It Takes Two (Katy Perry)

Part 6

31st December, 2011

Russell and Katy had not seen each other since Christmas day. Katy had been staying with her family, recovering from the extremely emotional ordeal Russell had put her through. Her sister, Angela, had been her rock and had barely left her side, providing strength and comfort as only an older sister can.

It was New Year’s Eve, and Katy was feeling much better. She was in the mood to party and get extremely drunk, surrounded by her family and best friends. She was throwing a party at her house, and had sent a text to Russell informing him, in the hopes that maybe they could reconcile and sort out their differences before ringing in the New Year. The text had been sent hours ago, however, and he was yet to respond, leading Katy to believe that he really didn’t care about their relationship anymore.

The thought was completely heartbreaking, but Katy was determined to push through the pain and enjoy herself for at least tonight.

A knock on the door at seven o’clock in the evening jolted Katy out of her thoughts, and she answered the door with a big smile on her face. Over the next couple of hours, people kept arriving to the party, greeting Katy and complimenting her on the party and her outfit, most of them completely unaware of Katy’s inner emotional turmoil.

At around ten o’clock, Rihanna arrived with a large group of friends, and hugged Katy tightly, obviously already drunk.

“Katy babe! How are you?!” Rihanna asked, slurring her words a great deal.

“I’m not too bad, Ri, enjoying yourself?” Katy replied, laughing at her friend’s drunken state.

“Sure am! Where’s that hilarious husband of yours, sweetie? He around here somewhere?”

Katy’s smile dropped momentarily, before she kicked her acting skills into gear and pasted a big but clearly fake grin on her face. “Oh, he wanted to be here but his friends were doing something at a club somewhere and he decided to join them instead…” lied Katy. Rihanna bought the white lie easily and gave Katy another hug before dancing off to join another group.

Katy checked her phone again, and was relieved to see she had a new text message from Russell.

Russell: I’m in London, was in a meeting with my lawyer all arvo now out with mates.

Katy: You flew to London without even telling me you were leaving?! Great communication skills Russ… Why NYE of all nights?! And why were you meeting your lawyer?

Russell: Katy, I love you, but I’ve filed for a divorce.

Katy read the last five words of the text message and froze. She lost function of her muscles, dropping her phone from one hand and her drink from the other hand. The smashing of the glass on the floor and the splash of liquid onto her feet didn’t even register as her mind went completely blank. She was staring into space, surrounded by drunk people dancing, the bass from her speakers causing the floor to vibrate. Katy didn’t notice any of this, she didn’t hear anyone asking if she was okay. Nothing clicked in her mind until she felt two hands grab her arms, then her face. The owner of the hands was shouting her name, shaking her, but Katy was unable to respond.

“Katy!” cried Shannon, scared for her friend. She had no idea what had just happened, but she did know that her best friend was not okay. Not at all.

Until Markus bent over and picked up Katy’s phone, noticing the screen was still lit up. He read the last message and his face went white.

“Shan…” he murmured, holding the phone in front of Shannon’s face.

Shannon read the message too, and the blood drained from her face. Tears appeared in her eyes as she tried harder to get her best friend to respond. Finally, Markus placed one hand around Katy’s waist and one under her legs, lifting her off the floor bridal style and carrying her upstairs.

“I’m going to find Ang!” Shannon called after Markus, and saw him nod in reply as he carried Katy to her room.

Shannon searched the house as quickly as she could, finally spotting Angela and Mary in the kitchen. She explained to them the situation, watching as tears appeared simultaneously in their eyes, their heart aching for their younger sister and daughter.

All three women raced upstairs, finding Katy curled up on the bed, still staring into space blankly as Markus sat beside her helplessly. Angela rushed to her sister’s side, kneeling on the floor in front of her. As Katy’s eyes met the concerned face of her older sister, tears immediately welled up, and she suddenly burst into tears.

“A-angggg…” cried Katy, and Angela sat on the edge of the bed, pulling Katy into her arms and rocking her like a child as heart wrenching sobs wracked her body uncontrollably.

“He left,” Katy whispered brokenly. “He’s gone.”