I Remember The Day She Told Me It's Over

Chris Brown's, Kiss Kiss pumped through the speakers of the stereo in Stephany's car. She pulled off the main road into a residential area and into a small cresent.

"This lady is amazing with Karmin." Stephany boasted as she turn her bright red car around in the middle of the close and parked alongside the curb near the neighborhood mail boxes.

"So I hate to ask this," I admitted, "but I don't think I've ever seen Karmin. Does she - "

"Live with her dad?" Stephany finished my question for me as she opened up the door and exited the vehicle leaving me with nothing to do but follow suit.

Outside the vehicle, I decided that the car hadn't been lying when it'd said that it was one hundred and five degrees farenheight outside. I tugged on my bikini top and re-arranged it beneath my tank top before adjusting my jean skirt and following Steph along the sidewalk to the gate at the back of the fence leading into the backyard of the town house.

"David and I were very young when we had Karmin."

I looked at her and tried to imagine her being pregnant. Hell, I tried to imagine her being a mom. I was her friend, but I didn't really see the 'mom material' tagged across her forehead.

"I was sixteen, he was eighteen. Naturally no one liked that very much. But we had her anyway and managed to stay togther for another two years. Then at eighteen I landed some questionable acting roles. No one really knows about them because I was under a stage name."

I was following her story as well as folling her into the small back yard, letting the gate click closed behind me.

"That irritated the hell out of David." She continued with her story. "He started threatening to leave me and take Karmin with him. I always thought hewas more talk than walk until I landed this Playboy gig last year. The minute I signed the deal, he was gone. Took me to court, and sued for full custody."

She was now standing on the back step pushing the pad of her forefinger against the doorbell. I opted to remain at the bottom of the steps.

"I guess judges don't believe that a woman who uses her sexuality for work will make a very good mother."

The door opened and a rather young woman dressed in black capris and a hot pink tank top smiled at us through the screen door before opening it up as well.

"Come on in, Steph. Karmin's pretty excited to see you."

"Mommy?"

Karmin's small body appeared from behind the woman's legs and soon she was squishing her way by and into Stephany's arms. I couldn't help but smile. Steph did posess some 'mommy material'.

"Do you girls have time for a drink?"

Steph pinched her daughter's cheek. They were spitting images of each other. She then turned her attention to the babysitter. "No, Bailey has a date tonight."

I smiled up at the woman, ready to deny Steph's claim but the woman spoke first.

"You're Bailey Jenson aren't you?"

Fuck I hated that question.

"Yeah I am." I replied, unable to deny it.

"My boyfriend has been on non-stop about you since he saw you at that new club with a guy from some band. It's his favorite band but for the life of me I can't remember the name of them."

I glanced at Stephany. "The new club?" How he got into that even was beyond me.

"He's a photographer." Stephany cleared up the situation as she lifted her daughter and balanced her on one hip.

"He said he got some great pictures from you guys. Got him a fairly big pay cheque too. So he'll be on the watchout for you too now." The woman smiled coyly.

I groaned inside. The last thing Ineeded was another paparazzi stalker. Not to mention one who was friends with my best friend. In other words, I couldn't be rude when I felt the moment required it without word getting back to Stephany.

"Did David leave her over night bag?" Steph broke the awkwardness.

"Oh yeah," the woman disappeared into the house for a moment before returning with a pink hello kitty backpack. "And he said to remind you that he'll be there early to pick up Karmin tomorrow."

Steph growled under her breath. "Yeah I remember." She took the backpack and began down the steps. "See you next week."

The woman nodded. "See you guys later."

Karmin waved but clung to her mother.

"And I'll be sure to let my husband know I met you, Bailey!" She called after me.

I waved awkwardly and followed Steph back to her Mustang.

"Listen, Bail, I have a huge favor to ask of you. Mary's husband is looking to befome a journalist as well. And he wants to do the photography for his own work. I was wondering if you'd like to help me help him get started?"

I watched Steph place her daughter in the back seat and put her seatbelt on. I couldn't help myself.

"How old is she?" I asked.

Steph rolled her eyes and closed the door. "She's six. And I know I should technically still have her in one of those seat things, but I haven't got it. David does."

I wanted to press more but didn't. We climbed into our respective seat and she turned to me again. "So what do you think?"

"I can't sign with just any photographer right now Steph." I explained honestly. "I work for Playboy. Hell right now, I am Playboy. Everything has to be approced through and by them. I highly doubt they're going to allow an un-accredited photographer and journalist from god knows where, to plaster the face of Playboy all over the cheapest places."

"Jesus." Setphany gowled at me this time. "You're really letting this go to your head."

"No I'm not. It's my job, and I'd rather not breach my contract for someone who makes his living stalking people, taking their pictures and selling them to whomever will pay a few bucks more, no matter how personal the photographs may be."

I'd clearly said too much because she never spoke to me the whole ride back to my house.

"You would be helping my career out to you know. I'm just another girl for Playboy. My pictures get put into one month of the magazine and then I have to carry on."

The real root of the problem was slowly becoming apparent. We'd all started out the same, but since being named Playboy of the Year, even my friends were turning on me.

"Yeah, I'm just not ready to jeopardize my career...or image." I replied flatly, letting myself out of her vehicle.

"Glad to hear we're such good friends, Bailey. You can pay me back for lunch later."

I barely even had the door closed and she was driving away. I stared after her, and kept staring even after she was out of sight. If it hadn't been happening to me, I would never understand how the industry was so successful at warping people.

I just hoped that we weren't beyond repair.

***

After lunch at Tuna Town we hung around, drinking and chatting. Right now everyone was talking about our upcoming tour. Emily, Ashleigh, Meg, Cristina, Morgan and Mara were all joining us for the first leg of the tour. And naturally, that made me the odd man out, and to be honest, that fucking sucked. And while it was bumming me out, the others seemed totally unphased by it. And that kinda pissed me off even more.

"This tour is gonna be fucking insane," Johnny smiled at Cristina and she took his hand into hers.

"Only because I'm gonna be there to rock your world." She winked and the rest of the group errupted in laughter.

"You can rock my world if Johnny isn't interested," I joked lightly and she grinned at me.

"Maybe Johnny will share." It was more of a question than anything. And naturally Johnny shot me down.

"Sorry Baker. I don't share." He downed the rest of his drink and locked eyes with me in honest question, "Why don't you ask Bailey to come?"

That was a good question. But I wasn't quite ready to ask her something like that yet. Instead, I'd settle for our date tonight.

***

I was almost dressed for the night when my phone rang. I was tempted to not even answer it, but being as it was my manager, I decided I better.

It had been a mistake.

"A car will be there in half an hour. I need you ready before that. Hugh has asked that you join him and the girls for dinner tonight at one of his favorite restaurants."

I sighed and sat down on the edge of my bed. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah I'm serious." She replied almost angrily. "You want me to help build your image. This will help. Get dressed up, there's always alot of paparazzi there."

With that she hung up and I felt like hucking my cell across the room against the wall. I was going to have to break my date with Zacky, unless I could somehow manage to get away from supper before it got too late.

***

"Alright Baker your shot." Johnny handed his pool cue over to me and I took it. I twisted the blue chalk over the end before moving around the pool table. It always amazed me, we've been all over the world, in every bar and club imaginable, and yet, Johnny's Booze and Pool still remains our favorite place to be. I leaned over the table slightly and lined up my pool stick with the cue ball and took my shot, sinking the solid yellow ball.

"Nice." Syn smiled and took a sip of his beer.

I moved around the table and lined up another shot, this time narrowly missing the hole. "Fuck."

"That's rough." Matt Berry took the pool cue from me.

"Here." Ashleigh handed me back my beer and I took it from her with a smile.

"Thanks."

"I thought Bailey was coming tonight?" Meg asked from her pertch on Jimmy's lap.

"Alright Zacky, level with us." Emily brought her beer bottle to her lips before speaking again. "What's up with you and Bailey?"

I chuckled softly and leaned back into the wooden bench that sat against the wall near the pool tables. Crossing my ankles and my arms over my chest. I glanced amongst my friends, who's eyes were on me. "She'll be here later. And I'm not entirely sure what we are."

The guys eyed me even more skeptically. Hell they all knew better.

"I thought you and her had a pretty good thing," Rev spoke softly, and in a round about way.

I nodded slightly at the thought. Bailey and I. Was I ready to tie myself to her? Was I ready to try it all over again. I had so many questions and hardly any answers.

My thoughts were interrupted however by the small bell above the door ringing.

I'm not entirely sure who I was hoping to see but when she walked in the door, I was a little surprised. She spotted me and waved slightly berfore making her way across the bar towards our little group with another girl not far behind her.

"Terra?" It was a rhetorical question.

"Well I'm here." She grinned, brushing her black hair off her shoulders as she locked eyes with me. "What are your other two wishes?"

Matt Berry was suddenly at my side. "Holy shit dude it's July."

"And February," JB mumbled in response to his brother's comment.

I knew they were referring to the playboy calender, and they were right. Terra and Stephany were in Johnny's bar.