Catfish

Jimmy shuffled into the studio early. He had promised Jordin donuts and coffee since she had kept her promise and showed up to dinner the night before. He set the box of donuts down, figuring he should set up his drums while he had some peace and quiet before the rest of the band showed up.

"Hey, you're here early," A voice pulled him away from his drum set. He turned to look at Zack, who stood in the doorway with a guitar in his hand.

"You are too," Jimmy noted.

"Yeah I was working on some harmonies for a few songs. I wanted to get them down on paper before I forgot them," Zack shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Cool. I promised Jordin donuts," He grinned, "So I'm here early for her."

"Yeah, you two seem very close," Zack set the guitar down.

"I guess. She's pretty cool. Everyone seems to like her."

"Especially Brian," Zack noted nonchalantly, he looked down at his nails to seem uninterested. Jimmy nodded.

"Well, Brian is Brian, right?" He joked.

"Yeah. I find it kind of odd that his girlfriend is named Jordin. Maybe he has a name fetish?" Zack questioned and Jimmy froze, turning to Zack who had a knowing look on his face, "And she's also a brunette. Which is weird seeing as Brian's never dated a brunette in his entire life," Zack scoffed, "He's got this weird things for blondes."

"Coincidence," Jimmy assured, feeling his palms sweat. If there was one thing he knew, it was that Zack was the smartest person he'd ever met. Zack could make connections in his head, linking one thing to another like a giant brain teaser. He never understood why Zack never made it to college before the band got big.

"Yeah, and it was coincidence when you jumped up for cake in the middle of dinner. Was it also coincidence when you dragged her out of the room before Brian could explain this mysterious girlfriend we haven't met?"

"What are you implying?" Jimmy questioned, narrowing his eyes on Zack.

"Brian always brings his girlfriends around. It's a coping mechanism to get back at Michelle. He likes to throw it in her face," Zack explained, "He may not love her anymore, but that doesn't mean he's not bitter about it. He likes to show off in front of her."

"Yeah, well he did say this girl was different, remember?" Jimym reminded him, "He wants this one to last."

Zack scoffed, taking a step closer, "What are you hiding, Jimmy?" He asked calmly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jimmy groaned, looking away from Zack. He didn't know how to get out of this one. Zack was the smartest out of all of them, and he hated being kept in the dark. If Jimmy didn't tell him, he'd find out sooner or later. It was like Zack to do whatever he could to figure it out, "Okay... Brian is Cameron," Jimmy confessed.

"What?" Zack narrowed his eyes in confusion. Zack had assumed a lot of things. Including the possibility that Brian was in a secret relationship with Jordin. He never would have guessed this, though. For the first time he was genuinely confused.

"Brian signed up on a dating website and created a guy named Cameron. He met Jordin but used a fake picture so Jordin doesn't know that Brian is actually Cameron. Oh, and the picture Brian used is actually a picture of Jason," Jimmy explained as quickly as his words would carry him.

"Interesting," Zack smirked, a gleaming look in his eye. Jimmy looked at him warily, he knew that look all too well.

"Zack, what are you planning? You can't tell Jordin!" Jimmy protested.

"Oh I won't. But you see, Jimmy, don't you think she deserves someone more real? Especially not someone who lies constantly, right?" Zack asked.

"Well, yeah, but Brian is..."

"A liar... But I'm not," Zack grinned. Jimmy's eyes widened. He was appalled by his friend's words. He couldn't possibly be implying that he was interested in Jordin, right? That would be ridiculous.

"But Gena..." Jimmy started.

"Is gone," Zack reminded him, "Our marriage was over six months ago, and it became official two months ago."

"Zack, you can't go and try to steal Brian's girlfriend! That's not fair!" Jimmy exclaimed, "You don't understand, Zack. Can't you hear Brian when he talks about her? He's in love with her!"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Zack and Brian had always had friendly competition, especially within the band. Over the years there were competitions involving girls. Who could sleep with the most girls while on tour, and who could win over a girl's heart faster. It was always friendly, and no hard feelings. The feelings were meant for just sex, but Jimmy never imagined Zack taking it this far.

"All is fair in love and war," Zack stated calmly.

Zack couldn't ignore the intense feeling that washed through him every time he was around Jordin. The mere thought of her aroused him. He couldn't figure out why. It could have been how innocent she seemed, so unlike his ex-wife. He loved her and her bad-girl personality, but it had grown old quickly. He was drawn to Jordin's innocence and her raw beauty. The heavy makeup and hair dye was absent, and he wanted to run his fingers along her perfect skin, tracing every inch of her perfection. It wasn't that he liked Jordin directly. He liked the idea of her. The idea of having someone so innocent give in to him. He just wanted a taste of her.

He had to have her.

-

Jordin groaned, looking up at the cabinet much taller than her. The boys requested chips, which were on the top shelf, to much on while waiting for Matt to finish tracking vocals. She opened the bottom cabinet, stepping up on the first shelf to lift her up. Her fingertips reached for the bag when a voice startled her, "Need a hand?" He asked and she yelped, losing her balance and falling backwards. Before she could hit the ground, though, she fell into a pair of strong arms.

She looked up, amusing green eyes peering down at her. Zack had a wide smile on his face and she couldn't help but laugh, "I was fine until you came in," She huffed.

"You're the clumsy one, not me," He teased and helped her up out of his arms. He walked passed her, reaching up to grab the chips and hand them to her.

"Thank you," She smiled.

"We're having a get-together on Friday. Some drinks at a bar we hang out at. You should bring Cameron," He suggested to her smoothly and she bit her lip.

"Oh, yeah I can try but he'll probably be working late," She stated. He smirked, leaning casually against the door frame, his body blocking her exit.

"Now why don't I believe that?" He asked and she avoided eye contact, "Because none of the studios in Los Angeles work late on Fridays. It's known by everyone in the business," He continued. A look of confusion flashed across her face as she recalled all the times Cameron had told her he worked late. She looked to the ground quickly before Zack lifted her chin with his finger, "What are you hiding?" He asked softly, his voice kind.

"N-Nothing," She stammered.

"Well, I think you'll tell me when you're ready. But you should still come on Friday," He pulled a chip out of the bag she was holding and popped it in his mouth, ready to walk passed her. He stopped, though, turning to look at her, "For the record, though, I don't like sounds of this Cameron guy so far. Seems like you could do a lot better than some sneaky bastard who can't make time for you."

Jordin watched him leave, a look of confusion on her face. How could it be that all studios closed on Fridays? There were plenty of times Cameron told her he couldn't meet her, due to working late at the studio. But she couldn't just believe Zacky, right?

"Hey," A voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked over to see Brian.

"You were taking a while so I came to check on you. Are you okay?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I zoned out for a bit," She smiled at him.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

She debated asking him his opinion on Zack's words, and her own boyfriend's actions. Considering the fact that she hardly knew Brian, she kept her mouth shut, shaking her head before smiling and walking out of the room.

Brian knew he had to form a plan. And he needed to do it quick.