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Author's Chapter Notes:
Whoa shocker! It's been like at least six weeks since I've updated last. I really want to apologize for that. As a lot of you know I have a lot of stuff going on right now, mostly I'm trying to prepare to move out over the summer to probably North Carolina because there actually seem to be teachng jobs there. It's REALLY a very tough desicion and has been on my mind pretty much all the time, so writing just hasn't really been a top priority for me. Plus I'm just having major issues with this story for some reason. With UMS and ALTOS I had a very clear plan. This time around I don't and I am overwhelmed with where I should take this story. You can probably thank Teri for at least getting me to finish this chapter up. (It is a long one though.) Anyway progress on this story will probably be slow moving. If I get to do much writing at all I am thinking about focusing more on some of my other stories and maybe fooling around with some new ideas. I hope you enjoy and please let me know your thoughts.
 

Chapter 4 - America's Sweethearts

 

            "And in entertainment news it was announced over the weekend that Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and his wife, E! News reporter Shayla are calling it quits after just under three years of marriage. The pair, who originally met while Nick was filming his E! reality show, House of Carters, was rumored to be having problems after keeping a very low profile since the beginning of the year. Shayla dropped the bombshell in a recent blog post on her My Space page, revealing not only that the couple was getting a divorce, but that the reasoning behind it being that Nick had recently hooked up with an ex girlfriend behind her back. A recent statement released by Nick confirms the divorce, but declines to comment on any other rumors."

 

            Alyssa sighed as she listened to the radio DJ finish up her entertainment ‘sleaze' report before turning off the engine in her car, taking out the keys, and gathering her tote bag, lunch bag, and purse up off the seat of her car. After the weekend she'd had, she found herself very glad for it to finally be Monday and for the next work week to begin. She knew that her students would be just the welcome distraction she needed to keep her mind off of her personal affairs. So far the repercussions of Shayla's blog hadn't been too hard on her... yet. By now as she had just heard on the radio, the media was beginning to report the divorce and the rumors that Nick did have an affair with an ex-girlfriend, but for now it was just that; a rumor. Alyssa's name for the moment was in the clear. For how long this would be, she wasn't sure, but she was going to make the most of what little bit of privacy she still had left for the moment.

 

            She got out of her car, locked it, and headed towards the direction of the school building ready to face what was about to be the first full week of the new school year. So far her class seemed decent which was a nice reprieve from last year. She hoped that their behavior would continue like this throughout the next few weeks and not just be the fact that they hadn't yet shown their true colors. Once she was inside, she headed right into the front office to sign in for the day and to collect her mail from her mailbox. Attendance folder, lunch cards, notices to go home, teaching supply catalogue... Alyssa mentally ticked off in her head as she quickly rifled through the pile she had collected. She was just about to head down to her classroom when she noticed a folded up piece of white paper still lying in her mailbox. She grabbed the note and curiously flipped it open, figuring that maybe it was a message from one of her parents or something.

 

-Alyssa,

            Please come down and speak to me during your prep period today. There is something that I need to talk to you about.

 

                                                                                                                   Mike Kirkland

 

            Alyssa hadn't realized that she'd started to tremble until she noticed the paper beginning to shake between her fingers. Shoving the note quickly into her tote bag she left the office and headed down the hallway in the direction of her classroom the whole time trying to figure out what exactly her principal had wanted to talk to her about. Even though there was no way that he could possibly link her to Nick and his divorce at this point in time, Alyssa still couldn't help but to be paranoid. Had he somehow found out about her affair and was now about to ask her to resign as a teacher in his school? Could he even do that to her under those circumstances? You're not tenured yet, she reminded herself as she unlocked her classroom door.

 

            But if he were going to fire me wouldn't he do it right away? she argued with herself. Why would he ask me to wait until my prep to speak with him? And when is my prep today anyway? Her eyes quickly darted to the daily schedule poster she had displayed on the back of her door since she hadn't yet fully memorized which special her class had on which day of the week and what time. Of course her Monday special was Art which was her longest prep of the week, ensuring plenty of time for her discussion with Mike. Luckily Art wasn't until eleven followed by lunch at twelve. Alyssa would have the entire morning to prepare herself for her meeting.

 

            Unfortunately, what had first seemed like a blessing to her, turned out to be a curse. Instead of being glad for the extra time to prepare herself, it only made her more nervous and made her imagination start to get the better of her. By the time her students arrived she was so frazzled that she could barely get through her whole morning routine. Never being the type of teacher to just give her students "busy work," after unsuccessfully attempting to start a reading lesson on vowel sounds, Alyssa had given up and pulled some extra worksheets that she had laying around. She felt guilty doing this, but she knew that her mind was not on teaching at the moment and she would only have to probably re-teach the same lesson the next day. By the time eleven rolled around Alyssa was pretty sure that her students as well as herself were relieved.

 

            But relief still wasn't exactly in sight. If anything the worst was still yet to come. After Alyssa dropped her class off at the Art room she dragged her feet as she headed to the front office, feeling much like one of her students when they were in trouble. Very tentatively she entered the office and stuck her head into the first doorway belonging to the principal's office. "You wanted to see me?" she barely managed to squeak out.

 

            Mike Kirkland looked up from his position at his desk with an undeterminable expression on his face. "Yes Alyssa. Come on in and have a seat." Like his expression, his tone was flat and unreadable.

 

            Meekly, Alyssa entered the room and made herself as comfortable as she could in one of the chairs in front of his desk. Nervously she folded her hands in her lap and looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to begin. She'd never before had a problem with Mike in her previous two years teaching in the building. In fact, he'd been one of the more laidback and flexible principals that she'd worked with in her teaching career. Normally he wasn't the kind of person that she'd fear, but he still was her boss and her job still hung in his hands.

 

            "I want to start out by commending you on all the hard work and dedication that you've put into this school since you've began working here," he started off.

 

            Uh oh... Speeches that start off with that line are never good, Alyssa thought to herself as her heart nearly leapt to her throat. He's definitely getting ready to fire me. Her back immediately stiffened as she attempted to keep her face relaxed and composed.

 

            "Since you've began teaching here you always have been among the first to volunteer to help out with extracurricular activities. Your first year here you helped behind the scenes at the fifth grade play and then last year even though you were only here for half the school year you still helped set up that pen pal program for our students to correspond with soldiers over in Iraq. You've always gone above and beyond what was expected of you, which is why I think that you'd be perfect for the position that I am hoping to interest you in," he continued.

 

            Alyssa frowned after his last sentence. Here she was all prepared to be fired, but instead Mike wanted to offer her a new position? This was not at all what she had been expecting and she wasn't quite sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. "What do you mean?" she found herself asking, curiously.

 

            Mike took a deep breath as he began to explain. "I'm sure that as a special educator that you are very well aware of the recent trend in the past few years to cut back on the number of students being placed in self-contained classrooms. The new goal is to include as many of them as possible into general education classrooms with the appropriate support available for them to succeed."

 

            Alyssa just nodded. She was very familiar with the idea of inclusion classrooms; classrooms that were comprised of both regular and special education students working as closely as possible together with proper modifications. Back when she was a substitute teacher in New York she'd worked in a few of them and she knew there were one or two inclusion classes at her old school in North Carolina. She'd been surprised to come to California and learn that her school had yet to develop an inclusion program. "Yes, I am familiar with the inclusion trend," she answered. "I've read quite a number of articles on the subject. I'm familiar with the benefits."

 

            Her superior looked pleased. "I know that it is a little early to be talking about next year already, but the district has selected our building to launch a new pilot inclusion program for the 2011-2012 school year. Of course you know that the key to a successful inclusion classroom lays in the relationship between both the regular and special education teachers. It requires teamwork, careful planning, and flexibility. Out of all the special education teachers in this building I feel that if anyone you'd be the right person for the job. You have a variety of different teaching experiences under your belt, working in both special and regular education, and you are very open to trying new things. You get along well with others and I think that you'd be able collaborate well with another teacher. Would you be interested in being part of the program? We'd like to know as soon as possible because of course there will be training workshops I'd like to send you to and I'd like your input as we piece together the program."

 

            Alyssa was floored as she considered the offer. This definitely had not been what she'd been expecting at all. And after all of her principal's compliments her confidence really did feel sky high for the moment. It felt good to know that she had been one of the first people that he had considered for the job. Still, it wasn't a decision that she should just impulsively make. There were still some things that she needed answered. There were different variations of inclusion. In some models both a special education teacher and a regular education teacher taught side by side full time in one class. In others the special education teacher only pushed into the class for a few hours each day and was usually split between two rooms. Alyssa preferred the former option. Although she'd have no problem sharing teaching responsibilities with someone else, she still wanted the security of having her own classroom even if she had to share it with someone else. Plus, splitting her time between two classrooms meant double the students (most likely on different grade levels) and double the workload. "Wow... This is quite a big decision and I'm honored that you thought of me. I just have a few questions about the program. What kind of inclusion model are you planning on using?"

 

            "We'd like to try it out next year just in one grade with both a general and special education teacher in the classroom full-time. If it is successful over the next few years we'd like to slowly phase in at least one inclusion classroom per grade level," he reported.

 

            Another thought flew into Alyssa's head. "This is my tenure year. I'm flattered that you'd consider me, but what happens if I don't get my tenure? Isn't it presumptuous of you to start training me for this program this early in the school year?"

           

            Mike just grinned at her. "I wouldn't worry about it. Between me and you, it would have to take some kind of major scandal to prevent you from earning tenure at the end of this year."

 

            Alyssa responded with a small, uncomfortable smile. Mike clearly had no idea just how far he was from the truth. Even though he was joking, she found his last sentence struck eerily close to home. If only he knew... she thought to herself. Somehow Alyssa just couldn't be as confident as he was about her earning tenure. In fact, she might be lucky just to have a job next year period.

 

*********

 

            By the time Nick heard the front door of the condo open that evening signaling that Alyssa had arrived home from work, he had to admit that he was glad to have her home. His day had not been the greatest and now he wanted nothing more to use his girlfriend as a welcome distraction to all the chaos that was already beginning to unfold. By this morning, news of his imminent divorce from Shayla was widespread and the rumor that their demise had been a result of him cheating was running rampant. Just flipping through the television stations it seemed like everyone wanted to weigh in on the matter. Of course most people seemed more sympathetic towards Shayla in the situation, but then again they had only heard one side of the story. They also all seemed to be trying to figure out the identity of the woman that Nick had cheated on her with. As anticipated Alyssa's name had yet to be thrown into the mix. Most people seemed to be almost hoping for this mystery woman to be one of the better known women he had been linked to in the past. It would make the whole story that much juicier in their eyes.

 

            Alyssa hadn't greeted him with her usual hello as she usually did, but Nick did not seem to take this as any indication that she was upset. She just wordlessly closed the door behind her and headed into the living room, tossing her purse, lunch bag, and tote bag onto the nearest couch. As soon as she was within reaching distance, his arms reached around her waist, pulling her back down onto his lap. "Hey there sexy," he greeted with a kiss to her neck. "How was work?"

 

            "Okay," she replied, as she kicked off her heels not seeming at all phased by his advances.

 

            Nick frowned, immediately picking up on her sullen attitude. His hands froze from the position that they were in already trying to untuck her white shirt from underneath her black pencil skirt. "Just okay?"

 

            Alyssa sighed and turned her body so that she was looking at him. She knew that Nick was not going to just let this go and truthfully she really didn't feel much like pretending that everything was fine. She might as well just tell him exactly what was bothering her. "I got an offer for a new position next year," she began. "They are starting up a new pilot program and they want me to be one of the teachers involved in implementing it."

 

            "Lyss, that's great! Congratulations!" At that point Nick quickly realized that Alyssa wasn't at all excited about this new opportunity which confused him even more so. Wouldn't something like this be a good thing? "I don't see why this is a bad thing."

 

            Alyssa shook her head. "It is good news. Great, in fact. I was so honored to be selected..."

 

            "So then what's the problem?" he asked in a concerned voice.

 

            "The whole time I was in the office talking to my principal today he kept showering me with compliments and saying things like he knew that out of all the other special education teachers in the building I was the most qualified candidate for this position. Instead of being flattered I just felt guilty," she confessed. "Like I didn't deserve all that praise."

 

            "I'm not sure I understand," Nick slowly admitted, continuing to frown. "I mean you're a great teacher and your principal was just recognizing all the hard work and dedication that you put into your career. I know that you've always been a modest person, but you should feel proud. Why wouldn't you deserve some positive feedback?"

 

            "Because here he thinks that I'm like teacher of the year or something and I've been like living this double life! I'm just afraid that once he does find out about us, he'll change his opinion of me. I feel guilty accepting a position like this when I'm not even sure if next year they'll want me back as a teacher."

 

            Nick was silent for a moment or two as he processed her admission, finally beginning to see where she was coming from. She was afraid of how her role in his divorce scandal would impact her teaching career. For a second or two he, himself felt a little guilty for getting her involved in this mess, but lot's of people had affairs. It wasn't exactly like they were living in the Dark Ages. Surely they couldn't fire someone for that reason alone. "Lyss... You're a great teacher and if they're going to ignore that and fire you just because your face is all of a sudden in the papers then screw them. They don't know what they are losing. You can always find another job. Your personal life shouldn't have any impact on your professional career."

 

            "It shouldn't but it does," she sniffled. "You don't understand because you're not part of the educational world. Because I'm a teacher and I'm supposed to be a role model for students, I'm held up to higher standards than most people. If I worked in another field, maybe this wouldn't be such a big deal, but my students are going to see me in the papers and they are going to ask questions... How do I explain something like that to them? I could be the best goddamn teacher in the world, but no one is going to see that. They're just going to see me as home wrecker. And then say I do get fired... It's not like I can just go out and get another job in another district. By then I'll have a reputation and no one is going to want me teaching their child. I'll be blackballed no matter where I go. I'd never be able to teach again. Now just imagine someone telling you that you'll never be able to perform again. How would you feel?"

 

            Nick sighed. "Pretty lost, I guess. I don't have much going for me outside of singing. I understand what you are saying, but you don't have to put yourself through this. Just resign. I know that you're not just with me for the money. I could care less if you work or not."

 

            "You're not getting it Nick!" Frustrated Alyssa sprang to her feet. "I enjoy my job. I consider myself lucky to get up in the morning and actually look forward to work. This is my passion and I worked my ass off to get where I am today! I'm not just going to give up on it! I'm not one of those women who are perfectly content staying at home all day and spending their significant others money. I'd go crazy doing that!"

 

            Nick felt himself beginning to lose his patience with her. He'd had a crappy day too and this was not how he had intended spending time with her. He'd been the sympathetic boyfriend and tried to comfort her, but it seemed like there was nothing that he could do to make her feel better which only frustrated him more. "Well then I don't know what you want me to do Alyssa!" he snapped. "You're just going to have to stick it out and let whatever happen, happen. You knew what you were getting into when you decided that you wanted to be with me! I wish that you could have both your career and me, and that we could just continue on the way that we always have, but you can't have everything. So, I guess you're just going to have to choose between your career and me, although it might just be a little too late for that."

 

            Realizing that somehow their conversation had wandered into argument territory Alyssa immediately backed down. She didn't want to fight with Nick and he was right. At this point the events were already set in motion and no matter what, her name was sure to come out as the woman that Nick had been seeing. "I'm sorry Nick," she apologized her voice near tears. "I shouldn't have jumped at you like that. I'm not expecting you to fix this situation. There's not much that either of us can do. I just don't want to fight. This shit is stressful enough and I think that it is already getting to us."

 

            Nick's face softened at her apology. "I'm sorry too. I know you're upset about your job and I really wish there was something that I could do. You're just going to have to ride it out and see what happens. I guess it does make more of a statement if you don't just quit, but stay and fight. I've had a pretty shitty day myself and I guess we were both just taking it out on each other."

 

            "What happened to you today?" Alyssa asked in a concerned voice as she went back to sit next to him on the couch.

 

            Without even saying a word, Nick flipped on the television which was already turned to E! The face of Giuliana Rancic filled the screen. "We're still following our top story of the day which is this whole divorce drama playing right out in front of us between our own E! news correspondent Shayla Carter and her husband Nick. Rumors are flying all over the place about who exactly this alleged ex girlfriend that came between them could be. Well, one person that we know it definitely isn't is Paris Hilton. We caught up with Paris last night and here is what she had to say on the matter."

 

            The screen flashed to a picture of Paris on some kind of red carpet with an E! microphone thrust into her face. "Been there, done that, not looking to do it again," she responded with a fake laugh. "Although it doesn't really surprise me much. Nick always did have trouble keeping his attention on one woman. Has there been any relationship he's been in where he hasn't cheated?"

 

            Alyssa winced at Paris's comments and then gave Nick a small sympathetic glance, trying to appear optimistic. "Well, considering where it's coming from I think that she could have said a lot worse."

 

            "It's been all they've been talking about all day. I think they've tried to track down every famous woman that I've ever even been linked to. They're just dying to know who became between me and Shayla." Nick put his head in his hands and sighed. "Did you know that Mandy called me today? Apparently she wanted to know why she was getting hassled by reporters wanting to know if she was the one who tore apart my marriage. She didn't sound too happy."

 

            "I'm sorry Nick... At least though they are looking in all the wrong places," she offered as some sort of consolation.

 

            Nick just sighed. "Yea, for now... We're running out of time though. I've been holed up in here all day hiding from the paparazzi until Izzy figures out what our next move should be. We can't keep up like this for too much longer. She has to come up with something and soon."

 

            Alyssa placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She will. If I know Izzy she's cooking up the mother of all publicity schemes as we speak."

 

**********

 

            Alyssa didn't expect her prediction about Izzy to come true so quickly, but just as she had called it when she arrived home from work the next afternoon she was surprised to find both Nick and Izzy sitting on the couch waiting for her to arrive.

 

            "Uh oh," she uncomfortably joked as she set her belongings down. "Did Shayla leak any more details to the press about Nick and I?"

 

            Izzy shook her head. "No, it's good news this time, I promise. Make yourself comfortable and relax."

 

            Nick waited until she got herself settled between the two of them before speaking. "Izzy came up with an idea for what our next move should be in regards to the media."

 

            "Oh?" Alyssa looked up at her best friend curiously, her eyes almost begging for an explanation.

 

            "Well, the way that I see it is everyone is dying to know who this ‘other woman' in Nick's life is, right?" Izzy began. "Already the media is beginning to poke around in his past. It is only a matter of time before someone links you and him together. When they do you'll just seem guiltier for trying to hide it. I think that it would actually almost be better for the two of you to just come clean on your own. That way the two of you seem more honest and genuine. I think that people will respect that."

 

            "So, you're suggesting that we just call up all the paparazzi and invite them into our home? Ooh, maybe we can even send out official announcements like people do after they get engaged," Alyssa sarcastically replied.

 

            Izzy just rolled her eyes. "Really Lyss... Give me more credit then that. I have a plan of course. The two of you need to make some sort of statement, but sometimes the strongest statements are the most silent."

 

            She frowned at Izzy's almost cryptic statement. "What are you getting at Iz?"

 

            Izzy just grinned. "The VMA's are on Thursday night and they're being held right here in LA this year. I know its short notice and pretty much all the seats have already been booked, but I worked a little magic and got the two of you in; plus, invites to one of the biggest after parties. The red carpet will be filled with reporters and no one is expecting you guys to show up. Imagine everyone's surprise when you two pull up in a limo and without saying a word walk the red carpet like it's no big deal? You'll pose for pictures and of course everyone is going to be firing questions at you, but if you guys handle it just right and be very vague and mysterious with your answers it'll only make the media more curious."

 

            "But isn't the whole point to detract the media attention?" Alyssa asked. "If they are more curious it's only going to get them even more on our asses."

 

            "In my opinion it is too late to hide from them. Your best bet is to be honest and to try to win over all this sympathy that everyone is giving to Shayla right now. You need to convince everyone that the two of you belong together. If we angle this right and play you guys up to be like America's Sweethearts this could turn into positive publicity. Your appearance at the VMA's will almost be like a teaser. Eventually we'll set up an interview for the two of you to tell your side of the story, but Thursday night will just be about the reveal; your ‘coming out' of sorts."

 

            "It is a pretty clever idea," Nick chimed in. "Izzy is right. It'll drive the paparazzi crazy and it'll take some of the spotlight off of Shayla being the victim in all of this. I think the only way to get our side out there is to do something over the top like this. I know it's not your thing Lyss, but its all part of the game."

 

            Alyssa sighed realizing that she was just about defeated. "It's such short notice though! I mean I'm going to have to take off work Thursday and Friday, which looks bad so early in the school year. Plus, I have nothing to wear to an awards show."

 

            "Your job will have to deal and I wouldn't worry so much about not having anything to wear," Izzy slyly replied as she stood up from the couch and grabbed a white garment bag that had been draped over the other couch. "Just call me your Fairy Godmother."

 

            "You didn't buy me a dress, did you?" Alyssa groaned, but her fears were confirmed as Izzy unzipped the bag and pulled out a trendy looking teal colored dress. It was strapless with a lacey bodice and a full tulle skirt that fell into layers until about mid thigh. It actually resembled a really bad 80's prom dress to her, but then again the 80's were beginning to make a comeback in fashion. She supposed it was fashionable in that retro sort of way. Maybe someone young and stylish like Lauren Conrad could pull it off, but Alyssa doubted that at thirty she'd be able to wear it without looking completely ridiculous. Upon closer inspection Alyssa noticed the pink Betsey Johnson tag hanging from the dress and before Izzy could stop her, she'd grabbed it to read the price. "Four hundred and thirty five dollars?" she screeched. "For this? First off I am way too old to pull this dress off and secondly even if I could I couldn't afford to spend that type of money on a dress I'll only wear once!"

 

            Izzy just rolled her eyes as if she was expecting this argument all along. "You're not too old Lyss. You may be thirty, but you're a very young looking thirty. You don't look a day over twenty-five, so you can work it and you will look fierce. Trust me, it looks a lot better on and the VMA's is all about making a statement," she patiently replied. "And don't worry about the cost. Nick told me to go out and pick you up something to wear and he'd take care of it. So, it's already bought and paid for."

 

            Alyssa spun around and focused her attention back towards Nick. "You knew all about this, didn't you?" she accused pointing her finger at him.

           

            Nick held up his hands in defense. "I only found out this morning after you left for work. Izzy called me and told me her plan, I thought it was great, so I asked her if she'd find something for you to wear and I'd pay for it. Really, I think she did pretty good. I was expecting to pay a lot more."

 

            "Well, I guess I don't have much choice then," Alyssa huffed. "Fine, I'll wear the ugly dress and do the red carpet. I highly doubt people will be interested in what I'm wearing once they see the two of us together anyway."

 

            "Oh, you'd be surprised..." Izzy responded with a laugh. "People are going to start to become very interested in you in the next few weeks. Just you wait..."

 

***********

Quite to Alyssa's surprise, Izzy had been right about the horrific dress and once Alyssa actually put it on along with hair and makeup it actually didn't look so bad, in fact it maybe even bordered on stylish in a strange way. Paired with a pair of black peep toed heels and her hair pulled back with a fashionable "bump" at the top, the look seemed to come together. It still wasn't something that she'd normally wear, but it seemed fitting for the VMA's.

 

            As soon as Nick had seen her he had let out an appreciative whistle. It had been quite some time since Alyssa had really dressed up much for a special occasion and the dress accented the well defined shape of her body that she'd been struggling to regain ever since her pregnancy. Finally being at a weight where she felt comfortable again, Alyssa had to admit that she felt more confident than she had in a long time. Confidence was a definite plus. She knew that she was going to need as much of it as she could muster for the night ahead.

 

            Still all the confidence in the world couldn't make up for the fact that she was still nervous about the reaction she and Nick were going to get once they stepped out on the red carpet together. What were the reporters going to say? How would other people react? Would they be the talk of the entire night? What if everybody seemed disappointed in the revelation of her identity?

 

            You're being stupid, she argued with herself as she tried her best to hide any hint of doubt on her face and replaced her expression with a staged smile. She and Nick were now seated in the backseat of a limo on their way to the VMA's. Normally the ride into LA only took maybe half an hour tops, but tonight it seemed to be taking forever.

 

            "I can't get over how amazing you look tonight," Nick's voice interrupted her thoughts, his hand coming to rest on her bare shoulder. "I think Izzy did an outstanding job on this dress."

 

            "Thanks," Alyssa modestly replied feeling just a hint of pinkness creeping up into her cheeks. No matter how old she got or how comfortable she felt with herself she supposed that a part of her would always have some difficulties in accepting compliments. "I had my reservations about it, but I guess it really isn't so bad after all once I put it on."

 

            "Actually I think I'd like it better off," he snarkily replied. "Do you really think that we have to go to that stupid after party? Can't we just blow it off and head right back to the hotel?"

 

            Alyssa just rolled her eyes at his comment. "I don't think that Izzy would've arranged for us to attend unless she thought it would be a good PR opportunity for us. Truthfully though..." She paused as she collected her words before speaking up again almost timidly. "I'd much rather be anywhere else than here right now. This isn't exactly my scene and if we could just blow the whole thing off I'd do it in a heartbeat."

 

            Nick nodded his head sympathetically. "Well, if you want it's not too late for me to tell the limo driver to take us somewhere else. We can run away together to some remote island where no one's ever heard of us and start over," he lightly joked.

 

            "Id only it were that easy," she wistfully sighed. "Can you imagine if we went AWOL right now? Izzy would flip her shit. It is tempting to think about it, but not very realistic I guess. Running away doesn't solve anything, does it?"

 

            "Not really," he admitted. "Sooner or later it catches up to you and you have to face it head on." He grabbed her shoulders and lowered his gaze so that they were eye level, a serious expression on his face. "Seriously though, if you don't want to do this Lyss let me know and we'll turn around. I won't be upset at you. This is your choice. You have the most to lose here."

 

            Alyssa's eyes flickered downwards and for a moment or two she actually considered taking Nick up on his offer. She thought about going home, getting out of this dress, and spending the rest of the evening at home with him. It did seem like a very peaceful alternative, but it would only delay the inevitable. The reality was that the truth was going to come out about them and it was going to come out soon regardless if they hid away in their condo for the rest of their lives.

 

"No, this is something we just have to do. It's awkward and not something that I am comfortable with, but Izzy is right. It's better just to come out together and prove that we have nothing to hide. I think people will respect that more than us hiding out until someone stumbles along the truth. It's the brave thing to do. I just hope that I don't do anything embarrassing to make things worse like trip on the red carpet or something equally humiliating," she shared, trying to make light of the matter.

 

"Just make sure that when you get out of the limo you keep your legs together," Nick advised with a smirk. "All we need is you pulling a Britney. We're supposed to show that we have class."

 

Alyssa playfully smacked his arm. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I am wearing underwear, so we don't need to worry about that. Besides, my name isn't Paris," she teased not being able to resist the playful jab at his ex-girlfriend.

                                            

            "Ouch... Burn," Nick laughed. "I'll give you that one." At that moment the limo began to slow down as it finally arrived at its destination. "I guess this it," he remarked looking around nervously. "Are you ready?"

 

            "As ready as I'll ever be," she murmured softly.

 

            "Just remember; smile, stay right by me, and you don't have to say a word," he coached. "Let me do the talking if it comes down to it. If someone asks you a question directly just try your best to deflect it like Izzy has told you. If you need help I'll jump in and save you, but the point for tonight is to say as little as possible. Understand?"

 

            Alyssa just nodded and before she knew it the door to the limo was being thrust open. Nick stepped out of the vehicle first and she could tell from the flashing lights of the cameras ricocheting off the tinted windows that her emergence was an eagerly awaited one. Surely the reporters were curious to see who his escort for the evening would be. Taking a deep breath, Alyssa swung her legs onto the curb in front of her and took Nick's hand as she stood up from the limo. The camera flashes came so suddenly that they were almost blinding and it took a moment or two for her to recover and remember to smile.

 

            Gripping tightly to Nick's arm she followed his lead past the throngs of reporters along the red carpet. As they passed by Alyssa could overhear some of them shouting questions towards the two of them.

 

"Nick, who is you date tonight?"

 

"Is this the alleged woman that came between you and Shayla?"

 

"How are you holding up since you divorce has been announced?"

 

"Just ignore them," Nick gritted through his teeth. "Give them their photo op, but don't say anything."

 

Alyssa just nodded and attempted to plaster the most confident smile that she could as she moved closer to Nick to pose for a few shots. She knew that they were already causing quite a stir especially since the way they were standing seemed to be a very clear indicator that they were "together." She just hoped that this publicity stunt idea would work out to their advantage and not completely blow up in their faces.