Through-out the following week, life had gotten almost too much to handle. Basketball season was ramping up for both Alvin and Eleanor, while there was still friction between the two of them as well as with Brittany, whom was also ramping things up as she started her new career as a solo artist, and was preparing for recording sessions for songs she had written after the Chipettes had disbanded. Dave had put so much effort into fixing up his property, that once his new backyard, with the freshly dug garden, the repaired gazebo, and the new screened porch was finished, he decided that the rest of the house could use some sprucing up as well. Theodore was still conserving his earning from the diner he worked at, still making sure that he'll be able to raise enough for tuition into chef's college the following semester. Work was piling up for both Simon's and Jeanette's jobs, so much in fact, that Simon actually struggled to stay awake for his courses by the time he went to night school. Jeanette also stopped accepting Roberta's dinner invitations during their break period, because by then, all she wanted to do was crash and burn in the breakroom. Jeanette realized that with work piling up, she never did get in touch with Lori after the brief chat they had earlier in the week, she decided that over the weekend, perhaps they could get together and finish their talk.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Simon asked, one night, after Jeanette returned home from work, and before Simon left for night school.
"If I were a psychiatrist," Jeanette said, "I would say we're close to a breakthrough."
"And this is the exact same girl who brainwashed you into becoming that Tina girl?" Simon asked.
"Yes, but there's more to her than that," Jeanette said, "there's so much more, it's like peeling and onion."
Simon revealed a half smile. "Never thought I'd see the day Jeanette Miller lives dangerously."
"Your brother's rubbed off on me." Jeanette joked.
Jeanette phoned up Lori, and asked her if she was willing to continue talking this weekend. She obliged. When the weekend finally came, Jeanette drove down to where Lori's condo was located, and like the previous time, where Jeanette was getting into Lori's car, Jeanette still kept a level of reservation before she was about to meet with Lori inside her home. Jeanette stepped into Lori's condo, which seemed very similar to the apartment Simon was sharing with her, but with more chic decorating. Jeanette remembered Lori was very stylish, not just with apparrell, but with interior decorating. The two girls sat at Lori's dining table, over cups of coffee.
"Lori," Jeanette said, "I don't know if you want to talk about it or not, but I really would like to hear again... what happened to you?"
"I'll talk about it, but I really don't want to waste your time with petty details," Lori said, sipping her coffee, "to make a long story short... my own father would molest me when I was growing up, until he finally completely raped me one day, driving a nail of tension into the house among the family. I knew he had it in for me after I ratted him out to my mother, so I just ran away... lived on the streets... until finally, Mr. Thompson gave me a ride, took me to the whorehouse, where I built up my rep."
"That's terrible..." Jeanette said.
"That's a lesson for you right there, Jeanette," Lori said, "there is no such thing as trust."
"You don't really believe that, do you?" Jeanette asked.
"How has it really affected your life now?" Lori asked. "Besides simply being haunted by your past?"
Jeanette sighed, with a small shrug. "I guess in some small way, I too have difficulty with trust... and sometimes, it even affects the relationships I have with the people in my life... even with my boyfriend, we moved in together about a month ago, but it's taken me all this time to give into sharing a bed with him, and to this day, I still get a little suspicious as to just what exactly he has on his mind when he's lying next to me."
"Have you had sex at all, since you were released from Tina?" Lori asked.
"No," Jeanette said, "after everything that I went through, I'm really not anxious in engaging in any kind of sexual activity ever again."
"Does he accept this?" Lori asked.
"Yes," Jeanette said, "he's been doing his best to be supportive of me these past few years, and especially within the last month or so."
"At least you have someone who does support you." Lori said.
"You know something Lori?" Jeanette asked. "I can see that you're in need of someone... someone who really, and truely cares. I know that it would be difficult for you, but, the thing to understand is that not everybody in the world is willing to take advantage of you. Some people, yes, but not everybody. You have to be willing to give people a chance to help you, and I know that's what you want and crave, more than anything, is help. I know you put up a tough exterior to let people know you're no push-over, and if I know you, you're certainly not a push-over, but underneath that tough exterior you've built up, is a vulnerable, helpless, and hopeless girl who needs someone to reach out to her..."
Jeanette reached out and placed her hand on Lori's hands that were folded on the table, though Lori was quick to pull them away. She felt she wasn't deserving of the benevolent gestures Jeanette was offering.
"I think maybe there was more to your little 'pep talks' you used to give me years ago," Jeanette said, "all those talks of me being held back... I know part of it was to convince me that my family was horrible, but I think another part was you were going with what you knew... in a sense, I don't believe it was just me you brainwashed, I believe you had slightly brainwashed yourself, to a point. Again, there's someone inside you who really wants to be helped, and that someone is Lori. Not Lori the tough customer who demands satisfaction, and doesn't take any crap from anybody, but rather, Lori the damaged girl who wants to be able to live and breath without having to put up fronts for other people she fears she may not be able to trust. I know you don't think so, but there is such a thing as trust, Lori... you just have to discover it again... that girl inside you has to discover it again... that girl inside you needs to come out of the hard shell that it's become trapped in, and set free."
"Perhaps..." Lori said, before she looked up at Jeanette, with tears in her eyes, "if you don't mind... I think I'd like to be alone now..."
Jeanette nodded in understanding, before leaving Lori's place.
"I'm sorry if I may have upset you," Jeanette said, "I just wanted to help."
"I know." Lori said, "I appreciate it Jeanette... more than you may ever know... I just need to sort my life out myself now... thanks for stopping by."
"My pleasure," Jeanette said, as she opened her car door, "I'll see you around, sometime."
Lori watched Jeanette drive off, before returning inside her condo. As Jeanette drove for home, she felt very optimistic. She was able to help Dan turn his life around for the better, and now, she felt that she could very well have done the same for Lori. Jeanette felt so proud, but also, even happier and more peaceful than she was a short time ago. So much, in fact, that the traces of her past seemed to disappear from her mind and memory altogether. Jeanette's happiness would be short-lived, however, when she returned home, just as Simon had gotten off the phone.
"Bad news," Simon said, "Roberta's in the hospital."
"What?" Jeanette shrieked. "Why? How? What happened?"
"I didn't get all of the details," Simon said, "I understand that she was attacked... and probably by more than one person..."
Jeanette ran back to her car, and sped off for the hospital as fast as she could. Once she had arrived, she was guided up to Roberta's room, and nearly choked at seeing Roberta lying in a hospital bed, bloodied and bruised.
"Roberta?" Jeanette called out.
"Jeanette?" Roberta responded, looking out the one eye that wasn't swollen shut.
The nurse left the room, while Jeanette approached Roberta's bedside.
"What happened?" Jeanette asked.
Roberta sighed. "I was going to visit Derrick for the weekend, but I didn't have enough money for a cab, and there are no bus stops close to where I live... so I decided to walk... it's really not that far, and I could've used the exercize anyway... I was halfway there, and these two guys came out of nowhere, and grabbed me, and tried to drag me into their car."
That was sounding familar to Jeanette.
"I put up a fight," Roberta continued, "but they fought back, and they fought back hard... then, they forced themselves onto me. I guess someone must have saw what was happening, because the police showed up, but the guys got away before they could be apprehended."
Jeanette sniffed, as she gently held her best friend's blue and purple hand. "I wish I was there for you."
"You would've been just another target for them." Roberta said.
"I would've helped you get away, and let them attack me instead." Jeanette said.
"Oh Jeanette, you've done enough for me already." Roberta said.
"I don't feel like I've done anything for you." Jeanette said.
"You've done so much for me," Roberta said, "you not only gave me your friendship, but you accepted me for who I am, and you didn't even get angry when I told you how I really felt about you."
Jeanette sniffed again, while still holding onto Roberta's hand. Roberta reached over with her other hand, gently lifting Jeanette's glasses with her finger to wipe away her tears.
"Don't worry Jeanette, I'll be fine, really," Roberta insisted, "the bruises will go away eventually."
"It still just breaks my heart to see you like this." Jeanette said.
Roberta tried to smile through her swollen lips. "Thanks for coming to see me."
At the Miller house, Brittany was listening to a demo tape that she had compiled for the record company, while also mapping out her future plans of moving out of the house, getting her own place, among other things, when her phone rang.
"Brittany Miller here." She answered.
"Britt, it's Ellie." Eleanor said.
"What's up?" Brittany asked.
"I think I may have come up with a plan to get Alvin off our backs for good." Eleanor said.
"Ooh, do tell." Brittany said, with a sneer.
Later that evening, Alvin entered the gymnasium, after receiving a note saying that someone was to meet him there.
"Hey there, mister." Eleanor called out to him, as she emerged from the shadows.
"Want another match?" Alvin asked.
"Not quite..." Eleanor said.
"Just wanna settle some things out." Brittany added, as she too emerged from the shadows.
"Oh, finally coming to your senses, huh?" Alvin asked.
"You want both of us Alvin? Then you're gonna get both of us." Eleanor said.
"Eat your heart out, Charlie Sheen." Alvin mumbled.
Both Brittany and Eleanor whipped out pairs of handcuffs, to Alvin's delight, thinking they were planning on cuffing him to his bed, and pleasuring him, but was taken by surprised when Brittany slapped a cuff onto his wrist, before cuffing her own.
"But first, we need a little insurance..." Brittany said.
Eleanor slapped a cuff on Alvin's other wrist, while cuffing herself as well. "Just to make sure we'll all be together forever."
Brittany began dragging Alvin away, causing Eleanor to follow. "Come Alvin, I'm hungry, why don't you take me out for a nice, romantic dinner?"
Eleanor began dragging Alvin in the opposite direction. "Because I'm not hungry, and I was getting ready to meet with the girls for a round of rummy, besides, Alvin should get acquainted with my friends."
Brittany drug Alvin back, "He's got plenty of time to meet your friends, right now, I wanna spend some time with my man at a lovely restaurant."
Eleanor yanked Alvin away. "Your man? He's my man too!"
"Then you ought to learn to share, Eleanor." Brittany said, yanking Alvin.
"Look who's talking." Eleanor said, yanking Alvin.
"Hey, he's been my man longer than he has your's."
"All the more reason for me to spend more time with him."
"You've spent enough time with him recently, I haven't seen him in years."
"Not my problem."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Hold it! Hold it!" Alvin shrieked.
"Something wrong?" Brittany and Eleanor asked.
"Unlock me, right now!" Alvin said. "There maybe plenty of me to go around, but there isn't enough of me for the two of you!"
"Well Alvin, you'll just have to choose, then." Eleanor said.
"Which of us do you really want?" Brittany asked.
"Screw both of you!" Alvin said, continuing to insist his cuffs be unlocked. "I'd rather set up a swingin' bachelor pad, than to be stuck with both of you crazies!"
Both Brittany and Eleanor released Alvin from his bonds, as he stormed away, rubbing his wrists, all the while, both Brittany and Eleanor quietly giggled to themselves.
"Good one, Ellie!" Brittany whispered.
"Worked like a charm." Eleanor whispered back.
When the new week began, Jeanette informed her manager of what happened to Roberta, and that she wouldn't be able to return to work until further notice. The day seemed to pass really slowly for Jeanette, in spite of the fact that she was keeping busy, the bookstore just didn't seem the same without Roberta. After she got home that evening, Jeanette decided to pull what little bit of earnings she had, and early the morning, she exited a nearby floral shop, with two bouquets in hand. Jeanette visited the hospital again, where she saw Roberta didn't look any better, but she didn't seem the worse for wear.
"How's work?" Roberta asked.
"We're keeping busy," Jeanette said, "but you're not forgotten."
Jeanette handed Roberta a bouquet of flowers.
"I certainly hope you'll heal soon." Jeanette said.
Roberta looked at her flowers, as tears spilled from her eyes, before she looked up at Jeanette.
"Thank you." Roberta mouthed, while Jeanette leaned over to embrace her sore and tendered friend.
Afterwards, Jeanette dropped in on Lori to deliver the other bouquet she had purchased. Lori was a little overwhelmed by Jeanette's act of kindness. Lori invited Jeanette for more coffee, as the two got to talking again, Jeanette could tell that perhaps she may have made an impact on Lori, she seemed much more calm and relaxed. As Jeanette drove home to get ready for work, she pieced together all of the events that had happened to her: Alvin finding the box of money and entrusting her with it, being kidnapped by a pair of drug dealers who the money belonged to, being sold into prostitution to pay off the 'debt', enduring three years of manipulation and brainwashing into becoming Tina, unwittingly yet miraculously being saved by her older sister, experiencing reverse brainwashing into becoming Jeanette again, trying to carry on with life and go on to university, dropping out and moving back and getting a job at Waldenbooks, bumping into Roberta, Dan, and Lori again, having some form of impact on all three of their lives, and revalutating her own life in the process. To think that just weeks ago, Jeanette was suffering through a lengthly depression over her past haunting her, yet as parts of her past resurfaced, alot of good came out of it. It reaffirmed the belief she held in the saying that every dark cloud has a silver lining, and as far as she was concerned now, life was good.
The end.
Author's Note:
For the complete arc:
Original: COLD HARD CASH (2009) - .net/s/5067183/1/Cold_Hard_Cash
Sequel: TINA: THE UNTOLD STORY (2010) - .net/s/5832803/1/Tina_The_Untold_Story
Trequel: TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACKWARD (2011) - .net/s/6881527/1/Two_Steps_Forward_One_Step_Backward