Life With Trent Harmon

Part 9: the Beginning of the Hard Stuff

You look in the mirror one more time and  then sit on your bed. You pull your phone out of your pocket and open your Twitter.
Even though it has been almost two weeks since you and Trent started dating, you are still getting retweets and likes on your picture and tons of new followers every day. You click on Trent's profile and smile at the picture of you guys as his cover photo. As you close out of Twitter and open Instagram, you hear Katie running through the house screaming "TWEEEENT!"
You laugh and put your phone up and head down stairs. You round the corner and see him holding Katie as she tells him all about her day. He listens intently and only looks up as you walk into the room. He smiles at you and then back at her. Your mom comes in the room behind you and says "hey Trent." He says hello back and then she says "alright Katie, come on. You need to get ready to eat supper."
Katie looks at her and then back at Trent "can I go with you?" She asks sweetly, with tears in her eyes.
"Katie" your mom snaps. "He prolly has enough going on.."
Trent looks at Katie and then at you. He puts her down and she walks into the other room but turns to look at Trent before she walks through the door.
"Mrs. Tracy" Trent says as you walk up and wrap your arms around him.
She turns and looks at him
"Katie can go with us. We are just going to watch Idol with my family.. She won't be in the way.." You look up at him with a shocked look.
"Trent" she tries to hide a smile "you really don't have to do that.. we can watch idol here.."
"No it will be fun.. Randi Kathryn has been begging to meet her anyway" he laughs..
She looks at him for a second and says "you have to bring her home right after.. She can't be out all night.."
"Oh yes mam" he says.
"Katie" your mom says loudly into the other room "Come here for a second." And then looks at Trent "I'll get her ready.. My car is unlocked if you wanna get her seat"
You follow him outside and watch from the porch as he moves the seat to his car. When he walks back up to you, he wraps his arms around your waist and hugs you.
You pull back a little bit and when he looks down at you, you kiss him gently. When the kiss ends, he looks at you and smiles
"What was that for?"
"Because you're amazing. You know you really didn't have to invite Katie.. She would have been fine.."
He pulls you back into the hug and says "oh I know but I may not be around much in the next few months, and I wanna spend time with her.. Depending on how Hollywood weeks go" You look up at him again and start to speak.
Your mom comes out the door and sees you standing in his arms, looking up at him and says "uh none of all that around her tonight." You laugh and He releases you and takes your hand as Katie comes out the door.
She looks at you and says "I'm going to Twent's house. And I'm gonna be a good girl."
"You better be!" You mom says.
Trent grabs Katie's hand and walks with her to the car and straps her in as you stand with your mom.
"He really is a nice guy" she says, watching him.
"I told you, mom..." You say laughing.
"What're you gonna do if he makes it though Hollywood week and has to be in LA for a while?" She asks.
A pit forms in your stomach and you look at her and say "I don't know..."
You see him finishing up buckling Katie in and you hug your mom. "We will be back later. Love you."
"Love you too."
You walk over to your door and Trent opens it.
When you get in the car, katie says "sissy!! You're going too?? This is the bestest day ever."
You and Trent laugh and he backs out of the drive way.
When you get to his house, he comes around and opens your door and you say "let me get her out and talk to her for a second." He smiles and nods.
You get her out of her seat and put her on the ground. You bend down to her level and say "please be good. Say yes mam and no mam and yes sir and no sir. And don't be wild. Please"
"Okay sissy. I promise." She says and wraps her arms around your neck. You take her hand and You follow Trent up to the door and walk in behind him.
When she walks in, Mrs. Cindy gets a shocked look on her face for a second and then smiles "you must be Katelyn!!" She says. Katie smiles at her but moves closer to you. You walk into the living room and Katie is all but climbing up your leg. When you sit down on the couch, she climbs up in your lap. When Trent walks into the room and sits down next to you, she finally starts looking around. He points out the dog on the floor to her and she climbs over in his lap and watches it play.
"What's his name?" She asks Trent.
"That's Richard Parker.." He smiles "and we have a little puppy too. Her name is Charlie Kate. My sister is gonna bring her out here in a second." Katie continues to watch Richard Parker roll around the floor until RK walks in and puts him outside. Then, she puts Charlie Kate in the floor and walks over to Katie. "Hey, you must be, Katie." Katie looks at her and smiles and nods. "I'm Randi Kathryn.. Trent's sister"
Before Katie can respond, Mrs Cindy says "pizza is here" from the other room. Trent jumps up and takes Katie with him, pulling her into his arms. You stand up and walk behind him into the kitchen to see Clay walking in with four large pizza boxes and Ashley walking in behind him.
"Katie!!" Clay says when he sees her in Trent's arms.
"Clay!!" She says and smiles. When he reaches for her, she leans toward Trent and won't go to him.
"You've been replaced" you say as you put a hand on clay's shoulder..
"Looks like you have been, too" he says back.
Trent makes his way to stand beside you. Mr. Randy says a quick prayer, and you all fix your plates and take them in the living room. You and Katie are the first ones in the living room and you sit beside her in the floor. Trent comes in next and sits down next to you.
"I haven't meant to replace you, babe.. I just love when.." He says quietly, looking into your eyes.
You laugh and say "no. You haven't.! I was
Just playing around..." You put your hand on his cheek and stare at him for a second until you hear someone clear their throats as they walk in the room. You drop your hand and see Clay walking over and sit behind you. He looks at y'all and smiles and says "as you were" and takes a bite of his pizza. As everyone walks into the living room and takes their seats, American idol comes on.
It is group night of Hollywood week, and Trent is in the middle of full blown mono, according to last night's show. When you saw that, you texted him and asked if it was true. He responded with "oh yeah it was real... You'll see more details tomorrow night".
You all laugh and talk through the beginning of the episode and when you're done eating, Trent takes your hand and slides his fingers between yours. Katie starts to open up with everybody. During a commercial break, she walks over to Randi Kathryn and says "hey Trent's sister, can I sit with you"
"Her name is Randi Kathryn, Katie" you say as RK pulls her up into the chair beside her.
After the commercial break, Trent finally comes on the screen. You take a deep breath and he puts his arm around you and pulls you close to him.
His mom turns up the volume and Katie says "hey Twent. That's you on the tv!!" Everybody laughs and then focuses back on the drama playing out on the screen.
By the time he is getting ready to get on stage, you are in tears. "He looked like he was ready to die" you think to yourself.
You lay your head on his shoulder and watch as he tells the judges about his Mono, and explains why he isn't in a group.
You hold your breath as he starts to sing. When he gets done, you don't know whether to cry or clap. Nobody else moves so you just take another breath. Even katie seems to know that something is up because she is sitting more still than you had ever seen her before.
"Trent" JLO says on the TV. Everyone in the room takes a breath at he same time and she says "you're going through".
Tears start streaming down your face as you watch how excited Trent acts on the screen, even through his sickness. His family erupts in happiness, and you look at him and say "congrats, babe." Quietly. You smile as everyone starts talking at once. You lay your head on his shoulder and try to ignore the knot that just formed in your stomach. It gets quiet again as Trent appears back on the screen "I didn't expect to make it through" he says with teary eyes "I really didn't.." Then the shot moves to him calling someone. "I made it through group round, mom!" He says excitedly, and she lets out a scream. Everyone in the room laughs and the talking starts again. You sit and listen to everyone talk, and keep a smile on your face. Trent leans over to you and says "you okay?" You look at him and smile and say "absolutely! I'm so proud of you!" He smiles at you and then turns to listen to Clay talk more about his best friend becoming famous. You get up and go to the bathroom and Ashley isn't far behind. You walk in, and she comes in behind you, shuts the door, and wraps you in a hug. "You okay?" She asks.
"Yeah.." You pull out of the hug and look at her. Before you can say more, tears form in your eyes.
"Hey. It's okay" she says, hugging you again. "If he does have to go out to LA, it won't be for forever, and it will be a good thing. And besides. We still don't know anything for sure... Don't sike yourself out until you have to."
"Thanks ash." You say, wiping a few stray tears off your face. She leaves the bathroom, and you look in the mirror. You try to wipe the smudges our from under your eyes, and then walk back out with a plastered smile. When you sit down next to him, he looks at you with a worried look on is face but goes back to talking to clay. You look over to see Katie asleep in Randi's lap. "Sorry RK" you laugh and say "oh it's fine." She says quietly, and looks down at Katie "she's so precious"
"She's my best friend" you say. Everybody turns their focus back to Hollywood night  and you lay your head back on Trent's shoulder. When it is over, Mrs. Cindy calls Trent into the kitchen and you stand up and get Katie from RK.
You walk into the kitchen and hear Trent say "yes mam.. I think tonight.."
He turns and looks at you and smiles "you want me to get her?" He asks .
"Nah. I got her." You smile back.
He looks at his mom and says "I need to get her home. I'll be back later."
"Alright.. Y'all be careful."
You tell everybody else bye and then go put Katie in her seat. She is still dead asleep when you close her door and you climb in. Trent shuts your door behind you. When he climbs in and starts the car, he finds your hand in the dark and slides his fingers between yours, slowly. You look at him and smile and then look out the window as he turns into the road. After you ride in silence for a little while, he says "you okay, (y/n)?"
"Yeah I'm okay." You smile at him.
When you get to your house, he gets Katie out of the back you lead him into her room and he puts her in her bed, covers her up, and kisses her cheek before turning back towards you. He takes your hand and you grab a blanket as he leads you to the front porch. You sit down on the swing and he sits beside you and puts his arm around you. You lay your head on his shoulder and y'all swing in silence for a few minutes.
You take out your phone and open snapchat. You take a selfie of y'all and save it. You type "front porch swingin with my favorite guy.😜☺️" and send it to your story. You put your phone back in your purse and lay your head back on his shoulder.
You feel him take a breath and stop the swing. You sit up and look at him and see a sadness in his eyes.
Before you can ask what's wrong, he looks into your eyes and says "whats on your mind, sweetie?"
You hold eye contact for a second and then look away as the tears form again. You shake your head and say "nothing! I'm really excited for you."
You look at your lap, trying to get your emotions under control, until he uses his finger to lift your chin. as you make eye contact again, a tear escapes your left eye, and you wipe it away quickly.
"Now tell me, what's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"
You take a deep breath and say "I'm so excited for you!!! I really am.."
"But.." He says..
"but I realized tonight that if you make it much further in the competition, you'll have to go to LA to get ready for the live shows.."
He takes a deep breath and pulls you in for a hug. When he pulls back, you say "and that's awesome and all," and take answer breath, trying to fight the tears "but if your there, I'll be here.." Two tears roll down your cheeks and he wipes them away.
"I have to tell you something" he says and then breaks eye contact for the first time. When he looks back into your eyes, you see a puddle of tears trying to fight their way onto his cheeks. He blinks them back and says "I have to go to LA.. I made it through to the top 24"
Your breath catches in your throat and you manage to say "Trent!! That's awesome." Before the tears start falling. He puts his arm around you and pulls you closer to him. You lay your head on his shoulder again and he makes the swing start. You pull the blanket up to your shoulders as the tears run down your face. You feel him wipe away a tear and you look up at him. "That really is awesome.." You say once you get your emotions to slow down.
"Yeah, I know" he says quietly, wiping a stray tear off of your face. "But I don't want to leave you here."
You sit up and turn toward him. You try to brave a smile but it falls short. The tears start falling again and you say "I don't want you to leave me here.." He looks into your eyes, and then down at his lap.
"When do you leave?" You ask.
He looks up at you and then back down at his lap. When he looks back at you, you see fresh tears in his face. "My plane leaves at 5:45 Wednesday morning."
"WEDNESDAY MORNING? This Wednesday morning?"
He nods and bites his lip, trying to hold the new tears back. "I have meeting and stuff starting Wednesday night and then we start preparing for the not live shows on Friday..."
You take a deep breath and say "how long will you be there?"
"It just depends on how far I make it. I could be home by the next Friday. Or it could be 6 weeks.."
Your breath catches again and new tears form in your eyes "so we plan for 6 weeks." He nods and looks down. You turn his chin toward you and he moves his eyes to yours "you're gonna go far, Trent."
"Or maybe I won't. And I can come home and"
"No. You don't talk like that." You say sternly. "You go out there and work your ass off. You don't worry about me here. Promise me that you'll give it your all every week."
He looks at you again and the tears fall from his eyes "I promise."
He wipes the tears from his face and then from yours. You turn and lay your head back on his shoulder and slide your fingers between his. "I told you. I'm here for the ride. No matter how hard it is" you say..
You swing with your head on his shoulder for a few more minutes and then he looks at his watch.
"I need to get home..."
You don't say anything, but feel the tears form in your eyes again. He lets go of your hand and puts his on your leg under the blanket.
After a few more minutes, stands up, takes your hand and pulls you to him. The blanket falls to the ground as he wraps his arms around you again. You put your around his waist and lay your head on his chest. You stand there like that for a few minutes until he pull back. He puts his hand on your cheek and looks into your eyes again and fresh tears fall to your face. His baby blue eyes get watery again and he touches his lips softly to yours for a moment and then pulls back. "We are gonna do this. There's not another person I would want supporting me through this. It's gonna be okay, baby. I promise." His voice cracks and you lay your head on his chest again and let the tears fall. When you control your tears again, you lean back and look into his eyes again. He touches your cheek again and kisses you. Softly at first, but for the first time, he lets it build.  But then he breaks the kiss and smiles down at you. He hugs you again quickly, and walks to his car.
"I'll let you know when I get home."
You lean against the rail and nod, with fresh tears forming quickly in your eyes. "Baby"he says and you look up at him "we can do this." And then he climbs into his car and drives away.
When you climb into bed, later that night, you have a message from him.
"Goodnight my gorgeous girl.i know things are about to get hard, but there isn't another person I would want to ride with me or to support me. No matter how hard the ride gets, even if it's the hardest thing we have been through this far. Keep smiling, for me. I'll talk to you, tomorrow 💜"
"Goodnight babe. We can do this. Sorry I got so emotional. I just don't know how I'm going to survive without you here, but I know we can work through it. Oh and incase I haven't told you, I'm so proud of you. 💜"
You fall asleep that night without checking any of your social media, because you already know it's gonna be more of the same. You let yourself fall asleep to thoughts of the next week and every week after that and how hard they would be, but also how sweet the reunions would be.