Nicky’s wasn’t exactly a paparazzi hangout, but in the age of cell phone cameras, I thought it wise to hustle him out of there. “I’m going to take him somewhere private,” I said to his agent.
“Yes, yes, hurry.” His agent was already looking around for people with camera phones.
I took Corey into Nicky’s office, and as soon as we were behind closed doors, he started in with a rushed explanation, the words near about falling over themselves to get out of his mouth. “You gave us a real scare when you ran off like that. I didn’t know where you could’ve got off to. I was scared you’d be dead or having to turn tricks someplace because of us.”
I handed him a Kleenex. “But I’m here. You can see that now. I’m okay.” I forced my voice to stay light and casual, even though I could feel the old anger rumbling around in my tummy now. “So you knew?”
Corey nodded his head. “Veronica and Tammy told me and a few other people about it. I didn’t like it, but I thought you’d be able to take it since everybody was forever making fun of you anyway, and you always just went about your business. But when I saw you in that dress, I knew she had gone too far. If I’d known how it would turn out, I never would have let Veronica do it.”
His eyes were still a little red from crying earlier. I tried to concentrate on that and not on the mounting rage, which was demanding that I scratch his eyes out for coming in here with such pitiful excuses. I couldn’t follow the rage. The only thing that separated me from Cora was that I didn’t let that rage consume me and guide my actions—even when I most wanted it to.
“I’m just glad to see you here and prospering,” he was now saying.
I perched on the side of the desk, and concentrated all my willpower on keeping my voice even as I said, “Don’t worry about it, Corey. Seriously, it’s all in the past.”
So he had known about the trick that Veronica and Tammy were about to play on me. He sat by me in chemistry the day of the party, knowing what was in store for me but not telling me, because even though he was a nice guy, his nose had been too wide open for Veronica.
The rage suddenly disappeared, leaving behind cold calculation in its place. This was a good thing, I decided. It would be easier to do what I had started planning to do as soon as I had seen him in my audience.
Back in the early nineties, when I was first learning how to speak to people, I had read a book on overcoming shyness that said to try and figure out what the person you were conversing with needed most, and then see if you could be of any help to them in getting it. That way you had a mission to focus on as opposed to just thinking about how uncomfortable you were.
I had found this method to be wildly successful, especially in Los Angeles, where people rarely seemed to focus on anyone other than themselves. And I brought it back out for my first two-sided conversation with Corey ever.
We talked in Nicky’s office, much like we used to in chemistry class, with him going on and on, and me listening quietly. And by the time he was finished telling me about all his career pressures and how much he wanted Veronica to see that he was worthy of her, I had figured out what he needed.
I told him that he should ditch his agent for the night and come out with me and my friend for a drink.
As soon as he left to get rid of his agent, I called Chloe on Nicky’s office phone. This is probably the part I feel worst about, because she had been in a good place at that moment, just getting over the reporter who had left her for a fashion assistant.
But Corey needed her, so really it didn’t even feel like I was making a choice as I dialed her number. “Girl, I know it’s your night off, but I need you to come out with me and Corey Mays.”