Chapter 15: Business' Best Kept Secret
*A month later*
“Water balloon fight!!!!”, Prince yelped out. Jaden hid in one of the trees outside Neverland, glad to have a nice break for the day. It had been an intense, unforgettable month for her young career. Her two singles were at the top of the charts and people were beginning to take interest in her. It had been a long time since anyone heard such a beautiful commanding voice and entertaining dance moves come from such a beautiful young woman. Her popularity seemed to climb over night-literally. She would wake up to messages from Devin saying that she had an interview with MTV or a mini-concert for a radio station. It seemed as if everyone was ready for her debut album to drop, which was due out in a week.
Along with her growing popularity, there was the major fame. She began to discover that the paparazzi were very sneaky about how they took pictures. She discovered in a magazine that they took a picture of her going into a convenience store; she unknowingly knew about them being there. In addition to that, she recently had two photo shoots with a magazine. Jaden was a bit star struck herself as she was waited on for all of her accessories, clothes and whatever she needed. It was a luxury that she definitely was not used to. Her schedule began to be so hectic, that Devin insisted that she got an assistant. Jaden agreed….only if her good old pal Cassie could do it. She knew Cassie on a personal level which helped her feel at ease. She also knew that Cassie needed money and a job. She was a very organized and calm person, which were all things Jaden knew she needed.
Throughout this newfound madness, Jaden felt more and more of a need to be near or around Michael. If anyone knew about being famous, it surely was him. She made sure to call him every single day, to tell him what made her excited and what puzzled her and what made her afraid. As for Michael, he tried to be there for her us much as possible, letting her know the inside scoop of what the media could and would do to her growing popularity.
Although he was extremely happy for his girlfriend’s budding career, he also began to worry. He knew that sometime soon the media would pry into her private life harder and they would find out the two of them were dating. It wasn’t as if he was ashamed of being with Jaden. He was far from it. He really loved her spirituality; her sense of humor, her personality…the list could go on and on. However, he know how the media could be. They would look at the two of them and question the 20 year age difference. Then they could say nasty, hurtful things such as “she is only dating him to heighten her career”.
One night on the phone, Jaden admitted that she was thinking his exact thoughts. “Michael, what happens if they find out we are seeing each other? I’m afraid that they’ll think I’m using you or something.” Michael cleared his throat, not exactly sure of what to say. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know” he said. “The media…they’re sharks baby.” “I don’t care what they say. We know the truth and that’s all that should matter” Jaden declared. “You’re right.” Michael agreed. “But…it’s not gonna be easy Jade, I’m telling you. We live in a world where people judge you for anything you do in your life. It’s ten times worse when you are famous. I want us to be together so bad. But if you don’t think you can handle anything that people throw at you now, then I don’t want to put you through any of it. Especially on my account.” Jaden subconsciously shook her head. There was no way she would break up with Michael. For the first time in her life, she was beginning to feel what true love is really like. She didn’t want anything, not even fame and fortune to come between that.
“Michael, I could never leave you.” Jaden told him. “You mean so much to me…and I love the kids.” “If I have to deal with the media, then I’ll have to deal with the media.” Michael smiled inside; it felt nice to know that he had someone who would be by his side through anything. He believed she would be there. “On the other hand, if we are good with our timing and everything….it could be a long time until they find out anything. Don’t you think?” Jaden went on. Michael laughed. “Possibly. If we do things right.” Jaden also laughed. “When I’m with you, I only wanna be with you and only you. No crowds, no publics. Just us. Maybe it will make it that much harder for them to find out anything.” Michael smiled. “I think you’re right. If we actually keep our business, OUR business, we could get away with it.”
The two agreed to make their relationship a secret as long as possible. It took Jaden a lot to make the getaway trip to see Michael and Paris and Prince for a whole day, but she did it in manner that wasn't suspicious. She didn’t think it raised Devin’s eyebrows enough to wonder about her.
Besides that, Jaden was glad to see Michael and to hang out with the children. As soon as she got there, Jaden spent her time having a water balloon fight with Michael, Paris, Prince and a few children-one of them who was in remission from cancer. Being the kindhearted person he was, Michael opened up his home to the three siblings after hearing their heartbreaking story. The three kids hung around Neverland from time to time having access to whatever they wanted. Jaden didn’t mind at all that Michael befriended children; she too thought the same way about how wonderful they were. She completely understood and admired his generosity.
Jaden squealed, as she was hit with a parade of balloons from her opposing team. In revenge, she grabbed a few and began to hit Prince, Michael, and one of the children. “Get them sweetie, don’t let the attack you!” she encouraged her teammate, Paris. The little girl ran toward Michael and threw a balloon in his face. “How are you gonna get daddy like that? Now I’m all wet!” he joked. Paris giggled. “Because daddy, you’re the bad team and me and Jade are the good team!” Michael picked Paris up and swung her back and forth. Prince jumped on them and the three of them fell on the grass, laughing all of the way down. The other children jumped in and a water balloon fight started among one another. Jaden stood back, taking pictures. She could barely keep the focus on her camera straight because she was laughing so hard. “I haven’t had this much fun in a long time; this is the childhood I wish I could have had more of,” she thought to herself. “Michael is so good with kids. No wonder he feels more at ease when he is here.” Suddenly, Michael interrupted her thoughts by hitting her behind with a balloon. She turned around and discovered her main suspect standing with his arms crossed and giving her his signature eyebrow raise. Jaden wasted no time going after him with a balloon of her own.