Survival Of The Fittest

((Chadd Crossen continued from Closing Time.))

The pair had been curled up next to each other in the limo for quite some time. The romance that had been emanating from the entire evening was intoxicating, and the pair of young lovebirds were not immune to it at all. Chadd had just grinned and placed his finger to his love's lips as they passed the highway exit for her home. "I have something else planned for the night. Don't worry, it's all taken care of." During the pit stop they had made, the boy had gotten a hold of Janet's parents, clearing her for the rest of the night out. Not only was the place he had picked romantic, but it gave them even more time to ride together in the limo, the sunroof down, staring at the stars and treetops as they flew by. He had this all planned out... He was just glad that Janet hadn't leaned onto the small box that he had in the front pocket of his jacket. That would have given away everything.

The limo finally rolled to a halt after quite a while going down the rural 101A out of town. They had rolled from the city of St. Paul, right through a suburb to the farmland, and the limo had stopped right in front of a large chunk of property. The night air smelled crisp, just like the farmers had cleaned up, expecting their arrival. Which wasn't all that far off from the Truth. Chadd was friends with Old Mr. Palmer, the two both having lived near each other before the move as well. While better prospects had pushed Louie Crossen across the country, an economic slump was the driving factor for John Palmer.

Chadd stepped out of the limousine first, reaching a hand back in to help his date depart. The break down lane in which they currently stood opened up into a rolling, pristine green field, complete with a pair of large oak trees half an acre away. The gate had swung open already, as if inviting the pair in. There wasn't a car or a soul in site, and by the time the two had taken their first steps out of the limo, the driver had sped away. What Janet couldn't see was Chad's Audi parked on the far side of the field, waiting to take them home when the time finally came. "Let's go hon!" He beamed, taking her hand in his leading her up to the center of the field.

As the two approached the trees, a small white hammock came gleaming into view. Chadd did everything he could to contain the grin on his face, hoping that Janet enjoyed what he was trying to do, just as much as he was. The spot didn't hold much significance, but the type of pasture had been brought up in so many romance novels and movies that he felt the place perfect to spend time with her. This is perfect... A cloudless night, full moon, thousands of stars in the sky... I just hope that she thinks this is as romantic as I do.

He made a motion to the hammock with his head. "The box said it was rated for two... And I couldn't think of anyone else in the world I'd like to test that claim with." He smiled, kicking off his stuffy shoes, wiggling his toes in the warm summer grass, feeling the moisture through his socks. Who cares if the tuxedo was a rental, this is probably tons better than some other prom nights that it had seen.

((Janet Claymont continued from Closing Time))

Janet giggled as Chadd led her way through the trees, dragging her by the arm as she struggled to keep up with him in her unfamiliar high heels. She had to admit that she wasn't expecting something so romantic, even from the wonderful Chadd Crossen: the stars in the sky and the cool night air, coupled with their private time together was a wonderful thing he'd made for them both.

Led to the hammock, Janet looked at Chadd with a cheeky grin. She chuckled at his remark, whilst kicking off her shoes, letting out a sigh of relief as she was freed from the uncomfortable footwear, and then jumped into the hammock ahead of him as best as she could with the long dress on. After a few moments of effort, she finally navigated her way into a comfortable position and then turned onto her side to look at her boyfriend.

"Boy, there sure is a lot of room in here." she said, smiling suggestively at him. "Why don't you come join me?" she continued, running her finger invitingly along the fabric. He had definitely thought of the best way to end the Prom night; lying down under the starts with him felt just right.

Looking at his handsome, kind face, made Janet's heart tingle with warmth; sadly, it was still heavy with guilt throughout it all.

What was she doing, accepting Chadd's kindness like this? She wondered how she could keep hiding that secret from him, as her eyes drifted nervously down away from his face, the smile on her face shrinking slightly. She couldn't keep lying to him like she was forever: he deserved better. But he had put so much effort into it all, how could she break his heart like that?

Damn that rat bastard! He was ruining her perfect evening!

"Boy, there sure is a lot of room in here." she said, smiling suggestively at him. "Why don't you come join me?"

He just grinned. "You know that I love it when you act like that baby." He glanced behind him just in time to watch the tail lights of that limo slowly fade away. "Looks like it's just us... Don't mind if I get a little cozy, do you?" His eyebrows lifted, his voice mimicing her seggestive tone.

He took his sweet time sliding onto the hammock, slipping his stuffy dress shoes off as he got the majority of his body on the piece of starch white fabric, listening to each one hit the grass with a satisfying plop. God damn my feet hurt... I needed that. Laying back, he wrapped one arm around his love, pulling her body tight to him. He was content to just lay here and stare up at the stars from here until eternity.

Lucky for Janet, Chadd had been looking away as her face began to show the telltale signs of worry. He was gazing up at the beautiful night sky, concentrating on her skin touching his, and the cool night air on his face too much to notice that poor Janet still looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"So, you like my little surprise end to the evening honey?" Unlike earlier, he actually sounded wholehearted. He knew Janet was a romantic like he was, but he also knew she wasn't much of a country girl. And granted, while they were just curled up staring into that big ol' sky, they were essentially in the middle of a cleaned out cow pasture. His car wasn't scheduled to be here for another few hours, but he could call early if she really was just putting up with this for him... The night was supposed to be for her, after all.

Janet cuddled up to Chadd, looking at him whilst lying in the hammock underneath the starry night sky. Her heart knew love for Chadd Crossen, as he was the only guy she wanted to be with, but her mind knew that she had betrayed him in a truly horrible way.

Why? Why did she have to cheat on him? He didn't deserve that, and like hell she wanted to hurt him! That little bastard, he had ruined everything! Their perfect night, ruined!

And what about Chadd? He hadn't said anything, but could he be catching on? Ridiculous as it sounded, Janet's distressed mind wasn't above that paranoia. She could practically see it in his eyes: he was staring at her, disappointed at her betrayal, his eyes asking: why?

No, that was ridiculous. Chadd had no way of knowing what was going on. And that was awful.

"Chadd..." she finally said, looking into his lovely eyes. "Thank you for tonight. I love you, really."
She smiled weakly, trying to remember every reason she had stayed with Chadd all these years. He was smart, funny, kind, sexy, exciting; he was perfect. He deserved a perfect girlfriend, and right now she was far from it.

Hesitantly, she took in a small breath, shutting her eyes whilst trying to maintain her courage. "Would you love me, no matter what?" she asked, fearing his answer. She had probably given away that something was up there, but she couldn't keep hiding it from him forever. Even if it ruined the evening he had worked so hard to put together, and even if he did leave her for it, he deserved perfection. She wanted to be perfect to make him happy, because she wanted the two of them to have a perfect life together. Deep down, she appreciated that it was a bit young to be thinking about such things, but for now she had no intentions of leaving Chadd Crossen's side.

"Chadd... Thank you for tonight. I love you, really."

His smile widened as he pulled his love tighter to him. Maybe she was finally starting to loosen up a little bit with the absence of so many people around.

"Would you love me, no matter what?"

...Or not.

He shook his head. "Janet, I've told you a thousand times, I'll always love you. What is wrong? Seriously... You've seemed so tense all night. Relax hon. Tonight was for you... For us."

A cool breeze wafted between the pair of trees, the woods surrounding the field swaying and rustling as the sound of the frogs were finally noticed by the boy. In fact, the entire scene was finally starting to befall him. The swaying of the hammock, the faint sounds of the farm animals not a couple of fields away. The crisp smell of the cool spring breeze... Why wasn't she happy? He knew she should love this... He wanted the night to be absolutely perfect before he asked her the biggest question of his life. He still had his own mental battles to go through with, although he had done a bit better of a job of hiding it.

Was he ready for that commitment? Sure he was planning a long engagement, but... Was she really the one? No... Get that thought out of your damn mind! She's the fucking one, there's no question. He just wanted to allay whatever was concerning her before that perfect end to what should be the perfect night.

"C'mon love... Tell me what's bothering you."

This was it; she couldn't go on any longer. There was no doubt in her mind that she didn't ever want to do anything to hurt Chadd, but she knew she couldn't keep it inside her forever. He was the most wonderful guy she had ever known, and he deserved the truth. In fact he deserved more than that: he deserved her eternal love and devotion. She couldn't offer that right now, with this terrible secret buried deep within her heart; she had to fix it, for his sake.

"Fine, I'll tell you." she answered him weakly, sounding much more hostile than she had meant to. Turning away from him, she bit her lower lip nervously as it trembled between her teeth, keeping tightly shut in an attempt to stop her from breaking Chadd's heart. She didn't want to talk ever again, because she knew the moment that she did she would ruin everything. There would be no more nights out racing, no more day trips to restaurants or theme parks, no more nothing. They would end, there and there, the moment she opened her mouth.

But he deserved better than that.

It was for his sake that she had to talk, not for her own. No matter how much she wanted to be with him forever and always, in a blissful dating wonderland, Chadd had a right to know just how awful she really was. It didn't matter whether or not she regretted it; the fact was that she had done it. She had ruined everything for one reckless night of drunken passion. He deserved to know everything.

"It was at that party, the one you couldn't make..." she muttered, her voice getting quieter as she spoke on the oft chance that Chadd couldn't hear her in the silent night air. "A guy I don't know, he got all over me...I was drunk."

Her eyes were clenching as she spoke, because she knew that even if she had whispered it as quietly as she could Chadd would've heard. The words were practically forming in front of her, clear as the stars in the black sky. It was hard to continue, but the words seemed to be forcing themselves out.

In an instant, she ruined everything.

"I slept with him." she whispered, as tears fell down her face. "I'm sorry..."

He listened to her soft, shallow breathing as he attempted to comfort her by rubbing her arms gently and lovingly through her red dress. He knew whatever was bugging her was obviously really getting to her, and he didn't want something like that ruining what should be the best night of her life.

"Fine, I'll tell you."

Never had such soft words from her mouth sounded so harsh. Maybe she wasn't as bugged by whatever it was as he seemed to almost be imagining, and he was just annoying the ever loving hell out of her. Just about to utter an apology, he was cut off by her just as his mouth opened.

Janet was only silent for a few moments, however it felt like hours to Chadd. Perhaps it was God himself trying to delay both of their inevitable pain from the revelation about to unfold.

"It was at that party, the one you couldn't make... A guy I don't know, he got all over me... I was drunk."

This was far from what he expected to hear. He was waiting to hear some sort of drama with another girl, or something like that, not something about some guy touching her at a party when she was at her most vulnerable. However, Chadd was working off the assumption that the touch was unwanted for the moment. And that was a mistake that he wished he was actually the case when he heard the finale to her tale. But for a brief moment, he contemplated just how he would end the life of the fucker that he assumed had molested her.

If only.

In the next few moments, his entire world shattered around him. He would feel his heart skip a beat, and an empty feeling would wash through his entire body. His eyes would widen in shock, and he his face would go sheet white upon hearing what had truly transpired that night.

"I slept with him. I'm sorry..."

Her voice was so quiet that he had almost had to strain to hear her over the crickets and frogs chirping off in the woods surrounding him. The sobs that rang into his ears afterwards however confirmed his fears that he had heard her right. She got drunk... And cheated on him.

No words or thoughts would come to him, his entire world had shattered around him. The night, everything of the present momentarily forgotten as his mind raced through memories of the good times they had together, slowly working it's way back to that day that they met by chance, the day he still marked as the best day of his life. That day in the hospital where cupid had been waiting with a sniper rifle and some amazing timing, the day that Chadd found the girl that he never wanted to leave.

And by the time he had come back to reality... the pain truly hit him.

"J...Janet..."

He had no idea what to say. He was hurt, he was infuriated. But mostly, he felt betrayed. He knew what it was to be drunk. Being drunk really only lowered your inhibitions... He found that out from an Ex, funnily enough. Alcohol only let you do what you wanted to do anyways, it didn't make you do things that were against your nature and convictions.

"I..."

He bit his lower lip, trying to hold back an anguished cry. She was obviously regretful of her actions though... Those weren't crocodile tears. He knew her well enough to do that. Then again though, he might not know her at all if she did this to him...

"W...Why?" His hands had involuntarily grasped the sleeves of her long red dress. His entire body shook a moment as he took in a powerful breath, attempting to keep his composure in front of her.

"I... I love you... Why would you..." He pushed the last of his breath from his creaking lungs, breathing out a soft "No..." alongside the air. Everything suddenly felt so hollow, so empty.

"How could you..." His mind went in a million different directions at once. Every breath, every move, every thought was laboured and almost brought physical pain upon him. She had been his source of happiness for so long, but now... Now... They'd only ever even fought once.

And then his mind turned to the ring in his pocket. How close had he been to a mistake? Would it have even have been a mistake? Was she really sorry, or was he just naive?

Did she ever even really love him? His thoughts slowly drifted to the days leading up to the party. Did he do something to deserve this? A plan for revenge gone wrong maybe? He had to have deserved this somehow... He just wasn't good enough for him, she must have needed something more...

He just lay there, the hammock swaying in the breeze, unable to bring himself to pull her close for comfort, but at the same time unable to stand, unable to pull himself away; as if he were clinging to the past, not to her.