Although the After Dark cost David and Valerie a lot of trouble, they both considered themselves at a truly happy time in their lives. They had found a balance, a perfect connection that made them feel a great energy.
David had had a lot of problems with Donna who had used her mother Felice and her money to hurt him several times. David knew that Donna loved him and that she was deeply hurt. She didn't believe he would ever leave her and definitely not for Valerie Malone. However Valerie made him feel alive, a man, someone who had decisions to make and sexually speaking, wow, Valerie held him to her finger. David recognised his weaknesses and that this could not only be the reason for being with a person. In fact, it wasn't just that.
He could only see Ethan on the scheduled days and Donna didn't want to have any more contact with him. This put the gang in trouble, the days of reunions were over all together, if there was Donna there couldn't be Valerie and not even David.
The others were trying to maintain relations with both of them, for Kelly maybe the situation was more difficult, David was her brother, Donna her best friend and she honestly couldn't stand Valerie. She maintained relationships with her only for Brandon's sake.
Brenda walked into the Peach and greeted Valerie with one hand.
"Hei I didn't expect to see you here," Brenda told her.
"Yes, neither am I, but David is with Ethan and I came to see how daily Peach is going" she winked at her "what are you doing here?" Valerie lifted Brenda's chin with a finger "you have the air of one who just fucked".
Brenda blushed, she lift with one finger Valerie's chin " you too".
They both laughed.
"So, what can I bring you?" Valerie asked.
"Ummm I'm waiting for Kelly, let's have lunch together"
Valerie snorted "so let's wait for Holy Kelly"
"Val, please be kind a he's not having a good time"
"Don't tell me, Brandon finally leaves her?"
"Val... Behave, my brother is in love with her, they have problems with Sam"
"Ouch, I'm sorry about that" Valeri lowered The look then smiled at Brenda "I didn't want to be rude, I'm joking, by now I've laid down the war axe it's just that I wish Kelly was different with me"
"Because of Donna?"
"She only speaks to David, she barely speaks to me, it's his sister.. "
'I feel you'
"But in the meantime she is coming why you don't tell me about this morning," Valerie whispered.
Kelly came in right at that moment looking to see if Brenda had already arrived.
"Ahh party pooper" whispered Valerie Nodding Brenda about Kelly's arrival.
"Hey Kel"
"Hei Brenda" Kelly also took a look at Valerie "Val"
"Kelly.."
Valerie looked for her best smile.
"What brought you?"
"A Cesar salad for me," Brenda asked.
"Yes for me too"
As soon as Valerie walked away Brenda and Kelly looked for a free table.
Brenda took off her jacket by placing it next to her.
"I was surprised by your call today, are you okay Kelly? Problems with Brandon?"
Kelly smiled sadly and shook her head "no, everything is great with Brandon, it's for Sammy"
Brenda nodded, waited for the waitress to serve them the Cesars salad and then resumed talking.
Kelly raised her head and looked at Brenda, had tears in her eyes and could hardly hold them back.
Brenda squeezed her arm "what Kel?"
"At school he is a disaster, we found that he doesn't attend classes, sporadically but he does, Brandon thinks he can handle it but I'm worried. Samuel is slipping more and more."
"Oh my God"
Kelly tried to wipe her tears so that Valerie wouldn't see them especially.
He hated being seen as vulnerable by her.
"I thought," Kelly said, "that maybe Blanca could talk to him"
"Kel.."
Kelly "what.. deep down she was the fuse that triggered this disaster."
Brenda was irritated by what Kelly was saying.
"Kel you're talking about a sixteen year old girl"
Kelly sighed and then looked Brenda in the eye.
'You don't want to help us.'
Brenda settled better in the chair, she was angry at Kelly's attitude about Blanca but she understood the desperation.
"Kel" Brenda cleared her Throat "Does Brandon know you're here today and what you're asking me?"
Kelly shook her head. No, Brandon didn't know.
"Listen I can talk to Blanca about it, but I can't force her if she doesn't want to"
Kel nodded.
"Maybe you should tell Brandon about our conversation today"
'Why?' Kelly asked.
"Because he's your husband and he's Samuel's father, he must know your feelings."
Kelly had an almost hysterical laugh.
"He knows, he tries to hide things from me, he thinks he can fix everything, you know how your brother is, but this situation is hurting him" Kelly took a break "okay, Brenda. Sorry, don't say anything to Blanca or Brandon either, pretend this conversation never started. Now I have to go; I have class.."
Brenda nodded. Neither of them had touched the salads.
The hunger had been cancelled from that moment of tension between the two.
At that moment David came in with Ethan.
"Hey Kelly... Brenda".
David hugged both of them happy to see them. Valerie smiled at him in the distance as she gave Ethan some coins for the jukebox.
Ethan and Valerie got along well. It looked like Ethan was impervious to Donna's negative comments.
"I have to go," Kelly said quickly and slipped away.
'Is she all right?' David asked, raising his eyebrow towards Brenda.
"Yes," Brenda replied worried.
David quickly took Kelly's place,
"Is Ceasar disgusting?" He asked Brenda looking at the dishes intact.
"No" Brenda laughed "let me company you eat with me"
"With real pleasure" Valerie and Ethan also joined.
"So how's it going in Hollywood?"
"Some problems lately," Brenda replied.
'Really?' Valerie asked.
"Nothing serious," said Brenda, "a producer, such a Jackson"
"Mmmhh I know him!" Exclaimed David "the one from Back to the Past and Fast?"
'Him'
"Damn it's an important one," Valerie exclaimed.
"It's also a big pig."
All three watched Ethan who seemed not to have heard because he was busy watching some videos on his father's phone.
"I mean," said Brenda, "that I also signed by denouncing him activities. Sex in exchange for roles in his films,."
"Is it happening to you too?" Asked David.
"Yes of course.. it happened. And I know that some have given in. But these are things that shouldn't happen."
"And does that cause you trouble?" Valerie asked.
"Hollywood is not all this glitter, Sometimes I really miss going back to London and working in the theatre, I'm not saying the environment is easier, but definitely cleaner. Maybe I'll move to the theatre again."
"Maybe you could stage Dylan's latest book, I don't think you'll have a problem with the rights" Valerie winked at her.
Brenda smiled at her.
XX
Both Samuel and Grace could hear their parents arguing downstairs.
"You could at least talk to me about it," Brandon said as he moved around the living room.
"How do you talk to me about it?" Kelly replied.
"I'm your husband as well as Samuel's father, whatever decision we have to deal with together"
Kelly dropped on the couch.
"I don't know what else to do," Kelly said, "he's not the same guy anymore. How can you not see it?"
"I see him" Brandon approached her.
"Strange because you're always out for work"
"That's unfair Kelly. Here we go again, whenever there are problems you pull out my work, , I'm here."
"That's not enough," Kelly replied Harshly
Kelly knew she was overreaging, whenever there were problems she knew no other way but to hurt Brandon, or try to hurt him deep down, for him to react and eventually make the instinct of protection against her prevail.
Samuel moved to his sister's room. He knew Grace hated when her parents argued and when it happened it was generally her sister who went to him but this time Grace's room remained closed.
Samuel knocked and then opened the door before he was given permission.
She found her sister from behind, sitting at her desk.
"Are you okay Grace?"
"No" Grace's voice was broken with crying and yet she didn't turn around.
"Do you want me to stay here with you? We can read a little if you want, together"
Samuel felt bad.
"No," Grace replied without turning around, "I have to do my math homework"
"Do you want me to help you?"
"I don't need help"
"Grace..." Samuel sighed.
'What?' She asked turning with red eyes "it's your fault if mom cries and they fight, they're worried about you, they fight for you, and you don't do anything to make them feel better. Get out "
Grace's words, tone and expression shocked Samuel.
"Get out of my room!" His sister yelled at him, so much so that Brandon and Kelly heard interrupting their fight.
Samuel went out and went to his. He lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He made anyone around him unhappy. Was this the truth?
He heard his father go upstairs, stop for a few seconds in front of his door, hoped for a moment that Brandon would come in, then he heard him move on and go to Grace's room
"Hei honey how about a father daughter date? Do you want me to be your knight for tonight?"
Samuel closed his eyes.
He heard them coming out and knew that her mother had stayed at home.
He went downstairs, she was drinking some coffee and stared the window
"Mom," Sam said.
Kelly looked up and stared at him.
He ran to her and hugged her very hard. There had been a time when his mother had been his whole world. In which it was just him and her. In which he would never do anything to disappoint her. There had been a time when Samuel himself recognised himself as a better person.
"Sorry mom" Samuel broke down.
XX
Sam saw Nate in the hallway. He grabbed him from behind, throwing an arm around his neck.
"Hei Nate"
Nate reserved a nice smile for him.
"It's has been hard to see you lately"
"Well I'm back... I'm going back to training is probably in my life"
Nate looked at him with a fraternal look. He knew everything about Sam going up the roof with Jake. He knew but was too afraid of losing his friend, his brother. He just pretended nothing happened.
Maybe it wasn't this great friend he thought he was. Since last summer the group had flaked apart. Everyone was spinning like a lonely planet.
He had tried to confuse everybody by hanging out with Janet a few times. He didn't like her. He found her boring but at least the school was talking about them and they ended the chatter about Blanca. Janet and Nate was a cover couple. Apparently perfect.
Nate didn't even know how long that farce could last.
"Later there are the selections for the cheerleaders, shall we go?" Samuel asked.
"Why not, and finally comes the new coach"
Nate smiled at him. He had missed Sam.
"I'm going now. But why don't we meet at lunch?"
"Don't you spend the day with Janet?" Sam asked him "I swor I was surprised to hear you were dating"
'Why?'
"I wouldn't say she's your type"
"Well things change," Nate said falsely.
Emma and Blanca crossed paths with them just at that moment.
"Hi girls" Samuel smiled, holding back all of himself.
"Hei Sam," Blanca replied softly.
"You finally decided to talk to me"
Blanca looked down under Emma and Nate's embarrassed eyes.
"I'm not a bad person Sam, I tried to find a solution"
"You found it for you I guess" then Samuel looked at his friends and breathed a sigh "listen, I know I've been horrible these weeks and Blanca I don't blame you, you wanted it to end and in the end you brought this thing to the end, but we were friends, we were always together, and instead we haven't been together for a lifetime. And that's not fair. How about we have lunch together like we've always done?"
Samuel's request seemed strange but sensible. He was the first to want to move forward.
"Seriously?" Emma asked
"Seriously, in return" Samuel wrapped an arm around Emma's neck "will you help me with history tests?
Emma smiled "I knew there was a rip-off"
Sam looked at Blanca "we can do it"
Blanca smiled relieved.
Nate looked at her While Emma and Sam moved away "maybe he really wants to change"
Blanca "I hope so"
Janet ran to put her arms around Nate's neck and gave him a kiss on the lips.
"I was looking for you," she told him.
Blanca smiled and took a few steps back "see you later Nate.."
"Yeahhh" he sighed.
XX
Before lunch Samuel climbed onto the roof, Jake was already there.
'Walsh'
"Jake.."
"What can I give you Walsh?"
"Nothing today, I came to pay the ten I owed you"
Jake looked at him with an interlocutory look.
"I have to calm down for a while.. you know stuff like getting good grades and following the rules"
"You rich children "
"Jake I don't want to upset you but you're rich too"
Jake laughed.
"Too bad, I liked ours Conversations"
The two shook hands. Samuel was standing, Jake sitting with his back to the wall.
"I'll be back," Samuel said.
"I'm sure of that," Jake replied.
This story will win the award for the least rewiewed one ever ... i'm joking) Anyway if you want I'm here to listen to your opinions, the story is only at the beginning and I hope to complete it ... because i have some shocking idea.
Please rewiew!!
