Catfish

"Drink this," Michelle said softly, holding out a ceramic mug towards Jordin. She looked at it cautiously, before reaching out and grabbing it. She brought it back to her chest, inhaling the warmth radiating from the hot liquid. She sighed, bringing her knees to her chest as Michelle sat down beside her, "It's chamomile. It should relax you a bit," She smiled over at her.

"Thank you," Jordin whispered and took a sip. It was perfectly sweetened and tasted smooth. It didn't make her feel better, but Michelle was right when she said it would help relax her.

"I have some more comfortable clothes you can change into. You're more than welcome to take my bed as well," Michelle offered.

Jordin sure why of all people, Brian's ex-wife would be helping her. She thought for sure it would be Leana to reach out for her. Instead, it was Michelle and even Leana didn't protest. She wasn't sure if this was Michelle's way of weaving into her life with Brian, or if she was actually just being nice.

"That's really nice of you," Jordin murmured, "But the couch is fine."

They fell into silence. They could only hear the sound of cars driving down the highway and the occasional night cricket chirping outside the balcony. Michelle looked over at the girl, her soft smile turning into a frown. Jordin didn't have the glow she held when she entered the house at Brian's side. Jordin was beaming with joy, even if she held it all in. Now, as she sat on her couch, she could see that her cheeks were stained with tear-streaks. Her mascara had leaked a bit, but not enough to look like a runner-up prom queen. Her whole charisma had changed as her shoulders slumped, her eyes pointed towards the ground, and a permanent frown set on her face.

"Why did you bring me here?" Jordin broke the silence, but still not looking up at Michelle. She kept her eyes fixated on the steam rising from her cup, focusing on anything but the woman sitting beside her.

Michelle sighed, setting her cup down in the coffee table in front of her. She turned to face the girl, making herself comfortable within the throw pillows of her sofa, "I'm very protective of Brian," She started, "It's my fault that our relationship ended. I'm sure Leana already told you that."

Jordin looked over at Michelle, giving her a small nod before she continued. Michelle took in a deep breath and sighed.

"I've always felt guilty. I mean, I used him. I told him I loved him and in exchange he gave me everything I could ever want. The sad part is that if he hadn't caught me red handed with that other man, I'd probably still be doing it," She confessed and Jordin turned, intrigued by Michelle's story. She too made herself comfortable, as if Michelle was telling her some sort of bedtime story.

"He deserves to be happy. He always has. Brian is the sweetest and most caring guy I know, and he never gets anything in return. He just wants to be love, and be loved in return. I mean, I cheated on the guy for two years and he still doesn't hate me," She scoffed, "He doesn't have a mean bone in his body.

"After we were officially divorced, he set out to find someone new. He wanted to find the real love of his life. He's a real hopeless romantic, I'm sure you know that," She said and Jordin nodded, a small smile finally gracing her face, "He gave his heart to every single girl he felt feelings for, and every single girl turned out to be the same."

"They hurt him, huh?" Jordin asked, but she already knew the answer.

Michelle nodded solemnly, "They stepped all over him. They spent his money, used him to brag to other girls about dating a rockstar, and slept with him. It was just a routine. Brian was always so blind to it until he would leave for tour and when he came back they were gone. They'd run away the moment he dropped the L word. Every single time he was completely heartbroken.

"Every single girl he's brought around I've been a bitch to," She admitted, "Because I knew the new girl was just like the last. I saw right through them, and I would always do my best to chase them away. It helped that I was the ex-wife. I used that to my advantage to keep these girls far away, and sometime it worked," She sighed, "I just wanted him to be happy."

Jordin stared at Michelle with wide eyes. She remembered the judgmental look she had received the night she met her. Michelle was just protecting Brian from her. In front of her, Michelle was a different person. It was like she had never seen this woman before. Michelle was a kind person who just made some mistakes, and was trying to redeem herself. She wasn't the nightmare ex-wife she thought she was.

"Michelle, I..." Jordin didn't know what to say, "That's very nice of you. Most people are bitter after a divorce."

Michelle shrugged, "Well, it's the least I could do. I mean, I was one of those girls. I was the first one of a long string of them," She sighed and turned back to Jordin, "I just wanted him to heal. And when I saw you... Even though you were introduced as a friend, I saw the way he looked at you. It was a look I had never seen before. So I was scared. I didn't want you to be like the rest.

"When the commotion at dinner happened, I knew something was up. With all the clues, I had the idea that you guys were secretly dating. I thought maybe you were trying to cover up your tracks by keeping the relationship secret. So I set out for answers," She confessed, "I talked to Jimmy first, and he wouldn't tell me a thing. The only other person I could ask was Zack. I mean, he seems to know everything."

"I'm assuming he told you some lies," Jordin stated and Michelle nodded.

"He tried to make it seem like Brian was using you. I wanted Brian to be happy, not turn into some bitter man because of me. I never wanted his good heart to go to waste," She confessed, "And I was upset. I was disappointed in him, so I confronted him."

Jordin's eyes widened and she leaned in closer, "What did he say?" She questioned.

Michelle smiled at her, "He told me he was in love with you," She stated and Jordin could feel butterflies form in her stomach, "He explained the situation to me. The online profile was his shield, a way of protecting himself. And then he found you. He fell in love with you and he knew deep down that his plan wasn't the smartest idea's he's had."

"Was he ever going to tell me, then?" She asked, "I mean, I could understand if it was a couple months and he told me. But it was an entire year," She explained.

Michelle nodded, understanding where Jordin was coming from, "He did," She assured, "He planned to tell you all along. The moment he fell in love with you, he knew he would have to confess everything if he truly wanted to be with you. He was willing to do that."

"Then why didn't he?" Jordin asked angrily, startling Michelle.

"Because he was scared," She said, "He had been heartbroken so many times, he thought you would stomp on his heart the moment he told you. He was afraid you'd forget about Cameron, the person he was inside, and focus on Synyster Gates."

Jordin felt tears fill her eyes, "But he knew I loved him," She choked out, "He knew I would never love anyone but him. I don't care if he's a rockstar. The most upsetting thing is that he's ten years older than me. So why didn't he realize that I loved him just as much?"

"He did, Sweetie," Michelle wrapped an arm around the crying girl, "But Brian isn't an open book. I can't tell you why he waited. But," She turned so she could place both hands on Jordin's shoulders, looking at her in the eyes, "He never wanted to hurt you, Jordin. He was thinking of a way to tell you without getting hurt. I promise you that he was going to tell you, but..."

"Zack messed everything up," Jordin finished for her and Michelle nodded sadly. Jordin ran a hand through her hair, groaning as she leaned back in the couch, "I have to talk to him," She whispered.

"Yeah you do," She smiled, "But for now you should sleep on it. You've had a long night," Michelle went to stand up, but Jordin stopped her.

"Michelle?" She asked and turned to her, "Do you still love him?" She asked softly.

Michelle smiled sweetly, "I'm not in love with him, Jordin. I love Brian like I do the rest of the guys. They're my best friends. But Brian will always be special to me because of what we've been through. But I was never in love with him, Jordin. That's what makes me such bad person," She confessed and stood up before Jordin could say anything else. She disappeared into the bedroom and returned shortly.

"They might be a little loose, you're so tiny," She giggled, "But I promise they're much more comfortable than that dress," She handed over a pair of pajama shorts and a matching top, "I'm sure one of the girls can bring you some clothes tomorrow."

Jordin took them gratefully, looking up at Michelle, "Thanks."

"No problem. Bathroom is down the hall on the right. Feel free to use anything. I have my own bathroom in my room," Michelle nodded to her bedroom door, "Let me know if you need anything. Make yourself at home," She smiled and turned to walk away.

"Michelle?" Jordin called just before she reached her doorway. The older woman turned around, a kind and true smile on her face, "Thank you," She whispered, "For looking out for him... and for me." Michelle smiled at the girl and gave a small nod, "You know you're not a bad person, right?" She Jordin asked and Michelle stopped, her smile faltering a bit, "I mean, you shouldn't feel guilty anymore."

Michelle smiled gratefully, "I'm working on it," She said in a soft voice, barely a whisper, "Goodnight, Jordin."