Hellbent
Chapter 64
Disconnection
EXT. CATFÉ - NIGHT
After a long day at the Catfé opening event, Deimos, Ivy, and Tristan made their leave together. Tristan and Deimos lit up their cigarettes and basked in the fresh night air.
The doors burst open and Ivy’s mood soured when she saw a gush of pink and black emerge.
KRYSTAL
“IVYYYYYY!”
Ivy’s face crumpled as she ran up to them, hugging her.
KRYSTAL
“Where are you going? We barely got to catch up tonight! You were off hiding away somewhere, again. Classic Ivy.”
She giggled, nudging her arm.
IVY
“We’re going home.”
She said coolly, pulling away from her.
KRYSTAL
“Boo! You party-poopers! The party’s just gettin’ started!”
DEIMOS
“We’re not party people.”
He glared at her.
IVY
“That’s right. You should know this about me.”
She said tersely to Krystal.
KRYSTAL
“Boo! You’re no fun!”
She pouted and folded her arms across her chest.
KRYSTAL
“Anyway! We should catch up, girl!”
Her demeanor shifted back to bubbly mode.
IVY
“...Why? Aren’t I no fun?”
She challenged and laughed.
KRYSTAL
“Relax, Ivy! I can show you what fun is!”
Deimos rolled his eyes at Krystal.
DEIMOS
“Like you know what fun is. She doesn’t want to get drunk at clubs and fuck every guy in sight, Krystal. She doesn’t need you to show her what fun is.”
Ivy smirked and laughed at his clapback. Krystal pouted and gave him a look.
KRYSTAL
“Wow, Deimos! You’re still the same old man grumpy buzzkill! God damn, you really need to take a chill pill!”
She laughed and shook her head at him.
DEIMOS
“Right, because you’re giving me a migraine.”
He rolled his eyes at her. Krystal pouted and glared at Deimos.
IVY
“Why don’t you go back to the party, Krystal? That’s what parties are for, right? Making new friends. It seems you’ve got them now with your new band, so go hang out with them. We hung out allllll those years ago! I want to mingle with other people now! Love ya, girlfriend, ex oh, ex oh, byyyeeeeeee!”
She said firmly to her, imitating her and turning her back to her. Krystal’s jaw dropped.
KRYSTAL
“HPMH! FINE, Ivy, your loss, girlfriend! Ex oh, ex oh, byeeeeeee!”
She huffed and marched back inside with a giggle. Tristan turned to Ivy and Deimos.
TRISTAN
“...Who was that and what was that all about?”
Ivy drew a long breath. Deimos rolled his eyes.
IVY
“Ugh. Krystal Kil. It’s a long story…”
CUT TO FLASHBACK:
EXT. BOTTLE SHOP - 1983 - NIGHT
We flashback to a thin seventeen-year-old Ivy awkwardly pacing around outside of a bottle shop. She was in her teenage Siouxsie Sioux phase and had her hair dyed black with heavy makeup on. She was dressed in a black lace velvet dress and knee-high boots with various bracelets and a crystal necklace.
She peered inside, impatiently waiting on Krystal who was dressed in a poor attempt to emulate Cyndi Lauper and appear older than she was. She wore a pink tutu dress, a tangled mess of jewelry, and high heels with large sunglasses obscuring her face. Her hair was teased and bleached with her natural regrowth at the crown of her head.
KRYSTAL
“I had the loooongest day at work today! I gotta go pick up the kids after this!”
She chirped to the old man behind the counter, dangling her mother’s car keys in her hand. Ivy buried her head in her hands, overwhelmed with embarrassment.
IVY
“No one’s going to buy that charade, Krystal!”
She groaned to herself. Suddenly, the door swung open and Krystal came rushing out with a cheap bottle of wine.
KRYSTAL
“RAWR! Let’s party, girlfriend!”
She squealed, grabbing Ivy’s arm and dragging her with her down the street to a house blaring loud music.
INT. HOUSE PARTY - NIGHT
Krystal dragged Ivy inside with her as if she were a dog on a leash. Krystal took a swig of the wine and passed it over to Ivy. Ivy groused at it and refused.
KRYSTAL
“OH EM GEE EX DEE! I LOVE your hair! I’m Krystal Killah Queen!”
She squealed and ran up to a group of girls, glomping them with hugs. Ivy awkwardly stood there, wincing from all the screaming and feeling excluded as Krystal was facing the group with her back turned to Ivy.
IVY
“Hey, Krystal… I don’t know anyone here, do you mind if we stick together?”
She tapped Krystal on the shoulder. Krystal turned around to face Ivy with a wide smile.
KRYSTAL
“That’s what parties are for, babez! Making new friends! We hung out allllll day! I want to mingle with other people now! Love ya girlfriend, ex oh, ex, oh!”
Ivy bowed her head and sighed.
IVY
“Alright…”
Ivy looked bored and uncomfortable as she sat beside Krystal, squealing and laughing among a huge group of people. She didn’t have anything to add to the conversation as she couldn’t relate or care less about the topic at hand.
A teen boy in a football jersey sat down beside Ivy and turned to her, gesturing to his pearly white smile.
TEEN BOY
“Aww, smile sweetheart! Did you think this was a funeral?”
He laughed at her, stroking the hem of her black velvet lace dress. Ivy glared at him and pulled away.
IVY
“I would smile if it was yours.”
She blurted out and then cupped her mouth when she realised what she just said out loud. The boy’s jaw dropped and he glared at her.
TEEN BOY
“Wow. I was just trying to be nice. No need to be a miserable bitch. Why are you even here?”
He huffed and laughed at her, taking his leave and approaching another girl, pulling the same move on her.
IVY
“Good question, why AM I here?”
She huffed to herself and turned to Krystal, tapping her shoulder again.
IVY
"I want to go home, Krystal."
She pouted. Krystal turned to her with a twinge of annoyance.
KRYSTAL
"Noooo! We just got here! No offense, babe, but you're being stuck up! You didn’t even make the effort to talk to people!"
She beamed condescendingly. Ivy bowed her head, looking hurt and triggered. No, I don't want to be a friendless miserable lump on a log like Lily, she thought to herself.
Krystal’s squealing broke through her daze like a needle to a balloon.
KRYSTAL
"OH EM GEE EX DEE, IVY! My friend over there thinks you're hot!"
She squealed, tugging at Ivy and jumping like an excited dog.
IVY
"Oh? That's nice."
She smiled a bit, looking around. Wow, someone actually likes me? She thought.
KRYSTAL
"This is Larry!"
She squealed, dragging over a twenty-two year old Larry. Everything about him looked the same as it did in the present day.
LARRY
"Hey."
IVY
"Hi…"
She froze up nervously, her eyes darting to the ground. Eye contact was a struggle, but especially with strangers.
LARRY
"Krystal told me you like metal, huh?"
His smile spread to show his crooked teeth. Wow, he’s into metal like me! Maybe I can finally connect with someone, she thought hopefully with a smile.
IVY
"Yeah, I like Megadeth-"
LARRY
"Pfft, that's mainstream stuff. I'll introduce you to TRVE metal."
He interjected with a loud scoff. Ivy was taken aback by his response.
LARRY
“Here’s my number.”
He grinned, taking out a pen and writing down his number on her hand. Teen Ivy smiled naively.
IVY
"Oh… ok."
At least someone is interested in me and likes the same stuff as me, she thought to herself, swinging her gaze over to Krystal as she chuckled amongst a group of girls with her back turned to her.
CUT TO END FLASHBACK.
EXT. THE CATFE - PRESENT DAY
We cut back to Ivy, Tristan, and Deimos outside the Catfé, sitting in the garden as they waited for their cab.
IVY
“If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have met the asshole that groomed me and wasted years of my life!”
DEIMOS
“What was a twenty-two year old man doing at a party for teenagers?!”
IVY
“Fishing.”
She drolled sardonically.
TRISTAN
“What happened between you and Krystal? What ended it?”
IVY
“My patience…”
CUT TO FLASHBACK
INT. IVY’S ROOM - 1986
A few years later, Ivy was now nineteen, going on twenty. She was dying her hair teal. She was now at a healthy weight and had introduced more colour into her wardrobe, shaping her own path in style, rather than emulating others.
IVY (NARRATING)
“A few years later, I met Deimos, and that’s when everything changed…”
Her smile crumpled when she tripped over a large box in a room labelled ‘Krystal’ in crude marker pen.
IVY
“God dammit!”
IVY (NARRATING)
“Krystal’s parents threw her out of the house and she never told me why, but she was using me as her storage unit.”
Suddenly, her Garfield phone buzzed. Ivy picked up the phone and winced to Krystal’s squealing.
KRYSTAL
“HEY GIRLFRIEND! We’re having a party at the squat tonight! I need to borrow your leather jacket and need you to bring my boots from my box! Oh, and we’ll need to go down to the bottle-o and pick up my friend Goony from the station!”
She beamed with excitement. Ivy’s face crumpled.
IVY (NARRATING)
“Ugh, the squat house. Rather than staying with me, Krystal opted to squat with her boyfriend of the week in some old dump by the railroad tracks. He was a punk rocker, so Krystal was now a punk rocker, too. They had been dating for a few weeks now, so he was soon to expire and become yet another tire dumped onto the tire fire of “assholes” who burned Krystal. So, I never bothered to get to know her boyfriends. Looking back now, maybe I should have as they would have given me the insight I needed on her. But I managed to come to that insight on my own..”
KRYSTAL
“Is something wrong, Babez? You’re more quiet… than usual.”
IVY
“I just feel a little used is all…”
KRYSTAL
“Aww, who’s using you, babe? I would never do that to you!”
IVY
“It feels like you only call me when you want something from me! We never just hang out anymore! When are you going to pick up your stuff and pay me back for the Megadeth tickets?!”
She said with hurt in her tone.
KRYSTAL
“Aww, that’s not true, babez! I said I would pay you back and pick up my stuff! It’s just I’m SUPER broke and SUPER busy, but I promise I will, just be patient, girl!”
IVY
“...Right, you’re super busy partying, and funding booze every weekend is more important.”
She grumbled bitterly.
KRYSTAL
“Pfft, you sound like Sally! I don’t have to take this bitchiness from you! I didn’t do anything wrong! Don’t blame me!”
Ivy recoiled with hurt and frustration.
IVY (NARRATING)
“Sally was Krystal’s other bestie. She was like Krystal, but bossier and more logical. They had a big falling out and they were now enemies. Then Krystal had Kim… and then Kim became her enemy. It seems I was next on that list.”
KRYSTAL
“Just get rid of my stuff if it’s such a bother to you!”
She huffed and pouted, passive-aggressively.
IVY
“Ok, I will.”
She huffed hanging up the phone and marching over to the box, carrying it outside to the garbage and shoving it in the bin.
CUT TO NEXT FLASHBACK
INT. IVY’S ROOM - 1986
A week later, Ivy was getting ready for her 20th birthday.
IVY (NARRATING)
“It was my birthday and I was having a small gathering.”
Ivy’s Garfield phone rang and she picked it up.
KRYSTAL
“RAWR! Hey girlfriend!”
Ivy was pleasantly surprised to hear from Krystal and smiled a bit.
IVY
“Oh… hey, Krystal!”
KRYSTAL
“Do you still have my stuff? I need my pink polka dot dress!”
Ivy frowned again. Ah, how foolish of me to think she was calling about me, she thought to herself.
IVY
“No. I got rid of it all.”
She said tersely.
KRYSTAL
“WHAT?! WHY?! That was my stuff, Ivy! I trusted you!”
IVY
“You TOLD me to get rid of it!”
She hissed between clenched teeth.
KRYSTAL
“I wasn’t being serious! Gosh, you take everything so literally and seriously!”
Ivy rolled her eyes and drew a long breath.
IVY
“And you NEVER take anything seriously!”
KRYSTAL
“Geez, what’s up your butt today?”
IVY
“Do you even know what day it is today, Krystal?”
KRYSTAL
“Of course I do! It’s Saturday! Goony is throwing an awesome party tonight, you should come!”
IVY
“NO. It’s MY birthday today and you’re supposed to be there for ME!”
Her voice rose and trembled with hurt and frustration.
KRYSTAL
“OH! Sorry, babez, you should have told me! I can’t bail out on Goony, he just broke up with his girlfriend and he needs me!”
Ivy clenched her teeth and rolled her eyes.
IVY
“I did tell you… but you should know my birthday anyway. Whatever, I totally understand, you should be there for your friends. Deimos is my best and ONLY friend and he is always there for me. He is a good friend and truly cares about me.”
She spat spitefully.
KRYSTAL
“WHAT?! He’s not your only friend?! What about me?! I’m your friend, too!”
Ivy rolled her eyes.
IVY
“Are you though? …Why are we ‘friends’ Krystal? What do we have in common? When was the last time you took an interest in my life? Do you even know me? Do you even know my favourite colour or band? Well, you forgot my birthday, so probably not.”
She challenged her and rolled her eyes.
IVY (NARRATING)
“I didn’t realise it at the time, but these frustrations ran deeper than just Krystal. I was also venting about Larry. They were BOTH suffocating me and draining me, and something had to give, so I had to cut her loose.”
KRYSTAL
“I was there for you in high school and helped you make friends when you had nothing and no one!”
IVY
“That was then, but what about now?”
IVY (NARRATING)
“She couldn’t give me an answer, but I didn’t need her to. I already knew the answer. She kept me around because she could get away with her bullshit with me… but not anymore. I kept her around because I didn’t want to be an outcast in a bubble like Lily. She was the only friend I had and she was an escape from Larry…”
CUT TO END FLASHBACK
EXT. THE CATFE - PRESENT DAY
IVY
“But then when I met Deimos, I didn’t need that anymore when he showed me genuine love and care, supported my passions and we spent hours having deep conversations together. I had a taste of a gourmet burger and I couldn’t go back to shitty Hungry King’s burgers again. I had higher standards of what I would accept now and I wasn’t going to accept less than I deserve anymore.”
She smiled at Deimos, holding his hand.
IVY
“Sally and Kim wrote her letters when they parted with her and they got into huge fights. I didn’t see the point. I already said my piece and what was I fighting for? I was done, so I gave her the door slam. I stopped returning her calls and eventually, they stopped. I was glad.”
She threw her head back and drew a long breath.
IVY
“So, I don’t know why she wants to reconnect with me again after all this time? Once I’m done with someone, I’m done with them for good!”
DEIMOS
"Because she wants something from you, of course! That's how it always was."
IVY
"What does she want from me now, Deimos? What could I possibly have to offer her? It can’t be free artwork ‘cause she never cared about my art…"
She folded her arms across her chest.
TRISTAN
“Hmmm…, after years of having no contact, it is suspicious she’s initiating contact. She doesn’t appear to be lonely. Perhaps she is working for Larry or Jaclyn to gather intel on you? Jaclyn did hire Larry to propose to you, so this is not impossible.”
He stated. Deimos cupped his chin.
DEIMOS
“He’s right, and Jaclyn was just released from jail. That’s not to say she didn’t do this before but Lazaros mentioned Jaclyn was absent often. Who knows what she did during her absence?”
Ivy frowned and laughed bitterly, shaking her head.
IVY
“Whatever the case, she’s not getting anything out of me. That chapter of my life is done and closed.”
CUT TO:
INT. TREMAUX LAW OFFICES - DAY
The next day, Tristan was at work, sorting through his upcoming cases. Suddenly, he was startled with a jolt when his door barged open and Craig waltzed into the room with a big smile.
CRAIG
“Hey, Tristan-”
TRISTAN
“What do you want? You can’t just barge in on me at work!”
He hissed exasperatedly. Craig cowered like a scolded puppy.
CRAIG
“...Oh, sorry, Tristan… I came by to apologise ‘n make amends…”
Tristan rolled his eyes and drew a gusty breath.
TRISTAN
“Well, you’re off to a bad start barging in on me like that!”
CRAIG
“Sorry! Let me start this over!”
He knit his eyebrows, leaving the room and closing the door behind him. He then knocked on the door. Tristan drew a gusty breath.
TRISTAN
“Come in.”
Craig sauntered back into the room again and pulled up a chair across from his desk.
CRAIG
“I’m sorry that I upset ya at the restaurant, Tristan. I only had good intentions ‘n didn’t mean to embarrass ya…”
He began and drew a breath.
TRISTAN
“I’m sure.”
He muttered, folding his arms across his chest.
CRAIG
“And maybe I did kick out the clowns ‘cause of you… you inspire me ‘n influence me to be a better person… I wanna do better…”
He pleaded with him. Tristan drew another exasperated breath. He wasn’t entirely sure he believed that, and his prattle was beginning to irk him.
CRAIG
“I’m sorry for bein’ a dickhead! I wanna make it up to you ‘n do better! And I wanted to give this to ya!”
He presented him with a black fountain calligraphy pen with a golden nib with ‘Tristan’ engraved on it. Tristan was taken by surprise at his thoughtful gesture.
TRISTAN
“Oh, wow, Craig… this is nice.”
He brightened a bit. He then gaped at it with indignance when he saw the ink was green.
TRISTAN
“The ink is green…”
CRAIG
“Yeah, green is wicked sick!”
He grinned with a thumbs up.
TRISTAN
“I can’t sign legal documents in green ink, Craig…”
CRAIG
“Oh… is it against the law or something?”
TRISTAN
“No, it’s just not done. It’s supposed to be done in black or blue ink. But… thank you anyway, Craig.”
He smiled a bit.
CRAIG
“Oh… sorry! Please let me make all this up to you, Tristan! Let me take you out!”
He pleaded with him, groveling to his knees. Tristan relented with a sigh. Fine, if it gets him off my case, he thought.
CUT TO
EXT. SELENE VALLEY BEACH - NIGHT
Later that night, Craig and Tristan sat on the beach together. Craig had the radio on blaring from his Jeep.
Craig had gathered sticks and rocks along the beach to make a fire pit.
CRAIG
“Yeah, I learned how to make a wicked sick fire in Boy Scouts! Watch this!”
He declared as he began rubbing sticks together to try to spark a fire.
CRAIG
“AH! Come on ya, drongo, burn!”
Tristan reached into his pocket.
TRISTAN
“Why not just use a lighter?”
He offered, pulling out a lighter. Craig pouted.
CRAIG
“There ain’t no lighters in the wilderness, Tristan! You gotta be resourceful in the wild ‘n use what you got!”
TRISTAN
“Well, we’re not in the wilderness and I have a lighter, so let’s use what we’ve got, Craig.”
CRAIG
“Alright, fine...”
He pouted and begrudgingly took his lighter, sparking the fire.
The fire burned bright, casting a warm orange glow onto them. Craig beamed and sat down beside Tristan and they gazed up at the stars together. Megadeth blared in the background on the car radio.
TRISTAN
"Oh, I love this song!"
He beamed, tapping his foot. Craig locked his gaze on him.
CRAIG
"I love it, too!"
He leaned in closer to kiss Tristan. Tristan recoiled and pulled away.
TRISTAN
“...What are you doing, Craig?!”
CRAIG
“I want you, Tristan…”
He confessed. Tristan pursed his lips as his head spun with confusion.
TRISTAN
“...I don’t know how I feel, Craig.”
He confessed softly in a shade above a whisper.
CRAIG
“...What do ya mean you don’t know? We’ve been spending so much time together and having fun together! How could ya not know how you feel?”
He knit his eyebrows.
TRISTAN
“...What about Andreas?”
He pursed his lips. Craig’s heart skipped a beat.
CRAIG
“...Andreas is gone now. Before he died, he told me to move on, so that’s what he’d want! He’d be happy for me.”
He assured him, gazing up at the night sky as if Andreas were looking down at him from the heavens.
TRISTAN
“But you’re still not over him, Craig...”
Craig bowed his head.
TRISTAN
“Sometimes I feel like you want to see him in me. I am not Andreas and I’m not going to be his replacement.”
He said softly, but firmly.
CRAIG
“What?! No way, it ain’t like that Tristan! You’re not his replacement!”
Tristan wanted to believe that, but something was eating at him.
TRISTAN
“It was only weeks ago that you and Veronika broke up and Andreas’ murder was announced. Don’t you think this is too fast and you need to work through that first? How do I know I’m not just another rebound like Veronika? As soon as Andreas broke up with you, you got into a toxic relationship with her and that’s another can of worms!”
Tristan rose to his feet, his hair blowing in the breeze as he looked out to the shore.
TRISTAN
“I’m sorry, Craig, it wouldn’t be fair on me, or you. I think you need to be on your own and heal…”
He said firmly but gently, heading to his car.
CRAIG
"Tristan, WAIT! …Do you think there's a chance we could be together someday?"
He pleaded with him, rushing up to his car. Tristan paused.
TRISTAN
"If you love something enough, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's meant to be."
He said and backed out of the parking lot, driving off into the night.
Craig stood alone on the beach with a hopeful smile. The cool breeze extinguished the fire, filling his surroundings with darkness.
TO BE CONTINUED.