteen missed calls? That was unheard of, it was always me doing the calling.

Without much thought, I hit the redial button and lifted the phone to my ear, while rubbing at my eyes with one hand.

One second, two seconds—

I stiffled a yawn. Why Isn't he picking up now?

Three seconds. “Hello, Laura.”

“Yeah, Ryan— why are you calling me up so early, it's barely.” I took the phone from my ear to peek at the time. “Oh, ten A.M.”

Guess I overslept!

“I know it's early, but this is urgent. Have you seen the news online?” He asked, his voice pretty excited and worked up.

I furrowed my brows, eyeing the ceiling warily. “What news?” What were they saying about me online?

“What you haven't heard?” He sounded surprised.

“Heard what exactly? Cut the crap and go straight to the point!” I snapped already tired of rummaging my head of any recent thing I had done that was wide spread on the tabloids this early in the morning.

“There are photos of you and Jaxon Fallon circulating the internet this morning!” He announced.

“What?” My eyes narrowed as I flung off the duvet and sat up straight, propping my back against the comforter.

“Why are photos of me and Jaxon circulating online?”

“It's just a rumor,” He began. “But I was hoping to get a confirmation from you before knowing how to handle it?”

“A rumor? And confirmation from me? What are you driving at. Tell me the full story?” I said with a frown.

“Okay.” He paused and sucked in a deep breath, which was very much audible over the phone. I waited for him to finish with bated breathe.

“Speak up.” I snapped after an unbearable interval. I was already on the verge of my patience.

“Well, yesterday Rita had put out that interview about you on the internet.”

I blinked, I knew that already and I knew or sort of guessed she had promoted the part of me being gay or have a secret lover or whatever she could make out of the whole thing more.

“So?” I etched him on.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably and picked up his narration. “The interview you already know, but she was pretty hot on you having a secret lover which she sort of gave the media something to look out for, she talked about the album too, but not entirely in the limelight.”

I held my breath. “Okay?”

“So I don't know what happened yesterday when Jaxon was supposed to be driving you home..”

I screw my eyes. Ryan you asshole!

But I didn't disrupt him, so he continued.

“But photos of you and Jaxon has recently surfaces online. Photos from you two taking a walk in the middle of the night and you appeared to be well.. covered in his jacket which suggests…” His voice trailed off.

I screwed my eyes shut not wanting to hear his next words but he said it anyway.

“There might be something going on between you two. At least that's what the media says but Rita has pulled up a jumble of different stories and has knitted them together to form clues of her own kind.”

“What kind of story?” I managed in a small voice.

He breathed a sigh. “She pointed at Fallon acquiring our label and you trying to break off the contract and even your performance at the Gala as clues to your supposed love affair.”

“But that's not true!” I yelled in to the phone, my stomach churning with rage.

“I know it's not, I'm working on something now with the PR team, it'll be blown over by noon.”

“It better be!” I snapped in to the phone, visibly livid with anger.

“Yes, ma.”

“And Ryan?” I called in to the phone again.

“Yes.”

“You're an asshole!” I balled my fist. “A goddamn asshole— you just wait till I get you.”

I ended the call and threw the phone on the bed. Still seething with anger, I rose slowly in to the bathroom and washed up.

The cold water against my body, helped me calm down a little and blow off some of the steam. But not all, just enough to keep me clearheaded.

I stepped out of the bath tub and grabbed a towed from the rack.

All this was Jaxon's fault— The ride, The walk and now reporters would be piled up on my door steps for the rest of the day.

I'll have to cancel all my public appearances today because of that d!ck. And my appointment with the producers too!

Christ! This was too much.

I slipped into a simple navy blue gown and stepped out of my room, I first went to Ria's room which was already empty when I entered. A pang of guilt climbed up my chest at the thought of how little time I had spent with Ria in the last few days all in the name of chasing some Goddamn career, that allow me to even walk down the aisle freely without a security detail in tow or without me having to cover myself completely to avoid any form of recognitions.

Being a celebrity was a fucking boring, lonely life.

Everything about being in the public circle and eye was dangerous and dramatically irritating.

You couldn't take a casual piss without someone holding up a camera to take a picture or to record a video.

You couldn't sneak in to a coffee shop without attracting a crowd— without having so many people throw themselves at you. Without having to be the spotlight at every social gathering.

You have to pretend to live. To always look happy and expected to accommodate whatever bullshit the public threw at you because you have a reputation to protect!

Fuck that! Fuck every goddamn reputations!

I hate this life! So much!

I have everything I need except of course my freedom. And my sanity.

I closed Ria's door and turned away from the room. My footsteps thudded on the stairs moving onward without any sense of direction. I bounced off the last flight of stairs and stared through the room and beyond those walls. To whatever was waiting for me outside.

A messy career path and a broken life and now the only precious I could give my baby— was the only thing I was failing so awfully to provide: Attention.

And all that was because I choosed this life.

All because I chose to be a singer, VIXEN.

I took two quick strides and gripped the door handle and flung it open.