“Tell her why they call you ‘stupid boy.’”
I motioned for Paul, and he was startled into action. He was bored, having to watch me all night. I turned to him.
“This is a reporter who’s crashed the party,” I said.
“Are you really going to handle it this way?” she asked with a tone that carried an underlying threat.
“Did you just threaten me?” I asked.
“If you don’t talk to me, there’s no telling what I’ll print,” she said with a smug look.
“So, if I don’t give you a quote or a story, you’ll just make something up?” I asked.
“You betcha, ‘stupid boy,’” she said.
I turned to Paul.
“Are we good?” I asked.
“We’re good,” he said with a grin.
I was checking to make sure Paul had his bodycam turned on. I turned back to her.
“Look, I have no desire to trade threats. You see the camera sticking out of his pocket?” I asked.
She lost some color and nodded.
“He’s wearing that for a reason. People assume that I’m an easy target. Now if you would’ve asked nicely, you could have gotten my publicist’s number, and he would’ve set up an interview. You should chalk this up as a life lesson and just walk away. What do you say, no harm, no foul?” I asked.
“Can I stay and party?” she asked.
“If you promise to just have fun and forget that you’re a reporter for the rest of the night,” I said.
“Would you dance with me?” she asked.
I had to give it to her, she would someday make a great reporter. Melinda nodded to me because she needed a break. I took Amy out and danced for a couple of songs. When we finished, she apologized, and that was the last we saw of her.
Chalk up another one for Fritz. If the paper showed my face at a party like this, Moose would have me in his office first thing Monday morning. I’d have Paul send me the video. I would send it to Caryn and let my business manager do her job; she’d coordinate with Frank and Ms. Dixon to make sure Amy kept her word.
◊◊◊
About two hours later, Alan came to me, all excited.
“You have to see this,” he blurted as he shoved his phone into my hand.
I wondered what would get him so amped-up. I looked down at the screen and … oh, shit! Who came up with this? I started to flip through the pictures. It was good that they hadn’t done anything X-rated, but Mike was going to kill me. He would be sure this whole thing was my idea.
When Alan said that they needed to make a plan, I never dreamed they would come up with this. They’d shaved Mike’s head. At least they hadn’t shaved his eyebrows. What made it so bad was they’d used permanent markers to draw in my tattoos—the ones from my movie Star Academy.
I will give credit where credit is due. It was a fantastic idea for revenge because it wasn’t over the top. While it was a pain in the ass to get permanent marker off your skin, you could do it. It wasn’t like they’d done something terrible. Okay, shaving his head was bad, but it would grow back.
If it had been me, I would have owned it. The guys did an excellent job of duplicating the tattoos. They’d also not left any messages or drawn anything inappropriate. I would leave it because I wouldn’t want to show it bothered me. That would take a lot of the fun out of it.
I spotted Jim and his coconspirators.
“You about ready to go? Maybe we should stop and get something to eat before we go home,” I suggested.
“I could eat,” he said with a smile.
I spotted Paul and walked over to him.
“Go get the car. We’ll be out in ten,” I said.
I needed to get my date. She was currently leaning against Johan, talking a mile a minute.
“Hey, Sexy,” Melinda said when she saw me.
“Get your crew,” I told Johan. “We’re going to get something to eat before we head home,”
I also invited the Wesleyan girls and Alan. I found Kevin and Magic and thanked them for the party. On the way out, I thanked Luke. He’d babysat his brother and the guys from Wesleyan. Alan saw me and asked to go with us. Tami had room to take him back to school, so he joined us.
◊◊◊
The diner across from the hospital was open 24/7, so I directed Paul to it. I stepped up to the cash register and talked to the manager.
“Drop some chicken in the fryer and just bring it out on platters. Make it enough for this group to eat. Tell them they have to pay for anything else they get,” I said.
He told me what he thought it would take, and I paid him.
We had fun talking about what Jim had done to Mike and funny stories about the party. Paul told them about the reporter. I was glad that he made an effort to fit in. Tami finally explained to Melinda why they called me a ‘stupid boy.’
I leaned back in my booth and wondered if this was what college was going to be like. I could envision a group going to a party on Saturday night and then meeting up with friends afterward to wind down. Chicken and pie was the perfect combination at the end of the night.
◊◊◊ Sunday March 20
I woke up and was startled. I wasn’t used to someone in my bed, other than my trusty hound. Melinda had been staring at me while I slept.
“I think this weekend was a mistake,” she said.
“Why’s that?”
“It made me realize what I’ve been missing. Watching you with your friends while you’re going to high school and still able to do other things made me wonder if I need to make some changes. My contract is up in about two weeks. It might be time to sit down and evaluate what I want out of life.”
“Do you mind some unsolicited advice?” I asked.
“I should talk to your friend Tami, and she’ll tell me what to do?”
That made me laugh.
“I wouldn’t wish that on you, but I would suggest you talk to both Adrienne and Kara. They’ve both been where you are at some point in their lives. You’re too talented to just walk away.
“I get it,” I sympathized. “I can see where I’d be struggling if I were in your shoes. It would be hard going from job to job, and the only person with me was a manager who I found out didn’t have my best interest at heart. It would be lonely as hell,” I said.
“You would never be lonely,” she teased.
“But at what cost?” I asked. “Would I be happy with a string of one-night stands? How long would it take for that to get old?”
She laughed at me, calling me on my bullshit. It took George Clooney like thirty years to give up the endless opportunities for one-night stands. Heck, now-pudgy Leonardo DiCaprio was still doing it in his early forties. What was the trade-off? Be like my brother with a wife and family? Have sex with only one woman the rest of my life? Were those my only options? No, but I was a romantic at heart. I was sure my uncle would tell me I was too young to worry about it right now, even if it felt like the most important thing to me. He would make some smart remark about teens.
“You need to do what’s right for you. I know Kara’s much happier now that she isn’t constantly traveling and has a home base in New York City. She’s actually making more money, but that’s partly due to Adrienne having the contacts for the better jobs. Adrienne set her up in the condo with other models. They may change, but it offers her a support group, and Tyler acts like a den mother to make sure everyone’s okay.”
“Adrienne talked to me about it, and I know I want her to manage me. I’ve just missed all my friends from home,” she admitted.
I leaned over and kissed her. Melinda rolled me over on my back and found her favorite toy. I put my hands behind my head as she gave me head. I’d be sorry to see her leave today.
◊◊◊
Melinda’s car came for her after I fed her breakfast.