Page 99 of From Me to You

I shook my head. “Not really. I mean, I can swim, but I am not that great.”

A loud shattering noise from the informal room interrupted us, we were on our feet in a second as we rushed inside.

“Stop it, Mikey. We will figure something out.” Lan was holding back Mikey, who had a wild look on his face.

A broken bottle of whiskey lay shattered on the floor, its golden liquid splattered everywhere.

My eyes immediately went to Jay, who was leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms folded as he stared ahead. The look in his eyes made my stomach dip. He looked lost.

White stood by his side, trying to talk to him, but he wasn’t listening to a word that she was saying.

Jay had shut off the outside world. He only did that when he was truly upset.

I didn’t think twice before I rushed to him. I ignored White completely, even though I knew she caused this. Jay was more important at that moment.

“Jay.” I hugged him tight, burying my face in his neck.

Soon, his hands closed around my body, and he squeezed me so tight that it was hard to breathe.

“I don’t know what to do,” he said, his voice barely a whisper that I wouldn’t have heard if I hadn't been so close to him.

“What happened?” I asked, even though I had a feeling that it had something to do with the album.

“They said that recording an album now was going to be difficult. They said they would make it happen, but weren’t sure when. To be honest, I am not sure if it’s ever going to happen. I feel like I failed the band.” His voice cracked.

My heart broke. Jay was always level-headed and calm. He knew not to jump to conclusions and always had a solution for every problem. I hated seeing him this helpless and lost. It felt like my own heart was tearing apart.

“You!” Mikey shouted, pointing to White. “You fucked us up. You fucking own the label. You promised us an album now. What the fuck do you have to say now?”

White eyes shone with unshed tears. Fake tears. She was a good actor. And I wanted to punch her in the face.

“Mike, my daddy may own the label, but I am just a creative producer. There are a lot more people involved than you think. I am so sorry, but I will try to fix this, okay? Please try to understand.” White lied through her teeth.

I couldn’t believe this woman. I was fuming mad at her for being here and witnessing all this like she was also a victim when this was all her doing.

“Fuck you, Cece.” Mikey stormed out of the room.

Matt sighed as he trotted behind him. “I will go check in on him.”

How can so many things go wrong in such a short time?

White sniffled, pretending to cry. Katy and Lan rushed to her side, telling her they knew it wasn’t her fault as they tried to comfort her.

Will just rolled his eyes at her and gave me a look that told me he knew she was also fake crying.

I sighed as I turned to Jay, who was still staring ahead at the plain white wall.

My baby looked so broken and dejected that I didn’t know how to comfort him. I took his hand and led him out of the room.

But just then Matt walked in, Mikey trailing behind him, his head hung low.

“Sorry Cece,” Mikey muttered, his voice grim. He didn’t look at her when he said that. I think Matt forced him to apologize.

Jay cleared his throat, and everyone turned their attention to him. “Guys, I want to say that everything will be all right, but I can’t. Because I don’t know if we will ever be recording that album.” He sighed. “As the leader of the band, it feels like I have failed you all. Maybe I have pushed you guys too hard. I think it would be best if we took a break for a while. I am sorry I failed you all.”

My heart sat heavy in my chest, and my head was pounding as I heard him speak. It was all he ever wanted, and now that was being stolen from him.

“Emmie, you never fail us, man. If not Pacific White, then another label, or hell, we can do it on our own,” Mikey said, a small smile dancing on his face.