My Bully’s Crush, Vol.1

Chapter 28

*Ryder*

She wants to write songs about goodbye; let’s show her how that’s gonna go down. And since she used music to get her message to me, there’s no better way for me to do it than to answer her with a song. Only, I doubt she’s going to like my answer.

I picked up paper and pen and got to work, but I was too pissed off to see straight, let alone write anything of any substance. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the song right, and my frustration kept growing.

I kept writing and rewriting it to get the words just right. It’s been hours since I started, and I’ve spent that time vacillating between being happy that she still remembered our codes and being pissed that she was using it to tell me goodbye.

I couldn’t even enjoy the fact that she was talking to me, albeit through song, but at least she was acknowledging my existence. The girl hasn’t spoken to me once in five years. And the two times she’d graced me with her presence in the same vicinity, she’d looked right through me.

So, her little stunt was a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it was giving me hope that she was in a better place now. A place where she felt comfortable enough to use our code to send me a message that the whole world could hear. Of course, the fact that only we two understood made it all the more special, but the message itself is for shit.

She’s moving on with her life! My ass. I could hear the nosy ass public now, egging her on to go find true love and all that other bullshit. Well, she’s already found true love in me, and if her fans encourage her in this shit, they’re going to get her ass kidnapped. Then nobody is going to be getting new music or new TV shows with her in it or any of the other shit she’s been up to.

It’s these thoughts that are keeping me from writing a song that won’t get me locked the fuck up for life. There’re too many things going on inside of me for me to calm down and write something that doesn’t come across as angry and vindictive.

Of course, I have to keep reminding myself every few seconds that I’m the one who got us in this predicament though it was through no fault of my own. All that does is send me off on a tangent where I’m mad at the whole world and the creator for letting this happen to me, to us.

But there’s no one to fight, and my hands are tied in so many ways, but I can’t lose her. I just can’t.

I needed to get it across to her that I was trying to find my way back to her, but it was hard when things were still so unsettled. I hadn’t called anyone since the night I left the stage, and that was months ago. I’d read some reports that said I was in rehab, which I guess was Matt and Scott’s doing, and Reggie was keeping me up to date on what they were doing.

I’d met him not long after coming up here and took over from mom, who was under strict instructions not to contact me just in case her phone was tapped or they had some other way of keeping tabs on her.

It’s because I’ve seen them in action that I knew to look out for these things; plus, the more my memory returns, the more I realize that some of the things I’d brushed off in the past as hallucinations or misplaced memories were actually legit.

I’m still working on piecing things together because it’s still convoluted, but I’m getting there, bit by bit. I spent most of my time writing an answer to her bullshit song that was now climbing the charts and trying not to lose my mind each time I saw her name mentioned with some other guy.

She’d moved on from the Evan creep, and now her name was being linked with some other piece of shit who thought he had the right to be by her side. The one good thing I had going for me was the fraction of fans who were still rooting for us to get back together. Those people seemed to have a pretty good handle on things and have been doing some investigating on their own.

It begs to reason why my soul mate couldn’t see through this bullshit the way some of them did. I now know why I’d run off in a snit and married the most annoying woman on the planet, but I’m still not sure of the why behind the whole scheme, but I’m convinced that that’s exactly what it was. A scheme that someone I trusted had concocted behind my back for some reason that I’m sure had nothing to do with good intentions.

I can’t trust anyone except Elena. But I’d fucked that up royally, so there was no way I could ask her for help. I do have memories of her trying to warn me about something, but that’s when everything went to shit.

I’d always regret letting her get on a plane with those vipers, and heaven knows I wish I could take them all out. Everyone that had a hand in hurting her, in tearing us apart, and destroying what it had taken us almost a decade to build.

Reggie had gone back to L.A. to do some more digging in search of answers, but there was no guarantee on how long that would take, and I knew I’d have to make a move soon. I have no idea, though, how to get myself out of this mess. The only thing I know for sure is that I don’t want to stay married to Janie. I just have to come up with a way to get the hell away from her and her crazy family and that Mary bitch, who I was sure was behind this somehow or had a hand in it without losing everything that I’d worked for.

It was her daughters who had taken Elena away on that trip, the trip that had started this whole thing. Now that I was in my right mind, I knew that it was all lies. Either they believed it and shared it with me, or they made the whole thing up. Another thing I know, especially about that family, is that they are not to be trusted. Neither Mary nor her factory reset daughters. Fake ass twits.

It’s these thoughts and more that have had me pacing the last few days and not able to get my head on straight enough to write my rebuttal to little Miss. Thing, who thinks she’s grown enough to let me go with a song.

It was around midnight when I heard a noise outside that sounded out of place. There is any number of wild animals around here, and not a day goes by that I don’t see a family of deer roaming around in the front yard.

But this was different; this sounded like a human, and they were not welcome. I grabbed my nine and moved slowly towards the closest window, but it was already too late. Someone was already in the cabin. How the hell? I didn’t hear shit.

“Who are you?” I looked at the man who appeared out of nowhere. The thing that bothered me most about him was his seeming lack of fear of the gun I had pointed at him. At first glance, he looked and smelled like money. His face looked vaguely familiar, but I’m sure I had never met this person in the flesh before.

In fact, if I’d recognized him, I’d have pegged him for a Hollywood elite, but though his face looked a bit familiar, it wasn’t ringing a bell.

“The name is Saunders, Jace Saunders.” He walked past me like I wasn’t standing there with a gun locked and loaded and took a seat on the couch.

Who the frig is this guy? Oh wait, “Saunders; why does that name sound so familiar?”

“It should. My family has owned one of the most successful movie studios in the Wood since the early nineteen hundreds.”

“Oh, that’s right, you’re the heir. The one who got married straight out of high school. Didn’t you have twins or triplets or something like that?”

“Something like that.”

“How are the wife and kids? Didn’t you disappear or something? Went off to college?” Why am I having this conversation? Is this shit normal? Had I spent so much time being high that I’d forgotten how things are done among the masses?

How did this guy get here? I didn’t hear an engine or anything pull up outside, and why did he look as if he was dressed for the Oscars or some shit?

“My family is fine, thank you, but I’m not here to talk about me.”

“Oh yeah, why are you here? How did you find me?” Maybe he was lost or some shit. I don’t know much about his family other than their wealth and his dad’s no-nonsense approach to things that is bandied about in L.A., but I know he’s a long way from home, and he looks way out of place.

“Reggie.”

“Reggie? I don’t understand. Reggie sent you here?”

“Not exactly. He’s been digging, and it came to my dad’s attention.”

“I don’t understand. I don’t think I’ve ever met your dad in person. I’ve only seen him from afar at award shows and on the red carpet.”

“That’s not important right now either. I don’t have much time, so let’s get down to it, shall we? I’m going to ask you a few questions, and I want the truth; any hint of a lie and I’m out, and you can figure this shit out on your own. We clear?”

Who is this guy? And what kind of digging could Reggie have done that brought me to the attention of the head of the biggest Hollywood studio? I’ve never acted a day in my life, well, except for a few cameos here and there over the years, but nothing of the caliber that would draw Mr. Saunders’ interest. This Jace guy was studying me like he’d rather be anywhere else but here like I invited him.

“Aren’t you younger than me?”

“My age has nothing to do with anything. Now, did you sign any contracts in blood?” The fuck!

“Blood? Oh, right, you would know about that stuff coming from your family.”

“My family never got involved in that horrendous bullshit. Now answer the question.”

“No, I haven’t. It’s been offered, but….”

“Good, that’s good….”

“I have partaken in some questionable activities in the past, though.”

“Did you break any laws? Moral or otherwise.”

“No, not in the way that you think, just minor skirmishes from being stupid, doing usual kid stuff when I was younger, though I think some have been broken against me.”

“We’ll get to that as well. As long as you’ve never signed in blood, there might still be a chance.”

“What exactly are you talking about? A chance for what?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

Yeah, I do. You’re talking about the part of the industry that I always thought was a myth. Something made up by idle minds, a conspiracy theorist’s dream. Until I saw the proof with my own eyes.

That was about the time I started getting high to numb my mind. I’d been close to throwing in the towel at the time, just walking away because I hadn’t signed up for any of that.

I’d already sacrificed most of my innocence to get my talent noticed, a talent that was mine without their help but one that they’d used to their own advantage. I’d only remembered most of this in the last few weeks hidden away here because I’d blocked most of it out.

“I still don’t understand what you’re doing here.” His stare didn’t look like he was younger than me. How can someone look so polished and deadly at the same time? He’d have made a hell of an actor if his family didn’t have too much money for him to settle for one of the lowest careers known to man.

Isn’t it funny that entertainers were once seen as the lowest rung on the totem pole, and now today, they can sway the politics of the world? Why is my mind rambling right now? I still don’t know why this guy is in my place, and he doesn’t look like he’s ready to leave any time soon.

“I’m here to help you.”

“Why? Did your dad send you?”

“No, my nieces did.”

“Nieces, aren’t you an only child?”

“It’s complicated and not important right now.”

“Wait a minute, are you messing with me? Didn’t you say your dad was the reason you were here?”

“No, I said. Reggie went digging, and it caught my dad’s attention.”

“Digging into what? I’ve never had any dealings with your family.”

“The church you belong to. Do you know what it’s a front for?”

Oh no, here we go. Not this bullshit again.

“Don’t tell me that your dad believes that shit.” He gave me a look that said no one would ever find my body if I said the wrong thing about his dad, and I forced myself not to take a step back.

“He does, and it’s true. My nieces found something.”

“How did your nieces get involved?”

“One of them overheard the conversation, and then the three of them spent an hour telling me about your drama because they’re ten-year-olds who are into that crap you sing.”

Wow, low blow. But I guess the heir to the city can get away with it.

“So, what is this about the church, and what does it have to do with me?”

“I’m not here about that.”

“You’re not?” What the fuck are you here about, then?

“No, that’s a separate issue that will be dealt with. I’m here because my nieces, one of them in particular, have ordered me to come here and give you a plan to get your life back.” I feel like I fell down the rabbit hole. Who the hell are his nieces? Didn’t he say they were ten? So why does he look scared when mentioning them?

“You’re not making any sense; what the hell are you trying to say?”

“Sit down. I’ll spell it out for you.”

I didn’t sense any danger, so I sat on the chair across from him and waited. Then I had my mind blown for the next two hours, and he had receipts. “Is all of this real?”

“Yes, it is. This, quite frankly, is a fight between good and evil, and it’s being played out on the world stage with you as one of the main characters.”

“And it started that long ago? When I was a kid?” If what he said is true, then I’m dealing with some very diabolical people. Masterminds behind some of the worst shit I’ve ever heard of. “Mary was in on it from the beginning? I didn’t even know her.”

“Yes, she was. You were groomed in more ways than one. While you were looking out for one, they trapped you with another.”

“And what about Elena? Why did they do this to her?”

“Because she was trying to warn you, even though she doesn’t know the depths of it, she saw some of the signs, things she knew were no good for you, so she tried to pull you back. That’s why they set her up.”

“Your wife is quite the villain here, in case you missed it. She’s showing the world outright that evil can overcome good. People can see what you can’t in her, and she knows it, but she doesn’t care. As long as they kept you drugged and under their control, she got what she wanted.”

“Now that you’ve disappeared, she’s a bit rattled, so she’s been attacking your girl, and this is what my nieces are most interested in. They want it to stop.” He looked at me like it was my fault that that twit was mental.

“She uses negative press against herself to get back at your girl, who, as you know, is worth ten of her. It’s all to prove to you and your fans that she’s good because of your twisted ideas about faith. So, each time the fans attack her, she can run to you and say look, see, the whole world hates me. It’s to make it seem as if she’s the one being crucified but believe me; she’s as dark as the rest of them. Do not turn your back on her.”

“You’re telling me that it’s worse than what my mom and Reggie already told me?”

“Yes. It started with her dad wanting to be one of the rich and famous, but he was a flop in the Wood, so he had to find another way.”

“He saw his daughter’s fascination and obsession with you, and he used it.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Do you know how long ago it was when I first met them? She was still a child.”

“Never underestimate the power of greed. You add a little bit of crazy into the mix, and you’re pretty much fucked, as you have learned. He played the long game. They played the long game, but they had some help.”

He went on to tell me how Mary got involved, and then Matt, my spiritual advisor, and even Scott, my trusted manager, and my blood ran cold at the things he shared.

“I have to get back. Elena might be in danger if I stay away too long, and they think that I’m with her.” Why didn’t I think of that before? Because I didn’t know just how evil these people were.

I jumped up from the chair, ready to head back tonight. Willing to do whatever it took to protect her from these people that I had inadvertently brought into her life. I felt even worse now than I did at any other time over the last five years because this shit was worse than even I could’ve ever imagined. All the memories that I’d recovered paled in comparison to what he’d just divulged in the last few hours.

“Wait wait wait. He held up his hand to stop me.

“You can’t just rush back there right now. You have to have a plan. Sit down. I’ll tell you what you’re going to do.”