SCENE ONE
Astonished, Kevin just stared at Chelsea for a moment in pure disbelief. Though he'd known Chelsea Lawson for quite some time, they'd never had the sort of relationship that would warrant either a slap or a hug. In fact, since her friendship with Chloe had cooled, he hadn't seen much of Chelsea at all. Yet her she was, assaulting him in a public place, for no apparent reason.
Or perhaps, he thought, this WAS a warranted slap. Had Jordan actually told her the truth? The concept was too much for Kevin to conceive, especially since they'd privately promised one another that their feelings would remain a distant emotion that'd never be mentioned after Jordan's wedding. Why would he now turn around and tell Chelsea about them?
"You have A LOT of damn nerve even showing your face here!" Chelsea asserted.
"Whoa...whoa what the hell is going on, and why are you freaking out right now?"
"Oh don't stand there like you have no idea where this is coming from!" her eyes drifted over to Jordan's room, and then she quieted her voice. "Jordan told me everything."
Immediately, Kevin closed his eyes and took a long deep breath. "Dammit."
"Wait...that's it? That's all you have to say? My friend is lying in a hospital bed, fighting for his life, and ALL you have to say is 'dammit', Kevin? DAMMIT, Kevin!" Chelsea pushed past him and headed down the other end of the hallway into the waiting room, leaving Kevin standing alone.
SCENE TWO
**Outside of Walnut Grove Academy*
The bell rang, and Mattie Ashby stood outside the school, awkwardly balancing her books in her arms. Dozens of students rushed out of the building, as if escaping prison, and though she herself had happened upon a random day of not wanting to be at school, she still found herself waiting around. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for, but then again...she had an idea.
It'd been two weeks since Reed had publicly humiliated her by dumping her in front of the entire school, and though he was still a heartless pig to her, there was no denying that she missed him. If it hadn't been for the support of Charlie who defended her, she probably wouldn't have made it through that entire ordeal, but despite how angry and betrayed she felt by Reed, she still stood there, waiting to catch a glimpse of him as he walked by. Perhaps if she were lucky, he'd smile in her direction, or maybe his new "girlfriend" Rachel Rhodes would trip and fall flat on her face as they walked by. There was no doubt in Mattie's mind that Rachel would be clinging onto Reed's arm like a cheap rag, which made her feel even more pathetic.
But sure enough, Mattie peered through the glass wall in the front of the school just as Reed headed out of his music class, carrying his large guitar case. A flood of emotion overcame her, just as it always did when she saw Reed, and she was unsure if she should grab him and slap him, or kiss him the way her heart wanted her to do.
Right on cue, Rachel Rhodes grabbed him by his left arm and headed down the hall with him, and Mattie closed her eyes. She slowly leaned against the bricked wall outside of the school and took a deep sigh. She wanted to storm into the school and tell Reed that she was sorry about calling the police and getting him arrested. She wanted to tell Rachel that she was nothing more than a common tramp and that Reed clearly wasn't interested in her outside of what she could do for him. The countless snapchat videos online with Reed and Rachel flashed before Mattie's eyes, and she winced a little at the thought, just as she felt an arm reach out and grab her from the bushes that she stood next to.
She opened her mouth to scream, but before she could, the hand covered her mouth, and her eyes opened wide, only to see Charlie standing in front of her. Immediately she frowned, and tried to murmur "what are you doing?" but failing, because her mouth was covered.
He warned "Shhh", before glancing around guiltily. "Mattie, I just really screwed up...and I need your help!" his voice just above a whisper, Charlie's deep brown eyes glared at his sister, and immediately she knew something was terribly wrong.
SCENE THREE
Lauren opened the door to her home, and looking around the living room, she half-frowned. "Fen?" dropping her briefcase on the floor, she headed deeper into her house. "Fenmore? Are you here?"
Quickly, Fenmore rushed from the back from his old bedroom, buttoning his shirt, and nervously he smiled. "Mom...what're you doing home so soon? I thought you had a meeting and-"
"Ahh...all of that stuff comes second to my SON. I mean, you didn't think I'd actually let you be here by yourself all day, after years of me LONGING for my youngest son to come home?" she smiled, throwing her arm around Fen. Glancing at him, she frowned. "Sweetheart, why are you sweating?"
"Oh, I uhh-" he awkwardly reached down to de-wrinkle his shirt, and then he chuckled. "It's uhh, it's hot in here. You're not hot?"
Narrowing her eyes, Lauren studied her son, and then she shrugged her shoulders and headed to the kitchen. "So I've decided, I'm going to actually surprise Michael and COOK. Yes, I know...your mother's going to cook. What a concept, right?"
As Lauren continued speaking, Fen found himself glancing back to his bedroom, praying that his mother would stay far far away. The last thing he needed was for his mom to find a woman in her home, especially so soon after his return. Besides, he'd heard from Scotty about Lauren's behavior toward Sharon, and he definitely didn't want that dynamic between she and Frankie.
"Are you listening to me?" Lauren quipped, snapping Fen from his private thoughts.
He shrugged. "Of course."
"Well good." she once again took one final look around the living room. "i'm going to get changed and ready to prep for dinner. And you can set the table, maybe? And we can catch up on things while I cook...this will be great."
Awkwardly he smiled. "Yeah...great.."
"Yeah, and while I'm changing, tell your friend back there to see herself out." Lauren answered with a slight wink, before chuckling and heading back to her bedroom.
SCENE FOUR
"Well would ya' look at that? Michael Baldwin...live and in living color."
With his back turned away from the door, Michael heard her voice and immediately a slight smirk creased his face. Slowly he turned around to see Rae Downing standing in the doorway. It'd been decades since he'd last seen her, and though time had had it's affect on him, it seemed to have benefitted her greatly. Her long brown hair was swept up neatly into a bun, and her slenderly curvacious body was molded by the fitted black dress she wore.
"Rae Downing." was all he could mutter as he turned and stood from his chair to embrace her.
He'd had several consultations before, but never with someone who knew him from childhood, especially not a former girlfriend. Rae Downing had been the one person in his adolescent years that could manage to keep him sane, through his tumultuous home life, and even the darkness that'd overtaken him as a teen. Truthfully, he felt a bit uncomfortable being alone with Rae. There were a mix of emotions flooding him. He loved her for understanding him at the most difficult time of his life, but he also pitied that she'd put up with so much from him. Looking at Rae Downing forced him to time travel to a time in his life that he'd understandably wanted to forget.
"And here I thought you moving to a place like Genoa City would make you old and out of touch." she replied, walking deeper into the room. She embraced him, and the smell of her perfume consumed him.
Michael closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before finally pulling away. "And look at YOU...you look amazing."
Rae's eyes drifted down a bit to the floor and then she sighed. "A car wreck with two brand new luxury cars is still a wreck...no matter how good they look."
Immediately Michael morphed back into professional mode, and he cleared his throat and sat back down. "Which I assume is what this consultation is all about..."
With pleading eyes, Rae looked at Michael and shook her head. "If it weren't an emergency, I wouldn't have called you. I mean, I'm aware that you've moved on with your life and seeing me may make you feel kind of freaked out."
"Understatement...but yes."
"Trust me Michael, I thought long and hard about who I could contact to represent me in this case...and I honestly could only think of one person. YOU."
Clearing his throat, Michael looked down at the papers in front of him. "Well, I reviewed the information you emailed me, and I must say...I'm not sure that representing you would be the best option. I mean, with our past and all."
"Listen, I understand that it may not be the best idea for my high school sweetheart to be my lawyer all of these years later, but Michael...if I didn't need this, I wouldn't have asked you, and I wouldn't have traveled all the way here from Detroit for this. I don't think you understand the severity of this case. I could be accused of MURDER here. And if I don't get off, I could spend the rest of my life in jail!"
Though he was well aware of this already, her words pierced him a little, and uncomfortably he turned his chair. "Have a seat, Ms. Downing." he murmured reluctantly.
SCENE ONE
Kevin watched Chelsea pace the floor in the waiting room, and throwing caution to the wind, he stormed in. With a stern yet gently pull, he turned Chelsea toward him and spoke, "Sometimes these things you can't control, okay? Yes, I've ruined a perfectly good relationship, albeit unhealthy if you ask me. YES, I'm a huge part of why Jordan is lying in that hospital bed right now fighting for his life, and YES I feel like crap about it. But do you know what, Chelsea? The last thing any of us need right now is you standing here in judgement."
"Is that the route you're taking this, Kevin? Really? You were having an emotional affair with a man who was engaged to be married...and now you are trying to blast me for telling you that you're wrong?"
"Fine! Fine, I'm WRONG. Does that make you feel any better to hear it from my mouth?" Kevin exclaimed aloud. "Look, since things went south with Chloe and me, I've struggled to find purpose. I've struggled to find purpose with LOVE...with this whole jumbled up ball of confusion that I have called my life. I swear I thought I'd lose my mind when I lost Chloe. And then she came back, and I thought for a moment that things would just kinda get back to normal, but they didn't. Now she's moved on with her life totally, and I'm just-...I've just been flailing along. I don't expect you to understand that, but-"
"I understand perfectly. The sainted woman you've been pining for is responsible for my husband's death, so yeah...I kinda know the feeling." Chelsea scoffed.
"And then it just-...it just HAPPENED." Kevin's eyes drifted off to the other side of the room, almost as if he were in a daze. "It started off so randomly and sure it was hella weird...but, it was REAL. It was something that just overtook me from our first conversation. For the first time in years...hell, for the first time since JANA, I felt a connection with someone that didn't seem forced. It didn't make me feel inferior. When I'm with Jordan, I don't feel like he's doing me a favor by talking to me, which in all honesty was sometimes the way I felt dating Chloe."
Chelsea closed her eyes and looked down, almost in disgust.
"He LISTENED to me, Chelsea. He listened to all of my ridiculous rants and raves about Chloe Mitchell and how badly I needed to be with her, and he didn't judge me. He didn't make me feel like a loser, and above all of that, he made me feel like I DESERVED to be with the person of my dreams." His eyes filled with tears, which he quickly brushed away. "I guess it kinda means a lot to a guy like me to be made to feel that to SOMEONE, somewhere...I'm the guy of their dreams. I never saw myself that way before Jordan. And sure, he was with Lily, but there was something about him that made me want more than just a conversation between friends. I didn't want to be his 'bro', and I no longer wanted to meet up and talk about Chloe. I wanted to talk about him...I wanted to know everything that there was to know about him, and before I knew it, I found myself always thinking about him. I wanted to know where Jordan was, what Jordan was doing, how Jordan was feeling..."
"This is NOT a love story, Kevin. And if you think it is, you're sadly mistak-"
"Have you ever loved someone so much that the consequences of it no longer mattered? Huh? Have you ever gone against every instinct, every bit of morals you were ever taught, and every question in your mind, and just taken a chance on love because you didn't see how you'd be able to survive without it?"
For a brief moment, Chelsea thought about Adam, and though she totally identified with Kevin's words, she stubbornly lifted her head. "There's a woman in there who if she learns of this, will have her heart BROKEN. I hope your own selfish emotions are worth it." she replied sternly, before pushing past Kevin and exiting the waiting room.
SCENE TWO
Mattie stormed into their home behind Charlie, and after slamming the front door shut, she frowned once again. "You did WHAT?"
"I said I hit him!" Charlie exclaimed. "I was so angry...after find out what Jordan did with Kevin-"
"This isn't making any sense." Mattie interrupted as she sat down on the couch, trying to wrap her head around this latest revelation. "Jordan isn't gay...I didn't think Kevin would be g-"
"I know what I saw!" Charlie replied quickly. "And I immediately thought about everything that mom went through with Dad and the whole Juliet thing, and the thought of her heart being broken again made me so angry."
"So you just climbed into your car and tried to make the guy roadkill?" Mattie shook her head. "You're crazy."
"Yeah, I was crazy for a moment, okay? Look, I don't need a lecture from you right now. What I need is your help."
"Help? How the hell am I supposed to help you out of this one?" Mattie questioned. "No, no you can't squirm your way out of it. I'm pretty sure Jordan saw you behind the wheel of that car, and fingers crossed...if he survives, he's going to tell the police that you were the one trying to kill him."
"I wasn't trying to kill him. I just wanted-...I don't know. I wanted him to hurt. And I wanted to stop the wedding, but I didn't want to be the one to have to face Mom and tell her the truth."
The room grew silent for a moment, and then slowly Mattie glanced over to Charlie. "You're sure you saw Jordan and Kevin...together?"
With a nod, Charlie looked around the house. "We have to do something." he responded.
"I'm not sure that I want to be a part of this."
"Oh what...you want to see your brother spend the rest of his life behind bars?"
"You know that's not what I want."
"Well fine then." he answered, stepping forward. "Then you'll help me."
"Help you HOW?"
Charlie sat next to Mattie on the couch and looked at her. "Well, I mean...Jordan's the kind of guy that is really big on self image, right? He wouldn't want the entire world to know that he was making out with some other guy, and he wouldn't want to be Genoa City's newest creep on The Hilary Hour. I'm thinking...we get down there, and we tell him that if he rats me out to the cops, we'll expose him in the press for the piece of crap jerk that he is."
Sarcastically Mattie smiled. "Well nothing says summer vacation quite like a little bit of blackmail, right?"
Unamused, Charlie glared at her. "Sis, this isn't a joke. I need you." With that, he held out his hand for a shake. "So are you in, or are you out?"
SCENE THREE
Fenmore watched Frankie quickly exit the apartment, and regretfully he imagined all of the dirty things he'd planned on doing to her. Her long hair flowed in the wind as she boarded the elevator in the hallway, and almost as if hypnotized, Fen stood frozen, glaring her at from behind.
Finally, he closed the door, but remained frozen, letting his head hit the inside of the door. He sighed with disappointment, as Lauren's voice cut through.
"Nice heels she had there."
"Mom...not now."
"Well I was merely complimenting the woman's choice in footwear. Now YOUR choice in women is a bit more...questionable."
"I'm going to lay down." Fen spoke as he took off away from the door and toward his bedroom.
"She seems a bit old for you, don't you think? I mean...she's clearly hit quite a few more milestones in life than you. Pretty, but those crow's feet always tell the real story."
"Mom...REALLY?"
"Nothing a little Jabot product can't cure." Lauren chuckled. "Look, I'm only kidding, alright? Fen, you don't have to hide your girlfriends from me. I'm not a monster."
Awkwardly he nodded.
"And I know Scotty has probably filled your head with a lot of jibberish about his relationship with Sharon and how I objected to it...but that was different. I mean, Sharon is a certified loon most of the time, and-"
"Mom...I love you." Fen interrupted with a chuckle, before walking over to her and embracing her.
Quickly, she reached out her arm to keep him away. "Whoa, whoa...you should probably go shower first. I'm not too sure what I walked into earlier."
With a giggle, Fenmore turned to head to the shower, as Lauren smiled and shook her head. She was just glad that her son was back home. For the first time in quite a while, things for the Baldwin family were finally looking up, and she wasn't about to let anything or anyone ruin that.
...especially not a woman.
SCENE FOUR
"His name was Jared Holmes. We were married for almost 15 years, and in the beginning, things were pretty great." Rae crossed her legs in the chair and looked deeply into Michael's eyes. "But then...well, I started noticing things. Things like he was staying out all night and coming home in the wee hours of the morning. I questioned him about it, and at first he'd just brush it off and tell me he was working late, but after a while, whenever I'd ask...he'd go into hysterics. A couple of years ago, I woke up one day and decided to surprise him for his birthday. So I dressed in this sexy lingerie, and let my hair down...and I waltzed into his office, only to see some other guy sitting at his desk. When I questioned where Jared was, I was told that Jared had been fired almost six months prior."
Michael's eyes widened, but he continued jotting things down on his paper.
"My first thought was...'how could Jared LIE to me?', but then...more importantly, I wondered how the hell we'd maintained this lifestyle we were living, if he were unemployed for six months. I mean Michael, I'm sure you remember that I can be a bit high strung at times, and I admit...I DO like the finer things in life. So the fact that none of our bills were behind, and there was no real difference in our bank accounts, gave me pause. So I went to him, and I asked him about it."
"And?"
"And he hit the roof. He told me not to question him, and that my job was to stay there, be pretty and look happy. And honestly Michael, that was the first time I looked at that man and didn't recognize him. And for the two years after that, I knew that I was living with a complete stranger."
Placing his pen down on the pad, Michael put his elbows on the table, and covered his face with his hands. "Okay uhh...Rae, listen. You know that I care about you and we have a history, but as your potential lawyer...I have to ask you this. I don't want you to blow up and even feel insulted...it's just protocol. You have to tell me now...Rae, did you kill your husband?"
END
