The Other Woman

I swipe my warm and slightly damp hands on the creases of my white apron, simultaneously checking the triangular shaped clock on the wall for the time, which was 4 pm. Tony's Bistro was packed (as usual) and my shift wouldn't be over for a whole other hour. I smooth a slice of stray hair from my tired eyes before retreating into the hell steamed kitchen to deliver another order.

"Hey, take these Seny," growls an unpolite and unpolished George, our new yet old and grumpy co-chef. He stacks the plates of steamy delish' food on the pick-up line. I pick them up, placing two hot plates on each arm, barely able to freely move my limbs as I cautiously walk towards the famished customers, but not before giving a snotty 'humph' to George.

"Here's your order. You have a cheese and marinated chicken lasagna, a clam chowder and potato soup with a side of Greek salad, and lastly an order of a minced steak with pasta and asparagus." I blab.
All three women at the crisp round table nod and smile as I set their plates down.
"My name's Serenity, call if you need anything" I nod as I speed away to a couple awaiting service.

After a warm shower with plenty of strawberry shower gel and a loofah, I wrap and snuggle my wet self into my fuzzy sun yellow robe that Rick brought me from New York.
"Guess what?" Jen comments as I walk past her towards the kitchen before venturing into the refrigerator and grabbing a container of peach yogurt.
"What?"
"Rick called yesterday, he wants us to come out for Halloween"
"Why?" I sputter with the creamy goodness clogging my speech ability.
Usually Rick came to Miami for Halloween, because the last Halloween debacle we shared in New York turned out to be an utter disaster, complete with drunk idiosyncrasies, pissed confessions, and several fist fights with total strangers. We didn't want to relive any dreadful moments...

"Not sure, but he promises there won't be any incidents this year" she playfully rolls her eyes. I nod as she too helps herself to a jar of red and white strawberry yogurt in our whirlpool fridge.
"Lets hope so" I frown. "But I can't help but feel like some sort of travel star, I mean I just came back from Montana with Tre"
"Honey, that was over three long weeks ago" Jen chortles. "You think you're a celebrity don't you?" she teases.

Spooning a dollop of creamy yogurt into my mouth rather than down Jennifer's cheek, I stroll back to the confines of my bedroom. The setting sun making an orange glow of stripes climb my dark blue walls, almost as if I had painted the walls myself.
If these walls could talk...

Whilst sitting on the edge of my bed, I place the yogurt on the consecutive nightstand, before digging through the drawer below it for a vital sheet of paper.
"Where is it!?" I grumble to myself. I finally retrieve the crisp calendar with scribbles of tour dates and cities written under each square. I hadn't spoken to or seen Tre in over a week now, nor did I speak to my ex-lover Billie Joe. A trickle of happiness leaks through my pores as I think of the term ex. I was FINALLY finished with Mr. Armstrong, through, done, locked with a golden key. I was done with Billie's lies, deceit, company, kisses, jokes...
Well ALMOST done anyways. You can't simply wash away the feelings you had with another person in a matter of weeks compared to being with them for over a year. I almost loved him, the only items that had held my love back, were his ever annoying arrogance, and of course Adrienne. And we still had yet to have the inevitable relationship chat, and to be honest I was dreading the moment.

"Are you cooking tonight, I'm too tired" whines Jennifer as she too plops herself on my bed, fanning out her body like a star fish.
I mumble a few names of the cities that Green Day were going to visit during the Halloween holiday hiatus, ignoring her cooking request.
"You're cooking Philadelphia for dinner?"

"No you idiot, I'll cook. I was looking at this calendar thingy"
Seconds later, the sheet of paper is ripped out of my grasp, and she's looking over it with concentrative and stern eyes, teasing my 'obsession'.
"Shut up, I was just looking where they're going to be this Halloween"
"Which is... ... ?"
"You have the fucking paper" I growl.

She tosses the sheet of paper aside. "I think someone's in L.O.V.E, like that sinister Ashley Simpson song"
"Don't make me cringe" I reply, not really sure whether the cringing was towards Ashley Simpson or the term Love.
"Yes you are, I can smell it on you" she continues her interrogation.

Later that night after an exquisite dinner of chicken casseroles (which I prepared) and rice (which Jennifer made), I was enclosed in my bedroom after the ever annoying Jack decided to show up and give PDA right in front of me at the dinner table. I flipped a tendril of my hair from forehead as I switched the phone from my left ear to the right.

"Eww, why should I?!" I gasp at his inappropriate request
"Because he keeps jacking off in the bathrooms" he chuckles
"You're a complete idiot if you think I'm going to visit just to do that to Tre"
"Suit yourself" Billie Joe chides.

Nothing else is said for a minute as I fumble with the thin straps of my pajama camisole, adjusting them so they fit tighter around my shoulders.

"So you're in Georgia right now?" I ask cutting the uncomfortable silence.
"Leaving it as we speak, how'd you know?"
"Tre gave me some sort of calendar with cities and dates on it, well obviously it has dates on, hence it's a calendar. And he even took the liberty of drawing a penis on it" I laugh nervously.

Billie Joe chuckles for a second at my quirky rambling, "I still can't believe all of this"
"All of what?" I ponder.
"That I have a mistress and that my best friend is dating her" he continues laughing at the unusual circumstances.
I giggle "Yeah me neither, but I really like him. He's sexy, charming, funny as hell, chill, and yet absolutely insane"
"Are you describing me or Tre?" he chortles.
"Very funny" I retaliate. "But seriously Billie, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about today, but no, you have me on the phone for over an hour talking about Jakob, cigarette tips, and Viagra."
"Ok, ok, lets talk about us" he chuckles.
"What are we going to do about this situation? I can't very well continue seeing you while dating Tre, and then I met Adrienne and we talked, which adds even more guilt."

He lets out a frustrated sigh, and I can almost see a confusing scowl on his face, and him running his hands in utter frustration through his sexy hair.
"I've thought about it too Serenity, I really do think we should stop."

There's silence on both ends of the telephone, no one wanting to go any further into the wrenching conversation. I could already feel the burning sensation of tears attacking my eyes, and I knew that by the end of tonight I would be in tears and indulging myself into a large vat of chocolate anything. My mind wanted to cry and engulf Billie Joe into a tight hug followed by a mesmerizing kiss on his curvy lips, but my heart was with Tre. Everything about the man excited me; his persona, jokes, creativity in the sheets, kisses, etc.

"You still there?" pipes Billie Joe, cutting the somber silence.
"Yea, just thinking" I mutter.
"I want to apologize Serenity" he says abruptly, as if the idea had been plaguing his mind for some time now.

Was I hallucinating?

"Huh? Apologize for what?"
"Wellllll" he drags. "For well over a year now, I kind of led you on, and in a way used you. Well I didn't use you, but if I were in your position it seems that way, but I didn't do it on purpose" he rambles.
"It's ok Billie Joe, we both did this. Its not 100% your fault, its more like 97%" I giggle.
"Geez, thanks Seny" he mumbles.
"I'm kidding you dope. And we had a nice ride throughout this" I smile, trying my best to hold back leaking tears and put on an optimistic smile.

"Yes we did. All the times I snuck inside so that Jennifer or Rick wouldn't catch us"
"Or the time you dropped that punch bowl on your foot" I add.
"That shit wasn't funny, my toes have never been the same" he says with a hint of nostalgic anger.
"Billie?"
"Yeah?"
I twiddle and twist the drawstrings on my purple pajama pants; nervous about asking a question that has besieged my mind since the first night I slept with Billie Joe.

"Do you think that if you had divorced Adrienne, that uh, we would be together, well publicly that is?"
"Most likely, actually, of course" he sputters, surprising me. "I really do like you Serenity. You're a special girl, and to be honest I AM a little jealous of Tre. He's a lucky motherfucker"
"Thanks" I croak with tears skimming the rims of my eyes.

"Don't cry baby" he speaks. But its too late and the streams begin to flood, pouring down my cheeks, running to my chin and dropping on my pillow as I cover the receiver with my hand so he can't hear my sniffles, and it didn't help that he called me Baby.

"Serenity, please don't cry" he continues sadly.
"I'm... sorry... I... I have to go" I speedily mutter. And with that, I click the 'no' button on my phone, hanging right up on Billie, then shutting the device off, not wishing to speak to anyone for the remainder of the night. I fling the device on the floor and shove my head into the crescent shaped hot pink pillow on my bed, practically drowning in my salt water tears; sadand lonely. Minutes later, I here a not so subtle knock on my bedroom door followed by the closing of the squeaky front door.

I stifle my tears and sniff the snot from my nose back into my nostrils, before croaking "What?"

"Guess what? Jack wants to treat us both to a - what's wrong?" she hurries to my bedside as she hears my sniffling in the dark. And when she flips the light switch on, she sees the red in my eyes, and the clear tears still smothering my damp facial features.

"I... I... " I stutter, not knowing whether to lie or tell the truth.
"Me and Billie Joe broke up" I cry.

"What?! Don't you mean you and Tre?" she says curiously
"... no... me and Billie"

Her eyes gash open, and a shocking gasp escapes her full lips, making me cry even more. I tell Jennifer the entire story throughout the night, blabbing every detail from how Billie Joe and I met, how he creeped into our apartment when no one was home, how I lied about going to New York with Rick when actually visiting him, to even the unjust conditions in which Tre an I accidentally met. I poured my heart and soul out, and she comforted me. There was a glimpse of betrayal that I could sense, and I couldn't blame her. I was her best friend, yet I kept such a huge secret from her for nearly two years.

* * *

Another rationing of weeks had passed, and I still had yet to see Tre. Phone calls and seldom e-mails did not suffice, not nearly enough. I missed his comforting voice, the way he wrapped his strong arms around my petite waist, when he snuggled his nose into my hair...

It was early in the morning, so early that the massive sun had yet to finish rising. The early beginnings of a Tuesday, and the night sky still clung in the sky. I trudge into the kitchen, mixing myself a cup of mint tea before plopping down in only an oversized t-shirt onto the couch to watch early morning television.

'Fighting evil by moonlight
Winning love by daylight
Never running from a real fight
She is the one named Sailor Moon'

The theme song for the ever popular and world dominating cartoon, Sailor Moon resounded through my television, bringing back memories from high school when my friends and I would crowd around singing along to the theme song and enthralled by Tuxedo Mask. The Sailor scouts in their sexy and skimpy outfits zoomed by in a blur of pink, green, blue, and red as the opening screen appeared, marking the beginning of the show.

Within the span of 30 minutes the still thrilling cartoon had finished, and the only items on television were ridiculous infomercials which I had no intention of watching. For a moment I was tempted to give Jen a call, but she had probably just fallen asleep since she was at Jack's house doing God knows what. So I picked another person to call, even though I knew he'd be pissed that I was calling so early in the morning.

I wrap my fingers around the curly black cord in the kitchen, stretching my arms to drop my teacup into the sink. The phone rings, and I inwardly cringe, knowing he would be groggy and slightly annoyed.

"Hello?" he groans in a deep and foggy voice after many rings.
"Uh, good morning Tre" I say as politely and sweetly as possible, fingers still twisting around the cord.
"Seny? Why are you calling so damn early?" he grumbles.
"Um, I'm not sure" I give an honest reply.
"What? Well, when you're sure call me back. I'm so fucking tired" he yawns groggily.
"Sorry for waking you up, I just needed someone to annoy and talk to" I faintly giggle.
"Is something wrong?" he stifles.
"No, just missing you"
"I miss you too, but I'll see you this Friday"
"I know, but I cant wait that long, I feel like kidnapping you and keeping you hostage in my apartment"
"Don't worry, on Friday you can tie me up and do all sorts of things to me"

I can feel his arrogant smirk even thousands of miles apart.

"Ok, I'll let you get back to your sleep, Bye"
"You already woke me up, might as well have ourselves a little chat"
I giggle "Fine by me"

I can hear the sheets rustling as he presumably gets out of bed, probably changing his clothes to order room service and eat a mammoth load of food for breakfast.

"So, how are your lips?"
"My lips? What?" I mutter in confusion.
"Yeah your lips. Mine's have gone cold and numb, Mike has to help me pry them apart just to eat" he whines.
I giggle on the phone, imaging Mike using pliers to pry Tre's lips open.

"Consider yourself lucky, my lips are freezing and bruised up. And you should see my neck, I think someone slit my throat during my sleep." I sputter
He laughs in a throaty morning voice, making my heart pace quicken just a bit.
"Well Billie bitched at me all last week, and its all your fault. My arms have been hanging down and seem dead from not squeezing you, so I haven't played the drums that well for a while now"

I fight the addictive urge to say 'aww' into his ears because he was simply that cute.
"So, do you know what you're going to be for Halloween little lady?"
"Yeah, I was thinking either a female Al Capone or sexy little witch. What about you?"
"A witch... " he ponders thoughtfully. "I'd rather you be a naughty secretary like in that movie we watched" he replies wittily.
"In your dreams"
"As for me, I was thinking either Colonel Sanders, the fat KFC dude, or possibly a transvestite. I can't decide"

It was just then that Rick, my male best friend, came to mind from weeks ago and that we were supposed to spend the horror holiday together.

"I hope you'll be in New York this year, because that's where Jen and I are going" I say, swallowing an uncanny lump in my throat.
"Why are you going to New York?"
"My other close friend, they want us to come and visit them up there. We're all kind of stuck on each other like glue, just like you Billie and Mike"

"Oh" he mutters. "I'm pretty sure I won't be in New York, but its ok. Halloween isn't that important anyway"
"Yeah, just a holiday to give kids cavities"
"Hold on a sec Seny"
I'm on hold and I can hear him shuffling about in the room, not knowing what on Earth he could be doing. I finally hear him speak, but it isn't towards me, but instead he's ordering breakfast. I can't help but giggle at the amount of food he's purchasing nor the proclivity he has to not being able to make up his confused mind.

"Sorry bout that, I was hungry" he explains
"You're always hungry. With the amount of food you eat, you could save a village or two of people in Ethiopia"
"Har har. If I didn't eat so much, then none of that yummy food would go to my ass, which I know you've come to love"
"Keep dreaming Tre"
"Keep lying to yourself Seny" he mocks.

We continue our conversation, talking dismissively about random subjects such as work, the star wars epidemic, and life on the road. Before long though, he had to leave for an early morning interview with the infamous Rolling Stone magazine.

As the afternoon settled in, it was pretty obvious that Jennifer wasn't coming home anytime soon. Therefore, I took the liberty in taking a soothing bubble bath with the spa products, which were gifts that she had stored on her bathroom sink for decoration. I smelled of roses and mint, a scintillating scent. Slipping on my bra and a pair of baby blue boy shorts, I take my time in the mirror, examining my body and its flaws like every other female in the world did at some point in the day.

Slender hips, a narrow waist, a small bust, shoulder length exotically black hair, brightened with almost gothic black eyes. I was content; I had no time in my hectic life for scrupulous examinations of myself, diets, or thin as rail trends that overwhelmed today's society. And while brushing my hair to untangle the few knots that were deep inside still clad in only my underwear, a catchy tune hits the radio waves, and I scurry over to up the volume more than a few notches.
Plowed by Sponge was a playin'...

Will I wake up
Is it a dream I made up
No I guess it's reality
What will change us
Or will we mess up
Our only chance to connect
With a dream

Say a prayer for me

I'm buried by the sound
In a world of human
Wreckage
I'm lost and I'm found
And I can't touch the
Ground
I'm plowed into the sound

Dancing around in your underwear is one of the best feelings you can obtain. Moving about so freely, I dance to the catchy melody and shout aloud the lyrics, thankful no one was home to view my embarrassing debut.

At around 5 o' clock in the afternoon, I could be found in the living room, completely baked with the one, the only, Mark.

"Where have you been all my life Mark?" I stammer with a smile at my drug dealing amigo.
"Right here" he snorts, taking a long intake of weed into his absorbent lungs. "So how's your celebrity boyfriend, Tre is it?"
"Uh huh. He's coming on Friday, wanna join us?"
"Hey! I heard that band is big on smoking pot, can you imagine how much money I'd get?" he laughs for no apparent reason, digging into his jeans pocket for another wad of paper to roll another first-rate joint

"Hey, you cant deal to my boyfriend" I tease, snatching the paper from his meek fingers
"I'm fucking hungry" he whines further. "Bake me a cake"
"I'd rather continue getting baked if you don't mind" I retort
"That'll be good too, but then we can go out for dinner afterward. My treat since I made a lot of sales yesterday"
"Whatever you say Mark, whatever you say" I reply dreamily.