The next afternoon, Catherine's phone began to ring. It's Jackie. Her head was spinning a mile a minute and her heart is racing.
"Hello Jackie."
"Hi Catherine! How are you doing?"
"I'm good, how was your premier last night?"
"Great! Thanks for asking. I was shocked to hear that you saw the news in Bloomington."
"Oh no, it wasn't. Well, not that I am aware of. I am actually in California right now."
"Y-y-you are?" Jackie stuttered.
"Yes, I was invited to speak at Stanford about my article on the Theory of the Reversal of Self-Denial."
"Oh wow.. that brings back some memories," Jackie laughed. "It sounds like you did a great job on it, if you were asked to speak at Stanford. That's impressive, Catherine. I know how hard you were working on it."
Catherine smiled on the other end of the phone, while thinking about that day in the library.
"Thanks Jackie, there was one upside to losing my job. I found myself with plenty of time to really immerse myself into finishing it."
Jackie sighed, her tone suddenly filled with guilt.
"Catherine, I still feel really terrible about that."
"Jackie, please don't carry that guilt around any more. I was too careless with our relationship. You were the one who was hesitant and cautious. It was my fault and everything happens for a reason. I promise you I am fine with it all."
"Cute, Cute" Jackie said. "So we WERE in a relationship," she said in a sarcastic tone, mocking Catherine.
"Oh stop," Catherine responded laughing.
***
Before they knew it, they were on the phone for an hour. Catching up on the last year of their lives and making sarcastic jabs like their old selves.
"So when is your big speech? How long are you in California for?" Jackie asked.
"The speech is on Friday and I leave on Sunday night."
" I really wish I could meet up with you at some point, considering that you are in California right now. Also, who knows the next time you will get on a plane." She teased, "but it being premier week and all, my schedule is just jam packed."
Catherine's phone started to beep. She looked down and saw that Stanford is calling her.
"Jackie, I hate to do this but Stanford is calling me and I need to take this. It was really great catching up with you. Good luck with your movie, I'm sure it will be great."
"Oh okay... You too Catherine. I know you will do great with your speech." Jackie replied.
****
After hanging up with Stanford, Catherine laid down on the bed. She look at the TV and sees Jackie. Jesus, she's everywhere. It's coverage of the red carpet at her premier last night. Catherine's heart melts at the sight. It's only been a year but she looks so much grown up. All of a sudden, she sees a young man grabbing Jackie's arm and kisses her on the cheek. She turns the mute button off and hears the host say his name and it rings a bell. It's the co-star Jackie was teasing her about, the one with the crush on her. The tingling sensation she felt in her heart immediately turns to pain.
****
The next night while at dinner, Catherine receives a text from Jackie.
J:Â Hi Catherine. Just wanted to wish you luck on your speech tomorrow. You're going to do an amazing job. I just know it. Â :)
Catherine looked at the text message in the notification bar but didn't respond as she is at dinner with the Stanford Psychology Department.
****
When Catherine returns to her room a couple of hours later, she remembers Jackie's text message.
C:Â Thanks Jackie. So sorry, I was at dinner with Stanford. Also, I'm sorry for jumping off the phone so quickly last night.
Jackie messaged back immediately.
J:Â Don't worry about it. I completely understand how that can be.
C:Â By the way, I saw you on TV on the red carpet last night. So that's the Tommy guy you were warning me about ;)
J:Â Hahaha yep! Good thing you weren't the jealous type though, right?
Catherine took a while to respond, as she doesn't know what to say. She didn't want to come off sounding jealous, as she wanted to keep her hard edge since Jackie clearly moved on with Tommy.
C:Â You two look like a sweet couple. I'm really happy for you. I am glad you are in a great place in your life and have everything you ever wanted. But listen, I need to practice my speech so I will talk to you later. Good night Jackie.
Catherine was thankful that she had an excuse to stop talking before this went any further.
A few moments later, her phone lit up.
Jackie was calling.
Before Catherine could even say hello, Jackie began talking-
"Want some help practicing your speech? I'm really good at memorising lines, you know."
Catherine really didn't want to talk to Jackie but it wasn't a bad idea. Considering the only person she had practice on was Ethan, her dog.
Catherine sighed and replied "Fine" and quickly began her speech, leaving no time for small talk.
When she was done, Jackie was silent on the other end.
"Jackie? Did I put you to sleep? Catherine asked.
"No," Jackie replied. "I forgot how hypnotising your voice was. Then add in your Reversal of Self-Denial and my mind went straight to the library."
Catherine was silent and smiled. She didn't know what to say.
Then before she could stop herself, she blurted out
"I don't think your boyfriend would appreciate that comment."
"Boyfriend? Oh, Tommy? He's not my boyfriend. As actors, we are taught to flirt during our press tours so we can attract ratings. That's all."
"Ah," Catherine replied, "Well, anyway, what about the speech itself?"
"It's great Catherine, really. You sound confident and prepared as usual. You are going to nail it."
"Thanks Jackie. I appreciate your help but I really need to get some sleep now. You know, big day tomorrow."
"Oh, okay" Jackie responded, "Well, good night Catherine. I wish I could come tomorrow but I know that you will do great."
"Thanks Jackie. Good night."
****
Catherine put her phone on the charger and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. She turned off the light and closed her eyes, until she heard her phone ding.
J:Â I'm sorry, I know you are trying to sleep but I just wanted to get something straight. You said earlier that you were glad that I have everything I wanted and that's just not true. I am happy out here and really enjoyed being back with my Neptune 26 family, but I just wanted you to know that leaving Bloomington was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.
Catherine was going to ignore the text. She had enough on her mind as it was, but she felt her heart warmed up at Jackie's words. She knew that she owe her at least a response. So she typed two short words to summarise it all.
C:Â Goodnight Porcupine.
A/n Thanks for reading my story. Please vote and drop a comment. Comments will help me a lot more than you might think. â¤ï¸