The Inevitable Fanfiction

Chapter 12
The boys have been sharing secrets the whole night, casting tentative looks at Paula and discussing surreptitious affairs. Even Randy seems to be part of it, leaving Paula more suspicious than ever. Simon hasn’t been making silly comments in her ear this time and she is wondering what is wrong with her today. Did she smell okay? Yes, she was wearing the same perfume, vanilla scented. Did she have something in her teeth? No, Daniel would have told her if she had.
It is Daniel in fact who reports what is going on after the show, after she had seen Simon speak to him briefly. Paula had only ever seen them talk once or twice, and never did their conversations last long.
“They’ve planned a boys’ night out,” reports Daniel. He is packing up his hair styling things in a bag, while Paula changes in the bathroom, with the door cracked open.
“And you were invited?”
“Yeah.” It pangs at Paula’s heart briefly. She pulls her t-shirt over her head and walks out.
“Have fun, then.” She raises her arms for a hug but receives a funny look in return.
“You honestly think I’d go?” He raises an eyebrow. Paula shrugs, and he laughs. Taking her into his arms, he says, “no way am I picking Mr. Grouchy pants over my itty-bitty Paula.”
She giggles and hides under his arms. Danny really is the best friend a girl could ever ask for. “So what are we going to do then? Movie night?”
“Paula, be serious.” He pulls away and rests his hands on her shoulders. “I’m taking you out of course! A night of payback.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Simon is a pain in the ass, really, saying how you’re a girl and you can’t come even though I told him it was only fair that you do. So we’re gonna get us some sweet revenge.”
Paula rolls her eyes; why did she expect anything more of Simon? Just because he looked cute with a little girl, doesn’t mean he is suddenly an agreeable, perfect man. She has been stupid to think he really cares about making friends with her. Maybe all he wanted was to play with her mind again, maybe that was all it has even been. She’ll never know with him.
“I’ll call the gang,” she says, with a wry smile.
Forty-five minutes later all Paula’s friends pull up at a club in a limo. It is a posh new place, where celebrities are treated like royalty and Jennifer, Taylor, Jimmy, Donnie and Paula’s cousin Tara are excited. Being friendly with Paula Abdul really does have its benefits. However, the only thing on Paula’s and Daniel’s minds is to get Simon. He must have already arrived with the other guys, and it should be easy enough to provoke him. As they say, two can play.
“Paula Abdul,” says Paula at the entrance. The hefty man at the counter stares.
“So you are – right this way...” Awestruck, he leads them to a large table and asks one of the waitresses to attend to them.
Before the girls’ gushing can die down, Paula has already set her eyes on the Idol group just a few tables away. It is hard to spot them all but she can see the shape of Randy, and his bald head gleaming under the spot lights. Next to him is Brian, and she knows Ryan and Simon are there too, but cannot spot which is which behind the screen of several underdressed young women shimmying their hips.
In vain she tries to have fun, tries to participate in the banter between her friends, but all she really wants to do is march over there and say, ‘look, I’m here, and I can dance better than these oversized Barbie Dolls.’
When Ryan is dragged onto the dance floor, the other three men shying away, Paula immediately grabs Jimmy and follows. The sandy haired girl can shake her assets in any man’s direction, her revealing costume only accentuating them, but it takes Paula Abdul to leave the men drooling, though fully clothed and perfectly decent. In no time at all, Ryan takes notice of her and her skills, eyes popping out of their sockets.
“Paula? W-What are you doing here?” He stares at her and she stops mid-twirl. Jimmy slings his arm around her shoulders.
“Dancing, of course. Me and my friends are all here,” she smiles gleefully, pointing to her group that is now close by where she stands.
“Can I have the next dance?” He looks at her hopefully.
“It’s boys’ night out though. I wouldn’t want to intrude.” With a crafty smile, Paula turns and walks away back to her table, numerous men staring after her.
In no time at all, Ryan has run back to the table and told the other men about their lovely invader. Brian and Randy gawk in her direction, whispering to themselves while Simon actually stands up to see for himself. Smirking, he makes his way to their table and Paula obviously ignores his arrival.
“Hello, Paula, Daniel – lovely to see you here.” He smiles boyishly and cocks a brow at Daniel.
Taylor and Jennifer admire his face and thick accent, and Jennifer licks her lips teasingly at Paula from behind Simon’s arm.
“So you’re the famous Simon, am I right?” asks Tara.
“Yes, the very famous one.” He winks. “And what’s your name, darling?”
“I’m Tara, Paula’s cousin.” She twists her long blond hair around her finger, grinning.
“Can I buy you a drink then, Tah-ra?” He leans closer to her, one hand on the table, separating her from Paula.
Tara glances at her cousin warily; she doesn’t want to offend Paula in any way. But she merely shrugs indifferently, and Tara agrees. The two end up sitting beside each other, Paula on Simon’s other side once Jennifer and Taylor grab the guys to dance. Daniel squeezes Paula’s shoulder as Taylor pulls him away.
Paula sips her coke and watches as Simon passes Tara another drink, smiling mysteriously. He begins to start small-talk, angling his body almost fully towards her and his back to Paula. Tara attempts to bring Paula to into the conversation numerous times, voice wavering.
“Paula what do you think?” She asks yet again.
“Oh I– ” Paula is quickly interrupted.
“Well, never mind that. Tell me more about you,” Simon says, completely ignoring her.
“Actually, I have an opinion and if you would give me a chance to-” Paula’s voice rises.
“Honestly Tara, you sound like such an enchanting woman, do tell me-”
Paula stands up, making sure to let her chair scrape the floor nicely. A few people turn to her over the music and she smiles at them angelically, though she feels nothing like an angel with the anger bubbling inside her. She walks away purposefully bumping into Simon’s shoulder and not looking back. On the dance floor, Daniel immediately finds her and wraps his arms around her. He goes in for a hug, but she changes their position so that they are dancing. Two minutes later, all the other men in the club have pushed Daniel to the back of the crowd, and are fighting for Paula. The Barbie Dolls watch partner-less from nearby wondering what they did wrong. Perhaps they should try on clothes next time.
The music throbs in her ears, and though Paula has had nothing alcoholic to drink today, she feels reckless and wild. She feels like putting herself out there and she wants Simon to watch her. Every little while she turns to his table, and every time she does, he is just glancing back into Tara’s eyes, as if they had been somewhere else before. After a few minutes of hoping, she catches him. Her cousin sister is trying to talk, her words now sounding somewhat desperate for the attention he is no longer giving her. Simon, however, can’t seem to hear a word, his eyes transfixed on the dancing beauty.
Paula guesses that he must be looking at her body because he has yet to notice her smirk as one tall man pulls her close. When he sees this, his eyes jerk up to her face only to find her laughing. He can’t help himself, because the next thing he knows, he is laughing too. They laugh at each other and themselves from across the club, for no apparent reason to anyone around them, all ill feelings evaporating. He gives her a thumbs-up, before turning red in his hysterics. The man that had just been dancing with Paula walks away but she doesn’t notice.
After escaping to the bathroom to fix her make-up and returning, she notes that Tara has left and makes a mental note to call her tomorrow. Simon is now smiling broadly in a way that makes the gang –all of which have joined him at his present table- think him to be a little tipsy.
When Paula is leaving, she does not say goodbye to them, does not turn back and wave or smile, but Simon could not care less. Things have taken yet another turn for them, and they will only know where they’re headed when they talk at Idol next.

***
“Would you consider us friends?” asks a voice from the across the corridor.
Paula, along with every crew member and runner, turn to that voice. Simon stands there looking as regal as he always does, arms crossed, leaning against the wall. She rolls her eyes, walking into her dressing room without answering. Simon runs to catch her before the door closes, and sticks a hand out. He weaves his way into the room and stands against the door, coughing slightly. ‘The things he does for his pride, honestly,’ Paula thinks.
“I don’t think you heard me, darling. I asked if you think we are friends.” He straightens up and makes himself comfortable on the sofa. Paula bites her lip uncomfortably; the last time he was here, he had been undressing her with his eyes.
“Depends on your definition of friendship.” She shrugs and sits down at her dressing table. She feels like doing her own make-up today, so she fishes out her foundation powder from the drawer and opens the compact.
“Is that a no?” Simon wonders aloud, watching her pad her face softly.
“What we do is not friendly, Simon. It’s a game, isn’t it? We play this sick game that we don’t even know the rules to.”
“What game?” Simon asks innocently.
“This game.” Her hands make a gesture between the two of them.
"Oh you mean the one where we fight and make up, fight and make up again? Well I thought it was just getting heated." He grins boyishly, causing Paula to roll her eyes again.
“Good for you – Ow.” She winces in pain, fingers flying to the nape of her neck.
Simon sits up in alarm. “Are you alright?” He sounds concerned, but Paula immediately straightens herself.
“I’m fine. Just a little pull,” she lies. Simon stands and walks towards her.
“Can I do anything to help?”
His fingers brush where she had been pressing moments before and he rubs the tender skin. He can feel a slight spasm going on under the skin, muscles tensing and relaxing. Paula closes her eyes, both the pain and his touch too much for her to take.
“We’re not friends, Simon,” she says, not to hurt him, but to distract him and herself from the pain. He doesn’t know how fierce she can be when her walls are down and she can do nothing to pull them up again.
“I’m just making sure you’re alright?” He speaks it like a question, his voice presenting his injured feelings, and Paula feels horrible. He doesn’t often prick at her heart like that.
“I know – I’m sorry- It’s just hard to deal with.”
“What is?”
Again she has said too much, again she doesn’t know what to say as Simon continues to massage her neck. His touch is gentle, as his index finger rubs circles on the hurting spot while his thumb caresses the back of her neck subconsciously. If she weren’t in so much pain, she would shiver with the contact, but now all she can think of is closing back her shell; she is close to tears and does not need anyone to see it. Where is Daniel when she needs him?
“Are we ever going to end this game?” she enquires, refusing to speak anymore about her neck.
Simon gets the hint. “I’d be disappointed if we did.”
“We could be friends.”
“What fun would that be?”
The pain subsides, Paula pulls away, and they both grin.
“Who knows,” says Simon, “maybe one day we will be.”
Paula pretends to think about this, holding her chin. “Nah.”