First Day on a Brand New Planet

Picking up the brightly lit phone from the dresser beside my bed, I noticed through the fuzzy glaze my eyes had grown accustomed to that he was calling once again. I haven’t talked to him since that night and I had no intention on doing so if I could keep from it. It has been a rollercoaster ride with him ever since I stepped foot into his house to be interviewed. Hitting the silent button for the millionth time, I decided just to turn my phone off. Tears fell down my face as I pulled the blanket over my head, thinking it would block out the pain I felt, but it didn’t work. As far as I knew he had been home for a couple of days from Miami. The day after I got back, I went over to his house and grabbed my laptop that I was editing on and brought it back to my apartment. That way I could work and not be forced to see him. I thought it was a win-win situation, but I was wrong. I haven’t gotten any work done and all I’ve done is lay in my bed, eat, and cry. That’s all I felt like doing since that night in the hotel and I’ve accomplished that greatly.

I had more than enough time to think. My thoughts had become quite the unwelcomed guest. I tried to sleep, but when I slept, I dreamt, and most of the time it was about him. We weren’t a couple. I knew that. But when he said what he did in the hotel, he let me know where I stood with him, and it felt like I could die.

____

“Yeah, honey. Who am I?” I said stepping back from him to stand beside Emma. Who was this skinny, bleach blonde, spray tanned bimbo? And why was she calling him honey? I thought to myself.

He looked from me to Plastic Surgery Barbie and said, “This is Taylor. She works for me.” This was true. I did work FOR him. But it seemed like what happened 20 minutes ago, never took place. I was just his employee, one that he slept with just a few moments ago.

I felt Emma put her hand on my lower back. She knew what just happened between us. She knew Jared better than anyone and she could read him like a book. He knew what he just done, but instead of correcting himself, he stood there - frozen - and didn’t say a word. I glared at him as he stood there in his frozen state as tears built up in my eyes, but he didn’t move an inch.

“Nice to meet you Taylor. I’m a really good friend of your boss.” Slut Barbie said placing emphasis on really. And then she had the audacity to extend her hand to me. I didn’t want to look at her, much less touch her.

I looked at her through my tear filled eyes and she looked down at me and said, “Oh baby, what is wrong?” before smirking at me. Before I knew it, my fist had connected with her eye and she flew back against the wall. She was leaned over holding her face, cussing at me, but I didn’t hear one word that came out of her collagen filled lips. I stormed towards the elevator and Emma ran behind me.

“Please, don’t go!” she pleaded. There was nothing anyone could do to change my mind. I can’t believe I put myself in this position to get hurt, but I did, and I was escaping while I had the chance. She gave me a hug and said she’d be in touch. I stepped inside the elevator and before the doors had time to shut Jared stopped them and pried them apart.

“Taylor, please let me explain to you who she is.” he said.

“I don’t care who she is. Leave me alone.” I tried everything I could not to look at him in his eyes. I kept my focus on the floor number flashing in red above me.

“Just let me explain. FUCK! Why do you have to be like this Taylor? Give me 5 minutes?” he said growing angrier. The fact that he had the nerve to get angry at me, pushed me over the edge.

“I AM LIKE THIS BECAUSE YOU ARE SO FUCKED UP, THAT’S HOW YOU MAKE ME! DON’T YOU DARE COME AT ME, WANTING TO EXPLAIN, IT’S PRETTY EVIDENT WHAT’S GOING ON! NO EXPLANATIONS ARE NEEDED! YOU ARE MY BOSS! I WORK FOR YOU REMEMBER? THAT’S IT! I’M GOING HOME, TO MY HOUSE! I WILL WORK FROM THERE. SO MAYBE I WON’T HAVE TO SEE YOUR LYING, SCUMBAG FACE AGAIN!” I yelled at him. His eyes were so wide from shock. I didn’t care though, because he had made me mad. He stepped away from the elevator and the doors proceeded to close before I caught them to say one last thing.

“Oh, and if you are planning on firing me, GO AHEAD, please don’t wait to do it, or send someone else to do your dirty work!” After I said that, the doors shut, and my tears fell. I left without any luggage. I texted Emma to please bring them home with her and she said she would. That was the last time I’ve seen either of them…. Until today.

____

Hopefully he won’t be there, but I have to get my paycheck so I’ll have some money to pay the rent. Allie is away on a job in Costa Rica or I’d get her to pay it for the time being so I wouldn’t’ have to face him. I haven’t been able to set up direct deposit yet, so I have to go to the house to get the check, if I want a place to live. I’ve dreaded it more than anything.

I had waited as late as I could so I threw on some dingy sweats and a t-shirt, I put my hair up into a messy bun on the top of my head, and looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. I looked a mess and to add to my appearance the red, puffy eyes didn’t help matters. Grabbing my keys and purse I made my way out of the apartment.

Pulling up at the house, I seen his truck in the driveway, Emma’s car next to his, and an unfamiliar black Land Rover. My heart sank, my first thought was that it probably belonged to Slut Barbie. I don’t know what I would do if I ever saw her again. I would not be able to control my actions.

Making my way through the front gate and stepping inside the house, I felt literally sick. I got dizzy and I felt like I could throw up. I stepped into the nearest bathroom before anyone seen me. I heard people in the next room talking, it was loud. I turned on the sink and splashed some water on my face and the feeling went away thankfully.

Slowly stepping out of the bathroom, I walked through the foyer into the living room. It was full of people. Jared was sitting on the fireplace, Jamie was sitting beside him. All of the workers filled the couches, a couple of random girls sat next to them, Emma was sitting in the floor in the middle of them all with a dark haired guy. He was facing away from me, so I didn’t get a look at his face. No Slut Barbie though, Thank Goodness! They all looked up when they seen me come in and all said Hello, except for Jared. Emma stood up and walked over to me and we made our way back into the foyer.

“I’m sorry Taylor, but I asked Jared if I could give you your check, but he said no.” Emma said apologetically.

“Why can’t you?” I asked. I knew what he was doing and I felt like crying again.

“I guess he wants to talk to you, although he’d never admit it, I know that’s why. He let me give all of the others their checks, but not yours.” she said.

“Ugh! Well, I have to have it. I have bills to pay.” I said. She gave me a gentle hug and we made our way back into the noisy room.

“Jared, Can I get my check?” I asked without looking at him.

“Who are you?” the dark haired man that was sitting beside Emma in the floor earlier said. His hat was pulled over his eyes.

“Who are you?!” I asked back. Asking someone -Who are you?- is one of my biggest pet peeves. Why not ask them, “What is your name?”

He laughed loudly. Everyone stood up and went back to work or out by the pool. “Oh sweetie, I’m sorry! May I ask your name?” he said sarcastically apologizing.

“Taylor. And may I ask yours?” I replied just as sarcastically. He stood up, removing his hat from covering his eyes, and looked over at Jared.

“This is Taylor?” he asked Jared. Jared nodded in agreement to him. What is going on? I thought to myself.

“Ho-ly Shit! This is the girl you’ve been talking about?” the guy said stepping towards me.

He pulled me into a massively strong hug and I seen Jared smile softly at the man’s gesture. I watched Jared stand up and walk away before turning around and saying, “I’ll be upstairs when you’re ready.”

“Oh it’s so nice to finally meet you. My brother has talked about you nonstop.” the guy said.

I knew Jared had a brother, but I had no idea what he looked like. He was attractive just like Jared. Dark eyes and hair, muscular, and kinder. He was so kind once we were introduced to one another. He told me his name was Shannon and he had been out of town with one of his good friends doing some shows overseas. He just got back into town last night and still was jet lagged. He had to leave again in a couple of days to do 3 more shows then he would be home for the remainder of the time to finish the work on the new album. He hugged me once more before heading out to the pool. He never mentioned what Jared had said about me and I never asked.

I slowly made my way up the stairs to his office. I guess you couldn’t really call it an office, he never spent any time in there. It was cluttered from the floor to the ceiling with books and papers. It was more like a storage unit.

When I entered the room, he was sitting on the couch, with the slim piece of paper waving through his fingers. “Can I have my check please?” I asked.

“Please talk to me Taylor.” he said. Great, not this again, I thought to myself.

“I would just really like my check. I feel sick and I don’t want to talk.” I said. I wasn’t literally sick, I just felt that way with him.

He didn’t like it, but he handed over my check. I knew the only way I could get away from him was threaten his health. He hated being sick and did anything and everything to prevent himself from getting that way.

“Will you please talk to me one day?” he asked as I headed out of the doorway. I didn’t respond to him, because I didn’t know if I could. I would love for things to go back to the way they were, even when he was being bi-polar and confusing, but they couldn’t.

I made my way out of the house and walked to my car. I seen him looking through the front window watching me leave. All I wanted to do was get back in my bed and shield myself from the world.

When I turned my key in my apartment door handle, the lock fell to the floor. I leaned down and picked it up as I made my way inside my apartment. When I stood back up, I realized my world had been destroyed. Someone had broke into my apartment and took almost everything. I made my way into my bedroom, not even realizing the burglar could still be in here, and looked around. Thankfully, they were gone though. All of my jewelery was stolen. They took basically everything except for the refrigerator and couch and our beds.

I sat down on the couch and lost it. I wasn’t going to stay here tonight, I couldn’t. I was too scared. I couldn’t call Allie, she was in Costa Rica working. She’d have to find out her stuff was stolen when she returned home. My parents were thousands of miles away and I didn’t want to tell them I just got robbed. There was only person that I could call. Picking up the phone, I dreadfully dialed his number.

“Hello.” Jared said answering short and quick.

“Jared?” I said through my waves of tears.

“Taylor? Are you okay?” he asked with worry in his voice.

“Can I come stay with you tonight? Someone broke into my apartment.” I said trying to catch my breath.

“WHAT?! YES! COME HERE RIGHT NOW!” he demanded. So we hung up and I ran out of my apartment back to Jared’s. I didn’t want to go back there, but I knew I would be safe at his house.