Jared walked back and forth in the studio, and I could tell he was carefully contemplating his words. Everyone from our small group was in the room with us and I sat firmly between Shannon and Chloe. When he stopped and looked up around the room with blue eyes blazing, I felt a little afraid of what I could be about see.
Jamie, Shayla, Stevie and Tomo all sat nearby and were looking anxiously between us. When Jared finally spoke, he was strangely calm and we all paid attention. "Last night we were accosted after the awards show by a paparazzi. The conversation we are having now could have potentially been no surprise to you -- because it would have been all over the tabloids -- had my lawyer not been quick on the gag order placed on him."
The three men sitting on the opposite couch looked over at me quickly, but Shayla visibly flinched. I knew right away who it was that had betrayed my trust, but I also knew Jared wanted to handle this, and he was astute enough to know. "Are you ok Becks?" Stevie asks right away, a look of sincere concern in his eyes. I nodded and give him a weak smile, before redirecting my gaze to Shayla as Jared continued to talk.
"He was polite enough to inform us, after having dredging up Becky's past on the red carpet for all to possibly overhear, that someone 'close' to us had told him. The only people who know about this were all of you, and Chloe, who was only told this morning after spending the night with Becky"
I watched as he tugged at his bracelets in frustration, something he only did while trying to contain himself, as his gaze fell on Shayla. "If it was one of you, now is the opportunity to be honest before this gets worse." Shayla sniffled and I saw a tear fall onto her lap, watched as she rubbed it away with her thumb.
She looked up at me, eyes swimming with tears and for some reason I felt worse for her in that moment than I had for myself. "I'm sorry Becky, I never meant for it to get out. I'd shared what happened months ago in confidence, to my mother. I was so stressed out and scared over what had happened, because it could have been me. I needed to vent to someone, and she had promised me it would stay between us." Shayla glanced away from me and up into the very stormy face of. "When the thing happened at Christmas, I talked with her, like anyone would talk with their mom, I was so humiliated. I didn't even remember at the time that I had told her about your assault, it seems so far in the past now."
Shannon interjected "I know Regina, she's like a mother bear when it comes to her kids. I am sure if it was her, it wasn't done maliciously, but out of blind protection of her daughter."
"If it was her, why tell the press?" I ask sadly, staring into Shayla's pooling eyes.
"Maybe it was misplaced anger, I would never let her get mad at Shannon" She whispered quietly. Shannon cringed beside me, and I would have given anything to know what he was thinking at that moment.
Jared kneels down in front of Shayla, forcing her to look at him. "Call your mother, ask her" he says firmly. She nods and reaches a shaky hand into her purse.
Pulling out her phone, she unlocks it and pokes at the screen, a look of dread written across her face. "Mom?" She asks softly, pausing a moment. "Yeah, I'm alright. I need to ask you something." Her voice breaks and she looks over at me. "Did you tell anyone about what happened to Becky while we were on tour in South America?" The silence stretches out in the room and I chew on my lip nervously. "It doesn't matter why Mom, I need to know"
The question was answered when she didn't respond to her mother again, and instead just hung up the phone and dropped her head. "So it was her..." Jared says quietly, more statement than question. Shayla nods her head and lifts her face to look at Shannon. I glance up at Shannon who is pressed up against my side protectively and his face is totally stoic.
