Rachael: March 13, 2014
I sucked in a huge amount of oxygen and braced myself for what this girl had to say to me.
"Listen Rachael, I know the last time we saw each other, we didn't really end things well." Well ain't that the truth. "Look, I've known Josh a really long time."
"And I haven't?" I interrupted, raising an eyebrow. Ok, that was a pretty bitchy thing to say, but whatever.
"No, no I know you've known him like his entire life. I just wanted to tell you that I know you don't trust me and that's fine, but I'm ready to change and I'm not going to hurt Josh again, I promise. Things are so different this time around, I swear!" she pleaded, still holding on to my hands. "I know you guys are practically like family and I've always looked up to you and when I hurt Josh before I know I hurt you too. I don't want to do that to someone who is so close to the man I love," she said with tears spilling over her eyes.
"He was really heartbroken the first time, Hanna, but I let it go. But the fact that you did it to him twice? That was really shameful," I replied, pulling my hands away from her scrawny grip, "Don't hurt him again or things won't be good between us."
Josh: October 12, 2013
It took some convincing, but I finally got Rachael to cave in and come to Vegas with my family, Hanna and I for my 21st birthday. She never really liked Hanna and the fact that we were back together didn't make her too happy, but I couldn't not have my 2 favorite girls there to celebrate with me.
"I can't believe you guys are dating again. You must be some kind of crazy. Once a cheater, always a cheater, Josh," she said as she got her suitcase out of the van at the hotel.
"Ahh, give her a chance, will you? She apologized, it only happened once. Just forget about it, look at where we are! We're in Vegas! And I can finally drink without a fake ID!" I shook her shoulders to liven her up a little.
"Alright, I'll just get shitfaced and forget that she's even here, sound good?"
"Whatever makes you happy, Rach!"
The night began well with champagne and a limo ride down the strip to a nice Japanese restaurant. The conversation over dinner went from talking about the first few times I had been to Vegas, to the upcoming Catching Fire premiere and all the traveling I'd be doing. Then somehow we got to talking about Rachael's wedding plans, and that's when it started going downhill. I tried to tune out the sound of her talking about her dress and flower arrangements to my mother by wrapping my arm around Hanna's neck and kissing her neck, making her laugh.
"Josh not at the table please," my mom piped in before turning back to her and Rachael's conversation about butter cream frosting.
"Sorry." I slumped in my chair and did another shot of Sake, trying to forget about the fact that within 7 months or so, Rachael would be a married woman and out of my life forever.
My dad and Connor went to explore some of the under 21 attractions that night and the rest of us went bar hopping. I'm not sure how many birthday shots I did that night, but by 3am, I was completely obliterated. Rachael and Hanna were left to get my drunk, sorry ass back to the hotel since my mom turned in around midnight.
Rachael: October 12, 2013
"I've gotta be the luckiest motherfucker in the world right now!" Josh announced to the limo driver after we got settled inside the shiny black monstrosity of a vehicle. He put his arms around both of our shoulders, squeezing all three of us together for a big group hug. "I love you guys like you don't even know. You two are the best!" He gave me a kiss on the cheek and turned to Hanna and gave her a kiss. "And you....you wait til I get you home later."
Hurry up driver! I can't be in here with these two.
Thankfully their little makeout session didn't last long because Josh was out cold within a few minutes. The rest of the ride to the hotel was a silent one. Hanna and I didn't say a word to each other since we got to Vegas, and we certainly weren't going to talk now. She sat on the other side of Josh, giggling to her phone. I assumed she was texting back and forth with one of her friends because I kept hearing it ding for new messages.
We finally pulled up to the Bellagio and had to carry Josh out of the limo and up to the room. "Here, I got him," I said as I slid my arm under Josh's neck and lifted his head up. "Wakey wakey! Time to get up for school!" I smacked his face a few times in an effort to wake him up. I got no response. "Ok, can you just put your arm under his shoulder and we can get him out that way?" I asked Hanna.
She put her arm under him and when she lifted it up, her phone fell to the floor. I didn't mean to look at it, but when something bright is just shining in your face, you can't help but look. There in my face, was a partially typed text message to someone named Thomas. The screen read:
I think I might be preg
She saw the shock on my face and quickly picked the phone up and stuffed it into her purse. "Oops! You didn't see that!" She laughed innocently.
"Uh, actually, I did see it."
"Ok, it's not what you think..."
"I'm not having this conversation with you right now. Let's just get Josh inside," I snapped.
After getting him out of the limo, Josh came to, but still needed help walking up to the room. Steam was coming out of my ears the whole elevator ride up to the suite. I was going to let her have it as soon as we got Josh into bed. "Wow! The room is spinning!" he laughed at the ceiling.
"Ok, honey, just go to sleep, it will stop soon!" I closed Josh's bedroom door and walked into the living room of the suite where Hanna was standing, nervously picking at her fingernails. "Balcony," I barked at her and she followed me like a 5 year old who was about to get grounded for the first time.
I spoke in a stern, but hushed voice so I wouldn't wake up Josh's parents and brother. "Listen to me. I'm not saying a word to anyone about what I saw."
"Thank you!" She let out a sigh of relief and almost hugged me before I put my hand on her shoulder, pushing her away.
"But so help me God, Hanna, if what I saw is true and you don't tell Josh tomorrow, I swear on my mother's grave I'll...."
"It's not true, ok!" she cried out.
"What do you mean it's not fucking true? You don't make that shit up! Do you know how psychotic you look right now?" I looked at her like she just escaped from a mental institution.
"Tom is a guy I've been talking to for the last couple months and he didn't think it was such a good idea to keep seeing each other and I like him a lot so I had to think of something to keep him around!" She started crying even harder.
The liquor I had been drinking all night hit me at once. I threw my hands up in the air. "Wow! So let me ask you, why the fuck are you with Josh right now? It's amazing how you only come around right before he has a fucking movie premiere. Gee, I wonder why that is? Is it because you're an attention whore? Yup! I think so! You already cheated on him once before! I told him he was a fucking moron for taking you back, he should have listened to me."
I was shouting now. The people all the way down on the ground could probably hear me, but I couldn't help anything that was coming out of my mouth. I let her have it, causing her to cry more.
"Please don't tell him, please!" she pleaded, holding her hands together, still crying like a baby.
"I'm not saying a word to him, but you need to tell him because I'm not going to sit around and watch someone who's like family to me get manipulated by a snot-nosed little twit like you!" I couldn't stand to be within 5 feet from her, so I went inside, slamming the door behind me.
