Endless Roads
Chapter 13 - Rising of Jealousy
Kim sat on her bed early the next morning thinking about what Jason had told her the night before. He was right about what he said.
"… All I can say is that you two better be careful. Because honestly, at the end of this, either you or Kat are going to be hurt… there's no way out of that. And you better be ready."
She couldn't get it out of her mind. Someone would get hurt at the end and she knew it would be her. How could she possibly think that Tommy and her would ever get a happy ending? There was just no way for that to happen as long as Tommy was happily involved with Kat. Kim rubbed her eyes in frustration, sick of thinking about the already over-thought-about topic. So instead of continuing sulking over her complicated life, Kim got up from her bed and headed towards the kitchen.
Jason was hard at work cooking breakfast when Kim entered the room. The smell of pancakes and eggs smothered the room making Kim hungry.
"Good morning." Kim muttered.
Jason quickly turned around to see Kim taking a seat at the kitchen table.
"Hey." He replied back. "You slept in late."
"Really? What time is it?" she asked.
"It's 12:30."
"Oh wow… I must have been tired."
"Yeah, probably."
"So where's Lace?" Kim asked.
"She went out for a run. She was waiting for you to wake up so you could join her, but you just wouldn't wake up."
"Oh." Kim muttered.
Soon, there was a quick silence between the two.
"Jason could we talk?" Kim quietly asked. "It just seems like we haven't had one of our talks in a while."
"Yeah, sure. What about?"
"I think you know what about."
"Oh… I see." Jason mumbled, as he took a seat across from Kim. "Well what's the problem?"
"I-It's just that… I can't get what you said to me out of my head."
"What I said about you and Tommy?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe because it's the truth?"
"I know it's the truth Jason." Kim replied. "But what bugs me is that I don't know what to do about it. You don't know how Tommy makes me feel."
"Kim… he may make you feel good about yourself for the first time in years, but what are you going to do? Are you just going to ignore the fact that Kat even exists?"
"Are you kidding me? You really think I'm that heartless. Obviously no."
"Well then what, Kim? You can't continue what you're doing with Tommy if he's still involved with her."
"Well then how can I stop this?" Kim whispered.
"Stop what?"
"Feeling this way." Kim added. "I'll say that I'll stop, but once I see him, I forget everything that I had ever promised myself."
"I don't know what to say about that Kim. I know you want to be happy and I want to see you happy as well, but if you get yourself further into this, I know you'll get hurt, and I don't want to see that."
"I'm stuck, aren't I?" Kim quietly replied.
Suddenly the two were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening.
"Hey you guys!" Lacey had exclaimed, as she entered the apartment.
"Hey Lace." Jason and Kim had replied.
"So how was the run?" Kim asked.
"It was good." Lacey smiled. "Really hot though."
"I see." Kim responded.
"Hey Kim, want to head to the mall later, I really need to go shopping for some new stuff."
"Yeah sure." Kim nodded. "I guess I could use some shopping time to get my mind off of things."
"What?" Lacey replied, confused.
"Nothing." Jason shook his head. "She's just a little hung over the whole Tommy deal still."
"Oh." Lacey nodded.
"Well hey, before you guys go, I better tell you this now." Jason replied.
"What?" Kim asked.
"I was talking to Rocky last night, and he invited us over to his place for dinner."
Kim paused. "Invited all of us?"
"Well… he didn't exactly specify certain people, it sounded like an open invite to me."
"Well maybe I'll just stay behind, you guys can go."
"No Kim, you have to come." Lacey begged.
"I'm not going to a dinner, where half of the people that will be there hate me.
"They don't hate you." Jason replied.
"Still, I know it's going to be awkward being there, I might as well save myself from the humiliation."
"Well if you're not going, I'm not going." Lacey responded.
"Lacey, no. Do not ruin your night because of me."
"Your already ruining the night for me by not going."
Kim paused and stared at Jason with irritation. She knew Lacey wasn't going to give this one up until she got her way.
"FINE! I'll come." Kim stammered. "You happy now?"
"Very." Lacey smiled.
"Well go take shower and we'll head out." Kim snarled. "You're all sticky."
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Two Hours later at Tommy's apartment…
Tommy sat in his living room, silently watching TV trying to distract himself from his thoughts of Kim and Kat. For hours now, all he thought about was how hurt Kat was for that split moment the night before. He could see how angry she was at him from the look on her face. Usually it wouldn't bug him, but for that moment it did, knowing he had been kissing Kimberly behind her back. He just wished that he didn't have the feelings he had for Kim, but it was just so hard to resist them. Because this was someone that he had cared so much for and meant so much. He wanted to do everything in his power to help her feel better, and of course spending time with her wasn't so bad either. Unfortunately, things just had to be the way they were, and it was frustrating.
Tommy was suddenly startled by a knock at the door. He quickly got up from the couch, made his way to the door, and opened it.
"Jason." Tommy replied. "What are you doing here?"
"Uh… is Kat here?" Jason asked.
"No. She went to work."
"Good. I need to talk to you." Jason replied eagerly, letting himself into the apartment.
"What about?" Tommy asked.
"It's about you and Kim." Jason sighed as he turned around to stare Tommy straight in the eye.
"Why what's going on?" Tommy replied, with concern.
"I think you know what's going on, Tommy." Jason sternly said.
"You've been talking to Kimberly I'm guessing."
"Yeah, I have… and I've got a couple of questions to ask you."
"Look… I'm trying to be there for her alright?"
"Trying to be there for her? What, by kissing her?"
"She told you that." Tommy sighed.
"Yes, Tommy. Kim tells me everything. And I can't believe what you're doing to her!"
"Excuse me?"
"Your dragging her around, taking her to places where you both obviously have made many romantic memories, and your kissing her, making her think that you two could possibly have a chance!" Jason snapped.
"I know that it's wrong because I'm with Kat, Jase, but you don't understand…"
"You can't let this get any further, Tommy. You're just gonna make Kim hurt all over again." Jason interrupted. "You've got her thinking that you're her way into gaining her normal life back."
"Well isn't that a good thing? She wants to get better."
"It's not a good thing when your way in helping her is by cheating on your girlfriend!"
Tommy paused.
"Look, I know you make her happy, and in ways she makes you feel the same way. But you're with Kat, and I know your just going to break her heart at the end of all this."
"What makes you so sure?"
"What is that supposed to mean?" Jason snapped. "Are you saying that your willing to end things with Kat just for her?"
"No, I didn't say that."
"And that's exactly my point!" Jason exclaimed. "If your going to continue your relationship with Kat, you better just stay away from Kim before you hurt her."
"I can't just do that Jase."
"Well your going to have to if you don't want to see her hurt."
"Obviously I don't want to see her hurt, but I can't just stay away from her."
Jason paused. This was a very difficult topic to deal with.
"Tommy, do you honestly love her?"
"As much as I hate to admit it for Kat's sake, but yes… I do."
"Then you'll do this for her."
"Jason…" Tommy mumbled.
"Kimberly's my best friend… my little sister, and I am sick and tired of watching her go through devastation after devastation… I just don't want to see her go through more.
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Lacey and Kim slowly walked up to Rocky's front door. Already, they could hear the beat of music pounding through the windows and the laughter of guests. Lacey quickly pushed the doorbell and seconds later the front door swung open. Kim and Lacey's eyes immediately met Rocky's. As soon as Rocky saw Kim, he gave a blank stare, then suddenly his face brightened with a warm smile.
"Kim, Lacey… come in!" He proclaimed.
"Hey, Rocky." Kim mumbled. "Thanks for inviting us."
"Sure, no problem." He nodded.
"Is Jason here yet?" Lacey asked.
"Nope. I'm sure he'll be here soon, though."
"Oh okay." Lacey responded.
"Adam and the rest are in the family room right now… you can go ahead and join them."
"Oh all right." Kim replied, a little nervous. She didn't want to rush to go see them. "Uh… is it okay if I use your washroom first?"
"Yeah, go ahead. It's just down there and take a left." Rocky replied, as he pointed down the hall.
"Okay, thanks." Kim smiled, and made her way towards it.
Inside, she quickly shut the door behind her and stood there staring at her reflection in the mirror. She slowly combed her fingers through her hair and took deep breaths, shutting her eyes to collect her thoughts. Her heart was beating from nervousness and she didn't know which reason was the cause. Was it because of Billy and Aisha's negative feelings towards her, or seeing Tommy again, knowing there were feeling between them two that she wasn't allowed to share? Either way, she couldn't just stay in the washroom the whole night, so she gathered up her strength to make her way out of there.
Kim slowly walked out of the washroom and headed towards the family room, which was just around the corner. She could already hear their voices from the distance, distinctly Rocky's. As soon as she made that final turn around the corner, all heads had turned to face her while she entered the room. The voices soon became silent and tension could already be felt.
"Hey Kim." Adam quickly replied.
Kim smiled back at him, grateful that he had broken the awkward silence within the room.
"Hey." She muttered. "How…is everyone?"
"Good." Tanya responded, as did Rocky and Adam.
Kim's eyes quickly scanned the room. There was everybody sitting around the coffee table. Two people that immediately caught Kim's attention was Tommy and Kat. He had his arm wrapped around her, with her head gently resting on his shoulder. The moment she saw that display she immediately took her eyes away from the sight, and put them on Aisha and Billy. The pair sat the furthest into the room, trying not to make eye contact with her. Kim could tell from their faces that they were displeased by her presence, which made things very awkward for her. Soon she spotted Lacey sitting on a couch beside Adam and Tanya and quickly joined her.
The rest of the time, Kim had just sat there listening to the others talking about their lives and things going on at work. And while they were talking, Kim couldn't help but slip a few glimpses towards Kat and Tommy. The sight of them sharing their affection to one another was something she couldn't stand. The lips that Kat had been touching at that moment, were the ones Kim had touched the day before. A little smirk came upon Kim's face from the thought of how angry Kat would be if she only knew. But the fact was, Kat was his, and it was something Kim could never change. It was hard sitting there knowing those two were right there in front of her, and that Tommy found it to be no problem being with Kat and showing his affection right in front of Kim. Kim looked at his face, and she couldn't see any sign of awkwardness. She found it slightly insulting that the guy didn't ease up on his public display of affection for the sake of Kim, but what did she expect him to do.
Luckily, the ring of the doorbell interrupted everyone's conversations and Rocky quickly ran to the door to answer it. Jason had finally arrived, and Kim's spirits quickly lifted. There was someone who she could talk to and trust to bring her into a conversation. Jason entered the room, and immediately sat beside Kim, knowing that she needed his company.
"How are things going?" Jason whispered to her.
"Not so good." She whispered back, with a very uncomfortable look on her face.
Jason easily read the look on her face and automatically knew what she was talking about. Behind her, he could see Tommy and Kat and their "PDA". A look of disappointment fell upon Jason, knowing that he was right and that Tommy was hurting Kim all over again. He looked back down at Kim who was silently sitting on the couch staring across the room with her back turned to the direction where Tommy was. He knew he had to do something.
________________________________________
Later on during the night, dinner was finally ready. It was the first time Rocky had ever done some serious cooking for all his friends, so he wanted to take as much time to make his dishes perfect. Everyone sat around Rocky's dining table chatting away while waiting for the food to be served. Again, Kim sat quietly, listening to each other's conversations as well as taking a few glimpses of Tommy and Kat. They still were at it, the cuddling and his arm wrapped around her; Kim just couldn't understand it. Did Tommy not get it, or was he completely forgetting that Kim was even there?
But what bugged Kim the most was knowing she was a complete idiot for leaving Tommy those long five years ago. She had so much going for her back then, and it immediately disappeared as soon as she left. Now the one thing she wanted so badly at that moment now belonged to someone else, which originally was all her's. That arm should have been around her waist, that stare should have been gazing upon her face, and those lips should have been touching hers. In ways, she had gotten some of that back… at least for a little while, but she knew she could never call them her own unless it was official. It was her own fault.
So she continued sitting at the table silently, while Jason spectated the issue that was occurring right in front of him. He saw those little glimpses Kim had made, and seeing the pain in her eyes while she sat there tore him up inside. He wanted to make it end just by getting up and screaming at Tommy's face, but he knew he couldn't do it in front of everybody.
Finally, Rocky and a couple of others entered the dining room carrying bowls and plates of food. Everyone was in shock at how much food that Rocky had prepared. It surprised many of them, because Rocky wasn't the type of guy to cook for everyone.
"Wow Rocky, this is amazing!" Kat replied, astonished. "You must have worked your butt off today."
"Well… I did have a little help from Tanya." He replied, looking at her.
Tanya blushed. "It was no problem."
"So… what are you waiting for? Dig in!" He exclaimed.
Everyone went for it; spooning heaps of mash potatoes on their plates and piling stacks of sliced roast beef as well. The whole gang had begun to eat and it was wonderful for Kim to see everyone smiling. This was how she imagined it would be when she first returned to Angel Grove. Just a group of friends gathering together smiling and laughing and just having a good time. Not the horrible reality she was in, where two of her closest friends were mad at her, and old feelings for her ex-boyfriend were tearing her up inside.
While she ate, she tried to avoid looking at Tommy and Kat who sat right across from her at the table. And in order to do that, she focused her attention to her plate, keeping head down and trying her best to never bring it up. But it was just too hard, since now that she couldn't see them, she could hear them. She heard every little giggle that Kat had made and the cute, mushy comments Tommy frequently replied. She rolled her eyes everytime, wishing she never heard a word of it. The more she did, she felt as if a fire were burning up inside of her, growing more fierce with every little comment and giggle the couple made.
"Oh sweetie, you got a little gravy on the side of your mouth." Kat replied. "Here… let me get it for you."
Kim avoided bringing her head up to see the two, but she did happen to see Kat's hand grabbing for a napkin.
"Mmm… thank you baby." Tommy responded.
"No problem, honey." She laughed and gave him a little kiss on the cheek.
That smacking sound of her kissing him had hit a nerve and that was it. Kim had enough. She couldn't sit there any longer listening to those two. It was just too much. She dropped her fork loudly on her plate and pushed her chair back in order to get up. The noise drew everyone's attention to her. Jason could see the ticked off look on her face. Kim's face was red, and he saw the word "pissed" all over it.
Kim stood up. "You know…" she began shyly. "I think I may have left my lights on, on my car. I'm just gonna go check it out… excuse me." She then darted out of the dining room and went through the front door. Everyone could hear the loud slam, and every one of them had a look of curiosity. Tommy in particular.
"You know… she's got me paranoid about mine too." Tommy quickly added. "I'm gonna go check up on it." He said, and quickly ran off after her.
The room remained silent, a little curious at the all-of-a-sudden interruption of their dinner. Jason watched as Tommy left the room and knew what was up. Tommy was going after Kim and he had to prevent it.
"Excuse me…" Jason began to stand up. "I'm gonna help those two out. I'll be right back." He said and ran after Tommy.
Again, the room remained silent, surprised of the amount of people that were leaving at that moment.
"Any body else want to go check up on their car?" Adam quietly asked with a bit of sarcasm.
Soon heads quickly turned to Lacey's direction. Her eyes looked up at all of them as she took a sip of her water. She quickly swallowed it down and reached for her pocket.
"Oh would you look at that!" Lacey suddenly exclaimed as she held up a pair of keys. "I got Kim's keys! I think I'm gonna go head out and give them to her." She awkwardly smiled and quickly ran out through the front door.
Everyone remained with blank looks upon their faces.
______________________________
"Kim… please talk to me." Tommy begged as he stood in front of the moping Kimberly who sat on the hood her car with her face resting in her hands crying.
"Go away." She sobbed. Her hair covered her face, which made it impossible for Tommy to see her emotions.
Suddenly, the sound of running footsteps from behind Tommy made Kim lift her head up. Her mascara had smudged all around her eyes from her tears, and at that moment Tommy could see how much he had hurt her. He then turned around to see who was coming.
"Tommy… what did I tell you." Jason snapped at he made his way down to where the two were.
"Jason, this isn't the time." Tommy muttered.
"Uh… yes it is. Now go back in there and forget about this."
"Jason would you just let me and Kim talk… please."
"Hey! What the hell is going on?" Lacey exclaimed as she made her way down the driveway. But nobody answered her, the argument between Tommy and Jason continued on.
"Look, you've hurt her enough for one night, why don't you just leave her alone."
"That's exactly it, that's why I need to talk to her." Tommy then turned back to the tearful Kim. "Kim… I am so sorry about tonight… I never meant to hurt you like this."
"What the hell did you expect Kim to feel when you sat there showing off your feelings for Kat in front of her like that?" Jason yelled.
"Will you just stay out of this!" Tommy snapped.
"Hell no! I will not just stand here and watch you make Kim more miserable than she already is!"
"Why won't you two just stop yelling!" Kim cried.
Both of them turned and looked at Kim. They soon realized that their arguing was just making the matter worse.
"Kim… please. I need for you to understand that I never meant to hurt you." Tommy whispered.
Kim stared into his eyes. She didn't know what to say to him so she remained silent.
"You have to understand that…"
"So what do you expect me to do, Tommy… huh?" Kim quickly snapped. "Just sit there and watch you two go at it? I'm sorry, but I can't."
"You don't have sit there and watch…"
"Well it's kinda hard not to when you're putting it right in my FACE!" She yelled.
"I'm sorry…" Tommy replied again.
"Yeah… you said that already." Kim retorted.
"Look… I just don't want you too feel bad about this."
"Yeah well it's kinda late for that." Kim hissed. "CONGRATULATIONS TOMMY! I'm jealous!" Those last two words were cracked as more emotions were pouring out of her.
The sound of it broke Tommy's heart.
"I told you guys, that this would happen…" Jason muttered.
"Jason!" Kim snapped. "Please… I know, all right! Just please stop going around telling me that what I'm doing is wrong and rubbing it in my face every god damn minute!"
"I'm sorry, Kim." He muttered.
"For god sakes… I've heard those two words way too much in one day that it's starting to lose it's meaning." She hissed.
All the three of them paused, with Lacey standing in the background.
"I'm out of here. I have to go." Kim whispered, quickly getting off her car and heading to the driver's seat.
"W-where are you going?" Lacey, Tommy and Jason had all replied.
"Anywhere! Except here." She yelled.
"You can't leave." Lacey replied.
"And why the hell not?" Kim snapped.
"Because I have your keys."
"Lacey give them to me." Kim hissed, holding out her hand.
"You're not leaving, Kim."
"Lacey, give them to me."
"No." Lacey shook her head.
"GIVE THEM TO ME!" She yelled.
"Lacey… just give them to her." Jason sighed.
Lacey then slowly walked up to Kim and placed the keys in her hands. Kim quickly grabbed them and gave all three intense stares. She then got inside of her car, and slammed her door shut. She started her engine, and quickly pulled out of the driveway, leaving Tommy, Jason and Lacey to watch her speed down the street and out of their sight.
