"You look beat."
Marissa Young dropped down onto the end of her friend's bed, casting
Stefana a questioning look. "Are you feeling ill or something? You've been
remarkably, well, nice to people today. Even Maddy...what's up?"
"Nothing." Stefana rolled onto her stomach, a thoughtful look on her
face. Marissa was her closest confidant, but there were a lot of things
in the guitarist's rock and roll lifestyle that the keyboardist wasn't party
to.
"Not some new drug I hope?" Marissa looked worried. Stefana rolled her
eyes.
"Why is it you think every mood change I have is down to some pill?"
She demanded. "Can't I just be in a good mood?"
"Mm, I suppose so, I'm sorry." Marissa was contrite. "Any reason for
this sudden good mood?"
"It's not your business really." Stefana said with a shrug. "I was just
thinking, that's all."
"You never talk to me any more." Marissa looked hurt. "Not since we
came to LA and got involved in the music scene. You go off on your own,
and I never know what you're doing."
"You're not my mother."
"No, but I worry about you. You're my friend."
"Gah." Stefana rolled her eyes again, reaching for her purse and rummaging
for her cigarettes and lighter. At length she found one, lighting it and
exhaling slowly. "Okay, if you're that fussed...I promise it's nothing to
do with any new kind of drug, okay? You know the stuff I take, so quit moaning.
You know I can handle it and I'm not in any danger. It's just a buzz and
that's that. Got it?"
"Yes, so you like to tell me." Marissa sighed. "You were up early this
morning."
"You my minder now?"
"No, but the last voluntary early morning you had was...actually, I
can't remember one." Marissa frowned. "Please, Steffi. Tell me what you're
up to."
"It's nothing sinister." Stefana smiled. "I went to see the Dean Stacey
Show, that's all. You know Dirk, our publicist? He kinda had an extra ticket
and asked me along, so I went."
"You had a date?"
"Mm, well, it was a one off. I kinda wanted to see the show." Stefana
flicked ash onto the unit.
"Hang on, weren't Jewel playing today?" Marissa looked suspicious.
"Mari, I watched. I didn't do anything."
"I didn't say you did."
"Well, your tone suggested it." Stefana told her offhandedly. "I didn't
go to watch Jewel. I went to see some other local band I like. Ghost? I
think that's them. Their new song is kinda cool. Jewel were just a coincidence."
"Stef..."
"What?" Stefana adopted a hurt look. "You and Luca and the others are
always saying we should be friendly with Jewel, well, so I went in all
innocence to watch a show which happened to have them in. So?"
"Okay, I'm sorry." Marissa sighed. "What was the show like?"
"Not bad." Stefana was noncomittal. "There was some singer I didn't
know, from Canada or somewhere...then there was Ghost, and Jewel started
the show. I mean, it could've been better, but for a free show, not bad."
"Well, Dirk evidently likes you." Marissa smiled. "You gonna see him
again?"
"Hell no." Stefana rolled her eyes. "Didn't you hear me? I said it was
a one off. I'm a star, Mari. I don't date publicists." Her lip curled. "I'm
not like that girl you think so much of...Copper, fawning all over the
road manager."
"Steffi, I thought we weren't bitching out Jewel tonight."
"Well, I wasn't. I was bitching out Copper." Stefana shrugged. "So?"
"You're hopeless." Marissa shook her head in defeat. She glanced at
her watch. "Oh, I better go do my insulin. Luca said we're going out to
dinner tonight...some press do or other, so I don't want to be worrying
about my diabetes. See you later, huh? And dress in something glitzy, that
was the order I got."
"Honey, I always look good when Diablo hit the town." Stefana said silkily.
"I'll see you at the door, then."
Once Marissa was gone, Stefana curled up on her bed, hugging her pillow
tightly as she contemplated what she had overheard that morning. Contrary
to what she had told Marissa, she had snuck backstage when she had managed
to give her date the slip before the show had started, and had overheard
a large part of Dean's conversation with Ben. She had never liked Cynthia,
and had stored the information up, intending to investigate more when she
had the opportunity.
The cause of her good mood, however, was something quite different.
After the show, she had declined Dirk's offer of a ride home very graciously,
heading out onto the set once she was sure Jewel were already on their way
to their next engagement. Cynthia, she soon discovered, had left with the
Public Eye presenter, and Aaron had been left to finish up...alone.
Wild horses would not have dragged it from her, and she would have scorned
it in herself had she realised it, but Stefana's interest in Aaron was decidedly
more than just a subject for potential sabotage. She had long since sworn
to break Aaron and Copper up, intending to lure Aaron over to Diablo's
team if she possibly could, but the truth was, she was jealous of Copper's
closeness to him. Aaron had not treated her like other guys had often treated
her, and though she often mocked his friendly nature and amiable gentility,
she had felt somewhat touched when he had remembered her name after only
a brief meeting. From then, it had festered inside of her, and, without
her realising it, was becoming something of a fixation. She had gone to
the show not only to try and sabotage Jewel, but in the hope that Aaron
might be there, and that they might speak. In the end they had, she had
purred up to him and offered her help and he had responded in his usual,
friendly manner. He had been kind and open and warm, and it had aroused something
in her that she had never known was there - she had reciprocated. Not only
had she helped him with the last of Jewel's equipment, but she had also assisted
in clearing the set of debris, being rewarded for her endeavours by a friendly
milkshake at the studio canteen.
In Aaron's eyes, it was no more than a friendship, for he was secure
in his relationship with Copper, but for Stefana's subconscious, it was something
more.
And it had made her more determined to break the couple up.
"So how do I do that?" She mused, taking a pensive drag on her cigarette.
"They're so not right for each other. Copper trots off around the world
and what help is she with stage equipment? Too damn high and mighty now
to bother. And Aaron's way too good to be working for a crummy act like
Jewel, anyhow. So what if Jetta's his Mom and Nancy's his sister? He's a
grown man, he should know something better when he sees it. Perhaps...perhaps
if it wasn't for Copper, he would know it. So I'm back to that again. How
to split them up."
She pursed her lips, considering carefully.
"This week, a hideous public breakup would be fun, considering there's
that reporter on the case." She remembered. "And I did intend to cause
as much trouble as possible for this stupid film. It'd be a start in that
direction too. Ooh, I'm gonna be busy! I've Cynthia's little secret to
investigate, Copper and Aaron to tackle and I still owe that bitch piece
of trash Topaz a piece of my mind for dragging Luca down with whatever
method of seduction she thought necessary! Three targets, one week...can
I do it? I need to find out more about Jewel's schedule for the week. Oh,
but that shouldn't be too hard. I can talk to Aaron, and kill two birds
with one stone, perhaps!" She laughed. "Boy, am I gonna have some fun this
week!"
Chapter One: The Idea
Chapter Two: Benjamin
Chapter Three: Chez Diablo
Chapter Four: Cynthia and Ben
Chapter Five: A Motive
Chapter Six: One On One
Chapter Seven: A Cryptic Note
Chapter Eight: The Intruder
Chapter Nine: Cynthia Explains
Chapter Ten: Stefana's Plot
DISCLAIMER: PLEASE NOTE
Copper, Nancy, Sylva, Anna, Blade, Raesha, Sirena, Topaz, Aaron, Sophie,
Justin, Elliot, Rosita, Luis and any other characters in this fiction which
do not appear in the animated Jem series are copyrighted to me (E.A Woolley)
as of January 2002 <unless otherwise specified> and are not to be
reproduced without permission ANYWHERE. Jetta, Pizzazz, Stormer, Roxy, Raya
and all other original Jem characters are the copyright of Hasbro Inc, Sunbow,
Christy Marx and the other writers of the Jem series. The future world of
Pizzazz, Raya, Jetta, Roxy, Stormer, Clash, Synergy, the fate of Jem and
her memorial are all copyrighted to me. The future world of Kimber and Shana
is copyrighted jointly to myself and Gemma Dawn.
The concept of 'Jewel' is entirely my own, and any apparent link with
any fictional or actual person or persons of this name is entirely coincidental.
Equally the characters in this fiction are not based on any real life individual.
The concept behind the future world of Danse, Aja and Craig, the idea
behind Jerrica's futureworld and the split of the Holograms is copyrighted
to Gemma Dawn, whose Teenangel
Outsiders fiction is directly twinned with Just a Dream. The character
Sammi and any of the other Teenangel Outsider characters mentioned in this
fiction are entirely copyright to Gemma Dawn and appear here only with her
permission.
Pay her page a visit!
The concept of RayzaBlade is copyrighted to my sister Elena...^_^ (Yeah,
blame her!)
Sirena's music is based mainly on the music of Republica's album 'Republica'
and Garbage's albums 'Garbage' and 'Version 2.0'.