The Other Side - Chapter 15

"The Other Side - Chapter 14" 

Jacob ran his fingers through his hair and patted his sweaty palms on the leather of the limo he was riding in. Karlee wrinkled her nose at the two wet palm prints he left on the seats. "Nervous?" she asked him and he just glared.

Of course, I'm nervous! Jacob was going to go in front of a pack of tabliod reporters and try to explain why he was in Africa, and who the heck that girl was that he was kissing. He knew they were ready to move in for the kill and that was never a good thing. Jacob shifted in his seat and sighed.

One wrong word, or one misleading statement and I can kiss my butt, and my career, good-bye. It was a refreshing thought.

Jacob considered this for a moment. He could just accidentally say that yes, he was kissing that girl or that he had impregnated her and a mongoose (just so the tabloids wouldn't have to embellish at all) and have his career fall out from under him... A smile played on his lips for a moment before dissolving. That was one sure-fire way to make sure the paprazzi never left him alone again. Jacob scared himself by thinking up those things, he really did.

Jacob needed to use this press conference to smooth everything over. He needed to convince the public that he was still a good boy. If he was going to be forced to be a celebrity, he was going to do it right. He wanted to be role model, and he wanted to support his sponsors. If he wanted to drop out of acting, fine, but he wasn't going to ruin the investments people had made in him along the way.

Jacob looked out the window and saw the entrance to the studio. It was crowded with reporters who didn't have the connections to make it inside. He felt his jaw tense.

"Listen, little bro, you'll do fine." Karlee assured while rubbing his shoulder. Despite her effort, Jacob could tell that she wasn't confident in what she said.

"Just... don't forget about 'no comment.'" She said and grinned nervously.

The limo stopped moving. Jake pasted a smile on his face.

Cool, confident. Jake told himself, and felt his face start to relax. Amused, the whole situation is more or less silly. An easy smirk spready over his lips

Here he was - Jacob Jones. Show time.

----

"...the blonde beauty?!" An aggressive reporter screamed into her microphone and then shoved it into his face. Jacob simply smiled at the reporter and kept walking. Karlee stepped up beside him.

"Can the questions please wait until Mr. Jones gets inside?" She asked, saying 'please' but doing so with an icy 'Say-No-And-You-Die' voice.

The reporter didn't say no.

Jacob was quickly ushered into the conference room where the press meeting was to be held. It was just like the kind that athletes called when they were accused of drugs or money laundering. In his whole career, Jacob had only needed to call one. Now two.

It was just a small room full of pushy reporters, their voices creating a volume several decibels higher than comfortable. Jacob sat behind a long brown desk. He always felt like he was on trial here, which, in a way, he was.

The instant that Jacob sat down and Karlee was next to him, a thousand light bulbs flashed and all the video cameras were turned on.

Oh boy, this is going to be fun. Jacob thought, but his face remained a perfect facade of confidence.

"Mr. Jones! Is this you kissing this woman?!" A reporter screamed, holding up the all too familiar tabloid.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, that is me. But I was not kissing her." Jacob said into the microphone, keeping his cool. Immediately, there was a loud rumble of voices and yelling.

"If you're not kissing her, then what's going on?!" One voice called over the others.

Jacob gave an executed, slow smirk. These questions were silly, he wanted them to think. This entire ordeal was blown over the top was the feeling he wanted to get across. "Well, I'd say that she is kissing me. I don't know who she is. She simply came up to me on the street and planted one, while her friend stood by and snapped pictures." Jacob kept his body relaxed. It was all appearances for the people at home. What they saw was what they got, or at least that's what their minds were trained to believe.

"But how could that happen?! You were walking around in Africa alone?!" A woman called out and Jacob had to restrain himself from running his fingers through his hair. It was becoming a nervous habit.

"I think it happens when tabloids get desperate for a story." Karlee gave him a little nudge. Ok, maybe that wasn't quite the right thing to say. Jake quickly moved on. "My bodyguard was with me at the time, but he didn't have time to stop it. He just thought that she wanted an autograph. It all happened very fast. The picture was taken before he could even react."

Jacob started to sweat as the questions got more detailed. They started asking about Sierra Leone and why he was there in the first place. He had gone over the whole thing with Karlee before, but some of it didn't seem to fit.

"You went to Africa on vacation?! But why the secrecy?! Why would you cancel big photo shoots?! Why wouldn't you wait until you had more free time?!" The reporters battered at him. A severe headache was starting to pound at his temples.

"One question at a time, please!" Karlee screamed. It looked like she was having a hard time keeping track of everything, and she wasn't even the one answering the questions.

"There is no free time when you're an actor," Jacob calmly replied. "If you want a vacation then you have to make time for one. You can't wait for time to come to you. And as far as why Africa - well, have you seen how beautiful it is?" He had barely finished speaking when three more questions were whipped at him. Jacob cast Karlee a sidelong glance and she checked her watch.

"Just one more question, please!" She exclaimed and there was a great jump in the volume before one question could be heard.

"Jacob! If you weren't kissing this girl, that means that you are not interested in her, correct?!"

Jacob nodded and cleared his throat again. "That is correct. Uh, I am in no way interested in that woman. Let alone do I know who she is." Jacob rose to leave, with Karlee by his side, but the reporter pushed for one more.

"If you are not interested in her, then are you interested in someone else?!" She cried and Karlee put up her hands.

"I'm sorry, but that was the last question." Karlee said, without any remorse in her voice. But the reporter continued.

"He can answer this last one! It's yes or no!" the reporter cried, pushing her microphone forward. "Jacob Jones, do you have a love interest?!"

Jacob hesitated, for the first time his easy facade cracked. He knew what Jacob Kilmer thought, but that's not what Jacob Jones needed to say. He looked the reporter in the eye. "No. There is no love interest."

----

Becky pulled her bag up over her shoulder as she walked off the plane. She took a deep breath and looked around her at the happy, smiling faces of people as they greeted their loved ones with hugs and kisses. Her heart sunk slightly and she almost wanted to cry as she realized how alone she was, and how far away she was from her friends and family.

Becky finally arrived at her apartment in the mid-afternoon. Exhausted, she collapsed on the couch and picked up the remote control, switching on the television. She flipped lazily from channel to channel. Her hand paused as her eyes locked with the screen. She saw Jacob's face before her.

She realized she was watching a press conference and listened intently as he was pounded with question after question about his relationship with the woman he was seen kissing— that Becky had seen him kissing— near the Moa River in Sulima, Sierra Leone.

Becky studied Jacob's face, her heart fluttering. He looked so in control, like nothing at all had transpired. But every once in a while, she saw the way he laid his hands, the way he half reached for his hair... he was acting. He was Jacob Jones.

As the interview drew to a close, she was almost in tears again. He was right there, she could hear his voice, see his eyes, but she couldn't feel him next to her. It hurt, it really did.

Becky leaned forward in her seat as Jacob was about to leave, and she heard a reporter's last question echoing in her head. "Jacob Jones, do you have a love interest?"

Her eyes brimmed with tears. Please, Jacob. Please...

Becky saw Jacob turning to face the camera once again, his face hard as stone. "No. There is no love interest."

Becky closed her eyes and let a single teardrop fall down her face.

"No," her voice was a whisper, "no..." Becky stood, almost frantic. She headed to her bedroom, ready to fall to pieces. On her way, Becky passed a mirror, catching a glimpse of herself. She backed up and stared in the mirror for a moment. Her face was tear-streaked. There was fire in her eyes. Her lips were quivering and her hands were shaking.

Becky couldn't believe her reflection. It wasn't her at all. She reached up and brushed the tears from her face, then couldn't help but chuckle. "What am I doing?" she said aloud. "This is ridiculous. I'm studying to be a psychologist when I need one of my own." She tossed her head back a let out a laugh. Becky shook her head and started toward the kitchen. "Becky, you need to get a grip, hun. You should've known better. You knew it was impossible from the start."

"Today, a brand new Becky will be born." Becky pulled open a cabinet and found a package of chocolate-covered pretzels. She grabbed it and stared at the unopened seal. There was an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Whether it was hunger or hesitation, she didn't know. But in any case, Becky closed her eyes and dropped the sweets into the trash. Next came the fudge and brownie mixes. Anything Becky found that had anything to do with chocolate was done for.

She left Africa early for a reason. She needed to just be by herself - figure out exactly what had happened back there. It wasn't just her heart that Jacob had touched - they had really talked, she had watched herself through his eyes. Now it was all she could see.

"I need to see myself for me." She said aloud, putting her hands on her hips. "Which means I will have to let go of him."

From the kitchen, she went to her bedroom. Becky smelled the faded air freshener. Her room was always brightest in spirit. Delany's room was all blue, her favorite color. Jim's room was covered in basketball memorabilia. But Becky's room was lavender and white, her favorite colors. When the sun shined through the windows, the room almost had a heavenly appearance.

The bed was untouched, as Becky had left it. The sheets were smoothed out and her diary lay atop her pillow. She hadn't written in it since she left. Becky hadn't wanted to take the diary for some reason. But now was a time to pour the words onto the lines of those pages.

She grabbed the leather-bound book and sat at her desk. Half the pages were somewhat crinkled. Becky had owned the diary since she was eleven. Her father had given it to her as a birthday present and it was rather thick. Becky had never written in it daily. It was more of a haven of thoughts whenever they occurred.

Becky scribbled the date at the top of the page. This was going to be her one opportunity to spill her thoughts and feelings from Africa. She was putting them away, and she wasn't going to let them lead her life again.

Dear Diary, I'm back from my trip to Sulima. And you'll never guess what happened... She proceeded to tell her tale of Jacob, actually laughing as she wrote. The people she knew at school would never believe her. Jacob Jones and Becky Edwards...

Those two names lingered in her head and as they were absorbed into her mind, they formed into a picture of the two, hand in hand on the docks of the Moa River. Becky's lips curved into a gentle smile and the thought of them together was no longer an aching pain. It actually felt good... really good.

Absentmindedly, Becky's hand wandered off into its own little world and began scribbling hearts with Jacob's name inside. She snapped out her thoughts to see these things and blushed at her school girlish behavior. But the hearts didn't get crossed out. Becky closed her diary and shoved it in between Jane Austen and Charles Dickens on the bookshelf. The hearts were there to stay.

----

Jacob dragged his eyes across the last line of the script. He cupped his hand over his mouth and gave a roar-like yawn. The easiest thing for Jacob to do nowadays was remember the script. He had needed to memorize so many lines, it was like clockwork. He usually had to stop himself from say other people's lines. For Jacob, it was just easier to remember it all, instead of just himself.

He leaned back against the chair. He was sitting alone in his trailor . It was equipped with a small kitchen, couch that had a pull down kitchen table, bathroom, and bedroom. It was small but served its purpose - a haven of quiet from the world of movies.

As usual, when Jacob let himself relax, his thoughts moved to Africa. The color of the Moa in the sunset. The smell of the ocean. It was calming - but although it had only been a couple of days, Jacob felt like it was a million miles away.

The fact of the matter was, holding on to Africa was making it hard to work. His adventure in Sulima was so surreal. He had experienced a world, a love, so different than anything he had ever seen in this American life. He had asked Becky to show him the other side - and she did. She was also smart enough to know that he wasn't going to be able to live there.

"Now it's time to come back." Jacob said softly, looking down again at the script. His character didn't hold any secrets. He was hard, crisp, and self-assured. Jacob Jones needed to collect some of that confidence again too.

There was a knock on his door. "Jones! Come on!"

He took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. And if I don't, I'm going to be buried alive.

Jacob quickly exited the trailor.

The set of Jacob's movie was definitely a far cry from Africa. He was starring in it and his co-star was Melissa Ettison, from Crazed With A Passion. The movie was a psychological thriller. Jacob was playing Carl Breaks, a young, amateur spy and computer expert teamed with Tracy Breaks, his sister— played by Melissa. The story line ultimately cliche; sort of like Mission Impossible mixed with The Net, and promised to have a lot of stunts. This was the first time Jacob had ever played a bad guy. The character was wanted by the CIA and he had three childhood enemies on his tail, not to mention his sister's ex-lover who had been a rich, aristocratic kind of guy who had his money shorted by the crafty Tracy. Jacob liked finally being able to act something different. He had always been the extremely dapper, good-looking chap who got the girl. It was getting distasteful.

Jacob got ready in costume and make-up and hurried up on set. The stage was prepared and Melissa was tugging on her black leather gloves to accompany the black leather cat suit she was wearing... spy style.

He stood beside her and cracked his knuckles, ready to shoot the scene. The director gave sixty seconds till the camera would roll and Melissa tossed her dark bangs out of the way. "So, Jake. You wanna have dinner tonight and talk or something?"

Jacob gave an almost evil grin. "Layne dump you again?"

She crossed her arms and sneered, "Somethin' like that."

He chuckled. "Sorry, Liss. I'm not available. I have my eye on someone else, and I'm sorry to say, it's not you."

"Who is it then?" Melissa adjusted the collar of her cat suit. "That girl you kissed in Sulima?"

Jacob caught himself before telling her off. He decided to keep his cool and replied, "Actually, no."

"Then why won't you go out with me again, huh? Jake, we had something great. Why can't we have that again?"

Jacob rolled his head back to release a kink in his neck. "'Cause you're a star, Lissa. You're a star."

"Action!"

She immediately slipped into Tracy Breaks mode. "I thought I told you to stay behind," she whispered sternly.

Jacob tensed into the stony Carl Breaks. "Since when do I listen to you, Trace?"

"Since we became a team."

A cat ran across the stage— a dark and dirty alley— and a pop can bounced around. Jacob jerked his line of sight around the stage and shifted his weight. "Yeah, well I'm the one who runs this team. I know what I'm doing." Melissa's character tried to protest but Jacob held up his hand. "We have the government after us, Otis and Tom getting a shot at us every chance they get, and not to mention your hot stuff wanting our throats slit and our heads on a platter and all you can think about is who to listen to... who's running this game?"

He shook his head and narrowed his eyes. He leaned forward, almost in her face. "Let me tell you something, Tracy." Jacob grabbed her by the collar and pulled her closer. "From now on, I'm the one calling the shots. Remember New Jersey, Sis? I had to save your sorry ass and if you weren't my sister, I swear to you I would have never done that. I almost got myself killed and we can't afford that now can we?" Jacob shoved Melissa and she collapsed into a group of trash cans. Jacob lifted the collar of his coat to cover half his face and stalked off, the shady character.

The director smiled.

"The Other Side - Chapter 16" 

Madame, Zz, Kiryan