Time Goes On
by Chelle

~ CHAPTER 38 ~

His breath was heavy but seemed restricted. He just sit there silent. I glanced at his hands and noticed a slight trembling. I slowly raised my head and noticed that his lips were pressed tightly together and saw that his brown eyes were a bit clouded. His forehead was wrinkled in confusion and a forced disbelief. I wondered what he was thinking. He looked over at me and in a shaky voice asked "How did you get these again?" I licked my dry lips and replied "He left his wallet in his bag when we were on the bus. It was in our room." Isaac brought his hands up and rubbed his face. "I never thought that..." he began, "I just wouldn't have guessed. Not this." I looked again at the pictures on the table. Shelly stuck her head in the door and said "Ike, show time." He nodded then turned back to me. "We need to tell Taylor and Tori about this. I hate to but I have a feeling we'll need some help. We'll have to confront him." I sighed and said "I'll tell Tori and then she can tell Taylor. Ike, I didn't think it was this." He stood up and said "Me either. It'll be alright. We're gonna get this all straightened out." He gave me a quick hug and then walked out. I put the pictures in my purse and zipped it up. I wondered how long it'd take before Zac noticed that they were missing from his wallet.
A few minutes later Tori came in and said "Mel, while we have some time alone, I need to talk to you." I smiled as she sat down. "Please don't get all defensive 'cause I'm not accusing you of anything. It's just that Taylor and I have been talking for a few days now and we've noticed some things that have made us feel, well, I guess unsure of what the whole deal is. So we decided that I should talk to you and then we'll know just how stupid we are for even thinking anything like this." I felt knots in my stomach wondering what she was going to ask. I hoped that it was about Zac. It'd be an easy way to start the conversation and tell her what Ike and I knew. She didn't ask about Zac though. "Melissa, are you and Isaac, ya know, seeing each other?" My heart sank at her words. I couldn't believe what she was saying. I guess my silence and surprised expression was taken as the wrong answer. "Look, it's alright that you like Ike and that you two get a long so well. It's great. You've been a good friend to him. We know things haven't been good with you and Zac but," I began to shake my head and she put her hand on mine and continued "There's no reason to lie to us. I mean it would be awkward but it'd get worked out." I suddenly shouted "No! We're not! Oh God Tori, how can you even think such a thing?! You think I could do that, that Ike could do that?! No! You are way off here. That's not even close to what is going on." I stood up and started pacing. She sat back and said "Then what is it? What is wrong Mel? Please tell me." I sighed as I turned to face her. Then I pulled a chair in front of her. I walked over to the door and locked it as Tori's eyes grew full of concern and watched my every move. I sat down in the chair and took a deep breath. At that moment, everything came out. I told her about Zac's behavior after the baby shower, I told her about his lack of attention and affection toward me, I told her about his reactions to me questioning his recent disappearing and secretive e-mails. Then I began telling her about Ike seeing Karen and the suspensions we'd both had and about seeing Karen and Zac in the parking lot. Then about Ike and me going through his things and me finding the pictures the night before, then about the conversation Ike and I had just minutes before he got called to start the show.
When I finished, I glanced at her. She sat still and quiet. Her breathing was relaxed but her face was a picture of disbelief, of shock and sadness. "Melissa," she whispered, "Where's the pictures? Let me see them." I picked up my purse and unzipped it. Then I pulled the pictures out and handed them to her. She took them and silently looked at the first two of the baby. When she came to the last one, her hand raised to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears. "Oh God, Melissa." She grabbed me in a hug and we both cried for a few moments. Then she pulled away and looked at me. "I am so, so sorry." I nodded and looked down. Then I heard her whisper the words that sent me once again into a world of confusion and shock. Like with the pictures, another piece to the puzzle was added. "I should have told you. Oh my God, why didn't I tell you?" I looked at her quickly. "You knew?!" I asked. She shrugged and said "I thought. When they were gone to promote the album and tour, Tay e-mailed me several times and talked about Zac's nights out. Sometimes Taylor said that he wouldn't come back until the next morning. He had seen her once. He just didn't believe that it was what it was. I didn't know what to make of the whole thing. He was too scared that it was nothing and so he never told anyone except me, not even Isaac. We didn't want to stir up anything without knowing for sure." She took a breath and then looked at the photos again. "He didn't see her and Zac together, just her. Melissa, I'm sorry. We should have told you but we were both scared that we were wrong."
I could barely comprehend what she had said. I felt my heart sink to the floor and I had a tightening in my chest that I didn't think would ever ease up. My stomach was in knots and my hands trembled. My head was spinning and I'd started crying again. We both cried and talked for a while longer. I couldn't blame Tori. I probably wouldn't have believed it anyway. Tori and I quickly composed ourselves when we heard a knock on the door. I walked over and opened it to find Dave there with a worried expression. "Are you girls alright?" he asked. I nodded and said "Yes, we are. We just needed some privacy to talk about something." He looked past me at Tori on the couch. The he sighed and said "Alright. Well, I'm going to go pull the bus around so we can leave. Y'all get your stuff together and come on out." I nodded and smiled as Tori stood up and began to gather empty cups from around the room. Dave walked away and I closed the door. With a heavy sigh, I picked up the duffel bag we always carried and took it over to the couch.
I once again looked at the pictures laying on the table. The baby was chubby, very cute, with the same nose and smile as Zac but mostly he looked like who was obviously his mother. He wasn't very old, apparently not able to sit up on his own yet. It was just  three snapshots. In one, he was laying on a small blanket on the couch and grinning, his hands clasped together, looking up at the camera. In the other, he was leaning back against a pillow, in a chair. In front of him was a small red drum and he held a plastic drum stick in one hand and a cookie in the other. He was looking straight ahead at the camera but not smiling. Still he had a peaceful expression. The baby had just noticeable dark hair and the same round face as his mother. Then, I saw the last one. It was her holding him up close to her face. Both had huge smiles on their faces. It was close up and the light was good in the photo. Both had dark green eyes. He wore a small t-shirt that was white and said in red, crooked letters Little Rockstar. His mother's auburn hair was mostly down with just a bit of it pinned back on top of her head. Her roots were dark and her slightly tanned skin sparkled with blue body glitter. So many questions were floating through my mind. To make it worse, we still couldn't figure out how Karen had gotten in it. "I guess that's it." Tori said. I slipped the pictures into the pocket of my jeans and slung the bag and my purse over my shoulder.
With one last look around, Tori and I walked to the door, switched off the light, and walked out into the quiet, slightly dark, hallway. We walked slowly to the door that led out the back of the arena. "I'll tell Taylor later and then the four of us can talk." Tori said as we continued walking to the bus. "I don't understand what Karen has to do with it." She said. "I don't either but I guess we'll find out." I had more of an urge to know now more than ever. I wanted to know the whole story. I had an overwhelming need to know everything about this confusing mess that we were beginning to untangle. I wanted to ask Zac why. I wanted to ask him about the baby. I wanted an answer to the question that, when Taylor found out, would probably be weighing the heaviest for all of us: How did Karen become the middle ground between Zac and Courtney?

: Previous Chapter : Next Chapter :
: Chapter Index :

Go Back To: The Gifted Ones