The Other Side - Chapter 37

"The Other Side - Chapter 36" 

Jake imagined he looked like a squirrel. He held his bologna sandwich up to his face with both hands, taking small bites and chewing rapidly. His eyes scanned the room mechanically. Lissa had to come into the room to grab a bite to eat, she just had to. Her scene was over, and any second now she was going to walk in and he was going to pounce.

Ever since her interview he had been freaking out - literally, off the wall. He couldn't stop his leg from jiggling and his eyebrow was twitching uncontrollably. His eyebrow! He had even flipped on Karlee when she tried to tell him something. He felt bad because she stalked away muttering something about "let him find out for himself" but he was too distracted to worry about it.

What am I even going to say- Before he could finish his thought he spotted her. She was across the room, scoping out the veggie tray. Jake didn't stop to think; he leapt from his chair and rushed over to her side. Grabbing her elbow, he forced a smile.

"Melissa? Dear? We need to have a little chat."

Lissa looked at him with her eyes wide. "Why Jake-y-poo! You look positively scattered!" She batted her eyelashes sweetly. "Why don't we just sit down at a table right here while I grab some lunch and -"

"No, you know Melissa, I think we ought to talk in private. Okay? Now."

Jake ignored the curious looks of the personnel and the way his voice had gone pre-puberty high in his panic. He half led, half dragged Melissa out of the room. It wasn't until they were in an empty wing of the studio that Jake finally stopped walking. Lissa, who had been remarkably quiet the whole time roughly took her arm back and scowled at him.

"Jeez, Jake, could you have grabbed me harder? I think I might be bruised..."

Jacob ignored her completely. "Would you like to explain that interview you did this morning?" He asked his voice in intense whisper.

Melissa tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Jake looked to the sky, "Cut the crap, Liss, you know exactly what I mean."

She pouted. "Now why in the world are you being so mean to me, Jake? I thought after last night and everything you'd be on cloud nine..." She turned away from him. "But I guess that was just too much to hope for -"

"Melissa, I am not going to let you change the subject. I asked you a very specific question. What game are you trying to play here?"

When Melissa looked back at him, her eyes were cold. "I'm sorry, Jake. I didn't realize saying that we were in a happy relationship was going to offend you."

Jake rubbed his temples in frustration. "Of course that wouldn't offend me! In fact nothing that you said offended me..." Melissa looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "But you told the reporter we were getting married!"

Lissa opened her mouth in faux horror. "I did no such thing, Jake! But... why does it scare you so much that people might actually think such a thing. Don't you love me, Jake?"

"That has nothing to do with it, Melissa! Ugh, what were you thinking?" He watched as Lissa blew on her nails softly, examining the polished ends. "Well... you knew what you were thinking anyway. You know, the more time I spend with you the more I remember just why I loved you - and just why I couldn't stand being around you."

Melissa let her hand drop to her side and looked to him, startled. Jake realized it was the first genuine emotion she had displayed the entire conversation. "What... does that mean Jake? Why did you say 'loved?'"

"Listen, I'm just trying to have a real conversation with you. We have to be on the same level -"

"And now you say that you can't stand being with me? You don't like being around me? Well you certainly liked it last night!" Melissa's voice had slowly but surely elevated.

Jake realized he had made a mistake. "Liss, that's not what I meant at all. Please, don't take what I said to heart, I'm just so frustrated because I can't get a straight answer from you. I shouldn't have said that -"

But she wasn't listening. "Fine, you know what Jake, I don't know what you want! I tell one reporter that we're happy together..."

"You purposely told him we were planning marriage -"

"...and you blow up! Am I not allowed to show my happiness? Am I not allowed to say anything?" Melissa spontaneously burst into tears. "You get your one night of fun and then it's bye-bye Lissa!"

Jake wanted to melt into the floor. He had just about enough. She wasn't going to admit to her little stunt on the interview at all. It was all he could do not to call her on her fake tears. He had seen her cry for the stage and cry for real and these were definitely cued stage tears. He did his best to redeem himself.

"I'm just asking that you talk to me, that we know what we are going to say about our relationship and I guess - what level we are actually on for our relation -"

"Don't even try to get out of this, Jake! Don't even try to walk away!"

Suddenly, he wanted to laugh. This was completely absurd. She was so busy preparing her next line she wasn't even trying to comprehend his words. Suddenly, Lissa's frantic, crying eyes turned cold. The tears dried up.

"I should have known. History always repeats itself, doesn't it? You had your night with me and now you're through - just like you had your night with Becky and -"

Jake felt like he had been slapped. "Becky? What do you know about Becky and I being together?" He watched as a look of horrible disappointment ran across her face. His stomach sank. She didn't know, but he had just told her.

"All I know is that you better start treating me better, or this relationship is going to have a rough road ahead." A bell sounded in the studio, signaling that they would start filming again soon. "I'll see you tonight." With that she stalked away.

Jake waited until she was out of sight before turning around and pounding his fist into the wall. The flash of pain dulled his mind. Not only had the argument solved absolutely nothing about their sudden engagement, but now Melissa had an invisible collar on him so tight that he could barely breathe. One wrong move and she was going to pull the Becky card and he would be at her mercy - because he had slept with her and because her memory was still so tender.

Jake bared his teeth at the memory of the night Melissa got him drunk enough to spill the story. He knew he never should have gone into the bar. Now she had enough ammo to kill him twenty times over. And what did he have on her?

Just that she's a sly, sneaking, man-eating... He sighed, ...completely insecure woman who needs to have everyone as close to her as possible for fear for being left alone. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Lissa, he couldn't ignore the fact he cared for her well being. But he also knew he had to watch out for himself.

-----

"Nope, that just doesn't work. Run it again!" The director shouted from the sides, shaking his head. Jake's blood was beginning to boil. The scene was 10 seconds long. All he was supposed to do was pick up a piece of paper from a table, rip it in half, and put it in the trash can. There was no acting involved. The scene wasn't even that big of a deal. But the director was a perfectionist.

"Try turning more toward me Jake, yeah, like that. And this time lift your eyebrows - not quite so brooding, we're getting a shadow." Jake lifted his eyebrows as high as he could. "Now don't be a jackass, Jake, I don't want you to look freaking scared. Come on, work with me."

Jake sighed and got into his position again, reading to start. The problem was there wasn't a paper on the table. The director looked around, frustrated at his lack of help.

"Hey! Where's that new kid? We need some of those paper pieces over here, pronto! Come on, we're wasting time!"

A mop of brown hair ran toward the set. The owner of the hair set down one piece of paper on the table, positioning it perfectly. "Hey, Jake."

Jake started, breaking his gaze at the camera. "Hey...?" He said. The gophers never had the guts to talk to him, especially not while on set. Suddenly, Jacob focused on the face of the boy. "Holy shit. Jim?"

Jim nodded but quickly scooted out of the way, not trying to talk. Jake watched him go, a million thoughts inside of him. What in the world was Jim doing here? Was Becky ok? Did Jim come by to tell him that something horrible had happened? The director called for start and Jake went through the motions of picking up the paper, tearing it in two, and throwing it in the trash. Or at least he thought he did, he was so focused on Jim's presence he barely even noticed he was moving.

"Thank you! Jake, that was perfect. Go get cleaned up." The director smiling and the rest of the crew sighed with relief. Jake was already moving off the set toward Jim before the director finished his sentence.

"Wow! Man, what - what are you doing here?"

Jim laughed. "Uh, you got a minute?"

Jake nodded. "Yeah, of course! Is something wrong? Is Becky okay?'

Jim's eyes softened. "Of course, Becky is fine. More than fine. I'm not here because of her."

"Oh, thank God, I didn't know what..." Relief washed over Jake's face before it was shadowed by slight disappointment. Jim shook his head and put his arm around Jake's shoulders.

"Come on, man. Let's go sit down. I think we need to talk."

----

In Jacob's trailer, the two boys sat with a bag of chips and a few empty cans of soda. Jake shook his head as he took in everything that happened. Jim’s sudden appearance on the set caused his already mixed-up mind to go into total oblivion, but at the same time it calmed him. For a while there he had wondered if he had gone completely insane, he wondered if Africa had even happened… but with Jim there he was now certain that it had.

Crunching on some chips, Jacob had talked with Jim about a lot of things – mainly why he was in New York. Jacob smiled as he thought about how kind his sister had been to a complete stranger. He also realized that must have been what she had been trying to talk to him about for the past day or so. Jacob really had to go thank that sister of his again.

From there they talked about the inevitable - Becky. Jim filled Jacob in on her early departure, and then her apparent recovery from heartache by the time he and Delany were back in the States.

"Man, I really did a number on Becky, didn't I?"

Jim nodded, taking a drink from his can. "Sorry to say so, but yes. Don't worry about her though, she's almost forgotten about you."

Jake laughed bitterly, "Thanks? Wow, and here I thought I had almost done the same for her." He rubbed his temples. "Jim, I must be nuts. I'm living in two worlds, I really am. Hollywood Jake is having no problems - but Africa Jake is going nuts. I never should have gone over there, I realize that now. I'll never be content again for as long as I live."

They sat in silence for a while before Jim shrugged. "Well, as philosophical and cheesy as this sounds, I have to say to it - you know which Jake is the real one, don't you? The one that you want to be?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Then you need to start severing ties to the other one. You've had a taste of what your life could be like; it's too late to go back."

Jake slid down on his leather couch with a grumble. "I hate to say it, but you're right. But, Jim, how am I supposed to go back when the there's only one person who can give me a life like that... and she's gone?" Jake closed his eyes. "Not to mention that I'm completely wrapped up with Lissa...oh, what am I talking about? I'm living a dream. I think I need to go have my head examined."

Jim laughed and shook his head. "I don't know, man. The most I can tell you is that you're no crazier than the common folk. Look at me - I just left the love of my life, clutching at the possibility of a dream, and hoping all to hell that she'll still love me when I get back." Jake laughed and Jim gave a wink. "The best thing I can offer you is that I'll keep you posted on the happenings back home. That is, if you want me to."

Jake nodded without hesitation. "Yeah, I want you to."

So much for letting go once and for all.

Jacob had some serious talking to to with a certain Ms. Ettison.

------

Jake was sitting fully clothed on the end of his bed when Melissa finally walked into the bedroom. The small light next to his bed was on and cast awkward looking shadows on the wall. Just about as awkward as he felt. It was time to put things on hold.

Lissa didn't seem to notice, or simply ignored, the serious look on his face. "Mmm, I see you've been waiting up for me." She gave a low purr and sauntered his way. Jacob did his best to ignore the low, sexy tone in her voice that could ensnare any man (and already had gotten him many times).

"Yeah, actually I was Liss, but not for the reason you're hoping."

The girl stopped mid-step. A brief look of confusion passed over her face. It was obvious she was startled by the change in her plans. This wasn't how it was supposed to work. She was supposed to throw a fit earlier in the day and then be able to call the shots later - those were the rules of the game. Jacob knew very well that was Lissa's entire plan, but he was about to throw all that to the wind.

"The thing is, Liss, that I have a big decision coming up about my contact, and I just... I can't have you distracting me from that right now. You're a wonderful girl, but I have the make my decision without having you... well holding me back here."

Melissa blinked. "What do you mean, something about your contract? Jake-y, you just have to sign it, it's really not that compli -"

"But I don't know if I want to sign it, Lissa."

Suddenly, Lissa's eyes turned cold. "So it's back to this again. I remember all too well that speech you told in the bar some time ago. That's crap, Jake. Your place is right here, right here with me. You don't even know what it's like out there. Leaving is not an option for you."

Jacob raised an eyebrow at her powerful words. He thought a moment before responding. He remembered the brief period in Africa where he was just a normal person, no cameras around... it had been wonderful. But it had also been vacation. He doubted he could ever have something like that again. Jacob shook his head. This was precisely why he couldn't have Melissa around; she was far too much of an influence... in her own interest.

"That's possible, Lissa, but I need to decide that on my own. From this point on, we're on hold, ok? Just... I can't be attached to anyone now."

Melissa shook her head. "Nope, sorry Jake, but I can't accept that. We're not on hold. We're in a great relationship. You can't end it."

Jake was not surprised by her reaction. He rose from his position on the bed and grabbed her hand. He gently led her outside the bedroom door. "Yes, I can." He then closed the door behind her.

"The Other Side - Chapter 38" 

Madame