Happy Chapter 17! Are you guys liking the suspense? Maybe? If you got confused somewhere in there, this is my, Hollywoodx4's, chapter.
Disclaimer: In case you didn't know, we don't own this. We DO own Holly, Clea, Zach, and Aiden…oh, wait, Jose kinda owns him now. Hahahaaa! (too soon?)
The cameraman waved his finger in the air above his head, signaling a wrap. The interviewer turned to the camera and gave it a sympathetic look before summing up the rest of the story, then directing the attention back to 'Tom, who's at studio 9.' When the camera's were off, she turned to Cat with another tissue.
"I can't thank you enough for letting me be the first to cover this story, I know it must've been hard, but my boss is going to love me now." Cat looked back at the beautiful Asian woman standing next to her and nodded, rubbing the tears off of her face with the tissue. The woman motions for Cat to sit, and she complies, leading them to a nearby bench. She lets Cat get herself together, and for a while they sit in silence, a slender hand holding a tissue occasionally reaching over to Cat, a passerby sometimes stopping to stare until the cameraman shoos them with a stern look and a haphazard wave. Birds chirp in the trees, and kids shout and laugh in the distance. For a brief second, Cat hears Aiden, but upon turning around realizes it's someone else entirely.
"Listen, I'm prepared to do everything I can to help you out. I can't imagine what you must be going through. I have a daughter his age, I can't imagine what I'd do if my Lily got taken from me." She puts her hand on Cat's shoulder, then gets up from the bench. "Come on, we're getting coffee or tea or something, I can't stand this." The two women cross the street from the park they were at and head to a nearby coffee shop.
The outside of the shop is a simple cream colored building with large windows. People sit at the counter, some on laptops, some reading and sipping hot chocolate, and others engaging in meaningless banter while they watch the constant flow of people pass by the windows. They enter through a large green door and are greeted by a strong aroma of coffee and a hint of jazz music fluttering in the air. The walls are orange, and the decorations are simple and modern. Florentia is a family owned business, and one of Cat and Robbie's favorite places to visit. She almost smiles at memories of dates nights and graduation celebrations that took place in that very shop. This is where she said goodbye to her high school friends, promising to keep in touch. Weaving through tables she remembers Aiden sneaking a sip of her coffe, his nose scrunched in distaste, picking up his cup of hot chocolate in a desperate attempt to clean his palate. Cat and the news lady, whose name she soon discovers to be Naomi, get a table by a window and order their coffees, again plagued by silence. Cat is the first to speak up, first taking a sip of her scorching mocha, letting the heat scorch her throat, leaving the mug to warm her hands.
"I really appreciate this, you know. Maybe this'll help people find him. The Amber alert didn't do much, but can you blame them? Would you want to chase a potentially harmless person across California for someone else?" The question goes unanswered, neither of the women having a good enough argument for either side, and the two continue with the usual coffee shop small talk; weather, schooling, the local news, and anything else they could think of.
Days go by with no luck. The young couple don't talk about him much, and even though Cat wants to crumple on the couch and cry she doesn't. She doesn't cry in public places because other people don't need to be plagued with what she's going through. She doesn't cry while she's rocking her daughter to sleep because she needs to be strong for her little girl. She doesn't cry while Robbie sleeps restlessly next to her because he doesn't need it, because she hasn't seen him cry until now. She doesn't cry because she's run out of tears.
Cat is laying on the floor with Clea when she hears the front door open. She pulls herself from the floor and starts toward the hallway, thinking it's Robbie. When she gets to the door, though, she realizes it's not him at all.
Jade stands at the door holding a toddler to her hip. The girl's face is buried in Jade's neck, her brown curls masking the rest of her head. Jade looks up at the noise, and brown meets brown in a moment of silence. Then Jade breaks eye contact, looking at the girl in her arms.
"I made a mistake…" she mumbles, looking at Cat again. The two friends hug fiercely, clutching onto each other with all of their strength. They cry into each others shoulders and stand there, each not wanting to break the hug in fear that the other will leave. Finally, they pull apart, looking at each other again. Both women are sniffling, hair stuck to their tear stained cheeks. Mascara runs down Jade's cheeks, and the two start to laugh. It's a carefree laugh, one that is brought on by their appearances, their crying, and their happiness of seeing each other again. They laugh together, now sitting against the wall in the hallway, the toddler Jade once held crawling away. They laugh because once you've hit rock bottom, there's nowhere else to go but up.
So random side note…has anyone heard of McFly? There's all I've been listening to for a good month. Non-stop, whenever I have a chance. It's terrible, really, but that's fine.
Like? Dislike? Reviews are loved! I need me some review coffee guys, I need to write a lab report!
Love you all, and thanks for the second place in the Victorious awards!
-Danielle