Swan Song

Eight

It turned into something bigger. Somewhere in the haze got a sense I'd been betrayed.
———————

I couldn't believe it. Was I, Odette Kazansky, really falling for Jake again or was my mind playing tricks on me? As hard as it was to believe, he really was a different person from when we had dated while at the academy and I had fallen head over heels. And fast.

Despite my exhaustion, it was Friday and that meant that there was only one more sleep until both my competition and the ball and I couldn't have been more excited.

Knowing I had to get up and ready for work, I took a shower and took some time to put both eyeliner and mascara on before pulling on a tank top and shorts and then my flight suit on top.

On my way out of the door, I grabbed myself a bagel with extra cream cheese and made myself an iced coffee before hitting the road. As I glanced across the street, I noticed that Bradley had already left for work and shrugged it off as I climbed into my own car.

As I headed into work, I couldn't have been more excited as I thought about what the following day would bring. I had one final rehearsal and I was thrilled that I would have time to rest after all was said and done.

Within minutes, I was parking at work and zipping my flight suit up before getting out of the car. As I was about to turn the corner in the hangar so I could head to the debriefing room, I heard both Bradley and Jake's voices and stopped.

"You did this. You made this bet, Jake. Now you need to figure out how to get out of it. This is very much a you problem," Bradley whispered harshly.

"What do you think I'm trying to do, Rooster?" Jake countered. "So help me."

As I listened, my heart raced and I instantly knew that I had let my guard down a little too easily when it had come to Jake and I wanted nothing more than to leave but something made me want to keep listening to the two of them talk, hoping that it was a joke and that Ashton Kutcher was going to come out with a camera crew.

"Help you what? You and Coyote did this. Payback too," Bradley fought back. "Coyote, clear as day, said that you wouldn't be able to get her to the ball or to fall for you. You took the challenge so why all of a sudden do you want out?"

I knew that if I spent anymore time listening, my own heart would keep breaking and I couldn't do that to myself. Not again, especially not again with Jake Seresin.

"A bet?" I asked, my chest heaving as I turned the corner to face them, aggressively pushing Jake as I approached them. "This was a fucking bet?"

Tears began to fill my eyes and I turned to walk away.

"Odette," Bradley called after me. "You're such a fucking idiot, Hangman!"

Bradley jogged to catch up to me and I quickly wiped tears with the back of my hand as he grabbed the other wrist to get me to stop walking away.

"Odette, what did you hear?" Bradley questioned but he already knew the answer to his question.

"Did you have anything to do with this?" I demanded, my eyes filled with anger.

"Odette, I—..."

"You knew, Bradley!" I shouted as tears streamed down my face.

"I knew but I wasn't the one who made the bet with him," Bradley admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I had no idea it was going to go this far."

"My god, Bradley! I've known you my entire life and I have no idea how you could have done this to me," I cried. "You could have warned me so I didn't waste my time."

"Me? What about Hangman and Coyote who you've known since the academy?! You knew how they could be!"

"I thought they had changed! I can't believe I let my guard down and let them do this to me. Again!! But even more than that, I can't believe that you, my own fucking best friend, wouldn't say something! What kind of a friend are you??"

I ran my fingers through my hair and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jake. Without giving him the time of day, I bolted to my car with tears streaming down my face.

Rather than go home where Bradley and Jake both expected me to go, I drove to my parents house and as I walked through the front door, my mom saw me and I broke down into sobs.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" She questioned, pulling me into her arms.

"It was all a bet, mom," I muttered, breaking down further into tears. "Jake dating me was all a cruel bet."

Unbeknownst to me, it was Oliver's day off and he had been at our parents house to hang their new television in their room. As he turned the corner, I spotted him and watched him set the toolbox on the ground.

"What's wrong?" He questioned, his brows pulled together in concern.

I glanced at him, shaking my head as tears streamed down my cheeks. The last thing I wanted was for him or Owen to find out what had happened and to make a scene so I knew it was better to keep it all bottled up. That was until Jake showed up, desperately knocking on the front door.

Oliver slowly opened the door and crossed his arms as he stared Jake down.

"She's not here."

"Her Jeep is right there," Jake replied. 'C'mon, Oliver, just let me talk to her."

"And I said she isn't here. Now do yourself a favor and get out of here, Seresin."

Through the windows of my childhood bedroom, I watched Jake raised his hands in defeat and slowly step back from where Oli stood at the door, walking down the steps and back to his truck. As soon as he was gone, my mom and Oliver both came to my room.

"Can I stay here tonight, mom?"

"Of course, sweetie," she muttered. "I'll let your father know that you're sick and won't be at work."

I nodded knowing full well that I planned to use my connections with my dad and Mav to be excused from work for the day without any repercussions.

As mom walked away, Oliver, my brother older by just thirteen months, stood in the doorway with the same expression that he wore when he got Jake to leave.

"What did he do, Odette?"

"Nothing, Oli. It's my fault for letting my guard down," I replied with a slight shrug. "Hey, uh, would you mind running to my house and grabbing my skate bag and the skate dress hanging up by the front door? I really don't feel like running into Bradley either."

"Oh no. What the hell did Bradshaw do?"

"He just isn't the friend we all thought he was," I replied with a sigh. "Please?"

"Keys?"

"On the table by the front door."

"I'll be back," he replied before turning and quickly leaving to grab my things. "Grab my kindle too."

At least if I couldn't count on anybody else, I could count on my family.