The Last Goodbye

Adam stood inside the art museum, laughing to himself as he watched Patrick tilt his head to the side and stare at a piece of art, obviously having no clue what it was or why it was hanging in an art museum. “What are you laughing about?” Delaney asked, walking up next to him, glancing in the direction Adam was looking.

“Kaner,” Adam replied. “He has no idea what the meaning of that painting is,” he said with a laugh.

“And, you do?” Delaney challenged with a raised eyebrow.

Adam scoffed at her. “Of course I do!” he exclaimed, walking over to the painting as Patrick was being dragged away to another painting by Yvette. Delaney walked with him, staring at him, waiting to hear what he thought about the painting. Adam tilted his head to the side, as if he was really thinking about it. “It shows the union between two people and how everyone is trying to tear them apart. But, no matter what, these two people believe they belong together, and they are going to face the world together,” he spoke.

Delaney slowly turned around to look at Adam. “Wow,” she said quietly. “You know, Adam, that’s beautiful.”

“Maybe I’m not the shallow guy that you think I am,” he shrugged before walking away, leaving Delaney standing there. She turned back around to look at the piece of art once again. Her eyes trailed down to the small plaque below it displaying the artist’s name and the title of the piece of art. There was also a small piece written from the artist, discussing what she believed the piece of art was about.

“Adam Burish!” Delaney called out, quickly going after him. Adam slowed down, and Delaney caught up with him, putting her hand on his shoulder and spinning him around. “You think I’m stupid, don’t you?” she asked.

“What are you talking about?” Adam asked innocently.

“It shows the union between two people,” she quoted him. “And blah, blah, blah,” he tone of voice quickly changed. “You read that underneath the piece of art. The artist said what she meant by it!” she exclaimed. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you?” she narrowed her eyes.

“Hey, just because I’m smart enough to read and Kaner’s not, don’t get angry at me,” Adam told her. “And, I don’t think you’re stupid,” he said, remembering her claim from earlier. “I was just trying to show you that there’s a different side to me. You’d know that if you ever gave me a chance and went out with me.”

“Adam,” Delaney said in a warning tone.

“I know, I know,” he sighed. “You won’t date me because you work with me,” he rolled his eyes. “So, what do you say we go find Kaner so we can make fun of how bored he is right now?” Adam suggested.

“Sure,” Delaney nodded her head, following Adam into another room in search of his teammate.

***

Patrick saw Raylene staring at some piece of art, looking bored out of her mind. “You hate this as much as I do, don’t you?” Patrick asked, leaning down and whispering into her ear, as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him, a small smile on her face. “Yeah, I do,” she admitted, turning away from the painting she had been looking at. “This is just…boring to me,” she told him. “Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s amazing that people can do this. And, it’s beautiful. It’s just…” she trailed off.

“You can’t stand to look at it for hours on end?” Patrick supplied, and she nodded her head. “So, if art isn’t your thing, what is?” he asked, taking a seat on the bench that sat in the corner of the room, motioning for Raylene to sit next to him. She looked at him curiously, and he clarified. “What do you do in your spare time when you’re not saving lives as a paramedic?”

Raylene shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, the normal stuff. I watch movies, read,” she answered. “What about you? What do you do when you’re not playing hockey?” she inquired.

“When am I not playing hockey?” he joked. “But, I do the normal stuff, too. Play video games, watch movies,” he answered before he was interrupted by Bethann, who ran into the room and over towards him. She started pulling on his arm, telling him she needed to show him a piece of art in another room. “I’ll talk to you later, Raylene,” Patrick said before being dragged out of the room by Bethann.

Marissa and Rosie walked into the room, saying, “Hey, Raylene!” Raylene turned around to look at them, wondering why they were suddenly being nice to her. They had never even tried to get to know her, having bonded with each other and made some sort of pact.

“Hey,” Raylene said with a small smile, still suspicious of their actions.

“What were you and Pat just talking about?” Rosie asked her, and Raylene nodded her head, knowing exactly why they were talking to her now; they were threatened by her talking to Patrick.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Raylene asked, and both girls scoffed at her.

“You know why he’s keeping you around, right?” Marissa entered the conversation, and Raylene looked at her oddly, having no idea what she was talking about. “It’s simple, really. The producers want him to keep you around. It’s not like he actually likes you. The producers do,” she told her.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Raylene responded.

“Oh, really?” Marissa stood up for her friend. “You’re pretty smart, right? Think about it a minute, then. You’re the girl next door type of girl. Audiences are eating you up and loving you right now. While you’re on the show, more people are watching. Therefore, you’re a producer’s wet dream since they’re getting more viewers. Now, Pat, on the other hand. You’re nothing to him. You’re not his dream anything. But, the producers want him to keep you around, so he does,” she explained, and Raylene stared at her, her words sinking in. “You didn’t actually think he liked you and wanted you around, did you?” she asked.

Raylene shook her head, walking out on the two of them without another word. She continued thinking about what the two other contestants had said to her, and it was still on her mind later that night. Deciding to step out of her comfort zone, she walked down the stairs of the house, finding Patrick in the kitchen with only Adam in there with him, an oddity when she was used to seeing him surrounded by all the girls.

“Raylene,” Patrick smiled when he turned around and saw her standing there.

“Hey,” she returned the smile. “Hey, Adam,” she added, and Adam waved at her.

“How are you doing?” he asked her.

“Um, okay,” she replied. “Pat, do you think I can talk to you for a minute?” she asked him nervously, not really knowing what she was going to say to him.

Patrick looked up at Adam before looking back at Raylene. “You’re not going to quit the show on us, are you?” Adam asked her. “I mean, I know Kaner’s not the best catch in the world, and maybe you’re just now realizing that, but can’t you stick around a little while longer? You’re the only normal one here!” Adam told her.

Raylene smiled at him before saying, “I’m not quitting. I just need to talk to Pat for a minute.”

“Sure, let’s go,” he said, guiding her out of the kitchen and into a room that held no one else. He sat down on a chair, motioning for her to do the same. “What’s going on?” he asked, looking over at her, wondering if everything was alright.

“Listen, I never expected you to keep me around this long,” Raylene began. “I mean, like I’ve told you before, I know I’m not like all the other girls. I’m this regular girl from the suburbs from Chicago. I’m a paramedic who grew up in foster care. I’m not a model or an actress. I’m not hoping that I can get some sort of job from this,” she continued.

“Raylene, what’s going on?” Patrick repeated, interrupting her. “I know you’re not like all the other girls.”

“Why are you keeping me around?” she suddenly asked. Patrick was quiet for a moment, not knowing how exactly he was supposed to answer that question. “Is it because Delaney’s asking you to?” she asked.

“What does Delaney have to do with anything?” Patrick questioned.

“It is, isn’t it? Marissa and Rosie were right. You’re keeping me around because the producers want you to, not because you want me around,” Raylene spoke more to herself than to Patrick. She began walking towards the door when Patrick called out her name. She turned back around, wondering what he wanted.

“I don’t know what Marissa and Rosie told you, but I’m not keeping you around because of the producers. The producers have no say in who stays and goes. Why would you think that anyways?” he asked her.

Raylene rolled her eyes. “They said that I was the girl next door one of the bunch, the one that the audience likes. And, as long as I’m on the show, they’re getting better ratings. So, the producers want me around, and you’re just appeasing them.”

“Like I just said, the producers have no say in who I keep around. I am keeping you here because I want you here. And, like Adam told you back there, you’re the most normal one around here. I like that about you, Raylene. I like you Raylene,” he told her.

“I like you, too, Pat,” she said, biting her bottom lip, looking up at him, giving him a small smile, which he quickly returned.