"Let's go over it, one more time! The Press Conference is on this Saturday, the main event on Sunday, and finally, the pre-season Team meeting on Monday, and on Tuesday…" the manager rambled off as he read through the list that rolled my eyes with each upcoming event of my agenda.
I hardly listened as I nonchalantly polished my Beyblade, smirking as Dragoon's image glistened. It was the same old thing, day after day…a match here, a match there, sign some autographs, go home, go to sleep, then wake up and do it all over again the next day. If I knew being the best Beyblader in the World was going to practically take away my personal and social life, I would have revamped my whole life…at least then I would be happy.
"And don't forget tomorrow you have to go to that ribbon cutting ceremony for that new mall they're opening up in your honor, then on Thursday…" but the manager was interrupted as the door flew open and a young blonde bounded into the room, an arm full of shopping bags.
"Hi honey!" she sang, dumping the bags on the floor and literally landing on my lap, placing a kiss on my cheek.
"Hi," I greeted back, flashing a half-hearted smile her way, though she didn't seem to notice its' phoniness. Only one girl I knew could ever read through my fake smiles and she was a thousand miles away. I exhaled, the reminder of what transpired between me and Hilary still stung, the feeling being my body sliced open by thousand Beyblade cuts. Resting my head in my hand, I dreamily began to think about Hilary…her face, fragrance, smile, scolds…
"Earth to Tyson!" my forehead was knocked by Rhonda's knuckle, as my trance shattered, and I was met the scowling face of my girlfriend.
"What's happening to you?" she frowned, "You've been zoning a lot lately!"
"Rhonda, I'm not in the mood to go through this again," I sighed tiredly, as I rolled my eyes in frustration.
"Wait!" her scowl twisted, as she cocked a brow. "It's that tramp, ain't it?" she spat. "You've been thinking about her all this time!"
And that's when he had just about enough. Blood rushed into my face and I slammed my hand on the armrest of my chair. "Don't call her that, Rhon! You've no idea what she means to me!"
"Tyson, it's like I don't even know you anymore. You've changed," she pouted, turning away from me.
"You never knew me to begin with!" I screamed. Sometimes this girl could be as dense as dense could be. What the hell am I saying, "sometimes" was an understatement. Well, I guess that's how it goes when you get everything handed to you since birth. "But at least I make an effort with our relationship! All you think of me is when you need my credit card! That's all I am to you!"
The next thing I knew, I felt her hand connect with my cheek as a stinging sensation rippled through my whole body.
"Now let's all calm down," placated my coward manager, who couldn't jump in before Rhonda's hand flew on my cheek. "Fighting won't get you two anywhere. Look, it's getting late and I think we're all a little irritable right now. Can I escort you back to your room Rhonda?"
"No thanks, I can make it just fine myself," she frowned turning on her heel and storming out of the room. "Wouldn't wanna let my boyfriend think I can't do a single job by myself!" She closed the door harshly behind her, making us flinch.
Dave sighed and turned towards me, disappointment written all over his face.
"You need to stop doing this Tyson. Think of your career," he reprimanded, putting his pen behind his right ear, "You need to make up with her by tomorrow so the public doesn't suspect something is amiss at the ceremony. I'll go buy some flowers or something later…"
"Dave, I can't help it. My relationship with her couldn't be more stagnant waters now. I can't even stand her!" I did my best to explain, and it was my heart that did the talking. Shaking my head in frustration, I glanced on the wall of my private lounge. The memories of all my friends captured and nailed on the wall. My eyes fell on a particular frame of me and Hilary. It was taken in Athens by the sea, back when we were dating. I was so happy back then…that is, until that day, where I paid the price of being the World Champion. My victories went straight to my head, and I was unstoppable on my ambitions, until…it was crossroads between her and his career, and he made the regretful choice. She was left heartbroken. . She had always been there for me, encouraging me to do my best and I betrayed her. I left her for this life…a life of unhappiness and uncertainty.
"Tyson, I understand what you're going through, but you know Rhonda's background looks good for your disposition," Dave explained, "Her being a beautiful supermodel makes you two the hottest couple in all of Japan. It's good publicity!"
"I don't care if she were the queen of England…I don't want her. I miss Hilary and I regret you ever talking me into breaking it off with her," I sighed, slumping back onto the couch, holding my head in my hands, "I miss her Dave…she was the only girl I ever loved."
I could hear Dave shuffling his feet uncomfortably as he walked towards me. He placed a hand on my shoulder in a vain attempt to comfort my broken heart.
"I'm sorry Tyson," I heard him confess. In the three years that I had known him, never had I heard Dave apologize for ruining my relationship. But, in all honesty, Dave wasn't all to blame. I was the one who listened to him and gave up Hilary for this stupid life…the life that meant nothing for me now.
"Whatever…its' done and over with now. There's nothing I can do to change that," I whispered solemnly, "If you don't mind Dave, I'm wiped out. We have a big day ahead of us and I think we could both use the sleep."
Dave nodded and grabbed the clipboard from off of the table.
"You get a good night's sleep Tyson and try not to think about it. Tomorrow's a new day," he smiled, swiftly leaving the room and closing the door behind him.
I collapsed on my bed, and closed my eyes deep in thought about the day to come. But every night these days, sleep never came to me naturally. Morbid thoughts ran in my head about her. Accepting my guilt, I rolled over, and began to think of her. The following day started off just as any other…I took a shower, brushed my teeth, combed my hair, got dressed and looked myself over in the mirror. I had a long day ahead of me and I needed to look sharp…if only to impress Dave, Rhonda, and my adoring fans.
Just then I heard a knock on the door and went to answer it, only to be met with a flurry of hugs and kisses.
'I guess Dave followed through with those flowers,' I thought as Rhonda released her grip on my neck.
"Oh Tyson, they're beautiful!" she squealed, fawning over the bouquet of red roses, "How did you know I loved roses?"
"Just a lucky guess I suppose," I answered shrugging at her.
"Well, are you ready to go? Dave has got the limo ready downstairs and is waiting for us," she smiled, looping her arm around mine.
I reluctantly closed the door to my room, leaving safety and security behind. Dave was, as Rhonda had said, waiting for us when we arrived five minutes later. He was frantically checking his watch when we arrived and quickly ushered us into the stretch limousine. Pouring himself a drink, which I could only assume was malt whiskey (the only alcoholic drink the man downed), he swiftly wiped his forehead in anticipation for the big day.
"This is going to be huge for you two," he started, sipping his drink, "The expected outcome is supposed to be in the hundreds."
Rhonda squealed in delight at being in the public eye and sighed dreamily as she fixed her make-up and hair in her compact mirror she had pulled out of her purse. Make-up was something Hilary had never needed…to me, she was a natural beauty and no amounts of make-up could ever reveal otherwise.
"Tyson, this is going to be big," Dave repeated for the second time, "Here, take this. It's a speech I wrote for you last night. Everything's in there…your views on the Tournament, your rise to fame, everything…"
He trailed off as he downed the rest of his drink and licked his lips satisfactorily. I took the speech from him and looked it over quickly as we slowly arrived to our destination. Getting out of the car, the first thing I noticed were the multitudes of people. Was this really that big of a deal? Sighing, I fought my way through the screaming crowd of children and teenage girls, Dave leading the way. He led us to a secluded area meant only for VIP's and closed the door behind him, sighing as he did so.
"I'll be glad when this is over," he sighed walking over to the bar area.
I smiled as I watched him order another of his favorite drinks, probably to calm his nerves though he wasn't the one that was about to speak in front of hundreds of people. Suddenly I spotted Chief running towards me as he engulfed me in a tight hug.
"Tyson!" he smiled.
"Thanks Chief," I beamed back returning the hug.
"Hi Kenny!" shrieked Rhonda as she hugged my best friend tightly.
"Oh, hello Rhonda. How are you?" Kenny asked, flashing a fake smile only I could decipher.
"I'm fantastic! I'm so excited about this whole ceremony. Dave says it'll make me even more popular then before," she sighed dreamily.
"That's wonderful," Kenny replied.
"Well, I got to go do some final touches with my make-up. See you," she announced as she pranced off towards the nearest restroom.
Kenny sighed, looking up at me dejectedly. "Man, how could you sit with her in the same room. You were so much better off with Hilary-"
"Sorry Chief, but just don't bring up Hil right now," he sighed tiredly, "I can't go in there with a sullen face."
"Well, I might just not have to bring it up…" Kenny nodded, flashing him a knowing smile as he walked away.
'What did he mean by that?' I thought, trying to shake the feeling that Kenny knew something I didn't.
Searching for the refreshment table, I scratched my head in confusion. I had no idea this many people were admitted into the VIP section. Sighing, I squeezed my way through the nicely dressed people, who I could only guess were people of high-ranking authority, and finally found what I was looking for. However, in a clumsy attempt to reach the snack table, I had accidentally run into someone.
Bowing out of respect, I smiled and offered my apologies, "Oh I'm so sorry Miss. I wasn't watching where I was going….Hil!"
I couldn't believe my eyes! Here I was again, face to face with her…Hilary, whose deep auburn eyes captivated me just as they had some many years ago. I looked her over and noticed that she had become even more beautiful than before. She was wearing a dress that hung slightly above knee height, which was covered in light blue sequins. She wore white, lacy heels that accentuated her figure nicely and her hair was falling down her back, like a chocolate waterfall. Noticing the dumb-founded look on my face, she giggled, snapping me out of my reverie.
"Hello Tyson," she smiled, looking me over. Her smile…the one I had missed so much since our time apart, was still has beautiful as ever.
"H-Hilary," I sputtered out. That was smooth…real smooth.
"How have you been? It's been awhile," she asked as she pulled a strand of hair behind her ear, a habit she was known for doing when she was nervous. If she was nervous, however, she did well to hide it.
"I've been okay," I responded simply, "Dave's kept me real busy…in-between battling, speeches, and Rhonda, I hardly have any time for myself," I answered mentally kicking myself for that one.
"Oh Rhonda…how is she?" Hilary asked solemnly, her face darkening.
"She's the same as always," I sighed, realizing how true that statement to be.
"That's nice," she stated smiling that fake smile of hers.
"Hilary…" I whispered. I wanted so much to take her in my arms and tell her I love her and that I would never leave her again. I wanted to tell her that the title meant nothing unless she was there to share it with me…I wanted to be able to take her away from all this…take her away to a place where we would be happy together, just like before.
"What is it Tyson?" she asked questioningly.
"Tyson! Oh there you are honey!" announced Rhonda as she bounded over to us, but soon took on her snotty persona as soon as she saw Hilary, "Oh Hilary, I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"It's nice to see you too," Hilary replied, nervously chuckling, but I could see her fingers were dying to be clasped into a ball.
'Terrific,' I thought to myself, what rotten timing. Leave it to Rhonda to completely mess things up.
"How's your new career going on, Tyson?"
"Oh it definitely has its ups and downs," I confessed, though he'd never know how close to the truth that actually was.
"That's awesome! Oh, and congratulations on this whole mall dedication thing. That must really mean a lot to you," she smirked with pride.
"Yeah, I guess," I lied.
"I think it's great!" she responded, before Rhonda had rudely cleared her throat in an attempt to get everyone's attention, not liking the fact that she was being ignored.
"Tyson, I think its time we go. They're going to be calling you to the stage soon," she pointed out to my dismay.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that," I said, sighing. I was starting to feel like old times, however, Rhonda had just broke me out of my trip down memory lane.
"Oh you're so silly sweetie," she giggled as she brought her lips to mine, sneaking a peak at Hilary to see her reaction. Hilary, however, stood her ground, and simply smiled. Pulling Rhonda off of me, I took her hand and prepared to say my farewells.
"Maybe I'll get to see you guys after the ceremony, we have a lot of catching up to do," I promised hopefully.
"Tyson honey, you have that meeting to attend, remember? And then you were going to treat me out to dinner," she whined, hurt that I had forgotten our "date."
"Oh yeah…" I nodded dejectedly, "How could I forget?"
"It's okay Tyson. We'll catch you up some other time," Hilary comforted.
"He's a very busy person," shot Rhonda in pure jealousy, "He won't have any time for you."
Hilary, simply shaking her head, smiled at me, ignoring Rhonda's immaturity.
"Well, I guess I'll see you when I see you then," she winked, receiving a scowl from Rhonda in return, "If that's okay with the slave driver of course."
I found myself laughing at her last remark as she walked away from sight. Hilary still had it…that sense of humor and that sarcastic tone of voice that I had fallen in love with.
Rhonda, on the other hand, was still fuming once they were out of sight.
"I honestly don't know what you see in her," she pouted, pulling me towards Dave and the stage where I was to recite my speech.
"Are you ready Tyson?" asked Dave, as he wiped his forehead with his handkerchief.
"As ready as I'll ever be," I announced.
"Now, remember you're going to be in the presence of the Chairman, please don't screw this up," he pleaded, folding his hands in front of him.
"Don't worry Dave. I'll have known Mr. Dickenson longer than you have," I laughed, walking onto the stage, Rhonda hot on my heels.
"That's what I'm afraid of," he sighed, walking back to the bar for round two.
XXX
"That was great Tyson!" Dave announced broadly backstage, "You really did a number out there."
"You mean you're not mad? I hardly read your speech," I confessed sheepishly.
"I knew you wouldn't go with it!" he laughed, "And great job, having your ex-girlfriend cut the ribbon with you. The public riles on humble stuff like that."
"I just did it to piss Rhonda off," I joked, rubbing the back of my head.
"I know you did," he smiled sympathetically towards me as he placed a hand on my shoulder, "Well, let's get back to the hotel. You need to change for the meeting."
I nodded despairingly as I got into the car where Rhonda was already waiting. She ignored me the whole time in the ride. Once back in the hotel, I changed into more comfortable clothes, glad that I had at least a few hours to kill before the meeting. I sat on my bed, staring at my framed photo and sighing at what could have been had I not been so selfish. I wanted Hilary so badly to be here with me, holding me, kissing me, caressing my cheek like she used to, but I knew it was hopeless.
'What means more to you, Tyson? The title or me?'
The question had haunted me all this time, but now, I knew the answer.
Hilary…Hilary meant more to me than life itself. I would give up anything to be with her…wait…did I just think that? Thinking back, would I have given it all up to be with her? The answer was as plain as day and I mentally kicked myself for not seeing it before. I quickly picked up my backpack from off of the floor.
I'm not letting her go this time!
I ran over to the next room and quickly pounded on the door. Dave opened up moments later with a look of confusion.
"Tyson, what's up?"
"Dave, I need a favor…"
I ran as fast as my legs would carry me through the bustling terminal. Dave had understood my position and had wasted no time in getting me the address of Hilary's hotel, however, I had been too late as her and Kenny were preparing to get onto the next flight back to Tokyo.
"I don't see them anywhere," I panicked, searching the terminal frantically, until my eyes finally settled on them.
There seated on one of the benches was Hilary and Kenny, both of whom seemed to be reading magazines. Relief settling through me, I attempted to make my way towards them. Relief, however, was soon replaced by anxiety and nervousness as we approached. Once we were within earshot, Hilary looked up with a look of shock and surprise.
"T-Tyson, what are you doing here?" she stuttered.
Kenny peered his head around and merely smiled before burying his face into his book.
"I came to see you," I stated.
She smiled at me, but a frown soon dominated her face.
"Tyson, my flight is in a half an hour," she sighed, "Maybe I can call you when I get back to Tokyo."
"No Hilary, I'm afraid this can't wait," I exclaimed, clenching my fists.
She looked at me questioningly waiting for me to continue. "What's going on Tyson?"
"Hil, years ago I made the wrong choice. But not this time. This time I won't"
"Won't what?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.
'Damn, she looked so cute when she did that,' I thought. "I don't want to lose you again or what we had," I explained, hoping she would understand.
"Tyson, you're the one that left me. How do you think I felt?" she bit her lips, tears threatening to fall down her face, "I tried to be strong for the both of us today because this was your day and I wanted to be happy for you, but the truth is…I've never stopped thinking about you since you left."
I had to restrain myself from wiping the tears from her face because, had I done that, I would have not been able to continue to say what I was feeling.
"Hilary, I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but none could compare to what I did to you. Hilary, I can't stand my life without you. I've been miserable these past couple of years…the only time I found true happiness was when I was with you," I confessed.
"But Tyson, what about your position? Your dream? You worked so hard for it. A-And Rhonda? What about her-"
"Screw it, Hilary! As of now I am officially resigning and coming back to BBA…And you know damn well I was never in love with Rhonda…Dave just set her up with me for the press. I was so stupid back then that I didn't realize what I was losing until you were gone. All I ever wanted was you! I'm so sorry…could you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?" I pleaded, a silent tear making its way down my cheek.
She gently wiped it away and caressed my cheek. I melted at her touch and wanted so much to hold her, but still had not received a response from her. She brought her face closer to mine as we stared into each other's eyes.
"Are you sure Tyson?" she whispered.
"I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life," I whispered back, cupping her face in my hands.
Then, the inevitable happened when she closed the remaining space between our lips in a kiss so passionate that I had to stabilize myself from falling over. Her lips were like candy to me as I relished in the feeling of her lips on mine. When we finally released, I stared into her beautiful eyes and smiled.
"I love you Hilary…more than you'll ever know," I whispered, "And I promise to never leave you again."
"I love you too Tyson," she smiled, tears forming in her eyes, "I love you so much."
And with that we sealed another kiss as I saw Kenny from the corner of my eye, pumping a fist energetically, happy in the fact that I would never leave Hilary again.