Realizations

Two days later Tommy found himself stepping into the party. Diarius' parties were known for the hot, famous, rich girls and boys that assisted, and of course, for the drunkenness. That's why Tommy looked around totally surprised. Instead of drunken people, now there were kids all over the house, talking, screaming, playing and some of them crying. The whole house was decorated for some kind of kid's birthday and there were swigs, teeter-tooters, toboggans and everything a kid could dream of.
For a moment Tommy thought he was on the wrong place, but then he saw Diarius playing hide and seek with a little black girl.

"Diarius..." Tommy called him. Diarius looked around and smiled at Tommy. He said something to the black girl and then walked towards him

"I'm glad you came, man" He said happily. Tommy looked at him is disbelief.

"Did you turn your house into a daycare or something like that? ...because you should've said that before"

"Well, sorta. It's my daughter's birthday" he said excitedly, pointing at the black girl who was now playing with another boy.

"Ok...now I'm officially shocked. Did you have a daughter?"
Diarius laughed and nodded.

"well, what can I say? thinks have changed. I'm not a party boy anymore. I got married, have two children and...You know, people grow up"

"Ok...that made me feel old"

"Well, that's because you're old" a girl's voice said. Tommy turned around just to find Gabrielle looking at him with an angry expression. "What is he doing here, Diarius?"

"He's my artist and is here to record an album" he explained in a paternal way, but that didn't change the upset expression on Gabrielle's face.

"Why? The guy doesn't even sing!" she complained

"What?!...I thought that we had clarified that point..."

"What point?...the point that you're a crappy musician?"

"Hey..."
"I'm just telling the truth" she looked at Diarius "by the way, my mom is looking for you"
Then she walked away, giving one last hateful glimpse to Tommy

"What's wrong with that girl?" Tommy asked, watching as the girl walked away.

"It's not personal...she acts like that all the time" Diarius explained

"if you say so...anyways, I'll go to get some drinks" he said to Diarius and walked towards the bar.

That's when a rush of a familiar smell hit him...he looked around desperate. It was THAT vanilla's perfume...it was Jude's perfume, the smell he had been dreaming of every night since he left. He closed his eyes and started to get lost in the smell until he felt some girl's giggles. He opened his eyes and saw Gabrielle in front of him, giggling and smiling

"What are you doing?" she asked, still laughing

"Well, I was just...hold up...what are YOU doing?" he asked back, looking at the girl suspiciously

"I'm enjoying the party...getting some drinks...oh, and laughing at you" she said, a beautiful smile never leaving her face "C'mon Tommy, smile!...I'm glad you came here"

Tommy smiled for a moment, but then looked at her quizzically again.

"Are you bipolar or something?"

"No!" she screamed as she took a sip of her drink and poured a little over her red skirt "I'm a little crazy, but...I'm not bipolar"

He looked over at her and stared into her eyes. They were so transparent, so full of truth...so...

"Gabrielle, did you have to go for the oranges to prepare the juices?!" said a very annoying voice...but at the same time very familiar. "We've been waiting our drinks for hours!"

Tommy turned around and stood in that position, totally paralyzed. Behind him was Gabrielle, except for the fact that she wasn't Gabrielle. He looked back at Gabrielle, or who Tommy thought it was Gabrielle and then to the other girl, who had her hands over her waist. The girl walked towards Gabrielle and then both looked at Tommy, who was totally shocked.

"What..." he started, but then shut his mouth. He looked at them carefully. They were identical, except for their expressions. Gabrielle was smiling nervously and the other one was completely serious

"Woah...there are two of you" he finally said, still shocked.

"Oh, Congrats Little Tommy Q, you learned to count!" the other girl said with a fake smile as she clapped.

"I still don't get it, girl...I mean girls"

"Well...it's simple...she's Gabrielle and I'm Danielle and we are identical" the girl said with a sarcastic tone "we are identical twins"

Gabrielle smiled at him and nodded.

"Yep. I kinda forgot to tell you...sorry"

"You forgot the fact that there's a person just like you!?"

"Well...I don't blame her...I try to do it all the time too" Danielle said with her typical sarcastic tone.

Tommy opened his mouth to say something but Diarius joined them and interrupted him.

"So...you met my little nightmares" Diarius said to Tommy as he smiled warmly at the girls.

"Actually, I just realized that there are two of them" Tommy explained, still with a shocked expression. "And your names are Danielle and Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle nodded smiling and Danielle rolled her eyes.

"Gabrielle and Danielle Spiederman" Diarius added, giving them a paternal look

"Spiederman..." Tommy whispered to himself, looking at the girls carefully "sounds familiar"

"Of course it sounds familiar. Our dad is the best guitarist in Canada"

"In the whole world" Danielle added with her usual tone.

"In the whole universe" Gabrielle exclaimed excitedly

Danielle's smile faded as he cleared her throat

"Actually...we don't know about the existence of a super guitarist race in another planet...soo"

"C'mon Danielle...Speed is the best..."

Tommy looked away from them to Diarius, who was looking at the girls as they fought with a smile on his face.

"They're amazing, don't you think?"

"Yeah...how do you do to differentiate them?" Tommy asked, staring at the identical girls.

Diarius let out a sarcastic laugh

"I don't do it...nobody does. Except their mom...she's the only one that can say who is who"
Diarius walked towards his daughter and Tommy looked back at the girls. They were fighting.

"So...who is Gabrielle?" he asked to the girls.

Both girls turned their heads towards him at the same time.

"Would you mind?" Danielle said to him with an angry look "we're in the middle of something"

"Hey!" Gabrielle half screamed "Tommy is my friend"

"Well, as your older sister I say..."

"Older sister? ...We're twins!!"

"But I'm the older one"

"Yeah, for 10 seconds" Gabrielle spotted sarcastically.

"Girls...chill!" Tommy screamed.

The girls looked at each other and suddenly they hugged

"I'm sorry" they said at each other at the same time. Tommy looked at them as if they were crazy.

"What are you still doing here?" Danielle asked suddenly, one they pulled apart "I thought you were a party boy. You must know everybody here"

"Actually...I don't. Things have changed...and actually the only one...ones I know here are you two"

He said looking around. He didn't know anybody there.

"Well, we do...we come to D's house all the time" Gabrielle explained, taking a seat next to Tommy. Danielle sat down next to her sister and looked at the people
"These are the famous people nowadays...well, actually, the kids of famous people"

"Really?"

Both girls nodded at the same time. It was still shocking for Tommy to realize that they were two.

"Look over there. Do you see that blond guy with big ears and..."

"Stop it Gabrielle"

"Ok...well, he's Dylan Smith. he's the son of a famous singer and that's why he's here, at Samantha's birthday"

Tommy looked at the boy, who was trying to hit another boy with some kind of mallet.

"And those are the Clarkson sisters...Jenifer, Amanda and Juliet" Danielle pointed at the three girls, who were giggling and looking at the boys "mom says they're a bit precocious"

Tommy laughed and then looked over at the other side. There was a beautiful blond woman with short hair. She was wearing a black sweater and pants, even if it was June...and she was holding a 10 years old boy in her arms. The boy was crying desperately and she was trying to calm him down.

"And who's that boy?" Tommy asked, pointing at the woman. He looked at her again. She was really beautiful

"Who? The whining boy over there? ...oh, that's Tyler Harrison" Danielle simply said. She didn't notice the effect she had caused in Tommy.

The last name "Harrison" echoed into his head and a rush of memories hit him in that right moment. He looked at the woman again and felt his heart racing. He had to take a seat, because he was starting to get weak on the knees. In front of her was Jude Harrison, the woman that, even after 10 years, could never forget.

"Are you ok, Tommy? ...you seem completely disturbed"

"Well, that's no new, at least for me" Danielle spotted sarcastically, as always.

Tommy was about to stood up and ran away when he saw the woman walking towards them with a very disgusted expression. When he saw into her eyes he had no doubt...it was her Jude, older, but still her Jude.

"Girls, your dad's on the phone...he wants to talk to you" she said, trying to keep a maternal tone. The girls looked at her and smiled. They both ran towards the house, but suddenly Gabrielle stopped and turned around

"Thanks Jude" she screamed and then followed her sister. Jude looked at them and sighed.

Then she looked at Tommy. There was so much in that look...hate, pain, bitterness. But there was something else that surprised Tommy, something that he never thought he would find after all these years...love. The tension could be cut with a knife, but then Diarius walked towards them with a happy smile.

"Hi Jude...and how's the little Tyler?" he said, stroking the kid's head. The boy was sobbing. He gave a look at Diarius and then buried his head in Jude's chest.

"He had a really bad week" Jude explained, not even looking at Tommy "but he'll be ok"

"I hope so" Diarius said and then looked back at Tommy "So...Tommy, let me introduce you to Jude Harrison" he cleared his throat and looked at Jude proudly "your producer"

Jude opened her eyes wide and went pale in no time, just as Tommy. But then her face went back to normal

"It will be hard to get something from Mr. Quincy, but I will do my best Diarius" she said after a while, trying to sound as calm as she could "as always"

Diarius smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek

"I know girl"

There was an uncomfortable silence, but then one of Diarius' daughters walked in. she was crying. Jude looked at the boy in his arms and realized he had fallen asleep. She kissed the top of his head and tightened him against her body.

Diarius took the girl in his arms and looked at Jude

"Sorry, but I've got to go...kids problems" he said and before Jude could say something, Diarius walked away.

There was an uncomfortable silence, but them Tommy decided to say something.

"Ten years girl..." Tommy started, but Jude cut him off.

"I'm.not.your.girl" she said as bitter as she could, pressing the little boy against his body even tighter. Tommy looked into her eyes. She was right...she wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a woman now

"So...producer? ...that's big gi...Jude" he commented, trying to start a conversation. But he couldn't take his eyes away from the boy in Jude's arms. Was this is son, the baby he rejected ten years ago? He looked at him thoroughly.

"Look Tom...you're going to talk to Diarius and tell him you don't want me as a producer" she said bitterly, looking away from him

Tommy looked at her in completely state of shock

"But..."

"No buts...you're going to do that. And you're going to leave town in less than 48 hours" she added

Tommy looked at the boy again and couldn't take it anymore. He had to ask her.

"Jude, that boy is my..?" he started, but didn't dare to finish the sentence. Jude looked at the boy and then took a deep breath.

She was about to say something when one of the twins walked towards them and grabbed Jude's arm

"What's wrong Jude? ...you're shaking!" she half screamed, her eyes full of concern

"Nothing Gabrielle...it's getting cold, that's all" she lied, looking at Tommy directly at the eyes.

"Ok...then get inside. Dad wants to talk to you too"

Jude simply nodded and walked away from Tommy. He stood there, looking as Jude walked away from him.