This is for Cece Week. Just a simple one, but there weren't many oneshots and I wanted to contribute, so I hope it's ok! :)
Cece didn't think she'd ever forget the day her best friend's life fell apart.
It was as vivid as a bad dream you couldn't shake, permanently etched into her brain. The vision of Jess stood in her doorway in that ridiculous trench coat, pale streaks down her cheeks, big eyes glued together with crusted mascara as she took shuddering breaths, was stuck behind her eyelids as she tried to pose for a hairdryer ad. Whenever she blinked she saw the pain and betrayal in Jess' face, like the remnants of a fireworks display burned into your vision.
She couldn't believe that anyone would cheat on Jess. Her Jess. She was a beacon, a bundle of positivity and kindness. If there was anyone in the world, the universe, who absolutely did not deserve to be cheated on, it was Jessica Day.
"Cecelia! I said you're a sensual temptress of healthy body and frizz-free shine. You're looking at me like you're trying to crack my lens with your mind."
Cece blinked. The photographer was waving his hands dramatically behind him, trying to find someone who could try to fix her, or replace her. "Models! They think the world revolves around them…"
"Sorry Luke, I'm good. Just lost it for a second there. It won't happen again, I promise."
Luke sighed and rolled his eyes. "Exactly. It's not your job to think. It's your job to swish your head around and look nice."
Cece pushed the door to her flat open with a loud puff of breath. It had been one of those days and she was desperate for a donut or a slice of pizza. She eyed the half eaten tub of Cherry Garcia Ben and Jerry's on the coffee table, drawing her mouth into a grimace. This was the hardest part of her glamorous career – resisting temptation.
Dropping her keys on the counter with a loud clatter, she shrugged off her leather jacket and made her way over to the couch, heels clicking on the hardwood floor. Jess was camped out on it in two day old pyjamas, blankets bundled around her, completely unresponsive as she stared at the TV, eyes glazed over.
"Babe." Cece said as she knelt down in front of her. She looked over her shoulder to see that the screen was just blank static. "Uhhm, what are you watching?"
Jess sniffed, running a finger under her nose before returning her hand to its former position under her chin. "DVD finished…" she replied in a weak voice. Cece pouted at her friend sympathetically, placing a hand on her back.
"When?"
"Maybe an hour. Maybe two."
"Jess, hon. You need to get up and get showered. You can't live like this."
Jess shook her head like a stubborn child and made a noise in her throat that sounded like "mmnnuhhhmmmuh." She squeezed her eyes shut and a lonely tear escaped, sliding down her nose.
"Monkey watch homosexual dance and cry like baby," Nadia sniggered in her thick accent as she entered the room in her usual silk robe. "She make wet on papa's couch. Send her away Cece."
Cece saw Jess' face twist up and knew another bout of tears was approaching. "Shut up Nadia," she shot back, rubbing Jess' arm. "She can stay as long as she wants."
Nadia just shrugged and pulled a cracker out of the tin on the counter. She nibbled at it as she retreated back to her room. "Scary eyes make snapchat of food and nails all day. What is they say… hashtag forever alone."
Cece closed her eyes briefly in exasperation as Nadia clicked her door shut behind her with a quiet cackle. Sometimes she wanted to strangle her roommate for her tactlessness, but she was so indestructible she was sure Nadia would just end up coming back and haunting her for the rest of her life, whispering and sniggering Russian into her ear.
Jess was totally blubbing now, scrolling through her phone and admiring photos of her and Spencer as a couple. Cece snatched the phone from her, outraged.
"Jess, why haven't you deleted these?! I told you to get rid of all the evidence of that whorebag. I'm deleting your photo album right now."
Jess reached both arms out, sitting up on the couch. "No! I want to keep some! At least let me keep the jam-boree photo, Mr. Trickle is in that one and he is the founder of the jam making competition! I can crop Spencer's head out of it… think of the instagram opportunities Cece!"
"What is this?" Cece's eyes widened as she scrolled to the next photo. Oh My God, she thought as she took in the sight of Spencer, sprawled out on Jess' bed, naked. She couldn't stop a snort of laughter from escaping her as Jess craned her neck to see.
"Oh my…stop looking! That's private, give it back!" Jess cried, trying to snatch the phone from Cece's grasp. She was staring at Jess in wonderment. First a striptease, now this? She was going to have to rethink everything she had previously thought about her so-called innocent best friend.
Jess was now huddled against the other end of the couch, arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed. The scowl and the pink tinge in her cheeks told Cece that she was pretty damn embarrassed. Cece thought it was brilliant. Respect, Jessica Day, respect.
"I'll tell you what. If you go and have a shower and change I'll give you your phone back, okay?" her voice was softer now as she gave Jess a comforting look. After what seemed like an incredibly long time of them staring each other down, Jess finally caved and gave a silent nod, heaving herself off the couch and heading for the bathroom, blankets dragging along the floor behind her.
Shaking her head, Cece smiled, proud of herself for a tremendous breakthrough. The stale stench of heartbreak was starting to really peeve the other models in the flat. She took another look down at the phone in her hand, suppressing a laugh as Spencer's ridiculous pose lit up the screen once more.
Her head suddenly snapped up to the bathroom doorway. She couldn't, could she? She bit her lip. Jess would kill her.
No, she wouldn't, surely. She lifted the phone to her eye level and examined the photo. It was too good. Too good to pass up. No. She was doing it.
She pulled her own phone out of her bag and tapped through her contacts. She always knew Larry would come in handy one day. Hearing it start to ring, she pushed it against her ear.
"Hello?"
"Hi Larry, it's Cece. I need a favour."
Ten minutes later, a freshly showered and dressed Jess slumped on the couch as Cece approached from the kitchen. She placed a mug of tea and her phone on the table. Jess smiled up at her.
"Thanks Ceec. I needed that."
"No problem. You remember that time in college when I caught Yanniv making out with that blonde behind the poolhouse? You fed me marshmallow fluff and watched Drive Me Crazy with me for a whole weekend. You even skipped a class so you could braid my hair and make me look amazing for my first day back with him. If anything, I owe you babe."
Jess' grin grew wider. "I'm so glad you're my best friend Cece," she said, reaching for her tea.
Jess was driving the two of them to their favourite out of town bar a few days later when Cece pulled the glove compartment open, removing Jess' favourite Taylor Swift CD. She waved it in the air and Jess glanced over before letting out a squeal.
"Really? But you hate this CD! What has come over you?" she gasped, breathless with excitement as the CD was inserted in the player. Cece scrolled through the tracks before settling on the right song. Boppy country music filled the car and Cece glanced over to see Jess tapping her hands on the wheel in time with the beat. She shrugged. "I thought we should have a soundtrack."
Jess shot her a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?"
Moment of truth Cece. She took a deep breath, pointing ahead of them. Jess squinted through the windscreen, looking for what her friend was gesturing at. She continued this for a few more seconds. "I don't see-"
She gasped. Up ahead by the side of the road was a small billboard, around three metres wide. On the billboard was a blown up version of the photo from Jess' phone. Spencer lay sprawled out over it, his private parts the only censored area. At the top of the board, in advert style, were the words 'Gonorrhoea is not sexy. If you feel a burn, take concern.'
Jess was silent as they drove past, the headlights reflecting harshly against the poster. Cece was watching her with bated breath. She had deliberately chosen a smaller size board and a more deserted road location because she knew that Jess, unlike her, had boundaries. If it had been herself, she would have had flyers made and thrown them from the top of a ten storey building.
The Taylor Swift song was still playing. 'She should keep in line, she should keep in line, there is nothing I do better than revenge.'
Then Cece saw her best friend's face crack wide open. Jess clutched the steering wheel tightly as she looked at Cece with huge eyes, the biggest smile she had ever seen breaking out. It was like watching the sun come up over the horizon. She felt a weight lift from the car and she couldn't contain her own grin.
Jess dissolved into fits of loud belly laughs, tears pricking her eyes. The two girls cracked up together, cranking up the volume and singing loudly, cheeks and stomachs aching. In that glorious moment, with Jess using one arm to steer and the other to do a rodeo dance move as she belted out the chorus, Cece sticking her arm out of the window and cheering, they knew the worst was finally over, and things really weren't going to be that bad.
It was time to start again.
Jess wiped a different kind of tear from her eye this time. "Ah," she exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "I do love you Cece."