I Guess I'll Never Get To Call You Mine
ALINE
I like to hang out at the studio until after everyone has left. It gives me a pretty quiet place to just sit and think and reflect. Ever since Chuck’s accident I’ve been doing that a lot. My brothers have tried contacting and visiting him. They’d asked if I wanted to come along, but I’d refused. I can’t bear the thought of seeing him again, not being able to remember me and thinking that I was the enemy. I knew Ashley must’ve taken advantage of his amnesia to get him to hate us. I didn’t even know why Chuck would date someone like Ashley in the first place. She reminded me of all the past girls he’d dated in high school…all those fake blond Barbie dolls that end up breaking his heart. He’s my good friend, or at least he was, but he had a tendency to pick the wrong girls.
“Aline Young?” I looked up to see a stern but reasonably attractive woman right in front of me. “My name is Violet, and this is Carol.” She pointed to the shorter, blond woman next to her, who waved and giggled. “We’re Ashley’s roommates.” I blinked. “I beg your pardon?” “I know, I know, you think we’re the bad guys,” Violet said impatiently. “But listen, we come here in peace. Ashley doesn’t even know we’re here.” Carol nodded. “She thinks we’re out to see a play,” she said triumphantly. “Which is most definitely not true because for one thing, I hate plays—” “Yes, I think she gets the point, Car,” Violet rolled her eyes. “Anyways, we need you to do us a favor.”
“Why should I agree? I don’t owe you anything,” I said defiantly. “I know you think we’re Ashley’s henchmen, but she definitely does not control us.” Violet glanced over at Carol and seemed to reconsider. “Well, she doesn’t control me anyways. But the point is, you have to agree.” “Why?” “Because it concerns your friend Charles.”
I sighed. “He doesn’t want to see me.” “You don’t know that.” “Yes I do. He said so himself at the hospital.” “That’s because Ashley brainwashed him. We heard him ourselves. Don’t we, Car?” “Yep, she’s telling him all sorts of bad things about Simple Plan and the Young family.” “So what do you want me to do?” “Nothing out of the ordinary,” Violet replied. She took out a set of keys from her handbag and handed them to me. “These are the keys to the place where Chuck and Ashley are staying right now. We want you to talk to him. Ashley will be out all day tomorrow. Carol and I can and will make sure of this. You should be able to see him easily.” “Wait, what?” I couldn’t believe it. This is way too suspicious. There’s no way these women can switch sides this easily.
Violet raised an eyebrow. “You’re wondering why we’re suddenly being nice, huh?” she remarked. “Here’s my answer, honey. Carol and I have been dependent for a long time on Ashley’s talent to seduce men to hand over their riches. In order to avoid getting cut off from her favor, and therefore money, we’re more often than not forced to help her on her grand schemes to hook up with the rich and the famous. Let’s just say we’ve had quite enough of it and we think that it’s time to move on.” “Yes,” Carol shuddered. “She had a lot of crazy ideas before, but this one was definitely the worst. A lot of people were hurt, and I don’t want to take part in any of her plans anymore.” “We’re planning to leave town and maybe even cross the border to the States the day after tomorrow,” Violet explained. “I know we’ve caused a lot of trouble with Ashley at everyone’s expense. We decided to give you this opportunity to talk to Charles as a way of apology.”
It was all too much to take in, but I managed to ask, “Why ask me to go to him? I think perhaps one of his band mates would be a better choice.” “Oh, I don’t know,” Violet shrugged. “It’s like you two have this special thing going on, and I have a feeling that he’ll be able to trust you even after all things Ashley said against you.” “It’s really cute the way he keeps reading that piece of paper that you gave him secretly when he thinks that we’re not looking,” Carol said dreamily. Violet nodded. “I want my conscience clear when Carol and I finally leave Montréal for good. Chuck doesn’t deserve this. I never thought he did. It was all Ashley’s idea. I regret now that I shouldn’t have stopped her sooner. We apologize for all the trouble we’ve caused, though, and that you might find it in the depths of your heart to forgive us.” She looked at me right in the eye and I could tell that she’s being sincere. “Yes, poor Chuck,” Carol sighed. “Poor J.S. Poor Simple Plan.”
I nodded and held my hand out to shake Violet’s hand, and then Carol’s. “I accept your apologies, and I appreciate your efforts in trying to make things up,” I said. “OK, I will try and talk to Chuck tomorrow. I can’t say for sure what his reaction will be when he sees me though.” “He’ll be glad to see you,” Violet assured me. “I’m sure of that. And, um, Aline?” For a moment, she dropped the formal, confident reserve she’d been wearing ever since she greeted me. In fact, she looked almost hesitant. “Yeah?” I said. “Tell…tell everyone—Simple Plan, J.S., your brothers—that we’re very sorry, will you? Carol and I never meant to do this much damage.” I smiled. “Of course I will, and if I can forgive you they can too. This is all Ashley’s doing, and Ashley alone is to blame.” “Nothing good ever comes form associating with Ashley,” Carol said wisely. “Well said, Car,” Violet said. “Good luck on tomorrow, Aline. I wish you all the best.” “Thank you. I hope you and Carol a better life out there.” Violet grinned. “Any life without Ashley in it is already good enough for me.”
“Aline Young?” I looked up to see a stern but reasonably attractive woman right in front of me. “My name is Violet, and this is Carol.” She pointed to the shorter, blond woman next to her, who waved and giggled. “We’re Ashley’s roommates.” I blinked. “I beg your pardon?” “I know, I know, you think we’re the bad guys,” Violet said impatiently. “But listen, we come here in peace. Ashley doesn’t even know we’re here.” Carol nodded. “She thinks we’re out to see a play,” she said triumphantly. “Which is most definitely not true because for one thing, I hate plays—” “Yes, I think she gets the point, Car,” Violet rolled her eyes. “Anyways, we need you to do us a favor.”
“Why should I agree? I don’t owe you anything,” I said defiantly. “I know you think we’re Ashley’s henchmen, but she definitely does not control us.” Violet glanced over at Carol and seemed to reconsider. “Well, she doesn’t control me anyways. But the point is, you have to agree.” “Why?” “Because it concerns your friend Charles.”
I sighed. “He doesn’t want to see me.” “You don’t know that.” “Yes I do. He said so himself at the hospital.” “That’s because Ashley brainwashed him. We heard him ourselves. Don’t we, Car?” “Yep, she’s telling him all sorts of bad things about Simple Plan and the Young family.” “So what do you want me to do?” “Nothing out of the ordinary,” Violet replied. She took out a set of keys from her handbag and handed them to me. “These are the keys to the place where Chuck and Ashley are staying right now. We want you to talk to him. Ashley will be out all day tomorrow. Carol and I can and will make sure of this. You should be able to see him easily.” “Wait, what?” I couldn’t believe it. This is way too suspicious. There’s no way these women can switch sides this easily.
Violet raised an eyebrow. “You’re wondering why we’re suddenly being nice, huh?” she remarked. “Here’s my answer, honey. Carol and I have been dependent for a long time on Ashley’s talent to seduce men to hand over their riches. In order to avoid getting cut off from her favor, and therefore money, we’re more often than not forced to help her on her grand schemes to hook up with the rich and the famous. Let’s just say we’ve had quite enough of it and we think that it’s time to move on.” “Yes,” Carol shuddered. “She had a lot of crazy ideas before, but this one was definitely the worst. A lot of people were hurt, and I don’t want to take part in any of her plans anymore.” “We’re planning to leave town and maybe even cross the border to the States the day after tomorrow,” Violet explained. “I know we’ve caused a lot of trouble with Ashley at everyone’s expense. We decided to give you this opportunity to talk to Charles as a way of apology.”
It was all too much to take in, but I managed to ask, “Why ask me to go to him? I think perhaps one of his band mates would be a better choice.” “Oh, I don’t know,” Violet shrugged. “It’s like you two have this special thing going on, and I have a feeling that he’ll be able to trust you even after all things Ashley said against you.” “It’s really cute the way he keeps reading that piece of paper that you gave him secretly when he thinks that we’re not looking,” Carol said dreamily. Violet nodded. “I want my conscience clear when Carol and I finally leave Montréal for good. Chuck doesn’t deserve this. I never thought he did. It was all Ashley’s idea. I regret now that I shouldn’t have stopped her sooner. We apologize for all the trouble we’ve caused, though, and that you might find it in the depths of your heart to forgive us.” She looked at me right in the eye and I could tell that she’s being sincere. “Yes, poor Chuck,” Carol sighed. “Poor J.S. Poor Simple Plan.”
I nodded and held my hand out to shake Violet’s hand, and then Carol’s. “I accept your apologies, and I appreciate your efforts in trying to make things up,” I said. “OK, I will try and talk to Chuck tomorrow. I can’t say for sure what his reaction will be when he sees me though.” “He’ll be glad to see you,” Violet assured me. “I’m sure of that. And, um, Aline?” For a moment, she dropped the formal, confident reserve she’d been wearing ever since she greeted me. In fact, she looked almost hesitant. “Yeah?” I said. “Tell…tell everyone—Simple Plan, J.S., your brothers—that we’re very sorry, will you? Carol and I never meant to do this much damage.” I smiled. “Of course I will, and if I can forgive you they can too. This is all Ashley’s doing, and Ashley alone is to blame.” “Nothing good ever comes form associating with Ashley,” Carol said wisely. “Well said, Car,” Violet said. “Good luck on tomorrow, Aline. I wish you all the best.” “Thank you. I hope you and Carol a better life out there.” Violet grinned. “Any life without Ashley in it is already good enough for me.”