Famous musician, Cory Hartley, has plans to end his own life. When rekindling an old flame that never died, Cory finds himself at a crossroads, as he copes with the traumatic death of his best friend. Forced to face the past that's haunted him for a...
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Alida looked to the drink Gretchen placed before the empty seat at the bar. She sighed, knowing that by the end of the night, she would be too drunk to drive home.
"It's bad, isn't it?" Alida asked as she twisted the length of her dishwater blonde hair, moving it over her shoulder to one side.
"I think it depends on who you ask." Gretchen couldn't help but to laugh, handing Alida her phone.
The installed DuckDuckGo browser was already open—article after article, the page displayed links headlined with Cory's name and current controversies.
"It's bad." Alida spoke, mostly to herself.
"Not bad for Stella Carpenter—she thinks she hit the jackpot. Not bad for press either; gives those journalists something to write about." Gretchen quoted the air at the word "journalists," laughing at the fact they could call themselves that.
"Stella—who's that?" Alida had been skimming over an article published by Rolling Stone, reading about Cory's arrest for drug possession, which had led him to a fancy rehabilitation center somewhere in Los Angeles.
The article mentioned uncertainty regarding Cory's comeback—alleging him to be at war with his own record label following the public backlash.
"Baby Mama drama, you haven't gotten to that part yet?" Gretchen was already refilling Alida's glass, trying to make light of the dark situation the only way she knew how.
Alida wasn't sure why, but the thought made her sick. It wasn't because Cory fathered another child, that was to be expected after all these years, it was because Cory had ran away from it—again. After all these years, Cory managed to still be so predictable.
"You've gotta be kidding me." Alida took a large sip from the drink Gretchen had so kindly poured her.
"His manager released a statement a couple days ago claiming the allegations were false, but they all say that, right?"
Alida shrugged; she hoped so—for the child's sake.
"After all these years... he's still running from his problems." Gretchen spoke in disbelief; it was like she had read Alida's mind.
"Only this time, the world is watching." Alida said.
He could run until his lungs gave out, but someone would find him—that was inevitable this time.
"What's the excuse he told you? Has he even said yet?" Gretchen worked as she spoke, pouring drinks left and right for the regular patrons.
"He said he just needed to clear his head—he needed to come back home to remember who he was." Alida rolled her eyes, "You know... a steaming pile of bullshit."
"Why didn't you just look him up? I mean, everything you'd ever wanna know about him is right at your fingertips." Gretchen giggled, "Height, 185 centimeters. Weight? 78 kilograms, eye-color?" Gretchen laughed at Alida's snarl.
Alida didn't want to know anything about Cory, she wanted to remember the person he had been. The Cory she once knew was nothing more than a distant memory—a memory she wanted to keep sacred. The person that showed up on her doorstep was a stranger.
Alida tried reminding herself of that every time an old familiar feeling would sink into her stomach—a warm, welcome feeling she felt when he looked into her eyes for too long.
"I stopped looking him up after he started dating that girl—that model?" Alida spoke as if she couldn't recall the young woman's name; but she remembered it. She didn't want to seem as pathetic as she felt.
"Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that. They didn't last long. Actually, come to think of it... Cory's other relationships didn't last long either."
Alida started to ask Gretchen how many others there had been, but refrained. She didn't want to get drunk and find herself googling all of his exes.
"Gee, I wonder why." Alida sang sarcastically, handing Gretchen her phone back.
"What are you gonna do? Are you gonna tell him about Zora? I mean, she could potentially have a half sibling here pretty soon."
Alida shook her head, "I don't know. I honestly don't know if I should tell him at all. With all the problems he's got going on, I don't think it's a good idea. I mean... do you think he brought drugs into my house? I don't want him doing that shit around Zora."
"Who's saying he's gonna stick around once he knows she's his anyway? Knowing Cory, he'll be on the first flight outta here once you tell him."
"Exactly. He'll leave and I'll be in an even bigger shit pile with Zora. She already feels unwanted—she finds out Cory's her Dad and he runs off again-"
"I didn't think about that." Gretchen murmured in defeat.
"Zora likes him. She actually likes him. I thought it was because he was willing to compromise with her about the front seat but, it's more than that. They bonded over Queen and... she was pissed at me for coming here instead of going back home because Cory said he may be back Saturday."
"That's actually really sweet."
"He hasn't mentioned anything about her... uniqueness. He handles her pretty well—it's like he converses with people like her everyday or something."
"You don't think subconsciously he knows?"
Alida shook her head, "No. He's totally oblivious."
"How do you think he'd react if you told him?" Gretchen asked, thoroughly curious.
Alida wasn't sure; up until Thursday night, she assumed Cory had always known—that it had been his reason for leaving.
She suddenly recalled the way Cory had tried jumping out of a moving car; the thought filled her with worry. Cory's behavior wasn't just concerning, it was terrifying. His actions had been unpredictable, despite being one of the most predictable human beings she'd ever known.
"It doesn't matter—I don't think I'll ever see him again anyway. I bet he's already on a flight back to California."
