Episode 38 – Twisted Lives
Previously on Lives To Live:
– Justin was released, but it was possible that he might be questioned again over Lisa’s murder.
– Elektra got into a lift at Samson Enterprises, and was followed by Max. The lift stopped and he calmed her down. He asked her out to dinner. The following evening they met up and Max asked Elektra to the wedding. She said no, but he said that they could get to know each other and then she could decide.
– Ethan Samson, brother of Max and Victor, arrived with his family. Calista, his wife, made bitchy comments to everyone, including her daughter Alicia and her son’s fiancée Kate. Kate overheard Calista and confronted her, which led to Kate slapping Calista.
– Camille called around to visit Cleo. She found empty bottles of vodka and accused Cleo of lying to her, but Cleo claimed they were Russell’s. A few days later Camille met up with Leslie, and confided in her about Cleo’s underage drinking. Leslie was worried that Nate was involved. She then ran to the toilets and threw up, as did Cleo in school with a worried Paris waiting outside.
– It was Chardonnay’s last day at Samson Enterprises, before the wedding, and she couldn’t go to lunch with Gabe. Jean Luc arrived, after Gabe left, and asked her not to marry Gabe, to marry him instead.
Monday, May
12th 2003, Samson Enterprises, Lunchtime
“We need to talk. There is something I
need to tell, to ask you.” Luc said dramatically. Chardonnay was puzzled. What
could it be?
“What?”
“Will you call off the wedding and marry
me instead of him?”
The words hit Chardonnay. She slowly turned, not bearing to face Jean Luc. He stood still before her, waiting for her to react. An awkward silence filled the room, Chardonnay could feel Jean Luc’s eyes on her.
“Luc, I’m sorry.” She said at last.
He looked over her shoulder, out at the other buildings. He felt lost. He’d just been driving toward the hotel, when suddenly he realised he was passing Samson Enterprises. He had remembered the moment he had asked Chardonnay to marry him. Then he had quickly pulled into the car park, gotten the lift and asked her.
“I should be the one who is sorry. You are going to be married on Friday, and…”
Chardonnay stood up and walked towards Luc. He turned as she began to speak. “Luc, I did love you and, maybe, a part of me still does. But I just can’t leave Gabe. I really love him.”
Luc put his hand up to Chardonnay’s cheek. She hesitated, before pulling away.
“Sorry.” Came a voice from the door.
“Dad.” Chardonnay said. “Luc was just…”
“Leaving.” Luc said. “See you at the wedding.”
He walked past Victor and out the door.
“Chardonnay, I thought you said you had all that sorted. You were going to marry Gabe.”
“I don’t know. I love them both dad. I can’t tell Luc that, but…” Chardonnay said. She put her arms around her father.
Outside Luc lay against the corridor wall, out of view from Chardonnay and Victor, yet hearing everything.
***
High
School, same time
April Masters sighed as she walked up the steps, towards the bench where she usually sat with her friends. She could see Paris, September and a few of the other girls who she sat with. April hadn’t had the best of mornings, with Mr. Winters deciding to give her a couple of detentions for something which hadn’t been her fault.
“April.”
The girl in question turned around and smiled nervously as she saw Nate Samson walking up the steps behind her. They hadn’t spoken since their date had ended badly, with a sort of embarrassing moment. He was slightly out of breath. “What is it? Do you want to look at my math homework?”
“Math? Oh no, I wanted to ask you… God I hate this.”
April frowned. “What is it?”
“Do you want to go out somewhere tonight? It’s just I’m so stressed with everyone talking about the wed…”
“Sure.” April replied.
“And Chardonnay and Gabe just… What?”
“Sure, I’ll go out with you.”
“That, that’s great. Guess I’ll see you later then.”
Nate turned around and started to descend the steps. April called after him. “Nate.”
“Yeah, what is it. If you…”
“Where do you want to meet?”
“I don’t know. How about the bowling alley? I’ll call when I get home.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. Call me after you call them. See you soon.” April said. She gave Nate a parting smile, not realising his eyes suddenly turning to a squint. He turned around, before April turned and walking straight into Kayla Anders, who just happened to be carrying a milkshake which spilled all over April.
“Oh my god I’m, like, so, so sorry April.” Kayla said, sarcastically. She walked away, leaving April to clean herself up. April noticed a few people pointing and laughing, but apart from them nobody had really noticed her.
April walked towards the bench where Paris sat. Before Paris could say anything, April interrupted. “Nate asked me out.”
“He what?”
“I just can’t believe it. He asked me out, me? I never thought he would, not after that day. What am I going to wear?”
April kept talking, but Paris wasn’t listening. She stood up and threw the sandwich she’d been eating into the bin.
“I better go. I have to go to my locker still.” April said, a while later. Paris wasn’t interested. Secretly she’d been happy seeing that Nate and April weren’t talking following their first date, but now he’d asked her out again all those jealous feelings came flooding back.
“Yeah.” Paris said.
“Look this must be hard for you, I know how much you liked Nate, but thanks for everything. You’re the best friend in the world.” April said.
“Thanks.” Paris said. “You better go. Oh and don’t forget to clean yourself up before you go inside.”
“See you later.” April smiled again, before walking away. Jacob emerged from the cafeteria, with a soda and sandwich in his hand. He looked around, before spotting Paris sitting alone. Jacob wondered whether he ought to speak to her, but she did look pretty down. He looked straight ahead and saw Kayla sitting, with a great big smirk on her face. Some people still were talking about the rumours she’d spread about him. They’d been really, really getting to him recently.
Jacob turned and walked toward Paris.
“Hey, you okay?”
Paris looked up. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“What is it? I know that there’s something up.” Jacob said, sitting down beside Paris.
She looked down at the ground again, before turning to look at Jacob. He is so nice, not like Nate, but he cares for people. Paris thought.
“I’m just sick of being alone. Look at me and Leo. Talk about embarrassing myself.”
“So it’s peer pressure then?”
“What?”
“You’re feeling pressured into having a relationship because all your friends are.”
“No, it’s…”
Jacob raised his eyebrows, but Paris never finished her sentence. “When you’d become such a shrink?”
“I’ve always been one. You just never noticed.”
There was a short, yet awkward silence until Paris started speaking again, changing the subject. “What about all those rumours?”
“What…? Oh, those rumours. That I’m the next Will Trueman?”
“Well if you’re smart, intelligent and rich like Will, I somehow don’t see Kayla being your witty, funny Grace.”
Jacob smiled. “The rumours aren’t true. She just spread them because she’s got nothing else to do.”
“Well, why don’t we prove it, tonight.”
“What?”
“Prove that you are not gay, and put an end to those rumours for once and for all.”
“How?”
“How about a date, with me?”
“Tonight?”
“Yes. The bowling alley, maybe?”
“Okay then.” Jacob said.
***
The Samson
Mansion, Evening
“Hiya honey.”
“Becca! What are you doing here? You said you’d be here the day before the wedding.”
At the foot of the stairs Kyle Samson stood, watching his cousin and her best friend. He obviously liked Becca. Calista and Alicia appeared behind him, and Calista quickly noticed her sons reaction to Becca.
“Oh Kyle darling. You really should close your mouth. We both know that porridge isn’t the only thing a girl dressed like that eats for breakfast.” Calista said, looking disapprovingly at Becca.
“Hey I lied. And guess who else I ran into?” Becca said, with a smile.
“Who?” Chardonnay asked. “Your date.”
“No, I don’t do married men anymore. Your uncle James of course.”
Chardonnay was again surprised, when her uncle James stepped out from behind Becca. Chardonnay was delighted and threw her arms around her uncle.
“I’m not married though.” He said, motioning to his girlfriend Charity who was standing behind him. “Yet anyway.”
“Oh… hello.”
“Nate, great to see you. You still into basketball?” James asked.
“I haven’t played in around four years.”
“Ah, I’m just a bit behind in what’s been going on then?”
“Yep. See you all later then.”
“Bye.” James, Chardonnay and Charity said together.
“He seems nice.” Charity said, with a smile. She reached out for her partners hand, anxious about meeting his extended family.
***
Bowling
Alley, half an hour later
April smiled nervously. She couldn’t believe she was here, the bowling alley, with Nate. They’d only just met each other, but already her nerves were getting to her.
“Looks like we’ll have to wait a while, they all seem to be full.” Nate said, looking down at the six lanes.
“Yeah?” April said, nervously. She never really got noticed that much by boys. They didn’t really like her, probably because she’d arrived only a few months back. Even in her previous school they’d never noticed much. She wasn’t outgoing and confident like the rest of the girls, she was just… April, the one in the corner.
Outside Paris had just spied Nate and April enter the bowling alley. She walked towards the door, and looked down at her watch. Jacob was running a little late, fortunately.
Down the street Jacob was on his way, passing a group of teenagers. They were laughing and joking, while pointing at him. He knew the reason, and this made him only angrier with Kayla. She’d ruined so much. Sure he had no problem with people who were gay, but all her rumours had caused so much hassle which he just didn’t need.
He looked up at Paris, waiting outside the bowling alley. She’d been so nice to him today, been a real friend which he’d needed. He smiled, thinking back to that day in the park, before walking on.
Back outside the bowling alley, Paris was looking in through the glass, watching Nate and April. She could just see them, by standing on the tiptoes. Nate was telling a joke and April was laughing. Then a piece of music came on, and Nate took April by the hand and jokeingly started dancing with her. Again she laughed. Paris smiled to herself. That was Nate. Always so funny, so nice, so kind.
I don’t deserve him.
“Hey, sorry I’m late.”
“Jacob, hi…”
“So are you going in then?”
Paris looked back inside, as Nate and April danced – as April laughed. She then turned back to Jacob and looked up at him, with a small smile.
“Do you know what? I actually don’t feel like bowling after all. How about we catch a film instead?”
***
LK’s Nightclub,
A few hours later
Chardonnay smiled, as she looked out from the roof of the nightclub, out over the town. In the distance the church where she and Gabe were getting married stood out. Gabe stood behind her his arms around her, holding tight. His chin was gently resting on her left shoulder. He too stared out at the church.
Drifts of music floated up from downstairs, as a few other people stood on the roof of the nightclub taking a break from the partying that was happening below.
Chardonnay turned around, to look up into Gabe’s eyes. As she did so, she noticed a second couple emerge from inside. There was a girl, leading a guy outside. She leaned against the wall, and began to kiss him.
“I love you.” Gabe told Chardonnay, as she watched the other couple. Once upon a time that would have been her and Gabe, in fact this club was were they had spent one of their first dates.
“I love you too.” Chardonnay said. She looked across at the couple, and saw the woman look up. Becca. Chardonnay smiled at her.
“Becca, what are you looking at?” Luc asked, turning around.
Chardonnay was shocked.
***
The Samson
Mansion & the Elliot Apartment, same time
Leslie Samson left down the pregnancy test on the sink. Two minutes, then she’d know the answer. She wondered how what would happen if she was pregnant. Leslie took a step back, and sat down on the edge of the bath. If she was pregnant, then would John be the father? Would she be able to hide it from Victor? Should she just have an abortion?
All these questions floated through Leslie’s mind, crowding her. She closed her eyes for a moment, wondering what she would do if John was the father.
“Is it his?”
“Who? What are you on about
Chardonnay?”
“Is the baby his mom?” She repeated.
“Is it JJ’s?”
“I…”
“It is isn’t it. It was bad enough you
cheating on dad, but now you are going to pretend that this baby is his. You
aren’t my mother.”
A tear slowly travelled down Leslie’s
pale cheek. She looked down, rubbing her bump. Victor walked in through a door,
as Chardonnay vanished.
“Is it true?” He asked. “Is the baby
really his?”
Leslie found she couldn’t speak. No
matter what she tried, her voice was gone.
“Leslie, how could you lie to me like
that? I may have done bad things in the past, but nothing like this. It’s not
as if I have a child with somebody else.”
Victor grabbed Leslie by the arm. “You
can get out, go and tell him that he is going to be a father again.” He pulled
her on, towards the door. He pushed her out the door, and she fell back as the
door banged shut.
Nate was there, behind her.
“Mum, I hate you.”
He disappeared, replaced by JJ.
“I don’t want you Leslie. I’ve got my
wife, and I don’t want to be stuck bringing up some brat with you.” He shouted,
cruelly.
Before JJ had finished talking, Leslie
felt pains in her stomach, her waters broke.
“Congratulations. It’s a boy.” A
blonde haired nurse said. Leslie took the little boy in her arms – and saw JJ’s
face on him.
“Oh my god.” Leslie said, waking up from her nightmare. She’d drifted off, tired from the lack of sleep she’d gotten the previous night, as she worried about the possibility she was pregnant.
Leslie walked over towards the sink…
Meanwhile, across town, another woman was sitting in another bathroom, staring at another pregnancy test. She too closed her eyes, and started to dream about her baby.
“I love you, but I’m not in love with
you. I’m so sorry.”
“But Joel.”
“Sorry Cleo. I can’t be a father, I’m
too young.”
“Why the hell didn’t you say that when
I told you I was pregnant.”
“I’m leaving town.”
“What? You can’t be. You can’t leave
me here, all alone with the baby.”
“You’ll have Camille.”
“No, I won’t. I thought you were
different Joel. I thought you cared. I thought that night meant something to
you. You are just like all the rest Joel, after one thing.”
“Cleo, that’s not true.”
“Just get out.” She screamed. He left. She fell to the floor. The tears started.
Cleo opened her eyes, and sighed. Maybe Joel will stay with me if I am pregnant, she thought. But if he ever finds out my other secret, then it is over. I can’t let him though.
Cleo walked over towards the sink…
Both looked down at the tests. One woman received a devastating blow, while another was delighted by what she saw.
Next Time:
Leslie confesses all about Gabe to two people, while there is plenty of action at the hospital.