24 Weeks...
Chapter Six
�Hey�
Olivia looked up from her textbook to be staring at Gina who had pulled up a chair and was now seated right in front of her desk.
Olivia had just returned from the most beautiful weekend of her life. Not only had she and her mom had spent their first �mother-daughter catching up on each other�s life� time, a tradition that would follow for years to come. She had also spent every second of the last twenty-four hours in the arms of the woman who had already managed to make a permanent residence in her heart. And now that she was back early Sunday evening, for the sole purpose of studying for the mid-term that started from the next day even Gina�s greeting could not make her heart feel down.
�Yeah�� She tired to be as curt as she could.
�Come on now�. you can�t still be mad?� Gina said as though they had fought over some doll.
Olivia chose not to speak and looked back down on her textbook.
�Come on Liv�� Chris� voice came through from behind. �You both over reacted now�don�t be a downer and let�s just get past this�after all we are not kids.�
�I over reacted?� Olivia questioned Chris� words.
�Of course you did� you know you did.� Gina answered instead.
�And what? You choking me is justified because...� Even though Olivia had avoided her friends since the incident this certainly was a conversation that she did want to have. �Ummm Let me guess because it�s a normal reaction to it.�
�No, its not � like I said she over reacted too�� Chris thought she could still be able to reason out both her friends.
�Yes�I over reacted�.It was wrong�And that�s why I am apologizing�I will get down on my knee and say sorry if you want�I am sorry�� Gina admitted.
�But I only over reacted because I care�you can�t be quitting�I�we don�t want you to quit.� Gina added in a voice that was almost begging.
�Hey�I am not going to quit�� Olivia assured as she put her hand on top Gina�s and squeezed it to make sure that Gina knew her words were heart felt. At that moment Chris came from behind and put her arms around her friend as the three women reconstituted their friendship.
As eccentric as Gina seemed at times, Olivia�s friendship with the duo only strengthened that two weeks of mid term exams. The exams that were designed to flush out maximum of the undeserving recruits tested their physical, mental and emotional capabilities in every form. And the three women found themselves leaning on one another either for just support due to dire physical exhaustion or for a hug as an encouragement when dead-ended. But never the less, as strong as each of them were individually, the strength they gained by being together was one of the main reason they managed to conquer one more day and prepare for the next.
It was at one of those late night study session Olivia had felt the need to and confessed to her friends the real reason for wanting to be a cop. Her friends had listened attentively and at the end like Jena admired Olivia�s decision.
�We�ll always be there for you.� Both her friends had promised her shortly after she had dotted her sentence. �We�ll be your strength.� Gina had added.
�Thanks�but I can deal with it.� Olivia had proudly said requiring no arms to hold her while she defended her past and plotted her future. �I have been dealing with it and I can deal with it. But thanks though.� She replied, without the knowledge that she would be using the last sentence more than she wished throughout her life.
�Well you know what they say� the more you hide the more it hurts.� Jena had said when Olivia finally had got a chance to talk to her girlfriend. �Opening up is the first step you take towards if not healing at least it�s the first step towards dealing so I am just glad that you have taken a step to dealing with it.�
That was before Jena left for upstate for some paper work. A reason she always used but never explained and Olivia somehow never thought about getting deeper into.
�It�s just money.� Jena said calmly as she forked another French fry on her plate. �I can make it�I can loose it.�
�Yeah�.Jen you could say that if you had made that much money in the first place.� The guy who was sitting right in front of Jena was going frantic as he talked. �But Jen this is money you never had�.you know what that means?�
�It means I am 200 grand down Ray�I got it�you don�t have to yell.�
�200 grand that you never had�so hell yes you are down�deep deep�down.� Ray couldn�t even think about the food in front of him as he kept calculating the financial mess his best friend had created for herself.
�Why are you screaming �..? �.God I know I lost it�made a big mistake�I�ll pay it.� Jena who was the one actually in the ditch just refused to even react to the situation she was in.
�How�? Do you even know how you are planning to get two hundred grand by the end of three months?� Ray asked. �It�s not like owing 20 grand for plumbing through a jackass� living room with your brand new Rav 4. That you can work your ass off in summers and pay for it.� Ray said recalling another one of Jena�s famous irrational behavior that had cost her more than she could afford in her teenage years.
�You still remember that�.God it felt so damn good when I went zooming through his lawn and right into the living room�.Take my words � it was worth every penny of that fucking 20 grand.� Jena was actually proud of the experience and she always would be.
�No�it wasn�t�you were this close to getting a criminal charge for it. You were god damn lucky.� Ray said who never understood Jena when she got angry.
�Well�then it would have been a bummer. But regardless you have to admit it was classic.�
�Forget that�what are you gonna do about the money.� Ray said bringing the discussing to the present. �I don�t have 200 grand but I can cover for most of it, if you want.�
�Yeah�and for that what do I have to do? Let me guess�� Jena looked up pretended to think before she spoke. �Oh yeah�. turn straight and marry you.� Jena didn�t want to do it but she just couldn�t help but sting Ray with his own words that he had once said to Jena when Jena had asked him for money.
�Fuck you Jen�you are never going to let that go are you?� At one unfortunate moment Ray had lost his head and asked Jena to marry him when she had approached him for financial help. But at that moment he truly wished they both could put that mistake behind them and Jena would actually let him help her.
�No�Ray on the contrary that is my rabbit in the hat�when I find myself in a shit that I can�t get out of � I�ll pull it out� then I�ll miraculously turn straight and marry you and have a kid while I am at it�how about that. But for now�I can take care of this � so not yet �my knight.� Jena took some bills out and laid it on the table for the check.
�Where are you going now�what are you gong to do?� Ray simply asked knowing fully well that now, there was no way that Jena would either listen to him or accept his help.
�I am going home. And I am going to cook�cook some gourmet meal for my girl and me and hopefully if I do it right � get laid all night long. Do you want to know anything else before I leave?� Jena snapped.
Ray remained silent as Jena walked away.
He had made one mistake with Jena and no matter what the topic was, Jena always brought it up just to hurt him. That�s how Jena always had been. She could make any number of mistakes, mistakes that could cost up to 200 grand, but that would never be a big deal but when someone else does one mistake, Jena would never let that go. Unfortunately, Jena never forgave and she never forgot.