Ghost of You ✧ jordan baker [2]

11. scandals

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Stacey woke up the next morning with a mild headache and her clothes spewed on the floor. Jordan was also right beside her, the only thing covering him was his boxers. She reached for her phone on the table beside her.

Darnell: stayed at a friends for the night. see you tomorrow evening.

Her heart clenched at his name. She wasn't with him, but he had to have known what was going to go down last night or else he would've came back. She closed out her phone, ignoring the multiple text messages from Hayden and got up from the bed. She wrapped a robe around her, silently going out from her room and letting Jordan sleep.

It was 8am, yet the taxis were zooming below her balcony and residents were walking their dogs. She sipped on the coffee she just made and wondered what she was going to do. She didn't like being in this situation. Her heart was tugging both ways. It wasn't like before where she was forced to be with Clayton. She knew she wanted Jordan then. She pictured both of the boys in her mind.

First, there was Darnell. He definitely snuck up on her. He was known as the rival QB at South Crenshaw and Corey James' other son. All of the Beverly Hills group despised him, especially for Spencer, but he turned out to be a good guy. She remembered their first conversation. It was at the pajama party and she had just gotten into an argument with Jordan. He vented his problems to her. Although she was heated and stepped away from his comfort, she didn't forget his genuine actions. He understood her and communicated well. He was the perfect boyfriend in any girl's eyes.

Then, there was Jordan. Her soulmate, she used to think. Maybe he still was, but so much has happened between them, it's hard to wonder if she'd ever get hurt again. However, there were many good memories that cancelled out the bad. He always protected her and did things for her no one ever had. She was his biggest supporter at his football games. He was her biggest supporter for his fashion industry. He was like an amazing tv show you had to keep rewatching. Maybe it was right person, wrong time for them. They were in high school after all, still learning much about life and maturing. Although, from yesterday, it had seemed Jordan did a lot of growing up.

Stacey wanted to throw her mug over the railing, but knew she'd most likely hurt someone if she did. She took a deep breath, stood up, and went back inside. A waft of different smells filled her nose. She looked in the kitchen and saw Jordan cooking bacon, eggs, and toast. Her heart warmed at the sight. He also had a robe on, one of the complimentary ones the building gave her.

"You didn't have to do this," said Stacey as she sat down at the counter.

Jordan glanced back at her, flipping her fried egg. "You know I always cook you breakfast after we spend the night together."

That was true. No matter how many times Stacey insisted to cook, he would bring out the food and pans and start cooking before she could.

"My flight leaves tonight," Jordan continued. "I, um, didn't know if you wanted me to stay longer."

He had trouble with his words and she knew he had debated whether to mention it or not. He was probably hoping she'd ask him to stay. "Depends on how good the egg is."

She joked since she didn't have a clear answer. Jordan laughed along, making her plate and placing it in front of her. It was a delicious breakfast like always. They talked through the rest of their morning meal, small details about the night before being brought up.

Stacey had heard her phone from her room keep buzzing. She thought it was Darnell at first, or Jane to see how things went, but when she finally went to her room to answer the call, it was Hayden.

"What?" she snapped, maybe a little too harshly.

"Good morning to you too," Hayden scoffed. "Have you not been on your phone at all within the past twelve hours? You're all over the internet. TMZ, ET, Access Hollywood..."

"For what?" asked Stacey.

"The Face of Fashion right now, Stacey Adams, Seen out with Mysterious Hunk in NYC."

Stacey was about to explain it was Jordan, but then Hayden spoke again. "Just a couple of weeks after being seen out with a guy at numerous clubs, Stacey spends the day with a guy, but not the one from the previous weeks. Did she move on already? Is she talking to two guys at once? She is seventeen after all."

The last part struck a nerve. "I'm not talking to anyone! You know the guy before was Darnell. For the new guy, that was Jordan. He came to my door two nights ago."

"I really don't care about your love life right now, this is something we need to handle," Hayden demanded. "Yes, your name is getting out there, but it shouldn't be getting out in this way. This is a scandal, Stacey. Your first one."

"So many celebrities are seen with plenty of people!" Stacey defended herself. "Why can't I?"

"Because those people have way more supporters than haters," Hayden points out. "Unless it's something drastic, those supporters will stay with them no matter what happens. The haters get drowned out. With you, you're still building your followers. Haters are very prevalent, calling you out on your age and how you shouldn't be running a business. The team and I are handling questions from gossip sites."

Stacey sighed. As much as she didn't want to, she understood what Hayden was saying. He's been in this business longer than her. "I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

"Just stay in your place today. If Jordan or Darnell is there, don't let them leave."

So Jordan was most likely going to have to spend another night here. She couldn't wait to explain all of this to him. She also had to tell Darnell to stay another night wherever he was. She told Hayden she understood and hung up. She loved that her brand was growing, but she should've saw this coming. It was almost impossible to not make a mistake in the public eye. She couldn't even believe paparazzis were actually following her around the city. There's a first for everything.

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hi lovelies. this first part of the book should be ending in a couple of chapters. as of now, there won't be too big of a cliffhanger, but who knows, maybe i'll feel evil to leave you guys hanging until season 3 lolol

vote and comment!

-brooke