"Broken Record of Reconciliation"
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
LA was more than I had expected in every way.
I didn't keep a steady boyfriend during my time in LA. My first heat phase was split between Miguel and Julian. And then I didn't sleep with anybody for a while. It was nice in a way no fifteen year old should have to know.
I talked on the phone a lot. To Tinga mostly. Zane still hated me, Syl wouldn't talk to me, Grix never wanted to talk, Van refused to use the number, Brin was always busy, Ben didn't have the number, Cade wasn't a big phone user and neither was Krit, and Max hadn't been seen by any of the others yet.
Tinga had fallen in love with this guy named Charlie. He had money but wasn't rich, he was nice, he didn't hit her and he wouldn't even think of it, they slept together on special occasions or when she was in heat. It was actually a wonderful, healthy relationship.
I was lying in bed in my dumpy LA apartment at four AM and I got a call. I picked up my phone, "Yeah?"
"Jondy. It's me."
"Hey Tinga... shouldn't you be sleeping?"
"Yeah, probably." She said with a laugh, she was excited about something, "Guess what?"
"Lydecker's been arrested and he'll be publicly executed and we can watch and spit at him?" I asked.
"No, God, I wish. Guess again."
I sighed, "I don't know, Tinga, what?"
"I'm pregnant." She said and she squealed with delight.
I smiled but I couldn't be excited for her, not yet. "Does Zack know?"
"No." Tinga said, "And I don't plan to tell him until it's too late to abort." Tinga said.
I sat up and rubbed my face, thinking, "Where are you living Tinga?"
"Portland. Why?"
"I'm coming to visit."
"Jondy, if this is about--" She started but I jumped in, "It's going to be me, Zack, or Van. Besides, I want to meet the father."
"Yeah... that the thing." She said.
"What's the thing?" I asked.
She hesitated, it was bad. "It might be Zane." she replied.
"Oh?" I asked, my voice wavering. I had slept with how many other guys but hearing this broke my heart. "How?"
"Heat." Tinga said, her voice instantly sympathetic, "Jon, I didn't mean to."
"Hey, he hates me so why should I care, right?" I said, tears stinging my eyes.
"I'll come to you." Tinga said quickly.
"No, it's no problem; I want to get out of LA for a bit." I said, hiding my pain.
"Jondy..."
"T... really you don't have to say anything."
"He's still in love with you." Tinga said in a rush.
"We'll talk when I get to Portland." I said and I hung up.
I cried harder than I had in years. The tears fell and they didn't stop. I struggled to the bathroom and downed half a bottle of Trypto and pulled my chin to my knees. The seizure I had then was bad enough that I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood.
My cell phone must have been ringing continuously for the whole thing. I finally got up and looked at it, many missed calls. Mostly Tinga. Several from Brin, several from Grix, and to my shock one from Syl. The phone rang again and I waited for the caller ID to tell me who it was. Syl.
I picked up. "Hi." I said weakly.
"Are you ok?" Syl asked.
"Define ok?"
"Tinga says she's been trying to call you for the last two hours. Brin and Grix too. Are you avoiding everyone?"
"I had a seizure." I said in a pathetic tone. Like one a growing child would use to tell their parents that they had wet the bed.
"You're ok now?" Syl asked.
"Again, define ok?"
Syl took a deep breath, "I'm sorry about Zane. I know how much he meant to you."
"Fuck Zane." I whispered.
"And I'm sorry you let those guys smack you around." She said. "I know what it's like."
"Then you know sorry doesn't help." I replied smartly.
"Jondy... don't push me away." Syl said quietly.
"Who pushed who?" I replied in the harshest voice I could muster.
"What?" She asked.
"I'll call." I hissed. "You said 'I'd call', the last couple hours has been the most you've called me EVER."
"It's been bad Jon." She said. I wanted to reply something harsh, but she started crying. "Real bad." she whispered.
I was pretty weirded out by Syl's crying but I didn't hold it against her. "Shhh... Syl. I'm right here."
"Where's here?" She asked.
"LA."
"Where in LA?" She asked, perking a little.
"Right on the Hollywood hill."
"I'm in Santa Monica." She said.
"I'll come to you." I said.
"Meet me at the sign." She said and she hung up.
I pulled on my jacket and hurried there. I was mere minutes from the sign so I waited nearly half an hour for her. She came walking up the hill, her hand shoved into her pockets; her blonde hair fell down her shoulders. She smiled when she saw me. I walked down to her and we hugged tightly. She started sobbing in my arms and I let tears run down my cheeks. She pulled back and wiped her tears away, "I've missed you so much."
I managed a half-smile, "I missed you too."
"Tinga's pregnant." Syl said, trying to start a conversation.
"I know. I was going to go see her." I said. Syl nodded absently, "Do you want to come?" I asked.
She looked to me disbelievingly, "But Zack said..."
"Screw Zack. Do you want to come?"
"Of course." She said.
"Do you need to pack? I asked.
"You're serious? You want me to come with you?"
I shrugged and smiled, "It'll give us time to catch up."
She smiled, "I'd like that."
An hour or so later, she was asleep in a stolen truck and we were driving towards Portland. So much for catching up, but it was ok that she was sleeping. I liked it. She seemed so peaceful. At least one of us was at peace.
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
LA was more than I had expected in every way.
I didn't keep a steady boyfriend during my time in LA. My first heat phase was split between Miguel and Julian. And then I didn't sleep with anybody for a while. It was nice in a way no fifteen year old should have to know.
I talked on the phone a lot. To Tinga mostly. Zane still hated me, Syl wouldn't talk to me, Grix never wanted to talk, Van refused to use the number, Brin was always busy, Ben didn't have the number, Cade wasn't a big phone user and neither was Krit, and Max hadn't been seen by any of the others yet.
Tinga had fallen in love with this guy named Charlie. He had money but wasn't rich, he was nice, he didn't hit her and he wouldn't even think of it, they slept together on special occasions or when she was in heat. It was actually a wonderful, healthy relationship.
I was lying in bed in my dumpy LA apartment at four AM and I got a call. I picked up my phone, "Yeah?"
"Jondy. It's me."
"Hey Tinga... shouldn't you be sleeping?"
"Yeah, probably." She said with a laugh, she was excited about something, "Guess what?"
"Lydecker's been arrested and he'll be publicly executed and we can watch and spit at him?" I asked.
"No, God, I wish. Guess again."
I sighed, "I don't know, Tinga, what?"
"I'm pregnant." She said and she squealed with delight.
I smiled but I couldn't be excited for her, not yet. "Does Zack know?"
"No." Tinga said, "And I don't plan to tell him until it's too late to abort." Tinga said.
I sat up and rubbed my face, thinking, "Where are you living Tinga?"
"Portland. Why?"
"I'm coming to visit."
"Jondy, if this is about--" She started but I jumped in, "It's going to be me, Zack, or Van. Besides, I want to meet the father."
"Yeah... that the thing." She said.
"What's the thing?" I asked.
She hesitated, it was bad. "It might be Zane." she replied.
"Oh?" I asked, my voice wavering. I had slept with how many other guys but hearing this broke my heart. "How?"
"Heat." Tinga said, her voice instantly sympathetic, "Jon, I didn't mean to."
"Hey, he hates me so why should I care, right?" I said, tears stinging my eyes.
"I'll come to you." Tinga said quickly.
"No, it's no problem; I want to get out of LA for a bit." I said, hiding my pain.
"Jondy..."
"T... really you don't have to say anything."
"He's still in love with you." Tinga said in a rush.
"We'll talk when I get to Portland." I said and I hung up.
I cried harder than I had in years. The tears fell and they didn't stop. I struggled to the bathroom and downed half a bottle of Trypto and pulled my chin to my knees. The seizure I had then was bad enough that I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood.
My cell phone must have been ringing continuously for the whole thing. I finally got up and looked at it, many missed calls. Mostly Tinga. Several from Brin, several from Grix, and to my shock one from Syl. The phone rang again and I waited for the caller ID to tell me who it was. Syl.
I picked up. "Hi." I said weakly.
"Are you ok?" Syl asked.
"Define ok?"
"Tinga says she's been trying to call you for the last two hours. Brin and Grix too. Are you avoiding everyone?"
"I had a seizure." I said in a pathetic tone. Like one a growing child would use to tell their parents that they had wet the bed.
"You're ok now?" Syl asked.
"Again, define ok?"
Syl took a deep breath, "I'm sorry about Zane. I know how much he meant to you."
"Fuck Zane." I whispered.
"And I'm sorry you let those guys smack you around." She said. "I know what it's like."
"Then you know sorry doesn't help." I replied smartly.
"Jondy... don't push me away." Syl said quietly.
"Who pushed who?" I replied in the harshest voice I could muster.
"What?" She asked.
"I'll call." I hissed. "You said 'I'd call', the last couple hours has been the most you've called me EVER."
"It's been bad Jon." She said. I wanted to reply something harsh, but she started crying. "Real bad." she whispered.
I was pretty weirded out by Syl's crying but I didn't hold it against her. "Shhh... Syl. I'm right here."
"Where's here?" She asked.
"LA."
"Where in LA?" She asked, perking a little.
"Right on the Hollywood hill."
"I'm in Santa Monica." She said.
"I'll come to you." I said.
"Meet me at the sign." She said and she hung up.
I pulled on my jacket and hurried there. I was mere minutes from the sign so I waited nearly half an hour for her. She came walking up the hill, her hand shoved into her pockets; her blonde hair fell down her shoulders. She smiled when she saw me. I walked down to her and we hugged tightly. She started sobbing in my arms and I let tears run down my cheeks. She pulled back and wiped her tears away, "I've missed you so much."
I managed a half-smile, "I missed you too."
"Tinga's pregnant." Syl said, trying to start a conversation.
"I know. I was going to go see her." I said. Syl nodded absently, "Do you want to come?" I asked.
She looked to me disbelievingly, "But Zack said..."
"Screw Zack. Do you want to come?"
"Of course." She said.
"Do you need to pack? I asked.
"You're serious? You want me to come with you?"
I shrugged and smiled, "It'll give us time to catch up."
She smiled, "I'd like that."
An hour or so later, she was asleep in a stolen truck and we were driving towards Portland. So much for catching up, but it was ok that she was sleeping. I liked it. She seemed so peaceful. At least one of us was at peace.