Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:02:08 -0700 (PDT)
From: Brittany Gay <tomgirlx93@yahoo.com>
Subject: Stories from a Life- Break up pending part 2

tomgirlx93@yahoo.com
Stories from a Life- Break up Pending part two
July 22, 2007
COPYRIGHT 2007

    Author's Note: Thanks so much to all that have commented on the first
installment. I hope this chapter will be just as exciting, as the first.
Feedback is always welcome and I will try to give an immediate response.
----------------------------------------


    Charisma Collin had walked off of the movie set, while in the middle
of intense dialog, just to call Ashley. The thoughts of not feeling loved
were killing her more that day, than any other. Nothing mattered to her
at that moment, but to handle the personal issue. As she speed-walked
through various props, the movie crew tried to halt Charisma. The
normally sweet girl had fire on her tongue, when she would turn to tell
them to leave her be.  Collin then drove to the nearest bar and stood
outside to end it with Ashley. Then went inside the shabby bar. It had no
windows, the lighting was dark and it seemed to be the perfect place to
hide. There were only about three other occupants in the pub. Charisma
planned to get as inebriated as possible, without someone breathing down
her neck.

"Hey aren't you that girl?" The bald bartender asked Charisma, as she
took a seat.

"Just fix me your strongest drink and give me a Miller while you're at
it." She said without making eye contact.

    As the bartender, taken aback by her request, went to do as told,
Charisma's phone buzzed in her hand. She did not bother to see whom was
calling. Collin just dropped the ringing cell into a half full beer mug
and watched it die.
*******************************************

    I tried to call Charisma multiple times, before giving up.

"Shit! What do I do now?" I asked Frankie, breathless from coming closer
and closer to a mental break-down.

    We stepped in between two small buildings, as Frankie tried to calm
me.

"Look, call the studio. She has to be there still." She suggested, her
strong hands firmly gripping my shaking shoulders.

"Fine."

    The call went through, only for me to be told Charisma had
disappeared.

"What? When? Who let her?" I asked the director, whom came to the phone.

"She just walked clear off of the set, right in the middle of a scene.
Then growled at anyone that tried to stop her." The director explained,
he too was frantic.

    I hung up and immediately flagged down a taxi.

"What are you doing?" Frankie asked, as we entered the cab.

    Instead of responding, I told the driver where to go.

"Chadwell. In the Valley." I ordered.

"Why there?" He asked, seeming to know ex actually where I wanted to go.

"Just drive, man." I almost shouted at him.

    Frankie kept quiet, as we headed to the Valley. We pulled up in front
of where we needed to be, about twenty-five minutes later. Then threw the
driver a hundred dollar bill as I jumped out, pulling Frankie along.

"What is this?" Frankie asked, looking around at the various houses and
small studios.

"This house, right here. I gotta talk to The Girls." I said, rushing
through the door and past the security guard that knew me.

"Wait. Are we really about to walk on to a porn set, right now?" Frankie
knew of Crystal, Abby and Nia from her past visits to California.

"I have to see if they've seen Charisma."

"Why don't you call?"

"Just in case Charisma is here, I don't want to get lied to. Plus, where
else would she run?"
*******************************************
Meanwhile....

    Upstairs from the bar, where Charisma Collin was drowning her
sarrows, Josh Sullivan released the fifth orgasm she had had that day.
The woman she was with rolled away, giving Josh an upset expression.

"What?" Josh asked, wiping the sweat on her breasts with a towel.

"You just seem to drift somewhere else, when I'm fucking you." The woman
said, as she massaged her aching jaw. "Actually, your eyes drift to that
stupid poster over head." She pointed to the ceiling, where a full-length
poster was taped.

"You're paranoid." Josh sat on the edge of the bed, her back to the
woman.

    Sullivan had picked up the blond in the bar, about an hour or so ago.

"Don't call me a liar. It's true!" The woman stated, as she stood and
dressed.

    Josh stared out of the window, across the room, until the bleach
blond was gone. Then she laid back on the mattress, looking straight up.
Josh had indeed been averting her eyes to the poster. She couldn't let
the blond know about her secret obsession nor let her in on the very
thing that was always on her mind. There was a name posted all over and
around the glossy poster: Charisma Collin.
**************************************

    A rather large man led Frankie and I to the room The Girls were in.
There we found Crystal, Abby, Nia and a few other girls. They were
passing a champagne bottle around, not bothering with glasses. All sorts
of film equipment lined the farthest wall.

"Oh hi!" Crystal was sitting in a vanity chair, wearing a pink robe and
eight inch stilletos.

"We really need to talk. And what the hell is going on in here?" I asked.

"Oh, we're just helping this one loosen up, for her first scene." Nia
said, pointing to a young and innocent brunette sitting near by. "But
what brings you kids by? Showing Frankie the set?"

"No, Charisma broke up with me and I don't know where she is." I
answered, nearly frantic, from stating the truth out loud.

    Everyone's face dropped, as well as the Moët bottle that had been in
Abby's hand.

"So I'm assuming none of you have spoken to her all day?" Frankie asked.

"No." Abby and Crystal responded.

    Nia bit her glossy bottom lip and stood. "Well, she did call me
earlier and did, like, sound weird. She wouldn't tell me what was wrong,
but told me she would let me know later."

"Here, try calling her now. She's not answering for me." I said.

    While Nia set to do that, I explained what had happened. I even went
into how I was going to end the relationship, but changed my mind. After
Nia tried calling several times, Crystal tried and then Abby.

"Where in the hell would she go?" Crystal asked, tossing her phone on to
the vanity. "She knows not to run around alone."

"We have to find that crazy bitch. And from now on, you two need to work
on your communication skills." Abby pointed at me, as she walked toward
the door.

    The others in the room were quite entertained. Crystal ran out with
us, even though she was only in her robe and heels. The five of us
scrambled out to the parking garage and jumped into Nia's Mini Cooper.
****************************************************

    Josh went downstairs for another drink. She had been watching All the
Good Girls and was planning to see it again, after a few shots.
Meanwhile, Charisma was working on her sixth shot and ready to order
another Miller. The drink the bartender had made earlier wasn't strong
enough, even though it burned as it went down.

"You should slow down. Besides, you know I'll get in a lot of trouble if
someone sees you stumbling out of here. I'm sure everyone knows who and
how old you are." The stout bartender said.

"Man, don't do me right now. I know what I'm doing. Just let me out of
the back door later. A limo or some shit will get me." Charisma said,
with low growl in her voice.

    Josh walked in through the back exit, sitting at the very end of the
bar.

"Hey Marcus. Give us a few Jaeger bombs, yeah." Josh said to the bald man
behind the bar, keeping her eye on the cigarette she was lighting.

"Sure. Hey, do you recognize that girl down there? I can't think of her
name, but I know she's famous or something?" That Marcus asked, leaning
in so Charisma wouldn't hear. "She won't tell me her name."

    Josh tried to look, but Charisma was slightly turned away from her
view.

"I'll see later." Uninterested, Josh took three shots in a row.

"I know how you like the blonds. Why only them, any way?" Marcus asked,
as he fixed Josh three more shots.

"No reason." The sandy haired, twenty-three year old, Irish girl brushed
off the question with a smirk.

    She was unmistakably good looking, with her deep green eyes and
shoulder length hair. Sullivan's looks made Charisma turn and stare, at
the sound of her accent. Josh did not notice, as she sipped on now a
chilled beer. There was a resemblance Ms. Collin could not help but
notice about Sullivan. The deeply tanned skin and girly, yet mannish
mannerisms Josh possed kept Charisma glaring. Even the way Sullivan's
hair laid around her shoulders, as well as the color, reminded the
nineteen year old of.....Charisma thought. If it wasn't for the guyish
clothing, the girl at the other end of the bar could have been her ex.
***************************

    Nia impatiently weaved in and out of the mid-day traffic, going well
over the speed limit. The radio was blasting a popular station, that
normally gave listeners a heads-up on celebrity sightings, in between
songs.

"You drive wild." Frankie said from the back seat.

"Thanks." Nia winked.

"Ok, where could she possibly go? I can't believe no one has seen this
girl." I asked, puffing a Newport 100, as though it had the answer.

    We were now heading to the airport, to see if Charisma had booked a
flight. We didn't have many options. I had called her mother, whom was on
a yacht in Spain. I did not let her know what was at hand, not wanting to
ruin her vacation. Mrs. Collin could be stressed out very easily, just
like her sensitive daughter. I also called her publicist, but not even
Erica had heard from Charisma.

"Maybe she's getting fucked up." Abby suggested, while grooming her
fingers through Frankie's hair.

"Ooh, yeah! Let's, like, call every bar in L.A." Nia said over her
shoulder, her layered, dark brown hair blowing in the breeze.

"Are you serious?" Crystal asked in a uncertain tone.

"Yeah. I mean, we have, like, no choice now do we?"

"Cool. We'll grab a phone book and each start callin', but I still wanna
check out the airport." I agreed.
*************************************

    Charisma chugged the fifth beer. The pain stinging her broken heart
was still there. She wanted to forget about it, if only for that day.
Then again, while she sat there drowning those endless sarrows, Charisma
vowed to do this for days on end, until thoughts of Ashley did not hurt
anymore. She stood and all of the alcohol hit her at once. Dizziness
almost knocked her to the floor. 'At least I'm not sick yet', Charisma
thought, as she made her way to the end of the bar. She had an
uncontrollable urge to speak to that mysterious girl. Perhaps it was the
mix of that delusional depression and the alcohol, making Collin believe
it was a good idea.

"Hi. Do you know who I am?" She asked, when standing near Josh.

    The Irish girl almost screamed, immediately recognizing the love of
her life, but had to hide that fanatic urge. "No."

"Good. I want to forget who I am." Charisma hopped on the closest stool,
trying to hide how drunk she was. "Who are you?"

"Um, Josh. And you?" Sullivan was starting to sweat.

"Me? I can't say. Someone may hear me." Charisma flagged Marcus over. "I
need another...uummmm. Hey, what are you drinking?"

"Beer." Josh said, now unable to hide her huge grin.

"Don't lie. I saw you downing some dark shit earlier." Charisma was
totally losing her sweet character and herself, turning into a completely
different person.

"Wait. You've been watching me?"

"So?"

"No reason." The sandy haired woman almost chuckled, as she finished her
beer and ordered them both her favorite drink.
************************************************

"This is Crystal Crocker....Yeah I'm serious, dude!....So have you seen
her?.....I'll come in right now and prove it.......Oh, why thank you..
Which was your favorite scene." Crystal was on the line with the third
biggest bar in the city, girlishly tossing around her freshly
highlighted, caramel hair.

"Bitch, hang up. This ain't about you." Nia scolded.

"Girl, if we say who we are, then maybe people won't lie. They're
probably protecting her or some shit." Crystal said, clicking her cell
shut.

    The airport had failed us. After leaving there, we stole Nicole
Richie's phone book. Crystal, in her robe, had slipped her hand under the
tall gates that lined the mansion, dove back into the car and Nia sped
off on screeching tires. It gave us all a good laugh, brightening the
sour mood.

"Fuck this sober shit. We need a bottle. Maybe if we drink a little,
like, we'll relax and find Charisma." Nia suggested.

"Yeah and so you can get a DUI, and fuck up the whole witch hunt." Abby
stated.

"Bitch, I drive drunk all the time. Don't play."

"Yeah, right about now I need a drink. Pull this bitch over." I said,
spotting a dingy pub coming up on the left.

    It did not concern me at all, that Nia would be as tipsy as I wanted
to become. Back home, I was used to the driver holding a bottle of
alcohol between their legs, while either cruising to a party or the inner
city. Even if a drunk driver was not fine with me, I would have done
anything to calm me down. The more we drove, the more I felt Charisma was
slipping away from me.
*************************************************

    Charisma was looking at Josh, through double-vision, after the third
Jager bomb.

"Wow, you are gone girl." Josh laughed.

"No, I just need some coffee or something." Charisma slurred.

"Naw, it'll just make all that drink come up. Your best bet would have
been coke, if ya did it."

"Oh? You got any?"

    Josh had trouble hiding her shock. Just when she thought she knew
every little thing about Charisma Collin, Josh realized that there was
more to learn. She mentally recalled the stash hidden in her apartment.

"Let's go upstairs. I'll fix ya up." Sullivan smiled as she stood.

    They went out of the back door, as the front door flew open.
*************************************

"Hey! Mr. Bar man." Crystal whistled as we walked into the bar, taking
our seats in unison. "We need three Cunnilingus shots, each, and some
answers."

    The bartender looked stunned for a moment, at both Crystal's request
and attire, then served us. "What can I help ya with?" The bald man
asked, as he set the creamy shots in front of us.

"Has Charisma Collin been in here today or have you heard anything about
her?" I asked.

"Uh, I don't even know who that is." He shrugged.

"What's your name, man?" Abby asked.

"Marcus." The man responded.

"Look, Marcus, that girl is damn famous right now. You must know of her.
So, like, a rather pretty blond hasn't been through here at all today?"

"Well, plenty of pretty blonds come in here. Actually, there was this one
that looked familiar to me. Can't say where I think I've seen her, but am
sure she was famous."

"Blond? Hazel eyes? Medium height? Small waist? Adorable face?" I asked,
lightly blushing at the thought that the lovely girl in question had been
mine.

"Yeah, I think so." Marcus looked unsure.

"When did she leave?" Frankie asked.

"Just before ya'll came in."

    The five of us downed our sweet shots and thought. We wanted to
believe it had been Charisma.

"Was this girl getting wasted? She just broke up with her girlfriend
today, so...." Nia said.

"Oh, yeah she was. Did look sad as hell in the process. But she couldn't
have been that hurt, 'cause she walked out with the girl that lives
upstairs."

    We all looked at each other, sure that could not be our girl.
Charisma was way too reserved to pull a stunt like that. She would not
even make eye contact with a person, if she did not know them well. Then
again, none of us knew her to be the type that would walk off of the job,
with no good reason. Let alone get drunk in broad day light.

"Hey man, sell me that bottle of Smirnoff over there." Crystal demanded
sweetly. "Yeah, that bottle. I'll give you a bill for it." Then she waved
a hundred dollar bill under Marcus' nose.

    Where she had pulled that bill from, I can never be sure.

"Why?" Marcus asked, giving her a suspicious glare.

" 'Cause we gotta get goin'. We have to find our girl." Abby spoke up,
before slamming her last shot.
*************************************

    Meanwhile, Charisma was sitting at Josh's kitchen table, snorting
lines off of a small mirror. Every time she leaned down to take in the
white powder, Josh discretely leaned in to inhale the scent of Charisma's
hair. She wanted to touch Collin and devour her whole. The urge was
becoming harder and harder to avoid.

"How many can I do, before I've had too much?" Ms. Collin asked, her
double vision clearing up, as both nostrils became clogged. She had never
done such a thing, without being with good friends or Ashley.

"I say do one more, then stop. You'll be fine after that." Josh assured.

"But what if I want more?" With her heart already beating rapidly, Collin
was thinking of how much more she could do. She wanted to safely be as
inebriated as she possibly could.

"I'll give it to you, but not too much. Trust me." Josh's smile, that
followed, was a evil one.

"I need a beer." Charisma really needed water, to sooth her numbed
thoart, but wanted more to drink instead.

    Josh laughed. "Already, huh? Come on, lets go back then." She was
loving the whole situation. Sullivan knew after so long and just enough
cocaine, that Charisma would be in her bed. Then she would prove to be
the girlfriend, she believed, Collin always wanted. Josh put her arm
around Charisma's waist, tingling with glee, and helped her down the
stairs. When they came through the back door, Charisma went straight to
the bathroom, which was right near the exit. Josh hopped on the nearest
bar stool and looked for Marcus.

    A group of girls were arguing with him. The girls she recognized all
too well. Three were the infamous porn star friends of Charisma Collin
and the olive skinned girl, surrounded by them, was a person she loved to
hate. Why, she thought, is my enemy also in this damned place? One of the
small bits she knew about Charisma was who her girlfriend was. Sullivan
moved to L.A, from Ireland, just to be able to follow Charisma Collin
around. Which she succeeded in doing, clicking pictures from afar, when
spotting Collin in a public place. Josh ran to the bathroom, just as
Charisma was about to step out.

"Hey, ready for another bump?" Josh asked, dangling the baggie of white
powder in Charisma's face.

"Oh, I was just thinking about that." Charisma smirked happily.

    The two headed into the farthest stall, giggling as they went.
****************************************************

"Fine, if ya want the bottle that damn bad. Just don't say where you got
it, when the cops pull you over." The bar man scolded.

"Let's go girls." Crystal said, shoving the Smirnoff gallon into Abby's
oversized purse.

"Wait, I gotta wash my hands. I had them on this nasty bar." said
Frankie.

    While she went to the bathroom, the others and I started to wait for
her in the car. That's when the phone in a mug caught my eye. The cell
was decorated with gem stones, in the exact pattern Charisma's phone had.
I pulled the phone out of the stale beer and inspected it.

"Ew, Ashley. Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with everything
you see?" Nia asked, standing over my shoulder.

"This is her phone." I was sure. That was all I had to say. We all
scrambled to the bathroom. "Frankie! She was here! Here's Charisma's
phone." I stated.
****************************************

    Charisma's eyes widened. She put her hand over Josh's mouth and
listened.

"Where did that guy say she went?" another voice she knew all too well
asked.

"Upstairs. Come on. I'm knockin' that door down!" her ex's voice stated.

    Charisma waited for them to leave before moving. "Shit. What do we
do?" She asked.

"Stay here. I'll work it out." Josh assured.
********************************

    I flew up the stairs, leaving the others behind. I banged on the door
and pounded it with my feet.

"Open this bitch up! I'll burn it down if I have to." I yelled.

    The others helped me kick at the door, hoping it would fly off of the
hinges.

"What the fuck is going on?" A heavily accented voice came from the
stairs behind us, after a few moments.

    I turned and was ready to attack the girl, certain it was the owner
of the apartment.

"You have something of mine." I stepped up and said.

"Come again?" The girl came closer.

"My girlfriend. I was told she was here." I stood my ground, as the other
four surrounded the girl.

"I'm alone, sweetie. I was with someone, but sent her home. She was quite
trashed."

    I took a deep breath, not sure if I should believe her.

"How did she get home?" Frankie asked.

"Taxi." The girl simply responded.

"Where does she live? I mean, if she was wasted, you had to have told the
cabbie where to take her." Crystal said.

"On Wilshire blvd. Condo 113." The girl gave us precise information.

    We were all stunned, not knowing what to say. She went on to say how
Charisma really didn't want to go home because her girlfriend was
abusive.

"Now that's some bullshit." I had cut in.

"She wouldn't say that. You're a liar, dude." Abby pointed.

"Oh, but she did. Now if you would excuse me." The Irish sounding girl
went to open her door.

    As she stepped in, we peeked inside, hoping to see something that
would give her away. Nia was the one that spotted the coke-stained mirror
on the girl's kitchen table, before the door was closed and immediately
knocked on the it.

"What now?" The sandy haired girl peeked out.

"Was she doin' shit?" Nia asked.

"Shit?"

"Coke, bitch. Was our girl doin' the shit?" Crystal stepped forward.

"No. She was never up here." The sandy haired girl said.

"We should go. For some reason, I'm getting creeped out by this place."
Frankie said.

    My best friend wasn't the kind to back down from a battle, but seemed
sure we all should leave a.s.a.p. After giving the Irish girl a quick
look up and down, I led the way to leave. We went out of the back and
walked around the front, through the alley. There was a small parking lot
toward the front, of the shabby building. All at once, the five of us
noticed Charisma's glossy-blue Volkswagen. We had not noticed it before,
since we had parked down the street.

"We should drive it home." Crystal suggested, as we inspected the car to
make sure it was Charisma's.

"With what keys?" asked Abby.

"We'll, like, hot wire it." said Nia. "We just can't leave it here."

"Fine. So, who knows how to hot wire a car?" I asked.

    There was a short silence, everyone looking at each other, hoping
someone knew.

"Well, I do." Crystal said hesitantly.

"Cool. Now how do we get into it? That's the first thing." I said.

    Crystal sent Frankie to fetch her a wire hanger, from the vintage
shop across the street. When it was retrieved, Crystal expertly popped
the lock and got in the driver's side. As she fumbled with the wires, we
took to the bottle of vodka, taking large gulps and passed it around. I
lit a cigarette and puffed it, after every hard swallow. The smoke made
the sting not so harsh. After some time, the car vroomed to life, making
us all squeal happily. Abby was just putting the Smirnoff back into her
purse, when a cop came walking up.

"Ah hm." The lady cop raised an eyebrow, looking at the hanging wires and
us all.

"Look, there's a really good explanation for all of this, miss." Crystal
said.

"I'm sure. Who's car is this?" The cop asked, removing her heavily
tinted, aviator sunglasses.

"This is my girlfriend's car. She left it here because she was too drunk
to drive." I explained.

    The cop looked at me suspiciously. "Hey, aren't you that Ashley girl?
I hear you and that Collin kid are on the rocks."

"Yes, but no. It's a long story." I puffed deeply on the cigarette,
hoping she wouldn't smell the liquor on my breath.

    Then cop lady looked over at Crystal. "Hey, didn't I arrest you once,
for this very reason? For hot wiring your girlfriend's car and then
crashing it into the side of her house?"

    Crystal looked like a deer in headlights, right then. She started to
speak, when cop lady put out her hand and asked for Crystal's ID. While
the cop went to her car, to run the ID, we all turned to Crystal.

"See, that was a long time ago." She defended, before any of us could say
anything.

"Ah, shit. This doesn't look good." Frankie shook her head.
********************************************************************

    Charisma sat in the bathroom stall, waiting impatiently for Josh to
return. After so long, noticing there was silence, she hesitantly stepped
out of the washroom, peeked around and went up to Josh's apartment.
Before stepping inside, she looked over at the parking lot a few feet
away and saw the gaggle of people she knew all too well. They were
surrounding her car, screaming in protest as a female officer handcuffed
one of them. Charisma's heart sank. She wasn't sure of what was
happening, but knew it was all on her account. She started to run over,
but went up the apartment entrance instead. Running up the stairs, Collin
could feel her heart beating wildly.

"What did you do?" Charisma asked Josh, as she entered the small
apartment. "Did you get them in trouble?"

"What do you mean? I just kicked them out, before they could break my
door down." Sullivan responded.

"Who called the cops, then? One of them is being arrested!"

    Josh paused, unsure of how that could have happened. She really
didn't care and hoped the girl being taken in was Ashley. Nonetheless,
Josh acted concerned.

"They'll be fine." Sullivan assured, though she was certain the tight
situation Charisma's people were in had only begun.
*************************************

    Crystal was jumping up and down, the cuffs tight around her wrists,
demanding that they were only helping a friend out.

"Can't be too sure of that." The officer shook her head. "Until I can
contact that Charisma character, I'll have to hold you for questioning."

"This is bullshit, dude! I'm telling you, she broke up with me, ran off
and got drunk. Then got sent home by the person that lives upstairs." I
stated.

"Can this other person vouch?" The short-haired officer, whom was sexy in
that chick-in-uniform way, asked.

    We all paused, knowing after what had happened that the Irish girl
would do everything in her power to keep us in trouble.

"I didn't think so." The cop took Crystal by the arm. "Let's go. You
better hope someone at the station doesn't talk me into also charging you
for indecent exposure."

"She's got a robe on." Frankie spoke up.

"Yeah and with what under it?" The cop was relentless.

    We watched the officer drag Crystal to the squad car and drive away.
None of us could speak or think.

"Now what? Bail her out or go back to the condo, to make sure Charisma is
really there?" Nia asked, becoming more and more unhinged by the minute.

"Well....." I was at a lose for words and a plan. I sighed and covered my
aching eyes. "Frankie, say something."

    My friend was staring off into space, with a disbelieving expression
I had never seen on her before. She was always the one to think quickly
and get out of the stickiest situations. Now, Frankie just stood there,
looking like a confused little girl, as we all were.

"Hand me that bottle." She said and then took a hefty swallow of vodka,
when Abby placed it in her hand.
**************************************

    Josh seated Charisma on her couch and handed her a beer. She tried to
assure Collin that what ever happened, it would not end terribly.

"I hope so. But the press will see and they'll get reamed, all 'cause of
me being a baby." Charisma had sobbed, tears gently streaming down her
cheeks.

"Don't cry. It's ok." Josh leaned in and wrapped her arms around the
girl.

    Charisma melted into her and Josh felt flames of lust ignite from
inside. She could no longer control her yearnings. Sullivan took Collin's
face in her hands and kissed the flowing tears. Charisma let out a gentle
moan, when their lips met. Josh's heart fluttered and kissed the girl
deeper. It was an earth-shattering lip lock, for Sullivan. Every nerve
and cell in her body reacted to Charisma's soft lips and tongue. It was
the moment Josh had dreamed and daydreamed about for three years. She
felt fate caused this day for a reason and that she had to take it all
in, promising herself she would never let Collin go.

"I need you to..." Charisma began breathlessly, in between intense
kisses, trying hard to erase Ashley from her immediate thoughts.

"What?" Josh whispered, moving her lips to Collin's chin.

"Make me forget about her. Please. She makes me so sad." Charisma's tears
came quicker.

    She embraced Josh tightly, pulling the Irish girl on top, as she laid
back. Yes, Sullivan thought, this is just the way I want you: vulnerable
and wanting only me. As she kissed down the girl's neck, Charisma could
not fight the images of Ashley, that were haunting her mind.

"Wait. I need some more of something." Charisma was not in her right mind
at all.
***************************************

    Abby waited in Charisma's car, to keep it running, when we all pulled
up to the station. Nia followed behind in the Cooper. The Los Angeles
police department was swarming with issues, that day. Some computers were
down, a series of criminals were being brought in one by crazy one and
there was a line at the bail booth. Since the system was down, many ahead
of us left the line. I finally stepped to the booth, after fifteen
minutes, lightly buzzing from the vodka we had downed on the way.

"No. No one by that name is written down here." The elderly woman had
said, glancing over a notepad.

"She has to be here already. The officer brought her in, about fifteen
minutes ago." I stated.

"Which officer?" The woman gave me a skeptical once over.

"I don't remember. The girl she dragged in had on a bath robe." I
answered, already greatly impatient.

"There are plenty of women being dragged in, with their bath robe and
slippers, everyday." The bail lady smirked.

"She had on this season's Christine Dior stilettos, actually, with that
bathrobe." Frankie cut in.

    I looked over at her, surprised she even knew that.

"Look, she should be coming in soon, if not here already. I'll pay the
bail right now, so it's done." Nia said.

"Nope. It all depends on what she did." The elderly woman shook her head.

"She did nothing, but try to help a friend." Frankie growled.

"I've heard that one before." The woman scoffed.

    The longer we stood there, the more I wanted to find Charisma laying
in our bed, resting peacefully. Then again, I had a gut feeling my love
wasn't there at all.
**************************************************

    Charisma was now leading the kiss. After stuffing her nose with more
of the drug, she was rowdy and steaming. Collin was straddling Josh's
hips, grinding into her the deeper their kiss became.

"Take me to your bed." Charisma whispered, slowly peeling her clothes
off.

"No. I like it right here." Josh said, flipping the girl over on to her
stomach.

    Charisma was now in her bra and socks. Nothing more. Josh kissed her
firm back, slowly trailing the flat of her tongue up Collin's spine.
Again, memories of how Ashley used to do the same attacked Charisma's
thinking. Like the times her breasts were pressed against the shower
wall, as Ashley fingered her from behind. Everything Sullivan did could
have been the carbon copy Ashley's touches. Only her ex's touch felt so
much better. Nothing would ever be the same, if it was not Ashley.
Charisma knew she had to fight the images and longing. Reality set in,
when Josh cooed sweet and warm phrases into her ear. Yes, Charisma
thought, I can fight this. I hate her. I hate Ashley and she hates me.
Then Collin thought, why would she choose some random girl, that
resembled her ex, to help her forget? Charisma was letting her thoughts
drive her mad. It was all becoming too much. The cocaine was making her
panic and the alcohol was causing confusion. Everything had become way
too scary, to ignore.

"I can't." Collin got to her feet and reached for her clothes.
*************************************************

    We tumbled out of the police station, stricken with defeat. The booth
woman had been just as ruthless as that damned cop. There was nothing any
of us could do. Frankie, Nia and I stood near the Volkswagen and dwelled.

"Should we wait?" Abby asked, hanging out of the driver window.

"I don't know." My head was really starting to ache, from all of the
stress. "Hopefully the bitch will really call, when Crystal gets here."

"Well, let's go check on your girl. One thing at a time." Abby pulled off
and we followed in the Mini.

    It was the early evening, by then. Traffic was becoming tighter and
so were the nerves in my head. Not only was I longing to see Charisma, to
tell her how sorry I was, but Crystal being arrested was killing me. Just
as we were turning down a busy street, Frankie spotted Crystal, in her
pink bathrobe and long heels, running from six chubby camera men. Abby,
also spotting her, honked from the Volkswagen to get Crystal's attention
and stopped in the middle of the street.

"What the fuck, Crys?" Nia said, when she jumped in the Cooper.

"You won't believe what I've been through." Crystal was breathless.

    She explained how the officer drove to the condo, to speak with
Charisma. No one was home, but it made her look good when she extracted
and used the spare key hidden in the door panel. She then went on about
how on the way to the station, she managed to seduce the cop or, more,
the cop seduced her.

"Now, I won't go on about the whole alley scene, but she took the cuffs
off afterwards and let me go." Crystal finished.

"So, Charisma wasn't there?" I asked, feeling defeated.

"No." Crystal stroked my face. "I'm sorry."
**********************************************

    Josh, with her jeans around her ankles, stumbled after Charisma.
Collin was running down the staircase.

"I'm sorry. I have to go." Charisma said, flying out of the exit.

"No. Please. It's ok." Josh protested, feeling the same way one would, as
they watched something important roll down the drain.

"It's all too much. I need..." Collin and Sullivan were now standing in
the parking lot.

    Charisma realized her car was gone.

"What do you need?" Josh asked, combing her fingers through Collin's
silky hair.

    Charisma stood still for a moment, unsure of what to do. "I need my
mother."

"Huh?"

"I need her. She....I just need to see her. I need her to hold me."
Collin began sobbing.

"I can hold you."

"No! I need to be away from here. I need to get out of L.A.!" Charisma
then took off down the street.

    Josh began running after, but tripped. By the time she looked up,
Collin had disappeared. The Irish girl's heart dropped. Meanwhile,
Charisma had cut down an alley. She made her way to a busy street and
looked for the nearest Airline agency.

"Tell me where I can buy a ticket." Collin asked a random man, dozing off
on a bench.

"Two blocks that way." The man pointed to the right, not making eye
contact. By the time he looked up and noticed Charisma Collin, she had
already started running again. The man quickly gathered his camera
equipment and called a friend.
***********************************************

    We went to the condo, after driving around aimlessly. There I popped
open a beer and slouched on the couch. I was losing hope in ever
rekindling what Charisma and I had. The whole day had been my fault. If
it wasn't for the fears I had been having, about the relationship, then
everything would have been fine. At that time of the day, I would have
been in the kitchen, preparing dinner, and Charisma would be walking
through the door, anxious to see me. The realization of that never
happening again slowly dawned on me, as I sat there drinking beer after
beer with the others. By the time the house phone rang, I was definatly
drunk. My hand fumbled for the phone, which was on the lamp stand next to
me.

"Yeah?" I had an uncaring tone in my voice.

"What did you do to her?!?" Charisma's mother shouted.

    I sat up. "Mrs. Collin?"

"Who else? She just called me from a pay phone. My daughter doesn't use
pay phones."

"I can explain. There has been a misunderstanding." I tried not to slur.

"Surely there has. Nonetheless, she's coming to me now. In Spain. By the
time she gets back to California, I don't want you in that house"

"But.."

"No, no. Enough has been said, and I hope I've made myself clear."

    As I tried to protest, the dial tone buzzed in my ear.

"Now what?" Frankie asked.

    She and the others were listening in on the call.

"Charisma's on her way to Spain, to see her mother." I said blankly.

"To the airport!" Nia jumped up, running for the door and we all
followed.
*********************************

    After purchasing a ticket and taking a cab to the airport, Charisma
floated around the various stores near her terminal. She had no clothes,
so Collin decided to buy some things while waiting for her flight.
Charisma, first, bought a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap. The
paparazzi had followed her all the way to the airport, from the ticket
agency. More and more of them were scattered around the airport. Collin
knew the fiasco would be all over the tabloids, by the next morning. She
did not care. When one camera man boldly jumped in Charisma's face, his
camera flashing all over her, the man asked what the flight was for.

"I'm leaving, for a little while." Charisma said, trying to ignore him.
By that time, she was picking through a rack of clothes, dragging along a
newly bought suitcase. A sales clerk was trying to fend off the dozen
men, that huddled into the store.

"For where?" Another camera man asked, all too excited to be close to
Charisma. "Where's your girlfriend?"

    Collin just went on to purchase the bundle of clothes she had picked
out, without another word. Her head was still full of liquor, coke and
those damned memories of Ashley. After buying what she needed, Charisma
went to the airport bar for more to drink. It didn't matter that the
camera men were getting her every, drunken, move. All that mattered was
she was done with Ashley and about to be comforted by her mother.
Security finally kicked the paparazzi out, after long minutes of them
smothering the star. As they were scooted away, one camera man dropped
his phone. Charisma picked it up and called a friend. She had never felt
so lonely and never so violated. A friend's voice was all she needed to
calm down.
********************************************

"Girl, stay there. Please!" Abby was begging into her phone.

"No. I gotta leave. This is the strongest thing I've ever done." Charisma
was saying. The phone was on speaker, so that all of us in the car could
hear. "She hates me. I know she does." Charisma continued, clearly drunk.
"She don' want me no more, no matter what she says."

"Girl, please shut up and listen. Ashley doesn't hate you." Nia spoke up.

"Flight 310, leaving in five minutes." An idle announcement came from the
other line.

"Gotta go. I love you. See you when I get back." Charisma signed off,
before hanging up.

    Nia put her foot on the gas and gunned the car. We had to hurry. The
airport was still fifteen minutes away.
**********************

    Charisma tossed the cell into a waste bin, as she made her way to the
gate. 'This is it.' Charisma thought. 'I promise to never contact that
bitch. I promise to never cry for her again.' She boarded the plane,
taking her seat in first class. Charisma dug through her purse and took
out a Zanex pill. She planned to pop half of it, after an hour or so into
the flight. The pill would help her relax.

"Um, excuse me." A young stewardess said, standing over Collin.

"Yes." Charisma looked up, taking off the sunglasses.

"Oh my God. It is you!" The girl gushed. "I know I'm not supposed to
bother you but, that movie All the Good Girls. It saved my life!"

    Charisma smiled. The flattery loosened her up, though used to that
kind of feedback.

"So, where is that infamous girlfriend of your's?" The girl asked.

"Um...We broke up." Collin answered, after hesitating. She figured saying
that now, would make it easier to say to the press later.

"Oh. So it was true. I'm sorry." Another flight attendant chimed in,
holding a week-old Star mag.

"Don't be sorry. It was for the best." Charisma forced a smile, as she
suddenly became horribly sad.
**********************************

    We bolted through the revolving doors, of the airport. I ran to the
nearest information desk, asking had the flight taken off.

"If not already, it will be soon." The middle aged woman informed. "Hey,
aren't you that girl dating that other girl, who's famous?"

"Yeah." I was about to run off, to catch the flight.

"Here, I'll run ya over there. That way security won't stop you at the
metal detectors." The woman offered.

    She loaded us on to a vehicle, that looked like a golf cart, and
drove us to where we needed to be. Frankie and the other three hung on to
the cart, as we zoomed through crowds of people. Five fat men, with their
over sized cameras, recognized me and chased the cart. By the time we
reached the gate, the plane was pulling out. I ran to the window and
watched it speed up, then take off.

"Shit." I said breathlessly.

    I then fell to my knees and cried, not caring who saw me. The sobs
came harder and harder, the longer it dawned on me that Charisma was
really gone. Frankie picked me up and held me close. Abby, Crystal and
Nia also huddled against me, trying to get me to calm down. In my mind,
memories flashed. There were the times Charisma and I soaked in a hot
bath together. There were the moments we laughed, ran and kissed on the
beach. Then came the memory of our first kiss. How fireworks lit the sky,
on a crisp August night, when it happened. I cried harder when I thought
of that one crazy night, when we fought and then made love. I recalled
how in love I felt, as I fucked her that night. I also recalled feeling
the same, strong emotions radiating from Charisma. It was all too much.

    The girls came back home with me, after driving from the airport. I
opened the liquor cabinet. Nia, Abby, Frankie and Crystal helped me drink
a bottle of brandy. We were all bummed. I tried not to glance at the
pictures on the walls. They were full of times I knew would never happen
again. As we drank, I started packing. I planned to return to Chicago
with Frankie that night.

"So soon?" Nia asked.

"I can't stay here another night. I'll die." I responded, throwing
suitcase after suitcase on to the porch.

    Frankie was the last girl standing, after the last of my things were
packed. The other three had fallen asleep. I was suddenly exhausted also,
but had to keep packing.

"Is that it?" Frankie asked, as she taped an overly stuffed box.

"I think. She'll either burn or send back what I forgot. It doesn't
matter." My eyes were stinging from crying.

    I dragged the box over to the door, while I had Frankie get online
and make reservations for our flight. The door was still open and, as I
went to close it, Charisma burst in and jumped into my arms. We fell to
the floor, both of us obviously drunk.

"Oh my God. I know you hate me, but I can't do it. I can't leave. I just
can't. I get all sick to my stomach, like I wanna throw up, because I
can't leave you, even though you hate me." Charisma said in one breath.

"Baby, I don't hate you. There was just.....a lot of...." Instead of
trying to explain, I just kissed her long and hard. She finally broke the
kiss, after what seemed to be a beautiful eternity.

"So you don't hate me?" Tears were steaming down her face.

"Charisma, I love you. I'm in love with you, actually."

    We looked sweetly into each other's eyes. Then Abby and the others
pounced on us.

"You bitch. You crazy bitch." Crystal said, attacking Charisma with
tickles.

    It was a day two years from now. It is a day we all still laugh and
talk about. I can not say Charisma and I hadn't fought since then. I
suppose all lovers have their bickering matches, that last a day or so.
With every verbal argument, clarity is always reached. We try not to go
at it, like two alley cats. The physical disagreements have never arised,
since that insane day. Charisma and I learned to not confuse being upset,
with having to resolve it by beating each other. We promised each other,
and our friends, that if such a thing ever took place again that we would
seek therapy. The more days go by, the more in love I become with
Charisma. I kick myself anytime we do argue, and I regret ever laying a
hand on her, in the past. Her career has become a bit more intense, since
the day, but we try to stick through the hard times because that's what
love is. Taking the good with the bad together, until all is well. Love
is also genuine. When one feels it, then it's real. Though the experience
was hectic, I am glad it took all of that for me to realize how to
appreciate love, for all that it is and will be.

                        The End.