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“I’ll give you a hand, bro,” I said once I could talk again.
“No need, ya ass, it’s hung.”
“Oh damn, I love you. So now I can put on the covering and pillows?” Nicole asked. Her brown hair was twisted in a pile on top of her head today; I could tell they were doing some serious cleaning.
“Is there anything I can help with? Anything going on I need to vacate for?” I asked, looking around and noticing the boxes of liquor piled in the corner, the smell of something good cooking coming from the kitchen, and fresh flowers and candles strategically placed throughout the house.
Nicole looked at me as her brown eyes turned misty and dark. “Robert’s day is tomorrow; did you forget?” I froze as time stood stilland took me back to a place I never wanted to go, yet I visited at least once a year.
Robert’s Day.
Olivia
A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you. Elbert Hubbard
I woke to the blinding light of the sun coming through the open windows. Disoriented, it took me a moment to realize where I was until I heard the low tone of Chelsey's voice. I wondered who she was speaking with, but only briefly, since my nose immediately shifted my attention. It felt like a solid rock had formed there. I quickly went into the bathroom, grabbed the bottle of prescription nasal spray I had landed and took care of any telltale signs of yesterday's activity. Allergies were my go-to excuse these days when asked why I was sniffling a lot or was hoarse and cleared my throat.
I quickly showered and met Chelsey at the bedroom door as I opened it to exit. Well, I wouldn’t exactly say met; it was more like colliding with her.
“Hey, babe. How are you this morning? What time did you get up?” I asked as I walked around her and headed toward the coffee pot calling my name.
“I’ve gotta run. Left ya a little something on the table. I’m sure I won’t be seeing you this evening.” And just like that, she was out the door.
Wow, straight-up weird, I thought as I impatiently waited for the coffee to finish brewing, then added creamer. Wondering what the fuck all that was about, but relatively excited for some alone time, I went over to my Armani purse. I retrieved my stash and took what any good cokehead would consider a solid bump.
Sitting with my coffee on the balcony, I skimmed through my social media for a bit, responding to a few posts, deleting some friend requests, and deciding to check my calendar when a news feed appeared that stopped me dead.
Unable to move, I read the headlines:Well-Known Model, Olivia O’Brian, Spirals Out of Control.
What in the actual fuck.I had zero idea what they were talking about. I grabbed a scrunchie off my wrist, tied my hair up, and then remembered Chelsey’s comment about leaving me something. Jumping up, I ran into the kitchen, and sure enough, there was a local paper opened to a page with a picture of me in a cover-up at the beach. I grabbed the paper, wondering when the picture had been taken.Fuck my life.The picture was courtesy of Ryann Hart, taken last week, when Chelsey and I were at the beach together.
That paparazzo asshole,I thought as I crinkled up the newspaper and slammed it down on the table.
Knowing Chelsey and I were done almost brought me to my knees. She’d warned me if she caught me again, it would be over. The phone interrupted my thoughts and my tears, as I looked at the screen lighting up with a blue name and the picture of my agent. Damn it all. The news was out. I had to think before I could take the call.
Two seconds later, a call came that I couldn’t reject: Elliot, my best friend.
“You’ve done it this time, lovey. How ya holdin' up?”
I took a shaky breath, and the well broke as I cried more tears than I realized I’d been holding in. “Oh, El. I miss her. I don’t know what to do. I’m all alone in the world.” I hadn’t felt so empty since the day my mom died; it was always the two of us against the world. Now there was just me, and I couldn’t do this alone.
“Why don’t you come home?” I heard Elliot say on the other end of the line. The thought of going back almost sent me to the floor in a fetal position.
“Elliot, I don’t think I can,” I answered while playing with my earring as I paced the condo. The bunched-up paper on the table caught my eye, and I put my hand over it. I knew it was time to dosomething; Chelsey was history now. My career would soon be the same, if not already, and shit had to change.
“Liv–lovey, are you still there?”
“Yeah, I’m here. Listen, I need to call Veronica. I’ll call you back, okay?”
“Okay, but promise you’ll think about coming home?”
“I will promise to think about it. But no promises as to when.”
“Fair enough; love you.”
“Love you too.”
After packing what little I had in Chelsey’s condo, I left her a note along with my set of keys:
