Episode 9 – New Year,
New Beginnings
– Chardonnay comforted Gabe and later they set a date for the wedding.
– Nate confided in Kayla about the text he had received.
– Cleo locked herself in her bedroom but later told Camille that Kelvin
used to hit her and her mother.
Tuesday, 31st December
2002
“I still can’t believe I am letting you have a
party” Judi
said, smiling at her daughter Kayla.
“That will teach you about having a little too
much to drink at Christmas” Kayla joked. “There, is that straight?”
Judi examined the large banner and nodded. Kayla
and Nate
got down of their chairs and turned to look at the large poster.
“That is okay isn’t it?” Kayla asked.
“Yes fine” Nate agreed as he heard the familiar
beep of a text being received. He exchanged worried glances with Kayla as he
took out his phone. Texts, phone calls, letters – Nate had gotten all of them
in the past week. It was getting serious now, much more than a simple prank to
scare Nate. These were serious threats.
“Just Chardonnay wishing me a happy new year if she doesn’t see
me before midnight” Nate breathed a sigh of relief.
“What are she and Gabe
doing tonight?” Judi asked as she searched the apartment for something.
“They are going to some huge party with their
friends. Mom
and dad
are going as well, but I cancelled”
“Will Russell
and Camille be there?”
“No, he is working isn’t he?” Nate responded.
“Oh I forgot” Judi said as she handed Kayla
fifty dollars. “For the food and drink that you still need”
***
“Is she feeling any better?” Russell
asked Camille after she had emerged from Cleo’s
room.
“Much better. She isn’t as depressed and even
smiled” Camille answered.
“That is great news”
“You should be going to the hospital shortly
shouldn’t you?” Camille reminded.
“Yes, I should” Russell said as he thought of Judi.
Russell got up and left the newspaper he had
been glancing at on the table.
“I’ll be here all on my own tonight” Camille
said after following Russell into their bedroom.
“You will have Cleo won’t you?”
“She is going out to a party. It should do her
some good. Leo Williams is bringing her”
Russell turned to look at his wife. He smiled.
“Is there something going on that I should know
about?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that his mother and
father are getting divorced at the moment and it is some huge scandal”
Russell sighed. Why did Camille always have to
concern herself in other people’s business?
“Bye, see you tomorrow morning” he said walking
out without a kiss. Camille wondered what was wrong with him. He had been so
distant recently.
As he lay against the door Russell sighed yet
again. His thoughts were of Judi.
***
“What are you doing here?” Divine
said as she looked up from the magazine she had been reading.
Victor took a seat and sat down opposite her.
“It is over Divine, we are finished” he said,
short and simple.
“What?”
“It was fun while it lasted but we are finished.
My children and my family are more important to me than you”
“But…”
“I also want you out of my penthouse in the next
month”
“I’ll tell her if you don’t give me the
penthouse”
“Who? Leslie?
She already knows”
“No, I mean Chardonnay. I will tell her who I really am and I will
tell your son
also”
Victor moved closer to Divine. She smiled, but
the smile was soon wiped off her face.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I have
friends who could ruin your life. You could disappear and nobody would care. Do
you understand me?” Victor said as he grabbed her arm.
“Is that a threat Victor?”
Victor released his grip and got up.
“Make of it what you want, but like I said watch
your back. Goodbye Divine and don’t forget that I want you out of my penthouse.
On second thoughts make that two weeks rather than a month”
***
Kayla smiled as she looked around the room. Everyone seemed to be enjoying
themselves, despite the presence of Paris,
although not everyone had yet arrived. One person missing was Leo.
Kayla made her way towards the door as she heard the bell ringing.
“Leo, welcome” she greeted.
“Hi Kayla. Hope you don’t mind but I brought Cleo
with me” Leo said as he moved away from the doorbell so that Kayla could see
Cleo.
“Hi” Cleo muttered. Kayla feigned a smile.
***
“Thirty minutes before midnight, half an hour” Russell
thought after looking at his watch. “Will I make it?” he asked himself. “I
won’t know if I don’t try”
“Carla
I am feeling sick and need to go home. Do you think you will be able to survive
without me?”
“What? You can’t go” Carla said, sighing.
“I have to. It wouldn’t be right for me to stay
here when I am not feeling well. I would probably just give the bug to my patients”
Russell lied.
“Okay then”
Carla watched Russell go.
“I wish they would take care of themselves. They
are doctors after all” she muttered to herself.
***
Kayla’s eyes met with Paris’
as they both looked at Cleo.
Neither wanted Cleo in the room and Cleo had sensed the hostility. But had more
important things to think about. She suddenly felt very guilty about leaving
her mother and leaving Australia.
“I hate her, no I hate them both” Paris said.
“Who?” Gayle,
a friend of Paris’, asked.
“Who do you think? Kayla and Cleo of course”
Paris answered angrily.
“Why don’t you do something about it?”
“What exactly?”
“You know that history project which we will
have to do when we go back?”
“Yeah, hard not to when all Ms. Combs ever seems
to talk about is that thing”
“The teams will be partnered into one male and
one female in each team, so if you end up with Leo
it will mean that you can invite him around to your house and one thing will
lead to another”
“Okay I get the picture, but how am I supposed
to end up on his team?”
“I don’t know do I?”
Meanwhile across the room Nate
looked at his phone. He had just received another threatening text. He looked
up at Kayla who had her eyes fixed on Leo and Cleo.
“She has been looking at me since we arrived.
She hates me” Cleo said.
“Stop being paranoid”
“I am going for a drink, maybe then she will
take my eyes off me”
Leo watched as Cleo walked away and started to
fill two plastic cups with cola.
“Want to dance?” came a voice from behind him.
Kayla.
Leo turned around.
“I don’t know. Cleo is just gone to get me a
drink” he answered.
“How rude is that? Not dancing with the hostess”
Kayla smiled. “Come on”
She grabbed Leo’s hand and pulled him towards
the area which had been made into a dance floor. Kayla looked at Nate and
motioned for him to change the music as Leo exchanged worried glances with
Cleo. The music changed and people started searching for their loved ones as a
song began. As she looked around the room, Kayla noticed that her mother had
disappeared.
***
“Why are we out here Russell?
You should be with Camille
and I should be in there with my
daughter”
Judi
said looking up at the man she thought she secretly loved. They were standing
up on the roof of Judi’s apartment building. It was deserted except for the two
of them.
He turned around and looked up at the sky,
signalling for Judi to step closer to him. She wasn’t sure but did move closer.
Together they watched at the stars. He placed his arm around her. Judi felt
comfortable with that.
“Judi, even though I am married to Camille I
don’t love her” he said.
***
Paris sat down, a scowl on her face. She was upset that Leo
didn’t seem to want her. Kayla
was dancing with him, but that would be changed soon Paris hoped.
“Are you okay?” came a voice from behind.
“Yes I…” Paris stopped as she saw Nate
behind her rather than Gayle. “I am fine”
“You don’t look it” Nate said sitting down
beside her.
“What do you think is wrong?”
“Judging by the way you are looking at my cousin
as she dances with Leo Williams you are jealous”
“So what if I am?” Paris said coldly, as she
turned to gaze at Leo.
Nate started to answer, but stopped once he
heard his phone. He looked at the text he had just received. He pressed show.
Happy New Year Nate. The end is coming…
“Hello, you listening?” Paris asked, noticing how
quite Nate had gone. She smiled, grabbing the phone from him.
“Give that back” Nate demanded.
“Funny text, very funny” Paris said as she
handed the phone back. Paris looked up as Gayle appeared and then whispered
something in Paris’ ear.
“Because I have no better offers have I?” Paris
replied to the question. Nate guessed that Gayle had been asking why Paris was
hanging around with him.
“What about Jacob?” Gayle suggested.
“I don’t think so”
Across the room Cleo
stood at the drinks table. Kayla had been dancing with Leo for five minutes now
and as Whitney Huston’s I Will Always Love You started, Cleo did not see any
way of breaking them up before midnight, unless she interrupted herself.
“Sorry Kayla, mind if I take Leo” Cleo said
after interrupting the dance.
“What? No it is okay” Kayla said. Cleo smiled at
Leo as they started to dance. Kayla looked menacingly from the side of the room
at them and suddenly noticed that midnight was only a minute away.
“Okay everyone, grab a partner as midnight is
almost here” Kayla shouted. “Looks like I will be all alone though” she
muttered.
“Want to dance?”
“Me?” Kayla said turning to look at Jacob.
“Yes, you” he said.
”Okay”
Meanwhile Paris was toying with the idea of
dancing with Nate.
“Want to dance?” she asked.
“What?”
“Want to dance?” she repeated. “It isn’t like I
have any better offers is it?”
“Okay then, although I can’t dance”
“Neither can I” Paris said as Nate took her
hand.
Everyone started counting down the seconds.
Ten…nine…eight…seven…
***
“You must have loved her
once to have married her” Judi
argued.
“I did a long time ago. But I love you now Judi”
Russell answered as he pulled Judi closer.
“Judi I think, no, I know I love you”
“I love you too” Judi said as she moved closer
to Russell. Their lips met as the fireworks were let off and as I Will Always
Love You drifted up from down below, signalling the end
of one year and the beginning of a new year.
***
“Who is it?” Camille
asked after getting up to answer the door.
“Your sister” was the reply she got.
Read the lyrics to “I Will Always
Love You”
Continue with Episode 10 – Waking up
to blackmail