Chapter Three
Justin was right, Gracie thought bitterly. Being shoved in a cramped space backstage and expected to work with 8 million costume racks in the way was hard enough. Add an over-bearing girlfriend of the talent and it became down right torture. The entire time she'd been trying to get JC ready and in his costume, Andrea had been breathing down her neck, asking questions about why it was necessary for her to dress JC, that he was a big boy and didn't need help and to 'please remove your hands from his waist.' JC must have sensed her annoyance because not only did he offer her a sympathetic smile, but he spoke quietly to Andrea, explaining that it was Gracie's job. That did nothing to quiet the blonde.
Having only been around her for less than an hour, Gracie was surprised at how quickly she was able to form an opinion on her. Not only was she loud and obnoxious, she was downright rude and disrespectful to JC. No matter how kindly he spoke to her, she would always retort with some negative comment or a roll of her eyes. Every part of her wanted to scream obscenities at the girl and throw her out of her work area, though out of respect to the man standing in front of her, she restrained herself. It was not an easy task. She threw her head back to thank God when JC finally handed some money to her, asking her to go find him a drink.
With a loud sigh, Gracie pushed herself to her feet.
"Turn for me once, Jace," she instructed, pleased when he'd followed her directions. She ran her hands down his back, smoothing the jacket he wore over a white t-shirt. "How does it feel?" She asked, standing on her toes to look at him in the mirror. She tugged the back of the jacket down just a little. "It's bunching up a little more than I'd like, but I'll work on getting that fixed after the show," she informed him. When he didn't answer, she poked his side gently. "Hey. You okay?" She didn't miss the distressed look on his face. He turned to face her and offered a sad smile.
"I just... I don't know what to do with her," he said softly, gesturing to the door that Andrea had exited only minutes prior. Gracie was completely taken aback by his statement. Due to what she'd gathered from the others, JC was completely taken with her, and in his eyes, she did no wrong. However, his beaten expression proved otherwise. "I love her so much Gracie. So much that at times, it hurts," he said, going to take a seat in one of the chairs. As much as she wanted to yell at him about wrinkling his costume, she bit her tongue, seeing that now was not the time.
"I don't... I don't know what to say to that Jace," she said honestly. She'd never been very close with him, as he'd always kept himself spaced far enough away from her that she couldn't get close to him like she had with Justin and Chris. For him to open up to her this way was... it was overwhelming.
"I know what they say about her. It's hard defending a person you love to people who are like family. It's even harder when you realize that everything they say is true," he told her, though he couldn't look at her. Propping his elbows up on his knees, he rested his head against his hands and exhaled a loud sigh. "Whatever," he said, rubbing his hands over his face as he pushed himself to his feet. "Are we done here?" He asked. Without waiting for an answer, he exited the room, leaving Gracie completely and utterly confused.
~*~
"Hey baby!" JC greeted, a smile on his face. He held his arms out as he approached Andrea, though his smile fell immediately when she made a face and put her hands to his chest, shoving him back when he attempted to hug her.
"Jace!" She whined, tossing him an offended look. "You're all sweaty," she snarled, crossing her arms over her chest. "When can we get outta here?" She asked. She missed the defeated look as he slumped his shoulders.
"Just as soon as we get changed," he told her.
"Well what are you waiting for? I'm ready to go." With a soft sigh, JC stepped around her and headed to the costume room. With a little assistance from Gracie, he managed to get out of his costume and get into something more comfortable as he went in search of his girlfriend once more. He found her standing by the door to the back entrance and wrapped his arms around her, in need of just a little affection. He was disappointed when she pushed him away again. She turned to face him, a scowl on her face.
"Can we just hurry up and get on the bus? Please?" She asked. Her feet were killing her and she was beyond cranky. With a nod, he didn't even attempt to take her hand for fear of rejection. He really didn't understand her at all. There were some days where she was so affectionate and so loving, and then others she was... well, cold. However, the warm, affectionate days were now few and far between. He couldn't help but feel like a failure as a boyfriend. He allowed her to climb onto the bus first and then soon followed. He was in major need of a nice hot shower to remedy his aching muscles and he couldn't wait to just fall into bed and sleep. He fell onto the couch and looked up at her as she took a seat opposite of him, gazing out of the window.
"Do I make you unhappy?" He asked, his voice soft. He quickly regretted the question when he realized that he may not get the answer he was hoping for. He wasn't disappointed when he received a snort and a roll of her eyes.
"If you made me unhappy, do you think I'd still be with you?" She retorted. While she certainly wasn't thrilled to be with him, she loved his money and it was not something she was willing to give up without a fight.
"If I don't make you unhappy, then what's with all the attitude I've been getting from you lately?" He asked, raising his eyebrow. Again, she rolled her eyes.
"What's with all the damn questions?" She fired back. "Jesus, you're like a freaking girl," she told him, looking down at her perfectly manicured nails. "Why are you clingy?"
Just as he opened his mouth to respond, four tired men filed onto the bus and he certainly didn't want to continue the conversation with them in ear shot. He liked to keep his personal matters just that... personal. So instead of replying, he pasted a fake smile on his face in a sad attempt to appear happy. Fortunately for him, they certainly didn't seem interested in being anywhere near Andrea, so they moved quickly to the back, leaving JC to his thoughts. Only when Andrea followed to climb into one of the empty bunks did he allow a single tear so slip down his cheek before he brushed it away, quickly following.
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