Part Seven
Isabel looked steadily out the window. One part of her was crying to go back. Crying to go back to Jesse and drag him along with them. The other part was urging stay quite, to keep going. He had been a distraction. Just like Alex had been.
She nearly snorted at the irony, sounding like Tess. But she was fine without him. She’d only been with him for a year. It wasn’t as though they where Max and Liz. They had been the dreamers, while she and Jesse where the ones that weren’t meant to be.
For some reason it didn’t hurt as much as finding out that Alex had died. But she supposed it was because she had made the choice to leave him. Alex had been cruelly taken away. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Max and Michael exchange a glance. She knew they where worried.
Yet she didn’t care. This was Max’s fault anyway. That startled Isabel but suddenly she realized that yes it was Max’s fault.
Not that he chose to fall in love with Liz, therefore starting everything completely.
That she couldn’t blame him for. It was for giving up on Liz so easily when she supposedly slept with Kyle. She was still skeptical of that. Kyle had confined that he was still a virgin. So something major had to have happened for Liz to lie to Max about that.
She respected her for it.
“Isabel?” She nearly jumped at the sound of Liz’s voice.
“Yes?” She snapped. She may have respected Liz but she still wasn’t in the mood for talking.
“We where ah… just having a break and I wondered if you wanted anything from the ah gas station” She looked around in surprised. She hadn’t even noticed that they had stopped. Isabel put on a smile.
“Sure, I’ll come in with you”
~*^*~
“Never mock my love for Broadway again.” Isabel looked up from her place in the living room as Maria entered the apartment without knocking.
“Hello Maria, come on in. Don’t you ever knock?” She simply asked, going back to her paper.
“Turn to page six and say Maria you are a genius.” Maria instructed, before turning around and pulling out her cell phone, “do it Iz and thank me later.”
“Fine,” She grumbled out. She turned to the page and started to read it out loud, “Washed up Hollywood Producer heads to Broadway. We knew that already, Maria” She said putting down the paper.
“Keep reading.” She said putting her mouth over the phone, “hello Liz? What took you so long? Scratch that I don’t need to know. Anyway get todays paper got it? Read page six.” Isabel started reading again.
“Kal Langley, once a famous producer in Hollywood is now bringing back the hit show Rent staring a relatively unknown but talented cast. Langley, has been reported seen with a curly haired blonde who is reportedly his PA, Tess Parker.” Isabel stopped and then read the last sentence over again.
“Yes you did read that correctly.” Maria said both to the phone and to Isabel
“But Tess Parker? I understand Parker but Tess?”
“Maybe Ava was too unique or something I don’t know I’m not the woman.” Maria responded with ease, “Keep reading.”
“Parker commented that they had a brilliant first night with upcoming broadways stars Billy Darden and Jennifer Coleman having brilliant chemistry between each other.” Isabel paused, “why do those names ring a bell?”
“Not sure about Jennifer, but Billy…” Maria trailed off somewhat sheepishly, “yes Liz. Billy’s apparently on Broadway. No I didn’t know. Feel like doing me a favor bestest friend in the whole wide world? Fine lets see if I cover for you and Max next time round.” Isabel watched as Maria hung up the phone.
“No Maria.” She said instantly.
“But I haven’t even asked you a question yet.” Maria protested. Isabel gave her best Ice princess glare.
“Because I already know what it is. No Maria I’m not telling Michael that Billy’s staring on Broadway. If you want to do that you’re going to have to do it yourself.”
“But Iz…” Maria protested.
“No.” She said bluntly while going back to the article.
~*^*~
“Are you sure this is going to work?” Isabel questioned a few days later while watching Maria head into the building with Kyle, “it just seems a little too easy.”
“Kal won’t recognize Maria or Kyle, neither will Ava. They’ll find out the necessary info and be out of there.” Max said confidently.
“She’s going to try for an audition, Max. She hasn’t had the time to practice for it, or sung in public for years.” She added almost as an after thought.
“She’ll be fine.” Liz said confidently sounding almost like Max had earlier, “she knows all the songs to Rent by heart.”
“Trust me I know,” Michael added with a slight grimace, “If I have to hear Take Me or Leave Me one more time…” Liz laughed at that.
“She always wanted to be Maureen.”
“What about Kyle?” Isabel then asked, “Do you really think he can pull off being an agent?” At this the van fell quiet.
“I should have gone in there…” Michael started but Max shook his head.
“Langley would have recognized you, same with Isabel and Liz, Kyle was our only option.”
“What’s Kyle going to do? Blast him with Buddha?” Michael snapped.
“Nothing’s going to go wrong.” Liz spoke up, “Kyle and Maria will be fine.” However as soon as she said that Liz’s cell phone went off.
~*^*~
“Hello?” She froze at the sound of a woman’s voice on the other end of the phone. Although it had been two years it still hurt,
“hello is anyone there?”
“Serena, honey, who is it?” His voice in the background made her heart break slightly. She had done the right thing. She told herself.
“Nobody’s there.” The woman said sounding rather confused, the popular, cruel part of Isabel couldn’t help but smirk. Blonde bimbo ten o’clock. Suddenly Jesse’s voice came over the line.
“Hello, is anyone there?” His voice sounded a little older but it hadn’t changed. She didn’t think it ever could,
“If this is James I’m going to call your parents….” Isabel took a deep breath.
“Goodbye, Jesse”
“Isabel?” Jesse’s voice breathed and Isabel knew if she didn’t hang up now she wasn’t going to be able to do it. So she did, knowing the divorcé papers that where on her desk would be in the mail tomorrow morning.
It was what was best for Jesse. She reminded herself, but as she broke down she knew she still wasn’t completely over him. She didn’t know if she ever was going to be able to.
He might have started out as a distraction from her heartbreak of Alex but she had grown to love him.
To Be Continued