Celebrity Status [1]

28.) Forgotten Memories

“Who the hell is Shane Hays?”

“Um, G-Grant told you.” I mumbled.

“I want you to tell me, Holly.” He demanded. “Who was he?”

“He was… um, just a boy.” I said quietly, making eye contact with the floor. This conversation would be so much easier if Sue was here. I missed Sue.

“Holly.” Jackson snapped.

“What?” I shrieked. “He was just some guy that I dated, it’s no big deal.”

“Grant made it sound a lot bigger.”

“Well then he’s an idiot, okay?” I insisted. Denial was all I had left at this point. “We dated for like two weeks but it ended badly so I didn’t want to tell you about it.”

“Tell me.” He demanded.

“I just told you.” I said.

“Did. He. Hit. You?”

I looked down at the carpet and searched for another Sue, I could name this one Barbara and they’d be best friends. But Barbara never came and with a tear rolling down my cheek, I just nodded, giving up all hope to deny the truth. My eyes never left the carpet because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to face Jackson right now.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, softer now.

“What was I supposed to say?” I screeched, finding the energy to look up at him. “Just pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey Jackson, I miss you and you’ve been gone for a month now but I see that your dreams are already starting to come true. Let me just ruin that for you by telling you that my new boyfriend hit me a few times. Okay, I’ll see you soon because I know that you’re going to come home to beat the shit out of him. Bye.’ Tell me you wouldn’t have come home.”

“Of course I would have come home!” He yelled.

“That’s why I didn’t tell you!” I yelled back. “I’m fine and I didn’t need you to ruin what you had already started here for something so stupid.”

“This isn’t stupid, Holly.” He growled.

“You would have done the exact same thing, Jackson!” I nearly screamed.

“And you would have been just as pissed as I am!” He yelled again.

“No, maybe I’d understand that there were reasons why you kept it a secret.”

“Then why don’t you tell me why you didn’t tell me, like when you got here. You could have told me then.”

“Because I was scared!” I screamed at him with tears pouring down my face and I was practically sobbing. “I-I thought that if you knew you’d, like, hate me, like you do now. You’d take things way out of proportion, which you are. And you’d think I’m just as pathetic as I feel, which you do.”

“Holly, I-“

Without warning, I turned around and bolted from the room, not wanting him to see me cry any longer. I ran from the room and down the hall, into my own, desprate to be left alone. 

As quickly as they came, I forced all tears away, fully knowing that somebody was going to come in and try to give me some kind of pep talk if I didn’t come out soon. So I wiped away all evidence of puffy red eyes by adding a little bit of foundation to my face and a thick layer of eyeliner. I put on a pair of sweats, slippers, and a tank top before putting my hair in a messy bun and leaving my room with my heart beating heavy in my chest.

I still didn’t think that I could face Jackson with what happened, and I didn’t want to. So maybe if I get out of the house quick enough…

With that thought in mind, I hurried for the elevator- He’ll never look for me in there. Once I got safely downstairs without being seen, I made a safe exit out the front door and closed it behind me without being noticed by Jackson or possibly Grant if he was here or that fake redhead if she was still there.