Catherine walked back to the back of the red carpet and was keeping a close eye on Jackie's posse so she wouldn't lose them. In an attempt to calm herself, she pulled out her cell phone and began checking her email. After a few moments had past, she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she turned, she saw Jackie standing there.
"I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" Jackie asked with concern.
As Catherine parted her lips to respond, she saw Rachel approaching them.
"I think you are needed," Catherine replied.
Jackie whirled around and spoke before Rachel had the chance to.
"One minute Rachel, I promise. One minute."
She turned back around to face Catherine once Rachel reluctantly walked away.
"This is all moving a lot faster than it usually does, and it's safe to say I haven't mastered the concept of bringing a date to these things. Let alone a secret one," Jackie said while she was offering a small and guilt-ridden smile.
Catherine realised how selfish she was being for assuming Jackie was playing games with her. Rachel appeared behind her again and this time she looked angry.
"Okay, we're coming," Jackie said and grabbed Catherine's hand. "Time to dip your toes into this. Follow my lead," Jackie whispered to her before going in front of another reporter.
Once again, Jackie was asked about her relationship status.
"Actually, I brought a date with me tonight."
Jackie turned around and grabbed Catherine's arm and was asking her to join them. Catherine's heart beat fast as Jackie pulled her into the interview. She was completely blindsided and couldn't believe this was hot it was all going to go down. She wasn't ready.
"This is my good friend Catherine."
As soon as Jackie called her a good friend, Catherine felt her heart begin to steady. Thank God.
"It's nice to meet you Catherine. Is this your first time at a premiere?" The reporter asked.
Although the shock of possibly being outed wore off, Catherine suddenly realised she was still being interviewed on a red carpet.
"Yes it is," she replied nervously. "Am I being that obvious?"
The reporter laughed, "It was very sweet of Jackie to bring you along."
"Yes it was, she's a great friend," Catherine said and exchanged a smile with Jackie.
"Jackie, how do you manage to stay so grounded? Especially looking at how most child stars have turned out?" The reporter asked.
"I just try to live life as normal as possible. I prefer to live a quiet lifestyle. I was actually made fun of when I attended college last year, when they found out I had never been to any crazy Hollywood parties."
"So all of those drug rumours years ago were false?"
"Completely. I was suffering a loss and needed to take a step out of the limelight for a while. I'm a very private person and failed to provide any reasoning for my exist. So everyone just assumed the worse."
Catherine gently squeezed Jackie's arm to offer a bit of support since it was all she could do.
"So what's next for Jacqueline Kirk?"
"I've been to a few auditions and I would really like to take some more college courses this fall."
Catherine was shocked at Jackie's response. She had no idea that she was thinking about college still, and was proud of her for not losing sight of what she really wanted.
All of a sudden, Tommy snuck in next to Jackie.
"There's the man of the hour," the reported excitedly said.
From then on it became the Jackie and Tommy show.
"There were some photographs taken of the two of you slipping home together last premiere. Care to elaborate?"
"We all stay at the same hotel and share the same limo. We leave together every night," Jackie quickly responded.
"Well you two were looking rather cozy," the reported nagged on.
Tommy slipped his arm around Jackie's waist, pulled her towards him and away from Catherine.
"What are you insinuating?" He winked.
Catherine's temper started to flare. She absolutely loathed the way he controlled Jackie and these interviewed. Jackie quickly slipped out of Tommy's embrace and grasped Catherine's hand to pull her closer.
"I've got my best friend here with me tonight. The only thing on my mind is having an awesome time with her," Jackie said and winked at Catherine.
Judging by the looks on Tommy and the PR team's faces, they weren't happy with Jackie's remark. She smiled big and squeezed Catherine's hand before Rachel interrupted, letting them know it was time to make their way into the theatre.
Jackie looked over at Catherine and flashed her a smile. Not just any smile though. One that made Catherine feel like despite the thousands of people surrounding them, Jackie only saw her.
A/n Thanks for reading my story. Please vote and drop a comment. Comments will help me a lot more than you might think. â¤ï¸