Post by K.I.S.S. on Aug 14, 2015 22:37:58 GMT -6
Sometimes, it’s the smallest things that can threaten everything. In the case of Bethany Kenyon, it had been a moment backstage after her recent tag team match where her sister had slipped her a photograph. In anyone else’s hands, this would have been a nice gesture of friendship and familial love but in Ashley’s, it had been an improvised explosive device capable of far more destruction than any one single thing should be. Now, several days later, Bethany comes to Arsenal’s home away from home, their favorite New Orleans watering hole, the bar that employs the woman who had once dated Bethany and now dates Jeszika Gautier, Carrie Winter. The rock club/bar known as Prey. As she steps inside, she sees Carrie working at the bar and Jeszika sitting alone, nursing something clear and liquid. Bethany moves closer, hoping above hope, that it’s either water or something like Sprite and not vodka. Once close enough, Jeszika sees her coming and nods to her.
Jeszika Gautier: B?
Bethany walks over to her and sits down, relieved to see the telltale tiny bubbles in the glass that tells her Jeszika was enjoying a soft drink.
Bethany Kenyon: Nikki call you or?
Jeszika shakes her head.
Jeszika Gautier: No, should she have?
Bethany sighs heavily before shrugging.
Bethany Kenyon: I…
She trails off catching Jeszika’s attention.
Jeszika Gautier: B… What’s happened?
Bethany swallows hard.
Bethany Kenyon: Brody…
Taking a deep breath, Bethany tries to get ahold of herself but fails miserably.
Bethany Kenyon: He… didn’t come home…
Jeszika frowns.
Jeszika Gautier: That’s not like him… did he call?
Bethany shakes her head.
Bethany Kenyon: No… he…
She pauses again, almost bursting into tears.
Bethany Kenyon: He heard about the picture…
Reaching into her pocket, she slides a print out and slowly puts it on the table.
Bethany Kenyon: He texted me after going out Friday night, drunk off his ass. Said he’d be back soon but never made it in that night. I just figured he was still out drinking or something because I saw him the next day and everything was normal…
She nods to the picture and Jeszika picks it up. The shot shows an unconscious Brody on a bed in the dark, partially dressed with Ashley Kenyon smirking knowingly in the foreground.
Bethany Kenyon: Ash… handed that to me right after our match ended.
Jeszika looks at the photo and feels the anger building inside her.
Jeszika Gautier: That little bitch…
Bethany swallows hard as she stares at the back of the photograph.
Bethany Kenyon: I don’t know why she wanted to hurt me… but…
Jeszika Gautier: I could think of a few reasons, like she never liked Brody from the start… Why would she not to something like this to hurt him… To hurt me… To hurt you… She’s changed, B… Admit it… She’s not the sister she used to be.
Bethany shakes her head, the tears starting to come now.
Bethany Kenyon: I don’t know what is going on anymore!
Jeszika rushes forward and takes Bethany into her arms
Jeszika Gautier: Me neither… Is.. Is he ok?
Bethany tries to shrug but can’t muster it.
Bethany Kenyon: I don’t know… I sent him a text and he…
She slumps into the chair, Jeszika sitting down next to her in the one she had just been in herself.
Bethany Kenyon: He reacted like… like…
Jeszika Gautier: Like... what, B?
She manages to look up at Jeszika.
Bethany Kenyon: LIke he’d done it.
Jeszika Gautier: Done what, B… done drugs? Made himself be unconscious? It’s clear SHE did this to him, he wouldn’t do this to himself, B…
Bethany Kenyon: He reacted like he’d cheated.
Wiping away the tears and desperately trying to hold back more, Bethany sighs heavily.
Bethany Kenyon: He’s been… drinking like a fish and popping pills since he came back from the Children. He passes out most nights, doesn’t sleep much and when he does, he tends to wake up screaming.
Jeszika Gautier: He… He wouldn’t do that, B… She’s made him think it… That has to be it…
Bethany bites her bottom lip.
Bethany Kenyon: He seems to think he would… I know he would have... before…
Jeszika Gautier: But he’s different now, he’s made changes for the better.
Bethany nods her agreement.
Bethany Kenyon: He has, but he also wasn’t sober in the slightest. I know he used to do it, that’s one of the things Aerynn hated him for. He used to make her help him or effectively make her watch as he paraded in an endless line of…
Swallowing hard, her head droops as the tears start again.
Bethany Kenyon: Women who look like… us...
Jeszika Gautier: But that's not who he is anymore.. He’s not that man anymore, B.
Bethany nods slowly.
Bethany Kenyon: Do you… do you know if the phone is on at the beach house? Nik said she was gonna have it turned off but I don’t know if she did yet.
Jeszika Gautier: No idea, worth giving it a try though.
Bethany nods.
Bethany Kenyon: He always did love places near water.
She swallows hard and then looks into her friend’s eyes.
Bethany Kenyon: Do you think he’d actually… leave me over this? Like maybe it was my fault because she’s my sister?
Jeszika Gautier: He wouldn’t. He loves you too much, B.
Bethany nods.
Bethany Kenyon: Did you get cleared?
Jeszika nods.
Jeszika Gautier: Yeah, sure did.
Bethany forces a smile and nods.
Bethany Kenyon: I’m happy for you, Jezzy.
She nods, squeezing her phone so hard it looks like she might break it.
Bethany Kenyon: What if he’s not there? What if…
She swallows hard again, trying to hold everything in as best she can.
Bethany Kenyon: What if he decides he doesn’t want to be found?
Jeszika Gautier: We will find him anyways, B. If he’s upset we can’t let him be alone.
Bethany nods slowly.
Bethany Kenyon: Ok…
She dials the number and waits. A few seconds later, she ends the call and shakes her head.
Bethany Kenyon: I’m gonna go out there and see if he’s there. If he’s not, he might be at the cabin but, considering how much alcohol you keep there, I hope he’s at the beach house.
Jeszika Gautier: Want me to come?
Bethany nods to the bar.
Bethany Kenyon: Aren’t you supposed to be spend the night here?
Jeszika Gautier: Yeah but a friend in need is worth changing plans for.
Bethany smiles, hugging her.
Bethany Kenyon: Thank you, Jezzy.
Just then, Jeszika Gautier’s girlfriend, the bartender, Carrie Winter, walks over.
Carrie Winter: Hey guys, I… Jesus, what happened?
Jeszika Gautier: It’s Brody, he thinks he’s cheated on B with Ash….
Carrie’s eyes go wide.
Carrie Winter: What?!!?
Jeszika Gautier: We’re gonna find him and make sure he’s ok… Do you mind If I go, Care?
Carrie shakes her head without hesitation.
Carrie Winter: Of course not, where all do you think he could be?
Bethany nods to her phone.
Bethany Kenyon: We’re gonna start at the beach house, then check the cabin if he’s not at the beach house.
Carrie nods.
Carrie Winter: He did seem to love that place that time we went out there.
She turns to face Jeszika.
Carrie Winter: Have you had much yet today? Just in case you have to drive…
Jeszika Gautier: I haven’t had any yet… but man I want to… this staying clean thing is hard…
Carrie nods.
Carrie Winter: Even to drink?
Jeszika Gautier: Well there was one drink last week… but I’ve been trying not to…
Carrie smiles, nodding.
Carrie Winter: Kris would be so proud to hear that!
Bethany smiles as well.
Bethany Kenyon: Not just him.
Jeszika Gautier: Gotta be proud of me for something I guess… might not be proud of what else I’m gonna do this week…
Carrie leans in and kisses her.
Carrie Winter: I love you, never forget what you can do.
The two friends walk out of the building and head to their respective vehicles.
Bethany Kenyon: Ok, you check the cabin, I’ll check the beach house and we’ll go on from there.
Jeszika nods.
Jeszika Gautier: Ok.
She pauses and then nods again reassuringly.
Jeszika Gautier: We’ll find him, B.
Bethany nods, smiling even if she doesn’t really believe it. Jeszika gets into her Camaro and drives off towards the inland, woody area of the cabin. Bethany climbs into her old Ford Explorer and cranks it up.
Bethany Kenyon: Please be there, Brody… please…
Putting the vehicle into gear, she turns and wheels into traffic, going in the opposite direction of that which Jeszika had just gone off in. Twenty minutes later she pulls up outside an elevated pink beach house with reinforced pylons underneath it to make it “hurricane proof.” The double stairway had been a nice touch that Jeszika had liked when she saw the drawings and Nikki had said they could afford. At the time, Ashley had laughed because the windows made it look like a smaller pink version of the house from the Amityville Horror if it was supposed to look vaguely like a crab or the Hydra symbol come to life. Bethany had liked that it came with a nice view and firepit to cook with in the back. As she steps out of her Explorer, she takes in the sight, hoping beyond hope that this is where he would come. Brody had really seemed to enjoy it when they had come here, indeed, it had been the first night he didn’t wake up screaming.
Bethany Kenyon: Please be here…
Bethany walks up to the left side stairway and starts up it, hoping to see her boyfriend lounging inside. As she comes up to the door, she notices sandy footprints that go around the side to the right, heading to the back area. She follows these, the front door having been locked and seemingly untouched. As she comes around to the back patio area, she finds a duffel bag, a sleeping bag and a half drunk bottle of Johnnie Walker. Glancing out to the beach, she sees him, paddling in the water on a board because there was actually surf up today. A smile comes to her face even as she slowly finds herself going down onto her knees next to his pile of stuff.
Bethany Kenyon: Thank you, God…
Reaching into her pocket, she pulls her phone out and sends off a message to Jeszika to let her know and then looks up. For a split second, the thought to just let him be floats through her mind.
Bethany Kenyon: He looks so…
Her teeth chatter momentarily as a swell of emotions start through her.
Bethany Kenyon: Peaceful…
Her gaze moves down to the stuff around her and it hits her; he’d been camping out here on the back patio, probably hoping no one would notice him at all out here. The houses would likely be more on the empty side, it being the middle of the week and all schools starting to go back into session now. Even the ones that weren’t, he’d been here a couple of times before and would look like he belongs assuming no one came around back. She glances back at the bottle and closes her eyes, hoping there won’t be fresh torrents any time soon and knowing there probably will regardless.
Bethany Kenyon: I’m sorry, Brody. I should have known…
Opening her eyes, Bethany stands up and produces her keys. She unlocks the back door and slips in, hurrying to the main entry area to disarm the alarm system even as it prepares to go insane. She punches in the code and then leans back against the wall opposite the keypad.
Bethany Kenyon: What happens now?
She slips the keys into her pocket and then turns towards the back door. As she reaches the open door, she sees him exiting the water, board under his left arm. Moving quickly, she kneels in the doorway and waits. A minute later, Brody Montgomery, III makes his way up the backstairs, slowing as he reaches the top and sees the door open. This was it, the moment of truth. Would he come all the way up or would he turn around and vanish into the water? Brody stands there for a second, wondering what is waiting for him up there. Just as he’s deciding what to do, Bethany’s voice floats down to him.
Bethany Kenyon: Please, come up here...
Shocked and yet somehow, not, to hear her voice, Brody does as he’s asked and walks up the stairs to find her still kneeling in the doorway behind his stuff.
Bethany Kenyon: You didn’t… come inside?
Brody can only shake his head.
Brody Montgomery: No key.
Bethany nods slowly and then chuckles slightly, as if trying to convince herself it’s actually funny.
Bethany Kenyon: I spose you wouldn’t have known the alarm code either, would ya?
Brody shakes his head, still showing no emotion at all.
Brody Montgomery: Nope.
Bethany slides the photograph from her pocket and holds it up to him.
Bethany Kenyon: You think you did it, don’t you?
Without moving or accepting the photograph from her, Brody nods. She lowers the photo and nods acceptingly.
Bethany Kenyon: Do you know for sure? Like, do you actually remember?
Brody stands stock still for a second before shaking his head.
Bethany Kenyon: But you figure… it’s you…
Brody nods silently again and Bethany’s eyes fall closed as he watches the devastation wash over her like one of his beloved waves coming in to the beach. She sways slightly, her hand moving up to allow the back of it to cover her mouth for a second before she forces it back down.
Bethany Kenyon: I love you, Brody…
He stands there, bracing himself for the hurricane he knows is about to blow in and destroy everything in its path. Her head bobs like a cork a couple of times and then her eyes open, her gaze going right through him like a laser.
Bethany Kenyon: Please come home… ?
His mouth falls open as her arms start to come up. He moves to her, dropping to his knees in front of her, taking her into his arms.
Brody Montgomery: Ok.
They look into each other’s eyes, forehead to forehead, before allowing their lips to meet. They kiss passionately, sliding down onto his sleeping bag, allowing the sun to set as they renew their relationship.
Jeszika Gautier: B?
Bethany walks over to her and sits down, relieved to see the telltale tiny bubbles in the glass that tells her Jeszika was enjoying a soft drink.
Bethany Kenyon: Nikki call you or?
Jeszika shakes her head.
Jeszika Gautier: No, should she have?
Bethany sighs heavily before shrugging.
Bethany Kenyon: I…
She trails off catching Jeszika’s attention.
Jeszika Gautier: B… What’s happened?
Bethany swallows hard.
Bethany Kenyon: Brody…
Taking a deep breath, Bethany tries to get ahold of herself but fails miserably.
Bethany Kenyon: He… didn’t come home…
Jeszika frowns.
Jeszika Gautier: That’s not like him… did he call?
Bethany shakes her head.
Bethany Kenyon: No… he…
She pauses again, almost bursting into tears.
Bethany Kenyon: He heard about the picture…
Reaching into her pocket, she slides a print out and slowly puts it on the table.
Bethany Kenyon: He texted me after going out Friday night, drunk off his ass. Said he’d be back soon but never made it in that night. I just figured he was still out drinking or something because I saw him the next day and everything was normal…
She nods to the picture and Jeszika picks it up. The shot shows an unconscious Brody on a bed in the dark, partially dressed with Ashley Kenyon smirking knowingly in the foreground.
Bethany Kenyon: Ash… handed that to me right after our match ended.
Jeszika looks at the photo and feels the anger building inside her.
Jeszika Gautier: That little bitch…
Bethany swallows hard as she stares at the back of the photograph.
Bethany Kenyon: I don’t know why she wanted to hurt me… but…
Jeszika Gautier: I could think of a few reasons, like she never liked Brody from the start… Why would she not to something like this to hurt him… To hurt me… To hurt you… She’s changed, B… Admit it… She’s not the sister she used to be.
Bethany shakes her head, the tears starting to come now.
Bethany Kenyon: I don’t know what is going on anymore!
Jeszika rushes forward and takes Bethany into her arms
Jeszika Gautier: Me neither… Is.. Is he ok?
Bethany tries to shrug but can’t muster it.
Bethany Kenyon: I don’t know… I sent him a text and he…
She slumps into the chair, Jeszika sitting down next to her in the one she had just been in herself.
Bethany Kenyon: He reacted like… like…
Jeszika Gautier: Like... what, B?
She manages to look up at Jeszika.
Bethany Kenyon: LIke he’d done it.
Jeszika Gautier: Done what, B… done drugs? Made himself be unconscious? It’s clear SHE did this to him, he wouldn’t do this to himself, B…
Bethany Kenyon: He reacted like he’d cheated.
Wiping away the tears and desperately trying to hold back more, Bethany sighs heavily.
Bethany Kenyon: He’s been… drinking like a fish and popping pills since he came back from the Children. He passes out most nights, doesn’t sleep much and when he does, he tends to wake up screaming.
Jeszika Gautier: He… He wouldn’t do that, B… She’s made him think it… That has to be it…
Bethany bites her bottom lip.
Bethany Kenyon: He seems to think he would… I know he would have... before…
Jeszika Gautier: But he’s different now, he’s made changes for the better.
Bethany nods her agreement.
Bethany Kenyon: He has, but he also wasn’t sober in the slightest. I know he used to do it, that’s one of the things Aerynn hated him for. He used to make her help him or effectively make her watch as he paraded in an endless line of…
Swallowing hard, her head droops as the tears start again.
Bethany Kenyon: Women who look like… us...
Jeszika Gautier: But that's not who he is anymore.. He’s not that man anymore, B.
Bethany nods slowly.
Bethany Kenyon: Do you… do you know if the phone is on at the beach house? Nik said she was gonna have it turned off but I don’t know if she did yet.
Jeszika Gautier: No idea, worth giving it a try though.
Bethany nods.
Bethany Kenyon: He always did love places near water.
She swallows hard and then looks into her friend’s eyes.
Bethany Kenyon: Do you think he’d actually… leave me over this? Like maybe it was my fault because she’s my sister?
Jeszika Gautier: He wouldn’t. He loves you too much, B.
Bethany nods.
Bethany Kenyon: Did you get cleared?
Jeszika nods.
Jeszika Gautier: Yeah, sure did.
Bethany forces a smile and nods.
Bethany Kenyon: I’m happy for you, Jezzy.
She nods, squeezing her phone so hard it looks like she might break it.
Bethany Kenyon: What if he’s not there? What if…
She swallows hard again, trying to hold everything in as best she can.
Bethany Kenyon: What if he decides he doesn’t want to be found?
Jeszika Gautier: We will find him anyways, B. If he’s upset we can’t let him be alone.
Bethany nods slowly.
Bethany Kenyon: Ok…
She dials the number and waits. A few seconds later, she ends the call and shakes her head.
Bethany Kenyon: I’m gonna go out there and see if he’s there. If he’s not, he might be at the cabin but, considering how much alcohol you keep there, I hope he’s at the beach house.
Jeszika Gautier: Want me to come?
Bethany nods to the bar.
Bethany Kenyon: Aren’t you supposed to be spend the night here?
Jeszika Gautier: Yeah but a friend in need is worth changing plans for.
Bethany smiles, hugging her.
Bethany Kenyon: Thank you, Jezzy.
Just then, Jeszika Gautier’s girlfriend, the bartender, Carrie Winter, walks over.
Carrie Winter: Hey guys, I… Jesus, what happened?
Jeszika Gautier: It’s Brody, he thinks he’s cheated on B with Ash….
Carrie’s eyes go wide.
Carrie Winter: What?!!?
Jeszika Gautier: We’re gonna find him and make sure he’s ok… Do you mind If I go, Care?
Carrie shakes her head without hesitation.
Carrie Winter: Of course not, where all do you think he could be?
Bethany nods to her phone.
Bethany Kenyon: We’re gonna start at the beach house, then check the cabin if he’s not at the beach house.
Carrie nods.
Carrie Winter: He did seem to love that place that time we went out there.
She turns to face Jeszika.
Carrie Winter: Have you had much yet today? Just in case you have to drive…
Jeszika Gautier: I haven’t had any yet… but man I want to… this staying clean thing is hard…
Carrie nods.
Carrie Winter: Even to drink?
Jeszika Gautier: Well there was one drink last week… but I’ve been trying not to…
Carrie smiles, nodding.
Carrie Winter: Kris would be so proud to hear that!
Bethany smiles as well.
Bethany Kenyon: Not just him.
Jeszika Gautier: Gotta be proud of me for something I guess… might not be proud of what else I’m gonna do this week…
Carrie leans in and kisses her.
Carrie Winter: I love you, never forget what you can do.
The two friends walk out of the building and head to their respective vehicles.
Bethany Kenyon: Ok, you check the cabin, I’ll check the beach house and we’ll go on from there.
Jeszika nods.
Jeszika Gautier: Ok.
She pauses and then nods again reassuringly.
Jeszika Gautier: We’ll find him, B.
Bethany nods, smiling even if she doesn’t really believe it. Jeszika gets into her Camaro and drives off towards the inland, woody area of the cabin. Bethany climbs into her old Ford Explorer and cranks it up.
Bethany Kenyon: Please be there, Brody… please…
Putting the vehicle into gear, she turns and wheels into traffic, going in the opposite direction of that which Jeszika had just gone off in. Twenty minutes later she pulls up outside an elevated pink beach house with reinforced pylons underneath it to make it “hurricane proof.” The double stairway had been a nice touch that Jeszika had liked when she saw the drawings and Nikki had said they could afford. At the time, Ashley had laughed because the windows made it look like a smaller pink version of the house from the Amityville Horror if it was supposed to look vaguely like a crab or the Hydra symbol come to life. Bethany had liked that it came with a nice view and firepit to cook with in the back. As she steps out of her Explorer, she takes in the sight, hoping beyond hope that this is where he would come. Brody had really seemed to enjoy it when they had come here, indeed, it had been the first night he didn’t wake up screaming.
Bethany Kenyon: Please be here…
Bethany walks up to the left side stairway and starts up it, hoping to see her boyfriend lounging inside. As she comes up to the door, she notices sandy footprints that go around the side to the right, heading to the back area. She follows these, the front door having been locked and seemingly untouched. As she comes around to the back patio area, she finds a duffel bag, a sleeping bag and a half drunk bottle of Johnnie Walker. Glancing out to the beach, she sees him, paddling in the water on a board because there was actually surf up today. A smile comes to her face even as she slowly finds herself going down onto her knees next to his pile of stuff.
Bethany Kenyon: Thank you, God…
Reaching into her pocket, she pulls her phone out and sends off a message to Jeszika to let her know and then looks up. For a split second, the thought to just let him be floats through her mind.
Bethany Kenyon: He looks so…
Her teeth chatter momentarily as a swell of emotions start through her.
Bethany Kenyon: Peaceful…
Her gaze moves down to the stuff around her and it hits her; he’d been camping out here on the back patio, probably hoping no one would notice him at all out here. The houses would likely be more on the empty side, it being the middle of the week and all schools starting to go back into session now. Even the ones that weren’t, he’d been here a couple of times before and would look like he belongs assuming no one came around back. She glances back at the bottle and closes her eyes, hoping there won’t be fresh torrents any time soon and knowing there probably will regardless.
Bethany Kenyon: I’m sorry, Brody. I should have known…
Opening her eyes, Bethany stands up and produces her keys. She unlocks the back door and slips in, hurrying to the main entry area to disarm the alarm system even as it prepares to go insane. She punches in the code and then leans back against the wall opposite the keypad.
Bethany Kenyon: What happens now?
She slips the keys into her pocket and then turns towards the back door. As she reaches the open door, she sees him exiting the water, board under his left arm. Moving quickly, she kneels in the doorway and waits. A minute later, Brody Montgomery, III makes his way up the backstairs, slowing as he reaches the top and sees the door open. This was it, the moment of truth. Would he come all the way up or would he turn around and vanish into the water? Brody stands there for a second, wondering what is waiting for him up there. Just as he’s deciding what to do, Bethany’s voice floats down to him.
Bethany Kenyon: Please, come up here...
Shocked and yet somehow, not, to hear her voice, Brody does as he’s asked and walks up the stairs to find her still kneeling in the doorway behind his stuff.
Bethany Kenyon: You didn’t… come inside?
Brody can only shake his head.
Brody Montgomery: No key.
Bethany nods slowly and then chuckles slightly, as if trying to convince herself it’s actually funny.
Bethany Kenyon: I spose you wouldn’t have known the alarm code either, would ya?
Brody shakes his head, still showing no emotion at all.
Brody Montgomery: Nope.
Bethany slides the photograph from her pocket and holds it up to him.
Bethany Kenyon: You think you did it, don’t you?
Without moving or accepting the photograph from her, Brody nods. She lowers the photo and nods acceptingly.
Bethany Kenyon: Do you know for sure? Like, do you actually remember?
Brody stands stock still for a second before shaking his head.
Bethany Kenyon: But you figure… it’s you…
Brody nods silently again and Bethany’s eyes fall closed as he watches the devastation wash over her like one of his beloved waves coming in to the beach. She sways slightly, her hand moving up to allow the back of it to cover her mouth for a second before she forces it back down.
Bethany Kenyon: I love you, Brody…
He stands there, bracing himself for the hurricane he knows is about to blow in and destroy everything in its path. Her head bobs like a cork a couple of times and then her eyes open, her gaze going right through him like a laser.
Bethany Kenyon: Please come home… ?
His mouth falls open as her arms start to come up. He moves to her, dropping to his knees in front of her, taking her into his arms.
Brody Montgomery: Ok.
They look into each other’s eyes, forehead to forehead, before allowing their lips to meet. They kiss passionately, sliding down onto his sleeping bag, allowing the sun to set as they renew their relationship.
