ChapterNineteen:Fake Love

Saturday, March 5, 2006

The time on Alex's phone was after ten at night. He had just returned from another round of gigs, this time with a radio station. Luckily, he and his band came home in time to see UTurn leave the house.

He glanced at the UTurn guys' room. Andrew hadn't alternate with his bandmates since that Monday night. He figured it was because of that situation between Alyson and Diana. Andrew hadn't talked much to him. A part of him wanted to; but talking to Amanda made him feel better. Maybe, but still.

Alex walked up to one of the girls' rooms. He saw the door was opened. It was shared between Diana and Sarah with Amanda and Stacie. He walked up to Amanda, who was packing up. Her blonde hair was up in a what looked like a mishmash of a bun and a pony. Her outfit included denim jeans that flared and a baseball long-sleeve. She was very casual looking, less intimidating that her usual rocker outfits.

He asked, "So you're going back to Boston?"

Amanda looked up, and said, "Yeah. I got school. Well, we all do, then we head off to LA and such for more gigs. We also have rehearsals for our opening act for your tour."

Alex smiled, "I'm sure you'll kill it on the stage next month."

He noticed her face reddening as she smiled. "Well, thanks."

Amanda zipped up her luggage. Alex asked, "Would you like me to walk you out?"

She smiled, clearly getting flustered by such gestures. "You're such a gentleman."

He chuckled, "It's called being a good boyfriend."

"So we're for sure a thing now?"

Alex shrugged, "Why not?"

Amanda grinned as she took his hand. Alex felt giddy as he walked with her downstairs. Maybe he was falling in love with her. It sure felt like it. He glanced at Andrew, who was walking out with Alyson. Alex looked away, feeling his heart sink a bit. The constant feelings were starting to confuse him. He didn't want to admit he had a crush on Andrew; but he was okay with his bandmates knowing he liked Amanda.

Alex wondered if he was maybe bisexual. He secretly hoped that was the case.

                                                                               >>>>>>>>

Alex took a piece of bacon he cooked for himself as he sat down in the kitchen with his bandmates. Luckily, the members were allowed to make their own foods, which was a relief for Alex. No more eating weird food that looked like they came from his old secondary school.

Diana asked, "So you're really dating a UTurn girl?"

He looked up and said. "Yeah. Is that a problem? It's not like I'm dating Alyson."

"You might as well be."

"Alyson's the fan. I don't date fans. Besides, she's dating Andrew."

Diana rolled her eyes. Sarah said, "Well, I think it's cute...in a strange way."

Alex raised an eyebrow, wondering what she meant by that. He asked, "How is that strange?"

"I mean, she's a rocker, you're, well, not. Sure, you wear your leather jacket, but still."

"You sound like that song we used to hear all the time," he said with his arms crossed across his chest.

"Which one? That Sk8ter Boi song?"

"Yeah, that one."

Sarah shrugged. Diana said, "Alex, first off, you're rushing into a relationship with a girl we all barely know. Second, she's in the same band as those two bullies. She probably condones their behaviors. Third, you're rushing into things!"

Alex sighed as he turned to Jerrod, "Jer, help me out here."

Jerrod said after he took a sip of his water, "Alex, you won't like what I have to say."

"What? You agree with Diana?"

"Somewhat, but it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"I'm not buying this. At all."

Confused, Alex asked, "What do you mean?"

"Can we talk about it in private?"

Alex blinked, not sure how to react to this. It sounded serious, so he said, "Yeah, let's go outside."

Jerrod nodded his head as they both got up. Alex walked into the backyard, which was tiny. He faced Jerrod, feeling nerves swirling inside of his stomach.

He asked, "So what is this you want to tell me in private?"

Jerrod said after taking a deep breath: "Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think this relationship is real."

Feeling more confused, Alex asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean...well, remember when you asked me if I thought the rumors about you were true?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm not saying the rumors are real, and I know I'm not always in London with Connect8. But I could see you're miserable. I noticed how you looked at Andrew compared to Amanda."

Alex's eyes widened at what Jerrod said. His bandmate continued: "I'm trying not to assume anything, but I can tell you're not happy. You seem quiet lately."

Alex looked away. It was like Jerrod was catching on to what was going on. He wanted to be honest with his confused feelings, but he was scared. He didn't want to say those words that in the back of his mind knew were true. No, he wasn't ready to admit them. He'd rather continue to act straight while being with Amanda...as he eyed Andrew, knowing the American guy had a girlfriend.

Alex gave an uneasy smile. "I'm fine, Jerrod. I got a new girlfriend. She's cute. I'm fine."

Jerrod raised an eyebrow, and asked, "You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

Jerrod nodded his head, soon walking back inside. Alex watch the door close, allowing him to take a deep breath. He didn't feel like opening himself up to anyone, but he knew Jerrod was right. Alex had been feeling miserable. He felt trapped inside his head as all of Britain watched his every move. It was amplified due to being the male lead singer.

The only thing he could turned to was a spiral notebook lodged inside of his luggage. Whenever he was alone, he would do a quick writing inside it. It was where he could pour out his emotions and frustrations. Any other outlet was too risky.

He walked back inside the house, ready to continue pretending everything was fine.

                                                                             >>>>>>>>>

alex, this is alyson. i'm borrowing amanda's phone. i need to warn u. if you see a libby or some person talking shit about amanda in the chatbox of ur website, don't believe a word theyre saying. get ur friend whos running that site to block that person's ip address.

Alex read the text message that was sent to him. He and his bandmates had just finished a full day of photoshoots for their tour. It would be a Monday afternoon back in Boston. He figured UTurn had just gotten out of school for the day.

"Did Amanda text you?" Diana asked.

"No," Alex replied, "it's Alyson."

She scoffed, "What did she want this time?"

"She's actually warning me about some girl named Libby."

"Who's Libby?"

"I don't know. She's sounds like a nightmare."

"Why? Is she one of Alyson's minions?"

Alex glared at Diana, and said, "If she was, I don't think Alyson would warn me."

She rolled her eyes. Sarah asked, "Why is Alyson warning you about Libby?"

Alex reread the text. Apparently, Libby knew something about Amanda that shouldn't be out in public? What did Amanda do that was so bad? Who was this Libby? A girl at UTurn's school?

All of this sounded like secondary school drama that had gone out of hand; all because the UTurn members were now rising celebrities. It was like a real-life soap opera. He didn't like one bit of this. Something needed to be done to keep this stuff under control.

At the time same, he wondered about Amanda's past. She seemed like a sweet girl underneath the heavy amounts of eyeliner. He didn't want to see Diana getting smug over this. Sure, his bandmate didn't want to see Alex get hurt by Andrew and Alyson; but he wanted her to back off.

No, he needed to let Amanda tell him herself. He also needed to get the girl running his website to make sure Libby's IP address gets blocked. He was not about to let some weird random girl try to destroy Amanda's reputation.

He was not about to have all of Britain criticizing his new relationship with Amanda. He was not going to be bombarded with those rumors again.