//unedited//

Ch-33 ★Shatter these distances

      [Jay]

Houston, Texas

            The deafening sound of the crowd echoed in the stadium glimmering with yellows lights and white phone screens. I held the mic close to my mouth. The middle chord struck a sharp note in the loud air.

            “And she cried ‘you were never there

            When I fell apart,

            You should’ve held me close to your heart,

            But you didn’t

            You never loved me’

         Fans were screaming wildly. The bass guitar and the drums reached their ultimate peak. Breaths left me in a rapid drag. My pulse was rough -I was tired but I had to go on even if my muscles tore apart and my bones ached. Matthew smiled at me from behind the drum set- there was a proud gleam in his eyes as the drumsticks struck the snare drum.

       I walked out to the center stage. It was large, larger than the other ones I’ve performed on. It was an open roof stage. You could see the night sky and feel the cold air billowing against your skin. Goosebumps rose on my skin.

        It wasn’t from the chilly weather. Rather it was from the magnitude of the crowd. It was huge. I was closer to the edge of the stage. There were girls, beautiful faces in a blur smiling at me, reaching for me. I would have smiled back if it weren’t for the oppressive song I was singing. It was the song I wrote when I was thinking of Aura. It was the song that constantly reminded of the reasons why she left me.

        The beat dropped and I realized that was my cue. There was smoke as the trapdoor beneath my feet collapsed. Boom I was beneath the stage. People scrambled around me. A harness was tossed over my shoulder. My leather jacket was tore off my arms. The stylist smiled shyly at me as she helped me pull the white shirt over my head.

        It was the same. I’ve done this act over a gazillion times but every time it brought the same ripple of excitement inside the pit of my stomach.  

     One of the guys from the crew gave me a thumb up. My heart sped with anticipation.  I don’t remember who walked me to the stairs that led to the rooftop. It was all such a chaotic blur.

      “Ready?” Someone asked me.

“Aren’t I always?”  I distantly remember myself answering.

            The door flew open and I stood on top of seats- near the edge of the roof. A blinding spotlight was aimed in my directions.  I walked on the small ramp. A wave gasps erupted through the audience. All eyes were up in the sky where I stood on the ledge.  When I started doing this precarious act, I used to be extra careful about my balance. Now I just don’t fucking care.

            “The ground beneath my feet has vanished

            I can’t stand anymore

            Without feeling like I’m walking on air

            All I’ve thought about since you left,

            Is all we could’ve been,

            I promise, I promise,

            I’m going to shatter these distances,”

Then I jumped my arms wide apart and my feet hanging in mid-air.  The wind soared under me. Whoosh. Eyelids fell to a close. I could hear the distant roar of fireworks erupting in the sky. I didn’t open my eyes to stare at them. I didn’t want to.

            I never cried this badly.

“Come back! I can’t live without you!” 

The sound of my screams was drowned by the applause.

✩★✩★✩

      “Bloody hell, that was an amazing show,” Mathew grinned. He collapsed onto the sofa in my trailer.

            I stood by the window. It was raining heavily, drops of rain slid down the glass, distorting the reality ahead of me. Houston was different, really different. The weather was strange here. One minute it would rain and the next it was a bright sunny day. It somewhat reminded me of London.  The roads were packed with traffic. No-one walked here. People either travelled by car or the bus. I found that strange how in most American cities people preferred to drive rather than walk to places that were really close by.

            “It was,” I leaned against the pale wall.

Matthew noted the dullness in my voice with a frown. He slouched on the sofa before coming to stand beside me “You always find a reason for this,”

I stayed silent- Longingly, staring at an old picture of Aulaura flashing on the phone’s screen. It was a gossip magazine picture when she had arrived at her birthday party two years ago. Her smile was infectious. There was something about it that made me feel so good. Like there was nothing in the world that could stop me as long as she smiled.  

            “You always find a way to be this love sick boy,” His eyes flickered to the screen before shifting to look at me. I could see that he wanted to say more but something was stopping him.

            “Go on,” I nudged him, tucking the phone in my pocket.

“It’s not fair, man,” He groaned. “You were just beginning to find love with Aulaura and now you lost her. Why does this always happen to you?”

            “There, there,” I threw my arms around his shoulder and grinned. “I haven’t lost her. Matt I’m going to get her back. Have faith, will ya?”

            He just stared at me. “How do you keep up with this?”

He has no idea.

            “Seriously, Matt-you in there?” I rapped my knuckles against on his forehead. He scowled at me. “You sound more like Sam each day,”

            Now he was furious, he jerked away from me and plopped down on the sofa.

“Call up Sam, she probably needs you,” 

            The anger faded away from his face replenishing into something sad. “What time is it in London?”

            “There is a six hour difference,” I stated matter-of-factly.

            “Midnight?”  He asked. It was six o’clock in the evening here.

“Precisely,”

            “Won’t she be sleeping? I don’t want to disturb her,”

      Amused, I quirked an eyebrow.  Sam sleeping while the Innovation crumbled and the world dreamt- no chance. Mr. Grey was out of the game since Aura’s disappearance. It was strange to see the old man who was always cold and businesslike getting emotional. It was good thing he has Mrs. Grey, she was stronger than her husband. 

        Mr. Grey had retired to his mansion some six odd months ago. I haven’t seen him in a long time. The last time I saw him, I remember how lost he looked and how he would tear up at the slight mention of Aura. It was truly heart-breaking. Underneath his cover of strength and power, he was nothing more than a man who had destroyed his own family.

           I’m no better than Mr. Grey.  The reason she left us all was because I didn’t make her feel loved. She didn’t believe in my love. She didn’t believe in our love.

The ringing of the Matthew’s phone broke my brief reverie.

A smile lighted Matt’s features. I instantly knew who the call belonged to. Only one person in this world could bring that spark in his mellow eyes.

“It’s Sam,” He grinned, waving the phone wildly in his hand. “I’m putting her on speaker,”

Before I could stop him, he turned on the phone. “Hey darling, it’s Jay and me,”

            I sighed. Looks like Sam has an uninvited guest. She probably wanted to have some alone time with him.

            “How was the show guys? I bet it was blast,” She sounded tired. There was a rough, fatigue worn tone in which she spoke.

            “It was,” Matthew answered.“Jay totally killed it,”

I cringed at the word. Killed. A haunting shiver escaped my spine. There were so many things in my life that word brought.  My first love was burned by that word.

            I laughed nervously. “So how’s the weather in London?”

“Grey, does that count,” The tinkering sound of her laughter echoed off the small walls of the trailer. Matthew perked up at the sound.

            “Of-course, it does babe,” He replied.

“How’s Mr. Grey? and Mrs. Grey?”  I asked.

            Sam sighed, I could see her running a hand through her knotted curls while her back was bent over a mountain of files.

            “They’ve been better,” Her voice was quite.

A look of worry crossed Matthew’s face. “What about you? Are you okay?”

            “I’m perfectly alright. It’s dad I’m worried about. I’ve never seen him so miserable. He doesn’t come out for dinner anymore. All he does is sit in his room and stare at Aura’s photograph. Matt, I- I-“

            Broken sobs came through the phones line. My heart fell at the sound. I’ve never seen Sam break down but I know it wasn’t a pretty sight.

            My eyes shifted to Matt. I’ve never seen my best-friend look so broken. He switched the speaker off and pressed the phone to his ear. Before leaving for the other room in the trailer, he shot me an apologetic look.

✩★✩★✩

            The sun had set and moon had risen when I woke up. My phone was ringing, blaring in the soundless night. I shifted on the bed. Blinking a couple of times, I stared at the screen.

            For a moment, I felt my heart clamp shut from fear.

“Jake,” Who else would call me at this time.

            Unwilling, I picked up the phone.

“I told you’ll get the money on time as usual,” I breathed out. “Stop calling me,”

            “And if I don’t” Jake laughed.

I narrowed my eyes at the phone. “We had a deal,”

            “Deal? Ya seriously expect em’ to keep this deal business,” Damn them, this can’t be good. I can’t have them turn their backs on me, not until I meet Aura. Please God, just let me see Aura for one last time before you punish me for my sins.

“It’s been like this for eight years,” Even my ears could detect the tremble in my voice. “You can’t break it now,”

“Double it,”

“What!  You’re already taking a fortune from me,”

            “Well don’t blame em’ when your precious little secret is out-“

“Fine,” I huffed. Give them what they want. Everything will be alright after I surrender. “By tomorrow morning, you’ll have all the money you want,”

            The phone’s line went dead. I sighed. “You’ve got to be kidding me,”

I knew exactly what I needed to do. Quickly, I shuffled out of bed and walked out of the hotel’s room. The lobby was empty and dark. I made my way to Matthew’s room.

I knocked on the door. The sound of my knuckles hitting the expensive wood created a chilling effect in the silent hall. It was like I was the hero in some horror movie and instead of Matthew; I was half expecting a zombie to pop out of the door.

To my relief, it was Matt who came out. He was wearing the same pair of clothes from the evening after concert party. I bet he was talking to Sam on the phone but that wasn’t any of my business.

“Ey’ mate, everything alright?”  He looked scared rather than worried. I barely covered the laugh about to escape my throat. Matthew has every right to be scared considering how my mood was these days. He is probably expecting me to announce that I’m giving up on my music career.

“I’m taking a small break,”

His mouth fell open, he opened and closed it. “You are going to come back? Right?”

“I promise. I’ll come back,”  

✩★✩★✩

[Aura]

Shell Gas Station, Galveston

            You know those moments where you get that feeling when each and every limb in your body would tingle with excitement. Like you know something big is about to take place. Like somehow you know your life is about to change and a take a turn towards brighter side.

            I was getting that feeling right now as I soaked up the sun standing by the store’s window. It was a strangely quiet day. No customers, no cars- just plain desolations surrounded the petrol pump. I leaned against the counter, smiling to myself. I don’t know why I felt happy. I don’t know why the sun seemed to shining brightly today. I don’t know why the sky seemed to be of a lighter blue. I could hear the chirping of the birds, the gentle billowing salty beach winds.

            Everything felt so good.

Drake set the crates of tacos on the counter. There was an amused glint in his navy blue eyes. “Ah, that beautiful smile,” He placed a hand on his chest. “Can kill a man within minutes,”

            I bit the corners of my lips. “Thanks,”

“Wow, seriously,” Drake grinned. “You’re really happy today. Any guy I should go beating down right now?”

            I laughed, a hand firmly planted across my mouth. Shaking my head, I punched his shoulder. “Shut up,”

            He held up his hands. “Okay, I get the point. No guy. So what else?”

“Can’t I be happy for once without having to explain myself?”

            “Well you can. It’s just that I’ve never seen you like this. You know?” He raised an eyebrow- in a playful way.

I shrugged my shoulders.

            He waved it off. “Whatever. I’m heading out for lunch. Anything I can get you?”

They served amazing Texas sized burgers at the local diner and then there were onion rings and nachos with extra-cheese. So many tempting things to choose from.

“Um…”

Drake chuckled at my muddled expression. “I’ll get you the rodeo special. It’s a little of everything,”

            I gave him thumbs up.

He gave me a little salute before skipping out of the store whistling some Miranda Lambert song.

            I sat down on the small plastic chair by the counter. Martha was kind enough to allow me to sit during my shift. Other managers in the area worked the employees to the bone. Martha didn’t care what I did as long as the store was taken good care of. There was an old color TV siting on the shelf filled with magazines.

            I watched it for sometime, flipping aimlessly through the channels. I stopped on the channel showcasing Jay’s concert. My heart halted when I saw what he was doing. He was standing at the top tower of the stadium, singing one of my favorites from the album

            “The ground beneath my feet has vanished

            I can’t stand anymore

            Without feeling like I’m walking on air

            All I’ve thought about since you left,

            Is all we could’ve been,

            I promise, I promise,

            I’m going to shatter these distances,”

The camera closed up to Jay’s face- his features were arranged in a distraught expression. Tears lingered down his lashes. I’ve never seen Jay cry. That just broke my heart into million pieces. Streaks of crumbling sorrow clung to his sharp jaw.

Jay tipped a little distance backwards then he propelled himself off the edge with full force. My stomach lurched forward. I swear he is going to kill me if he keeps this up. What was he thinking? Performing such a dangerous act. Doesn’t he care about his life?

Then it hit me. An avalanche of emotions, realization, and mistakes crashed ruthlessly against me. Jay- he doesn’t care about his life. He never did.

Of course I knew that much.

Ever since Melody, he had stopped living because she was his life, his air. A pang of jealously echoed inside me. I ignored it.

Jay sold himself not out of voracity.  He never betrayed our friendship. He begged for my money not for his own selfish sake. There was some other reason that made him desperate.

            All this time, I thought he was there for my money but that wasn’t entirely true. Yes, he wanted my money- not for himself but for someone else. Jay was living life for someone else. But who? And why? Who had managed to get that close to the Rockstar’s highly guarded heart?

            The store’s bell rung nosily- I looked at the door. No-one was there. I swear I heard the bell. Maybe it was the wind. No, not possible. The bell is on the inside of the door plus all the windows are closed for the air-conditioning to be effective.

            “Hi,” It was a girl’s voice. Huh? Where is she? I scanned the store, no sign of any girl.

“Down here,” She yelled- a pair of feeble hands appearance on the counter. I tip-toed and looked over the counter. There stood a small girl, no older than eight, smiling shyly at me. She has curly brown hair, ringlets of hair curled around the counters of her heart-shaped face. A pair of lovely blue eyes stared back at me. Her eyes reminded me of another pair of eyes. 

“Hey there, sorry for not seeing you earlier,” I found myself smiling back. Where were her parents? A girl of her age couldn’t possibly roam a petrol pump alone. It’s not safe. We sold all kinds of cigarettes and lighters here. This is the last place I’d want an eight year to be at.  

The girl brought her fist to the counter and unraveled it. Four quarters fell out of her hand and landed on the granite with a clicking sound.

“Can I get one those?” She pointed at a pack of Doritos behind my back. 

“Sure,” I didn’t take my eyes off of her just in case she got some ideas to prance about with the lighters.

            I handed her the bag of chips. “Where are your mom and dad?”

            “Mind your own beeswax,” she glowered at me. Looks like I hit a nerve. The girl’s chubby cheeks glowed red with anger.

“I am. But you shouldn’t come to stores alone. It’s not safe,”

            “Daddy’s busy,” The girl lowered her gaze and stared at her shiny pair of boots.

“What about your mom?”

            “Dead,”

My heart fell. “I’m so sorry,”

 She smiled- it was sad to see a girl of her age trying to be brave. “Everyone says she’s dead. Daddy says she’s angel and angels don’t die,”

            “You know what? Your daddy is absolutely right,” I made my way around the counter and crouched down beside her. I took her soft hands in mine. “Now do you want to tell me your name?”

            She nodded her head. “Beatrice,”

“Wow, that’s such a nice name,”

            She folded her hands together and grinned widely. The colorful bangles on her wrist made pleasant chiming sounds. “Thank you! What’s your name?”

“Allie,”

            “You’re pretty Allie,” She played with a wisp of my black hair that had managed to fall out the ponytail.

            “But not as pretty as Beatrice,” I rested my chin in the nest of my hands. “Do you want a popsicle?”

            She eagerly nodded her head.

 And that began my friendship with the eight-year old girl.

✩★✩★✩

            Beatrice had been stopping by the store for the past week. She was a charming little girl. Every day she would buy a bag of Doritos and I would give her a Popsicle.  Some days she would come in early in the morning. Whenever she came, she filled my day with a pocketful of sunshine. Over the week, I had to come to a conclusion that she was bit lonely considering how often her father was out. I doubt that he even knew about Beatrice’s daily expedition to the store.

            “And then…” Beatrice urged me to continue telling her the story, her face filled with sweet awe. She sat on the counter, dressed in a frog t-shirt and zebra leggings.

            I was telling her the story dad used to tell when I was a kid. I remember not wanting to eat dinner and how he’d trick me into eating as he told a story. Bite by bite the entire plate would vanish.  “The princess ran and ran deeper into the forest, afraid that her stepmother might catch up with her. There she saw a tree. It was no ordinary tree, it was a tree that talked,” I opened the cash register and filled it with a fresh stacks of quarters.

“The tree told the princess to hide inside her. The tree opened up and there was enough room for the princess to stand. When the princess stepped inside the tree’s trunk, it closed upon her. The princess couldn’t get out no matter how hard she tried. So whenever the princess heard footsteps outside the tree she would whisper cut the bark open and inside you’ll find a servant at your service”

Beatrice held up her hand. “What is a servant?”

“Someone who works for you. Now where was I?”

            “The part where the princess was stuck inside the tree,”

“Ah, yes, no-one dared to cut open the bark. People were afraid that a monster lived inside the tree. One day finally a brave prince gathered the courage and chopped the tree’s bark with his sword. The beautiful princess stepped out of the tree. The prince fell in love with princess at first-sight. They got married and lived happily ever after,”

Beatrice was strangely quiet. Whenever I finished telling her story, she would usually ask for another one.

“Happily ever after isn’t real. Right?”  She whispered. “If it were, daddy would still have mommy,”

How in the world am I supposed to answer that? I closed the cash register and gave her my full attention. “Well, maybe your dad hasn’t found his happily ever after yet. I’m sure he’ll find it soon,”

“You think so? I mean you aren’t lying to make me happy,”

I gave her a tight hug. She would her arms around my neck, resting her head on my shoulder. “I’m not. Everyone has their happily ever after,”

            She pulled away. “I’d like to order one for you, me, and daddy,” She closed her eyes and fervently held bowed her head, her braid fell from her back and curved the side of her neck.

“Please God, let all of us be happy in the end,”

I watched her in amazement.  She really was something. So much more mature than kids her age. She understood things that even we grownups failed to understand. And there was that innocence in her-the same innocence running through each and every child. They were unaware of the corruption, gloom, and despair consuming the hearts of adults. They don’t know that life isn’t a fairytale.  It never will be.

She opened her big, blue eyes and smiled at me. “God always listens to me,”

“I’m sure he does-“

            My voice was cut short. The store’s door slammed open. A man dressed in filthy rags and a gun in his hand entered the pump. My heart sped erratically. I quickly pulled Beatrice to my side. My hands trembled as I held her close to my side.

            He approached me, cautiously, the gun pointing towards my forehead. There were golden chains hanging from his neck and tattoos lining his arm. His face had so many piercings that it was hard to make out any empty patch of skin.

            “Empty the cashier,” He yelled- his eyes flickered between Beatrice and me.  “Whatcha fucking waiting for? Cashier now!”

            I moved Beatrice behind my back then walked to the cashier.  A bead of sweat trickled down my forehead. After my hands unconsciously punched some keys, the register opened with a ding.

            The man tossed me a plastic bag. I poured all the money into it. Before I could even empty the last tray, the man grabbed the bag and sped out the door. I peered outside the window. Other men dressed just like the man in filthy rags and baggy trousers crowded the station.

Gunshots filled the air.

            A body crumbled onto the ground surrounded by a pool of blood. Everything blurred into red. I gasped. Fear filled me as tremors shook my entire body. I crossed my legs and brought Beatrice to sit beside me. We sat in the small shelf beneath the counter.

            I could hear people screaming outside and the men fighting amongst themselves.

Beatrice looked at me, confused. “Allie, what’s going? Why are you crying?”

            I didn’t answer- instead I pulled out my phone and dialed 911. “There’s a firing at the Shell petrol station on thirty-four east highway,” Another tear fell from my eyes as I added the next part. “Drake Hale has been shot,”

            ✩★✩★✩

      The paramedics dragged Drake’s limp body into the ambulances. He was still breathing. The men had shot his left arm. He had fainted out of shock.

      Police surrounded me and Beatrice who held onto my hand, tightly. The officers had been questioning me non-stop for an hour or so. They wanted me to carefully and meticulously explain each and every detail of the accident.

I already had done so four times now.

“His face had too many piercings. I couldn’t make anything out,” I sighed. “Sir, please, I have a child with me. I’m sure her father must be worried now,”

            The police officer gave me an incredulous look. The thick mustache under his nose scrunched upwards.  “She’s not your daughter?”

“I swear she isn’t my daughter,”

            “Darn, then what was she doing with you?” The officer stared dubiously between Beatrice and me. It was like he couldn’t believe I wasn’t related with Beatrice. Seriously, did we really look that alike? I mean I didn’t have her curl, brown hair nor her rounded nose or heart-shaped face. The officer has lost his mind.

“I was buying Doritos,” Beatrice spoke on my behalf. “And Allie is my friend,”

            “I must to talk to the child’s guardian,” The officer firmly stated. “Once he’s here, we’ll have to register the robbery complaint under your name and the child’s name,”

            ✩★✩★✩

            Fifteen minutes later Beatrice father’s arrived in a flashy red convertible.  The car curved up roughly at the front of the petrol pump before accelerating towards where Beatrice and I sat on the sidewalk by the store’s broken display window. The police car was still parked in parking lot. The petrol pump was now surrounded by yellow tapes and detectives who were trying to uncover the group of men that had done the firing.

            Beatrice smiled widely when the red car stopped in front of us. “Here comes daddy,”

The wind rustled through my hair as Goosebumps rose on my arms.  The car’s door opened, slowly and Jay stepped out of it. Electricity bolted through my veins. Jay. It felt like someone had punched air out of me.

 He was wearing a half-sleeve tee and surfer shorts. Black sun glasses covered his warm eyes. He looked troubled and frazzled. His eyes scanned the area before landing on us. My heart pounded so hard against my rib-cage that I found it difficult to breathe.

 He removed the sunglasses and let them fall to the ground.

I stood up. He ran towards me, relief pulling his features into a breath stealing smile.  In that moment, it felt like the wait had finally to come an end. I wanted to run into his outstretched arms. I wanted to hug him until our bodies molded into one.

I was about to when I realized he wasn’t coming for me. Jay picked Beatrice into his arms and lifted her off the ground.

“Thank God! you’re alright,” Jay buried his head into her hair.

He didn’t recognize me. I stood there dumbfounded but then I realized that I didn’t recognize myself anymore, how in the world was he supposed to?

            “Princess, you nearly gave daddy a heart attack,” Jay pulled away but he still held Beatrice in his arms.

            “Sorry,” Beatrice sincerely meant it. I could tell. Tears welled up inside her eyes. “I won’t do it again,”

            “Good,” Jay placed a tender kiss on her forehead. There was unmistakable fear in his eyes. He looked so vulnerable almost as if he had been carved out of glass. One slight touch and he’ll break into painful shards. It was like his world depended on her.

I get it now. She was the reason why he was still alive. She was the reason why he had sold himself. Why did Jay care about her so much? Was she his and Melody’s daughter?

            I paid closer attention to Beatrice now. She vaguely resembled Melody- she had her soft tender features, her blue eyes, and light, pale skin tone.

            Beatrice pointed at me. “Daddy meet my friend Allie. She’s the best storyteller in the whole world,”

Jay looked at me and smiled politely. “I hope my daughter hasn’t caused you much trouble when she was here doing God knows what,”

            “I was buying Dorito,” Beatrice defended herself. “And maybe listening to stories…” She mumbled though pursed lips.

“Well, you shouldn’t have been bothering her like that,” Jay gave her a stern look. I could see the love clearly shine in his eyes.

            “No, it was no trouble at all,” I spoke up. “She’s a lovely child,”

Jay’s eyes snapped in my direction. He furrowed his eyebrows together, a spark of confusion and remembrance in his eyes. “Um.. yah,” He muttered, dazed.

The police officer approached us- he had been standing with detectives. There were donut crumbs on his uniforms and blood on his latex gloves. He held a clipboard in his hand.

“The child’s guardian?” The officer addressed Jay.

“Yes, I am,”  Jay responded, his eyes left mine to look at the officer. “What exactly happened? Sorry, I didn’t get you on the phone,”

            “Some men decided to rob the store and shot one of the staff. Nothing new. Immature cronies- we’ll catch them soon,”

    Jay’s hold on Beatrice tightened until veins began protruding out of his skin. His face paled significantly. I already knew Beatrice was going to be in hell lots of trouble when they get home. Knowing how Jay is, he’ll probably hire a dozen of bodyguards for her.

    “Your name and the child’s name,” The officer asked, tapping the clipboard impatiently.

        “Jay Walter and she’s Beatrice Walter,” Jay stated, not missing a beat. It was clear now. Beatrice was Jay and Melody’s daughter.  I know this is wrong but it hurt more than I thought it would. They had a daughter. They were happy together.

         Tears pricked my eyes. I inconspicuously dabbed the moisture from them.

 The officer tilted his chin towards me. “And you?”

            I looked at Jay for a moment. He stared back. No light of familiarity in his eyes.

“Aulaura Grey,”

            It wasn’t my voice that had betrayed me. It was him.

     My name barely escaped his lips- they curled around his bottom lips before resounding in the silent air. He held my gaze, amidst all the turbulence in his eyes - I saw deep longing and sorrow.

“It’s you,” He whispered. “Aulaura,”

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            Note: you guys have no idea how hard it was for me to get this chapter to you. Computer crashed eighteen times, constantly I was being yelled at, and then the wifi of stupid, cramped hotel room I’m staying at stopped working.

            Anyways enough of my patheticness, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Do comment and vote because they make all struggles worth a while.