Chapter 30 - Chaos

The news spread like wildfire. In every tabloid, magazines, news, and websites, the picture of me and Glace kissing was posted like a banner announcing my girlfriend’s lesbianism. Great! The paparazzi hunted Glace like a pack of hungry dogs ready to rip their victim’s throats. And because they didn’t know where she lived, they tracked me down instead.

I swear to God, those people had a homing device up their sleeve or at least they were trained spies. The very next day, they were already knocking on my front door, bombarding my mom with questions that she couldn’t answer. In an attempt to protect me, Glace issued a press release, telling everyone that the picture was fake. However, that was quickly dispelled by experts who deemed that it wasn’t photoshopped.

I didn’t know where Denise was when all of this was happening. Not because I was ignorant or she was absent from school but due to the fact that I wasn’t able to step out of my house for days now. Paparazzi and Glace’s fans were camped outside my house, hoping to catch a glimpse of her girlfriend. Oh God.

It was one week short from graduation and there I was, locked inside my own home. The teachers understood the situation quite well, plus my mom talked to the school’s admin about it, so I was free from any responsibility. If it was only that easy. I haven’t seen Glace for days now because aside from that fact that I couldn’t leave, she couldn’t go here either. Things would get crazier if that was to happen.

I didn’t bother switching the TV on. What was the point? It would be the same old stuff on the news- me and Glace happily being gay. Wait till Ellen hears about this. Wanting to hear my baby’s voice, I grabbed my mobile phone from the bedside table and dialed her number. She picked up in just one ring.

“Dulce.” There was evident relief in her voice, as if she was waiting all day for me to call. “I thought you were still asleep so I didn’t call you. I’m so sorry baby.”

“Don’t worry, I just woke up.” Pinning the phone between my cheek and my shoulder, I used both my hands to part the curtains. A distinct flash from outside blinded me for a second. “They’re still here,” I said in disappointment as I replaced the curtains, shutting myself inside again for no one to see.

Glace sighed loudly. “I want to see you so bad right now. It’s been ten days, fourteen hours, and twenty-five minutes since I’ve last held you. Can’ I just go there, kidnap you, and be done with it?”

“You’re so cute,” I chuckled. But underneath it all, I was getting depressed for not being able to see her or any of my friends. It was slowly killing me. “Glace,” I murmured while sitting down on my unmade bed.

“Yes baby?”

“This will stop soon right? People will get tired of this and leave me alone right?” My hand tightened on the phone as I waited for her to give me hope. She didn’t answer immediately. When she did, Glace didn’t lie.

“It will take months, even years for that to happen. The paparazzi and the fans may leave your house in days, weeks, I don’t know. But they will take pictures of you from now on. That’s just the way it is. I’m sorry.”

I caught the desperation in her tone. As if she would resort to anything just to help me. “Don’t you dare break up with me because of this Glace McKenzie,” I said hurriedly. “If you did, I will find someone hotter than you and make out with her in front of everyone.”

She laughed at my threat. “There’s no one hotter than me Dulce,” she said confidently. “Well there’s you. But then you’ll have a hard time making out with yourself, so I’m not really threatened. Besides, I will never leave you for this Wendy.”

The butterflies in my stomach doubled at her reference. “I love you Glace. I wish I can see you.”

She took a deep breath. The sound was so palpable I could almost touch it. “I love you too. I’ll think of something.”

After we ended the call, I went into zombie mode again. As usual, I cooked, cooked, and cooked, for no one in particular. When I got tired of that, I lay on my bed and read a book, as I did for the last couple of days. Something was wrong with me. I usually enjoyed cooking and reading, but for the past weeks, it was like my passion for those activities fizzled out.

Maybe it was due to the fact that I’ve been missing everyone. Especially Glace. What I would give in this moment to embrace her again and smell her creamy scent. Everything would be alright if we stayed together. At least I kept on convincing myself that.

Around midnight, my mobile phone rang loudly. I was so groggy that I kept my eyes shut while my hands explored the bed, hoping I’d be able to find the phone like that. Something rectangular and sleek was on my right. I grabbed it in an instant, attempting to swipe the screen with my eyes still closed.

“Hello mom,” I said, my voice taking that sleepy tone. “I thought you’re not coming home until tomorrow evening.”

“I’m not your mother virgin girl. Oops sorry I forgot that Glace already did the dirty with you.”

My eyes opened in a snap. “Eris?” I mumbled.

“Uh huh. Listen carefully because I will not repeat this. Dress comfortably and wait on your front door. I’ll be there with the entourage in ten minutes. Don’t ask questions.” The line went dead. What did she mean dress comfortably? And she said she was going to be here. Oh snap.

I rolled out of bed in an instant, running to my closet after. Nine minutes later, I was dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a blue top, waiting beside the front door as instructed. Glancing at my watch, I saw that ten minutes have passed since Eris called. I was tingly with anticipation and nervousness at what was about to occur.

Someone rapped gently on the door. It was so soft that if I wasn’t standing right there, I would have missed it. “Dulce it’s me,” came a whisper.

“Tim?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled quietly. “Open the door. Everyone is asleep outside so we’re going to escape.” Trusting my best friend, I opened the door as noiselessly as I could and shut it behind me. True enough, the pesky paparazzi and Glace’s hoards of fans that were camped outside were all asleep. At least no one was visible enough to catch us.

“Hurry,” Tim said. “Eris parked the car a few blocks away from here so we wouldn’t wake anyone. Let’s go.”

Tim and I headed to the direction of the car stealthily. It felt like we were the remaining survivors in the zombie apocalypse, and if we made a noise, the flesh eating creatures would rip us apart or turn us with a bite. It was in the wee hours of the morning and was surprisingly cold enough, even whilst summer was upon us, but I was dripping with sweat.

It was largely because I was so nervous about the whole thing. My heart thumped loudly on my chest that I was afraid it would wake everyone. From the distance, I saw the car. It was Patty’s black SUV and looked normal enough, but to me it was like salvation. Just a few steps more, I chanted to myself as we walked briskly.

A few blocks from the car, someone in the opposite direction spotted us and recognized me immediately. She started to run straight towards us while screaming, “Hey everyone, it’s Dulce Gavin!”

Fudge! The people who I thought were invisible or weren’t there suddenly materialized all around us. Some of them were already blocking our way to the car. There was a flash here and there, making my eyes water as we desperately tried to find our way out. Tim took what appeared to be a walkie talkie and pushed a button before whispering, “Cruela Devil are you there? Over.”

Tim grabbed my hand and started to run. “Cruela Devil, this is Kitty galore,” he said to the receiver while we ran to the left. “Bella Swan and I have been discovered. Switch to plan B, over.”

A low static sounded, followed by a muffled reply. “We got you Kitty Galore.”

Tim continued dragging me along with him, while the paparazzi and fans followed a few meters from us. We ran and ran until we lost them, heading straight to the playground to hide underneath the slide. Tim and I gasped for air, my heart pounding like it never did before. When I was able to catch my breath, I slapped his shoulder.

“Bella Swan?” I whispered in irritation. “Why would you nickname me that? I hate that movie.”

Tim shrugged and looked around for any signs of fans. “Kirsten Stewart is a lesbian,” he mumbled.

“Nooooooo,” I said in denial.

“She is, just look at the signs. God Dulce, your gaydar is broken.”

The walkie talkie crackled to life. “We’re near the playground,” said Eris broken voice. “But I can only park it a few blocks from there. You have to walk. Over.”

“Affirmative,” Tim replied. He looked at me. “Let’s do this Bella.” I rolled my eyes at him as we made our way to the direction they were talking about. Miraculously, the car was there, shining invitingly under the moonlight. We started to jog again, happy that no one was in sight.

A few feet more, a man with a camera slung over his neck came between us and the car. “I’m going to be rich for this,” he said with glee as he raised the camera to his face. Before he could click, someone tackled him from behind. Camera dude, together with his toy slumped to the ground. He was unconscious in an instant.

“Oops,” Patty said sheepishly while she got up and brushed herself. “What? I didn’t know the guy wasn’t athletic.” The three of us stared at the dude. He was faint on the ground but totally alive.

“Let’s go,” Tim announced.

Leaving the guy sprawled there, we ran to the car, my friends almost throwing me inside in a hurry. Patty went beside Eris in front while Tim shut the door and went to the back. Someone else was there. Someone I was dying to see.

“Glace!” We met for a hug, nearly molding against each other as our front touched and our arms embraced. I felt the car move. We were safe and she was here. It was all that mattered.

My lips automatically sought the hollow of her neck and I kissed her over and over, savoring the gasp she made. “Sorry it took so long baby,” she finally managed to croak out.

“I can take you here and now,” I murmured as I continuously showered her face and neck with feather light kisses, showing her exactly how much I missed her.

“Ehem,” Tim said loudly, making it obvious that they were hearing everything.

“Oh let them be,” Eris said in front. “I’d like to see some girl to girl action. We’ll learn a thing or two won’t we babe?” she turned to Patty with a smirk. Her girlfriend didn’t reply, staring at the road like she didn’t hear anything.

“Whatever,” Tim grumbled.

Not caring if anyone saw, I pushed Glace down the seat and attacked her with kisses on her ear. She giggled loudly. “Stop. Stop it baby.” It was music to my ears. Everything about her was magical to me. Raising her shirt a fraction, I began to playfully nip on her toned tummy. She shrieked like a child who was totally in delight, squirming against me.

“You two are so adorable,” Eris said while concentrating on the road. “Now show us something dirty. Just kidding babe,” she added.

Ignoring them, I fixed my gaze on Glace while I was on top of her. “I’m so happy right now. You should have come earlier.” I kissed her nose.

Her eyes held mine. “Eris and I were trying to do damage control,” she sighed. “But the fans and paps were so insistent on seeing you. You’ve got your own fans club now. Apparently people are shipping us. Of course there are also the haters saying we’ll go to the fire for being lesbian.”

“You should have told them that’s hot,” I joked.

“I told her that,” Eris chimed in. “But she ignored me.”

“What happened to your sister?” I asked, shifting my attention back to Glace. She made a choking sound and looked disgusted. “I don’t know. We haven’t talked yet. But we will. I’ll make sure of it because I can’t leave it like this. She ruined everything.”

I placed my head on her chest, allowing her to embrace me and surround me with her warmth. “We’ll deal with her later okay?”

“Okay,” she murmured, kissing me on the top of my head, her hand stroking the small of my back.

The motion, together with the steady rhythm of her heart lulled me to sleep. It was early morning and her presence completely calmed me down. I have never felt so at ease. Only Glace could do this to me. Before I succumbed to sleep, I heard Eris ask Glace a question, only it didn’t register in my mind.

Glace replied, “Andrea and I have been talking.”

And then I fell asleep.