39 | Chocolate Surprise

Staying in the hospital was both a treat and a torment.

I was fairly alright and almost fully recovered according to Doctor Nash. She said that in a few days, I should be able to get out of the hospital. But for the meantime, I was pampered in here. I wanted to go to school because I needed to graduate after all – plus, Divide and Conquer wasn't complete without me.

Visitors came and went every single day. Though most of the time, it was Mom, Montana, Lawrence or Jess who stayed with me in my room. My classmates had also visited – Zafra Bernardo once came in with Rita Scott, GC, Perry, Brenda and Chad Moreno. Mel and other Sweet Moments staff visited. Gifts were showered. Even the Yearbook Club coughed up money for a giant teddy bear to give me.

My room looked more extravagant than ever. 'Get well soon' balloon, chocolates and stuffed animals were delivered to me. I had also received a brand new laptop from Walter and Maira (Mom wanted to decline, but I had accepted it with open arms).

And no, I still wasn't eating that much. Only bread and some soup and cereal occasionally. I didn't need that much energy after all. But Mom, on the other hand, was freaking out because I wasn't consuming as much food.

I lied back on the stack of pillows I made. Walking made me a little sore, but practice made me manage. Mom was too overprotective, insisting to go with me inside the bathroom. That woman was getting paranoid.

With my hand, I took the juice carton from my nightstand. This particular juice had flavor. Any other drink seemed bland. I sipped bit by bit, savoring the taste.

A knock on my door. Mom popped inside. Oh, goodie, what was she on to now?

She came to my bedside and refilled my glass of water. "I was wondering if you'd be okay by yourself for a few hours."

Yes, oh cakes, yes please!

"Why, where are you going?" I set my juice down, my tone playfully suspicious.

"Coffee with Maira. She said it was her treat." A smile flitted across her lips. Ha, Mom, you though I didn't catch that? She looked forward to it!

"Are you buddies with her now?" I asked.

Mom briefly frowned and then looked at me pointedly, "We're getting there, I think. She's cool. But I might need to teach her how to cook."

"Yes. God, yes!" I exclaimed, "You need to, Mom! Her cooking can summon a thousand deaths!" No offense to Maira, of course. It was her only flaw – sort of.

"You didn't answer my question," said Mom, "Are you fine here by yourself?"

I nodded, "Of course – I'm not getting out of this bed, am I? I'm perfectly fine living in the moment of solitude and peace."

"You're not going to be completely alone, really."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed, "Walter told me that the girls at Divide and Conquer will be contacting you today. In your laptop. So they can update you in their plans. You have a lot to do now, since you have that record deal job. You guys are celebrities now."

Not to mention school, graduation and college.

I brought out my laptop, sleek and shiny. "Oh goodie, then." When you're alone in a hospital room, sometimes it's just not fun anymore to watch reruns of Supernatural. Tumblr got a little boring, and I wasn't interested in Skyping Brennan at the moment.

Mom walked to the door. But before she went out, she looked back at me, "You remember to stretch your legs, right? What the doctor said –"

"I know what to do, Mom!"

"Then eat, for damn's sake!" she ordered one last time before leaving. I shook my head slightly once I was alone in here. Opening the laptop, I saw that the girls had already tried to call.

They had visited me already. But only occasionally. After all the fuss for a record deal, they were busy as hell. I bet Violet was in the middle of madness. I even heard our first original song was being composed at the moment.

Whenever they visited, they always made sure to bring news. Shai and Phoebe usually came together. The first time they came, they brought me macaroni soup. Then Ritzi also came. Carmela was the one to spend the night – I had been deeply touched by that.

Once they came together, that was forever branded in my mind. They brought food and Phoebe had even knitted me a sweater and a beanie. But their number one gift was a CD copy of our performance that night – all the covers we sung. They even played it in a stereo.

So sincere.

So the key to being treated like a queen was to get into a traumatic incident.

They called again. I picked up. Ritzi's face was first to appear – she was jumping on a trampoline. "Hey D and C!" I waved my hand, using the nickname fans gave us.

"Ollie!" Ritzi continued jumping up and down, "Can you believe we have your own room in Dale Studios? We got a trampoline! And a ball pit!"

"Ritzi – uh – where are the others?" I asked. A ball pit . . . I was jealous.

Ritzi glared at something – someone – out of the camera's view. "Shai, move the laptop, will you!" Followed by that, the view changed. Ritzi said, "Ollie, say 'hi' to Carmela! She's eating caramel popcorn. Get it?"

Carmela was sat on a beanbag, her hand stuck in a popcorn bowl. She gave me a wave, then a salute. I waved back. "There something you want to tell me?" I said.

"Oh right," Carmela put a finger on her chin just as Ritzi came up beside her to get a handful of popcorn. "Walter wants us to meet with some producer next week. But I don't think Maira Dale's still letting him speak about that to you."

Oh yeah, Maira. She was just as too caring as Mom. Whenever Walter brought up the topic of working and the music industry, she shuts him up. I figured that she thought I didn't want to talk about current matters to stress about.

"I'll be out in two days," I told them, "I'm sure next week, I'll be able to come."

"Are you sure?" asked Carmela, "Don't you need time resting at home?"

I breathed deeply, "I've had enough of resting! This could be the tempting treatment, but I can't stay in bed forever. I have to carry on with my life. So I'm going next week."

"Then if you want, we can pick you up that day," Ritzi suggested.

"Whatever you want," then I remembered something, "Where are Shai and Phoebe, anyway? Doing a quickie somewhere?"

"What! No, we're right here!" Phoebe appeared into view. Shai followed right after, but she seemed to be covered in a sticky liquid.

"Phoebe accidentally got maple syrup all over me," Shai explained, wiping her face clean the best she could, "Please don't ask."

"It was your fault!" Phoebe protested.

"No, it was you!"

Phoebe huffed and faced me, "Not to pressure you or anything, but have you been prepping your voice? They're going to ask us to sing again, Violet told us."

Oh, crap. I couldn't eat, but I haven't thought about singing. I didn't think the hospital people would appreciate spontaneous singing from me. Plus, clearly I wasn't in the mood for singing since that night.

"Chocolates," I cursed, "I haven't. But I'll think of something. Probably practice singing with you guys right now. I don't know. I haven't tested my voice out."

"Okay, now I'm being a horrible person here," Shai said, "I don't mean to add to the bubble-burst, Ollie, but there's one more thing. You ready for bad news?"

I put my 'ready' face on, "Shoot me – uh, not literally, but go for it."

"So before our own songs, the producers asked for an individual demos so they could experiment with things and plan the best approach for our song. It's due this Friday, the day you get out of the hospital."

I shrugged shoulder, "Maybe I can work it out. Ask help from Brennan and Montana. I'll submit a recording this Friday, I will, I promise."

"How are you going to do that?" asked Phoebe, "You need a recording room, the right equipment – you need a lot of help!"

"I can't control when I'll get out of this room, but I'll meet the demands, I swear. I always find a way out of it, right?" I gave them a smile of reassurance, "You better just concentrate on your demos. Do you have anything else to share?"

"Not much, actually," Ritzi chimed in.

"What about our so-called fans? What's up with them anyway?"

"Oh, right!" I practically saw a lightbulb above Ritzi's head. "We're so famous, Oliver. Our fans already call themselves the 'Conquerians'. It's amazing. Shai here made a website for us and Carmela's checking our stats in social media."

The camera panned to Carmela and zoomed in. She was in her IPad. She recited without looking up from it, "Twitter and Facebook – the whole incident that night is blowing up, but alongside that, our rep is going up. And in Tumblr, they're making fanarts and memes – it's crazy. As usual, there are fanfictions shipping Shai and Phoebe."

"Oh look, our relationship is publicized. How cool!" Shai bounced on her feet.

"We might get enough support for our first album," Carmela said.

"You know what, guys? The next thing I'm going to request for our lounge is an M&Ms and Skittles dispenser," Ritzi planned out.

Phoebe merely smiled at me, "We can't wait for you to come down here, Ollie."

For who knows how long, we talked about endless stuff. I learned that Carmela was trying to share her personally written songs to the producers. Phoebe and Ritzi told me about their memories from college (partly to prepare me for it) and Shai was reading off their menu.

It turned out that any food they asked for, it could be brought to them.

Soon, Violet came in and had the girls stop their free time. They had a tour of Dale Studios to attend to, apparently. Violet was the one who ended the video call, after giving me a short greeting.

Alone in my room again.

Putting away my laptop, I decided that maybe I should practice my voice. Maybe hum here and there with my earphones on. I still had the demo to plan for.

But before I could start singing softly, two knocks from the door sounded. I braced myself. That must be Mom, checking up on me or she forgot to remind me to take meds.

To my surprise, it wasn't Mom. It was Jackson.

Subconsciously, my hands formed into fists and my jaw clenched. That bastard – he had the nerve to suddenly show up after all the days I needed him with me. Burn, burn you jackass. I don't need you right now.

I kept my face straight as he let himself partially enter. He still looked the usual – nothing different. His face looked hopeful if not desperate. "Hi," Jackson said in a small voice.

What about I kick your ass all the way to hell where you can be tortured by the Weeping Angels? Let me think of a thousand ways to behead you.

I didn't say anything. Just a deep rumbling in my throat. "Ollie," he began softly, "I know you're thinking of murderous thoughts right now –"

Damn right.

"– but hear me out. After this, you don't have to see me again if you don't want to. Just let me."

I crossed my arms. I remained silent but he let himself in completely anyway. But to my utter shock, I saw that he had a cart with him.

And what was on the cart made my jaw drop.

He wheeled it inside, and the thrill of the moment began building up inside me. My stomach twisted and my mouth watered. My eyes were wide as saucers and my fingers itched to grab a piece. Of the dessert, not Jackson. Definitely not Jackson.

"Your Mom said you don't want to eat much, but I helped her make this anyway," Jackson told me, coming up beside me. I was ready to jump out of bed. "I hoped it will get your appetite going."

Get my appetite going? Get it going? Holy heavens, this will kill me! He literally brought the Ultimate Chocolate Surprise inside my hospital room! It is only seen from Sweet Moments once in a blue moon!

And this one costs a fortune! It cost Mom a great deal of money when she first made it.

"So, uh," Jackson cleared his throat, "I should probably describe this." He stepped to the side to let the Chocolate Surprise bask in its glory. "So . . . uh . . .um it's mostly cake. At the base, there's a row of Hershey's Kisses surrounding it. The lining is made of melted Toblerone. The icing is both chocolate syrup and Nutella. At the top, there's chocolate shavings – imported. The cake is just a wall; inside this is melted ice cream – your favorite."

I barely registered what he was saying. This stirred my tastebuds and made me feel alive once again. I could only make out his lips moving as I glued my eyes to the Chocolate Surprise.

Oh, beautiful. Where have you been all my life?

Ignoring Jackson's ramblings, I grabbed a fork from the nightstand and aimed at the dessert. It wasn't just categorized as a cake – it was a mix of desserts. I took a very small piece and pushed it into my mouth.

Oh my heavens.

I didn't chew. I just let it settle there, my body freezing. "What's wrong?" asked Jackson, "Is it bad?"

Slowly, so slowly, I chewed and swallowed. "This is too gorgeous for my mouth," I whispered. Then, I took another piece.

Jackson chuckled a little, "So you like it. I was already wondering I'd help you finish it. Or I'll eat it by myself if you didn't want to – "

I hissed.

" – but obviously, you want it, so you can go ahead." At the end of his sentence, I had already savored two more pieces. This is the first chocolate I've ever tasted since I woke up.

Jackson sat beside me and watched me eat. Watch me relish this babe. After a quarter of the dessert or so, I set the fork down. I wasn't done eating that, but I couldn't finish it in one helping. The fridge will house you for a while, my pretty baby.

I turned to Jackson, putting back my stone cold expression. I took tissues and wiped my face. He smiled at me, "Brennan was jealous when he heard, you know. He'll probably ask you for some."

No words from me.

He sighed, "You're mad at me, aren't you? Sweets, I'm sorry. I thought that you don't want to think about me after what happened to your sister. But I'm here now. For you."

He tried to reach for me but I flinched away.

Jackson looked crestfallen. "I just wanted to see you. I'm not afraid anymore. I won't avoid you. So just try . . . please?"

"And you think bringing in the Ultimate Chocolate Surprise will win me back? Joke's on you, jackass, I'll probably get together with that dessert instead of you," I snapped.

Jackson pressed his lips together and held my cheek in one hand. How sappy – just like how I'm used to. Then, he pulled me to him and kissed me lightly on the other cheek. Like a feather-brush kiss.

No, not enough, you dumb butt.

"Ollie, I'm sorry. I really am. But after all this calms down, I want another chance. When things settle down, we can talk."

"About what?" I asked.

"I was scared of you, of what might happen again. When you hurt me, I was really hit hard. So when I thought about committing myself to you, I didn't know what can happen. But now, I'm ready," he vowed.

My eyebrows rose, "Cool story. Now can you leave so I can make love to my dessert?"

"I'll do anything to get you back."

"You already have," I told him coolly, "This is just my way of dealing with you right now. So you put up with it, okay?"

He leaned forward and captured my lips in a kiss. With his lips on mine, I then remembered how good it felt to be with him. Midnight talks, insanity, food. I missed him. But my mind said 'not right now'. I had too many things to take care of.

Jackson pulled away, "Why aren't you kissing me back?"

"Oh, am I supposed to?"

"Damn it, sweets."

♫ ♫ ♫

Finally, I was out of the hospital. Unfortunately, I had finished the Chocolate Surprise in two days, so there was no more of that. But that didn't mean my appetite was back. Jackson constantly visited me, but I would just act grumpy towards him. I was surprised he actually put up with me.

As for the demo for Divide and Conquer, I was yet to make mine. I had told Brennan about it, and he promised he'd find a way. It was already Friday afternoon, and I had to submit it before seven p.m.

Now here I was, by the front desk of the hospital. Brennan, Montana and Jackson picked me up because Mom was busy. My sister was talking to a nurse, ready to check me out. Brennan and Jackson were distracting themselves at the waiting couches. Meanwhile, I was standing here with my backpack and comfortable clothes.

I walked towards a full-length mirror by a wall. This was the first time in weeks that I saw my reflection again. My face didn't look as tired – it seemed refreshed, no eye-bags in sight.

But what really bothered me was my hair.

The ombré was fading out and my blonde roots were showing. Gross. I needed to get this done right away. Maybe I could ditch them . . . I needed time for myself anyway.

I got a plan forming in my head as Montana beckoned me over to follow them. We made our way out of the glass doors and into the city. It felt weird to be outside once again, breathing the urban air.

At least it didn't smell like hospital anymore.

"Brennan? Where did you park the car?" Montana put on her sunglasses.

Brennan was looking around, "I swear I parked it here, I promise. Or was it in the back parking lot? I dropped you off here and I drove around to park it, right?"

"Don't tell me you lost the car!" my sister said exasperatedly. Jackson and I stood back, but I inched away from him.

"Okay fine, I'm not going to tell you," said Brennan. They all caught up in a fuss, where my sister kept smacking him, while Jackson tried to break them apart. Then, they moved further into the sidewalk, looking for the car and at the same time, scolding Brennan.

Thank you, Brutus. Now's my getaway time.

As they busied themselves, I moved the opposite way carefully, looking back. By the time I was sure I was out of sight, I ran. My legs were working better than I expected. So I ran, making it the first exercise session out of the hospital.

This was the downtown we were in, but I knew my usual hair salon was here somewhere. I had the basic necessities with me anyway – my phone and cash – so I need not worry. Let them worry about me.

I blew out steady breaths as I ceased running and turned to a fast walk. The salon was just out in the corner. Then, I got inside. I wondered what the public knew about Harmony and the incident that night. I wondered if they finally knew who Oliver Ridge really was.

When I entered, the ladies didn't seem the least bit fazed. My regular hairdresser, Harriet, led me to a chair right away. Business seemed slow today.

"The usual dye, right dear?" she asked.

"Make the blonde disappear, please," I told her, leaning back. She offered me a magazine which I politely declined.

She started working on my hair, and I asked her some questions I've been dying to ask. "So . . . what's going on in these parts? Is there news about me?"

The salons – every branch located in L.A. – were the most intense chain of gossipers I've ever encountered in my life. More informative than Rita Scott, the Yearbook Club or the Debate team. They had news about everything, be it true or false.

The best part about them is that they just shared stuff; they never got too involved in anything, unlike the nosey paps. A famous face comes in and asks for a haircut? They'll say 'Sit down and get comfy. We won't tell the press.'

"Oh, right, I should tell you," said Harriet, "News everywhere about Harmony Reynolds' death. And you were there, too? And you're Grant Reynolds' daughter? How come you didn't tell us?"

Whoa, so it was revealed to the whole world now.

My laugh was forced out, "That secret tries to stay low-key. But I guess that's out now. What are the reporters saying about me?"

"Condolences of course, lots of them. About your sister. On other parts, your revelation is big news itself, and your membership to Divide and Conquer. There are rumors, too, nasty ones. They said you got involved with Walter Dale. That you were the one who had an affair with Brennan. That you were the secret to your father's success."

I sighed, "Harriet, you can tell your fellow hairdressers not to believe the rumors until an official conference is held. For this while, I admit to being Grant Reynolds' daughter and hiding it my whole life."

"Goodie," she patted my cheek, "So when you're very famous, you'll get me as your personal hairdresser, right?"

The dyeing was quite a long process. It seemed like the others already noticed my absence because my phone was blowing up with messages and calls. I told them to chill out meet me at the park.

After getting my hair done, I paid Harriet and gave her one of those cheek-to-cheek kisses. She bid me good luck. And at last, my hair was back. I felt the same again. Sort of.

I took my sweet time walking to the park. I didn't get what the others were so anxious about. They were so overprotective – like Mom.

When I got there, Jackson was first to spot me. I stumbled down when he tackled me into a hug and put my face in his hands. "What were you thinking? Did you know how worried we were?"

Montana and Brennan approached us. Oops, I think my sister was going to kill me.

I took Jackson's hands in mine, "Calm down. You don't need to lose your heads – I just wanted to escape for a while."

"Sweets, of course we'll be worried after – "

I cut him off, "Really? Just because I got kidnapped doesn't mean you have to see me as poor and defenseless. I'm alright, honestly. You need to chill out."

"But where did you go?" asked Brennan.

I shrugged one shoulder, "To get my hair dyed. My roots were showing."

"And you couldn't wait until we got home?" Montana said in annoyance.

Jackson literally had my wrist in captive when we walked to the car. These people were impossible. Montana had me strapped into the backseat by seatbelt and Jackson had his eyes trained on me the whole time.

As Brennan drove, I saw that we were going a different direction – away from Sweet Moments. I asked Jackson about it and he said that I was sleeping at Montana's condo because the shop was being renovated and redesigned. I didn't ask any further after that, but I made a mental note to ask Mom when I see her.

"Hey, jackass?" I looked up at Jackson.

"Yes, sweets?"

"I was wondering . . ." I fiddled with my fingers, "If there's a recording room in the condo? I need to make a demo for the producers. It's due today."

"I'm sure there is," he replied.

"You'll help me, right?"

"Of course, sweets."

He turned to face me fully. Jackson took my hand, squeezing it for comfort. He brought it up to his lips and kissed my knuckles. Narrowing my eyes, I tore it away from him, wiping it on my shirt.

He smiled sadly and kissed my cheek instead. "You don't have to push us away. Don't put on this cold mask. So this happened, and that means we should move on."

I scoffed, "Look who's talking."

Here was the boy who turned cold and distant when we fought. Serves him right to slap it back at his face. Jackson blinked several times before saying, "I'm sorry. I'll help you record later. Whatever you want, Ollie."

"So can you make me Chocolate Surprise again?"

"Don't push it." I saw a smile tugging at his lips.

♫ ♫ ♫