Hollywould Fix

"I need a favor you guys," I began I had tried to rehearse this conversation in my head a few times; how I was going to convince the girls to let Ashlee come along to hang out. Really I just needed Angel to agree.

"Spit it out Vasquez," Angel commanded.

I took a deep breath. "PeteaskedmetogetAshleeoutofthehouseforalittlewhilesohecansetupagiftforherandthebabysocanshecomewithustonight?"

"That sounds like a personal problem. Pete asked you. Why should the rest of us have to suffer?"

"Come on Angel. What would the two of us have to talk about alone?"

"You're both in love with the same man how about that for a conversation starter."

"Be serious Angel come on it's only for a few hours, it's not going to kill you."

"Are you sure you want to do this Rey," Lacey asked.

"I owe Peter a lot the least I can do is put up with his girlfriend for a few hours."

"Alright, what are we doing?"

"Movie. It involves as little talking as possible."

"Good thinking. Okay we'll do it but you owe us one."

"As usual. Thanks ladies see you in 30."

It took Ashlee even more convincing than it did the girls. Of course, Ashlee couldn't come up with a good excuse for Pete as to why she didn't want to hang out with me so she conceeded. With plenty of dirty looks thrown my way just for good measure.

"What's this all about," she asked suspiciously as we climbed into the car.

"Nothing I'm doing Pete a favor. Just chill out, come watch a movie, and we'll be back before you know it."

"Why does he want me out of the house?"

"He's trying to do something nice for you. Now that's all I'm going to say because as much as I couldn't care less about you having a nice surprise it's important to Peter and therefore important to me. So please don't make this any more difficult than it needs to be."

"What? Two girls fighting over the same guy, one of which has obviously won, isn't difficult or awkward at all," she said smugly.

"The only fighting going on is in your head Ashlee. Because unlike you, I care about Pete and I would never do anything to hurt him. So for now I have removed myself from the running. At least until your devious plan goes to hell like I know it will. Then I'll be there to comfort him."

"Please you've already hurt him. Do you know how many nights I've had to stay up listening to him complain about you hooking up with Ryan and getting back together with Alex? It was so nauseating."

"I'm surprised to hear you say that."

"Why there's no point in pretending that Pete doesn't have feelings for you. He cheated on his girlfriend of two years after knowing you for a few months." I slowed the car down and pulled over to the shoulder. "What's wrong? Why are we pulling over?"

"Why won't you just let Pete go? You know that we care for each other. You obviously don't love him or you wouldn't be doing this to him, why not let him go?" I don't know what I expected but we seemed to be having an honest moment for once and I guess I was hoping for an honest answer.

"I do love Pete more than either of you will ever know but relationships are complicated, you know that. Brian is a nice guy and he's super hot but he's not Pete. He's not dependable. I know Peter will always be there for me and the baby. I know that it's not fair to him, but I'm not giving him up either and as long as noone tells him, what he doesn't know what hurt him."

"But if you love him, if you truly love him you'll let him be happy and move on."

"I said I love him just not enough to let him go. I'm too selfish for that. But you're not. You're the opposite of selfish that's why you're the girl whose helping the guy she loves set up a surprise for his girlfriend. That's why you're that girl and I'm not."

She indicated that our conversation was over by turning back to face the front.

We got to the theater and got through the movie with minimal bloodshed and headed back to the house.

"Thanks guys I really appreciate this."

"Not so fast chickie if I had to put up with the Ass for 2 hours I want to know why. I'm coming in." I should have known Angel wouldn't let me off the hook so easy.

"Ooh I want to see too," exclaimed Lacey who loved all things "baby".

"It's up to Pete. Pete, can the girls come in," I yelled up the lighted stairs.

"Yeah come on up but make Ashlee close her eyes."

I couldn't stop my eyes from rolling but I grabbed her hand. "Close your eyes," I ordered.

She looked at me doubtfully. "How do I know you won't run me into a wall?"

"You're pregnant I would never hurt an unborn child no matter who it's mother is," I said sweetly.

She gave me a phony smile and then closed her eyes trusting that I would in fact keep her safe. I was surprised that Pete had actually gotten the rocking chair put together but I suspected that it was a joint effort since the rest of the boys were there.

When we walked into what would be the nursery Pete took over leading Ashlee to the middle of the room from which she would be able to see the rocking chair sitting in the corner. "Okay you ready," he asked excitedly. Ashlee nodded. "Surprise."

Ashlee opened her eyes and I could tell instantly that she hated it; any woman not from the back woods. But I expected her to at least play it off in front of all of us and then talk to him in private about it, but no, she exploded.

"What the hell is this," she asked angrily.

"It's a rocking chair babe."

"I can see that but it's a fucking ugly one."

Pete looked taken aback. "Well I was trying to get something that would be neutral since we don't know the sex of the baby yet but if you don't like it we can go together and..."

"I can't believe you let Reina talk you into getting this thing. She hates me. You should have known she'd pick out something I hated."

I opened my mouth to defend myself but before I could get a word out Pete did it for me. "This was the one I picked out this has nothing to do with Reina..."

"Well that's too bad because that just proves to me that you have no idea what you're doing. We're supposed to do things like this together. You're going to be a terrible father if you keep doing this like this. I can't believe I even did this. This baby deserves better than you." She turned back towards the girls who were crowded by the door of the room. "Move," she commanded loudly.

Tessa and Lacey scattered but Angel stayed put. I thought she was going to start a fight which was the last thing we needed right now but then she move silently and only slightly out of the way allowing Ashlee to continue stalking out of the room.

We all turned our attention back to Pete. He looked so heartbroken that it felt like my own heart was breaking. He didn't deserve that. I moved toward him and touched his arm. He shrugged me off. "It's probably just hormones," he said to no one in particular, "I should go see if she's okay." He left quietly out of the room.

"We should probably get going," suggested Andy after an uncomfortable silence.

I simply nodded. They started filing out of the room but when I went to follow, Lacey grabbed my arm signaling me to hang back. "What's up", I asked after everyone else had gone downstairs.

"That," she began pointing to the area where Ashlee had stood, "was not okay. He tried to do something nice for her and she just treated him like crap, knowing that she's cheating on him and the child isn't even his."

"WHAT!" I whirled around to find Angel standing in the doorway.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"I realized you two weren't with us and came to see what was up. Patrick's ready to go. But how do you know everything you just said? Wait a minute...Tessa you can stop hiding; come in here so you can hear what they say."

Tessa appeared behind Angel in the doorway then slipped past so that she was standing just inside the room. "Hi," she said sheepishly adding an awkward guilty wave.

I sighed. "I walked in on her with her other boyfriend, Brian, a couple of weeks ago. She told me everything; the baby isn't Pete's."

"What the hell! Why didn't you say anything, if not to us, then at least to Pete?"

I looked to Lacey for direction, should I tell them the whole truth? "Pete and I were together for a few weeks while Ashlee was on tour..."

"I knew it," Angel practically screamed.

"Shhh," Lacey admonished, "let her finish."

"He was supposed to break up with her when she came back but then she announced the pregnancy. Pete's a good guy he wants to do the right thing and I encouraged him to stay with her. We broke up and we tried to stay away from each other. It's been difficult but we've done our best."

"So what does what have to do with telling Pete the truth about the baby?"

"Reina doesn't think he'll believe her because y'know she's the other woman," Lacey threw in.

"So now the question is what are we going to do about it?" I could see the wheels in Angel's head turning. No good could possibly come of that.

"We shouldn't get involved, this has nothing to do with us. All we can do is try to support Reina," Lacey insisted.

"Like hell we shouldn't do anything, can you honestly say you think it's right to allow poor, innocent Pete to think that baby is his when it isn't and let her treat him like crap and let her keep cheating on him? Friends wouldn't let that happen and we are his friends." For the first time I saw Angel's eyes glaze over when she talked about Pete. They were kind of the same way mine got when I talked or thought about him. I guess even though I knew Tessa told me that Angel had always really held a candle for Pete it wasn't real to me until that moment when I saw it in her eyes.

"You're right," I spoke up, "We can't let her get away with this. But the person to tell him has to be someone trustworthy, with no possible ulterior motives..."

Angel, Tessa, and I all looked at Lacey as the obvious choice. "You guys no way. I can't tell him that. We don't even have any proof."

"Yes we do I saw it with my own eyes," I cried.

"Yes but you're concerned that Pete won't believe you because of your history. If your account is our only proof how is that any better?"

Damn. She had a point.

"Damn, she has a point," Angel said exactly what I was thinking, "Okay so all we need to do is have him catch her in the act. It's no big deal I've done it plenty of times." I looked at her quizically. "What? Sometimes you have to be a little devious to make sure things go the way they are supposed to. Now when and where do they...meet?"

"When I caught them it was during the day, during the week. I wasn't supposed to be home and the boys were working on the album."

"Okay so maybe if we can recreate the events we can catch her in the act again. And by we, I mean Pete."

Lacey looked doubtful. "You guys are we sure we want to do this? I mean we can't possible predict what kind of effect our actions are going to have."

Angel looked at her in mock disgust. "We are doing this for our friend, not just Pete who definitely deserves to know the truth, but for Reina who is heartbroken. We can't let her lose the man of her dreams to that cold-hearted bitch."

I could tell by the venom in her voice that she wasn't just talking about me.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tessa gave me a knowing look. This was not good. I was playing right into Angel's hand. I had fallen for Pete and was in prime position to get between him and Ashlee. Just what she wanted.

I didn't even have to think about it. I nodded. "I'm sure, I can't let this keep going. At least not for Pete's sake no matter what happens with us."

"You really care about him don't you," said Angel like she had just contemplated the possibility of this for the first time.

"Yes, I do. You were right. Can you get the gloating out of the way now so we can move on," I demanded, already irritated before the gloating even began.

Instead of saying "I told you so", Angel put her arm around my shoulders. "No gloating here, hon. Just friends that have your back no matter what. We're not going to let her get away with this."

"Hey what's going on up here," asked Joe popping his head in the room. "Babe, you ready?"

Angel rolled her eyes in our direction then plastered a fake smile on her face and turned to face Joe. "Yes honey, I'm ready just give me one more minute." Joe nodded and Angel turned back to us lowering her voice in case Joe hadn't gone all the way back downstairs. "It should go without saying that we can't talk about this with anyone else especially the boys. They'll mess the whole thing up, that includes Patrick." She directed her attention to Lacey.

"I got it," she insisted defensively.

"Alright let's meet for lunch tomorrow and make some definite plans." Then she looked at me and winked. "Go comfort your man."