by Taylor, N
“No please,” Trey catches me by the hips and turns me around.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.” Trey says hanging his head.
“What?” I laugh nervously, “There is no way that you go from seething with me one minute to groveling the next, it’s not on Trey. You have no right to talk to me like that!”
“I know, I’m so sorry. It’s not you - it’s all me.” Trey releases me and walks over to the desk and leans over it. “You have no idea how much pressure is on me today and to top it all, all I want…” he turns to look at me with a pained fire in his eyes, “All I want is to touch you so much, I want to hold you but all I see is you with that fuck.” Treys jaw clenches again.
I roll my eyes at him, “I’m not up for this mental torment you’re putting me through. Seriously Trey, you’re mentally damaging, more so than I was before, and I didn’t think that was possible until now!”
“Please, don’t leave I’m so sorry.”
“What is the deal with you,” I gesture my hands at him, “And what’s your issue with Tristan?” I snap.
“I don’t want to go into this now.”
I hear a rustle at the door, I turn to look and I know someone has been listening in, I assume its Carl or Travis so I turn back to Trey.
“Why is Tristan even here?” I look at him puzzled and holding myself, as the awkward situation I’m now in makes me want to bolt for the hills.
Trey shrugs his shoulders, “My mom does the invites I don’t know half the people who are here, they’re either socialites, benefactors or her friends.”
“I don’t fit in here, I really don’t see how any of this could work and especially knowing how your mum would react should she find out about us.”
“Ellie, I asked you not to run and just trust me, please can you do that? I can’t run after you all the time, please don’t make me choose between you and my career.”
“At what point did I ask you to choose? I have never even thought of that!” I shout in shock, I stare at him in disbelief.
“It just feels like it when you keep saying that we don’t fit, our lives can’t work together.” Trey approaches and I take a step back placing my hands up.
My body starts to tremble with rage, “I have never asked you to choose, I would never ask you but at least now I know the answer should I ever ask!” I turn to leave again but stop and look back at him, “As far as I knew I was just left like a Larry sitting on my own when some kind person came and kept me company. You are the one with the issues Trey, I don’t know why you bloody invited me, I would’ve had more fun watching the grease dry after Meagan’s cooking last night! I’m sorry I’m such a fucking pain!” I turn grabbing the door and storm out of the room.
Trey calls after me, I turn to look at him and snap, “I’m going to the toilet then I’m going to watch the games!”
As I walk back towards the pool room a waiter passes, I grab him and ask where the toilets are, helpfully he directs me and I make my way.
Walking out of the single toilet I walk up to the vanity unit and start to freshen myself up. The door swings open and someone walks in, I turn to see Kyla locking the door behind her, I could have sworn I locked it.
I look back at the mirror and try to calm my jittering nerves, I don’t do confrontation and I really don’t think this is going to end in a handshake.
“What are you doing?”
I look at her in shock, “Well I thought that was obvious, I used the toilet and now I’m…”
She laughs and her face fills with disgust as she circles me, eyeing me up and down.
“I mean here at this event because as you can clearly see you do not fit in at all, did you beg for an invite?”
“No I bloody didn’t!” I squeak trying to back away.
“Well, I thought I’d save you time and tears because me and Trey have decided to give things another go.”
“Really? Well I’ve been with him nearly every night for the past few weeks.” I look at her confused.
“No babe, I’m talking about how close we got to each other in Paris, it was like old times.” She stands next to me in the mirror and starts fussing around with her cascading curls of long black hair. Her eyes look over my bag and she laughs a pitiful laugh. “I guess you’re the skank he had back at Willow Brook the other night,” she applies some lip gloss and puckers her lips together. “You’re quite sweet looking but by no means a threat to me, especially as your all scarred up…Oh I see you’re going for the sympathy vote!” She looks at my wrist, as my bangle has slid up my arm.
I feel dumbstruck and shake my head in disbelief, “If you’re that sure of things, why are you in here warning me off?”
Kyla’s perfectly plastic face turns to one of pity, “Trey likes to dabble with the no-marks of the world but nothing compares to what we had together. Ask him how long ago he stopped loving me, ask him the last time he sent me a gift like that silver bangle you’re wearing.”
I look at her in shock, my mouth hits the floor and my heart hurts, it really hurts. A little smile creeps across her arrogant face, “Yeah, I refused that from him told him no - it’s too soon for gifts, maybe if things work out then we’ll see. Bless he even went and had it engraved for me, it’s fine you keep it.” She turns back to the mirror and fusses with her bikini, “It was a bit too cheap for my taste anyway.”
The lump of anger is in my mouth and I’m trying hard to contain it.
“Oh no, don’t cry,” She leans in and hisses in my ear, “Trey doesn’t like crying girls it makes him feel uncomfortable, he sees it as a sign of weakness.”
My body starts to shake and I try to grab my bangle, but Kyla’s hand grabs my arm in a warning.
“Has he been spotted out with you? Avoided being pictured with you? Oh wait, the best one, gone to great lengths to actually avoid any publicity with you. Ah your little teary red eyes say it all, well I’ll let you in on a little secret.” She props her perfectly tended elbow on the edge of the sink and looks me square in the eye, “The list of people he’s been with is much longer then what they print, he goes to great lengths to not be seen with anyone that isn’t in the celebrity eye. The last one was Sarah…oh what was her name king, they were together for two months and he broke her heart.”
I try to pull my arm free from her, “Well I guess I’ll take my chances, if you weren’t so desperate I don’t think you would be in here threatening me to stay away. Desperation is a dirty trait in a woman Kyla.” My voice is trembling and my body shaking from anger, “I was invited to attend and I will stay here until I’m told otherwise, maybe you should go and sort out your extensions or maybe tend to the cellulite on your arse!” I pick up my bag and turn on my heel unlocking the door to leave, I know my parting words to her made no dent but I had to say something.
“You’re no threat to me, I’ll have you gone so quick your feet won’t touch the ground.” She laughs, I turn back to look at her smiling at me as the door closes.
I walk back to the pool room as best I can trying to keep myself calm, I hear my phone beep so I stop by the entrance of the room and pull it free from my bag.
T
25 Sep 2012 4:25pm
You’re not the pain, you’re
the medicine! x
What the hell! How can someone be so nice and so horrible at the same time? I’m not the pain, I’m the medicine? I throw the phone back in my bag too angry to reply now. I wonder what book he pulled that one out of, the same one he used on Sarah King? I realise I’m gawping right at Trey, he’s stood next to his mum as they wait for the teams to organise themselves for the event. I look though him and lean against the door frame waiting for it all to begin, I hear someone behind me and I look around to see Julian fussing with his backpack.
Julian hovers close to me placing his backpack on his back, I smile and say “Hi” but my word goes unanswered. I look back at the room and Trey is looking at me from a distance, his eyes are questioning what’s wrong with
me but I look at him and then past him as the teams take up the slack of the rope.
Julian clings behind me and I ask him the odd question knowing full well he won’t reply, it’s more to make conversation and make myself feel like less of a loner.
Team A are one side of the pool and Team B are the other, they get into position and pull the rope until it’s taught.
“Ready, steady…” Clara calls over the mic in her mouse like voice.
Kyla brushes past me as she enters the room and she continues in until she is at Trey’s side.
“Go!” Clara’s little excited voice screams.
The teams start pulling and the crowd cheer on with joy, people stand on their seats yelling for a team to win, names are yelled out followed by ‘Come on you can do it’.
Both teams have men at the front and both men are red in the face as they have a battle of the wills, their strength is matched as they pant and puff pulling the rope. With eight men on each team the strength looks evenly spread, but the man in the front of team A is yelling ‘pull’ so the team pull together. Team B seem to be less well organised and I can see the leader’s feet slowly slipping closer and closer to the edge of the pool.
Julian has run off, due to the noise I assume, I glance at Trey and he is clapping and laughing pumping his fist in the air to encourage the teams. Clara is laughing so much she looks like she may wet herself should she carry on and George stands with his arms crossed laughing with his pipe precariously balancing on his lips.
Kyla is standing next to Trey, every now and then she places her hands on Trey’s arm and looks at me as she does it with a conceited look on her face. Bitch, I wish I had the guts to poke her bloody eyes out!
I look back at the game of strength and the teams are both trying their hardest to stay dry but with Team A’s teamwork they are inches away from pulling B into the water. The yells get louder and people start to whistle and scream then Team A seem to get the footing and within three pulls Team B are pulled mercilessly into the pool. The crowds cheer and clap whilst wiping tears from their eyes, some of the waiters wait at the pool side with towels at the ready. The victors graciously wait for Team B to make towards the edge of the pool and they help pull them out, each in turn shaking hands and patting each other on the back showing true sportsmanship and no hard feelings. I can’t help but laugh as on the outside I saw each and every poor souls face as they realised in that split second, they were going into the pool, like it or not.
As people dry off, a note is passed from the Bank Manager to George via a waiter. George unfolds the paper and passes it to Clara,
“Ok,” she squeaks and it’s such a squeak that she seems to have gone unheard.
“Ladies and gentlemen the results are in!” Trey calls through the mic to get the attention.
“The results are as follows, Team A - seventy eight thousand dollars and Team B -forty six thousand and forty dollars.”
I hang my head, shit now my forty dollars looks really bloody embarrassing! Oh no! I bet on B for Tristan too, I hope he’s not angry. I grab at my bangle and look to see if I can see Tristan in the crowd but with everyone moving around congratulating each other it’s too hard to see him.
“So Team B get those cheques at the ready,” Clara laughs.
I feel eyes burning into the side of my head so I turn to look if its Kyla giving me daggers but its Trey, his eyes are pleading me to respond with some expression. I just shake my head and look back to the crowd smiling so I look fine on the outside. I can see Kyla moving in the corner of my eye, I glance over and see that she’s trying desperately hard to get Trey’s full attention but he is still staring at me. She follows his gaze and looks at me, her face drops and her eyes narrow, curling her lips and shaking her head she turns away from Trey and starts talking to Clara. Clara looks at me with a shocked look on her face and then back to Kyla who is very obviously talking about me.
Julian appears back at my side, “It’s over now, Team A won that one,” I say gently to him still not looking at him. Julian doesn’t respond to me so I just carry on chatting hoping to take my mind off the catty bitching that Kyla is doing.
“I wonder what the next event will be, maybe relay or synchronised diving?” I smile as I say the last one but Julian doesn’t respond.
“Oh how I wish I was you,” I look to Julian, “Things are so much simpler, surely?”
Chapter Twenty Four
Again he just carries on moving his backpack from behind him to in front of himself. I look back at Kyla and Clara, Clara is looking at me open mouthed and the only thing I can do in return is smile. Clara disregards my smile and looks to George and starts saying something, George looks at me and back at Clara and he seems to be trying to calm her down. I look at Trey who has still not taken his eyes off me, I give in and gesture to his mum and Kyla, breaking his gaze he starts talking to them trying to calm the situation.
I start to feel my old friends panic and worry starting to work their way out of my chest, bringing with them my heart. I start breathing through my mouth in the vain attempts to calm my racing pulse, I hold my chest with my right arm, trying to keep my alarmed heart inside me and I grab the bangle with my left.
George starts to make his way over but before he reaches the door he calls Julian and then he turns around and walks back to join Clara. Julian runs off and I mumble ‘Bye’ to him as he passes. As Julian reaches his mother she seems to start questioning him almost harassing him - which scares the poor sod, what the hell could I have done?
Trey looks at me apologetically but then continues to call out the bits of paper that a now overly happy and smirking Kyla is passing to him. Shit! What the hell has the bitch done? Clara is pointing at me and shaking her head to Julian, ‘oh Holy Crap, really what have I done?’ Maybe I should leave, let’s face it the whole day has been a lie and this bangle is bringing me no luck. The more I squeeze the worse I feel, ‘I refused his gift, bless he got it engraved’ Kyla’s words start ringing through my ears. I look down at the bangle that meant so much to me, that was the key that made me open up to him but he used me, he gave me her unwanted crap!
I look up at Trey and looking back at me his eyes are wide and his brow furrowed, the crowds have gathered at the table making donations for the next event and he is rooted to the spot with Kyla at his side. I suddenly realise I am looking at the perfect family portrait, they all go so well and there is no way that a 5 foot 4 blonde that is slightly too short for her skin is going to fit in. How can I feel like I’m losing somebody that I don’t think I ever had? Who is this Sarah King and why the hell has he given me this bangle, oh I’m driving myself insane. I really need to talk to him! I pull out my phone and reply to his earlier text.
We need to talk asap.
I press send and I look to Trey to watch as he reads the text, Kyla is over his shoulder the whole time reading every word. I can feel my blood starting to boil, I want to march over there and tell her to back the fuck off, I may even pull her extensions out.
Trey looks up at me and signals ten minutes, then he apologises. Kyla looks at me over his shoulder and shakes her head with narrowed eyes again. Trey gets on the mic and starts getting the teams into their positions for the start of the race, I’ve been so preoccupied I don’t even know what this one is. I look to the pool and I can see Tristan in just his board shorts and wow he has a glorious body for a man in his late thirties he must hit the gym every day because that is the body of an early twenty year old. I try to keep my face impassive as I don’t want Trey to know I’m looking at him, Tristan smiles at me and takes his position at the end of the team. I deduct that it’s the relay as Trey said George was putting his name down, I smile, a small pencil-thin lipped smile, then hurry my look back to Trey. Trey has removed his vest and joined the rear of the other team. Shit! They’re going head to head in the relay, no wonder he told me ten minutes. I smile at Trey and mouth ‘Good Luck’, though my heart is not in my words, the lump is there though
and I just hope that he can explain everything when we talk.
“Go!” George calls and the race is off, the front swimmers for both teams are women and they are doing the front crawl giving it everything they have. The crowds are up cheering again and the atmosphere is electric. Though I don’t know the people swimming I can feel a surge of excitement rushing through me, wanting to shout for them and join in. Tristan’s team is slightly in the lead when their number two jumps in to swim, within seconds Treys team has their second swimmer doing his lengths. I smile and look up to see Trey and Tristan looking at me, I ignore both of them and look to see how Julian is coping with the noise. Kyla is trying to corner Julian while Clara and George are excitedly watching and cheering on the teams. Kyla looks at me and smiles, she even points at me a few times but poor Julian is just trying to escape her. The screams in the room get louder, the startling shrieks wake me from my stare and I look to the pool realising that the swimmers must have gone quicker than I thought as Tristan and Trey are in the pool swimming head to head. My heart rate kicks in and I start to tremble with fear, please god please let Trey win, he will be in the most awful mood if he doesn’t.
As they finish the first length and head in for the second length Tristan falters slightly giving Trey the lead. Yes I scream inside and jiggle on the spot, then the things that Kyla said before bounces around inside my head, my heart sinks deep into the pit of my stomach making me feel sick.
The crowds get louder and I watch intently as Trey’s hand reaches the edge of the pool and he fist pumps the air. Tristan reaches the end seconds behind Trey and he looks less than impressed, in fact he looks so angry with himself I wouldn’t like to be around when he vents his frustrations.
I want so much to run over to Trey and hug him with pride but I know that’s not my place, not only that his mum would hate me more so than she does now. Kyla runs over and hugs Trey as he climbs out of the pool, Bitch! Trey doesn’t push her off but he looks directly at me as she embraces him. Clara runs up behind them and pulls them both in close to her, her face beams with pride and excitement. I turn away to wipe away tears that have unexpectedly started to fall, I wipe and blink rapidly trying to calm myself. A person appears at the side of me and I hope it’s Trey but when I look its Julian, he’s hovering around me and I don’t really know what for, he must’ve escaped while they were all hugging. I smile at him trying to ignore the silent tears I’m struggling to quash. Julian fishes around in his bag and pulls out his prized red car, he paces towards me then away a few times before placing the car in my hand. This makes me cry more but tears of joy, I can see Julian is trying to suppress his urge to snatch it back so I hold it out for him to take and say “Thank you Julian,” with a huge genuine smile.
