Shine Bright Like a Diamond

***this chapter is told from Valentina's point of view,****

In the amount of time I've know Remy, I've been able to learn something new about him everyday. For example, he overdosed 3 times, and each time I learned he didn't want to be saved. Or when his brother passed away and he locked himself in his room and drank himself to the point of alcohol poisoning. Maybe it's where he hides the key to his house, or the combination to his safe. Learning something new about my best friend isn't what shocks me, it's learning that some things really never change.
When I saw Remy outside that day talking to the old man who owned the town jewelry store, I knew right away he was up to something. I played dumb, you see everyone expects me to just play dumb and pretend that things aren't really happening. I may not be all that smart and I may only know how to do basic math, but I knew when Remy was hiding something from me. Being friends with an addict, you learn to always expect the unexpected. So I watched as he hurried into the house, grabed the small duffle bag and hurry back out the door. I blinked slightly confused and smiled to myself. I saw his passport, what ever was going on involved Kris.
It's funny because no matter how many times I sit at the diner with the two mother like figures in my life, we never seem to talk about anything new, it's always the same conversation, how is Kris, how am I, how is Remy and the baby, and most importantly when am I getting married. I would laugh at that question, because for some reason deep down in the very pit of my stomach, and in the darkest and deepest depths of my brain, I wasn't sure if I wanted to get married. It's always the same question, and it's always the same answer, Kris is fine, I'm fine, diamond is good, Remy is clean, and most importantly I didn't know when I was getting married.
When Remy called me out of the blue two days later, I knew he wanted something, he always wants something. When he was in his darkest stages of addiction, he wanted money. When he was in rehab, he wanted company, when Luc died he wanted his brother back. There was always something he wanted, and it didn't surprise me one bit when he asked me to fly out to Pittsburgh with him, Gem and Di. I laughed at his question, if I wouldn't hop a plane for my own boyfriend, what made him think I'd do it for him? It took me a few hours, begging, explaining how much Kris wanted me there and how selfish I was being, until I realized he was right, and I just needed to suck it up and go.
I'd like to think of myself as independent. I didn't ask Kris for money, I didn't like to spend his money either. I didn't work, but I didn't need much. A new pair of shoes every now and then and gas for in the car and I was happy. I was pretty self sufficient, and I didn't rely in Kris to support me. The only downside is I've only been outside the small town we grew up in a handful of times. I guess I was sheltered, and everything I needed was on the Main Street of the town. If I needed to travel outside of town, I usually went with Remy or Gemma and we'd go and make a day of it. So after much convincing from Kris, I talked Remy into taking me shopping and getting some new stuff for the trip, I also knew this would be our last shopping trip, because I didn't think I'd be coming back with them. I knew if I didn't do something to make Kris and my relationship better, we burn out in the end. Distance was not something that made the heart grow fonder, in fact in our case it made it grow weaker with each passing day.
I wasn't surprised when Kris told me he switched the tickets and made mine a one way ticket, in fact I was so excited, I'd get to see the city he lived in, I'd see what his life was like, I'd meet his friends, make friends, and maybe I'd even get that proposal that everyone was always asking about. After we hung up that night, I sat on the front stairs looking at the night sky, wrapped tight in a blanket, and I cried. I had no idea what exactly I was crying over, maybe it was knowing I was leaving, maybe it was because I'd miss my friends, maybe it was because, when I was right next to Kris, and he would hold onto me, I'd feel like I just brought him down. At such a young age he managed to do so much with his life, he managed to because the amazing hockey player that he is today, and what did I do? I managed to drop out of high school at 17, didn't go to college, and I didn't have a job. I was in every aspect a loser. A loser who was absolutely head over heels in love with him.
I was slightly confused as to why all of a sudden he wanted me to come out to Pittsburgh, and why all of a sudden he and Remy were speaking as much as they were. Not that they weren't close, but this seemed different. I knew that something was up, and this was no ordinary trip to Pittsburgh, and maybe in hindsight I could of seen everything that was about to happen if I'd bothered to read between the lines. You can only be with someone so long, and hold them up so high on a pedestal and not expect them to tumble off every now and again.
The plane ride was a disaster, there are no other words for it. I breathed in and out and in and out through a paper back for I don't even know how many hours straight. I listened to Diamond scream and cry because the cabin was so pressurized. I felt the annoying pain in my ears as the popped during the decent, and I'm not sure if it was me or the other passengers who were dying to get away from the screaming child that sat directly in front of me, but the plane cleared out pretty fast. Kris was perfect in every way. Sometimes I forget and think I've made it up, but wrapping my arms around him, pulling in for a kiss, it was everything I'd fantasized about during those lonely nights. The dinner, and view if the city was worth the plane ride from hell. I could even put into words the beauty if the city, the surroundings, everything, it was like a sensory overload. The first night together after a month and a half apart, that made me remember how perfect the two of us were together.
It didn't take long to come up with a plan for the day until it was time for the game. Remy and Gemma already had everything planned out. I was so excited to go watch him practice and meet some people. When he told me to come into the locker room, I was over come with anxiety. This was it, I'd finally meet some people, but that wasn't the case. I'd been ushered out by Kris before I'd even had the chance to say hello to anyone of them.
I frowned as I held his note and the tickets in my hand, my stomach full of knots. I didn't take me long to get something to wear for the night, and it didn't take long for me to get ready in Remy and Gemma's bathroom. Taking a sharpie and a piece of paper, I wrote Kris a quick note and followed Remy out the door and down the stairs to the car, I sat in the back seat with Diamond who was more than content to play with her dolls. I smiled at her. Joining in on the ride to dinner, it was still early, and I was so anxious to meet his friends tonight, that I wasn't sure I could eat. After sitting in the restaurant for no more than a half hour, I finally realized why we kept getting odd glances every now and then, why Remy had to order for everyone, and why I all of a sudden didn't want to go to the game tonight. I couldn't speak English, and I wouldn't be able to actually meet his friends.