A/N: Four weeks into quarantine, more or less, and I feel like I'm insane. Being inside all the time is becoming too much now...
Anyway, I noticed I haven't really made Geoff spend time with his kids. I need to fix that! So I have in this chapter, also I've tried to make some of the plots move along a bit faster. 41 chapters in and I still have a bunch of plots (and holidays) to get through.
Speaking of holidays Easter was yesterday! Better add that in to this!
Good news for the plots though is that Katie's will more or less finish here and Taylor's and DJ's is near finishing too!
Other than that thanks for all the reviews guys, and ideas! (Just gotta find a way to squeeze them all in decently!)
Sorry this is late. Till next time,
D.L.D
Gwen's P.O.V
"I don't know what possessed you to get into a fight with Heather," Duncan sighed as I held an ice pack to my cheek.
After the fight, Courtney and I were pretty beat up. We both had matching black eyes and a few cuts and bruises but we didn't mind. Hey, we took selfies and said we got the matching black eyes cause we made up as friends. That might've pissed Heather off; if she was conscious to see it. Court and I more or less beat her to a pulp. But then again, we still feel like shit even if the fight happened a day ago. I'm actually surprised Heather put up the fight she did. I guess Damion's been pissing her off more.
"We won," I smiled, "Plus she was the one that challenged two pissed off women to a fight, not the other way round."
"True," He chuckled, "But still, you know she's pissed because of Alejandro."
"So?" I raise a brow, "She had no right to bitch slap me. She had it coming."
Duncan just laughed at my comment.
"So we're just gonna ignore that Bridgette and I in the room?" Courtney raised a brow, "I can't believe I got into a fight. I won't look good on my CV. Heck, I'm meant to be planning the egg hunt today!"
"You'll find a way around it Court," Bridgette smiled as she packed up her first aid kit, "But next time you two get into a fight, try to tell me in advance."
"It's not like we planned it, Bridge," I say, "Heather was being extra bitchy yesterday."
"But everyone knows that at the moment," Bridgette sighed and Duncan nodded, "Just give her some space. She'll calm down eventually."
Courtney and I sighed as we looked at the both. Who knew Duncan of all people would agree with Bridgette about being peaceful?
"Fine," We both grumbled.
"I'm gonna start on the egg hunt," Courtney hopped up, making sure not to put pressure on her left ankle.
"You hurt your ankle?" Bridgette raised a brow.
"It's those heels she wears," Duncan laughed, "She always twists her ankles in them."
It was then I noticed that she wasn't wearing her usual wedges today. Instead she wore some ballet pumps. I'm surprised she even owns any non-heeled shoes. Heels were just part of the Courtney look.
"Very funny Duncan," She rolled her eyes as she got a notepad from the table, "I just twisted it during the fight. Anyway, Gwen I need you to write clues for the locations."
"What locations are you planning?" I asked, taking the notepad and a pen off her.
"The green, the cafe, basically everywhere," She shrugged, "I need Bridgette and Duncan to hide the eggs. Maybe a few others too."
"Well, I'm free for the afternoon since Geoff's got the twins," Bridgette smiled.
"Great," Courtney smiled as she sat back down, "If you guys hide the eggs, Gwen does the clues, and I recruit more people and get the hunt started, everything should go well."
She then got her phone and began to make some calls.
"I guess that's our cue to start working?" Bridgette raised a brow.
"Yep," Duncan and I spoke as we began to work.
Katie's P.O.V
"Oh my gosh, that dress is so cute Dakota!" I squealed as she walked into the design room.
Everyone who's been working on the collection with me was here. We'd all dressed for the holiday, florals, pastles and polka-dots on show. I'd dressed in a half-sleeve pink knee-length dress with a pleated skirt. The sleeves had ruffles on the ends and I matched my pink flats with it. My hair was out with some of it tied back. But it was nothing compared to Dakota's outfit.
She wore a white long-sleeved knee-length dress, with transparent lace on the sleeves and across the midsection. To cover her skin underneath she wore a white sleeveless top. Her hair was in its usual style, but with some tied back with a white ribbon. To complete her look she wore pink heels and accessorized with a white satchel.
"Aww thanks!" She beamed, "I just thought that I might as well look good, especially since the magazine's coming in today!"
"That's true," Brick agreed, "We were actually waiting for you to see it."
"Oh, sorry I'm late then," Dakota smiled, "I had to take a call from Bridgette. Something about helping with the egg hunt."
"No, it's fine," I brush it aside, "Now, let's look at this magazine!"
Everyone sat around the table, watching as I took out the copies of the magazine. Everyone had one each and they were printed really well! I think they even put in some samples for us. I then passed the glossy magazines around, making sure everyone got theirs. Once we were sure, we flipped open to the first page.
"It says our designs are featured on page 7," Lindsay spoke, "Or is it 9?"
"It's page 7 to 9 Lindsay," Jen sighed, "Page 7 people!"
We flipped to the right pages and were immediately taken aback by what we saw. On the page there were our designs, colourful, bold and magnificent as ever. The company had given them some accessories if there weren't any and they'd even credited the designers below. I read through the list, smiling when I spotted my name. At the end of the list was a message from the company.
We will be welcoming this new design team at our company soon. These young designers show a lot in promise and we can't wait to see what they have in store. So look out for another segment featuring their designs in our next edition!
Formally signed,
RL mag team
"Oh my gosh!" I squealed as I hugged the magazine to my chest, "We're gonna be working at Ralph Lauren!"
"We are?!" Dakota's eyes widened as she looked at where I was pointing, "Yes! Although, I will be inheriting daddy's company and I wanna be a photographer/ model, but...I can multitask!"
"This is a dream come true!" Jen and Tom clasped hands, "We've gotta post this!"
"Um...it says we gotta wait till the edition's formally released," Brick sighed, "We gotta wait for a week."
"Of course we do," Kitty sighed.
"Hey, at least we got the edition early!" Lindsay smiled, "These perfume samples are really good."
"Easy for you to say Lindsay," Jen frowned, "You just model the designs."
"Yeah, but I make them look good," The blonde retorted, "Plus I'm trying to be- what's it called again? Popsical? No popsitive? No-"
"You mean positive?" Tom raised a brow.
"Yeah! Positive," Lindsay beamed.
Just then my phone vibrated. Sighing, I took it out of my pocket and look at the message.
*New Message*- 10:30 Am
From: Bridgette
Bridgette- Hey, Katie. I'm gonna need some help with the egg hunt. Courtney's given me way too many and everyone else is busy. I'm at the green.
I reply instantly, glad to have a distraction for the time being.
To- Bridgette
Me- Yeah, I'll be there in five. The new edition just came in.
I get a reply a few seconds after.
Bridgette- That's great! I'm sure it turned out great.
I smiled at her message, before getting up from my seat and packing my copy of the magazine into my bag. I then said goodbye to everyone, telling them I'll be at the party tonight, and headed towards the green.
Geoff's P.O.V
"Where are you two?" I say as I hear the twins giggling.
Ever since those two started to crawl it's been harder to track them down. Luckily we're just playing a game, otherwise Bridge would've killed me by now.
I smile as I spot them both sitting in a corner small hands over the faces.
"It looks like they've disappeared," I say as I slowly walk past, "Looks like I'll have to explain what happened."
As I turn the corner, I hear the sound of them crawling and retrace my steps. I then scoop both twins up and laugh as they giggle.
"Gotcha!" I say as I head to kitchen, "It's lunchtime."
Both let out a small whine, as I put them into their highchairs. I really don't blame them for not liking lunchtime: baby food definitely isn't appetizing. I don't get how Bridge easily eats some to persuade the twins. Fortunately, I don't have to do that with them.
I get two baby bowls and serve some mashed banana, trust me it's not a good sight, and begin to feed the twins. Somehow they manage to get it everywhere and I had to clean up. Oh well, a dad's job is never done. Once I got the twins, and the kitchen, cleared up I strapped them into the pushchair. There's an egg hunt today and knowing Bridge she'll probably wanna go, plus it's a chance to be outdoors.
I then get the baby bag and leave the apartment, ready to stuff myself with chocolate eggs.
Noah's P.O.V
I sighed as a family left, satisfied with their order. Surprisingly this ice-cream place gets pretty busy, especially with Summer approaching. The weather's been quite warm, though still dreary, and it's been drawing in customers. I've had to restock the mint chocolate chip, cookies and cream and even vanilla. Izzy's been pretty busy too, she's been serving and cleaning up some of the tables.
"Hey Noah," Eva smiled.
I saw that she came with a couple of her gym friends. All of them were female, of course feminism, and they all looked as if they'd been working hard.
"Hey Eva," I greeted, "What brings you here?"
"Other than your ridiculous uniform," Jo laughed, "We came to get some ice-cream."
I turn a shade of red as I look at my uniform. It was a little silly with the bow tie and colour, but I get paid well. I'd rather dress like a clown than be a slave to Chris.
"Ha ha, very funny," I deadpan, "I asked Eva, not you. Just order already."
"Jeez, lighten up Noah," Eva teased, "I'll take a rocky road."
"Typical," Jo chuckled, "Give me a cookie dough."
"I'll take a pistachio," Stephanie shrugged.
"I'll have a double scoop bubblegum," Taylor nodded.
"Ok, is that all?" I say entering the prices into the cash register.
"Yep," Eva nodded.
"That'll be $11.16," I say.
"Well, that's expensive," Stephanie spoke as she handed me some money, "Maybe the truck is cheaper."
"Nah, this is worth nearly $3 a cone," Jo scoffed, "Trust me."
All of the ladies then paid up and left, happy with their cones. Just as I put the cash into the register, I bumped into two familiar faces. Two faces I was hoping to never bump into, at least not like this.
"Heather, Scott," I say my teeth clenched.
"Noah," Heather nodded.
"You're working at an ice-cream shop?" Scott laughed, "That's low."
"Ha ha very funny," I deadpanned, "They actually pay well here. Better than anything you'd make farm boy."
"You said that about Chris, yet here you are," Heather smirked, "Serving ice-cream."
I just gave them a look. Someone had to pay Heather to do this. There's no way she'd go out with farm freak, let alone be seen next to him. Unless...
"I see you've moved on already," I smirked, knowing exactly what I was doing, "Latinos not dirty enough?"
"I'll have you know Alejandro- I mean Latinos- are clean," She snapped. Guess Heather's not as stupid as she seems. She seemed to get my joke, but Scott didn't. He was too busy eyeing the mascot dressed as a shark nearby.
"Still defending the oil covered eel, even when he's not here," I sighed, "You always seem to amaze me with how much affection you hide, Heather."
"I do not hide affection!" A blush rose to her cheeks and I scoffed, "I never loved that dick!"
"Sure..." I roll my eyes, "What may this sunshiny day want you to order?"
"Finally," She rolled her eyes, "I'll have a caramel swirl."
"I'll have a banana split," Scott shrugged and I laughed. Oh, his bananas must've split multiple times when he was with Courtney. She's notorious for splitting guys' bananas. If you know what I mean. Hell, she even busted guys a couple of times even when they weren't dating. All those poor guys...I wonder if they'll have kids. Probably not.
"What's funny?" Scott asked in his nasally voice.
"Nothing," I say as I scoop their orders, "Just thought of an old joke."
They both give me a look, but say nothing more. I just smile as I scoop them their cones, maybe adding a little surprise to them too...
Courtney's P.O.V
I sighed as I looked at the endless list of things to do for the egg hunt. All morning I've been stressing over it and thinking about how to pull it off. It's not exactly easy to get around on one ankle. I should get that checked... I'll ask Dawn or someone else who's got medicinal knowledge later. I've got too much to do right now.
I hobble over to the kitchen, turning on the kettle to make a coffee. I really need one of those. I've had quite a few sleepless nights and it doesn't help that keep denying why I have them. I guess denial's just natural to me. Like failing. Well sorta, I just fail at Chris' stupid events. They're rigged anyway.
I sigh as I think about that Saturday. Maybe Chris set Heather up to do that, it wouldn't be the first time. Plus it was really convenient for her and Alejandro to just walk off like that.
.0.0.0.
It was few weeks ago, I guess, I lost count. We were at our table. I was just endlessly scrolling through my social media, trying to think of how to escape from this. Heather sat across from me, shutting Jose and Alejandro down constantly. I wonder why they both want her... Oh, I know. They both have a sibling rivalry: no wonder class with Jose is Hell.
Then, Heather and Alejandro left. One went to the bathroom and the other to take a call. This left me and Jose alone. The brother that's supposedly worse than Alejandro. Thanks a lot Heather!
"You don't seem to like Heather much," He chuckled, making me look up from my phone.
"Who does?" I say as I sigh, "She was the one who roped me into this."
"I could tell from your expression," He smiled, "I don't know what my brother sees in her. She's quite a whiny brat."
"I don't know what she sees in him," I say, "The both of them really are lost causes. Sometimes I wonder why I actually teamed up with them."
"Tell me about it," He agreed, sighing, "And people wonder why I rival against, Al."
"Well, we could always sabotage them," I say, shrugging, "Just as payback for this."
It went silent as he thought. I just sat there, playing with the hem of my skirt as I waited. It was getting awkward quickly and I just wanted to get my food and leave.
"I like the way you think, amiga," He grinned, breaking the silence, "So, what do we do?"
We then went over the plan while Heather and Alejandro were busy. We agreed to fake date after this to drive Heather nuts because her plan failed. It would also wind Alejandro up because his brother/ rival, Jose, was dating someone while he was single.
When Heather and Alejandro finally returned, they looked a little riled up. Jose and I didn't say anything about it and just enjoyed our food. It was really good too, I have to thank Heather for showing me this restaurant.
Jose actually turned out to be good company. We conversed through the whole 'double date' and I'm pretty sure Heather didn't like that.
Then, at the end of the afternoon, we exchanged numbers in front of Heather and Alejandro. Of course we did it to wind them up, so I made sure to play along. After all, seeing Heather pissed is entertainment.
.0.0.0.
I shake my head as I look at the paper I'd written on. In my daze, I'd written everything down. Great. Hopping, I throw the paper into the bin. I then take my coffee and head to the living room. Maybe I've just been working too much. A small break wouldn't hurt, right?
Dawn's P.O.V
"Are you guys sure we should do this?" Amy asked as we sat in the waiting room.
"We have no choice," Cameron sighed, "Plus Scarlett is the only person who was willing to do thorough research. The rest of us deemed it too dangerous."
"Which it is," Amy answered, "If she hadn't meddled, then we wouldn't have this mess."
"But if she didn't meddle we wouldn't know a lot of things," Cameron shook his head, "Scarlett's research was noble in reason, but she became corrupted along the way."
"What do you mean corrupted?" The blonde raised a brow.
"Throughout her childhood Scarlett was bullied," I say quietly, "As a result, she built walls around herself. It was evident when her brother was born. He was just a baby and was tugging her hair, which is normal, but Scarlett decided to react. She programmed his toys to attack him every night for six years. He still goes to therapy..."
"That girl is seriously twisted," Amy breathed.
"More like mentally scarred," Mike's eyes were wide, "I was bullied, but I'd never do something like that."
"It's the way Scarlett's brain wired itself," Dawn shrugged and Cameron nodded.
"She acts this way because she's had to fend for herself," Cameron sighed, "Her intelligence is a weapon and people are pawns. Trivial things she can use to get what she wants."
I saw Amy turn a shade of green before closing her eyes and taking deep breathes. Mike just sat there, mouth open and eyes wide.
"You three Amy Roundhouse, Cameron Wilkins and Mike Clark?" The warden appeared from the doorway, clipboard in hand.
"Yep," We all answered.
"Follow me," He grunted. I can tell he doesn't like to talk much. His aura clearly states so and from how he spoke-
"Boring~" Break interrupted my thoughts, "I'm falling asleep here!"
"What woke you up?" I say as we follow the warden.
"Your conversation about Scarlett," Break spoke as she shrugged, "You know I love to hear about childhood trauma."
"That's quite ironic since you caused mine," I sigh as I try to block her out. The last thing I need is for attention to be brought to me.
I just got a chuckle in reply as she faded and we stopped at a door.
"I'm going to warn you now," The warden, Earl, spoke, "Inside this room is a psychotic monster-"
"We know," We all answered.
"So you want to talk to her?" He raised a brow, slightly confused.
"Yes," We all nodded, "We need answers."
"Ok then, good luck," He then opened the door, not knowing what else to say.
.0.0.0.
"Dawn, Cameron, Mike, Amanda," Scarlett seemed to be counting us as we walked in. It's just like her to expect us to be here.
"Why do you sound so smug?" Amy managed to find her voice. I guess Scarlett's still an active figure in her nightmares. The main manipulator behind her dark side and violence.
"Because I knew it was only a matter of time before you all arrived," The redhead shrugged, "Now, sit. I shall answer all of your inquiries."
Obeying, we all found a seat and sat across from her. Scarlett appeared to be a lot more different from before. Her long hair was cut short, probably to stop her from using it as a threat to strangle herself, her glasses were gone, probably because she doesn't need them, and she looked tired. Dark shadows circled her eyes and I'm pretty sure I could see a few light creases in her face. It must be rough here...
"How's it here?" I raised a brow.
"In a word atrocious," Scarlett sighed, "However, you are the first person to ask of my well-being. For that, I thank you. I'm more or less branded as 'the monster' around here. Others forget I am human as well, even if I'm...wired differently."
"But why are you wired differently?" Mike asked.
The room fell silent for a moment as Scarlett turned her gaze to Mike. Her green eyes focused on him, as if she were planning something, before going to the rest of us. A sigh escaped her lips as she shook her head.
"I did say I would answer all your inquiries," She chuckled, "And I shall keep that promise. Now, listen."
Scarlett's P.O.V
I sighed as I looked at the four people before me. people who actually took time to visit me, after everything I've done... I appreciate it, but I also see that they've only come to gain knowledge. Knowledge only I have acquired. So while I am touched, probably from group therapy, I am also outraged. How dare these people shun me and then ask me for help!
Yet, I know it's the right thing to do. Plus it's boring here. There's nothing to do but get along and act like I'm getting better, which I am, but still it's tedious.
"I guess I'll begin from the exposition, or the beginning," I say, making sure to put it into simple terms."
.0.0.0.
It started when school did, I guess. I remember my first day. I'd woken up early and made sure to wear my most impressionable outfit. I already knew how to plait, so I put my hair into pigtails complete with ribbons, which my mother insisted on. I then ate breakfast, got my bag and walked to school with my mother.
The walk was ok, it wasn't too far, and I remember being excited. I said my farewells to my mother and went to class. The teacher was nice and I thought my classmates were, but after a while I knew I was being teased. Red hair, glasses, intelligence they all lead to bullying. Freak, Brainiac, Egghead, Swot; I got called them all.
I remember once I went to the sand pit. I was content being solitary, isolated from the idiocy of my fellow peers, but of course they always found a way in. I was building a mini, sand version of my home, trying to make it look as identical as possible. Then a girl, who I remember distinctly by the pink ribbon in her blonde hair, approached. She was smiling, so I thought that maybe she wasn't approaching me, but then she waved.
I slowly waved back and then she skipped towards me.
"What are you doing?" She asked, peering at my sand model.
"I'm making my home," I say, "I just need to make the roof right."
"It looks really good!" She beamed, "You mind if my friends look too?"
"Um...not at all," I replied, smiling, "Just don't-"
"Guys, look!" A bunch of other girls with ribbons, scrunchies or other hair accessories rushed over.
They all crowded about, looking at my sand creation, before the supreme bitch came over. Someone who had to transfer because of all the girls who said she put gum in their hair. The girl who didn't give a fuck how you felt. Heather Chang.
She had her hair in matching braids that day, complete with a wine red ribbon. She did not look pleased by my creation, in fact she looked disgusted.
"What is that tacky thing?" She pulled a face, "It looks like what Damion eats!"
"It's a sand model of my house," I say, angered that she couldn't appreciate it, "It took all afternoon."
"Oh wow!" She smiled, "It's be a shame if someone did this!"
She then stepped on my creation, flattening it instantly. It was then I snapped. The first surge of anger which resulted in today's events.
I ended up getting sent home early for fighting, but I didn't regret it. However my misery didn't end there, neither did my anger. Throughout the next few years I'd isolate myself, reading books and gaining as much knowledge as I could. I'd discovered that I could use my gift to give others what they deserve; so I used it.
.0.0.0.
"Bullying was just a small chip in my sanity," I say, "The real issue was how people isolated me. The only people who were my friends was the group I hung out with at lunch throughout high school. Everyone else left me alone. So with no-one to talk to and having a bad impression of people my age, I began to enjoy their suffering. It made me feel better about how things turned out."
"So you're just a broken little girl crying for attention?" Cameron asked as he jotted something down.
"More or less," I shrugged, "I'm surprised the therapists couldn't get that. However, enough about myself. I need to answer your questions."
For the rest of their visit we discussed what I knew about MPD and how it affects others. I also told them about individual cases I knew of in our college as well as how everyone has a personality buried deep in their brain. By the end of the visit, I had shared my years' worth of extensive research and other things I had acquired.
"Visitation hours are over," I say as I spot Earl glancing in, "I shall expect you to visit next week."
"Next week?" They all look at me.
"Yes, I...enjoy your visits," I blushed as I mumbled, "The group therapist says that when you visit I have shown signs of recovery. They say I could be out soon. So I would appreciate it if I had a visitor once a week."
Silence filled the room as they looked at me, trying to tell if I was scheming. I wasn't. I was being sincere. I enjoy the company and I do improve when they visit, well that's what the therapist says. I look at them all, my eyes going from each one to the other. Then one spoke.
"We'll try to make it," Amy finally answered, "After all, everyone deserves a second chance."