Geri sat on her window sill and let the crisp air blow on her face. She shut her eyes and breathed deeply. Things were so peaceful after leaving the Spice Girls. She forced herself to think about the good points although the thoughts of dancings, singing, clubbing and laughing with the other girls wouldn’t do away. “Well at least I can sleep in once in awile,” Geri thought. She crawled back into her bed, but before she shut her eyes she saw George (Michael) peek his head in the door. He had terrible bed-head. “What?” Geri asked. “Uh...I gotta go,” he replied “Okay, I’m trying to sleep,” “Are you okay Geri?” “I’m fine!” Geri yelled. George sneeked out of the room a little shocked. Geri rolled over and felt a tear drip down her face and onto her feather pillow. George was a great friend to her, he was always there for her and was kind enough to offer her a place to stay. Although he would never be a Victoria, Melc, Emma or...she thought for a moment about Mel B, who was now Mel G. They were never quite close, she regreted this. She pushed that thought away with the thought of how she was never invited to the best day of Mel G’s live...when she got married. Geri’s one salty tear turned into weeping. She reached for a tissue off her messy bedstand. Papers flew off, but she found something she hadn’t seen before. She picked it up and read it. It was a blue piece of paper with a number on it. Being the daring person she was she dialed it on the phone. “Hello?” said the voice on the other end, it was definitly a man. “Yeah...uh, this is Geri, I found this umm...” “Ohhhhh! Hi, I’m Brian,” “Yeah okay...yeah, uh I’m Geri” “I know...I suppose you want to know how you got that number,” “Uh-huh,” “Well see I’m Brian Littrel, a Backstreet Boy. I met your little friend George and he wouldn’t shut-up about you! You sounded okay so I told him to give you my number. It wasn’t till he put it in your room when he called me up and told me you were a Spice Girl!” “Is that bad or something?” “No...no I just don’t particularly like your music, no offen...” Brian was cut off as Geri slammed down the phone. She began to cry again. Now she was crying endlessly, she got up and wiped her tears. She hummed a familiar song, very familiar. “If you can’t dance, if you can’t dance...” She continued to humm and then started to dance. She stopped suddenly. “I don’t remember!” she screamed. Geri was going through a tough time, an early mid-life crisis. She contemplated whether she should call up Victoria, for she was one of the only one’s who was really nice to her and she could talk easily to. Her fear spread and that idea was defeated. She ran into her room and put on a pair of pants and a sweater. And then she threw on a pair of running shoes and stepped out of her house. Geri thought a nice walk was the perfect medicine. She breathed in the air and closed her eyes. She then noticed a black sports car following her. She sped up her pace. She then started to run. The car sped up. Geri ran into the woods, she heard someone getting out of the car. She tripped and she knew her ankle was twisted, the pain shot up her leg. Then the person came into view he was tall, and very familiar, he was Simon Fuller. Then he raped her. Geri trodded home crying and head low. She ran into the house and heard a noise in the kitchen. “Geri? Where you been?” George asked. “For a walk,” Geri said fighting back the tears. “Geri are you crying?” George pondered as he walked over to Geri. “You look a wreck...what happened?” “Nothing! Nothing happened! Nothing at all! Can’t I just go for a walk without having my life ruined?” Geri screamed and threw a vase off a table and onto the floor. She ran up to her room and locked the door and didn’t come out for three days. When Geri finally came down she went into George’s room. She opened the closet door and threw out a few things off the top shelf. Then she found it. She stared at it and she fell to her knees. “Please God forgive me for what I’m going to do...”Geri sobbed. “Geri!” George exclaimed when he saw her. “I’m sorry...”Geri said as George grabbed it, the gun, out of her trembling hands. Geri hung her head and whispered, “Please don’t make me tell you why...” “I know Geri...I know you’re going through a tough time. I love you and I want to help you okay? If you need anything I’m always...”George was stopped as Geri hugged him tightly. “Thank you George, you are really an angel.” Almost nine months later Geri still was having a terrible time. Even the public had lost interest in her. Her new album was canceled. She hadn’t talken to the Spice Girls in four months (by the way they were still going strong). She began to smoke again. But, mostly her life was pretty boring and depressing. She had told no one about her expierence with Simon. She blamed it totally on herself. She had no counseling either. But on a little more of a good side Geri had found trust in Brian. She loved him a lot and he prevented her from trying to kill herself again. But, Geri had one more terrifying secret. Geri, George and Brian sat at a table at a fancy restaraunt. The dinner was fufilling and they waited for their check. Geri’s eyes frantically looked at Brian and George. She took quick deep breaths. “Oh my god!” Geri screamed. She fell off her chair. “Geri!” George and Brian yelled in unison. “Call an ambulance!”George yelled as he shook the waiter. He did as George told him. “Geri you need to tell us what just happened?” Brian implored when Geri’s pain was gone and the paramedics were gathered around. She shook her head. “Geri!” Brian yelled forcefully. “Okay...it was a contraction...I’m pregnant,” Geri confessed. “Oh god...how? What?” Brian studdered but stopped when Geri started screaming again. She was put on a stretcher and carried off to the hospital. Geri lay in the delivary room with Brian by her side. “Brian okay, I was raped...remember when I tried to kill myself....” “Oh God...why didn’t you tell anyone?” Brian whined. “I was scared, my life was falling apart,” Geri sobbed. Brian collapsed in a chair. An hour later Geri started screaming and the nurses frantically ran into the room. “This is it! This is it!” the nurses yelled repeatedly. The labor went all as planned. And soon a baby was heard crying. “It’s...a little girl!” the nurse exclaimed, “Now is he the father?” the nurse motioned to Brian. “No he’s not,” Geri said. “But I’d really like to be...Geri would you marry me?” Brian asked with a tear rolling down his face. “Oh Brian...alright!” Geri sobbed. An hour later Geri’s baby had been taken away. She decided on the name Erica Grace. She looked around the sterile hospital while Brian went to go get a snack. “On no! No!” Geri said her voice raising. Her left middle finger was missing a gold ring. “Where’s my Spice Ring?” Geri yelled, “Oh god!” Geri rose off the bed. And searched the floor and her bed. A nurse ran into her room. “Ma’am, you’re baby she’s not doing so well.” “What? Why? Why does it always have to be me?” Geri cried, “Yu just leave me alone! Everyone leave me alone! Okay I hate my life!” “I know dear we’re doing are best,” the nurse hurried out of her room. Geri plopped down on her bed and fell asleep. In her dreams she heard...Goodbye my friend, I know you’re gone you said you’re gone, but I can still feel you here. It’s not the end...Geri awoke and was not in a dream anymore. Four friendly faces stood at the door stood singing...Viva Forever I’ll be waiting everlasting like the sun...They smiled. Mel C stepped forward. “Geri, Erica’s okay. She’s beautiful.” Geri covered her mouth astonished and cried, “Oh my god, she’s okay...” “Yes Geri she’s fine,” Mel C said. “Now Geri, you lost a ring, you didn’t loose our friendship,” Victoria said. “Geri we love you! Even me too,” Mel B stated. “Geri we miss you...”Emma cried. Victoria then held out a hand and revealed a shiny ring of gold. Geri took it and placed it on her finger...”I’m back for good!” she whispered. The girls embraced. “You know I feel a bit like Nicola...” Geri smiled. “Yeah,” Victoria said. “Rosie, Jimmy turn that bloody raquet down!” they exclaimed in unison. The room roared with laughter. Ginger Forever!Feedback: IluvGeriV@aol.com