Being a Star (Isn't Easy)
Chapter Seventeen
Ezra glanced at his watch, after the music video shoot ended, and saw that it
was eleven at night. 'Finally, I get to go home!' he thought. Ezra loved his
life, his job. He had always wanted to be in show business, ever since he could
remember. But, sometimes, it was nice to be done for the day and on his way
home. Even more so, now, that Vin was there.
Smiling at the thought of his lover, he walked over to the buffet table, where
Nathan and Buck were keeping an eye on everyone and everything.
"You done?" Buck asked.
Ezra nodded, "Yeah. I just need to get to the dressing room and get changed."
"I'll go with you," Nathan volunteered, much to the surprise of Buck and Ezra.
"Alright," said Ezra.
Buck nodded, "Okay. I'll stay here and keep an eye on everything."
Five minutes later, Ezra and Nathan were standing in front of Ezra's dressing
room door. "Um, Ezra, can I speak to you about something?"
"Sure," Ezra said with confusion on his face and in his voice.
After walking into the dressing room and making sure that it was clear, Nathan
shut the door. "Do you mind if I just hurry up and shower and change? I'm tired
of having this glitter on my hair and face."
Shaking his head, Nathan replied, "No. Go ahead."
TEN MINUTES LATER
Ezra had become a master of quick showers and quick changing sessions. So, it
didn't take him long to shower and change out of black leather pants and a black
silk shirt into his jeans and white t-shirt.
Walking out of the bathroom, he saw Nathan sitting on the couch. Nathan
instantly noticed him, even though he seemed to be thinking about something.
Ezra sat down across from him, in a chair, and said, "There was somethin' you
wanted to talk about?"
Nathan nodded, taking a deep breath. "This has been preying on my mind for a
while. And, I thought that I owe you an explanation for my behavior. I know I
gave you a sort-of one already, but I didn't tell you everything."
Ezra remained silent, waiting for Nathan to finish in his own time. After a
couple of minutes of silence, Nathan continued. "Alright, you already know that
there was a boy that I went to school with that you remind me of. Every time I
look at you I see him, I'm reminded of everything that he did to me. And, I know
that's not fair, but I can't seem to help it.
"Then, things come out of my mouth before I realize it. But, I've come to the
conclusion that I need to stop comparing you to him. That even though you both
resemble each other, you're two totally different men."
After inhaling a short breath, then exhaling it, Nathan said, "He caught me in
the locker room showers one day, and cornered me. He held a knife to my throat
and forced me to... give him a blowjob."
Surprise flared to life on Ezra's face. "Nathan, I'm sorry. I know that doesn't
mean much, though."
Nathan gave Ezra a faint smile, "I've never told anyone. I don't really know why
I felt compelled to tell you, but I couldn't get it off my mind. Especially
after I found out that you and Vin are together. I guess that I just want to
say... I'm sorry. I realize that I haven't been acting professional at all since
we've arrived."
Ezra gave a slight smile, "True. But, it's alright. Believe it or not I do
understand what you're going through."
Even though Ezra didn't say anything else, Nathan saw something in the man's
eyes that told him Ezra did know. He nodded and said, "Well we'd better get back
before Buck thinks something's happened."
When they reached the door, Nathan turned to Ezra, "You'll keep this between
us?"
"Of course. And, I appreciate you explaining things to me. If you need to talk
or anything, just let me know."
"Thanks, you're a lot different than I thought you'd be, when Chris first told
us about this job."
Ezra laughed, "People always say that." With that said, they walked out of the
dressing room, making their way back to where they had left Buck.
HALF-AN-HOUR LATER
It was twelve-thirty in the morning, and Ezra was almost home. 'Thank God,' he
silently thought.
As Buck continued to drive on the otherwise deserted upscale street, Ezra pulled
out his cell phone. He figured that he'd call his house and let everyone know
that they were almost there. That way they could be watching and ready to open
the gate.
Just as his call was answered by JD, there was a loud popping sound. The SUV
swerved as Buck tried to keep control. Ezra glanced out of the tinted windows,
his phone forgotten. Beside them was a black vehicle, and he could make out a
figure holding a gun, while leaning out of a car window.
There was another loud popping sound, causing the SUV to swerve again, and Buck
and Nathan to curse. But, this time Buck lost control. The SUV ended up flipping
twice, then sliding along the road, before skidding to a stop.
Ezra's head banged against a window, causing sharp bolts of pain to shoot
through his head. He also realized that he couldn't move his right leg and
breathing was a little difficult. The last thing he heard through his panic and
pain was a tiny voice yelling. He couldn't make out the words, but he could tell
that it sounded faintly like JD.
He moved his lips, but no sound emerged. Not able to keep his eyes open, he
allowed the blackness to claim him.