The One That Got Away.

Making Headway

Jared's phone lighting up non-stop snaps him back into reality. A reality he's not yet ready to re-enter. Shayla and Valeriya are desperately trying to get a hold of him. They were the last people on Earth he wanted to deal with right now. Then he receives a text from Lalo.

Jared, is everything ok? No one can reach you. Can you make it to Miami by tomorrow? Should we postpone the show?

Lalo, his partner at Gucci, was a good friend and set this whole show up just for Jared. Lalo did a lot of favors for Jared, including getting his gorgeous model girlfriend Valeriya many high-paying jobs in the industry. Not that she couldn't get jobs on her own, mind you. Jared wasn't sure what to tell Lalo but one thing was certain, he wasn't going to Miami, not unless Kelly was going with him. And at this point, he felt she'd rather see him hit by a bus than spend another second with him. He ran his hands through his hair and thought about what to tell Lalo. He couldn't ignore him like he was ignoring Shayla and Val.

Hey man, everything is fine but something has come up. An emergency. You'll have to do the show without me. Maybe you can get someone else to fill-in?

Jared slides his phone in his pocket, not waiting for Lalo's response. The roller skating rink is packed by now; he can hardly catch a glimpse of Kelly and Erica skating by. He figures the only thing to do is put on a pair of skates and join them. Oh, Christ, this will be fun, he says to himself.

He approaches the skate rental room when he's stopped by security.

"Skates are two dollars. You can pay the attendant," the guard booms at him. 

He passes through the double doors into the lobby area to find a long queue of people. Fuck. He heads to the back of the line and pulls out his phone. He hopes if he looks busy he won't get harassed by fans. Lucky for him he's not recognized. He scrolls through his messages. 

Shayla: your flight is at 4 am to Miami, a car will pick you up from the Hilton at 2:30.

Val: Jared, why aren't you picking up? Call me! Я люблю вас

He fires off a text to Shayla.

Cancel it, I'm staying in Orlando indefinitely. I've already told Lalo. I'll text you when I need you, until then leave me alone.

I'll block all their numbers if I have to, he thinks to himself. Nothing is going to get in the way of Kelly. Not his chicken-shitness, not any of them, not even work. 

Finally, it's his turn in line. The attendant recognizes him from earlier and her friendly smile fades.

"You don't have to pay a re-entry fee, you can just go back in."

"I need to rent some skates."

"Oh. Two dollars."

He hands over his credit card once again. The attendant makes sure to take a mental note of the name on the credit card. 

"Need a receipt?"

"No, thanks."

The attendant turns to her co-worker and whispers, "Hey you were right, it is Jared Leto."

"I've always heard that guy's a jerk," the co-worker whispers back. "I've heard he tries to get into places for free." 

"You know who's really cool though, Carrot Top. I love when he comes in here."

"No shit, Carrot Top comes in here?!"

"Yeah, he lives right down the street. My mom sees him at Publix all the time. Really nice guy."