Things have gotten better for everyone. My mother has been coming over frequently to help me with Avalon. Avalon has also been spending time at my parent's house. They took my old room and turned it into a Princess Tiana-themed room. Needless to say, she loves it.
Odell has been gone either at practices or playing in a game. I can not keep up, especially with having a baby. I have been trying to attend one of his games with our daughter so she can see him play, but he doesn’t tell me anything. It is almost as if he is embarrassed to have us out in public. I haven't heard from him in weeks.
"I'm sure he is busy," my mother said.
I decided to have a conversation with my mother. She is wiser than I am and has gone through something similar to my situation with my father. I haven't heard from August either; he has been partying and fucking every girl he sees, or at least that's what the tabloids are saying. I tend not to listen to them, but I've been texting him, and he won't respond either. Did I do something to the men in my life? After the fifteenth ignored the message, I gave up. If it weren't for my mother, I would have given up by now.
"Mom, he's in town. He has not had a game or practice. His team is on a bi-week; I-I asked some of his teammates," I replied. I probably shouldn’t have asked his teammates, but he won’t respond, so I had to get an answer.
"Maybe, you should show up at his house," She blurted out. Out of all the things my mother could have said, I never expected that to come out of her mouth. I stood up and walked to the window; maybe I should show up.
I looked at her, and we both burst out laughing. The more I laughed, the more I thought it was a good idea. It was a brilliant idea, one that I'm going to do. I went to my room and grabbed some fresh underwear. I went into the bathroom and took a quick shower. I got out and lotioned up and then put my indigo Victoria's Secret lingerie set on. I went to the closet and got my sexist red dress out, and put it on. My mother came into the room, and her mouth dropped.
"Damn, you look fantastic. I came to tell you that Odell was last seen at a club. I sent it to your phone," she told me—any information she could find out with a simple phone call. My mother sure had her contacts.
"Thanks, mom." I brushed my hair. My hair was down slightly past my shoulders. It was a chocolate brown color. It was longer, but I was not too fond of long hair.
I grabbed my hoops earrings and put them on. I applied light makeup, but not too much. I wanted to look as natural as possible. I was all for natural beauty. I sprayed some Chanel perfume onto my neck and my wrist. Then I went and grabbed my silver pumps and put them on. I then looked in the mirror, and I did look good.
"Show him what he is missing," my mother said when I walked into the living room.
I smiled. "Definitely."
I kissed her and my daughter; I grabbed my clutch and left the apartment. I got in my range and pulled up the club on my phone. It took me about ten minutes to get there. On the way there, I could only think about showing my ass. I still looked good even after having a baby seven months ago. When I pulled up, there was a line; I got out and turned the car off. It was a private club; only those who were celebrities could get in. I walked up to the bouncer, and he glared down at me.
I walked up to the bouncer and crossed my arms. The bouncer just looked at me. “You gonna let me in or not?”
"You are?" He asked me?
I felt somewhat offended, but I didn't get out much, so I understood why he wouldn't recognize me.
"Ashlyn!?" Someone yelled! I turned and waved. Then other people started calling out and yelling for me. Without thinking, I walked over and started meeting people. They started asking for photos, so I took pictures with some. They even asked for my autograph, which I signed; I don't get out often, but when I do, I treat my fans with kindness. I finally walked back to the bouncer. He looked surprised.
"You can go in," he huffed.
I locked my car and looked at him, "Make sure nothing happens to my car." Then I turned on my heel and walked inside the club. It was loud and dark, and it was hard for me to make out anyone. I walked up to the bar after I found it and waited. Finally, someone came up to me, and they looked surprised to see me.
"Ashlyn, you look amazing," the guy said, his eyes trailing down my body, stopping at my breast. Finally, they traveled back up to my face. Was I supposed to know who this pervert was?
"Odell. I'm looking for him," I said. He then looked surprised again. "What?" I crossed my arms.
"I thought you were here for your brother." He explained. So August is here too. They are probably together.
"Where?" He pointed to the VIP section. I nodded and walked over there. There was a bouncer again, but he let me through right away. I guess he recognized me; I smiled at him and kept walking. I could feel eyes on me. I found August; first, he was lying on a couch, and some chick was riding him. Does he have any class, Gabby, must have meant a lot to him if he is this fucked up? He happened to look over at me, and he sat up and pushed the chick off him. He stood up and stumbled over to me.
"Ash...w-what are y-you doing h-here," he asked? He stood up, stumbling.
God, could he be drunker? I grabbed a nearby robe and wrapped it around him, then walked over to the couch and sat him down. He was so out of it, and I needed to help him before he fucked himself over. God, I hope he hasn't gotten anyone pregnant or caught anything. I got up and walked over to one of the guards.
"Take him to my car. It is out front. Put him in the back seat and wait for me there" The guard nodded. I looked at August one more time, and he was asleep. I walked out of his room and into the next, except Odell wasn't in that one. It took me five more different rooms before I found him. I opened the door, and there he was. He was in an exotic room, but the room had a bed in it. Clothes were everywhere, and when I looked up, there were at least three different bodies that I could see. I walked closer to the bed, and they were going at it.
"Well, it looks like you are enjoying yourself," I said. They all jumped and looked up at me. When Odell looked at me, his face was filled with guilt and surprise. At this point, I did not care, and I was pissed off. Here I was, taking care of our child, and he was having sex with God knows how many different people.
"Ashlyn..." He trailed off. What could he say? He accidentally fell into bed with two different women.
"I'm taking August home," I told him. I did not want to have anything to do with him, and I needed to leave. I turned and started walking for the door. I heard shuffling, and so I started walking faster. I was opening the door when a hand grabbed my arm and pushed the door closed again. I turned and saw Odell look down at me. His face was mixed with sadness and guilt.
"Ash...". I looked up into his eyes, his sad eyes. I wanted to feel what he was feeling. I wanted to feel bad for him, but he went to the world instead of coming to me.
"Odell, I have to go."
He pulled me closer to him, "Stay." My body wanted me to stay. I wanted to stay, but I was mad.
I shook my head. " I can't. Not with this Odell; this is not the Odell that I lov- care about". I stopped myself from saying how I truly felt. He didn’t deserve to hear me say it, but I knew it was too late. He knew what I was going to say.
His eyes got big; he knew what I wanted to say. I pushed him back slightly; God, how I missed his arms being around me. I missed us being this close.
"I love you, Ashlyn," he admitted.
"No! No, Odell, you don’t get to say that now. Not after all this, not after you hurt me so bad. You don’t even understand; I freaking love you, Odell. I’ve loved you since our third date, but we can't be together. You will never change. I-I can't marry you either."
"Ash, please," he begged. I could hear so much pain in his voice, and then I felt the first tear roll down my face. I wiped it away quickly. I needed to leave before I gave in to this man. I pushed him back, a little too hard because he lost his balance and fell to the floor. I took that chance and opened the door. I looked back at him, meeting his gaze, and tearing my gaze away, I left the room and the club.
As I walked through the club, I could feel people watching me. After I left the club, the guard stood next to the car as I asked. He nodded to me, and I smiled at him. I got in the car and took August back to his home. I texted my mother and asked her to take Avalon back to her house for a couple of days. I needed to help August. She agreed.
