Chapter 10
The next day, tension was running high on who would be the next to be voted off. As I sat, out on Clay’s balcony, I prayed that it wouldn’t be Clay. He has the talent. He deserves to win it all. Clay was what this music industry needed. A slight breeze was softly blowing my hair away from my face, as I sat in deep thought, with my legs up to my chest.
“Knock, knock.”said Clay by the doorway.
I turned and smiled. “Hey.”
“Do you mind if I join you?”he asked.
“Not at all.”as I scooted over for him to sit down next to me. He came over, sat down and wrapped his arms around me, while I put my arms around him, with my head tilted on his shoulder. Not a word was spoken. It seemed like neither of us needed words any more. We already knew what the other was thinking. The only problem was that Clay had no idea what I was thinking about.
I was trying to think of how I was going to tell Clay about the whole Mark situation. I just didn’t know how to do it. I knew I had to tell him, and soon, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I guess he could tell that I was stressing about something, because instead of asking about it, he started to sing.
“Tomorrow morning if you wake up,
and the sun does not appear....
I.....I will be here.....
If in the dark you lose sight of love,
hold my hand and have no fear.....
I....I will be here.....”
Soon, I was fast asleep, snuggled up against him. He smiled, and just held me for a while. Soon, it was time to leave for the show tonight.
“Becca, hunny, it’s time to go.”he whispered.
I slowly opened my eyes to a smiling face. “Hey you.”I said, slowly getting up and stretching.
“Hey, you feeling okay?”he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. That nap really refreshed me.”
“That’s good.”he replied, smiling. “Ready to go?”
“I guess so. Do I look alright?”
He then replied, “You look beautiful, as always.”
I blushed, and followed him downstairs, and out to the van. When we arrived, I took my seat in the front row, still thinking about what I should do. Then, surprisingly, the shows theme started to play. I nearly jumped out of my seat. I was in such deep thought, that I didn’t even notice the rest of the audience entering.
“Hello, and welcome to the results show.”greeted Ryan. After about 10 ‘after the breaks’, we finally found out the results. “Carmen.......you’re going home tonight.”said Ryan, reading off of his card. This was such a relief. Even though she wasn’t as bad as she was in the beginning, she was till getting on my, not to mention Clay’s, nerves. This time, I did go to the goodbye dinner. She was sweet, but she definitely has some issues to work through.
When we got back to the mansion, I headed up to Clay’s room. I was wiped out, but I also knew that it was now or never to tell about Mark. So, I went to his room, walked over to the bed, and waited for him to come up. He was talking to Ruben about something, so he stayed downstairs.
“Hey, Rube? Can I talk to you about something?”Clay asked.
“Sure, man. What’s up?”Ruben replied.
“Well, everything is going great with Becca and I. I just have this feeling......”
“What feeling? Is something bothering you?”he asked.
“Well, I just feel like I have met her before, you know? Like I have seen her before.”
“Really? Hmmm....do you remember going anywhere or doing anything a few months back with people other than your family or close friends?”Ruben asked.
“I don’t know.....I just have this feeling.....”
“It will come to you when you least expect it.”
“Well, I better not keep her waiting. She said she needed to tell me something.”
“Okay, man, talk to ya lata!”
“Thanks, Rube.”
Clay then made his way through the mansion, then up the stairs. Once on the landing, he made his way to his room. On his way across the hall, he could hear someone crying. He looked over and saw Carmen’s door open a crack. ‘Poor Carmen....’he thought.’I’d better go see if she’s alright.’ So, he pushed open her door, to find her sitting on the edge of her bed, crying.
“Carmen? Are you okay?”he asked, slowly making his way over to her.
She looked up and said, “Does it look like I’m okay?”
Feeling bad, Clay then took a seat next to her and pulled her into a hug. “It’s okay, sweetie. Don’t cry.”he said, trying to comfort her.
But what Clay didn’t know, was that this was all an act. Carmen really wasn’t crying. She was just putting her evil plan into action. ‘Clay came to me, just as I planned.’she thought, as he hugged her.
“Shh....it’s alright.”he said, trying to make her feel better.
Within seconds, she stopped “crying”. “Oh, Clay, thank you for being there for me.”she said, trying sound innocent.
“Your welcome, sweetie.”he replied, pulling away from her. “Well, I’d better go. Becca needs to tell me something.”he said, starting to get up.
But before he could move an inch, Carmen was in front of him, blocking his way. “Carmen, what are you doing?”he asked, trying to move around her.
“Something that I’ve always wanted to do. Deep down, you love me, Clay. Not her.”as she placed each hand on each of his shoulders to keep him from moving. She might be small, but she was pretty strong. Clay didn’t want to hurt her, so he just kept trying to get away, without hurting her. “Don’t fight it, Clay. You know you want me.”she said, climbing into his lap, straddling him.
“Carmen, please, don’t....”he said, trying to persuade her. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Hurt me? Clay, you broke my heart. I think that is the worst pain that anyone could ever cause.” She then pushed him down on the bed, and laid down on top of him.
“Don’t.......what has happened to the sweet, innocent girl I once knew?”he asked.
“She died the day you broke my heart.” And before he could stop her, she brought her lips to his.
At that very moment, I was waiting in Clay’s room, wondering what could be taking so long. Where could he be? He said that he only needed a minute to talk to Ruben. I better go look for him....So, I got up, and went out into the hallway. I was going to head downstairs to see if he was still talking to Ruben, but I had a feeling that he wasn’t down there. I then turned my head to see Carmen’s door open. Hmmm......She never leaves her door open......
I then slowly made my way over to her room. I stepped in the doorway and looked around. Then, over on her bed, I saw Clay kissing Carmen. I was shocked. Tears started streaming down my face. “Clay! How could you!”I screamed.
He turned to face me and said, “Becca, it’s not what it looks like!”while Carmen was kissing his neck.
“I hate you.”I said in a barely audible whisper, but he still heard me. Then, I turned, ran downstairs, and out the front door, slamming it in the process.
“CARMEN! GET OFF OF ME!” he yelled, pushing her off, and onto the floor. He then ran after me.
“Fine! It’s your loss!”Carmen screamed after him.
Chapter 11
I ran away from there. I couldn’t take it. I just ran down the drive way, into the night. I made it almost to the bottom, when I looked over to the bushes. There, in between two bushes, was Jason. Or was it? I screamed and tried to run in a different direction, when I tripped, fell to the ground and scrapped my knee.
Tears stained my cheeks as I looked back over to the bushes. He was gone. Was he really there? I didn’t know. I just sat there where I was, holding onto my knee. I didn’t know what to do. What had just happened? I didn’t even want to think about it. Just, then, I heard Clay calling me.
“Becca! Where are you?”
I didn’t answer him. I just stayed where I was. Since it was dark, he couldn’t see that I was all the way down the end of the driveway.
“Becca! Please! You don’t understand!”he yelled, still searching for me.
I finally spoke up, “Go away! Leave me alone!”
He heard me and came running down the driveway, to find me on the ground, clutching my scrapped knee. “Clay! How could you do this to me? With her?”I asked, tears streaming down my face.
“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry. I didn’t kiss her, she kissed me. I tried to get away, but she wouldn’t get off of me. I swear, I would never do anything to hurt you.” Then for the first time, he said three words that I will never forget. “I love you.”
I just stared at him in shock. He loves me? “Oh, Clay! I love you, too. I love you so much!”I said, smiling at him. He smiled back and pulled me into a hug. Then he began to wipe my tears away with his thumb.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I never meant to make you cry.”
I pulled him closer, holding him tight, and whispered, “I love you so much, Clay.”
Then, he started to run his fingers through my hair, finally pushing it to one side, to reveal my neck. He lowered his mouth and began to kiss my neck, ever so sweetly while caressing my arms, making sure not to miss a spot. He slowly made his way up my neck, until he met my lips. It was soft at first, then it became more intense, as our desire for one another grew.
Then, he whispered, “Let’s go inside.”
I nodded, amazed at how gentle he was with me. He didn’t even want me to get up. Instead, he picked me up in his arms like I was made of glass, and carried me into the mansion. I just held onto his neck, never wanting to let go. I wanted him. He is the only person who cares for me. I must be the luckiest girl in the world to have such a loving, affectionate boyfriend.
Everyone else had already gone to bed. He carried me up the stairs to his room. Then he laid me down on the bed, ever so gently.
Then he came back over to me and kissed my scrapped knee, ever so tenderly. He then began to cover my body in kisses. My heart was pounding against my rib cage as he continued to move his hands up my body, trailing kisses along the way. I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to feel his lips against mine. He was driving me crazy.
He passionately kissed my lips, as we shared a sweet sensual kiss. Then he kissed my forehead, as he laid down next to me, wrapping his arm around me. I responded by putting my arms around him, as we cuddled.
"I love you, baby." he said, as we held each other close.
"I love you, too."I replied, as we soon fell asleep in each others' arms.
The next morning, awoke to find Clay softly playing with my hair as I lay on his chest.
“Good morning, baby.”he said to me, as I tilted my head up to face him.
“Morning.”I replied, cuddling closer to him.
I still can’t believe how gentle he was with me last night. It was almost as if he felt that I would break. He is all I neeI never wanted to get up. I wanted to feel him next to me forever.
“So, how did you sleep last night?”he asked me, finally breaking the silence.
“Like an angel.....I was so relaxed.....In fact, I don’t ever want to get up.”I replied, holding him close.
“I wish I could just lay in bed with you all day, but I can’t. I have mandatory rehearsals to go to.”he said, with a hint of disappointment.
“Can’t you miss them for once? I mean, you have rehearsal everyday, except for sundays. Call in sick.”I pleaded with him.
“Oh, baby, I wish I could, but today is the day that we have to pick the songs we are going to sing. Once we do that, we have to work on the arrangement and we have to work with the vocal coaches. You know I would stay home if I could.”he replied, rubbing my back. I sighed and just nodded my head.
A half an hour later, we heard a knock at the door. “Clay, it’s me, Carmen. I’m leaving now so, I was just wondering if we could talk. I’m really sorry.”she said through the door.
“Alright, I’ll be out in a minute.”he replied.
“Okay. And Clay? Have you seen Becca? I kinda feel like I need to apologize to her. If you see her, tell her I’m so sorry.”
“I will.”
He looked at me, and I nodded my head to show that I accepted her apology. Clay then got up, threw on a pair of pants and a t-shirt, and headed for the door. I figured I might as well say goodbye, so I got up, went over to Clay and pulled him into a quick kiss, before heading downstairs.
“I love you.”I whispered against his lips.
“I love you, too.”he replied, wrapping his arms around my waist. “C’mon, we better go say goodbye to Carmen.”
So, he opened the door and lead the way downstairs. Carmen looked up when she saw us approaching. She quicky came over and threw her arms around Clay.
“Oh, Clay! I’m so sorry! I’ve thought about what I did, and I feel terrible. That wasn’t me at all. Could you ever forgive me?”she cried.
“Of course I forgive you, sweetie.”he replied.
Then she heaved a sigh of relief, and pulled away. She then saw me standing beside Clay.
“Becca, I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I was just jealous. Could you ever forgive me?”she asked.
“It’s okay. I forgive you. I would be jealous, too, if Clay was with you instead of me. It’s cool.”I replied.
She smiled and gave me a hug. When she pulled away, she waved goodbye. I waved back, along with everyone else. “Bye everyone!”and with that, she was gone.
Since Clay and I haven’t had breakfast yet, we headed over to the kitchen, hand in hand. We had stayed in bed late, so everyone else had already eaten. Before we made it to the kitchen, we were stopped by Kim L. and Ruben.
“Yo, Clay, man, can I talk to you?”Ruben asked.
“Sure, Rube.”he replied, as Ruben pulled him over to the other side of the room. I just stood there with a big smile on my face, staring after him.
Kim L. snapped me back to earth by asking, “Are you okay?”with a big grin.
“Never been better.”I replied, still smiling. I couldn't believe it. I was in love with an amazing man. I never, ever felt this way about anyone before. It was an amazing feeling, and I couldn't stop smiling.
“Did something happen last night? I mean, did you and Clay.....”she started.
"Kim! Nothing like that happened last night."I said, as I read her mind. "I am just so happy."
"Aww! I am so happy that you are happy. You are such a sweet girl, and you deserve all the happiness in the world."she replied.
"Oh, Kim! That was so sweet!"I said, as I gave her a hug. "I guess I better go and get something to eat."I said, as we pulled apart.
“So, Clay, how is everything?”asked Ruben.
Clay just smiled, blushed, and said, “Everything is great. Never been better.”
Ruben suddenly noticed him blushing and looking over to me, then back again. “Yo, man, did something happen last night?”
Clay then smiled and said, “Ruben!! Nothing happened last night. It's not what you think. I am just in love with an amzing woman, and I couldn't be happier."
"Aww, dawg! That is so sweet!"
Blushing, Clay then said, "Well, I better go get something to eat. See you later, Rube."
"See ya."
Chapter 12
The days seemed to fly by. They were filled with so much love. I was in love with an amazing man. My love for Clay has completely pushed all bad thoughts out of my mind, including Mark. As one week passes, we have to say goodbye to Trenyce. Now, it was down to the top four. I wasn’t worried anymore for Clay. He has the talent to succeed. I knew he would go far.
The day after Trenyce left, I woke up a bad feeling, like something is going to happen. All of these thoughts brought back Mark, and how he was going to come after Clay and I. I then realized that I still haven’t told Clay yet. I felt really guilty, but terrified at the same time. I didn’t know what to do. I decided that when he came home from rehearsal, I have to tell him.
An hour later, Clay and the others came home. By the looks of things, rehearsal hadn’t gone well. Everyone looked exhausted. I went over to greet Clay.
“Hey, baby. How did rehearsal go?” I asked, pulling him into a hug.
“It was so long. We had to do the same song over and over, until we had it perfect. They were an hour late in letting us go.”he said, stifling a yawn.
I looked at my watch. It was 8:00. “Oh, Clay.....”I said, rubbing his back.
“At least I am finally home now. I have been thinking about you all day.”he replied, as he held me close.
I sighed into his chest. Then I tilted my head up to look at him. He looked down at me, and we stared into each others eyes. He then placed his hand on my cheek, and slowly, he leaned in and we kissed. Our kisses were filled with so much passion and desire for one another. I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him closer.
Just then, Josh came around the corner and saw us kissing. He smirked and said, “Hey! Why don’t you two get a room!”
We broke the kiss and turned to look at him. I stuck my tongue out at him playfully. He laughed, shook his head, and went upstairs to his room. Then Clay and I turned back to face each other.
“Do you want to go to the other room and watch t.v. or something?”he asked.
“Sure.”I replied. Any excuse to be together worked for me.
So, we walked over to the livingroom. Clay laid down on the couch, and I climbed on top of him. When we were comfortable, my head resting on his chest, he flipped the t.v. on.
“Hmmm.....what to watch?....” he said, flipping through channels.
Five minutes, Kim, Ruben, and Josh came into the livingroom. “Hey you two.”said Ruben.
“Hey.”we responded in unison.
“We were wondering if you guys would like to join us?”asked Kim.
“Where are you going?”asked Clay.
“Well, we were going to go out to eat, and then maybe hit a club or two. We just needed to get out for a while. Interested?”
He looked at me laying on his chest, then he responded, “No thanks. I think we are just going to stay here and relax.”
“Okay, well, we will see you later then. Bye!”said Kim.
“Bye guys!” Clay yelled after them. “Looks like we are going to be alone for awhile.” he said, running his hands through my hair.
“I guess so.”I responded, snuggling up closer to him.
We ended up watching the news for a little while. Soon, I was drifting off to sleep, and so was Clay. Five minutes later, we were off to dreamland. Its too bad we fell asleep, because we missed the latest breaking news.
“This just in....There has been an escape from the county jail. A young man by the name of Mark St. Paul has escaped. He is known to be armed and very dangerous.” They the showed a picture of him. “If anyone has any information as to his whereabouts, please call 555-5555 immediately. And in other news.....”
Suddenly, there was a loud noise that came from outside. Clay woke up upon hearing it, and looked around. He then turned the t.v. off and listened. ‘Hmmm....’he thought. I was still sound asleep, snuggled up against him. He then heard another noise, coming from the back yard. The livingroom was only one room away from the back of the mansion where the pool was.
Clay decided that he’d better go check things out. So, quietly and carefully, he gently slipped out form underneath me, and covered me up with a blanket. He then went to go see if the other were home yet. He looked out the front window. The van was still gone. He then looked at his watch. It was 2:30 in the morning. ‘Hmmm....they must be having fun.’he thought.
He then turned attention to the noise coming from the backyard pool area. Checking to see if I was still sleeping, he then made is way over to the french doors leading to the pool. He scanned the area, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
Then, over by the deep end of the pool, he saw what made the noise. All of the chairs had been knocked over. He gave a sigh of relief and opened the doors to go fixed the chairs. ‘It must have been really windy.’he thought, as he walked over to pick up the chairs. He had just picked one up, when he realized that there WAS no wind, not even a breeze.
Something wasn’t right. He looked around again, starting to feel a little freaked out. Then, someone came up from behind him and yelled, “Say goodnight, Clay!”
Before he could turn around, he was hit in the head, and pushed into the pool. “Hahahaha!”laughed Jason, before going to report to Mark.
I awoke when I heard a splash come from the pool. I then heard someone laughing. I realized that Clay wasn’t beneath me anymore, and I panicked. “Clay!” I screamed. “Where are you?!” I got up and ran to the open french doors. I turned the spotlights on, and looked over to the pool. There, I saw Clay, slowly drifting to the bottom of the pool. “Nooooo!!” I screamed.
I ran over and dove in to save him. I swam to the bottom and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist. I then kicked off from the bottom and shot to the top. Gasping for air, I swam as hard as my legs could kick to the side, clutching Clay’s limp body. I pulled myself out of the water, then I lifted Clay out with all my strength.
I laid him down beside the pool. I then checked for a pulse. “No....Clay! Oh my god! No!” He wasn’t breathing. Taking a deep breath, I lifted him head up and began CPR. I blew air into his mouth and pumped his chest. Within a few seconds, his heart started up again. “Oh mu god...”I kept at it until he began sputtering out a mouthful of water. “Thank God.”I said, tears streaming down my face.
“Clay, hunny, I’m here. Are you alright? What happened?”I asked, terrified.
Still coughing up water, he replied, “Becca....I thought I wouldn’t see you again.....someone came from behind......”
“It’s okay, Clay, relax. I was so scared. I thought I lost you.”I replied, tears still falling down my cheeks.
“I.....I.....” Clay started, then passed out.
“Clay? Clay, wake up!” I screamed, starting to panic again. “Clay! Please wake up!”I yelled, shaking him. I have to call 911. Then I removed my hand from under his head and nearly passed out. It was covered in blood. “OH MY GOD!!” I screamed.
I lifted his head, and found a big gash on the back, blood still coming out. Freaking out, I ran inside, picked up the phone and dialed 911. With an ambulance on its way, I ran back out to Clay with a towel to press against his head. “Clay! Please be okay! I need you! Please wake up!”I pleaded, but to no effect.
When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics lifted him up and put him on a stretcher. “He’s still breathing, but its very shallow.”said one paramedic.
“Who are you?”asked the second.
“I’m his girlfriend, Becca. Is he going to be okay?”I asked panicking.
“It’s hard to tell. C’mon, we have to get him to the hospital, now!”replied the second.
I jumped in the ambulance in the back, and sat beside Clay. I took one of his hands and held it. “I will never leave your side.”I whispered, as I kissed his hand.
When we arrived at the hospital, Clay was rushed to the E.R. Then, the first paramedic stopped me. “You can’t go in there. Go to the waiting room, and we will let you know how he is doing.”
“No, I need to be with him!”I yelled.
“You can go in there! Stay back!”he yelled at me.
“No! I can’t leave his side!”
“Look, there is a window you can look in on the door, but you can’t be in the room at this time.”he said.
“Fine!”I agreed, irritated.
He then went into the room, and closed the door behind him. I immediately went over to the room, and looked through the window. Clay was over on a bed with tubes sticking out everywhere. There were doctors and nurses surrounding him. I felt so helpless, standing there watching the love of my life slip away.
“Clay, please don’t leave me...”I whispered to the door, with my hand on the window. Tears were streaming down my face, as I started to tremble. This is all my fault. It should be me on that bed, not him. I didn’t know what to do. I started pacing the hallway.
Since I couldn’t handle this on my own, I called Danielle. When she arrived, she saw me sitting on the floor, with my knees to my chest, crying my eyes out.
“Becca! Oh my god! I’m so sorry! It’s okay, everything will be alright.”she said, hugging me trying to comfort me.
“This is all my fault!”I cried. “I should have told Clay the truth about who I am.”
“Oh, hunny, even if you did, you wouldn’t of been able to stop this from happening. You know how Mark is.”she replied.
“I just don’t know what to do anymore. I just can’t bear to lose him, Dani. I love him, and all he did was love me in return. He doesn’t deserve this!”
“I know, I know. This is not your fault, so don’t blame yourself.” Then, trying to change the subject, Dani said, “Hey, do you remember how J.C. and I met?”
“Yeah....”I sniffed.
“It was because of you. You brought us together. I remember it like it was yesterday. You were doing a photo shoot with *NSYNC on the cover. I was a big fan, so you invited me to come along. Well, once J.C. and I saw each other, well, the rest is history.”she finished.
“I remember.”I replied, slowly calming down.
“Clay will be okay. He will pull through. You two belong together.”
“Thanks, Dani, you’re a great friend.”I said, as we gave each other a hug.
As we pulled away, the door opened. “Hi, are you Mr. Aiken’s girlfriend? I’m Dr. Martin.”he asked me.
“Yes, I am. Is he okay?”I asked, getting up with Danielle at my side.
“He was very lucky. It was lucky you got him here when you did. Any later, and he wouldn’t have made it. His breathing is slowly coming back to normal. The gash in the back of his head was deep, but we were able to patch it up with a few stitches.”he finished.
“Can I go see him now?” I asked.
“Sure, go right ahead. He’s awake, but very weak.”he said.
“Thanks.”I replied.
“Becca, I’ll just be in the waiting room, okay?”said Dani.
“Okay, see you.”I replied, as I pushed the door open.
