CHAPTER 6

The theater lights dim around the entire complex, and when the brightness subsides, modest applause amplifies in the faint darkness.

We all decided to change the seating arrangements moments before. I sit next to Sebastian, Garrett sits next to me, while he sits next to Michael Sunders. Behind us, is Lucinda, and Michael's personal assistant, who just came inside the section after taking a long phone call, hence the reason why I hadn't seen him before.

Even in the dark I can see Sebastian's face pressed hard into a frown. I nudge him slightly, and when I do he slowly turns to face me. His strong jawline is hardened at the sight of me.

"Lighten up. You don't want anyone to think you aren't happy," I tell him.

"But I'm not happy."

"They don't know that, and we're going to keep it that way. Now, sit up straight."

With a blatant and purposefully disrupting groan, he sits up and ignores the loud shh sound coming from his father next to me. Sebastian shows no sign of pardon at his rudeness, and it makes my blood boil in my veins.

A spotlight appears on the stage, and a woman, who looks to be of Mediterranean descent stands at the edge of the stage with an elegant cream colored gown that sparkles in the light while falling loosely around her tall frame. The microphone in her right hand, she waves with her left at the audience and waits for the conductor to give the cue. The conductor stands up with the posture to be envied by a pole and taps his baton on the podium. With the soft movement of his hand, a melancholy melody plays from a violin, joined by two alike with different tones radiating from their strings. When the cello becomes an addition, the woman on stage begins to sing. It's as if her vibrato envelopes the entire theater.

Passionately, she sings an Italian opera to the sound of the orchestra, which has added various instruments to the sound. The song somehow sounds familiar. From my childhood, almost. Further into the song, it hits me hard, that this traditional Opera composition is one that my mother used to play, coincidentally. Although beautiful, it gives me unpleasant nostalgia. I shift uncomfortably in my seat and try to separate the memories from the music.

Sorrow of my tears, sleep I cannot achieve at last. The love I have for you is unending like the horizon, I translate in my head as she continues to sing in my mother's native language.

The crowd is silent, staring at her. I realize that the only person who looks disinterested is Sebastian.

Again, his head is propped onto his hand with the support of his elbow on the arm rest. He doesn't know I'm now watching him. But I am. And I'm not happy.

I tap him on his shoulder forcefully.

"Sit up, and stop looking so bored!" I whisper.

"But this is boring," he starts in a hushed tone. "How anyone could sit through...through incomprehensible sound is beyond me. It's like-like a haven for pretentious bigots who wish to show off their wealth and sophistication."

I can't find anything to say. Not only because I'm offended, but because of his new use of such wide vocabulary. About an hour ago, Sebastian was laughing at the fact that my name can be misused and rearranged to spell "Lesbian," but now his explanation as to why the Opera is stupid to him, makes me wonder if he was suddenly replaced with an actual tolerable Sebastian before the Opera started.

All I do is stare at him. He catches me watching him, and knows why I'm wearing a shocked expression.

"I-it's just...stupid," He then says.

"Change of words from your sudden crafty ones a while ago."

"Yeah, well. I'm usually a smart cookie when I'm high as fuck."

I tuck in my lips to hide the smile tugging at the corners of my mouth, though Sebastian already catches it and my attempt to hide it; I don't want him seeing me respond to his negative comments, but that one in particular, I found funny, to be completely honest. Even though he's a dumbass who doesn't take anything seriously, he has a sense of humor going for him.

He leans in closer to my ear, "When is this over?"

"Three hours," I mutter, keeping my eyes on the stage.

He groans lowly. I face him to silently scold him to be quiet, not realizing how close he had leaned in to speak to me initially. Right when my face meets his direction, I am welcomed to his mouth brushing against my nose. The warmth and dampness of his lips and his lips on the tip of my nose in general stuns me to the point of me jumping back in alarm. I quickly wipe the area in which his mouth touched, while he laughs discretely, his shoulders bobbing up and down.

"Sebastian!" Garrett is looking at him, his eyes narrowed into two slits. It's almost as if the music hadn't been playing the last thirty seconds.

Oddly, my nose has this weird, tingling sensation that won't seem to go away. And I hate it.

Sebastian clears his throat and keeps a slight smirk on his face while he pretends to enjoy the Opera. I, however, am thankful it's dark enough for him, or anyone else, not to see the redness on my cheeks. It still feels like his lips are still present on my skin; I wrinkle my nose several times.

"Why are you doing that?" He asks.

"Because...just because. Why are you concerned?"

"You know that incident would have been much more enjoyable for both of us if you would have moved up just an inch," He makes mocking kissie faces at me.

Right when I'm about to tell him to shut up, clapping commences again. I follow blindly and clap my hands along with everyone else. Sebastian does the same while yawning and fixing his slanted shirt after.

The Opera singer, which we now find out is named "Liliana Diacello," starts to talk about her childhood inspiration and the foundation for her vocal career. She happens to have a British accent, but shortly after she begins to speak she tells everyone about her Italian heritage that comes from her father's side, and her Welsh blood that comes from her mother's.

During her speech, as everyone is listening intently on her message and life story, I feel a...disturbance.

It's like I've developed "Sebastian-senses" ever since I've met him, because every time I feel something isn't right in the universe, he's doing something stupid.

I turn, and find Sebastian actually dozing off during the woman's speech. Falling asleep, as Liliana speaks about growing up with only a loaf a bread a day to share amongst her entire family of five.

His eyes flutter once, twice, then suddenly, his eyelashes touch his bottom eye lid, and he is fast asleep. I sneak a peak at Garrett, and him, along with Michael, are listening to Liliana speak. They are so invested in her story that they don't notice Sebastian, who is now leaning his head back on the seat and snoring lightly with his mouth wide open.

I should stuff a dirty sock in his mouth!

Lucinda sees him and looks at me while wondering what to do. I don't respond with my eyes to her. I just glance at her once, then shake Sebastian. He jolts up and now catches the attention of Garrett. Luckily not Michael Sunders, who looks to be tearing up at Liliana's speech.

"Were you...sleeping?" Garrett whispers, offended.

"Um...no I just...I-"

"Sit up, and focus!" Garrett hisses so harshly yet silently it scares me, even. "You are embarrassing me!"

When Garrett turns back around and sighs, he mumbles the words, "As always," to himself, yet both Sebastian and I hear him, in which Sebastian rolls his eyes and looks at the stage. I tap my foot to get my mind out of the awkward air.

Suddenly, Liliana Diacello invites none other than Andrea Bocelli onto the stage, and immediately the entire Opera house begins to cheer loudly and proudly. An assistant helps him walk across the stage given his blindness, but once next to Liliana, she holds his hand and pecks him on the cheek in a friendly manner.

Andrea waves to the audience and smiles at his shoes. He grips the microphone tighter in his hand, and both him and Liliana wait for their cue from the conductor. I can hardly contain my excitement.

But it's obvious Sebastian can.

The legendary Andrea Bocelli technically stands right before us, and Sebastian doesn't even appear half as excited as I am.

My hands over my mouth, I squeal silently as the orchestra begins to play the world renowned hit, "Time To Say Goodbye," which was originally sung with Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, but Liliana proves to be an exceptional fill-in.

The minute Liliana sings, I feel yet another disturbance.

Sebastian is reaching into his pocket to pull out a pack of mint gum. He opens the pack and stops when he sees me glaring at him.

He offers me a piece, "Want one?"

"No," I snap. I can't get him in trouble for chewing gum, but it's just the fact that he is willing to chew gum during an amazing performance that he probably will never see again that makes me mad.

"Hm, alright, then." He places the light green piece he originally offered me into his mouth after unwrapping it, and chews over dramatically. I can't even enjoy the performance, his chewing is so annoying. And it doesn't help that he occasionally blows bubbles in his mouth that make small popping sounds once they burst.

"Knock it off," I tell him. I smack his chest, but for some unknown reason, it causes him to start choking on his gum. And it is then, I wonder if I should let him choke or perform the Heimlich maneuver on him.

It made me question my humanity, how long it took me to make a decision.

Suddenly, he has no choice but to lodge the piece of gum out of his throat with one rough cough. His eyes are even more red than before, and they are also ridden with tears. Too occupied with his eyes and his flushed face, it takes me one second later than needed to realize the horrid question I need to ask myself.

Where did the gum go?

"Where's the gum?" I whisper to him. He looks on the wooden railing, no sign of it. Looks on his shoes, under his shoes, by his seat. Still, no sign of it!

I quickly glance at Garrett and am somehow thankful and confused that he hasn't noticed our little show of our own going on.

"Please don't tell me it fell over the railing!"

"I...don't...know!" He says in between quieted coughs.

We stare at each other for a while. Even in the dark, I can see the dread on his face, and I know he can see mine. In unison, as if we counted down from three together, we both slowly inch ourselves out of our seats and look over the railing, and what we find makes the blood escape my face.

The gum has landed in a female guest's hair.

Time to say goodbye, Paesi che non ho mai...

Liliana is right. It is time to say goodbye-time to say goodbye to my career!

Sebastian and I are completely speechless. It's as if, for once, Sebastian has nothing to say or remark about in the situation, because even he knows how catastrophic this is going to be.

The red headed woman, who is sitting next to an older, bald man, watches the performance happily as if there isn't a piece of Sebastian's chewed, wet piece of gum on top of her fucking head. Luckily, it looked as if no one in our general area had seen it happen, but I'm certain the few "undercover" paparazzi hidden on the other side of the theater had seen it. So to put it in easier terms to understand, I'm screwed. Sebastian's screwed. We're all screwed.

Then, the unthinkable happens. The woman grabs a hair clip from her black clutch bag, and begins to tie up her hair to prepare for the clip that is to hold it together, which happens to be a specially made hair clip, since the diamonds incrusted in it glisten in the little light around. The gum stretches and molds itself into the shape of her fine, long, auburn locks and eventually it looks as if a hairstylist ran inside and added one green highlight to her hair in a matter of six seconds!

She places the clip in her hair and then resumes listening to the end of the song. I'm so shocked, all I can do is sit back in my seat and wait. I feel the muscles surrounding my eyebrows strengthen, and I know my eyebrows are raised, while my mouth hangs open, appalled at the spectacle that has just happened.

Sebastian is as still as a statue. He is still staring at the woman below like what happened hasn't registered yet in his brain.

"Oh shit," He mumbles.

"...what?" I ask regretfully.

I look over once more, and I see a look of distress on her face. She confides fearfully to her partner in another language, and he tries to calm her down as she pats her head frantically.

Andrea Bocelli is now finishing the song with Liliana. The orchestra has heightened their sound, and despite the sound of symbols and percussion playing to accompany Andrea's booming voice, the woman's screams still manage to beat Andrea in regards to loudness.

"Mi pelo! Mi pelo! Ayudame, esta chicle en mi pelo!" She screeches in Spanish.

Now the entire Opera house is focused on the red head, screaming and completely ignoring the now two men trying to help her. People gasp as the gun spreads more and more throughout her hair the more she panics, and eventually everyone knows that her hair cannot be saved.

While she screams, I slowly sink into my seat and pray for the night to be over. I purposefully don't think of the mess I have to sort out, hoping that no one saw Sebastian's gum fly into her hair. But I'm sure someone did, so now on top of Sebastian's ignorant comment about Felicity Felix, I have to explain how Sebastian could have gotten gum into a woman's hair. Without mentioning me helping in the situation by smacking his chest in the first place.

Garrett is staring at the woman with confusion written all over his face. Him, along with Michael Sunders, wonder how the gum could have gotten into her hair. But, since Garrett is a smart man, he knows immediately without any type of investigation.

He slowly turns to face Sebastian, and when Sebastian meets his eyes, he pulls out a pack of gum in an attempt to make peace before the storm.

"Want one?" He says.

**

"Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous, is what this is!"

Garrett stands behind his desk and stares at Sebastian, burning his gaze into him. Even I have to look away by how uncomfortable it makes the air.

Sebastian and I are called into Garrett's office back at Harrison Inc., after leaving the opera shortly after the gum incident blew up. Darcy asked why we weren't back at the estimated time, and I told her there was a "personal issue", all while ignoring the obvious new emptiness of Alejandra's work area. Darcy told me that Alejandra had dropped by and removed her stuff without saying a word, the minute she sees my tense expression. I sighed, for it's all I could think of doing without collapsing from stress.

Sebastian shifts back and forth on his heels, "Look, Dad I-"

"No. I don't want to hear it," He holds his hand up, "I don't want to hear anything you have to say. Instead, I want to hear from Leslie."

I look up and blink a few times, "Sorry, sir?"

"What really happened when you picked Sebastian up from his house? I would appreciate it if you were completely honest with me, because this," he turns his computer screen, to show us a photo of him starring shocked at the woman below attached to an article o****e, "is something I will never, be able to live down. Ever."

I gulp. Sebastian is staring at me and I know he has a little sense to understand that I'm going to tell the truth. But it's also as if he's threatening me with his eyes. Yet, I know it won't work. I feel as if I have nothing to lose now in regards to anything involving him, so laying everything on the table sounds best.

"Well, to start off, Sebastian told his guards to not allow us on his property at his mansion. Which meant, we had to wait outside for forty minutes for him. When he came out, he was disheveled, high on marijuana, and a bit disoriented. Turns out, his tardiness is because of his...activities, with the girls hanging out in his house. Naked...girls, outside of his house, actually. Waving him off. And lastly, I found a hint of cocain on his nose in which he replied that it was 'powdered sugar.' Also, the...unprecedented comment made about Felicity Felix to the press. And then there was the loud gum chewing and the snoring, which you're aware of, of course."

Garrett is speechless.

"Okay, okay, hold on a second. She's obviously over exaggerating."

I gasp, "Over exaggerating?"

"Yes, that's what I said. You are blowing this out of proportion. More than what actually happened."

I'm furious. So furious, I have the need to step closer towards him to give him a piece of my mind.

"I am not exaggerating anything," I say, walking up to Garrett's desk so now I am next to Sebastian, "I'm sorry, sir, but his behavior is all true. And no offense, but it shouldn't be that hard to believe."

"It should be hard to believe that you are incapable of being considerate and nice but look, here we are!"

"I just don't understand why you have to be so mean! I'm trying to help you out, and all you're doing is making it harder for both of us! Thanks to you, a woman has to shave off all of her hair, and I have to deal with the press heat and probably the yelling her manager or publicist is going to give me!"

"Well if you can't handle it, you can always quit. Would be much better without you. And plus if you didn't smack my chest-"

"Enough!"

We both turn to look at Garrett. He has his suit jacket on his desk chair, and is staring at both of us with a stern expression.

It's quiet for a moment before he speaks again, "I have spoken to your mother, Sebastian."

For once, evident fear washes over his face.

"Wh-why you-you haven't spoken to her in years?"

"That isn't important. What's important, is that we've both come to a conclusion."

He turns around and gazes out the window, "Los Angeles is too much of a distraction. Too many cameras, and lights, and drugs and fame and...just, too much. The press always on your back, where ever you go, whatever move you make."

"Dad..."

"Which is why, for the sake of our youngest child, we have...hit an agreement. An agreement based on the fact that we love and care about you and your well being"

Sebastian is mortified, an expression I can't seem to match until Garrett speaks again.

"Pack your bags, you two," he grins, "you're going to Tennessee."