Brightly Grim

Cassie: The Truth

"What the hell are you doing, Jessica?" I close the bathroom door behind me, walking up to her.

"Can't you tell? I'm having sex with Seth." She smirks, puffing on her spliff.

"Are you actually going over there?"

"No, no way. I'll let it happen in his head."

"All this just to make John jealous..." I shake my head at her, and snatch the spliff.

"Well, it's not like he's sparing any feelings of mine, walking around after little Steph."

"Can you just tell me what happened between you two, you talk about him like you're in love..."

"Love is a silly word. I am mad for him." Her eyes meet mine. I see the void in them, the intensity of desperation and desire. And I know she's telling the truth.

"The fight of his you've been to... in New York... That was his title fight... You're the reason he came back home." I say, firmly now. He acted shady ever since he got back.

"I'm the reason he lives and breathes. Hopefully the knucklehead will get that soon." She says, her words confident, but her voice tight with fear.

"Did you plan for that to happen before, or after you marry his father?"

"Before. Obviously. Roger was just a way back into his life."

"Holy shit Jessica, couldn't you do a fucking phone call?"

"No way, phone calls get so messy." Jessica rolls her eyes.

I grunt at her, hardening my gaze. She cracks.

"He had my number. He should have fucking called. He shouldn't have fucking left me in the first place." Tears start welling in her eyes.

"Fuck, Jessica..." I sit on the floor beside her, and give her back the spliff. "Can you tell me what happened? I might be able to help you with this mess."

"I knew I had to have him when I first saw him at the ring. The way he walked like he owned the ground, the way his eyes took everything in... I felt like he might understand me. That maybe we are the same.

"I tried to catch him after the fight, but I missed him. Only to find him again at the hotel's lobby. We had a couple drinks at the bar, then a dozen more up in my room. And we talked for hours. I told him everything about me, even things I couldn't talk to myself about.

"And when we started touching we couldn't stop. It was addicting. So different than anything I've experienced before. So real and alive."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but tell me more."

"I don't know, it's a bit of a blur... I think it started when I mentioned my tour continues to Europe. We started fighting, he punched a hole in the wall and I threw a lamp at him. He started bleeding, and we made up.. you know how. Then we fought again, did cocaine, broke the mirror... broke the bed... broke the bathroom sink..."

"Yeah, I get it. Skip these parts."

"Right. So eventually, one of the next rooms called the police on us. Was about to turn into a career wrecking arrest which my agent narrowly got us out of. And then I went on tour. He barely even said goodbye."

"Harsh..." I say, and blink in surprise as Jessica falls on me with a hug. I feel her hot tears against my neck.

"I'm sorry for bringing this fucked up mess I call my life into yours."

I smile and pat her back. "Come on, that's friendship."