Special Friends
Chapter 25: Moving On
Trish's POV
I finish unloading my last box of belongings. This new apartment is a lot smaller than my house but it's better than being homeless. I hang a picture of me and Ashes up on the wall. He's getting so big. That picture was only taken last month and I can already see the difference in his size. His gray color has darkened and his tail has gotten a lot longer. I kneel next to him and he rubs his cheek up against my thigh.
Trish: You're a good boy, Ashy. (I give him a gentle kiss on the forehead and he meows up at me. He jumps into a box on the floor and meows louder this time. I chuckle at his outburst.)
Trish: What's up bud? (I pet him while he paws at something inside of the box. I look in the box to see what he was messing with and realize that it's a picture frame. I flip it over and see that it's a picture of John and I. Ashes rubs against the picture and meows. He must miss John. I stare down at the picture and unwillingly let my mind wonder.)
We look so happy. I remember when this was taken. It was on the night that he proposed to me. It's already been a month since the last time I saw him. Time goes so fast. My eyes lock on his face. He's so handsome. I miss him. I can't stay mad at him. It wasn't his fault what happened to our baby. It was that damn Mya's fault. She's the one who attacked me. I need to kick her ass. I had enough of her. She ruined my life. Maybe I should call him and try to sort things out.
John's POV
I glance at my watch. Shit. I'm already late for work. I should cut through the park and save some time. I hurry down the dirt path towards the small creek. This will save me at least 15 minutes. My cell phone starts ringing just as I reach the wooden bridge. I pull it out and it slips out of my hand. Before I can have any time to react it falls into the water.
John: Shit. (I kneel on the bridge and reach into the murky water for my cell phone. Something slimy and slithery slides through my fingers. I cringe at the thought. I hope that was a fish and not a snake. I feel the hard plastic dug into the sediment and snatch it up. I look at the screen and it's completely black. I sigh as I roll my eyes. Great. Now it's broken. I remain kneeling in the middle of the bridge for a second trying to calm myself down. This is gonna cost me a fortune. I didn't even pay this phone off yet. Now I have to pay for a new phone and the service.0. A woman's voice is heard behind me.)
Woman: You know, if you put your phone in a bag of rice for a few days it's supposed to dry it out. (I turn around to see a full figured woman smiling as she heads towards me. While I'm kneeling all I can see is her legs. My eyes slowly rise and I take her all in. She has an hour glass figure, long brown hair, and gorgeous green eyes. She greets me with a toothy grin as I slowly stagger to my feet.)
Woman: I wouldn't recommend trying to turn it on though for at least 2 days. You'll short circuit it. (I can't control my goofy grin. I stare at her in awe. I've never been struck by a woman like this before.)
John: Hi. (I can literally feel time slow down around me. All I can see and focus on is this woman. Who is she? I need to know her.)
Woman: Hi. (She smiles friendly as her brows furrow slightly.)
Woman: Are you okay?
John: Huh? (I realize that I'm gawking like a moron. I close my gaping mouth and clear my throat.)
John: Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. It's just... pfft. (I hold my busted cell up.)
John: You'd think newer technology would be more resistant, right? (I shake my head in disbelief. Not at what I said. At how I'm acting. Get it together, John. Stop acting like an idiot.)
John: I'm John. (I extend my hand to shake hers.)
Woman: I'm Eve. (She shakes my hand as I can't contain myself from staring at her. She's so beautiful. So her name is Eve. I want to get to know her. Everything about her.)
Trish's POV
I slam my phone down and let the tears pour. He hit ignore on my call. I know he did. It rang twice before going to voice mail. Why would he ignore me? He must hate me. I take a deep breath and wipe my eyes. No. I'm stronger than this. I don't need him and I sure as hell don't want him. I just had a moment of weakness, that's it. I can't try to contact him ever again. I know what would happen. He'd sweet talk me and I'll fall again. I can't let that happen.
This is all his fault after all. He promised me that our baby would be okay.
Flashback
I gaze up at John as he holds my hand. Punch is all over me and I feel pain all through out my entire body. I'm in a panic. I was just attacked and I'm worried about the baby. John peers down at me and I can tell he's concerned.
Trish: What about the baby? (My voice is shaky. I can hear the panic in my own voice. It takes him awhile before he answers me. He must be thinking.)
John: She's gonna be fine. (I stare up at him hopefully.)
Trish: Promise?
John: I promise.
I shake my head of the memory and throw the picture back in the box. He's such a liar. He promised me that our baby would be fine and she wasn't. He knew she wouldn't make it. He knew it the whole time and filled me with false hope. He should have been honest with me and told me the truth. He should have told me that he didn't think she would make. But instead he lied to me. I'll never forgive him. Because of him I was full of false hope. He has no clue what it was like to be in my position. He thinks he does but he has no clue.
Flashback
I push as hard as I can. Doctors and nurses are swarmed around me like flies.
Doctor: Here she is. (I give one last gentle push and can feel the pressure stop. It's quiet. Too quiet. Aren't babies supposed to cry when they're born? I look up but I'm too weak to lift my head.)
Doctor: We have no pulse. Emergency code 65. (What does that mean?)
Trish: What's going on? (A nurse stands next to me. She holds my hand.)
Nurse: We're just doing CPR. Nothing to worry about.
Doctor: We need a cardiac defibrillator.
Trish: What is that? (No one answers me and I can't see what's going on. What are they doing to my baby?)
Doctor: Clear! (I can hear a shocking sound. What's going on?)
Doctor: Clear! (Again, the sound echoes in my ears. What are they using?)
Doctor: We've lost her. (What?)
Trish: Let me see my baby.
Doctor: I'm sorry.
Trish: No! Give me my baby!
John thinks that he's hurting but he has no clue. I had to give birth to a baby. A baby that I wouldn't even get the chance to hold because she was already dead. I was there. I went through their attempts to revive her. The worse sound I ever heard was the silence. The silence of my baby. The silence of no tears. Every time I close my eyes it's all that I hear. All that I can think of. I can't get that day out of my head. All I see when I dream is the blood on the bed. The blood I woke up to. I should have known then that my daughter was gone. I should have known. My eyes swell as the unpleasant memory haunts me again. I break down and cry.
One Year Later
I close the hotel room door behind me as I head down the corridor with my rolling luggage bag. I turn the corner and notice my public speaking boss, Mr. Trensit. He turns to face me with a huge smile on his face. I've been working for him since forever. I'm his biggest draw.
Mr. Trensit: Trish, my dear, amazing job as always. (I feel myself blush as I set my bag down.)
Trish: Thank-you, sir.
Mr. Trensit: Really, Trish. You are an amazing public speaker. I've gotten some calls from a few of the schools that you've visited over the last year and the staff there are very impressed. They have been tremendous increases in the student's grades since you've spoken to them. In Jefferson Elementary alone, their testing scores improved by 80%. You have a way with the children. Even some of the students have told their teachers that you changed their outlook on education. I have a proposal for you. (For me? What about?)
Mr. Trensit: In a few weeks the governor plans on opening the finished product of the 9/11 memorial. He personally requested that you write his speech for him and be there when he cuts the ribbon. (Me? Write the governor's speech? And be there with him?)
Mr. Trensit: What do you say?
Trish: Of course. Yeah. I'd be honored.
Mr. Trensit: I'm glad to hear it. Just have the speech ready by next week so you and the governor can look over it and make any changes.
Trish: Yeah, I could do that no problem.
Mr. Trensit: I'm proud of you, Trish. Keep up the good work. (He pats me on the shoulder as he walks away. Wow. Me. I get to help the governor open the 9/11 memorial. What an honor that will be. I'm sure it's gonna be on the national news. This is an excellent opportunity for me to get more motivational work. Not only that but 9/11 was a horrible day for America and even though I'm Canadian I want to show everyone that I'm on their side. I was just as badly affected by the attacks as anyone else. This will be a defining moment in my career. I grab my luggage and head down the hallway to check out. I'm excited. I've never been offered anything like this before.)
I turn another corner to the lobby and stop dead in my tracks. Is that... John? A man at the check-out catches my eye. There's a woman with him. They're laughing and touching each others arms playfully. They turn around and to my dismay it's who I suspected. John's eyes meet with mine and his smile quickly fades.
John: Trish? (The woman next to John looks at me as she entangles her arm with John's arm. Is he with her? Who the hell is she?)
John: I didn't expect to see you here. (They approach me and I can't stop the jealous hatred from oozing into my conscious. What's he with her for?)
John: How have you been? (I stare at them for a second before collecting my mind from the abyss of resentment and disgust. I need to keep myself together. I don't want her to see any sign of weakness from me.)
Trish: Um... good. How about you? (He smiles so big his dimples show as he glances down at her. I remember that smile. He only makes it when he's really happy. The only time I saw him do it with me was when we found out we were having a daughter. I hate that she makes him smile like that just by looking at her.)
John: I've been great. I want you to meet Eve, my fiance. (Fiance? My voice catches in my throat and my heart literally stops.)
John: Eve, this is Trish. (Eve grins showing her teeth. Her perfect, white teeth. In my mind I grit my own teeth and narrow my eyes. Why the hell does she have to be so pretty?)
John: Trish is an old high school friend. (Friend? Is that all I am to him? All I ever was?)
Eve: Hi. (She shakes my hand and I unwillingly shake it back. Shaking hands is a sign of respect; the absolute last thing I wanna give to her. But I have to make myself look good. I can't make a bad impression on either of them. I refuse to let John and especially her see me as less than a hundred percent.)
Trish: Hi.
Receptionist: Mr. Cena, could you please finish signing these papers? (We all turn back to look at the receptionist. John glances back at me and then Eve before he looks back at the desk once more.)
John: Sure. (He looks back at me with a polite nod of the head.)
John: It was nice seeing you again. (Eve places her hand on his chest stopping him from turning around.)
Eve: Honey, help Trish with her luggage. I'll handle the paper work. (He glances at me with his best poker face. I know him too well. I can see the small twinkle in his eye.)
John: You sure?
Eve: Yeah. (She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek.)
Eve: It was nice to meet you, Trish.
Trish: Same here. (It kills me to say this. Eve heads off to the desk and John grabs my luggage. He sighs before heading out into the parking lot. I follow him with a million questions going through my head. He opens my trunk and tosses the bag in. He slams the trunk door closed before turning to face me. I stare back at him and bite my lower lip. I can feel it quiver. John looks down at his feet with another sigh.)
John: What are you doing here?
Trish: I had a speech. What are you doing here?
John: We're having an engagement party here in a few days. We're just signing papers. (We're both quiet for an eternity before he finally speaks up.)
John: Look, it's obvious that we both have a lot to say and...
Trish: Friend? (He adverts his eyes once more.)
John: Yeah.
Trish: Is that all I am to you? An old high school friend?
John: Pretty much. (I feel hurt. I swallow hard.)
Trish: What about everything we've been through?
John: It's in the past.
Trish: And me? (He looks back up at me after rolling his eyes.)
John: You're in the past, too.
Trish: Is that how you really feel?
John: It is. I'm with Eve now and you need to respect that.
Trish: Whay about us? (My voice is small and weak.)
John: There is no "us". You said so yourself. (He's right. I did say that there wasn't an "us".)
Trish: But...
John: Trish, no. You had your chance. You gave me back the ring. You left me.
Trish: You never even called...
John: You said you didn't want anything to do with me.
Trish: I lied. (I can feel the tears slide down my cheeks.)
John: This is all on you, not me.
Trish: I thought you loved me.
John: I did. But you broke my heart for the last time. You can't expect me to wait for you forever.
Trish: But I...
John: I'm with Eve now. You have to accept that. (He turns and walks away leaving me standing in the middle of the parking lot crying. I watch as he goes back into the hotel lobby. Eve greets him with a toothy grin and kiss. I can't take this. I climb into my car slamming the door closes. I put my hands to my face and cry. This is all my fault. I pushed him right into the arms of another woman. I couldn't figure out what I wanted and now he's with someone else. He doesn't love me anymore.)
I walk into the supermarket and grab a buggy. I start to walk through some aisles. The new Cosmopolitan magazine should be in. Let's see who is on the cover. I stop by the magazine stand and grab the Cosmo magazine up. Seriously? I look into the green eyes of that damn Eve. What is she doing on the cover? All sprawled out on some grass in a bikini. Put some freaking clothes on. I would never pose like this on a magazine cover. Have some respect. I flip frantically through the pages to find the article on her.
Most Eligible Bachelorette Has Found Love
Model Eve Torres has finally gotten engaged!
After winning Most Eligible Bachelorette for three years in a row Eve has been taken off the market. After months of rumors that she has been in a relationship, Eve has confirmed on her official Twitter account that she has indeed gotten engaged. And who is the lucky man? John Cena. Are we prepared for Miss. Torres to become Mrs. Cena? Hell no! But then again, we'd say yes if Cena proposed to us. We don't blame Eve. Her man is a hunk. Just look at this pictorial of him.
On the next page I can see a collage of shirtless pictures of John. He really is hot. I smile. No. I can't smile right now. He's betrayed me by dating this skank. Model? Please. I flip the page to read her "exclusive" interview. Seriously Cosmo? I can get more information from this bitch by torturing her myself. Lets see what this stuck up whore has to say.
Cosmo: So, Eve, tell us just how you met your Prince Charming.
Eve: It's kinda funny actually. I was on my way to a photo shoot when I saw him fishing his cell phone out of that little creek in the park downtown. I told him to put it in rice to dry it out and we just kinda clicked.
Cosmo: And have the two of you had the same connection in other aspects of your relationship?
Eve: *chuckles* I knew this question was coming. It's your specialty question. In all honesty, no. I'm a traditional kind of girl. I'm waiting until marriage.
Cosmo: Abstinent? We're impressed. It takes a strong mind to pull that off. And how does the hubby feel about this?
Eve: John is really supportive with everything I do. He doesn't have a problem at all with it.
Cosmo: Tell us about your visit to Africa last month.
Eve: Oh, it was fun. I went and helped with some charity work. I helped build a school for the children there. We even saved a baby rhino.
Cosmo: You saved a baby rhino? How so?
Eve: Well, while we were trying to install some pipes for running water we spotted some poachers going after a herd of black rhinoceroses. They are considered "critically endangered" by the IUCN. There are only about 5,000 of them left in the wild. Well the herd ran away and a baby rhino wasn't fast enough. He broke his leg while running. He was surrounded by the poachers. But John and I stepped in and blocked the poachers from getting to the little guy. They eventually gave up and we took the baby back to camp and called in a specialist veterinarian. He set the baby's leg and we reintroduced the baby with his mother a few weeks later. It was a special moment. We have pictures at home. I plan to upload them to my website within the next few days.
I quickly look down at the publishing date. This magazine is 3 weeks old. That means... I pull out my iPhone and browse the internet for Eve's website. I click the link and find the album of pictures for Africa. I scroll through the pictures and find a picture of both Eve and John next to a baby rhino. For fuck's sake. Little Miss. Perfect. I put my phone in my pocket in a haste. I thought I could catch her in a lie. Nope. She is Little Miss Goodie Two Shoes. I throw the Cosmo magazine back in my cart. I can't keep reading her perfect life stories.
I push my cart through the aisles roughly. I had enough of her little fairy tale life. Cosmo made a big mistake interviewing her. They should interview me. I make the real difference. I help children. Will a rhino grow up and change the world? No! Those kids I talk to will grow up and make a difference. I'm the real hero, here. Not some wanna-be Disney princess. One of those kids could become the future president. I don't see rhinos becoming president. Who the fuck does she think she is? And how could John just propose to someone else? Does she think she can just waltz into his life and take him from me? I don't give a damn if she's his fiance. He was mine first. He'll always be mine. I stop in front of the celery stand.
Why does she have to be so damn perfect? She's a model. She's hot. She's gorgeous. She has perfect teeth. Green eyes. Even a full-figure. She even saved an endangered animal. And what do I have? Nothing. All I'm known as is the chick who lost her baby. She's even a freaking virgin. I doubt it. I bet she's been with half of New York City. I don't believe anything she told Cosmo. There's no way John would want to be with someone without any sex. He lives for sex. Eve is nothing but a fraud. And she stole my man! I snap the celery in half as my teeth grind against each other. I can hear chuckling behind me. I know that voice. I turn around and my blood boils.
Eve: You have a special recipe for that? (She smiles as she approaches me. Yeah, it's called bitch stew. I throw you in it and cook you alive.)
Eve: Trish, right? (No, my name is Bernie Mac. You just met me yesterday you dumb ass. It can't be that hard to remember my name. I fake a smile.)
Trish: Yeah. Ester, right? (I say the wrong name on purpose to get under her skin. She squints her eyes.)
Eve: No, it's Eve. (I fucking know your name! How could I not? You're in magazines and shit!)
Trish: Oh, yeah. That's right. Ester was John's ex. Sorry, I'm not so good with names. (Eve furrows her brows. She seems worried. Good. Think about John's past. Get insecure. Get worried. You should be.)
Eve: I can see that you've seen my cover? (For a split second I'm confused until I realize that I had thrown the Cosmopolitan magazine into my shopping cart. I should have thrown that damn thing away.)
Trish: Is that you? I couldn't tell. (I pick up the magazine and glance at Eve. I know how to get under her skin some more.)
Trish: The producers did a good job at PhotoShop. You can barely tell that your eyebrows are uneven. (I watch as Eve touches her eyebrows self-consciously. She's worried. She should be. She's not as perfect as she thinks she is. It's my job to make her know this.)
Eve: Well, it's just a picture. I'm not worried about it. Thanks. I can go get my brows done later to fix it. (She smiles warmly at me. Ugh. Don't you know that I'm insulting you? Stupid.)
Eve: Anyway, tomorrow John and I are having our engagement party and we have a few openings. And well, if you want, you can stop by. We'll have refreshments and entertainment. (Me? At their engagement party? I don't know. I don't want to see them together anymore. But on the other hand it will give me a chance to see exactly what they are like together. How they interact. I bet they aren't as good together as John and I were.)
Trish: Sure, I'd love to come. (I once again forge a happy smile.)
Eve: Great. See you there. (She turns and walks off. I watch her. Look at her. She even has a nice ass... how am I going to compete with that? There has to be something about her that nobody knows of yet. She's obviously too dumb to recognize an insult. I need to find out her flaw and expose it.)