A/N: I'm kind of in a depressed mood. Meh. Listening to some melanchony Green Day to help me get over it :(
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Just when you think it was all going to plan...
At least I'm nearly finished this story :) YES, I have wrote the last chapter (Chapter 40, just as I planned) and the next update will be on Sunday/Monday (unless I can get a night out on Monday! *texttexttext*) and then chapter 40 will hopefully be up on Tuesday/Wednesday. As much as I loved working on this story, I think I'll be content to set it to rest eventually. You don't get the same thrill from rewriting as you do the actual writing process. Plus, I can't wait to start working on other stuff, which I hope you will all stick around to read! :)
But in the meantime, enjoy chapter 38.
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“You?” Jordan asked, sounding shocked, hurt, angry and disgusted at the same time. “Idina... are you being serious?”
She nodded stiffly, “I sold the story.”
“See, I told you it wasn’t me,” Jessica snarled at me. “Looks like you should learn to pick your friends a little better, Gracie. That’s the perks of being the rockstars step daughter, isn’t it?” She smirked and turned on her heels and walked away. I only stood there, in shock. I didn’t know how to feel. Idina betrayed me. All of us, for that matter.
“I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t have to,” she said, choking up instantly. “But I did... you don’t understand, Grace...”
“You told the press? Why would you lie like that?” I asked her, my voice hoarse. Idina swallowed a lump in her throat, her eyes darted around the street in a apranoid frenzy before she launched her explanation.
“He made me,” she muttered, rubbing her arm. “He told me if I didn’t... I’d regret it...”
“Who did?” Aiden asked, slowly. Idina shook her head, refusing to answer the question. “Was it... it wasn’t Billie was it?”
“No, no no, why would he ask me to do that?” she spluttered instantly. “The idea wasn’t the ruin anyone’s lives, it was to get money!”
“So you decide to ruin one of your friends lives to get money?! Are you serious?!” Lisa demanded, raising an eyebrow. “Idina, how could you?”
“His name is Scott,” she gulped, trembling. “Scott Capone, and he’s... well... he runs a gang, you see...” She looked at the ground for a moment and then she looked up at me. “I used to work for him, until I ran away. Well, I didn’t just... work for him, I...” She looked at Jordan for support, and he seemed to understand.
“Scott... she told me about him, it’s the truth,” he said, slowly. “Scott Capone was her boyfriend once. He was kind of abusive... and she ran away from him.”
“He wants moeny for my freedom from the gang, you see, money I don’t have,” Idina said. I raised an eyebrow. “You were my only chance, Grace, I had to do it. I couldn’t think of any other way. I was too scared to rob anywhere, I couldn’t just ask for three hundred bucks on the spot... I needed something. But you have to understand, I greatly... greatly regret it...”
“No, you don’t,” I scoffed. “You’re just happy you get a creep off your back, aren’t you?!”
“No!”
“Forget it!” I snapped at her. “You were my friend, Idina! I trusted you! And you did... that. It was disgusting what you did!”
“I told you, I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t have to!”
“You didn’t have to! You chose to!” I turned around. “Drive me home, Tord.”
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Sliding the money over the desk, Idina watched as her former flame grabbed the cash and counted it up, murmering numbers to himself as he counted. Every so often, he would glance up at the young blonde, as if to check if she was still there. He smirked to himself once he was done counting.
“Impressive,” he drawled, leaning back in his chair, a cigarette in hand. “Must have been a juicy story.”
“The story doesn’t matter,” Idina responded, sounding aggresively impatient. As though she didn’t want to discuss ther story with him. “It’s all there, you don’t need to call on me again.” Scott raised an eyebrow and he leaned forward.
“Iddie,” he started. “You shouldn’t have left just like that, y’know. You know the consequence of your actions.”
“I’m not here to discuss the consequence of my actions.”
“Leave us,” Scott snarled at his two companions who stood at either side of him. Obeying him, they did as they were told and left the room, quick as a flash. Scott took off his shades and looked at the young blonde in front of him, who looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but there. He tilted his head. “I never meant to hurt you.”
“Save it.”
“I didn’t want that for you.”
“You gave it to me anyway.” Scott raised an eyebrow and smirked.
“You told me you loved me.”
“I didn’t know what love was back then,” Idina hissed through clenched teeth. Scott raised out of his seat and smirked at her even more so. “Don’t come near me.”
“Why not? You used to let me come near you all the time...” He brushed a lock of hair out of her face tenderly. “What age are you now? It feels like it’s been forever...”
“Eighteen,” she responded, nervously. “And you?”
“Twenty five. Feels like forever, doesn’t it?” He smiled a bit – he didn’t smirk. It was a rare occasion when Scott smiled, but when it happened, it felt like a tsunami wave. For he had such a wonderful smile. Idina blinked a few times to tear her feelings away.
“No,” she suddenly whispered, pulling away from his touch. “I won’t do it, Scott.”
“Why? Because of that fucker you’re got on your arm?” Scott suddenly snarled. “You know you don’t love him. He’s only a substitute.”
“I don’t care what he is,” Idina choked out. “He’s worth ten of you!”
“And yet you still don’t feel as attracted to him as you are to me...” Scott smirked. “Go on. If you want him so much, go running back to him.” Idina paused, and felt such a confliction she could never have possibly felt before in her life. Scott never abused her physically, but he did in such a way it tore her apart. Yet, she fell for him like a rock falls from a cliff. And in that moment, she thought she fell for him again.
So she kissed him. And he kissed her. “Run away with me,” Scott said to her. “We leave Berkeley tomorrow.”
“Leave?” Idina whispered. “How could I possibly leave? My friends are here... I live here...”
“If you love me, you would run away with me,” Scott said. Idina furrowed her eyebrows and took a step back. “I’ll give you time to think about it. If you want to come with me, meet me here, aty exactly three pm. If you don’t come... well... I guess this will be our last ta-ra.”
“Scott,” she whispered. “Please...”
“I would stay for you,” his voice suddenly had a husky tenderness to it. “I would stay all my life for you, if I didn’t have to run this gang.” Idina didn’t bother asking him to leave the gang. He was their leader and if he left – they’d come for him. “Think about it, Iddie. You can either run away with the man you love, or stay here with the man you pretend to love.”
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Idina told me all this exactly at half two pm the next day, after she had went to the press to clear Billie Joe’s name. She had told them everything she said was a lie, and that she wanted the truth publicised as soon as possible. They asked for their money back, and Idina said she would get it back as soon as possible. But she wouldn’t. I knew, after she had told me the story, she wouldn’t.
“They’ll apologize as soon as possible,” she said, her voice weary with exhaustion, as we sat on the park bench. I stared back at her, wide eyed. All I could do was listen at this point. “I’m so sorry. You know I am. It was a stupid choice to make.”
“Yea... it was,” I said, and I could tell it wasn’t the only stupid choice she was about to make. “Idina, I forgive you, you know that, don’t you?” I said, cautiously. She nodded slowly, but didn’t take her gaze off the ground. “But I don’t care about the story anymore... you do plan on going home after this, don’t you?”
She raised her head up to look at the sky and let out a deep breath, but said nothing. So I continued on, “Jordon is twice the man Scott will ever be to you.”
“I know that,” Idina said, smiling sadly. “And of course I care about Jordan.”
“So you’re staying?” I asked her. Idina pursed her lips and then exhaled a long, held breath. I furrowed my eyebrows. “You’re not really considering running away with him, are you? Idina, what about your home? This is your home. Are you seriously going to run away from all of this?”
With trembling fingers, Idina pulled out a note and slipped it into my hand. “Give this to him, won’t you?” And I knew she wasn’t talking about Scott. “Tell him I’m sorry... because I am... I didn’t want this for him, Grace... and you know what it’s like...”
“What it’s like? I wouldn’t just run away from a guy who loves me!”
“But you would kiss someone else who does as well,” she said. Her tone wasn’t angry – if anything, she was compassionate about it. I hesitated and bit my lip. I couldn’t judge Idina anymore. I was many things, but one thing I was determined not to be anymore was a hypocrite. “You know... I think you and Aiden are very cute together. But I can also tell Joey feels the same away about you that Aiden does.”
I knew then that Don’s kiss meant nothing. Don’s kiss was just a mistake and nothing more. I wasn’t in love with Don, and Don wasn’t in love with me. It was just the heat of the moment. When I kissed Aiden, I felt something. And when I kissed Joey, I felt the very same thing. I downcasted my eyes and was silent for a moment, unfurling my fingers to look at the folded up piece of paper in my hand.
“I’m sure this isn’t the last time we’ll see each other, Gracie,” she said, with the tiniest of smiles. She stood up then. “And I don’t even know if I’m doing the right thing or... if I’m being an idiot. But if I am being an idiot... well... I’ll learn from my mistakes. I’ll miss Jordan – I’ll miss all of you. But... Scott is the man I love.”
I wanted to tell her she was an idiot, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t bring up the heart to crush her dreams like that. So I only smiled weakly at her without meaning a single ounce of it and watched her walk away. I wasn’t sure if Idina made the right choice that day, or if she took the steps towards ruining her life. No body knew. And when Jordan got the note, I told him I would help him back onto his feet. He was crushed and he was saddened, but I made sure he understood Idina felt something for him once. It was just her feelings for Scott were supposedly stronger. Whether that was the truth or not, I didn’t know.
The day after that, the magazines published apologies for the false stories about me and my to-be step-father and the whole charade was forgotten very quickly. My family members from my father’s side hung their heads in shame and apologized to him – even if Fearghal’s was very reluctant. Josh showed up with flowers but one glimpse of Alfie and he was out the door. Alfie and Josh had a bust up when dad was alive. And it didn’t end well for Josh.
Joey came home from Minnesota, along with Jake, to participate in the wedding. When they went up the front lane, I stood outside with Billie Joe to welcome them. Alfie had picked them up from the airport and when Joey got out of the door, I was the first one to hug him.
“Whoa, Jesus Christ, what’s with the hug?” he asked me. “Shouldn’t you be committing arson somewhere? The wedding is in two days!”
“I know,” I shrugged, with a smile. “I know it is. It’s giving good weather too. Isn’t that great?” He raised an eyebrow and gave me a strange look.
“Are you high?”
I laughed and gave him another large hug, for I really missed his sarcasm. I felt him shrug and his arms wind their way around my waist. For the first time, I didn’t feel bad for embracing my soon-to-be step-brother.
Why should I, after all? For once, I actually felt happy in my new family’s presence.