The Next Day
ABC Studios

"Lexi, your needed inside in the dressing room."

Lindsey.

Reluctantly I had agreed yesterday to the deal she had offered me with the stipulation that I still maintained full rights to the music.  After my brief enounter with Michael downstairs in the lobby I had to admit to myself the hold he still had over me was undeniable.   I needed something to keep me distracted.  It wasn't ideal, but at least this distraction would help me get back on my feet.

And hopefully move on.

Sighing, I stuck a salty pretzel in my mouth from the silver food card next to me and gave a small nod to her bodyguard, Terrence.  Dressed in a dark black suit with a crisp blue undershirt, Terrence's electric green eyes gazed down at me sympathetically.

"How do you put up with her every day?"   I mumbled, shaking the salt off my hands.  Terrence's eyes crinkled, and he moved away from the door to let me in, chuckling.

"You'll get used to it."

Doubtful.

I plastered a tight smile on my face and my rainbow colored bracelets made a slight rattle as I clicked the door shut behind me.  As soon as I stepped into the room I was bombarded, once again, by the scent of Lindsey's perfume.   Resisting the urge to roll my eyes at the mountain of makeup in front of her on the vanity I stepped forward on the plush linen white carpet and headed towards the metal chair she was sitting in.

Long ebony curls flowing down her back, her light blue sequined dress had small peepholes on the shoulders encrusted in swarovski  crystals.   Flashing her eyes in irritation, Lindsey dropped a leg on the ground and spun around in her chair to face me.

"Finally. it's about time. Do I look better with the pink eye shadow or the blue?"

I stared at her in amazement.
She had called me in here for that? Was she serious?

I folded my arms across my chest and tapped my foot impatiently. "The blue. Can I go now?"

With a flip of her hair Lindsey gave me a tight smile and spun back around in her chair.  

"For now."

A knock on the door pulled my attention away from Lindsey and I glanced at the door.

"Excuse me? Lindsey? It's time to get you wired up.  You're on in fifteen."

I had a moment of panic.  Sending Lindsey out with something that was so meaningful, so private suddenly seemed like a huge mistake.  Not even sure which song she had picked to be her first single, mentally I ran through the list of songs I had agreed to sell for purchase.  

"Which one are you doing?"

Lindsey shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.  "You'll see."

Lindsey hopped out of her chair and brushed past me.  I watched her walk out of the door, and I tried to shake off the feeling that I was missing something.  

Why was she always so brisk with me? What was she up to?

I was probably just paranoid.  Everything would be fine.
_________________________________________________________________________________

"You did what?! Lexi are you out of your mind?"

Cringing, I heard the censorship in Janet's voice and I turned around and glanced over to the small performance stage Lindsey was set up on.  Linking arms with Barbara Walters, Lindsey was smiling "modestly" into the camera.  

Taking another drink of my coffee I turned away to face the wall.

"I sold some songs to Sony."

"You mean out of your notebook??"

A sound tech raced in front of me, and I ducked down to avoid the boom mic he was carrying.  My coffee sloshed from the sudden movement, and I jumped back a bit, startled, when the hot liquid fell against my light grey shorts.  

Ugh, great.  Suddenly what Janet said sunk in.

"Wait a second."  My eyes widened in surprise and I cast a bewildered look at my cell phone.  How did you know about my notebook?"

Janet ignored my question.  "If you were going to do something like that I don't know why you wouldn't have just sung them yourself."

Janet's statement completely threw me off guard.  Bending down slightly to brush at the spilt coffee, long chunks of hair tickled against my arms.  "Are you insane?" I huffed quickly.

"What? You have a beautiful voice."    Everyone backstage went silent, and i heard the chords of Lindsey's music flow heavily through the room.  My heart skipping a beat, I recognized the music instantly and I felt a small shiver creep down my back.  Turning my attention back to my conversation I straightened and placed my coffee down on a table beside me.

"Have you seen me dance?"  
Janet paused on the other line.  "I see your point. Unless..."

"Janet drop it."

"Okay, how about we talk about Michael then?"

I narrowed my eyes.  "Are you purposefully trying to drive me insane today?"

Janet again ignored my question.  "Have you talked to him lately?"

In the past few weeks Janet had reached the opinion that there was no way Michael had cheated on me.  I wasn't sure why she thought this...other than he was her brother.  But she had been driving me crazy.

"Janet...stop."

"SO YOU HAVE!"
I cringed.  She knew me to well.

"What did he say?"

"Just. drop. it."

I pulled a strand of hair behind my ear and turned back around.  Lindsey stood in the center of the stage, and the lights were all dimmed.  Closing her eyes Lindsey stepped up to the microphone and slowly raised a hand.

"You know this isn't going to help, right? You're just running from your feelings."

"Janet..."

"What's this girl's name anyway? That's singing your songs?"

"Lindsey...Lindsey Carlisle."

The other end of the line went silent.   

"Are you kidding?"  Janet finally said.  " Lexi that's the girl that sings the duet with Michael on the new album and the one they cast for the video."

Inwardly I groaned.  "You aren't serious."

"...Lexi has Michael sent you a copy of the cd?"

Leaning back against the table behind me, I glanced over at the stage again and saw Lindsey still performing.

"No, why?"

The line went silent again.  "...Janet?"

"Lex...when are you coming home again?"

"Week after next.  Janet just tell me what's going on!"

Janet sighed.  "The video shoots Friday."

"Janet!"

"Lexi you'll just have to hear the song.  I don't even know what to say other than your going to flip out.  On another note, don't you think that's it's weird the girl that's singing your music also signed on to work with Michael?  You don't think she's trying to exploit what's going on to jump start her career do you?  Does she seem like the type of person that would do something like that?"

Yes.

Hesitantly I watched Lindsey take a bow.  The crowd erupting around her, the cameras all panned in closer to her as the women on the show crowded around her to sign off.  I thought about how desperate Lindsey had been to get me to agree...and her insistance she be seen with me.  It hadn't made sense at the time, but now talking to Janet everything clicked.  

And I wanted to kill her.

"What am I going to do?" I moaned, covering my face with my free hand.  

If Janet was right, I could expect Lindsey would use the time we were together to dig for details.  Not to mention would probably try to stage situations between Michael and I when she was around to get her name in the papers.   The situation was a mess.

"Lex...do you have a copy of your contract?"  

"Yeah, at Frank's.  Why?"

"I'm going to head over and grab it.

Helplessly I watched Lindsey walk in my direction and stop a few feet away to get unwired.  Quickly Janet and I both hung up.  Narrowing my eyes in her direction I watched her walk over to me.  Sliding my cell phone back in my pocket I took a step torwards her.

"Why did you tell me you were doing a song with Michael?"

Lindsey's eyes widened, but only momentarily.  Looking over at her shoulder Lindsey slowly lifted a hand and adjusted her sleeve.  "I didn't see how it was any of your business." She responded nonchalantly, raising an eyebrow.

None of my business?

"Are you kidding? I asked you what was on the schedule for the week and you told me nothing about it.  You seriously don't see an issue with you performing a song with my ex and dragging me along with you unknowingly?"

Lindsey's eyes darkened and she jerked her head back to look at me.

"If you knew how to keep your man then it wouldn't have been my responsibility to tell you anyway."

Turning around on her heel, Lindsey stomped off torwards her dressing room and her bodyguards fell in line behind her.  Shocked, I felt the irritation rise up in me watching her go.

There was no way I was putting up with this for an entire year. There had to be some way out of this.

______________________________________________________________________________

"Lexi. i'm telling you.  The only way out of this contract is if you take over the songs and perform them yourself.  And to do that you are going to have to audition and wait for approval.  Which means she still has access to the music in the meantime. And access to you."

I ran my hands through my hair in irritation and turned back around to look at Janet, who was sitting on Frank's couch in the living room.  Papers scattered out all around, Janet had spent the last few hours consulting the Jackson's lawyer.

Dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a bright orange tank, I could tell that Janet had been here for hours trying to figure out how to help. I had just wallked in the door, Lindsey insisting I have dinner with her uptown and take her shopping.  Wearily I tossed myself on the couch nexxt to Janet.  Reaching next to me I grabbed a black throw pillow and put it over my face.  

"This cannot be happening" I moaned, sinking deeper into the cushions.  

"I really think you could nail the audition Lex...do you want me to set up?"

Tossing the pillow on the floor, i glanced over at Janet and put my hands on both sides of me.  "The alternative to Lindsey ruining my life cannot SERIOUSLY be recording all of my songs, performing a tour, and putting my entire life on display.  That's insane.

Janet shrugged her shoulders and picked the papers up.  

"That's the only way your going to end this."

I let out another moan and glanced up to the ceiling.  "Maybe Lindsey isn't as bad as we are thinking and it's all just a coincidence."

Janet tossed a pillow at me and I turned to look at her glaring.

"Come on.  You don't seriously believe that do you?"

No.

Sighing, I closed my eyes and reached up to rub my temples. "I don't know what to do."

"Maybe you need to just take some time to think about it.  I mean, she's already released the first single so you've got a little bit of time.  I just wouldn't wait too long."

"I guess..."