Shattered

Prologue:

Things change in the blink of an eye. First you have everything and the next everything falls to the ground around you.  At least it did for me two years ago and I am still picking up the pieces of that betrayal that we call life.  I had it all some might think but in reality alls I had was my broken heart and unshed tears for something that I couldn’t quite grasp and hold onto like I thought I could.  Living with demons is a hard thing to posses and I was trying to make things work where they didn’t seem to.  My life was his for almost ten years and I let him slip away.  At least that’s what I tell myself over and over again.  My sister tells me it’s time to pick up the pieces and move on.  Things can only get better, but I remind her every day that they seem to be getting worse than getting better.

Chapter 1

The salon has never felt so empty before.  Kristy came in on time today ready and willing to throw me back into life.  But today marks the
two year anniversary of the fallen love that I thought I could get back over time. 

“Girl
get your head out of your ass and let’s go on. Look at what you have done for you and your kids these last two years! Don’t sit there and pout at what should have been.  It’s been two years and he is gone and you are a stronger person for that.” Kristy said with sternness in her voice.

“I know I know, God you sound like my sister.  Have you been talking to her??” I said shaking my head back and forth while restocking the shampoo up front.

“No but maybe I should call her and tell her to get her happy ass over here and have her cheer your ass up!!”

“Kris she lives three hours away and she
can’t just drop everything she is doing. She’s a lawyer now and has a life besides the f up one that I have looming over my head.  She would just try to get me drunk and laid.  I am not in the mood for that”

“Well I think I am still going to call her.  You don’t need to be in this kind of mood any longer. 
It’s been two years.  He has moved on and so should you.  I say that we go out with the girls get wasted and try to get guys to buy us our drinks.  Let’s go to the mall after work and buy ourselves something sexy and party our asses off! Plus its Friday and ladies get in free at Barneys!!”

“I don’t know we will see how today goes.  Go get ready for our clients’ and then we will see how the day goes.  I may just go to get your ass off my back”

“That’s my girl!”

We opened the salon and waited for the other two girls, Amanda and Kylie to show up to start their shifts.  I really don’t know what I would do without the support from these girls these last two years.  Each one has grown to be a sister to me.  After my divorce from my husband I took settlement money and finally pursued my cosmetology license.  A dream I have had since I was 18.  After it took me a long year to get it I finally opened my salon and hired these three great girls I went to school with.  We all have a passion for what we do and we do it well.  The business is booming and it’s about the only thing keeping me grounded.  Besides my kids, they have been my rock in so many ways.

“Michael and
McKayla are with their dad this weekend so maybe we should get out.  Maybe I do need to step up my social life beyond the three of you.”  I said teasing as I was putting on some color to Mrs.  Clouds bleach blonde hair.

“Oh yes honey I think it would be a lovely idea that you go out and dance.  Shake what your mama gave you.  Then just maybe you
won’t be at home eating that tub of cookie dough ice cream that I know is shoved in your freezer.” Mrs. Cloud said raising her eyebrows at me and winking.

How that woman knows
what’s in my freezer is beyond me but there is no use in denying that fact that I have loved my snickers bars and cookie dough ice cream for the last two years every night. Kristy gave Mrs. Cloud a knowing glance and a little chuckle to let her know that she agrees.  It’s not like I have gained any weight.  I run 5 miles every day at Club 24 and try to stay as fit as can be so that way I don’t ever get fat again.  But I do have to admit those damn dough balls and caramel goodness are my kryptonite.  Especially the two of them together but I will never admit that out loud.

It was a busy day for the four of us at the salon.  We had quite a few walks in so that kept us pretty busy.  By lunch time all of us girls where tired but still standing.  Since the girls
were so busy today I decided that I would buy us all lunch.  We decided to order from our favorite Mexican restaurant, which happens to be right across the street.  This made my girls very happy.  After we had our lunch, when we could go back to the break room, the busy flow started up again.  It was about fifteen till six (we close at seven) when we had a walk in.  A young tall blonde in her mid twenties came strutting in on her high horse.  Just my luck I was the only one available to help her out.  She sat down at my station and began to tell me how she wanted her hair cut and styled. She was mid conversation to me about her hot date with her boyfriend, telling me that she is meeting his kids for the first time and hopes one day to be their step mom. (I just rolled my eyes at this.  Poor guy I hope he know what he is getting into) when her phone started ringing off the hook.  She glanced down and got a huge shit eating grin across her face. 

“Hello…..oh hey baby…..yea
h just getting my hair done for tonight……oh I am at Essentials…..No this is my first time here why…….well so far I like it.  Why do you want to know who is cutting my hair……..hold on let me ask her…….hi um my boyfriend wants to know what your name is...” she asked me

I find this very odd.  I mean yeah people ask my name all the time but
it’s not during a conversation that they are having with their boyfriend.  I feel a since of urgency to not tell her what my real name is but I know I have to.  But I just have this uneasy feeling about this conversation, like it’s not going to end the way that I would like it to.

“Um… that’s ok my name is Ryan and I own Essentials.  Does your boyfriend know of us here?”

“Honey did you hear her…….OMG your kidding me……ummmmmm well I am almost done and I will see you soon.  I will try to hurry and hope I come out alive.  Ok love you too babe.” Her tone was off like she didn’t want to tell me who was on the phone and now she was fidgeting the chair, very uneasy about being at my station. The girls stopped what they were doing looking at me like I grew another head.  Just waiting for me to ask her if her boyfriend knew who I was.  I could feel three pair of eyes on my back while I finished Barbie’s hair.  I didn’t want to pry because that just isn’t my style but I can’t say that I wasn’t just a little curious to know who was on the other side of that phone call. 

Fifteen minutes later Barbie was almost done.  I was finishing up blow drying her blonde locks.  The rest of the girls where done for the evening and had finished cleaning up their stations and the rest of the
shop just waiting for an explanation from the girl sitting in my chair.  She had gone from bubbly to plain frightful in less than 20 minutes.  Once she was done she stood up and looked in the mirror.

“OMG he was so right you are great at what you do”

“Well thank you, I think.  Whoever he is thank you the compliment.  Did he say that he knew me?”

“Oh yeas he knows you very well.”

Oh this did not sit well with me.  Yes I have a lot of male clients but something about how she was acting made me feel like I wasn’t going to like her answer. I had this big gasp lodged in the back of my throat just waiting to let lose once I found out who she was talking about.  Did I really want to know who he was? Better yet was I going to flip out and have my semi perfect day ruined by Barbie?

“Well
who’s the guy?  We are all dying to know.  It’s not every day a client tells is girlfriend that Ryan is great.  I mean we all know she is and that’s why we are great but we like to hear it over and over.  And maybe next time he is in we can give him a discount of something. So spill.” Amanda said as she had a vice grip in the broom she was using to clean up Barbie’s blonde locks.  She proceeded to pay me and as she was about to walk out the door, leaving us all in suspense she hit me with the worst kind of information that I could have ever imagined. And that gasp finally decided it was going to come out full blast.  It sounded more like howling sound that wounded animals would make more than a gasp.

“Well thanks Ryan and um by the way Jason says hi.  See
ya!” She rushed out the door almost falling on her ass trying to get to her car.

“Fuck he didn’t.” cried Amanda

“That bastard.” Kylie gasped

“Shit.” Kristy said running to me trying to hold me up. I almost face planted into my reception desk right after my wounded dog cry.  Of all things that could happen today, that had to be it. 

“Um was it just me or did she tell him that she “loved him too” was I mistake on that one? Or where my ears just playing games again? If so someone please go get the vodka from the freezer and lock the front door.” I whispered trying to grip the reception desk because my lets felt like jelly. Thank goodness for the support of Kristy, because if she wasn’t there holding me right now then I would have fallen and never gotten up.

There is nothing worse than finding out that your ex has a blonde Barbie that he loves and he is going on a date with her and you just fixed her hair for that said date.

“I am so going to rip his balls off and shove them down his throat.” Amanda stated almost breaking the broom in half trying to keep her composure. I wouldn’t doubt Amanda for one minute.  She maybe 5’3” but the girls wears heels to work all day every day and can shoot straight.  She is not one to be messed with. Especially when it comes to Jason.  She was the first person I ran to after our split.  She held me an whipped my tears and then offered to take me to the gun range so that way I could have practice for the next time I see Jason.  That made me laugh.  But seeing her tonight I could almost see the wheels inside her red head turning.

“
Manda, its good we got this don’t worry.  I just need a shot of vodka, well maybe two or three, well hell who am I kidding I need the whole damn bottle.  Ky hurry up I am thirsty!!” I yelled trying to show everyone that I am semi ok.  Not that they believe me but at least it will stop them from trying to go out and finding Barbie and Jason and inflicting pain that would land us all in jail . 

After we all sat there in silence, and three shots later it was decided that we would go to Barneys tonight to have a little fun.  We all decided to meet up at Kylie
’s place because she lived closer and she was the only single one.  Kristy gave up on trying to get me to go shopping and opted on going through Kylie’s closet instead.  Manda had to go home tuck her three kinds in and kiss her perfect husband and then she would be over in an hour. Kristy decided it was best that she would take me to Kiley’s straight from work so that way I wouldn’t be tempted to go home and veg out on cookie dough and snickers bars.  If only she knew that I had a snickers bar in my purse…….

Upon arriving at K
ylie’s I was feeling a little better.  Those three shots helped me calm down.  Once we were all there we began to change and put our faces on.  It really helped all of us being in our profession, we would never leave the house looking like crap. 

K
ylie opted for a purple wrap dress that was snug on her tiny 24 inch waist and her perky boobs that haven’t seen gravity yet.  The girl had big green eyes long wavy jet black hair and killer legs.  To say she was gorgeous would have been a lie.  The girl was sex in heels.  Ky came a very wealthy family that left her with a trust fund set for life.  But she didn’t care about the money she just wanted to fit in on her own and not by wealthy standards.  She used her trust fund don’t get me wrong , she had to survive but she didn’t flaunt it around like most wealthy people do.  She still shopped at Target because let’s face it ….. Target is the rich man’s Wal-Mart.  She lived life and life lived in her.