-twenty-nine

"Thanks."

I nodded to Harry as I got out of his car. Harry at some point had shut up about Jenna but my mind hadn't. It kept playing each and every conversation I remembered with her, probing and prickling it to reveal the lie that most surely laid underneath. From just a few minutes of discussion with him, it was obvious I didn't quite know who she was.

"Don't forget."

With my lip between my teeth, I nodded and forced a smile. "Thanks."

After waving back, Harry was gone. And with my back turned to the main road, I strutted into the hotel. Jenna had delivered all my stuff and thankfully she left them packed. Moving over to Erica's would be easier.

Erica.

I wondered how her mother was doing as I opened all of my suitcases and started the sorting out. From how Erica smiled and moved after the phonecall, it was obvious something was wrong. Something she didn't say. I made a mental note to call her later on as I threw the pink dress Eric got me into an already growing pile of clothes.

When I finally stood up, I winced at the ache in my legs. I'd been sitting for God knew how long arranging all of my clothes. I had only one suitcase packed up and ready for Hollywood. The rest was to be delivered to the orphanage.

Standing by the window and sipping soda, there was only one thing on my mind. I knew what I had to do and I knew there was only place I could get the answers I needed. Stuffing one bar of chocolate into my mouth, I set out for Jenna's.

"Matamoros."

The empty soda can fell to the ground the moment I opened the door and I took an unsteady step back.

"God." I placed a hand over my chest as I stared at the man in black. "You scared me half to death. Why are you here? Where's Erica?"

"On a flight to Hollywood. I've been instructed to get your things to the hotel, miss."

"Oh." My brows shot up a little. I'd completely forgotten about the arrangement. "Well," I turned back to the room, "we can leave now I guess."

Matamoros loaded my stuff into the trunk of the Mustang while I checked out of the hotel. The drive was quiet and calm. It was soothing to my racing mind to note how life changed. Yesterday I was homeless, jobless and with no sense of direction. Today, I was on my way to the most expensive hotel in town in a sports car with a bodyguard and a job. Who would've ever imagined?

Maybe mom would finally be proud.

I instructed Matamoros to leave all the suitcases in the trunk but the blue one. We'd have to drop them off at the orphanage later on. Erica had already lodged me in her suite. I didn't have to worry about food or anything. Everything was covered even before I got there. My flight was set to leave in two days and all the expenses before then had been catered for. I smiled when Matamoros opened the suite door for me to enter.

"Thanks." I smiled at Matamoros as he moved to leave the room. We'd packed everything in and he had made sure I needed nothing else. "Would you like to stay and have a drink? A soda?"

"I'll be outside if you need anything, miss."

"Well, I'm leaving." I clicked the door shut. "I'll be back in a bit." I flashed him a smile before starting to move towards the elevator. I let out an exasperated sigh when I felt him close by. "I'll be fine alone."

"And I'll drive you."

The sole fact that Matamoros hadn't let me out of his sight or taken his eyes off me since he appeared at my door prompted my next question. Maybe it was a thing about trust. Maybe Erica didn't trust me.

"Were you sent to watch me?"

"I was sent to watch out for you."

My eyes bored into his.

Matamoros got the door for me before I could get it myself. I slipped into the car and gave him Jenna's home address. I didn't want to call so much attention to myself cruising into Jenna's neighborhood with a mustang but oh well...

"I'll be out in a bit. Just wait outside." I said to Matamoros before getting down from the car. We were parked at the corner of the complex.

The frosty winter wind hit my face the second I began walking. With hands shoved into the coat I threw on before leaving the hotel, my teeth played with my lower lip. With everything Harry said to me, there were two ways my conversation with Jenna could go. Either she came clean and admitted everything she'd done- been doing- or she would lie to my face and deal me one of her manipulation cards.

Either way, I already knew the truth.

Everything added up.

"Hey." I yelled as I got into Jenna's condo unit

"Hey. What's up?" she called from the kitchen.

I followed her voice. "Where's Ed?"

Jenna turned to look at me, away from the cooker. The room smelled of raw garlic and chicken. I still didn't know what she saw in the condiment. It had the potential to make anything taste like shit.

"He went out for a bit. How'd the meeting go?"

"My flight leaves the day after tomorrow."

Jenna's face lit up with a smile.

"And I'm currently staying at Westrn. Erica had an emergency so I'll be staying in her suite."

"Emergency?"

"She's gone back to Hollywood. Her guard and I will follow when my flight's due to leave."

"See." She patted me on my shoulder and I worried she'd get fresh garlic on me. "Everything works out just fine when you listen to me."

I clicked my tongue. "We had Chinese today."

"For lunch?"

"Mm-hmm."

She glanced at me for a second before continuing with the grating of her garlic. "You hate Chinese."

"Yes. I also hate pasta, I hate garlic and I hate when people lie to me."

"What do you mean?"

"Harry Underwood ring a bell?"

If I wasn't paying so close attention, I wouldn't have noticed the falter in her pace.

"Harry?"

"Harry Underwood."

"Shit." Jenna replied a second later. If her curse was relating to my calling Harry's full name or the blood now dripping from her index finger, I'd never know. Her eyes remained on me as she grabbed a paper towel.

"Turns out he's Erica's friend. We had lunch and he drove me back."

It was interesting to watch the colour drain from Jenna's face.

She focused on her finger and I focused on the blood on her white carpet. "Whatever Harry told you, it's in the past."

"Oh." My eyes swept over her outfit before resting on her eyes. "Past as in three weeks ago when he got you that necklace or past as in a week ago when you fucked him on his wife's bed?"

With how sharp Jenna's gaze was, I should've been concerned she'd slice me in half. I wasn't. "If you have something to say to me, Roxy, say it."

"What did you do to Harry that's made him hate you so much?"

She clicked her tongue. "Nothing the fucking cunt didn't deserve."

The smell of garlic was suddenly becoming more suffocating and overwhelming. "I can't believe this. Everything he said is true."

"What I can't believe is that you'd believe a stranger over your friend."

"You haven't exactly denied anything since I got here."

"I don't know. Do I have to deny anything? The fact that I do have to deny anything to you only proves how little you know me, Roxy."

"I know you're your mother's daughter. That's enough."

My eyes went from the bloody paper towel to her eyes at the sound of her bitter chuckle. "Of course. Now it's family ties."

"You're not capable of loving Ed, are you?"

"Oh," she huffed at my words, "now you're just looking for drama."

"You're not capable of loving anyone."

"And what do you know about love? Your relationship with Eric didn't exactly end with champagne and confetti."

I knew she'd try to manipulate her way out of it. It was her defense mechanism. "You don't deserve someone as pure as Ed and Ed deserves to know that."

"Ed deserves to know nothing because nothing has happened."

I would've focused on the fact that the 'has' in her statement left room for a lot of future possibilities. I would've if Ed hadn't walked in.

"What hasn't happened that I don't deserve to know?"

******************

-C.