The Time of Our Lives – Chapter 28
Dylan parks the car at the Pit and goes inside. He immediately scans the place for Donna and finds her sitting at one of the tables nervously shaking her legs.
'Donna?' Dylan says walking over to the table.
Donna looks up to see him with a confused look on her face.
'Are you alright?' he asks her.
'Yeah, I guess. I'm waiting for a few people,' she says.
'Yeah, Brenda told me,' he says.
'Where is Brenda? I have been trying to call her, but I can't get a hold of her,' Donna says a little annoyed and frustrated.
'She's really sorry. The whole morning was booked with classes and the afternoon was booked with rehearsals. She's downtown right now at rehearsal and won't be done until around midnight. Is there anything I can do for you? I told her I would come down here and see if you needed anything?' Dylan tells her.
'I know she's busy, but I just wanted to talk to her for a few minutes,' Donna sighs. 'I don't know, Dylan. I don't think you can help me with this,' she says.
'Donna you are strong person. You may not think you are, but you are. All you have to do is say whatever it is you have to say to these guys. Then you'll know exactly how they feel and you won't have to worry about what they might say,' Dylan says.
Donna smiles at him. 'Thanks, Dylan. You better go, David just came in,' she says. Dylan looks over at the door to see David.
He turns back, kisses Donna on the side of the head, and says, 'Listen, I'll be right over there if you need me.'
She nods and smiles up at him. He walks to the counter and sits down as David walks over to where Donna is sitting.
'Hey Donna,' David says.
'Hi David,' she says, nervously looking at the door. A few seconds go by and Jason comes into the Pit and spots Donna right away sitting with David.
He walks over to the table and looks at her a little confused.
'Hi Jason, please sit down,' she says to him.
He looks at David staring back at him, shrugs a little and sits.
'Donna, I thought we were going to be alone,' David says still looking at Jason.
'Yeah, me too,' Jason says staring back at David.
'Well, you both thought wrong,' she says. 'Nat, can I get a menu please?' Donna says out loud.
The Beach Apartment
Brandon paces in the living room while Kelly sits on the couch, reading her psychology book and watching him.
'Brandon, come on, you are making me dizzy,' she says.
'I'm sorry,' he says and tries to stay still. After a few minutes, he gives up and starts pacing again.
'What are you so nervous about?' she asks him.
'I'm not nervous, I'm worried. I'm worried about Brenda. I don't know if she even realizes what she's doing,' Brandon tells her.
'Look, Brenda is going to do whatever Brenda wants to do and she doesn't really care who she alienates to do it. We may never see the old Brenda ever again after this, it's just something you have to accept,' Kelly says.
'Kelly, how could you say that?' Brandon says.
'Brandon, I know it sounds harsh, but I've been friends with her for a long time and I just don't get that upset anymore when she blows me off for something else,' Kelly says.
'The old Brenda is going to come back. I know she is,' Brandon says firmly.
Kelly smiles at him. 'You are so cute,' she says looking at him standing with one hand on hip and one fist in the air.
Brandon's brain immediately switches from being worried about Brenda to focusing only on Kelly sitting on the couch, playing with her hair, staring at him.
He pounces quickly as Kelly's book drops to the floor. She laughs at his sudden movement and wraps her arms around his neck.
He kisses her purposefully as he lays her down on the couch.
Brandon pulls back a little and sees her smiling at him. 'Thank you for lightening the mood, Kel,' he says.
'You're welcome,' she replies as she wraps her legs around his waist and kisses him.
Roundhouse
'That was good guys, but let's try the last scene again. At this point in the play, we really need to see the exhaustion of what this night has done to these four people. Don't worry about projecting your voices for the moment, just do what comes naturally,' the director says.
Brenda sighs and takes her position on the stage for the beginning of the last scene. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as they start it over again.
They run the scene again and the director stands up clapping slowly at the end of it.
'That was incredible,' he says walking up to the stage.
Brenda breaks down a little bit and wipes the tears from her eyes. Chris stands over her and puts his arm around her shoulder. She looks up at him and sees that he is crying too.
The director comes up onto the stage and puts his arms around both of them. He hugs them tight for a few seconds and then lets go of them.
'You guys are going to crush everyone with that last scene. That was some of the best acting I've seen in a long time. Great job,' he says and walks off of the stage.
Kate and Joe come back on and Chris and Brenda put their arms around them. They stand together for a few minutes trying to unwind and don't move until they are all breathing normally again.
They finally part without a word to each other and leave the stage. Brenda cries herself all the way home.
The Peach Pit
Dylan watches from across the room as Donna talks with Jason and David. He can't see the guy's faces, but he can see Donna clearly. She looks like she is holding her own pretty good as he continues to watch her.
'Look, I just wanted to make sure that you both knew how I felt. I don't want you to feel as though I'm stringing you along because I can't make up my mind about either one of you,' Donna says.
'David, you and I have a history together, but there's a reason we broke up and I'm not entirely sure that you've overcome your tendencies,' she says.
'Jason, I adore you. You came into my life at a time where I really needed someone that wasn't a part of my normal world to talk to. You are an amazing person and I really do like you. I'm not sure that I can commit to anything more than the friendship we have now,' she continues.
'At this point, the only decision I was able to make and be one hundred percent sure of is the fact that I don't want to date either of you.'
David and Jason stare at Donna the entire time she is talking. They steal glances at each other a few times while she talks.
'Well, Donna, if that's the way you feel, then friendship it is. That I can give you, no pressure,' Jason says with a smile.
Donna returns his smile and looks up to catch Dylan's eye. He nods at her and then goes back to drinking his coffee.
David doesn't say anything for a little while. Jason finishes up his food and starts to get up.
'Look, I'm sorry, but I have to go. I was supposed to be at work a half hour ago, but I figured that this was more important than that,' Jason says.
Donna smiles at him again. 'Okay, thank you for coming,' she says.
He winks at her and waves as he leaves the table.
'David, please say something,' she says to him.
David looks up at her with a dejected look on his face.
'Sorry, I just don't have a whole lot to say right now,' he says and gets up from the table. He walks past Dylan without a glance in his direction and right out of the Pit.
Dylan gets up and walks right to the table and puts his arm around Donna.
She has tears welling up in her eyes and puts her head on Dylan's shoulder.
'What did he say?' Dylan asks her.
'Nothing at all. I told them that I just couldn't be more than friends right now with either of them. Jason seemed to take it really well, but David didn't say anything at all,' she says.
'Donna, if David really wants you in his life, he'll get over it,' Dylan says firmly.
Donna looks up at him with a strange look on her face.
'What?' Dylan says.
'You sounded just like Brenda right there,' she says with a small laugh. 'It was so cute. I really felt for a second that she was here.'
Dylan smiles awkwardly at Donna.
'Speaking of Brenda, I better go. Her rehearsal should be over in a little while and I told her that I'd drop off some notes at her house.'
'Thanks for being here, Dylan. You really did help me,' she says.
'No problem,' he says and jumps in his car.
He drives over to the Walsh house and knocks on the door.
'Well, hi Dylan, come on in,' Cindy says when she answers the door.
'Hi, I just came by to drop this off for Brenda so she'll have it when she gets back from rehearsal,' Dylan says holding up a few pieces of paper.
'I'll put it in her room. Why don't you go and say hi to Jim. I think he's sick of just seeing me all of the time,' she laughs.
Dylan smiles and hands her the papers. He walks into the living room where Jim is watching a baseball game.
'Looking good, Jim,' he says and sits down next to him.
'Thanks, Dylan, I feel good,' Jim says.
'What's the score?' Dylan asks.
The Beach Apartment
Brenda pulls up to the apartment. It's kind of late, but she figured that maybe the girls would still be up.
She knocks on the door softly hoping not to wake them if they were sleeping.
Kelly opens the door and stands in shock at seeing Brenda.
'Brenda!' she says.
'Hi Kel,' Brenda says tentatively. 'Is it too late to drop by?' she asks.
'No, no, it's fine, come on in,' she says.
Brenda walks into the apartment and sees Donna on the couch with a bunch of school books surrounding her.
'Bren? What are you doing here? I thought you'd be in rehearsal until midnight?' Donna says.
'We did such a great job that he let us out a little early, so I thought I'd come by and see you guys. How did it go today, Donna? I'm sorry that I couldn't be there and that I missed your call yesterday,' Brenda says.
'Actually, it went as good as it could have gone. I told them both that I didn't want to date either of them and that friendship was all I could offer at this time and Jason was totally cool with it. David, on the other hand, didn't say a word and just left me sitting there,' Donna says.
'Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I'm sure he'll come around and if he doesn't it's his loss,' Brenda says.
'Dylan was great though. Thanks for that,' Donna says.
'He offered to do it. I told him how worried I was about you and how I wish I could have been there to support you and he offered to go in my place,' she says with a smile.
'Well, I thought it would be weird at first, but he was great,' Donna says.
'What about you Kel? What's going on in the land of psychology?' Brenda asks her.
Kelly smiles at her. 'Just analyzing social behavior, a college campus is a fantastic place to do that,' she says.
'Look, guys, I'm sorry I haven't been around much, but I promise after next week, it will calm down,' she says.
'How long will you be performing the community show?' Kelly asks her.
'Um, well, it opens next weekend and runs the next three weekends, including matinee shows on Sundays,' she says.
'Oh,' Kelly says and lets her face fall.
'Why?' Brenda asks.
'Well, the sorority is having this talent show in two weeks to raise money and I was thinking that maybe the three of us could do something together,' she says.
Brenda looks up at Kelly and then at Donna. 'Is it at night, because I could do it during the day on a Saturday?' Brenda says.
'I'm not sure, I'll find out,' she says.
'Okay, if it's during the day, then count me in, I would love to do it with you guys,' Brenda says.
'Well, I better get home and start my work. I'll see you guys soon,' Brenda says and waves at them.
Kelly looks over at Donna and gives her a weak smile.
'She's trying, Kel. She didn't have to come over here to see us after her really long day. She's doing ten times the amount that we are doing. We need to give her a little slack,' Donna says.
'Maybe you're right, Don,' Kelly replies and starts reading her book again.
Casa Walsh
Brenda pulls up the driveway and sees Dylan's car in the street in front of her house. She walks in and sees her Dad and Dylan sitting in front of the television watching the baseball game. She gets closer and realizes that they are both asleep.
She smiles and goes into the kitchen to see her mother sitting at the table with several cookbooks laid out in front of her.
'Mom? What are doing up this late?' Brenda says.
'Well, I was letting your father rest for a while before I woke him up to go upstairs, so I thought I'd try to figure out some new recipes while I was waiting,' she says.
Brenda smiles at her mother. 'Well, I'm going to wake Dylan and let him know that I'm here,' she says.
'Oh, he left some papers for you. They are up in your room on your bed,' Cindy says.
'Thanks Mom.'
Brenda walks carefully into the living room and puts her hand on Dylan's arm.
'Dylan?' she says quietly. He slowly opens his eyes to see Brenda kneeling in front of him.
'Bren? Is it that late already?' he asks her.
She nods and looks over at her sleeping father.
Dylan slowly gets up from the couch, trying not to disturb Jim. They make their way up the stairs to her bedroom, where she sees the papers on her bed.
Dylan flops down on her bed as she puts her bag down and goes into the bathroom to remove her makeup. She sees the dark circles under her eyes and sighs when she realizes that it wasn't her running makeup that was causing them.
She walks back into her room and sees that Dylan had fallen back asleep while lying on her bed. She smiles to herself and grabs her bag and the papers that he had left for her and starts working on her poetry assignment.
Brenda sits at her desk as she watches her mother walk her half-asleep father down the hallway to their room. Cindy comes back and says goodnight to her daughter, not even noticing that Dylan was asleep on her bed.
Brenda watches her mother leave the room and close her door and then looks back at Dylan.
She works on her assignment and finally finishes about an hour later. She hears Brandon come through the front door and come up the steps. He goes into his room and then comes through the bathroom into her room.
'Hey,' he says quietly.
'Hey,' she says and walks over to the bathroom door.
'Mom and Dad asleep already?' he asks her.
'Yeah, Dad and Dylan fell asleep downstairs watching the baseball game,' she says looking back and Dylan sleeping peacefully on her bed.
'They're actually letting him stay here?' Brandon asks her.
Brenda shrugs and says, 'Mom came in to say goodnight and closed my door. I don't even think she realized that Dylan was still here.'
Brandon laughs a little bit. 'Well, breakfast tomorrow should be fun,' Brandon says.
'Very funny, Brandon. I was just finishing up my work and was about to wake him,' she says.
'Well, have fun with that, I'm going to bed,' he says and closes the bathroom door.
Brenda walks over to her bed and touches Dylan's arm.
He stirs a little, but doesn't wake. She smiles and changes into her pajamas. She crawls into bed next to him and lays a kiss on his forehead.
He moves closer to her body without opening his eyes and wraps his arms around her.
'Dylan?' she says and shakes him a little.
'Mmmmm.'
'Dylan, wake up,' she says.
He opens one eye and looks down at her. He furrows his brow a little and looks around the room trying to figure out where he is.
'Yes, you fell asleep in my room,' she says seeing his recognition.
Dylan smiles at her and pulls her closer.
'What time is it?' he asks her.
She leans over his body to look at the clock. 'Almost 2 in the morning,' she tells him.
'A few more hours,' he says.
She smiles at him. 'Dylan.'
'They'll never know,' he says and closes his eyes again.
She leans over him and sets her alarm for 4:30am. She lies back down and puts her arm around Dylan's back and her head on his chest.
He moves a little to get comfortable and kisses the top of her head.
The alarm goes off and startles Brenda out of a peaceful sleep. She moves to turn it off and shakes Dylan awake.
'Dylan, it's 4:30, you have to go before my mother wakes up,' she says.
He opens his eyes and looks at her. She pulls back a little at the intense stare he is giving her. He pulls her close and begins to kiss her neck slowly.
Brenda closes her eyes as he works his way up her neck to her earlobe.
'Ah,' she says out loud. 'Dylan.'
'Ssssssssh,' he says and continues his assault on her ear.
She tries as hard as she can to tell him to stop, but the words do not come out of her mouth. She closes her eyes and lets herself feel the touch of his lips to her skin.
'I miss you,' he says into her neck. She wraps her arms around his neck and starts to kiss the side of his face.
He kisses her neck and cheek, working his way to her lips. The moment their lips touch, Brenda feels a chill down her spine and she shivers.
Dylan holds her closer and kisses her firmly. He starts to take her shirt off and Brenda pulls back.
'Dylan,' she warns.
He stares back at her intensely.
'Okay, but quickly,' she gives in as he leans in to kiss her again.
Dylan makes love to her quickly. She lies in his arms, breathing heavily, trying as hard as she can to slow her heartbeat down. She looks over at the clock and gasps.
As she does, she hears the door to her parent's bedroom open.
'Shit,' Dylan says.
