Chapter 24
"Kay, what the hell are you doing here?" Simone asked as she wandered bleary-eyed into the apartment the next morning. Kay was up with her standard mug of coffee that she would slurp from all day, and Simone took a step back from the glare that she received in response.
"Or should I be asking what the hell's the matter with you?" Simone amended.
"Where have you been all night?" Kay asked, ignoring Simone's questions.
Simone thought fast. She couldn't come up with a lie quick enough, so she told a half-truth. "Well, I decided to take your advice and get some..." As she saw the thunderclouds swamp her friend's face, she realized that she'd told the wrong half of the truth. She looked around the room as the apartment's climate grew uncomfortable, as if lightening was just containing itself from striking. She looked back to Kay alarmed. "Kay, calm down, what's the matter with you? What did I do?"
"I saw you at Haven last night with Nicholas. Did you just happen to pick him for your getting some activities last night?" Her voice was calm enough to frighten Simone.
"Kay!" Simone was shocked. And a little embarrassed. She couldn't believe that she'd been so careless about being seen with Nicholas. She'd have to have a talk with Shawn about the meaning of the phrase "do not disturb." To Kay, she continued, "Kay, I can't believe you'd think something like that!"
Kay, feeling Simone's mild rebuke, calmed slightly. "What am I supposed to think, Simone? You walk around acting all mysterious, you LIE about working at Haven, poor Shawn is worried because you look haggard all the time, and when I go to check on you in the middle of the night, he tells me you left with Nicholas and then you don't come back until the next morning!"
Simone realized that the jig had to be up or she was going to be seriously in danger of losing Kay's friendship, not to mention all her glassware, which was vibrating dangerously in response to Kay's anger.
"Okay, Kay, just calm down and I'll explain everything."
Kay, seeing that she was finally going to get her way, took a few deep breaths to calm herself and reined in the blue that was palpable in the room. "Okay, Simone, but no half truths this time."
"Okay, I'll tell you as much as I can, but really, some of this doesn't just affect me," she threw in. "Other people are dependent upon this stuff remaining fairly confidential."
Kay was even more mollified to realize that there was a reason behind her being left out of the loop. But only slightly. "Simone, stop stalling, you know I won't tell, just give."
"Okay, okay!" Simone took a deep breath. "Nicholas is the main financial backer of Haven, Kay. And not just Haven, but Earth, too," she paused to let that sink in.
"The Crane money, right?" Kay asked. "And what the hell is Earth?"
"Not exactly the Crane money, but his trust fund. Since he can support himself off his research grants, he used to hand over his allowances to Haven, until it became solvent. He's probably made a lot more than he gave me originally, but we've been having talks again because I'm expanding... I want to open a night club called 'Earth' and last night, Nicholas told me about a venue we can make-over that his family already owns. It's an old jazz club downtown, apparently Nicholas's dad used to run it for kicks or something and then let it go out of business when he married Nicholas's mother..." Simone was getting into her descriptions, excited to finally be telling Kay about her plans.
"Oh!" Kay shouted. "Haven and Earth, like Heaven and Earth, I get it!" she screamed triumphantly.
"Good Kay," Simone responded dryly. "Now focus. You know Miguel's friend, Chad? Well, he's going to be my star DJ, only his scholarship to the University says that he can't work because it's to cover living expenses so he can concentrate on school. We're trying to work out something so he can get course-work credit for the experience, but since nothing is final, no one can know he's working with us on this."
"You're dating Chad!" Kay vocalized at the same time that she came to that realization.
Simone blushed, "Kay, Chad's a great guy and..."
"Where did you sleep last night, Simone?" Kay interrupted.
"Okay, fine, Chad and I are dating," Simone acknowledged. "But you and Charity are so excitable and drama just follows you guys around, I wanted to keep this safe and normal."
"Oh, now I'm hurt," Kay said, pouting. She put down her coffee on the kitchen table and inched towards the living room as she spoke. "Charity and I don't ask for drama, it just sort of follows us," she said, maintaining her pout and still moving backwards.
"Be that as it may," Simone began, "You two are still the reining drama quee..." she stopped talking as she realized Kay's destination. "Oh no you don't, you heifer you," she yelped as she dived for cover behind the sofa that Kay had just grabbed a cushion from. "And that's another thing," she continued, reaching for a cushion of her own, "Why must you two always resort to violence? Can't we just have one conversation that doesn't end in a pillow... umph... fight?" she said between swinging blows.
"OHO!" Kay hooted. "Is this the same peace lover that pushed me off a bench and damn near broke my leg?!"
"Always bringin' up old stuff," Simone said, as she ducked another of Kay's well-aimed swings. "Why must you always bring up the past?" she retaliated, quick enough to catch Kay's arm.
"Simone, you know what?" Kay said, pausing her swinging and waiting for Simone to do the same. "You're full of shit," Kay finished, ducking as Simone aimed for one last blow.
"Kay, what the hell are you doing here?" Simone asked as she wandered bleary-eyed into the apartment the next morning. Kay was up with her standard mug of coffee that she would slurp from all day, and Simone took a step back from the glare that she received in response.
"Or should I be asking what the hell's the matter with you?" Simone amended.
"Where have you been all night?" Kay asked, ignoring Simone's questions.
Simone thought fast. She couldn't come up with a lie quick enough, so she told a half-truth. "Well, I decided to take your advice and get some..." As she saw the thunderclouds swamp her friend's face, she realized that she'd told the wrong half of the truth. She looked around the room as the apartment's climate grew uncomfortable, as if lightening was just containing itself from striking. She looked back to Kay alarmed. "Kay, calm down, what's the matter with you? What did I do?"
"I saw you at Haven last night with Nicholas. Did you just happen to pick him for your getting some activities last night?" Her voice was calm enough to frighten Simone.
"Kay!" Simone was shocked. And a little embarrassed. She couldn't believe that she'd been so careless about being seen with Nicholas. She'd have to have a talk with Shawn about the meaning of the phrase "do not disturb." To Kay, she continued, "Kay, I can't believe you'd think something like that!"
Kay, feeling Simone's mild rebuke, calmed slightly. "What am I supposed to think, Simone? You walk around acting all mysterious, you LIE about working at Haven, poor Shawn is worried because you look haggard all the time, and when I go to check on you in the middle of the night, he tells me you left with Nicholas and then you don't come back until the next morning!"
Simone realized that the jig had to be up or she was going to be seriously in danger of losing Kay's friendship, not to mention all her glassware, which was vibrating dangerously in response to Kay's anger.
"Okay, Kay, just calm down and I'll explain everything."
Kay, seeing that she was finally going to get her way, took a few deep breaths to calm herself and reined in the blue that was palpable in the room. "Okay, Simone, but no half truths this time."
"Okay, I'll tell you as much as I can, but really, some of this doesn't just affect me," she threw in. "Other people are dependent upon this stuff remaining fairly confidential."
Kay was even more mollified to realize that there was a reason behind her being left out of the loop. But only slightly. "Simone, stop stalling, you know I won't tell, just give."
"Okay, okay!" Simone took a deep breath. "Nicholas is the main financial backer of Haven, Kay. And not just Haven, but Earth, too," she paused to let that sink in.
"The Crane money, right?" Kay asked. "And what the hell is Earth?"
"Not exactly the Crane money, but his trust fund. Since he can support himself off his research grants, he used to hand over his allowances to Haven, until it became solvent. He's probably made a lot more than he gave me originally, but we've been having talks again because I'm expanding... I want to open a night club called 'Earth' and last night, Nicholas told me about a venue we can make-over that his family already owns. It's an old jazz club downtown, apparently Nicholas's dad used to run it for kicks or something and then let it go out of business when he married Nicholas's mother..." Simone was getting into her descriptions, excited to finally be telling Kay about her plans.
"Oh!" Kay shouted. "Haven and Earth, like Heaven and Earth, I get it!" she screamed triumphantly.
"Good Kay," Simone responded dryly. "Now focus. You know Miguel's friend, Chad? Well, he's going to be my star DJ, only his scholarship to the University says that he can't work because it's to cover living expenses so he can concentrate on school. We're trying to work out something so he can get course-work credit for the experience, but since nothing is final, no one can know he's working with us on this."
"You're dating Chad!" Kay vocalized at the same time that she came to that realization.
Simone blushed, "Kay, Chad's a great guy and..."
"Where did you sleep last night, Simone?" Kay interrupted.
"Okay, fine, Chad and I are dating," Simone acknowledged. "But you and Charity are so excitable and drama just follows you guys around, I wanted to keep this safe and normal."
"Oh, now I'm hurt," Kay said, pouting. She put down her coffee on the kitchen table and inched towards the living room as she spoke. "Charity and I don't ask for drama, it just sort of follows us," she said, maintaining her pout and still moving backwards.
"Be that as it may," Simone began, "You two are still the reining drama quee..." she stopped talking as she realized Kay's destination. "Oh no you don't, you heifer you," she yelped as she dived for cover behind the sofa that Kay had just grabbed a cushion from. "And that's another thing," she continued, reaching for a cushion of her own, "Why must you two always resort to violence? Can't we just have one conversation that doesn't end in a pillow... umph... fight?" she said between swinging blows.
"OHO!" Kay hooted. "Is this the same peace lover that pushed me off a bench and damn near broke my leg?!"
"Always bringin' up old stuff," Simone said, as she ducked another of Kay's well-aimed swings. "Why must you always bring up the past?" she retaliated, quick enough to catch Kay's arm.
"Simone, you know what?" Kay said, pausing her swinging and waiting for Simone to do the same. "You're full of shit," Kay finished, ducking as Simone aimed for one last blow.
