ODAAT: Volume 1, Chapter 20

 

Chapter 20

Taking Off

Crystal told me what happened after I left the show. She was disappointed that there was no confrontation, no show down. Hunter got out of there even quicker than I did, taking the opposite direction. He abandoned a confused and hysterical Kathleen. Crystal invited her out for drinks because she felt bad. She knew Kathleen was just a pawn. She was also bored and I had abandoned her.

“I want to keep an open dialogue.” Crystal explains, holding up her cellphone. She took Kathleen's number and they've been texting each other since I left. Crystal smiles, looking over.

“She wants to know how you're holding up. I think she feels bad about everything that happened.” She offers. I laugh.

“Yeah. It's really hard to steal someones boyfriend, right?” I attempt to joke. Crystal shakes her head dismissively. She's not buying the “I don't care” act that I'm trying to sell her. She crosses her arms over her chest and stares at me blankly.

“I'm fine.” I shrug, looking out the window beside me. I let my head rest against the glass as I stare out at everyone on the runway. We're not even in the air yet, but the people all look so small. Or, maybe that's just how I'm perceiving them. I'd like to say I was on top of the world, but I would be lying. I know in a few minutes, we will be. Literally. Crystal will be metaphorically, too.

“I've missed the tour life.” She starts, and I know she's spinning off into her many stories. I'm thankful it's a short flight to where we're meeting him. But, I know that Crystal's stories will continue throughout the tour as well. We're going to be driving everywhere, even though someone with his fame should be flying. I asked why he was renting a tour bus and he said he liked driving. He explained that one of his favorite parts of touring was watching the scenery pass by. He says it's not time conducive, but he has enough time to spare. He has such a strange way of seeing the positive side of everything. He's the only person I know who would trade private class jets for smelly buses that have been used by so many bands before. But it's his preference, one Crystal shares. She told me that it's hard to make new friends when you're that high above everyone else. I briefly tune back into Crystal's monologue. She has a captive audience in the assistant he hired to get us to the rendezvous point. I believe her name was Candice. I didn't bother making conversation with her, too lost in my own thoughts. I know that it isn't Kathleen's fault that Hunter is a player. It's his own. She's only going to end up hurt, and part of me wanted to warn her of such. But, if she didn't already know, she was letting her love blind her. That was her decision to make. I was grateful that she was the one who greeted me. I wasn't ready to see Hunter. I don't think I'll ever be ready to see him. I know that seeing him will make me face the finality of the situation and I can't. Right now, Hunter is at work, like nothing has changed in his life. Kathleen is back at his house, packing up my possessions with delicacy and care. By the time he gets home, she'll have cleared out every trace of me, leaving it sit in a deserted corner of the house. Hunter, on the other hand, would have tossed everything in a box and thrown it outside. Or, he would have had a bonfire and tossed everything into it. I could picture him standing in the backyard, in front of the roaring fire. He'd toss things into the fire, like I was dead or something. After all, removing me from his life was the next step in his cleansing process. I shake my head, trying not to think of Hunter. I look over at Crystal, who is now flipping through a fashion magazine. She's got one of her legs draped over the other and she's turning the pages so delicately. She's wearing just as many rings on her hands as she did last night, but now they are fancier. There are pink diamonds in every single ring. These diamonds match the color she's chosen for her entire outfit. She's got her hair tucked under a pale pink wig. The curls are hanging over her shoulders, resting on the mesh arms of the dress she's wearing. The mesh is white and goes across her chest and down both arms. At the chest, it meets a fake leather corset, which is also white. The lacing on the front is the same pale pink as her wig. Then, the skirt of the dress is layered. The top layer is white fake leather, matching the corset. The layer underneath is pale pink and mesh. Then there is another layer of white mesh. Underneath the dress is a pair of white shorts, in case she moves the wrong way and the dress exposes her. She pairs the outfit with white, fake leather thigh-high platform boots. They've got chunky heels and zip up the back. She's got her make up done in a light pink, to enhance the outfit. On top of the wig, she's wearing a white clip-on top hat with a pink bow. She looks ridiculous, yet somehow manages to pull it off. She told me that she made the outfit herself, back when she was interested in fashion. She had long since given up her dream, but I could see her having a future in fashion design. This side of Crystal, the over-done drag-queen of the 80's, would be a hit. She would be easy to sell because she's got a uniqueness to her.

“I want to be on the cover one day.” She muses to herself. I nod, still looking out the window. I'm looking at the clouds we'll be joining.

“I was before, you know. When I was dating you-know-who.” She adds, trying to direct my attention. I look over, watching her. She's waving the magazine around in her hand, then she drops it onto her lap. She goes on to say that she doesn't know which version of herself she wants on the cover.

“Maybe Crystal will die in a plane crash.” She exclaims, clapping her hands together. I can hear the jingle of her jewelry as she does, even though the plane is rattling. I shake my head.

“Don't mention plane crashes.” I request, looking over briefly. She pauses, raising her eyebrow.

“Are you afraid of flying?” She asks, sounding concerned. I shake my head, so she goes back to her magazine. No, I'm not afraid of flying. I'm not afraid of the plane crashing. In fact, I'd welcome a plane crash. But, isn't that a much bigger problem?