*Chapter Twelve *
Cadence woke up, groggily sitting and looking at the clock. It was just 3:13 am, but it seemed like it should have been much later. She looked next to her, seeing that Todd wasn’t there, which caused an eyebrow to raise. Cadence figured that he was probably playing an X-box game. Bringing a hand to her throat, she realized that it was dry, and she let out a small cough, wheezing slightly. She was extremely thirsty, dying for something to drink to get rid of the scratchy, cotton mouth feeling. It was driving her crazy
Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Cadence slid her feet into her fuzzy tie-dye slippers and got up, walking sleepily into the kitchen to fetch a glass of ice cold water for herself. She was startled to see Todd sitting at the counter, a dim light shining above him. When he saw her coming, he shoved something into his mouth, practically swallowing it whole to try and hide any traces of his midnight snack.
“Hey baby,” Cadence said, walking over to Todd, wrapping her arms around his massive shoulders and kissing his puffed cheek, surprised that he wasn’t playing his lame video games, “What are you doing up so late?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” he told her, swallowing the last bits of what he’d been eating, “It might take a few nights to get used to L.A.
Cadence shrugged, letting go on her grasp on him and walking over to the cupboard for a glass. Going to the freezer, Cadence opened it to grab a few ice cubes. She began to close the door when she noticed something was missing. Opening it again, she saw that it was the box of ice cream sandwiches she’d just bought the day before, which hadn’t been opened yet. Closing the door confused, she turned around, going to the sink to fill her glass.
“Todd, do you know what happened to the ice cream sandwiches I bought?” she asked him, her face still scrunched up in a quizical expression.
“No,” Todd lied, almost convincingly, except for one thing. “What’s that on your face?’ Cadence asked, making her way over to Todd and looking carefully at the corners of his mouth, wiping off a smudge of chocolate. Todd froze. He’d been caught in his guilty act.
“I was hungry,” he immediately defended himself, “I woke up and my tummy was growling. It was from moving earlier.”.
Cadence let out a noisy, annoyed puff of air while rolling her eyes. She could not believe him. He hadn’t even been there a day and was already eating them out of house and home. She couldn’t afford to feed a person who ate like a buffalo.
“You’re always hungry,” Cadence spat out angrily, “That’s what is so pathetic about this. And an entire box? Todd...do you not have any self respect? Do you not care about me and how I worry about you? Do you not care about yourself?”
“I do care,” Todd said, meaning it, “I’m trying...I’m working on it.”
Cadence let out another disgusted growl. He was so stubborn and in such denial that it wasn’t even funny any longer. It had never been funny to begin with, but now, it was just getting plain old and tiring to her.
“Trying is not eating an entire box of ice cream sandwiches, Todd,” Cadence cried out in frustration, holding up the empty box and waving it in the air frantically, “Trying is not saying you exercise, but don’t, or thinking stepping on a god damned treadmill for five minutes is a hard workout. You’ve gained seventy pounds since we started dating...forty of it after I started telling you that I was worried about your health.”
“I did not,” Todd denied, not agreeing with her statement.
Cadence put her hands on her hips, looking at him skeptically. The motion reminded Todd of what Cadence’s mother did when she was upset, which was rare.
“How much did you weigh when we started dating?” she asked
“Two hundred and fifteen,” Todd answered right away
“And now?”
“Two hundred and eighty...” his voice trailed off, proving her point right then and there. He’d no idea he’d let things go so far. The truth was, he hadn’t even thought about it until then. Now he realized why his girlfriend was always worrying herself sick over him.
“I can’t do this any longer, Todd,” Cadence yelled, “I can’t watch you kill yourself slowly. You’re a fucking time bomb waiting to go off and have a heart attack. I can’t watch you do this to yourself.” It’s hurting me so much. Can’t you see that?”
Todd looked down, ashamed with himself. A slight blush arose on his cheeks. He didn’t blame Cadence for yelling, but it was the second time that day. He had the feeling that she had been keeping it all inside for years now, and this was where it all came out at once. This was where she really let him have it instead of trying to spare hurting his feelings.
“I’ll really start trying now,” Todd said, meaning his words, but Cadence had heard it all before. She wasn’t conviced.
‘Bullshit, Todd,” Cadence screamed, “I’ve heard that at least a hundred times. And every time, you gain even more weight. Every time I believe you are going to change, and every time, I am let down. I’m not believing your false intentions any longer. I’m not going to believe in something that is never going to happen.” Anger flared up in Todd as he clenches his fists tightly at his sides. His normally pinkish colored knuckles were almost a ghostly white. It wasn’t like her to put him down like this. She never had before, and now she was really laying it down hard all at once. What hurt him most was that she didn’t believe that he was capable of changing his ways.
“I don’t have to deal with this,” Todd yelled, grabbing his keys, “This is emotional abuse. I’m outta here.”
“Fine, go resort to food like you always do when you’re mad,” Cadence shouted, “Go crawling like a pouting little baby with your bruised ego to McDonald’s for a super sized double Big Mac value meal to console you and clog your arteries even more.”
“Fuck you,” Todd blasted, and then he was gone, slamming the door behind him so hard that the room shook as if a minor earthquake had struck momentarily. The sad thing was, Cadence wasn’t sure if it was the force from the door closing or Todd running down the wooden steps to the ground of their apartment building.
Cadence’s body started to shake violently in anger and grief. They’d never had a fight so big before, and it had happened the day Todd had moved in with her yet. She was beginning to think that the distance that had been between them before was a good thing. She let him go though, not even trying to stop him.
Sobs wracking her body, Cadence walked back to the bedroom on legs so wobbly, she thought she might collapse onto the carpeted floor. It surprised her when she made it to her bed without falling. But now that she knew she’d land on something soft, she let herself fall freely. Burying her face in her pillow, Cadence sobbed, crying herself back to sleep.
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Anger flared through A.J’s body as he stepped off of the large jet. He practically ran through the airport, wanting to be on his way to his mission as soon as possible. He had to find a cab or rental car. He had one blonde six foot two blonde to murder for trying to move in on Winona. The flight to London had seemed to take a lifetime. He hoped that finding Nick and beating the crap out of him would seem to take less time.
A group of young girls in the airport noticed A.J and recognized him. Letting out shrieks of delight, they ran after him, making him stop to sign autographs and take pictures from a camera that took five minutes to find in their luggage. A.J. stopped, not happy with the delay on his hunt for Nick Carter, soon to be former Backstreet Boy. After signing some random sheets of paper and taking some photos, acting pleasant, which normally would have come naturally rather than forced, A.J. made a dash for it, running all the way to the huge glass doors which would lead him to where he could get a car to take him to his destination. Seeing the line for rental, he quickly decided against that option. He hadn’t the time for waiting.
Waving down the first open cab to come his way, he knew just where he would probably find the guy. More than likely, Glory’s apartment. If not, there was always the art show, which would take place the day after tomorrow. He knew for a fact that Nick would be there. A.J grinned evily as he thought of the things he would say to the boy, and especially the things in which he would do to the blondes body. He’d thought that his competition was out of the way, beings Glory didn’t want her best friend to date the two numskull male best friends of hers. Appearantly though, Dom and Nick were ignoring her orders completely. They were causing his chances with the most beautiful, intellegent woman he’d ever met to slip away. He wasn’t quite upset with Dom as he was with Nick though. When a cab stopped, A.J opened the door, heaving his body inside. He didn’t know the address by heart, but hopefully the driver would know exactly where he was talking about.
“Orlando and Glory Bloom’s apartment, please.”
The driver turned and smirked at A.J. as if he were insane.
“Right,” he laughed, “Like I can really take you there. What are you, crazy?”
A.J. grumbled some choice things under his breath as he tilted sideways a bit to dig his wallet out of the butt pocket of his jeans. With it in hand, A.J. opened it, pulling out two one-hundred dollar bills, waving them in front of the British man’s face.
“Will this help persuade your decision?” he bribed, watching the man’s eyes follow the cash, then decided to add guilt, “It’s important. I know them, and Glory is a great friend of mine.”
The man still didn’t look convinced. His eyes never laid off of the two hundred dollars, but he was also hesitant to argue again with A.J’s request.
“C’mon. I’m well known...it isn’t like I am some psycho fan.” A.J. stated in sarcasm, pretty sure he’d caught that from hanging around Glory too much, but he didn’t mind. He loved the girl like a sister. “I have to get there.”
The driver sighed, hesitating for another second before pulling the two crisp bills out of A.J’s hands. A.J. let them slide easily between his fingers as he grinned triumphantly. He hadn’t lost his charming touch. It worked like a charm on everyone. Now if only he could win Winona over with it. Given the right opportunity and enough time, he was pretty confident that he could.
“I’ll take you there,” he informed A.J, “But if you get arrested for trespassing, I had nothing to do with it, got it buddy.”
“Oh, believe me...I won’t get arrested. They’re expecting me.” A.J. lied convincingly, “I’m going to Glory’s art show.”
“I don’t care where you’re going,” the driver said gruffly, “But if my name comes up if you end up in prison, I will deny like there is no tomorrow.”
A.J. rolled his eyes at the man’s negative, so sure of himself attitude. He wished that there was some way to prove to the man that he knew what he was doing, and knew Mr. Bloom.
“So, where is your luggage?” the driver asked in his thick accent, which A.J. noticed for the first time. He wondered how he’d missed it before, “Kind of a long travel for some American to be coming without anything.”
“I’ll only be staying for two days,” A.J. told the man, “I won’t be needing anything. Too much hassle going through luggage checks and stuff.”
The man snorted, and A.J. could tell that he thought that he was conceited or something. That was as far from the truth as things could get. A.J. hadn’t the time to pack a suitcase for a two day trip, and take an extra three hours in luggage checks going in and coming out. He wanted to find his blonde band member as quickly as possible. He wondered how many fans would miss him when he was gone. Despite how angry he was with his friend, he still felt a sort of brotherly love for him. All he knew was that they were after the same girl, and A.J. was going to win her heart over if it was the last thing he did.
Looking out the window, A.J watched as the scenary passed by. It sure did look different when he wasn’t touring the country. In fact, most of the time, he didn’t even pay any previously to it. He was normally sleeping, or making business type arrangements. Either that, he was flying above the country, and all he could make out, on a clear day, was ocean, land and specks. London really was a gorgeous city, given being in the right parts. He was glad that he got the chance to really experience it now, rather than not giving any attention to what had been around him prior when he visited with the group.
“We’re here, Mr. McLean,” the driver stated, bringing A.J. out of his daze. He hadn’t even realized that they’d driven so far already. He’d been so wrapped up in looking at his surroundings that he supposed he’d lost track of time.
A.J. gave the man another fifty dollars. His eyes widened at A.J’s generosity. Sure, it was American money, but he knew where he could exchange it for the English currency. A.J. Thanked the driver before hopping out of the car. He ran in to the building and past the doorman, taking the steps two at a time to reach the floor that his friends were on. He hoped that Nick was there. He wanted more than anything to break his jaw.
Reaching the right level, A.J. was slightly out of breath, not knowing why beings he was used to much more work than that on stage. He figured that it was because he was so furious. Running the short distance to Glory and Orlando’s apartment number, he banged on the door. Getting no answer, he knocked again.
“C’mon,” A.J. muttered, “Answer, damnit.”
Minutes later, nobody still answered to his calling. He didn’t know that he had just missed them all by ten minutes, leaving to go out to the club. Little did he know, Nick had made it on time to join them all. Sitting down, A.J. figured that all he could do now was wait for them to return. They
couldn’t be out too late, could they?
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“This is so much fun,” Winona squealed happily as she got her groove on to the loud, upbeat music that was playing over the oversized speakers, “Ahhhh. London clubs are sooo much better than American one’s. Wow, the USA could learn a thing or two from this place.” Winona looked around the club as strobe lights flashed in every direction, making everything appear to be blinking and moving in super slow motion.
Glory rolled her eyes, “Yeah, and the girls here in London are a whole lot skankier too,” she stated, sticking her tongue out in disgust as she watched a random girl dance her way over to Winona and start grinding her body against her friends in ways that just looked wrong, “Wow, I sure as hell hope I don’t do that.” she added, knowing that she probably had before, as she pressed her body against Orlando’s, claiming her territory.
Winona danced with the girl, seeming to have the time of her life. To her, it was just another form of dancing, and she would do whatever it took to do it right and have fun. Glory knew that if Cadence had been there, she’d have thought that the way they were dancing was completely disgusting. Just like the time they’d gone to a club in Ohio. The girls were practically having intercourse with one another, only with their clothes on, as Cadence had described it. She’d found it disturbing and almost unbearable to watch, but kept her eyes locked on the stage anyways just so that she would not miss when Nick came out.
Glory laughed and shook her head. Cadence had always been one to miss the most obvious things. Nick could have been standing right next to her in the club, and chances were, it would have taken her fifteen minutes to realize who it was.
“Look at me,” Nick cried out, as he shook his ass.
Glory smacked her forehead as she looked at the boy. His disguise for the night was a long, straight haired blonde wig, sunglasses and a funky shaped hat that looked like something a chick would wear. His idea of dancing off stage was just plain embarrassing.
“Nicky,” Glory said, tugging on his shirt to pull him down to her level so she could yell in to his ear, “Do us all a favor and just dance like you do with Backstreet.”
Nick shook his head stubbornly, continuing to make an idiot of himself. He was definitely not going to do anything to draw attention to himself. Fans in Europe were insane. If he was found out, it would be the end of his life as he knew it. He’d be mobbed, smothered and trampled to death.
“Nope,” he yelled, “This is safe.”
“Not for those watching,” Glory muttered, then said aloud, “You know, oh smart one, that just by stepping out of the house, that you have a pretty good chance of being recognized. I mean, sweetie, think about it. If ya don’t want to have people noticing you, then your safest bet is watching TV and chugging beer.”
Winona, Orlando, Dom and the others laughed at Glory telling Nick exactly how it was, and what she was thinking. It was just like her to be like that, but nobody ever took offense. They knew she, for the most part, was just joking around and didn’t mean for her bluntness and outspoken ways to be taken personally.
Nick picked up one hand and flipped glory off. She was right though. If he was hoping to not be recognized as Nick Carter, pop star, he was better off hiding in a closet. Nick was thankful for the strobe lights. They made it almost impossible to focus on any one thing. That pretty much saved him right there. All he had to worry about was the dash to the car once they were all ready to leave and call it a night.
“Hey babe,” Dom said, pushing the girl out of his way that had been dancing with Winona and taking her place to get in with the girl he wanted to have as his very own, “Having a good time this evening, my darlin’?”
Winona laughed at Dom’s cheesy attempt at being sweet. It was quite flattering though, to be honest. That still didn’t change the fact that she still felt somewhat odd around the man. Glory had caught them in the middle of a steamy kiss, and now she felt self conscious and guilty for going against the girls wishes.
“I’m having the best time ever,” Winona yelled over the music, “I wish that Cadence could have come though. She’s busy helping Todd move his lazy ass in to her apartment though.” Winona rolled her eyes, knowing that the oversized man would have been perfectly capable of moving his own sorry self in. It was a matter of being too lazy though.
“So, have you ever been in London before?” Dom asked her as a slow song came on and he pulled Winona in to his arms for a slow dance.
Winona shook her head, “Not for long enough to count,” she told him, resting her head on his chest as he pulled her in closer, “Since when do they play slow songs in clubs?” Winona asked.
“They play about one every two hours or so,” Dom laughed, “Hardly worth it, but they have em every once in a while.”
Winona laughed again, beginning to feel more comfortable around Dom already. He had a great personality; one that made her feel at ease around him. Once again, Winona was thinking of disobeying Glory. The problem was, she still didn’t know which guy she wanted. Winona knew that she couldn’t date them all forever. She’d have to come up with a decision, and fast.
Nick watched from a distance of fifteen feet away as Dom and Winona danced. Jealousy boiled throughout him. He wanted to be the lucky man that Winona was with. He didn’t want Dom to be with her. He had to do something, and quick. Winona was beginning to look way too comfortable with Dom. So comfortable in fact, that Nick was beginning to feel a bit uneasy. He had to change this very quickly.
“You’re a great dancer,” Dom complimented, “You sure do know how to have loads of fun, you know that?" Winona blushed, “Thanks,” she yelled over the music, which was still quite loud for it being a slow song, “Same goes for you.”
Before having the opportunity to respond, Nick, trying to appear unobvious, danced right in front of Dom, taking Winona in to his own arms. Dom stumbled, falling to the ground. Nick looked behind him, shrugging before looking back to Winona.
“Oops,” he muttered, and them smiled at Winona, “How ya doing?”
Winona laughed, looking at the boy strangely, “Good, and you?”
“Can’t complain,” Nick grinned, “Dancing with the most beautiful girl in the room.”
Winona giggled, “Oh, that’s such a line, Carter,” she said, playfully slapping his shoulder, “Can’t you do any better or be any more original.”
Nick shook his head. The truth was, he had been honest with what he had told her, so he didn’t think he could do any better.
Winona stared at Nick closely, stifling a chuckle. He was so cute, yet looked so ridiculous that night. She figured now was the time to say something to him about it if ever.
“That wig does nothing for you, Nicky,” she said, tugging lightly at the stringy blonde fake hair, “Don’t ever grow your hair out...ever.”
Nick laughed at her telling him exactly what she thought. Truth be told, he had been told numerous times that he looked horrid with long hair. He wasn’t planning on letting it grow long again. It just wasn’t him.
“What do you say we go out tomorrow?” Nick asked Winona, “ We don’t have anything to do. Glory’s show is in two days.”
Winona bit her lip. She didn’t want to upset anyone. With Dom there, she knew that he would be hurt if she went off with Nick. Winona opened her mouth to reply, but her eyes widened instead at what appeared behind Nick.
Dom slammed his hand down on Nick’s shoulder, spinning him around roughly. Nick faced him with courage before Dom punched Nick in the jaw, full force.
“That is for messing with my woman,” Dom shouted, causing people to form around them in what appeared to be the beginnings of a fight.
Nick’s hand mechanically went to his mouth, and he brought it down to examine it ,seeing blood. Anger filled him as he took a swing at Dom, pelting him right in the side of the head. Winona stepped back, not wanting to be in the middle of the bout.
“Guys,” she yelled, hoping to stop the fight before it started, “Stop it. I don’t belong to either of you yet.”
Either Nick and Dom were ignoring her pleas, or they hadn’t heard her, for Dom lunged at Nick, pushing him backwards. Nick lunged back at Dom, and soon, they were on the ground, rolling on top of one another, punching one another. A circle had formed around them which contained the whole club chanting and cheering, urging the fight on. Glory rolled her eyes, knowing that the fight consisted of her two lovely friends. Pushing through the people to get to the center, she saw them on the ground. Shaking her head, she was humiliated by their behavior but wasn’t going to show it.
“Dom, Carter, get up off of the floor,” she yelled, walking over to them to try and pull them up off of the ground, “You are acting completely immature.”
The guys didn’t budge, continuing attacking one another and yelling insults at each other, and Glory hopped up and ran back a few feet before she started getting pounded on by the two tall men. This is what she got for having a friend who attracted guys as if there were no tomorrow.
She didn’t have to worry about the fight lasting though, because minutes later, four extremely large bouncers broke through the crowd, two grabbing on to Nick, the other two taking hold of Dom. They tried to punch one another from the arms of the security as they were drug out of the club, all of their friends following closely behind. Thrown on to the ground, the doors were locked behind them all. They’d been kicked out.
“Happy now, chubby,” Dom spat at Nick, hitting his sensitive spot.
“You started it, Brit,” Nick thrashed back at Dom.
“You moved in on my girl,” Dom yelled.
Winona rolled her eyes, finding both men extremely unattractive at that particular moment. Shaking her head in disgust, she stepped between them before they went after one another physically once again. She knew that they would if given the right opportunity.
“Quit acting so damned immature,” she screamed, “I am not either one of yours woman. And if you keep this up, I won’t go with either one of you.”
“She won’t anyways,” Glory stepped in, “Because one, I don’t want her to be with you, and two, you are both proving why I forbid it in the first place.”
Both men scowled at one another. Dom let out a huff of air, turning to walk away. A night that had started out to be fun had ended so sourly.
“Stupid, bloody Yank,” Dom muttered, hoping to score a date with Winona for the next day. It would be a challenge, considering she was angry with both of them, but he needed to prove that he could be the kind of man she wanted.
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Cadence woke up with a throbbing headache. Her eyes were sore, and she had a feeling that they were swollen too, and her body ached like she’d fallen off of a cliff. Sitting up, she became dizzy almost instantly. Pressing her hands firmly against the mattress to steady herself, Cadence looked beside her at the empty spot where Todd should have been and what had happened just six hours before came swarming back to her. She’d had the worst fight ever with Todd, and he still had not come back yet. Normally, when they argued, apologies came minutes later, and they kissed and made up. This time was different though. She’d really messed up this time, but to her, she was not entirely at fault. He had overreacted, and now she hadn’t a clue where he had disappeared to. Cadence figured that he was at the Waffle House, then felt bad for thinking those sorts of things. She knew that she should have been a little more supportive of him when he said he would really start trying, but to be honest, she was sick of him being all talk and no action.
A few tears slid down Cadence’s cheeks as she realized she may have lost Todd for good this time. It wasn’t like him to just not call or let her know that he was safe. Sure, she may have said harsh things about him behind his back out of frustration. Sure, she may have said hurtful things to him. The truth of the matter was though, that she did still love him and care about him and want to be with him. Cadence thought about calling his cell phone, but quickly thought better of the idea. When Todd what mad, it was best to let him be and let him do his thing and come back on his own will. Calling would only anger him and make things worse than they already were, if that was even possible. Cadence doubted that it was.
Looking around, she realized that all of his belongings were still there. He wouldn’t just leave without everything he owned, would he? He had to come back for them sooner or later, right? Cadence wasn’t sure, but knew that she couldn’t stay and find out. It would hurt her too much to sit in misery for a day, all alone, hurting and wondering where Todd was, assuming he wouldn’t be back for at least another day. All of her friends were in London at that moment. She had stayed behind to help Todd move in, planning on meeting them all a couple of days later. A lot of good that had done her. She’d been slapped in the face for all of the help she’d offered her boyfriend. Now, she knew that that wasn’t going to be the plan. She decided that she was going to leave a day early, and meet her friends. She knew that they would be thrilled to see her there early to show her support towards Glory. She was going to put the fight out of her mind and enjoy herself for a few days. She deserved it. Cadence refused to stress over her moron of a boyfriend. He wasn’t worth it at the moment. She would worry about Todd when she returned after Glory’s paintings were in the show. After Glory’s paintings won some first prize awards and they celebrated.
Getting up, Cadence trudged in to the bathroom, taking a quick shower. She hoped that it would make her feel better, and as she stepped out, dried off and slipped into a pair of tight jeans and an orange sweatshirt, she realized that she did feel much more refreshed. As she combed her hair out and styled it, then applied her make up, Cadence went to her closet and drug her suitcase out, throwing in another pair of jeans and a few shirts, a pair of black dress pants and a white blouse for the showing, for she knew that she would have to look presentable and professional, along with some clean underwear. She tossed in her makeup and hair supplies, her cool berry deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, figuring that it would be plenty to last her what would probably only be a four or five day trip.
Zipping up the suitcase, Cadence drug it to the living room, ready to walk out of the door before pausing for a moment. She felt as if she were forgetting to do something. What if Todd came back and she was gone? Would he think that she left him then? Cadence didn’t want him to worry in the same way he’d made her feel. She was above that. Setting the suitcase down, Cadence walked over to the fridge and pulled off a piece of paper from her magnetic notepad she was always sure to keep filled to jot things down when she was worried she might forget something important. Grabbing a pen out of the drawer, Cadence jotted down a note which read:
Todd
I decided to leave a day early for London to be with Winona and Glory. I will be back within a week, so don’t worry. I am sorry for the things I said before you left. We’ll talk about it when I get back, only more rationally this time. We’ll get a lot further that way, and we both know it. I love you, and I mean that. Please don’t be mad at me and please don’t hate me. You moved to LA so we could become closer. Let’s prove that we can make this work. Let’s not give up after one fight on our first day living together. I know that it is new to both of us, and will be challenging, but we can make it work. I am confident of that.
Yours Always
Cadence
Setting the letter down on the counter, Cadence looked around her apartment one last time before picking up her keys and the suitcase again and walking out of the door, locking it behind her. She was thankful that Todd had taken her piece of shit car with him rather than her new one which she’d worked hard to save for over the past six years of her life. At least he’d had that much decency, which surprised her. Men always wanted to show off sporty cars. In LA, Cadence would have thought it would have been the first thing on Todd’s mind. She appearantly was wrong about that.
Cadence threw her suitcase into the trunk of the yellow Porch, and hopped in to the drivers seat. Shoving the key into the ignition, Cadence floored the accelerator in reverse, put it into drive and sped out of the complex. She couldn’t wait to get to the airport. Part of her thought that Todd might be there, waiting to tell her goodbye and kiss her, saying he’d be waiting for her return and looked forward to it. Part of her wished he really would be there, telling her that he was sorry and loved her. But another part told her that she was being foolish, that her little daydream fantasies weren’t likely to happen. That part told her that she was stupid and didn’t want to see him before her departure, that it would ruin her whole trip, or make her feel guilty for leaving. She wanted to leave. She needed to get out for a little while. That thought made Cadence all the more determined to get to her jet early and get out of the country.
Veering on to the highway, Cadence sped up, flying at speeds that made her feel free and like she could do anything. With determination in her eyes, Cadence rolled down the windows and turned on her Black and Blue CD, cranking up the volume to it playing, ironically, ‘Get Another Boyfriend.’ Cadence sung along for awhile, feeling great about herself and she smiled. The Boys always knew how to pick up her mood. It wouldn’t matter if she were having the worst day of her life. All she had to do was pop in a Backstreet Boys CD and within minutes, she would be laughing and in a great mood again, forgetting she’d even been sad. Laughing, Cadence sang a little more to the lyrics which she thought nothing of, which she actually had many times before during her little spouts with Todd. This time, she wasn’t going to play what she liked to call her “Boyfriend Bashing Hits’ She was going to forget him for awhile. Maybe when she got back, they would be closer than ever.
“Goodbye Todd and Las Angeles, London here I come,” she screamed out the window at the top of her lungs, feeling better about things already.
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Todd gulped down another shot of vodka, feeling sick to his stomach. He felt as if he were about to vomit, spilling everything that was in his stomach, food, alcohol, everything. He was beginning to see double, and couldn’t think clearly to save his life. He was going to have one massive hangover later on, but it was well worth it. He was miserable. Once he could remember the phone number, he made a vow to call Taylor and thank him for obtaining the fake ID for him. It had helped him to get drunk off of his ass and drown away his sorrows. His girlfriend had more or less called him an elephant and a hopeless cause. No matter how true her words might be, it had still hurt him more than he could say. He had no reason to try and stay sober. Sober meant facing the reality of what she had said. He was worthless. He had disappointed her; something that he had never wanted to do, but succeeded at quite well anyways. Todd wondered how she had but up with him for three whole years. He was curious to know how she had dealt with him, and not ended things long ago. It was a question he could not answer.
Ordering another beer, Todd chugged it down in less than two minutes. Standing up, he decided he should be done and had done enough damage. Any more, and he might give himself alcohol poisoning. Swaying a little bit, Todd stumbled towards the door of the dimly lit bar. When he stepped outside, he squinted in to the bright sun. Had he really been drinking for that long? It hadn’t seemed like it, but the sun being up proved that it was at least noon. Standing, staring at the empty lot that had been full during the early hours of the day, Todd knew that he was completely wasted, but it didn’t stop him from getting in to Cadence’s old car and driving away. He didn’t want to go back to her apartment yet, but didn’t know his way around LA either and feared that if he wandered too far, he might get lost. Especially in the state that he was in at that moment.
After several misses of trying to get the key in to the ignition, Todd finally got it. Driving out of the parking lot, Todd let his foot floor the accelerator, not caring how much over the speed limit he was doing. Todd knew very well that what he was doing was foolish and irrisponsible. All he wanted was to continue to let out his anger. He turned on his 50 Cent CD, turning it up loud. He knew that Cadence hated the rap group, and the music in which they produced, wanting to do something he knew that she would hate and be annoyed by. Todd was so unbelievably angry with his girlfriend. He was half tempted to end things with her, but the other half of him knew that he couldn’t live without her and just wanted what was best for him. He was confused, knowing that he should wait until morning and his head was clear before making a decision about where their relationship should go. If he did something right then, he was pretty sure that he would be regretting it once he really was sober again. In a matter of hours, he had a feeling they would have talked, and everything would be fine between them.
But then, the thoughts of Cadence calling him fat and worthless came back to his pounding head all over again, causing him to grip the steering wheel tightly. His grasp was enough to cut off all circulation from his fingers as he sped up even more. The car made a noise which he was sure was unsafe. It sounded as if the engine was about to drop out from under the car at any moment, but that didn’t stop him. In fact, it just made him force the car to go even faster.
“Stupid bitch,” Todd slurred, “I wan to...make her pay n hurt her...like she...hurt me.”
Todd thought of ways to get even with Cadence, wondering what something he could say to her would be that would upset her emotionally. He thought of bringing up things from her past that she’d been picked on for, but didn’t want to do that. It would be too cruel. Then again, why did he care. She hadn’t spared his feelings any.
Todd continued to speed, taking corners on the empty, deserted back road he’d decided to take, at unsafe speeds, swerving in to other lanes in the process. A couple of times, he went off of the road, jerking back on to it. If being plastered wasn’t enough, he was also tired. He hadn’t a clue as to where he was going. He was just driving aimlessly without any particular destination.
Todd, in the distance, could see a car coming the opposite way towards him in the distance. Flashes of glittering metal flashed as the sun reflected off of it. The closer it got, Todd saw two of it, and two of the road. He wasn’t sure which one was an illusion and which was the real thing. Todd veered over, taking the wrong way, headed straight towards the other car. Tires squealed as the other car skidded to a stop, and a horn blared, a hit for Todd to get back in to his own lane. The next few seconds went by in slow motion. Todd aimed right at the other car, hitting it head on going at speeds exceeding one hundred and twenty five miles per hour. He hit with such impact that the front ends of both cars smashed up, buckling and going in to the front seats of the cars, trapping both victims. The cars, no doubt, were totaled beyond repair. Todd’s car flipped over in mid air, landing on top of the other upside down, denting in the hood down to the seats. The sound of metal against metal screeched, grinding together, deafening to anyone who was conscious. Before any of this happened though, for Todd, everything went black on the first split second of impact.
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“Thanks for agreeing to see me today,” Dom smiled at Winona from across the picnic blanket he’d made up for her, “You won’t regret it.”
It was the day after the embarrassing club scene and Dom had knocked on Winona’s bedroom door, beings they were staying in the same apartment during the duration of their stay, begging her to speak with him. He had apologized, swallowing his pride in doing so. Once she forgave him, or at least said that she did, he had moved onto asking her to see him the next day. That was a challenge in itself, for Winona wasn’t sure she wanted to be alone with him. Nick had asked her to spend the day with him. She was still waiting on him to call her and take her up on the offer. He hadn’t though. Dom had persisted, and Winona finally agreed.
Now, they sat in the special place that Dom had taken her to the day before. It was beautiful, Winona had to admit. It was so secluded and private. That’s what she liked so much about it, she figured.
“No problem,” Winona smiled, “And I know I won’t. You’re a great guy. I’d like to get to know you better.”
That was the truth. She wanted to get to know A.J. and Nick better too. Dom just didn’t know that, and he wouldn’t either.
“I’m sorry for causing a scene last night,” Dom said, apologizing again, “I...I don’t know what came over me. Seeing Nick with you cause something to go off.”
Winona sighed. She supposed that it was sweet of Dom to not want to see her with any other guys. But then again, jealousy was never a good thing. She didn’t know if she really wanted to have a guy who would go mental on her every time she so much as spoke with another species of his own sex. That would cause problems. There was one thing to add to the negative side of Dom’s list.
“It’s fine,” Winona said after her pause, “But you have to realize that I am not dating either of you. You don’t own me.”
“It was rude of Nick to just...push me out of the way though,” Dom stated, scowling at the memory of it, “Bloody American.”
Winona couldn’t disagree. It had been very rude of Nick to butt in on her and Dom. She hadn’t thought of it that way before, but she did now, and could see why the man had been upset with the blonde bimbo. Then again, she was angry with Dom. He was insulting Americans in general, it seemed, and not just Nick.
“He’s...he’s Nick,” Winona said, feeling the need to defend the boy she’d just met, even though she had just met Dom too, “He’s expected by all to screw up.”
Dom rolled his eyes, “I’ve known him for years. I know this,” Dom paused, realizing he was souring the date, smiling sweetly at Winona, “You know what? Let’s not speak of this right yet. Let’s have a good time and enjoy ourselves.”
Winona grinned. That sounded like a great idea. She hadn’t wanted to spend the whole day talking about what a dumbass Nick was. She wanted to get to know Dom, and so far, she was seeing his undesirable jealous side. She needed to see if there was anything about him that she could find attractive in his personality.
“So, how do you think Glory will do in the show tomorrow?” Dom asked, taking the contents of the basket out and placing them on the blanket for them to enjoy.
Winona sat thoughtful for a moment as she picked up a small bag of red grapes and picked some out, popping them in to her mouth. She wasn’t sure how to answer.
“Glory is very talented,” was what ended up coming out, “I think she will do quite well. I mean, her pieces would not be shown if she wasn’t one of the best.”
Dom saw Winona pause hesitantly. He saw in her eyes that there was more to it than what she had said out loud.
“But,” Dom said, urging her to say the rest.
“But her father is going to be there. Who knows what will come of things since she isn’t exactly thrilled to be speaking to him.”
Dom shrugged, “I think she’ll be fine,” he said, staring intently at Winona. She was so gorgeous to him. She seemed to be intelligent, funny, sweet, caring. Everything he wanted in a woman. He was willing to quit playing games if he could have her as his own.
The two sat in silence as they enjoyed their lunch that Dom had packed for them. Winona wondered what Glory would think if she knew that she was back to considering Dom an option. She cringed at the thought. Then she decided that she was a grown woman, capable of making her own choices. Dom was a grown man, capable of making his own. If they wanted to be together, then so be it, they would be, disapproval or not.
Winona looked at Dom and could tell that he was deep in thought. Taking a sip of her diet Coke, she tilted her head to one size, trying to analyze his thoughts, but couldn’t.
‘Whatcha thinkin bout?” she asked then.
Dom looked up, distracted. It was obvious that he hadn’t realized the daze in which he had been in. Winona laughed at the confused look on his adorable features.
“Huh?” he asked
“I asked what you were thinking,”
Dom smiled, “Oh, just how amazing you are.”
Winona blushed, not used to compliments of that sort. She was eating up all of the attention that she was receiving from all three men. She didn’t want it to end.
Suddenly, Winona’s head snapped up, “I left my cell phone in the car,”she stated, “I need to go and get it.”
Dom smiled, as Winona took a quick gulp of her Coke, got up and rushed towards the car. He was feeling bold, doing something that went back to his old ways, as he watched her open the door and reach inside to grab the cell from the distance.
Dom layed out on the blanket as Winona shut the door and ran back to him, looking at the phone to check for missed calls or messages. When she slid it in to her pocket and looked up at him though, she drew back, stunned. Dom lay there completely naked, his clothes strewn off to the side. Dom had whipped cream sprayed over parts of his body, a trail of strawberries thrown carelessly about. Winona’s eyes widened. She didn’t know what to do. This was definitely not something she had expected to happen. ‘Come here, babe,” Dom cooed, seductively, reaching out and tugging out at Winona’s leg for her to come near, hoping she would strip down and join him on the ground.
Winona just stood there staring, her mouth agape, her eyes still wide with shock. It was clear that she hadn’t expected his move.
“What do you think you’re doing,” she whipsered shrilly
“I just thought...”
“Glory was right,” Winona stated loudly, interrupting him, “Glory was right about you. All you care about is a piece of ass. All English men want is sex. They are horny bastards. You’re no different. All you want from me is sex.”
She shook her head in disbelief at how insensitive he had turned out to be.
Dom’s eyes widened. He hadn’t even thought about the impression that he would be giving Winona. He truly was just showing Winona that Glory was right about him. He wanted to change for Winona, and he’d possibly just ruined any chance at that.
“That’s totally stereotypical,” Dom stated in reference to her comment about English men.
Winona refused to respond. She wanted nothing to do with him. He wasn’t what she had thought he was. Why hadn’t she listened to her best friend’s warning?
“I’m sorry,” Dom said right away, getting up and quickly sliding his jeans back on, slipping his shirt over his head, “I wasn’t thinking.”
“I want to go back,” Winona told him stiffly, “I think it would be best.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Dom said, “I’m truly sorry.”
Tears threatened to fall from from Winona’s eyes. She squeezed them shut though, willing them away. She had to stay strong.
“You violated me, Dom,” Winona said so calmly that it scared her. All she wanted to do was scream at him, “I want to go back.”
Dom just nodded, knowing that there would be no convincing her that the had made a stupid mistake. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, knowing that he had fucked up big time, as hethrew everything back into the basket, picking it and the blanket up and taking it to the car with Winona behind him. He threw them in to the back seat, and opened the passenger door for Winona. She got inside, staying as close to the door as possible. She didn’t trust the man any longer. He had betrayed her trust.
Winona tried again not to cry as Dom started the car and drove away, fulfilling her request and taking her back. They endured the whole ride in silence. This knocked her decision down to having to chose between two men. Dom had been knocked out completely. The hardest part about this whole thing would be admitting to Glory that she had been correct. She could almost see he triumphant “I told you so” grin on her face already.
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“He expected you to have sex with him?” Glory practically screamed incredulously, “Dom actually thought you would...” she was so upset that she couldn’t finish her sentence.
Winona had just walked in the door, or rather flew through the door, in front of Dom. Dom had come through a minute later, sulking, shoulders hunched as he trudged to his room. Glory had immediately known something was wrong by the way Dom was pouting and Winona coming in to the building in a huff. Winona had plopped down on to one of the bar stools at the counter, crossing her arms over her chest as she affixiated her eyes one the photo of Glory and Dom which was on the fridge, glaring at it. Glory had asked her what was wrong, and after much prying, which had been something like pulling teeth, Winona finally spilled...everything.
“Shhh,” Winona scolded, “He is in the other room, you know. I don’t want him to know that I told you.””
“I don’t care,” Glory yelled, “He expected...he...after I told him.” Glory stuttered, before yelling, “No. Dom is a dead man now.”
Glory hopped off of the bar stool she’d been sitting at, charging straight towards Dom’s room. Winona stared at her in horror though before grabbing her arm and yanking her back to stop her from doing...well, doing something that was just so Glory.
“No,” Winona growled in a low voice, “Just leave it be. I’m ignoring his stupid sex-craved ass.”
Glory growled, knowing that Winona ignoring him would just have to do. She was, however, going to have a talk with Orlando about it. If she had any say in the matter, Dom would be sleeping in a hotel for the rest of his stay.
“For the record, I’m sorry that he did that to you,” Glory stated, but then ruined it by opening her mouth again, “But I did tell you...”
“That he was like that.” Winona finished, “Don’t remind me.”
Glory walked over to Winona and gave her a comforting hug, knowing that she must be scarred after seeing what she had. She was about to reply when there was a knock on the door.
“Be right back,” she muttered, her accent coming out slightly, “Who in bloody hell is here now?”
Unlocking the door, Glory opened it to find Cadence on the other side, grinning at her.
“Hey,” she greeted, throwing her arms around her smaller, blonde friend, “What’s up?”
Glory just stared for a second, wondering if Cadence being there was a figment of her imagination. Sticking a finger out, she poked Cadence in the shoulder to make sure she was real.
“Oh my god,” she muttered, “What are you doing here...we...I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow morning, right before the show.”
Glory opened the door wider, letting Cadence in. Cadence walked over to Winona, sitting next to her as she looked around the place in awe. She had to hand it to Glory...she’d done well....very, very well.
“Todd and I had a fight,” she explained, “He walked out, and when I woke up and he still wasn’t there, I decided to just pick up and leave early. I don’t have to deal with that kind of crap from him. If he’s gonna walk out, so am I.”
Winona laughed at just how much her friend truly had changed. When they’d first become friends, the girl was quiet and never spoke what was really on her mind, afraid she would embarrass herself or hurt someone. Over the years, she had come out of her shell slowly, and now, she was outspoken, stood up for herself and was blunt and to the point on issues that she strongly believed in. Todd was becoming one of those issues.
“What happened?” Glory asked, wondering just what the boy had done this time to piss her friend off, “I mean, he just moved in, and you’re already walking out on one another?” She slapped her forehead with her palm, “Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea.”
Cadence laughed, “I woke up, and he’d eaten, well, let’s just say way more than he needed to. Something inside of me snapped, and I completely went off on him. He got his ego bruised, and left.” Cadence shrugged as if it were an every day occasion. “You don’t seem to upset about that,” Winona observed, “I remember a time when you would be bawling when you fought...for days.”
“I cried last night, but woke up this morning with a different attitude, and here I am,” she grinned, “Surprise.”
Glory hugged her friend again, happy that she’d come early as well as the fact that she was moving on, even as Todd acted like an idiot. She’d always let it be known that she thought that Cadence could do way better, but she never listened.
“Things will be better when I get back,” Cadence said with confidence, “I’m almost one-hundred percent sure of it.”
“Well, you’re not the only one having guy problems,” Glory stated, “Just ask Winona what my darling friend did to her.” her voice dripped with sarcasm at the last statement.
Cadence looked over at Winona expectantly, wanting to know what Nick had done to her, not even thinking that it could have been the other friend.
“He wanted me to have...he thought I would be willing to fuck him,” Winona said, “Stupid pig.” there was a sense of hate in her eyes.
Cadence’s eyes widened, “Nick did what?”
“Dom,” Winona corrected, taking Cadence by surprise, “I so should have gone out with Nick instead today.”
“Oh no, you shouldn’t have,” Glory corrected, giving Winona a threatening glare, “No Nicky. He’s not much better.”
Winona rolled her eyes. She had a feeling that Nick would be much more respectful of her if they were ever alone together again. She wasn’t sure how likely that was though, considering the previous events that had just happened. Winona sighed. Why did life have to be so god damned difficult sometimes?
“Anyways,” Cadence said, wanting to change the subject. The topic of men was obviously a sensitive one for all of them at that moment, “I really love what you’ve done with this place...amazing. And the kitchen...I could have fun in here.”
“Told ya so,” Winona grinned, elbowing Glory.
“Good, then you can do all of the cooking,” she joked.
Cadence laughed as her two friends lunged at her to give her another hug. She didn’t know what had come over her.
“So glad you’re here,” Glory said, “Makes me feel more important than Todd for once in my life since your relationship started.”
“You are anyways,” Cadence promised.
Glory raised an eyebrow skeptically. She was sure that this was true, but Cadence did a lousy job of proving it. Just then, another knock came at the door. Glory threw her arms in to the air in frustration, letting out a growl.
“Who now?” she almost yelled.
Walking to the door in obvious annoyance, she swung it open, startled to see who had come to see her this time.
“A.J?” she asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you too,” he laughed, “I came last night, but you weren’t here. I waited until about two in the morning, but decided to get a hotel and try back later on.”
Glory hugged her friend, leading him inside, “You didn’t answer my question though.” she reminded him, and then asked again “What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you to come to my showings. You said you had BSB stuff to take care of.”
“More important things here,” he stated, shooting a charming grin in Winona’s direction. She smiled back sweetly. A.J. decided to get right to the point of things, “So, where is Nick? I desperately need to speak with him.”
Glory shrugged, “I don’t know. Might want to check the Ritz Hotel. That is where Viggo is staying. I assume he is too." .
A.J. sucked in a breath. That was where he had checked in to as well. How could he have missed he blonde fuzz ball?
“Winona, I’ll catch up with you later,” he said, “I have to get there to speak with sweet Nickolas Carter.”
And with that, he was gone again, leaving the three girls to sit there in confusion, wondering what that had all been about.
“I don’t know what you two thing,” Glory stated, “But I caught on that he isn’t too pleased with Nick.”
The others laughed, seeing that she was right. The question was, what had Nick done to piss A.J. off? If they only knew that Winona had an enormous part to do with his anger.
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The next day rolled around before any of them had time to blink, it seemed. They’d all awoken early to go to the museum and help Glory set up. Dom kept on trying to speak with Winona, but she wouldn’t hear of it, walking away every time he came within five feet of her.
With the help of her friends, Glory brought all five of her paintings in to the hotel, setting them up in their designated showing spot. Setting three of them on easels, and hanging the other two on the wall behind, Glory stepped back on shaking legs to take a look at what she had produced. She nervously scanned her eyes over them, her confidence in their turnout fading as nervousness washed over. She looked around at the other artists works, wondering if hers had turned out to be even half of what the others were.
“Do they look okay where they are, or should I move them around a little?” She asked, “I mean, they may look better if I switch them and stuff.”
“They look great the way they are,” Nick complimented, walking up to her, “I can’t believe that the big day is finally here.”
“Yeah, and don’t fuck it up, got it, Carter?” Glory warned, pointing a finger at Nick, giving him a look that told him that she was dead serious.
Nick held his hands up in protest, “I won’t. Gawd, why would I ruin this for you. I mean, jeez. Know how important this is to you.”
Glory nodded in satisfaction with his answer, knowing that he wouldn’t be dumb enough to do something so Nick. Not on this day. Looking around, she watched as more canvases were brought in, wrapped in sheets to protect them. She looked around at those which were already up as knots formed in her stomach again.
“Wow,” she gasped, “Some of these are exquisite. I...maybe mine aren’t good enough to be here. I mean, look around.”
Her fears were piling on all at once. Her normal “I don’t care” attitude was washing away as fear and nervousness came over. Those were definitely not normal Glory emotions.
“Relax, love,” Orlando stated, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms lovingly around her waist, “Yours are absolutely marvelous. The judges will love them.”
“He’s right,” Cadence piped up, staring at the paintings in astonishment, “If I had this kind of talent, I’d put some use to it.”
Glory laughed, becoming less tense at her friend’s complimenting. She knew that she was good...great, in fact, but being there with others who were equally as talented was scaring her in a way she didn’t think to be possible.
“When do the judges come out?” Winona asked.
Glory looked at her watch, “Um, well, it is about eight now,” she heard groans at the reminder of her dragging them all out of bed so early, “The judges should start coming out at around three or so. So, um, in seven hours. And then they present awards and ribbons and such.” Glory hoped that she received an award for her hard efforts.
“So why did we get here so early?” Nick whined, “I mean, one hour would have been plenty long enough before.”
Everyone stated at Nick as if he had grown two heads. He was appearantly the only one who didn’t understand the concept of arriving so early.
“You worry me, Nick,” Glory stated, shaking her head, “Just, shut up and be pretty.”
Snickers came from all around as Nick stuck out his bottom lip in an insulted pout. He hated to be called ‘pretty’ It was a term used to describe girls, not twenty-four year old men.
Suddenly, the shrill ring of a phone cut through the large, open building, echoing throughout the entire place, the ring tone playing, “It’s Gotta Be You”. Looks came from all around as Cadence, blushing profusely, brought it out of her purse.
“Ever heard of vibrate,” Glory scowled, scolding her friend, “They look down upon cell phones in these types of things.”
“Sorry,” Cadence whispered, looking at the caller ID, not recognizing the number and bringing it to her ear.
“Hello?”
There was a pause that lasted no more than two seconds.
“Yes, this is Cadence.”
There was another pause as the others looked at their friend in curiosity. Her face turned ashen as the person on the other end spoke.
“Oh my god, is he okay?...Yes, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Cadence hung up the cell, and with shaky hands, placed it back in to her purse. She looked up, not trusting her voice to speak, not knowing if she could.
“It’s Todd,” she whispered, “He’s in the hospital.”
Tears formed in her eyes as she got hugs from all around her. She felt as if her chest were caving in on her.
“Is he okay?” Winona asked, concerned for the boy that they so often made fun of.
Cadence shook her head, “I don’t know...they wouldn’t tell me anything.” Her voice trembled as her body shook. She could read sympathy in all of her friends, new and old, eyes.
“Go,” Glory told her, “Go back there and be with him.
“But your show...”Cadence began, not wanting to miss her friend’s pieces being judged later on that afternoon.
“You came, that’s what matters. Todd needs you. Go. I’ll call and tell you how things went later, after everything, okay.”
Cadence hesitated before turning around and fleeing from the building to catch the next flight back to LA. She should arrive back just as Glory’s pieces were being judged, assuming her’s wouldn’t be until closer to the end. She felt guilty for leaving Glory, but she had to see if Todd was okay. She prayed that he was as she flagged down the next cab to pass. It stopped and she got inside, breathless, her face tear stained.
“To the airport,” she demanded softly, choking on tears, handing the man a fifty, hoping it would give him the insentive to get her there faster, and they were off..
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Nine hours later, Cadence flew through the doors of the hospital that they had told her Todd was stationed at, and up to the front desk. Her hair was in wild, frantic curls around her face, her features sickly. Pressing her hands against the ER desk firmly, she stared at the receptionist. Her breath came out in heaves.
“Where’s Todd,” she asked in a panic.
The receptionist looked up, blinking, “Excuse me?”
“Todd Mason. I was called...he was brought in. Where is he? Is he okay?”
The nurse typed in something on her computer, her expression unreadable. She was used to this kind of behavior from those close to the victim. Looking up, stated, “Mr. Mason is on the seventh floor...for trauma victims.”
“Oh my god,” Cadence whispered. Trauma was bad. Very bad.
“Go up, take the first left. Six rooms down on the right is the waiting room. You can wait there to get any information from the doctor. I’ll give him a page to let him know that you are here.”
Cadence nodded, not knowing what else to do as she ran to the elevator. Her legs were shaking as she stepped into the small box. The doors closed and she went upward. It stopped a few times on the way to the seventh floor, but she eventually reached her destination.
When the doors finally opened, Cadence dashed from the elevator, taking the direction that the nurse had given her. She stepped inside of the room that was supposedly the waiting room. It was completely deserted. Cadence wondered if she was in the right place as she wandered inside and took a seat. If this was the trauma waiting room, wouldn’t there be more people? Cadence wasn’t sure, but she suddenly wished that she wasn’t alone. She wanted her friends there with her, but they were helping Glory, just as she would have been. Cadence wondered if Glory’s pieces had been judged yet. If on cue, her cell started ringing. Picking it up, Cadence answered, somewhat in a daze.
“Hello,”
“How is he?” came Glory’s voice. It surprised Cadence that she cared.
“Don’t know yet,” Cadence answered in monotone, “How did the judges like your work?”
“They’re running late,” she could sense irritation in her friend’s voice, “Nick is growing restless. I fear what he will do.” Normally, Cadence would make a crack, making fun of Nick, but wasn’t in the mood. Nick acting like a mental case, with his short attention span, was the least of her worries.
“They are here now, but I still have quite a ways before they reach me,”
Cadence didn’t reply. She wasn’t in the mood to talk. She wanted someone there to console her when she got the blow of Todd’s condition, but she didn’t want to speak.
“Good luck,” she told her friend, sniffling a little, “You’ll do great.”
“Thanks,” Glory replied, “Hang in there, kay? I’ll check back in a few.”
“Okay,” was all Cadence said.
There was a long pause. Cadence just wanted to get off of the phone. She appriciated the concern, but just didn’t want to talk. Glory caught on to that.
“Well, I’ll talk to you later,” Glory said, “Bye.”
“Bye,” Cadence said, hanging up the phone and letting it slip through her fingers. It fell to the ground in a clatter, but Cadence didn’t make any attempt to pick it up.
Putting her elbows on her knees, Cadence buried her face in her hands. Why weren’t they telling her how bad off Todd was? Why weren’t they letting her know the extent of his injuries.
With new tears forming in her eyes, Cadence didn’t even try to stop them from falling. She knew she’d said some hurtful things to Todd, but it didn’t mean that she’d wanted this to happen. She wondered if he’d gone back to the apartment and saw her note. She wondered what had happened. Millions of things crossed her mind...suicide attempt, car accident, mugged, car jacked. Cadence didn’t know. She wanted to find out. She wanted to draw him in to her arms and tell him how sorry she was, and love him unconditionally.
Cadence was so deep in her own misery and thought that she didn’t hear someone else walking in to the room, distraught and also in a daze. He walked over, sitting just a few seats down from Cadence. It was then that she sensed the person’s presence, wondering why he had chosen that particular place to wait. There were at least thirty other seats in the room.
Cadence tried to ignore him, but with her crappy luck, he started talking. Unlike her, he wanted to speak.
“What are you waiting for?” he asked, his voice masculine, but full of saddness. The question had an obvious answer.
“My boyfriend...” she answered, looking up into a very familiar pair of green eyes. Wiping a tear away with her shirt sleeve, she wondered if she was dreaming, knowing very well that she wasn’t. Go figure, the day she meets the person she most wanted to ever, and she is in a hospital waiting room, looking like shit, “You’re...you’re Kevin Richarson.” she said, then winced at how stupid she sounded right then.
Kevin gave her a small smile, sticking out a hand to shake hers, “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you,” Cadence replied. All of the things she would have said to the man under normal circumstances wouldn’t come out. It wasn’t the time to tell him all of the things she would have liked to. Not there, not then.
His eyes were troubled, and suddenly Cadence wondered why he was there. She wondered if Glory knew him, and had sent him to her to be there until she and Winona could be.
“Why are you here,” she asked.
“My wife...Kristen,” he explained.
“I’m sorry,” Cadence said, meaning it, even after all of her dreams of ending up with the man, “Is she okay?” Kevin shrugged, “I don’t know. I haven’t been told anything other than she is here.”
“Same,” Cadence replied with a sigh, then thought of another question to ask, “What was Kristen doing in LA? And you? I thought you were in Chicago for a meeting with the Boys.”
“She was here for a modeling photo shoot,” he explained, “And I was in Chicago. I got a call from the hospital, and flew right out.”
Cadence could read that he was scared out of his mind. She knew how he felt. Dark circles hung under his tired eyes, but he couldn’t sleep. Not until he saw his wife and was assured that she was all right.
“I wish I knew where Nick and A.J. had run off to,” Kevin said, “They ran off after the meeting. I need to tell them.”
“London,” Cadence told him, a feeling of calm coming over her as she spoke to the man.
“What in the world are they doing in London?” Kevin asked, and then said, “And how do you know this?”
He looked at Cadence oddly, wondering if she were some sort of spy or journalist in disguise, just wanting a story, and she knew that she should explain. Chances were, he knew Glory. If the others did, then he would too.
“Nick went to win my best friends heart...and then A.J. showed up...I think he is mad with Nick.”
“Winona?”
Cadence nodded her head, “Yep, that would be her.”
“That’s the chick they both keep talking about....you know them...her?” Kevin looked very confused as he tried to comprehend all of this, “Wow, it’s a very small world after all. I can’t believe they would go to London for the girl though. I assume you know Glory too then?”
Cadence nodded, “I was helping her get ready for her showing when I got the call...” her voice trailed off as her lip quavered a bit, “I just want to know if Todd is okay.”
Kevin got up and moved to the chair right next to Cadence. Although they had barely just met, he pulled her gently in to his arms. They both had something in common, for their significant others were in the wretched place, and neither had a clue as to what was going on with them. Cadence let tears fall, and she could sense that Kevin was crying as well.
“We’re a sorry sight,” Kevin joked, “Don’t even know what’s wrong yet, and we’re already acting like this.”
Cadence sniffled, but smiled a little. He was right. For all she knew, Todd was just suffering a broken leg and she was getting all worked up for nothing.
“Yeah,” she said, “I always tend to overreact.”
“Same,” Kevin admitted, “I’m actually really sensitive. I don’t show it, because everyone expects me to be the strong one.”
She could tell that wondering what was going on with his wife was torturing him. She was being tortured as well. So when a doctor finally breezed in to the small room, both of them looked up expectantly.
“We have word on both of whom you are waiting on,” the tall, white haired man explained.
Kevin sucked in his breath. He could tell by the way the man held himself, that the news was not good. He feared what he would say.
“Mr. Richardson, your wife was hit head on by a drunk driver,” he stated, and saw fear fill Kevin’s eyes. Cadence feared for Kevin on what he was about to hear, “I’m sorry, but she was killed instantly on impact.”
Kevin squeezed his eyes shut as tears puddled his eyes. He sucked in his breath, and choked on a loud, wracking sob. Cadence’s heart went out to him. She put a comforting arm around his shoulder, feeling awkward. She stared at the doctor, waiting for him to deliver the news about Todd. She knew that it couldn’t be as bad as death.
“Miss Cusack,” the man said, “Todd is very bad off. He was in an accident with another vehicle. The other person died. He has massive head trauma, and is in a coma right now.”
Cadence gasped. She wasn’t hearing this. Not her Todd. She refused to believe it. She couldn’t. He couldn’t...
“What are you saying?” she whispered.
“To be bluntly honest, he’s in a coma that he will never wake from. In other words, he’s going to be a vegetable for the rest of his life.”
Cadence held her breath. Kevin had calmed down a little, but not much. Now it was her turn to let out her grief. If she hadn’t yelled at him, he would be safe at her apartment. If she hadn’t wanted him to move out to LA to make their relationship better. Now, they wouldn’t have one at all together, ever again.
After sucking in a few deep breaths and letting them all out slowly, Cadence got up enough courage to ask the doctor something before he left.
“The person in the other car...who was it?” she asked.
The doctor hesitated, looking highly uncomfortable. He glanced from Kevin back to Cadence, his eyes shifting every few seconds.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not authorized to share that information.”
“Please?” Cadence tried again, “I...my boyfriend killed someone. I want to write a letter to apologize for the grief he’s caused their family.”
Tears continued to stream down her cheeks. Cadence felt as if she were in a movie. She felt as if none of this were real. Reality had yet to sink in. She was just going along with the motions. Until things set in, she would be fine.
“Why write a letter when you can apologize to the family in person.”
Cadence froze, “Wha...what do you mean?” she asked.
Again, the doctor hesitated. He always hated to tell people bad news. It was the hardest, and by far the worst aspect of his career. This was a day that he wished would have never happened. He took in a breath before answering her question of concern and curiosity.
“The victim which Mr. Mason killed,” he began, “Was Kristen Richardson.”
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Glory breathed heavily, feeling as if she were hyperventalating. Never in her life had she been so nervous, and the more prolonged her judging was, the more panicky she became. Glory was, to be honest, about to just take off and forget the whole thing. She still hadn’t come face to face with her father yet either. She knew that it was coming though. She could feel it. She wanted to avoid it, but she promised Orlando she would speak with him. She paced back and forth, walking in circles like a chicken with her head cut off. Glory wanted to scream. She’d been cooped up in t he museum for going on ten hours now. She wondered how Cadence was holding up, and if she knew anything on Todd yet. She hoped more than anything, for Cadence’s sake, that her boyfriend was okay. If he wasn’t though, she knew with time that her friend would move on with time, after grieving and mourning for a bit, and find someone who was more suitable for her with time.
“Hey woman,” a voice came, and Glory turned around, seeing A.J there, “Sorry I’m running late getting here.”
Glory forced a shaky smile, “Hey,” she said.
A.J. spotted Winona wandering around, looking at other artwork nearby. Grinning, he slipped past Glory to join her.
“Hey, Winona,” he stated.
Winona jumped, startled. She whipped around, seeing A.J. there. Her eyes widened, surprised to see him there, talking to her.
“Hey,” she grinned, throwing her arms around him in a huge hug, “I’ve been wondering where you’ve been, boy.”
“At the hotel,” A.J. told her. He had been searching for Nick. He’d found out that the blonde was definitely staying at the same hotel, but had yet to run in to him. There at the showing was the perfect chance to confront him. It was also the perfect opportunity to talk it out, rather than get physical with him. There was no way he’d throw fists in Nick’s face right in the middle of the museum. He wouldn’t hurt Glory and her big moment like that for anything.
“So, are you enjoying your stay in London?” A.J. asked as he and Winona moved on to look at something else. He gently took her hand in his, loving the feel of it. The perfect fit in his own.
“Yes, I really am,” she smiled, “I love it.”
The two walked around for a little while. Winona kept her hand nestled in his for the entire time. The longer she was with him, the more she liked the man. He was incredible in so many ways. Winona really wanted to be with him, but she hadn’t gotten to know Nick well enough to make her choice. She didn’t know what was so difficult about making the decision and was seriously about to just write both names down, thrown them in to a hat, and draw one. That would be the easiest way to decide.
The two continued to walk in silence, turning around after looking at less than half of the exhibits, heading back to Glory’s station. They were just enjoying one another’s company. It had been a long day for both of them and Winona yawned.
“Tired?” A.J. asked
Winona nodded her head, and A.J. pulled her in close to his side, letting her head rest on his upper arm.
“I really like you, Winona,” A.J. stated.
“I really like you too,” she replied sleepily.
Just as they were in front of Glory’s paintings, Nick ran up to A.J., pushing him roughly away from Winona. Winona flew backwards a bit since they had been holding hands, but caught her balance before falling hard on her butt.
“What do you think you’re doing with my woman?” Nick asked.
“Excuse me?” A.J. asked, “She isn’t your woman.”
“Yeah, well, I saw her first,”
‘Glory wants her to be with me,”
Just then Dom walked up, hearing the argument about who Winona belonged to. He advanced towards them, joining in.
“Winona wants me. Just because we’re having problems doesn’t mean that we’re not still together.” he stated, clearing things up for the both of them, or so he thought.
A.J. turned to Dom, shoving him away roughly, “She doesn’t want you,” he shouted, “She wants me.” Winona closed her eyes as the fight continued. She wanted to disappear in to thin air. The men were acting so immature and childish that it wasn’t even funny. The way that they were acting, she didn’t want anything to do with any of them. A.J. had gone from acting sweet and sophisticated to a complete beast.
“Guys, stop it, NOW,” Winona demanded, but she was ignored as they continued to yell and shove one another.
‘Dom, AJ and Nickolas, quit it,” Glory screamed, “I’m panicking, and your bickering isn’t helping.”
They ignored her as well, and Glory was near tears as she watched them bicker and argue like women in a cat fight. She rarely got to the point of tears.
“If Winona wants you, then why did she see me yesterday,” Dom challenged.
“She wants to go on a small get away with me,” A.J. shot back.
The yelling continued, as well as the shoving as stares came from all around. Glory wondered where security was when she needed them most. She would have all three men kicked out so fast if she could just grab a hold of a security guard. Glory’s breath caught in her throat as the men got closer and closer to her paintings. Dom gave Nick one large push right at the one easel with the work of art which she was most proud of.
“Noooo,” she screamed.
But it was too late. Nick couldn’t catch his balance on time, falling in to the easel. The painting shook a little before falling off sideways. Nick fell straight back on to the easel. He lay there, stunned, his body aching.
“You ass,” Glory yelled at Dom, running over to
her painting and picking it up. She inspected it, looking for any damage at all. Luckily, there wasn’t any done to it and she breathed a sigh of relief. She’d been saved.
Nick stood up, holding his aching side as the others looked around ashamed and helpless. Glory picked up the easel, which was slightly broken, but would have to work a she set the painting back down on to it.
Winona was losing her temper quickly and it was only a matter of seconds before she blew her top. She tried to calm herself, but it wasn’t working like she wanted it to. No time at all now... Three...two...one...
“I don’t belong to any of you,” she shouted, “Dom, you are a pig. I don’t even want anything to do with you,” she began, ignoring the hurt in his eyes from his comment, “Nick, I...this is the second time you’ve picked a fight over me. I am not your girlfriend. Read my lips. And A.J.” she turned to face him, “You were at the top of my list, but then you had to ruin it by joining in with those other two...clowns. Right now, I’m not sure if I want to have anything to do with any of you.”
Now it was Glory’s turn to give them all a piece of her mind. She was so angry with them all, and she was embarrassed to have friends such as them.
“You are a disgrace to human nature...all of you,” she yelled, “Not only did you almost ruin one of my works,” she turned to Dom, blaming him for being the one to cause Nick to fall, “But you...you...argh, I am so angry I can’t think.” she let out a few noisy huffs of air, angrier than she’d been in a long time, “If you can’t act like mature adults, then you shouldn’t be here for me either. Next time, I’ll get a babysitter.”
With that, Glory spun around, ready to walk away to get a glass of something cold to drink and some fresh are to compose herself, but instead found herself face to face with her father.
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Cadence continued to stare at the doctor in shock. He hadn’t just said what she thought, had he? She didn’t want to believe it, but knew that it was true by the way Kevin tensed up beside her, sobbing harder all over again.
Turning to Kevin, she put an arm around him in comfort, “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, “I’m so sorry for what my idiot boyfriend did.”
Kevin didn’t say anything for a very long moment. Cadence wondered if he was going to speak to her, but wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to. Because of Todd, his wife was dead. Because of Todd, he was suffering. She was paying as well though. He would never wake up again. Todd might as well be dead.
“It’s not your fault,” Kevin told her, then turned to the doctor, who was still standing there. With the saddest, most grieving look Cadence had ever seen, he asked, “May I...can I please see Kristin one last time? To say goodbye?”
The doctor nodded, leading Kevin out of the room. He followed without another word, his expression somber. Cadence ran after them, wanting to see Todd. She needed to see him.
“Doctor,” she called out.
The two men stopped as Cadence caught up. Out of breath, she got up the courage to ask the question she knew she had to.
“Can I see Todd?” she asked, “Please.”
The doctor nodded. He dropped Kevin off first, leaving him alone with his wife. He then returned for Cadence. He took her on a journey which lasted about four doors down, leading her in to the Trauma ICU. He led her back to a bed, in a secluded corner.
“Take your time,” he stated, before turning and leaving, knowing that this would be the hardest experience of the young girls life. She needed to be alone.
Cadence timidly walked up to Todd. She could see already that he was hooked up to many machines. There was a breathing tube going down his throat. The only thing that wasn’t there, it seemed, was a respirator, doing the breathing for him. Taking one of his hands in hers, Cadence felt as if she were about to lose it. Tears fell down her face, as this wasn’t how things were supposed to end for them. It was funny how things changed so fast sometimes.
“Hi baby,” she said softly, “I know you can’t hear me...you might as well not even be alive. I just had to see you.”
She started to choke up, stopping to take in a deep breath. She had things that she needed to say. Things she had to get off of her chest. Her heart hurt, feeling as if it were being ripped up and shredded into pieces.
‘I don’t know why you had to go and get drunk,” she said softly, not trusting her voice to go any louder, “You aren’t even legal to drink, damnit. Now you killed an innocent woman and look where it got you.”
Cadence knew that reality was setting in. She was realizing that she had lost her boyfriend. Really, truly lost him. Bringing a hand to her mouth to stifle a loud sob she could feel coming, Cadence squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to hold the tears inside.
Bending down, Cadence kissed Todd on the forehead.
“I love you,” she said, her voice shaking, “I’m so sorry for causing you to run out. I love you so much....why do you have to be a damned vegetable for the rest of your life? Why?” she wailed, falling to the ground on her knees, crying harder than she ever had before. Cadence didn’t know how long she had been there, but after what seemed to be hours, she stood up, suddenly calm. She wondered if she’d fallen asleep. Standing up, she stared at Todd before turning and walking out of the room. She couldn’t promise she would go to see him again. He wouldn’t know it, and it was too hard on her.
Out in the open hallway again, Cadence begun walking, retracing her steps to find her way out of the hospital. She’d had enough of the place. She didn’t know where to go though. She couldn’t go back to her apartment. Not with all of Todd’s belongings there. It would be to hard on her this soon. She would have a breakdown if she went back just then.
Cadence was in such a distraught state that she didn’t notice someone coming up behind her, staying close for a few steps before speaking.
“How did it go,”
Cadence stopped, spinning around. Kevin was there. He looked awful, and she knew that whatever she had just gone through, his experience had been ten times worse.
“Okay...I wasn’t prepared,”
“Me neither,” Kevin stated as they walked together. He hurt so badly. He wasn’t sure he wanted to live, feeling the kind of pain that he did, “She was so...pale...and her lips..her nails...blue. She looked like she were sleeping, but her color wasn’t normal. God, I can....can’t beleive...that she...that she’s gone.” he stuttered as he choked up on his words.
Cadence stopped him, giving him a big hug. He needed one, and so did she. Cadence didn’t know how she was going to explain to her friends what had happened. She didn’t know how she would talk to his parents about it.
Pulling out of the hug, Cadence hated what had come of things. She felt that it was her fault that it had happened. If she hadn’t called him a rhino, to put it mildly, he would be alive.
“I need to leave,” Kevin stated, “I can’t be here..I need to get back.”
Cadence could tell that he was in a state of panic, not knowing what to do, or where to go. She understood.
“Thanks...for being there for me,” Kevin stated somberly, “No hard feelings....not your fault that it happened, so don’t think that it is.”
Cadence shrugged, “Thanks to you too. I didn’t want to be alone.”
There was a small pause. Neither knew what to do next, or who should begin the departure. Cadence started to walk away when Kevin stopped her again.
“I’m going to give you my number,” he started, pulling a pen out of his pocket and writing the number down on a piece of paper he’d found crumpled up inside his jeans. He handed it to Cadence and she looked at him strangely.
They’d both lost someone they loved, and he was giving her his number already, “In case you need to talk,” he explained, “We’re going through the same thing...it might help to talk, ya know.”
“Yeah, it might,” Cadence replied sadly, tucking the number away safely, before jotting her own number down for him and handing it over, “I might call you...” her voice trailed off, “You call me too if you need to.”
Kevin stared at the number for a long moment. When he looked up, he didn’t look directly at her, but rather past her. Neither said anything for another minute. Leaving would be like admitting that they were leaving a part of their past behind. They knew that it had to be done, but weren’t ready. The sooner though, the better. Kevin though, had the funeral to face. Cadence felt so sorry for him.
“Well, goodbye....for now,” Kevin said.
“Bye,” Cadence softly replied as they both walked in opposite directions. Cadence looked behind her as he walked away, his shoulders sagging sadly, his posture showing his depression. She had a feeling she’d be using his number a lot. She, after all, had nobody else to talk to that could relate to how much grief she was feeling.
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Skin created by Kali & edited by Karen.