Her Escape

Mikey strut into the room just as Jade was finishing packing their bag, his hair still wet and glazed back away from his face. She giggled to herself and walked over to give him a kiss, she loved the way he appeared right after a shower. “Come on, were leaving soon. Eliza is already here.”
“You met her?” his eyes widened waiting with anticipation her response.
“Yeah, I answered the door when she got here, why?” she was confused at his reaction.
“Well?”
“Well what?”
“What do you think?” he said as if it was obvious the entire time.
“She’s ok. I only said a few words to the girl. Why what’s wrong with her?”
“Well nothing exactly, I suppose. Me and the guys don’t really like her.”
“Why? what happened?” she was curious now, Jade had sensed a masked hostile vibe from Gerard when he greeted Eliza at the door.
“Well see, we have this theory…..we think he is only staying with her because she’s pregnant. But he won’t talk about it to anyone….so it’s just a theory.” He turned around throwing a sweat-shirt on the bed, beside where the bag lay and turned on the strengthener.
“So wait is she pregnant or not…?” Jade was getting more confused by the minute.
“We don’t know for sure. But we think he does.”
“Oh….I see.”
As the conversation ended Gerard’s voice came booming from the top of the stairs.
“Come on! We’re going to miss the train.”
“Alright, alright, don’t get your panties in a bunch, we’re comin.” Jay called back, beginning to make her way out of the room and up the stairs; Mikey just a few steps behind her.
As Mikey, Gee, and Jade laugh, Eliza had a confused and disturbed look potent in her features. As if it angered her that Jade was so close to the guys, that they all liked her. Missing the expression on Eliza’s face; they all walk out the front door to the cab that was waiting by the curb.
Gerard sat upfront with the driver, leaving Jade in the middle of Mikey and Eliza. The atmosphere of the car was silent and awkward, Jade wouldn’t be able to endure this for ten minutes. The cab driver, an old Italian man with a heavy Brooklyn accent, seemed to sense this because he started making conversation. “You kids going to the city?” his speech was abrupt and unexpected.
“Yup” Jade was the only one that answered. Ever since she was little she had this fascination with accidents and could never resist a conversation with a person who had one.
“You kids goin to see a show?”
Jade looked pensively in thought for a moment. “Not sure. Gee what are we doing?”
“Umm just going to see what the night brings, I guess.” He turns back and gave a toothy grin to his brother although it seemed forced and one sided.
“Well where are we staying?” Eliza spoke for the first time, everyone stopped, surprised at her outburst and the tension behind it.
“I made reservations at the Sheraton for tonight. I thought we’d split up and walk around, then meet back at the hotel or something.”
“Sounds good to me.” Jade smiled tangling her fingers with Mikey’s and giving a childish grin.
“Ditto.” Mikey responded
Before long they were on the train headed towards New York City. It was about 7:30 and the sun was setting on a mid-July evening.
They reached Penn Station, scrambling out of the car and onto the sturdy platform. There was an array of people scattered about, talking on cell phones, carrying brief cases, or dressed for the clubs. Starting up the marble stone stairs, you could feel the cool, exciting, busy air that always surrounded this city. And as they stepped onto the confined sidewalk, the streets stuck with paper, gum, and garbage. The smell of road-side food you know you’ll die from one day. The sound of honking horns, the buzz of people walking past on their mobile communication devices, and the barters trying to sell knock-offs of name brand fashion trends.
Gerard was attempting to haul a cab, and having no such luck. Impatient Jade walked up in-front of him, stepping out a paste or two more into the street and put her hand in the air. With-in seconds there was a yellow car at her side. She turned back towards Gerard smiling tauntingly and motioning for him to open the door. But he simply stood in the same position with a gaze of sheer amazement.
“What? I may have grown up in a small town, but I always loved this City.” With her statement everyone piled in making smart comments to Gerard about his failed attempts.
“The Sheraton, 7th and 53rd please.”
Traffic was starting to get slightly better being that the business rush hour was dying down, so the drive across town only took slightly less than twenty minutes. As they walked into the lobby of the hotel, it was an abrupt change from the busy streets. They were greeted by a dark mahogany ceiling, accented by the rich reds and blues in the carpet that lay over the cream colored marble tile. The plants and big comfy looking chairs all in rich deep, dimensional colors added to the homey feeling.
Gerard went to check them in while Jade and Mikey played around on the bouncy blue chairs. Eliza unsure where her place was, decided to shadow Gee to the counter off to the right. Moments later Gerard emerged, handing Jade and Mikey each a room key, motioning to the elevators with gold crusted doors, so shiny you were able to see your reflection.
“Race you to the room!” Gerard called looking at Mikey. Jade gripped Mikey’s hand with painful force and he refused.
“Nah you guys race, we’ll get the next one.”
“Thank you” Jade whispered as she turned pressing herself against his chest, she could feel his arms snake around her body. Loving the feeling she still got threw out her entire being every time he touched her.
Both elevators opened and off they went, Gerard in one and Eliza; happy to be participating in the fun, in the other.
Jade stayed enclosed in Mikey’s grasp until the next elevator arrived with a ding, she cautiously stepped in not letting go of his hand for a second. They were floor thirteen, room 666, Jade found this extremely comical; Mikey on the other hand who was slightly more suppositious was weary about the floor and room number.
They reached the room, it was right next door to Gerard and Eliza’s but they must have already been inside because the hallway was completely empty. Walking in the view of the city was breathtaking; it was just dark enough for the lights of building to illuminate making you feel like anything is possible. There was a queen size bed, with cheesy fabric that matched the curtains over it, against the far right wall. A desk under the wide window and a bathroom to your left as you walked in.
Dropping the black duffle bag she had been carrying on the floor, Jade ran and jumped on the bed. Following her lead, landing just inches from her side was Mikey. He caressed her cheek bone with his thumb smiling sweetly, then moving to play with her hair. Jade couldn’t help but get a chilling sensation down her back has his hands twisted through her strands of black, white and red locks.
“What cha wanna do?” she wondered biting and playing with her lip ring.
Mikey refocused his attention directly into her eyes. “Whatever you want to do.”
“Want to walk around and enjoy the city lights? I missed New York while I was in London.”
“Sure thing.” He now let his hand fall out of her hair, as Jade got up from the bed and walked back to the bag that still lay on the floor.
“Kay, let me get a sweat-shirt. You want one?”
“Umm, yeah it might get chilly.”
Bringing the bag over to the desk to rummage through it, she emerged with two of Mikey’s back sweat-shirts. Throwing the one that stated ‘Mikey’ on the front in white letters around her frame and taking the other to her boyfriend helping him off the bed. They made their way out the white hotel door, hand in hand for the night.
What Jade and Mikey weren’t aware of was what was happening in Eliza and Gerard’s room; when Eliza walked in to see they had two separate beds. “Oh, there must be some sort of mistake…” she trailed off moving towards the night stand for the phone.
“No, this is exactly what I requested, two beds.” He moved between her and the phone, his voice low and calm.
“What….Why? I know you don’t love me, but can’t you try to?”
“I did love you, remember. Before, you decided to go around and sleep with other guys.”
“But the baby…” as she spoke the pain and uncertainty in Gerard’s eyes was evident.
“Yeah the baby I don’t even know exists, never mind if it’s really mine or not.” His words were meant to hurt.
“Would you still be with me if the baby wasn’t yours, if there wasn’t a baby?” her voice was lower than ever and held a guilty edge.
“What are you saying? Eliza is there a baby?”
“Well why’d you even have me out here, I thought you wanted to give this another try. I didn’t want to lose you.” She began to cry, sitting down on one of the adjacent bed, placing both her hands over her face.
“What are you talking about? I had you out here so we could talk face to face about the situation. I thought coming here would be better then fighting it out in front of my family. I was going to get you your own room but then Mikey and Jade wanted to come. What do you mean you didn’t want to lose me…”
“When we got in the fight, you were so angry…I….I” she trailed off once again in sobs.
“Is there a baby or not Eliza?!” Gerard’s voice grew angry and sharp.
“No, there was never a baby.”
With-out saying another word, with-out even glancing at her one last time, Gerard grabbed his leather jacket and stormed out of the room. He was infuriated; he could wrap his mind around the concept of someone lying about such an important decision and responsibility, about another human life that could have changed both their lives. What she had done to him was cruel and desperate.
Walking out of the hotel and onto the busy night lit streets of New York in the heart of the theater district he choose a direction and began to walk. He needed to be alone, needed time to think and recollect himself. The thought of being a father had taunted and terrified him for days. Now that it wasn’t true he had to re-think what he was going to do with Eliza, and the rest of his life.
Keeping his hands in his pockets and his head down concentrating on the battered, cluttered sidewalk beneath his feet. He didn’t know where he was going or if he was going to be able to even go back to the hotel and face her.
Jade and Mikey had stopped at a Starbucks during their walk, getting frozen coffee beverages while they were walking through Times Square, headed to Central Park.
A girl no older than 16 or so deliberately walked up to Jade spilling her iced coffee all down the front of her sweat-shirt. A look of sheer disgust filled her face. “You don’t deserve him, you’re nobody.” Was all she snorted and then shot a look at Mikey.
Jade was not the type of girl to let anyone get away with something like this. Her face quickly changed from shock to angry as she took a step forward to punch the smug smile right off her face. “You little…” but Mikey stopped her putting his arm out to hold her back. He looked the 16-year-old girl straight in the eyes and spoke decisively and clearly “You are no fan of mine.”
The girl couldn’t believe what she was hearing; offended that Mikey would stick up for Jade in such a way she struts off knocking Jade in the shoulder as she went. That was the last straw, Jade cracked. She stuck out her foot just in time for her to trip and fall face down on the cold, hard, concert sidewalk. “Think about that next time you want to dump ice coffee all over someone.”
Mikey quickly grabbed Jade’s hand pulling her away before she did anymore damage or got herself in trouble for assault. “I’m sorry baby; I don’t know who she thought she was.”
“Maybe I’m not cut out for this. I mean she was right, I’m nobody. And your everybody, I mean you change people’s lives every day, you changed my life more than once.”
“Jade we love each-other. That’s all that matters, the fans will come around. and I never want to hear you talk about yourself like that again, your amazing and your depth continues to surprise me every day.”
“I do love you, so much. But they hate me…have you Googled my name lately? Or seen the captions for pictures of us together on Photobcket? It’s horrible.”
“Okay, rule one: never Google yourself, only bad things come of that….trust me. And their just jealous, an not all of them hate you, remember the girl at the ice cream parlor today…”
Jade just smiled recalling the sweet girl from earlier that day, but they still had the problem that Jade was covered in sticky Ice coffee. She began to pull the sweat-shirt off and Mikey did the same.
“Here wear this, it’s getting chilly. And put the other in your bag.” He was smiling, laughing at Jade’s huffing and puffing as she was still angry about the situation that had past. “Thank you” she sighed finally letting it go. Cautiously looking from right to left and then giving him a quick kiss.
Ignoring the simple fact that everyone else existed they walked close beside each-other arriving to Central Park, walking on the dimly lit path hand-in-hand, Jade resting her head on Mikey’s shoulder.
Then suddenly she spotted an empty, inviting, grassy hill in the center of the park and darted off towards in that general direction; pulling Mikey along with her. He laughed at her childish grin, he loved seeing her face light up like a Christmas tree but couldn’t help asking. “Where are we going?”
Jade abruptly stopped and sat down. “Right here”. Still confused Mikey plopped down on the earth next to her. Jade tilted her head back; gently letting her body slip down into the hill like it was part of her. Mikey, starting to catch on as to what was running through her head, laid back as well, still holding her hand and gazing upon her amazed face that was directed towards the heavens.
The sky was a dark deep blue that shimmered with the billions of galaxies yet to be discovered. Shown with every light in every city and town it stretched across. Glistened with the eyes of every person who was willing to take time, and appreciate the beauty and mystery it contained.
Central Park is one of the very few places the city holds where you can clearly see everything the night sky as to offer. After half an hour or so, of appreciating the serenity and getting stared at by envious eyes, they rose and finished their night stroll around the city. Stopping at small shops, and things that caught their eye. It was getting rather late as an idea popped into Mikey’s pretty little head. “Want to go back to the hotel, find the roof and watch the sun rise?”
An adorably juvenile smile spread across Jade’s face as she bit her lip to contain the excitement that was bubbling over inside her and vigorously nodding her head. “See I have my moments of brilliance” Mikey posted still chuckling at her response
“Hot and brilliant. Who knew?” she teased back

Once back in their room, Mikey called down to the front desk asking for two extra comforters and three extra pillows, along with Coke Zero and Mentos. The last request baffled Jade as she went through different circumstances where you would need Coke Zero and Mentos, on top of a thirty story high roof. By the time she was done thinking to herself, there was a knock at the door, “Room Service.”
“I’ll get it.” Jade called walking towards the door. As she opened it there where two men in hotel uniforms, one carrying their three pillows, and the other pushing a metal cart with the Coke Zero and Mentos on the top and the comforters below. After setting everything up, they stopped by the door awaiting their tips. Jade reached into her jean pocket and placed some green in each of their hands, relieving them from the room. She turned back around to see Mikey hanging up his cell phone and whisper stealthily “Read to go find it?”
“My guess is it’s on the top of the building….just a guess though. I mean I could be wrong.” Jade joked back.
“Haha, very witty Jay. But we do have to find the door that leads to the top of the building.”
“Tu-shay, should we invite Gee and Eliza?”
“Nah, they’re probably off doing their own thing.”
Mikey smiled sinisterly, biting his lip and moving towards Jade, he slowly placed his hands on her hips inching closer towards her back pockets. She tangled her arms around his neck, forcing him closer to her as their lips met in a heated frenzy. Jade let one of her hands slip down so her palm was pressed against his neck and she could feel his pulse accelerate through the thin layer of skin. But just as things were about to get hot and heavy jade pulled away reluctantly, kissed his forehead and towards the door. Mikey was bewildered and disappointed at the break but followed her happily out of the room and into the hall. “What about the stuff?” he asked, his voice half whining.
“Well lets find that door of yours first, then we’ll come back.” She turned halfway around looking at him over her shoulder and smiling at her wits.
Once outside the room, they treated finding the door to the roof as a secret mission creeping through the halls ‘James Bond Style’ and using code names. Jade’s code name was Bubble Bee, and Mikey’s was White Houses.
While waiting for the elevator to open they decided to see who had better secrete agent moves, which turned into a soft core wrestling match. So when the doors did finally open and there was an elderly couple already inside, dressed in fancy furs, and elegant jewels, they literally stuck up their noses at the sight of Mikey and Jade gangly untangling themselves on the floor and hopping into the elevator. “Going up?” Mikey politely asked.
“Yes.” The wife answered hostile.
This un-nerved Jade, she couldn’t stand when people thought they were better than her based just on the way she dressed. But being that Jade was clever, she knew the perfect way to get them back. Ever since she had been in middle school she had dealt with people such as the elderly couple and she loved making them feel as uncomfortable as humanly possible.
So, she stepped directly in-front of Mikey, wrapping one of her long legs up and around his waist, whispering loudly enough so the old couple could hear her “We sacrificing virgins after the show again tonight?” once she got a good look at the petrified face of the grandma, she kissed Mikey’s neck and winked at her. Mikey caught on to what she was doing and answered confidently despite the intense passion he felt while jade was still toying with his neck. “Of course wouldn’t be a party with-out the blood.” With that line they could hear the old couple gasp and start to move as far away as the enclosed space would allow. Jade released from Mikey’s neck, sure to leave a mark just as the elevator doors opened and the couple scrambled out as fast as their aged bodies could carry them.
Once the doors re-closed and they were out of sight Mikey and Jade couldn’t contain their laughter any longer. It burst out f Mikey as the reality that he had just scared a little old couple half to death set in. “Oh…wow…Jay where did you come up with that?” he gasped between laughing fits.
“I’ve dealt with my fair share of people like that, trust me.” she giggled back as the doors opened.
“Last floor” Mikey spoke attempting to silence the laughter
“Ok there should be some stairs around here somewhere.” They walked around the halls searching, until they came across a door that read ‘Roof’
“Damn it’s locked.” Mikey said jerking the door handle.
“Here, watch out…” Jade pulled a bobby pin from her pocket, bent down to eye level with the brass door knob and picked the lock open.
“Where did you learn how to do that?” Mikey asked surprised and curious.
“I used to work for a club and would get locked out the back door a lot.”
“Yeah, sure you did.” Mikey smirked skeptically.
“Ha, come on you, let’s go back at get the stuff, and put something in the door so it won’t lock again.”
“Kay.” Mikey stated looking around and finding a broom in a cleaning cart and sticking between the door and the wall to keep it propped open.