Page 55 of I Love You, It’s Ruining My Life

“A lot of things,” Jack sighed, looking at the floor, “it boils down to we never should have gotten married in the first place. I was hurt from Natalie leaving, and immediately getting engaged. So I wanted to prove I was fine. Stef was there, and I think she saw me as a way to further her career. Not a recipe for a successful marriage. We’d been fighting nonstop for the past year, and Matt was the final straw. It was a matter of time before she left anyway.”

“Stef does realize people talk, right?” I asked, shaking my head. “And we’d be able to figure out it was her? If she’s on the warpath, she’s being sloppy. Plus, people talk.”

“I doubt it was her idea; Matt’s been trying to end my career since before he got with Nat,” Jack muttered, rolling his eyes.

“And what exactly did you do to him?” I sighed. Ever since Jack had first brought the man up, I knew there was a story. But if there was ever a time for him to tell it, it was now. “Don’t give me that look; it was justified,” Jack defended. “He’s the lead singer of one of those alt-bands that thrive on controversy. Constantly says the most problematic stuff, just to go viral, and then plays the “out of context” victim card. And behind the scenes? He’s worse. His band was supposed to open my first solo tour, and then he said something super racist, and I threatened to either cut them or cancel the tour. We’d already sold so many tickets that no manager would risk me canceling, so his band got cut, he believes his actions don’t deserve consequences, and he’s hated me ever since. He likes to accuse me of destroying his career, but he’s ruining it just fine on his own.”

“If it was only the video for the CelebScoop leak, this would have made sense,” I sighed, before giving Jack a short rundown of everything that had gone viral this morning.

“You know, someone hating you and Nalini together more than me wasn’t what I’d expected to hear today,” Jack shrugged after I finished, “but I don’t think Stef and Matt would go after you.”

“I know, it feels like we’re still missing something. Maybe if you give me your keys, I can check your apartment. And at least get your computer out of there,” I suggested.

“I doubt it’s there; I changed the locks. But you’re free to check it out. Just know it’s definitely a mess. Expect whiskey bottles everywhere,” my brother grimaced. “I was planning on getting it professionally cleaned before I went back.”

“Okay, I’ll keep in mind not to judge too hard, and I’ll see if I can figure out where the leaks are coming from,” I said, not looking forward to the long drive to the city. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Too late, I’m already worrying,” Jack teased, “but if anyone can figure out what’s going on, it’s you and Mel. So, I’ll worry, but I also know you’ve got it handled.”

“Just one more thing before I go,” I said, “are you ready to say yes to RaineFall coming back? For real this time?” I watched my twin’s face light up, and I already knew his answer. That was one brother down, and one to go.

Chapter forty-three

Nalini

Ihadn’t been to yoga since the day I swore I’d been spied on. And now? Well, it was clear as day I’d been right. But New Year’s Day yoga was one of my yearly traditions, and I wasn’t about to let one mystery person stop me from doing what I loved. I’d stretch my way into the New Year whether they wanted me to or not.

Plus, with how much my anxiety had spiraled this morning, I desperately needed it. And it was a great way to figure out who was the person behind he leak.

After telling Misty my plan, she immediately texted me an endless number of Charlie’s Angels GIFs, so I didn’t have to worry about whether she was on board. It was a simple plan: I’d act like I needed to talk to her all of class, which was technically true, pull her into the supply closet immediately after, start telling lies about the aftermath, and then open the door in the middle of something juicy to figure out who was spying.

Kam also had some sort of a plan that involved him going to New York City, and while I was certain he had a piece of the puzzle, there felt like there was more I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Kam was certain Jack’s ex was behind the leaks, but it wouldn’t make sense for her to have any of the pictures of what happened last night. Not when it would've been in the news if she’d shown up herself.

I was antsy all of class, which ironically sold the idea I needed to talk to Misty more than I'd expected. I pretended not to notice the different conversations going on around me, the way my classmates seemed to side-eye me, the way I heard Kam and Jack’s names muttered even though we were supposed to be silent. I’d hoped coming to a class I’d been a part of for years would’ve negated whatever rumors started popping up about me, but the way they made me feel isolated in a room was horrible. I already had to sneak Cassidy and me out of Kam’s house so we wouldn’t get photographed, and with her sitting in the lobby, I was worried someone would talk to her before we got a chance to.

We’d agreed we needed to tell her today, as soon as Kam got back from the city.

I wasn’t sure if the person who leaked the video had seen my texts to Kam, encouraging him to revive RaineFall. I was certain nobody expected me to say it. I wasn’t the villain in the band’s story, despite how the media wanted to portray me; I'd made a mistake when I was younger. It was the type of mistake plenty of teenagers made, but rarely were they still paying the price at the age of thirty-two.

I didn’t get the workout I wanted, but I did feel somewhat better by the end. As soon as we ended with a “namaste,” I practically pulled Misty into the equipment room. It was probably a little too dramatic, but I needed a second away from everyone’s whispers. Even if I was about to start using them to my advantage.

I took a couple of calming breaths while Misty made a terrible spy pose, which almost ruined everything before we could start. My shoulders shook from trying to contain my laughter, as Misty gave me a little bow.

“Kam broke up with me,” I finally said, louder than I wanted, but if I was going to sell this story, I had to make sure everyone heard, “And he’s kicking me out of the house. Today.” If that didn’t get the spy’s attention, I didn’t know what would.

“What do you mean?” Misty asked, sounding much more realistic than I did — she was a much better actor than I’d expected.

“You know I’ve been concerned about RaineFall, and he took it as an ultimatum. And with the footage that leaked today, and all the press it’s getting, he chose the band,” I added a sniffle that was more allergies than crying, but it did its job, “Which is stupid; it’s not like he’s famous anymore.”

I grimaced as I said the words, knowing I’d played into the perception most RaineFall fans thought of me. Knowing that was the soundbite they were hoping to get, and thankfully Misty took that as the moment to swing open the door and hit someone right in the face. Her phone fell to the floor, and I wished I was surprised to see Maya Phillips.

“Wow,” Misty deadpanned, watching as blood gushed from Maya’s nose. “You’re really trying to tank your reputation in town, aren’t you? First being obnoxious, now being shady, I hope you enjoy getting shunned.”

“Please, she’s the one who’s shady!” Maya yelled, pointing at me, before attempting to cover her gushing nose again. I was pretty sure it was broken, but if she hadn’t been standing literally by the door, she would’ve been fine. “She’s made everyone walk on eggshells about RaineFall for years, even though Briar Hill is the birthplace of the band! Then she seduced Kam the moment he came back, and ruined our chances of getting any new music. Any real RaineFall fan knows Nalini is a terrible person, and Jack was right to expose her. Kam will thank me for this someday, once he’s out of her clutches.”

“Yikes,” Misty grimaced. “What planet are you living on, Maya?” The woman rolled her eyes, as if everything she’d said was the most obvious truth. “I thought it was clear after everything that happened with the Festival; this town is not the place to always talk about RaineFall.”

“Everyone needs to move on from it,” Maya groaned, “Like it was fifteen years ago, and yeah I guess it sucked, but if they embraced it…”