Hey everyone. I feel like I say this every time, but… I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. Hopefully I'll get back on track now the driver's ed is over (!!!!!!!).
Now, some of you may recall where we left off. The next scene in the movie concerning Ian is one that broke many hearts: the breakup. So here it is, fleshed out in all its dramatic glory: Chapter number seven!
PPP
The next couple of weeks were a blissful blur of work, family, and Daphne. Somehow, all of them got crushed into every day of the week, and I was tired, but happy. I was riding the ultimate high: I had a girlfriend I loved, a family that rocked, and I had almost finished saving for college. The band got a gig from none other than my girlfriend for her coming out party. It was all too good; I should have known that it wouldn't last.
We were coming back from a concert, still bobbing our heads to the music inside of them and singing the words a little off key- in other words, we were still having a blast. People who had seen us riding on my bike must've thought we were crazy, but we were okay with that.
They were so used to the two of us on my bike that I barely ever needed to slow down before the gates would open. Still laughing, we cruised up the drive and got off.
"I'm picking you up on Tuesday at eleven, got it?" I asked.
She rolled her eyes, then closed them, as if reciting from memory. "Strokes concert, eleven. Got it." She opened her eyes and grinned at me. "I'm going to have to go almost a full week without seeing you."
I kissed her. "You'll survive."
"And if I don't," she continued dramatically, "my only wish is that you haul my carcass to hear the dulcet tones of the Strokes one last time."
Snorting, I said, "Dulcet tones? And with the whole 'carcass' thing, you don't make this final date sound very romantic."
"It's not supposed to be romantic!" She made a face. "Well, maybe, but a depressing kind of romantic, what with you sobbing over my lifeless form and all."
"I've never been one to sob." After kissing her, I added, "So try to stay alive."
"I will. Just call me, or I might not make it."
I shook my head at her retreating form. "Good night, Daph."
She turned to flash one more grin at me. "'Night, Ian!"
That was the last time I saw her. Before there's any panic, no, she didn't die like she said she would. But after that, she was no longer herself.
When I called her the next night, she sounded funny. Distant, more reserved. She also quickly made an excuse to get off the phone quickly. At first, I didn't think much of it. Then it happened every following night. I noticed that in the papers, she wasn't smiling either; she looked unhappy, while her father climbed in the polls.
On Tuesday, I decided to act normally, and ask her about it sometime during the day. At least, that was the plan, until she walked into the room wearing clothes that would definitely be out of place at a concert. She also looked genuinely surprised to see me.
I cocked an eyebrow. "You're not wearing that to the Strokes concert, are you?"
Her face fell. "Oh, my God, I totally forgot." I exhaled in an 'aw, damn' sort of way. "Things have been so hectic."
"That's okay," I replied, trying to make my voice sound like it really was. "I'll wait for you to get changed."
"I can't go," she said, almost like it was obvious. My brow crinkled in confusion. "We're going to the Queen's garden party."
I stood there, dumbfounded, for a second. "Yeah, but-"
"I'm sorry." She sounded like she meant it.
A sort of cold washed over me. I couldn't help but think that the real Daphne would have at least told me. Or would have even blown off the Queen, as important as she was, because I was more important that some political figure who she barely knew. I couldn't keep the hurt and anger out of my eyes when I said, "Cool. Just… call me when Daphne re-inhabits your body." Then, ignoring the hurt look on her face, I left her. I got on my bike and drove away before she could come after me, if she even wanted to.
Okay, so it was a little low. But it was the whole week of her acting weird coming to a head. The Daphne I knew didn't wear pink ladylike suits with matching ladylike hats and heels, as the Daphne before me had. Maybe she'd decided to 'clean up' her act completely, but in doing so, she forgot to get rid of the half-breed she was dating. That was the only thing that still made her the oddball Daphne. I'd taken care of that for her, but that didn't make it sting any less. It probably made it hurt worse.
When I got home, I rushed to my room without greeting anyone. Chloe was reading Sleeping Beauty, which hurt too much to listen to now. I heard her pause as I rushed past the sitting room.
I slammed the door shut and pounded my fist against it in the sheer unfairness of it all. Why did these things always happen to me???
I turned around and slid slowly down the door till I was sitting on the ground, and buried my face in my hands, nearly crying. My own voice sounded in my head: I've never been one to sob. So try to stay alive. She hadn't, Daphne had died in between our meetings, but I couldn't even drag her dead body to the concert. All I could do was bawl over it.
There was a knock at the door, and Chloe's voice floated through it. "Ian?" I didn't answer her. Why couldn't she ever leave me to wallow alone?
She didn't ask again. I was jostled as my damned strong sister shoved at the door upon which I was leaning. She shoved again, and the door behind me opened a few inches. Knowing she wouldn't give up until she was in, I decided to make it easier for her. I got up and crossed to room to sit on my bed and put my head in my hands again.
Chloe came in, but didn't sit down on her own bed like she normally did. "Did she break up with you?"
Without lifting my head, I replied, "No."
"Then what happened?" I was worrying her- I could hear it in her voice.
"I broke up with her."
"Ian!" I heard her walk to her bed and sit. "Why?" The shock was now gone from her voice, and it had a much softer tone, more inviting.
I was able to look up at her, but my face must have alarmed her even more. "She wasn't Daphne. She came down in this pink suit, and said that she'd forgotten about the concert. She'd been so excited when I'd gotten the tickets… I could barely believe it. Then she said she couldn't go, because they were going to the Queen's garden party." I spat those words like they were poison. "So I left."
"Oh, Ian." She came over to my bed and sat next to me. "She'll come around."
"You didn't see her." I sat up a little straighter and turned to face my sister. "Last week, we were talking about how she'd die if she went a week without seeing me." I slumped again. "Talk about self-fulfilling prophecies."
"Ian!" That one held reprimand more than anything else. "She's not dead. She just needs to… wake up. You'll see."
"Like in Sleeping Beauty? Where I'm Prince Charming and I come to wake her up with true love's kiss?"
Chlo made a face. "You make it sound so corny. I like that story." Despite myself, one of the corners of my mouth crept up a fraction.
We sat in silence for a few moments before my sister said, "You must have done something really bad in a past life, because this sort of thing always happens to you. Did you break a mirror recently? Kill anyone before I was born?"
I smiled a little bigger and shook my head.
"Well, then, I'm sure it'll work out. God owes you one."
I wished I could believe her. But she didn't let me wallow anymore. I guess I was happy that she never left me alone. Bearing this by myself would just suck.
"So would it be really not funny if I grabbed the tickets and ran?"
I smiled again, but not the usual one I'd have given her at another time. "Yes."
"Well, then," she stood. "I'm going to finish my story. You can join us, if you want."
After she left the room, I stood and followed. Might as well listen to someone else's happy ending, even if I couldn't get one of my own.
I spent the next few weeks dreading Daphne's coming out ball. Yet the date loomed, and the band had to prepare. I tried to act as if it were some random girl we were going to be playing for, which worked to a certain extent, until I had to talk to Lord Dashwood. I'd wanted somebody else to do it. But, being the band leader, Alex made me call. To my surprise, it wasn't so terrible. The conversation was short, with no talk beyond business. I think, as fathers go, Daphne's was a bit more observant than most. He didn't even ask if I wanted to talk to Daphne, which would have made it more awkward than it already was.
We worked hard, practicing to get everything just right, because this was also our chance to redeem ourselves after the small disaster at the Orwood's.
Then, all too soon, the day came. Chloe wished me the usual luck as I left, but in her eyes, there was more to the luck than simply playing well. I rolled my eyes as I thought, Prince Charming, but then my stomach twisted in knots and I could joke no more.
We got there and set up in record time, probably because they could all feel the tension emanating from me. They all knew the situation, and the fact that I was uncomfortable. We also had a while to wait, under our instructions not to begin playing until Daphne arrived.
And arrive she did. The huge glass doors at the top of the grand staircase opened, and she stepped out in all her beauty. Every pair of eyes in the room followed her decent down the staircase. Her father met her. Neither of their faces held the emotion expected at a joyous occasion such as this. Lord Dashwood was never someone to display emotion very much, but Daphne was. And there was nothing there.
As instructed, the band struck up a simple tune, and I sang, "Just the way you look tonight." I did my best not to look at her too much, but that became unavoidable when she came over to me and said, "Hey."
The greeting that was usually a melody that rose in happiness went down, not the usual tune. Still a tune, but a sad one. I responded with a monotonous, "Hey." And I was apparently the singer of the two of us.
"Can we talk for a sec?" Her voice went up hopefully. I almost couldn't bear it. But I didn't want to talk to her. This wasn't the lively, vivacious girl that I loved, and I knew whatever she had to say to me wouldn't be satisfactory.
"It's your party; you can do whatever you want." There was no way she could miss the scorn in my voice.
"Ian…" she said, pleading, "I really didn't-"
"I don't want to hear about it Daph. What happened to the old you? The real you?"
I waited for her to wake up, like Chlo said she would. She didn't. She just looked hurt. I turned away from her, just so I wouldn't have to look at her. "Okay lads, let's, uh, let's pick up the tempo." Anything to distract me. They all looked back at me with sympathy in their eyes. I realized I couldn't look at that, either.
A few minutes later, Lord Dashwood led a blonde woman who looked a bit familiar onto the floor. Daphne's mother, I realized, as I started another of my songs.
Thank you for this moment
I've gotta say how beautiful you are
Of all the hopes and dreams I could have prayed for
Here you are
If I could have one dance forever
I would take you by the hand
Singing it hurt a bit. But instead of focusing on something that would just make me mess up, I focused on Daphne's parents.
Tonight it's you and I together
I'm so glad I'm your man
They were interesting, but I couldn't keep my mind off of the lyrics. I had written this song for Daphne.
And if I lived a thousand years
You know I never could explain
The way I lost my heart to you
That day
That day I'd been ridiculous, falling for a girl I barely knew. And after that, I forced my mind to stay blank for the rest of the song. I don't think it cooperated very well.
But if destiny decided I should look the other way
Then the world would never know
The greatest story ever told
And did I tell you that I love you
Tonight?
I don't hear the music
When I'm looking in your eyes
But I feel the rhythm of your body
Close to mine
It's the way we touch, it soothes me
It's the way we'll always be
Your kiss, your pretty smile
You know I'd die for
Oh baby
You're all I need
And if I lived a thousand years
You know I never could explain
The way I lost my heart to you
That day
But if destiny decided I should look the other way
Then the world would never know
The greatest story ever told
And did I tell you that I love you
Just how much I really need you
Did I tell you that I love you
Tonight
Tonight
And if I lived a thousand years
You know I never could explain
The way I lost my heart to you
That day
But if destiny decided I should look the other way
Then the world would never know
The greatest story ever told
And did I tell you that I love you
Just how much I really need you
Did I tell you that I love you tonight?
Somehow, I'd never gotten around to telling her that I loved her. And now I never would. The world will never know… I heaved a sigh before I realized someone was speaking to me. Lord Dashwood's fiancé, requesting the father-daughter dance. This would be especially painful. I sucked it up and made my face as pleasant as I could. "And now, the traditional father-daughter dance. Lord Dashwood?"
I saw him, then began singing, never thinking that something could go wrong. But when I accidentally looked at Lord Dashwood, he was dancing with a blonde. Clarissa. What happened to Daphne? With her mother nowhere in sight, I began to worry. But I kept singing.
I was probably not the first to notice the re-entry of the Reynolds into the room, but I think I was the first to notice the look on Daphne's face when she saw her father dancing with Clarissa. The real Daphne was back. I didn't know how I could tell- why was the look of hurt on her face any different than the looks of hurt that I had created? But it was there. Her dream to dance with her father, being shattered into a million pieces, right before her very eyes. Yes, the hurt was there, but there was anger, too, and shock.
I stopped singing immediately, catching people off guard, and everyone turned to see what the problem was. A beat after me, the music ended, too.
Her face never changing, Daphne walked over to the father-daughter couple.
"What are you doing?" Clarissa asked. What a prick. Like she didn't have every right to kill her just then.
"Finally giving you what you deserve." Someone who didn't know Daphne as well as I might have thought that she would punch her. But even the real Daphne had more class than that. She took the tiara off of her head. It looked old and precious, but I didn't know the real meaning behind it, having stopped talking to Daphne before she could tell me.
"Go ahead," she said, extending it towards her stepsister. Clarissa took it.
"I don't want it," she told her, voice filled with tears. Looking significantly at her father, she emphasized, "Any of it."
Had she looked at me with the same anger, I'd have known that she didn't want me, either. But she didn't. She didn't look at me at all.
She rushed out of the room, her mother on her heels after throwing a significant look at her ex. Lord Dashwood stood for a moment, stunned, then ran after the two of them. He must not have been successful in persuading them to stay, for he returned alone when the Queen arrived.
I'd have gone. To hell with the Queen and appearances. I would have followed her until the end of the world, or until she turned around. Whichever came first. I wouldn't have given up just because of my duty. Didn't Dashwood have any regard for his feelings at all? I was only staying because it would've hurt other people, had I left. None of the lads were so rich that I could bail out on them and limit their paychecks. They might have understood, but I didn't want to do that to them. And truth to tell, I was still in a bit of shock. Seeing the shiny, hard, new Daphne transform back into the slightly frayed Daphne I loved in the space of a second was disorienting. But it was still hard to remain where I was.
Even though the debutante was missing, the party dragged on. When it ended, I couldn't pack up fast enough. It was light out by the time I got home, and when I called the Dashwood manor, there was no Daphne. She was already gone. I swore quietly. They were gone. Daphne hadn't brought her cell phone, which wouldn't have worked overseas anyway, so I didn't have that number, and long-distance calls were expensive. My Cinderella had gotten away. I began banging my head against the wall.
PPP
And that, my ducks, is where I leave you. Again, I apologize profusely for the wait. Review and I might remember to write it faster. (waggles eyebrows)
And if you guys don't like me including all the lyrics to everything, please say so. There are no more songs, but I could cut out the lyrics.
Next: That really depressing period of time in the movie that takes up about two minutes with the song 'Half Life' playing in the background. Only I'm fleshing it out a little more.
