Rookie (21 page)

“Sidney,” Mrs. B pleaded, grabbing the girl’s hand.  “Why don’t you wait and talk to him?  You two will work this out.”

“No, not this time,” Sidney said.  She pecked the older woman’s cheek before picking up her bag.  “I have to go.  My cab should be here in a few.”

She hurried down the stairs and out the door before the other woman could utter a word.

***

It wasn’t until she was settled into a tiny room at a local hotel that she caught her breath.  She sank to the edge of the bed, staring at her reflection on the blank TV screen, listening to her phone ring, once again, in her pocket.  Probably Chad.  He’d called several times but she hadn’t answered.  She didn’t want to argue with him, too.  By this time, he probably knew everything.

Feeling like a coward for fleeing, Sidney held her head in her hands.  How was she going to face everyone on Monday?  She had to work.  She couldn’t quit.

Yes, you can,
a voice inside her head said. 
You’ve saved up enough to last you a month at least.  You can always find another job at one of the thousands of studios.  Plus, when your CD is released, you’ll be set.

The voice was right, but Sidney couldn’t see
herself working for another studio.  Not to mention that it was probably a conflict of interest for her to work for another label when she had a CD coming out with Ross Records.

She would just have to gut it out somehow.

Digging her laptop out of the bottom of the bag, she logged into the Ross Records scheduling program and looked at Rob’s schedule.

He was pretty booked the upcoming week with morning and afternoon meetings.  It was a busy season as Ross Records had several new artists either releasing or just having released CDs.  There were videos to shoot, appearances to arrange, and tours to book.  She might get lucky and manage to avoid him this week.  And the following week, he was leaving with Chad to check out new talent on the east coast.

Lexie might be a problem, though.

Nibbling her lip, Sidney sat the laptop aside.  No, it didn’t have to be a problem.  Sidney didn’t work a whole lot with
Lexie.  They didn’t usually see much of each other unless one sought the other out.  She’d be able to hide out in Rob’s office while Rob was away and when he was there, she could always do some work from home.

She glanced at the cramped hotel room with the wobbly table next to the window.

Home sweet home, she sighed.

***

A cab dropped her off at the garage entrance Monday morning, shortly after nine.  She waved to Moe; the attendant that morning, before scanning Rob’s assigned parking spot for his car.

“Morning, Sidney,” Moe said as he let her through the walkway.  “Cabbing it today?”

“Yes,” she said, not wanting to get into specifics with Moe.

He nodded. 
“Figured as much.  Mr. Rob was in and out early this morning.”

“How about Chad?” she asked in as nonchalant a manner as she could.

“Nope,” Moe said.  “I suppose Mr. Rob picked him up for a meeting or something.”

“Probably,” Sidney said with a relieved smile.  “Have a good day.”

“You, too.”

She got into the elevator, praying that
Lexie would be in her office and not wandering the halls when the elevator doors opened. 

Luck was finally on Sidney’s side that morning.  When the elevator deposited her, no one was in the halls.  She hurried to her locker, tossed her bag inside, and then ran to Rob’s office, locking the door behind her.  She rechecked his schedule, thrilled to see that Rob had added a lunch meeting, and then got to work.

That Monday set precedence for the rest of her week.  She managed to avoid all three of them and only communicated to them when necessary and that was through digital means.  It sucked, for sure, but it was the only way that she could see being able to keep her job.  And it seemed to be working as it was becoming more and more obvious that Rob, Chad, and Lexie were avoiding her, too.

It hurt her to know that none of them wanted to speak to her or to set things straight.  But she’d been the one to initiate the situation when she’d inadvertently asked Rob to sleep with her. 

The first weekend after the blowout was lonely.  She sat in her room, browsing the Internet or watching boring television.  She longed to hang out on Rob’s deck with her friends or maybe go to Woody’s for a drink.  But she couldn’t.  She was stuck right where she was.  She didn’t dare venture out on her own for fear of Grant.  If only he’d slip up and get caught, then she could find a quiet little pub and maybe make some new friends.

The thought made her lonelier than ever.  She really didn’t want new friends.  She missed the ones that she’d had.

Were they really true friends?

“Of course they were,” she muttered aloud.

Sure, that’s why they all abandoned you when you were distressed.

“I started it all,” Sidney argued.  “I was the one to sleep with Rob.  And then I told
Lexie after I’d promised that I wouldn’t.”

Real friends would seek you out – try to work through the problems.  Real friends wouldn’t abandon you. 
Especially with some freak on the loose.

“They didn’t abandon me.  I abandoned…” She groaned. 
“Oh, what the hell?  I’m arguing with a voice in my head?”

With another groan, she crossed the room to the window and peered out at the traffic from her spot on the fourth floor.  She’d left Woodridge Beach and had found a room in the neighboring hill community of Peak.  Not as affluent, it was still nice.  The hotel, while cramped, was clean and the staff friendly.  She wasn’t sure how long she planned to stay there – hadn’t exactly thought things through before leaving Rob’s house.  She’d have to start looking for a place of her own. 
Maybe an apartment in a secure building – one with a doorman and a buzzer and stuff like that.

I’ll start looking tomorrow,
she thought as she drifted to the phone to order room service.  Once that was done, she headed for the shower and another lonely evening in front of the TV.

***

The next Monday was ten times better.  Rob and Chad had left early that morning for a scouting trip in New York.  Lexie had gone with them, wanting to spend a little time with Melanie in the Big Apple.  Sidney was able to come and go as she pleased without worrying that she’d run into any of them.

She wondered, as she sat in Rob’s office, his scent permanently infused into the leather of his chair, if he would be spending time with Melanie as well.  Perhaps they were making plans for their trip together.  Perhaps they were buying matching beach towels and bathing suits.

Groaning, she pushed the laptop away in order to bang her head on his desk.

“What kind of company has couples cruises?” she asked the wood.  “And who looks for that kind of thing, anyway?”

Face pressed firmly against the smooth surface of the wood, she didn’t hear the door open until someone cleared their throat.

Lifting her face, she gave a bashful smile.  “Oh. 
Hi, Leslie.”

“Hey,” Leslie the receptionist said with a rueful grin.  She walked into the room and shut the door, taking a seat in front of the desk.  “You know, I usually keep my nose out of people’s business.  I hate nosy people.  But I can’t help but notice that you are avoiding Rob, Chad, and
Lexie.”

“Yeah, sort of,” Sidney said, shifting in the chair.

“Well, I’m not here to ask for specifics,” she said with a wave of her hand.  “But I was wondering if you were still planning to go to the studio party.”

“Oh,” Sidney said, sitting back.  “I guess I forgot about it.”

“I kind of figured,” Leslie said with a smile.  “Are you going to go?”

Sidney cringed at the thought.  “I doubt it.”

“You should go,” Leslie said.  “There will be a lot of important people there, including Peter Winthrope.  He’s like a partner, except he does motion picture scores and stuff.”

“Oh, yeah,” Sidney said.  “I remember Rob talking about him.  He uses the studio when he does soundtracks.”

“Yeah,” Leslie said.  “When it’s not orchestra type stuff he does.  Anyway, you really should go.  I’ve heard your CD and it’s really good.  You could meet people there that can help you further your career.”

Sidney cocked her head, her brow furrowed as she studied the other woman.  She hadn’t had much interaction with Leslie, just a little bit here and there.  Contrary to what
Lexie had said about her in the past, Sidney had always thought that Leslie was okay, even if she was a little standoffish.  But they’d never been what she’d call friends.  Barely even acquaintances.  Just a few polite conversations in the break room or in the halls.

“Why are you so set on me going?” Sidney asked. 
“Besides the fact that I could meet some important people?”

Leslie had the decency to blush as she studied her manicured nails.  She lifted a shoulder.  “I don’t know.  I just think you’re a nice person.  I know
Lexie and I don’t always see eye-to-eye but you’ve always been nice to me.”

“But still,” Sidney began.

Leslie interrupted.  “Rob and Chad have been good to me.  I don’t exactly have a stellar work background or even a sparkling back story.  They gave me a job when I needed one and I’ve always appreciated it.  But Lexie just doesn’t like me and I think that’s because of Melanie.”

“Really?”
Sidney asked.

“Yeah,” Leslie laughed.  “You see, once I started making money here and getting back on my feet, I ordered this huge gift basket full of man stuff.  You
know, beer, steaks, sausages and crackers – that type of thing.  I had it delivered to Chad and Rob as a thank you for giving me a chance.”

Sidney nodded her understanding.  “And Melanie saw it as a come-on.”

“Yep,” Leslie said.  “This was a few years ago when she was actually around for awhile.  They were in an on-again state at the time so she didn’t appreciate me buying her…whatever Rob was to her at the time, a gift.”

Sidney shook her head.  She couldn’t see Melanie acting that way, but then again, Sidney didn’t know her well.  And perhaps she’d been a little bit immature in the past – maybe that’s why things hadn’t worked out at that time.  It was possible that she’d changed since then.

“So, anyway,” Leslie continued.  “I think Melanie got it into Lexie’s head that I was after both Chad and Rob.”

“When, in all actuality, you were just trying to show appreciation,” Sidney finished.

“Exactly,” Leslie said.  “Oh, Lexie got over it, I guess, but she’s just never been friendly with me.  Polite, but never friendly.”

“I get it,” Sidney said with a frown.  “Still doesn’t explain why I should go to the party.”

She shrugged.  “I just thought we’d go together.  We could hang out for a bit and if it got too much, we could leave.”

Sidney narrowed her eyes.  “Is this some kind of ploy to piss off
Lexie?”

“No,” Leslie snorted.  “I don’t play those sorts of games.  Like I said, you’ve been nothing but nice and friendly to me.  I know you’re having a rough time with that freaky guy that I’m supposed to watch out for and that you aren’t able to get out much.  And now, something has happened between you and the other three so I thought maybe you and I could go together.”

Leslie managed another blush.  “I did have a date but he backed out so I thought, why not ask Sidney?  I bet she can throw down some drinks and be a fun drunk.”

Sidney laughed, her heart lifting for the first time in over a week. 
“All right.  I’ll go.  Where should we meet?”

Seventeen

Sidney finished with her work, backed it up, and then shut down the computer, one eye on the clock.  Her week of bliss was over – Rob was due back any time.  She didn’t want to be around when he returned.

Gathering her things, she sighed, wondering how she was going to handle the next week.  A new band was supposed to start in the studio – one Rob was extremely excited about.  He’d discovered the young band near Chicago and loved their sound.  Sidney remembered every detail about the day that he’d told her all about them.  His eyes sparkled like sun rays on water and his voice took on a high pitch as he described their sound.  He had high hopes for these guys and would make sure to be involved in every step.

Hurrying to the locker room, she opened the door with caution.  She didn’t expect to find either Rob or Chad or even
Lexie in there, but she still didn’t want to take the chance.

Pausing before her locker, the piece of masking tape Rob had stuck on the door months ago taunted her.  Pain needled her heart as an angry fury erupted in her gut.  Ripping off the tape, she crumpled it into a sticky ball and tossed it at the trash can, missing horribly.  She grabbed her bag, slammed the door, and bolted out of the room.

Just as she reached the elevator, a voice called out behind her.

“Sidney!  I am so glad I caught you.”

Turning slowly, she managed a weak smile for Leslie.  “What’s up?”