It's been a little while, but here we go with chapter 25.
Seems like ages ago now, but this chapter is named in honour of one of my favourite bands announcing that they have decided to call it a day and go their separate ways.
This chapter goes out to rosswellmorgana, who currently has a cold. I hope you're feeling better soon!
Hope you enjoy
Myrtle
Chapter Twenty Five: Everybody Hurts
Naomi
When I stepped into the elevator heading down to the rehearsal room, Katie was already in there.
"I thought you would have waited and come down with Emily" she told me.
"We're not joined at the hip, you know" I answered, a little snappier than I intended.
"Alright, don't get your knickers in a twist."
I sighed, and grumbled an apology. It wasn't Katie's fault that I was feeling a little guilty. I had spent the previous night alone in my own room, as I was beginning to feel a bit stifled by spending so much time with Emily. It's not that I don't love her – of course I do. But lately, things have just been snowballing, and suddenly I've found myself in a real, committed relationship. One thing has quickly followed another, and it's all just getting a bit much for me.
"How's she doing since mum and dad left?" Asked Katie, adding to my feelings of guilt. Emily had been through quite an ordeal in the last couple of days – I should be helping her through it, instead of pulling away from her.
"She seems okay" I answered, thoughtfully. "Maybe a bit too okay. She's been a bit hyper – like she's on speed or something." Emily had been elated since coming out to her family. It wasn't what I expected from her at all. True, three out of four of them had accepted it readily, but her mother was a different story altogether. She had refused to even entertain the idea that Emily is gay. I felt sure that sooner or later, her rejection would hit Emily with full force.
"Well, we'll keep an eye on her" said Katie firmly.
As the two of us made our way through the casino, an all too familiar voice came from behind us.
"I might have known you two would be together." We stopped abruptly, and span around to face Justin. "Still claiming to be straight?" He asked Katie, whilst brandishing a magazine. It was a different magazine to the one Cook had found, but it also had those now infamous pictures of me and Emily, and Katie and Freddie. No wonder so many people seem to have seen those pictures – more than one magazine has printed them. Katie cast a quick glance at me, making me wonder what her reaction was going to be. Justin turned his steady gaze towards me. "You're making a fool of yourself" he told me, a sneer creeping onto his lips. "Fucking around with some attention-seeking slut." He shook his head, looking for all the world like a disappointed parent. "The sooner you come to your senses, the better." Unsure what to say, I just stared down at my feet.
"That was just a business meeting!" Snapped Katie, pointing at the photo of her and Freddie. "Naomi knows that. She knows that I'm in love with her." Katie thrust her arm through mine, pulling me roughly towards her. I looked up in shock at her words, as our shoulders bumped together. I actually had to bite my lip to stop an exclamation from escaping.
"You told me you were straight" said Justin smoothly.
"Yeah? Well that was before I realised that I like boobs so much, and… and… you know, licking fannies and stuff."
Somehow, I managed to disguise my snort of laughter as a cough. I felt it prudent to weigh in and rescue Katie, before she gave the game away completely.
"Was there something you wanted Justin? Because we're very busy." I asked sharply.
"Yeah!" Added Katie. She unhooked her arm from mine, and instead slid it around my waist. "We've got lots of multiple orgasms to give each other, so you can pretty much fuck off now." Without giving Justin a chance to answer, Katie turned and walked away, dragging me alongside her. Feeling rather awkward, I slid my arm across her shoulders.
Once we were safely out of sight, we broke apart rapidly.
"What the fuck was that?" I asked Katie, as a huge grin spread across my face.
"Why do you let him speak to you like that?" She asked with a frown. I shrugged, and felt my grin slide off my face. "It's like he thinks he owns you, or something!" I hadn't even realised that I'd let Justin speak to me the same way that he always had done. I guess I still have some old habits to break when it comes to my ex.
"Thanks for that" I told Katie, suddenly realising how uncomfortable that must have made her.
"I'm not making a habit of it" she insisted. "I just didn't like the way that smug bastard was talking to you." Her words left me taken aback. I had assumed that her actions were purely to keep the twins cover intact, but she had also been sticking up for me. It was a nice, albeit unfamiliar, realisation.
"Thanks" I said again, with a small smile. Then I chuckled as I thought back over what Katie had said to Justin. "But for the record: most lesbians don't walk around telling people that they like licking fannies!" Katie chuckled as well.
"Well how would I know what lesbians do?" She asked.
We were still giggling as we entered the rehearsal room. As we walked through the door, our laughter stopped abruptly as a strange noise reached our ears. A grunting and knocking sound seemed to be suddenly stifled. Katie and I frowned at each other, because the room looked otherwise empty.
"Hello?" I called nervously, stepping cautiously into the room. Another muffled sound was the only response. For some reason, it seemed to be coming from a cupboard at the other side of the room. I crept nearer, not sure what I was about to confront. I glanced around the room, looking for anything that could serve as a makeshift weapon.
Before I could react any further, the cupboard doors flew open. Cook and Effy tumbled out together and hit the floor with a thud. Once my initial shock subsided, I marched towards them and glowered down at a very sheepish looking Cook.
"I know how this looks…" he began, with an idiotic grin.
"What the FUCK Cook?" I yelled. He was right about how it looked. With their dishevelled clothing, and Effy's smeared lipstick, there could only be one possible interpretation of the scene in front of me - Cook had been banging Effy for all he was worth, right here in our rehearsal room.
As I glared at them, Effy hoisted herself off Cook, and rose to her feet. She nonchalantly rearranged what little clothing she had on. Once sorted, she strolled casually from the room with a smirk on her face. Katie and I gaped at each other, each too startled to say a word as Effy left.
"Naomikins, listen…" said Cook as he climbed slowly to his feet.
"You fucking IDIOT, Cook!" I roared at him, before realising that he hadn't yet adjusted his own clothes. I turned my back on him. "And put your fucking dick away!" I insisted. To my horror, Cook just laughed.
"Ain't nothing you haven't seen before" he answered. I heard the sound of a zipper sliding. "The monster's back in his cage, okay?" I turned back to face him.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I demanded. "What if Emily had been here?" Cook grinned at me.
"She could've joined in. She could do with seeing more cock." I felt my temper bubbling over, but it was Katie who was quicker to react.
"That's my sister you're talking about!" She bellowed, giving Cook a slap around the face. I winced – I could still remember what a slap from Katie felt like. Cook simply laughed at Katie's reaction.
"Effy could have seen the two of them together!" I yelled at Cook, though I knew that he hadn't mistaken my meaning. "Of all the places you could have shagged her, you had to do it here?" Cook just shrugged, and looked for all the world like he didn't give a shit. The thought occurred to me that his choice of location was not accidental. Perhaps he wanted me to catch the two of them together. I tried to get him to see sense. "You know Effy's just using you to find out our secrets, right?"
"No, actually" snapped Cook, suddenly getting angry. "She was using me to get back at Freddie for whatever's going on with Katie!" He jabbed an accusing finger in Katie's direction.
"Great! That's a healthy relationship!" I shouted. "What the fuck is wrong with you? This is the woman that broke you're heart!" Cook moved closer, until he was practically nose to nose with me. There was cold fury in his eyes.
"It wasn't Effy that broke my heart Naomi. Don't you get that? It was Freddie. He broke my heart when he broke up our partnership, and you…" He sighed, and his anger seemed to leave his body along with the breath. "Just forget it" he muttered. He shook his head, and stomped out of the room without another word.
I was left dumbfounded behind him. I suddenly realised why he had been so pissed off over my relationship with Emily. To him, it must all seem like déjà vu: a secret relationship that could rip our whole group apart.
"God, I've really fucked up" said Katie sadly. I shook my head.
"No, it's not you that he's angry with, it's me" I told her firmly. "Look, there's no point rehearsing today. I've got to try and fix things with Cook."
"Sure, I'll tell Emily. I'll see you tonight?" I nodded. I really hoped that Cook hadn't gone off the rails completely, and that we still had a show to perform. But more than that, I just hoped that I hadn't lost my best friend.
Two hours later, and I was convinced that Cook was indeed lost. Or at least not wanting to be found by me. I had scoured all of his usual haunts, and found no sign of him. Despite the fact that it was still morning, I had been in more bars than I cared to count. Most of his favourite strip joints weren't open until later, which was a small mercy. I didn't fancy trailing round places like that at the best of times, but I didn't want to think about what sort of people would be there in the middle of the morning.
I was almost out of ideas. I decided to try the observation level at The Stratosphere, before throwing in the towel. I had once found Cook sulking at the top of the Empire State Building when we were in New York. He told me that when he had things on his mind, he liked to go somewhere high to make his problems seem small. Since The Stratosphere was the tallest freestanding observation tower in the US, it was worth a look.
After a long, and irritatingly noisy journey on 'The Deuce' – the bus that travels the length of The Strip, and takes the length of an ice-age to do so – I finally reached my destination. I paid for a ticket to the observation level, and took the elevator straight there.
I saw him as soon as I stepped out onto the floor. He was over by one of the floor to ceiling windows, sat forlornly on the ground. I stepped quietly over and sat down next to him. Cook didn't acknowledge my presence. I gazed out over the Vegas skyline. You can see practically the whole length of The Strip from here, and the view is amazing.
"Alright?" I asked, lightly. Cook shrugged. I bit my lip while I thought about what I wanted to say. "I'm sorry." I couldn't take back what I'd done, so that seemed like the best place to start. An incline of the head was the only sign that Cook had even heard me. "I should have told you about me and Emily."
"Would've been nice" he answered, softly. After a deep breath, he continued. "I knew you had the hots for Red from the start. Figured you would probably just fuck her and move on, like you usually do." I had always just let Cook believe that I was as promiscuous as I appeared to be. I didn't really feel like setting that record straight as well right now. Instead I shrugged.
"I wasn't looking for something serious" I confessed. "Not after all the crap I got from Justin. It scared the living shit out of me, if I'm honest, how Emily makes me feel. I think that's why I didn't tell you. I didn't want it to be real."
"But you're all loved up now though, aren't you?" Asked Cook.
"Yeah, I suppose so."
Cook frowned.
"Trouble in paradise?"
I let a sigh escape.
"No. No." I said firmly. Cook continued to stare at me, as though he wasn't convinced. "It's not that. It's just… it's like she's snuck up on me. I was trying so hard not to fall for her, but in the end I couldn't help it. And now I'm in a whole fucking relationship, which I told myself I'd never do again. I've had her dad warning me not to hurt her. Christ, even Katie warned me not to hurt her! How can I promise them that, when I don't even know what I'm doing?" Cook just gave me a bemused smile, as my little ramble drew to a halt. I guess I wasn't really expecting much, talking to Cook about relationships.
"Well, the little muff monkey's got it bad for you."
I chuckled.
"Yeah, I know. So have I." But I wasn't just here to talk about Emily. "But I'm not going anywhere, Cook. I love her, but I love you too. Our partnership means everything to me."
Cook arched an eyebrow at me, and his usual broad grin was back on his face.
"Yeah? Then how about a threesome, eh? Show you girls what you're missing out on."
"Fuck off." I punched his arm, but only half-heartedly. Cook wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into a lopsided hug. "I mean it" I insisted. "I couldn't have done any of this without you, and I won't forget that. You and me – we come as a package. End of." Cook pressed a kiss to my temple, and hugged me even more firmly.
"Yeah, Blondie. You've got the face, I've got the brains."
"God help us" I giggled.
"Come on" said Cook suddenly, rising to his feet. He offered me a hand, then hauled me to my feet. "Time for X-Scream." Cook was off and walking towards the elevators before I had even processed his words.
"What? No! Cook, no way!" I chased after him, arguing against it, but I could see that his mind was made up. "Cook, there's no way you're getting me on that thing!"
X-Scream is one of The Stratosphere's thrill rides at the top of the tower. You are strapped in much like a rollercoaster, but there are no twists and turns on this ride. It simply propels you head first over the edge of the tower, and dangles you precariously, nearly nine hundred feet above The Strip. You're looking right down at the ground, with nothing but some metal, and some engineering to combat gravity. Not a prospect that I fancied.
As we headed towards the rides, I continued to inform Cook that there was no way I was getting on that ride. I love The Strip, but I have no wish to see it hurtling towards me! Cook didn't even seem to hear my remonstrations. As he paid for two tickets, I realised that he was serious.
"Cook!" I said in alarm.
"Naomikins, it's just a ride, it's perfectly safe." He turned to face me with an earnest expression. "It's about trust. Okay?" Fuck! I could see that he was talking about more than just trusting the engineering. Is he really going to place the future of our friendship on this? On a fucking thrill-ride? But then this is Cook we're talking about, so anything is possible. Reluctantly, I found myself nodding. Perhaps by going on this ride, I might prove that I have no intention of breaking up our partnership. Cook's logic is really fucked up that way.
With a joyous laugh, Cook climbed into the ride's carriage. Slowly, I climbed in beside him. I felt my heart rate getting quicker and quicker as we were strapped into our seats. I gripped the handrail in front of me convulsively as we began to move, but Cook threw his arms high in the air. I scrunched my eyes tight shut, vowing to keep them that way until it was over. But as I felt myself falling forwards, I had to chance a peek. The view was breath-taking, but I was too busy trying to stop myself from having a heart attack to enjoy it. Cook whooped and cheered beside me in delight, as the ride continued to thrust us back and forth over the edge of the tower.
Thankfully, it was a pretty short ride. After a couple more 'dangles', I was able to clamber out of the carriage on very shaky legs.
"That was great!" Bellowed Cook, at full decibel level. I simply nodded, not sure that I would be speaking again any time soon. "Come on Naomi, that was a real rush!" He laughed. It was certainly that, but I think I'll stick to getting my adrenalin fix by being on stage in future.
Much later, Cook and I ambled into the theatre to get ready for the evening show. We had spent the rest of the day together, just hanging out like we always used to. I had enjoyed it, and it felt as if we had really done some proper repairs on our relationship.
Katie and Emily walked up to us as soon as they saw us.
"Is everything okay?" Asked Emily. Cook and I exchanged grins.
"Yes Emilio, everything is fine" answered Cook. He crooked his finger at Emily, beckoning her towards him. As she moved nearer, Cook put an arm around her shoulders. "You two have my blessing. I'm happy for you both."
"Er, thanks Cook" muttered Emily. She cast a smirk at me, as if to ask 'did we need his blessing?' Cook wasn't finished. He leaned closer, as though preparing to share a great secret. "But don't you ever hurt my best mate, okay? 'Cause if you do, you'll have me to deal with. Is that clear?" Emily looked stunned at Cook's words, but she nodded seriously. My grin grew as I watched them. Emily's family had warned me not to hurt her, and now the only person that I considered to be my family had done the same for me.
Ah, feel the Cookie love everyone! Ew, just not in the way that Effy did!
I've got to confess that although I've been to the observation floor of The Stratosphere, I've never been on any of the rides up there. Even though I've just 'done' Orlando, I'm not really a one for white knuckle thrill rides. I love all the simulator rides, but they are about my limit!
