Tripping Over Raindrops, chapter 3
The next couple of weeks after Jess got better she had been seeing this Ray more and more. Mike had asked her over and over only to find out the week before that they had been dating for over a month. Mike felt so hurt that Jess had hidden something from him that long that he just started avoiding her altogether. More long nights at Gilman Street was starting to take it's toll on all the guys. One night they all decided to come home earlier after they played and take a break. Billie Joe was the first one to walk in. He heard voices upstairs and naturally assumed it to be Jessie and Ray talking. He didn't like Ray, neither did Tre' or Mike. Ray was too stuck up to function and a real jerk-off to Jess. Jess was really smart but it was like she didn't see how rude he was being to her.
Billie Joe walked over and sat down on the couch and turned on the television followed by Tre' who sat in an arm chair beside him. Mike walked into the kitchen to get them all something to drink. A few mintues later Mike was walking out of the kitchen when they heard a loud SMACK then a dull heavy thud. Which made them all jump and turn to look at the stairs. Mike dropped the drinks and ran up the stairs. Just as he reached the top Jessie's door flew open and Ray stormed out pushing past Mike, but Mike grabbed him by the shirt "I swear to god if you hurt her I will kill you." Ray turned and looked him in the face "And what... areyou gonnado.... hiiit me withhh your guitarrrr?" with that he jerked away and stomped down the stairs and out the door. Mike could smell alcohol on his breath. He ran into Jessie's room to find her curled up by her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest.
"Jess? Jessie are you okay? Did he do anything to you because if he did I'll..." Mike started as he walked over to her.
"Mikey I'm fine, I just....I just need to be alone. He didn't do anything." Jessie said. Her voice was shaky and unsure, but Mike didn't want to push her.
"Okay Jess, but I really don't like him. You can do so much better." Mike said sitting down beside his sister.
"Mike don't you get it? No I can't. I've tried and tried, I can't, this is it. This is how I'm always going to be. I'm nothing. I'm useless." She said, her voice breaking.
Mike knew then that Ray had gotten into her head. This was not his fun-loving little sister he knew. His sister didn't care about what anyone thought, she was happy and nothing could bring her down. This was not her.
"Jessie, you are everything and you are not useless. You do everything around here. Jess I'm sorry but I'm not letting that creep back into our house. I'm just not going to do it. I don't like how he treats you and I don't like what he's turning you into." Mike said looking at his sister with sad eyes.
Jess didn't disagree or argue, she just sat there thinking 'He's going to be even more mad at me when I tell him that.' she thought. All Jessie wanted right then was to have her brother and be with the people who were always there for her. She reached over despite how much it hurt and wrapped her arms around her brother. She buried her face into his chest and cried softly into him. Mike sat there holding his sister quietly. A few minutes later Tre' appeared at the door. He looked in at Mike and made eye contact, he just nodded and went back down stairs.
"Mikey?" Jess said sitting up and looking at her brother.
"Yeah Jess?" Mike said.
"I'm going to go to bed now." She replied pulling herself up on her bed. She cringed at the pain in her side.
"Okay did you want me to tell Billie Joe and Tre' to come say good night?" Mike said helping her into her bed.
"I would like that." She said smiling weakly.
Mike nodded and walked out of her room closing the door, but not completely.
He turned to walk down the stairs when something caught his eye. He looked down at his shirt where his sister had been crying. Suddenly he felt woozy and dizzy, like he was going to throw up. He managed to make it to the bottom of the stairs. He looked at his shirt again. His stomach dropped, where he should have seen a wet spot of tears, what he thought was tears leaking through his shirt was...blood. Was it possible to cry blood? No...it had to be from her lip or something, right? Billie Joe and Tre' got up and walked over.
"Mike are you okay?" Billie Joe said sitting down beside him.
"Hey man, what happened?" Tre' said pointing to the spot on Mike's shirt.
Mike choked for words, "Go check on her, turn on the light. She's bleeding."
At this Billie Joe's face dropped as he got up and ran up the stairs. He ran into Jessie's room and tuned on the light. He rushed over to her bed. He felt the tears swell up in his eyes when he saw her face. All bruise and bloody. Around her eye was black and blue blood was coming from the side.
"Oh my god, Jessie we have to take you to the hospital." Billie Joe said picking her up. Jess yelped in pain as Billie Joe grabbed her side.
"I'm sorry! Are you okay? What hurts?" He said setting her down. Jess pointed to her side. Billie Joe pulled her shirt up to look at it. It was bruised as bad as her face, except you could see the hand prints. He pulled her shirt back down and looked at her sadly. She sat up and held her arms out to him. He leaned forward as she wrapped her arms around his neck and picked her up like a little kid.
"I'm sorry Billie Joe." Jess whispered as she laid her head down on his shoulder.
"It's not your fault." Billie Joe said walking towards the door. Jess could hear the disappoinment in his voice. This made her feel aweful.
That night at the hospital was long, too long. Mike went in with Jessie while Billie Joe and Tre' waited outside in the waiting room. Ray had elbowed Jessie the eye which had chipped the bone below her eye. The doctors had to carefully find and remove small bone fragments from her eye. Mike was going to kill him...He was going to put Ray through as much pain as he did Jess. He hated him. All Billie Joe could think about was how helpless Jess seemed to be while he was carrying her. At least then he knew she was safe, she would always be safe in his arms, but that would never happen. Tre' managed to concentrate on how to cheer everyone up when they got home. He didn't like Ray, hated him even. But he wasn't going to focus on that. He knew everyone else would and since Jess was in no shape to lighten the mood it was all up to him. His partner in crime or well more like cheerfulness was wounded so it was all up to him. That night everyone was pulled closer.
Billie Joe walked over and sat down on the couch and turned on the television followed by Tre' who sat in an arm chair beside him. Mike walked into the kitchen to get them all something to drink. A few mintues later Mike was walking out of the kitchen when they heard a loud SMACK then a dull heavy thud. Which made them all jump and turn to look at the stairs. Mike dropped the drinks and ran up the stairs. Just as he reached the top Jessie's door flew open and Ray stormed out pushing past Mike, but Mike grabbed him by the shirt "I swear to god if you hurt her I will kill you." Ray turned and looked him in the face "And what... areyou gonnado.... hiiit me withhh your guitarrrr?" with that he jerked away and stomped down the stairs and out the door. Mike could smell alcohol on his breath. He ran into Jessie's room to find her curled up by her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest.
"Jess? Jessie are you okay? Did he do anything to you because if he did I'll..." Mike started as he walked over to her.
"Mikey I'm fine, I just....I just need to be alone. He didn't do anything." Jessie said. Her voice was shaky and unsure, but Mike didn't want to push her.
"Okay Jess, but I really don't like him. You can do so much better." Mike said sitting down beside his sister.
"Mike don't you get it? No I can't. I've tried and tried, I can't, this is it. This is how I'm always going to be. I'm nothing. I'm useless." She said, her voice breaking.
Mike knew then that Ray had gotten into her head. This was not his fun-loving little sister he knew. His sister didn't care about what anyone thought, she was happy and nothing could bring her down. This was not her.
"Jessie, you are everything and you are not useless. You do everything around here. Jess I'm sorry but I'm not letting that creep back into our house. I'm just not going to do it. I don't like how he treats you and I don't like what he's turning you into." Mike said looking at his sister with sad eyes.
Jess didn't disagree or argue, she just sat there thinking 'He's going to be even more mad at me when I tell him that.' she thought. All Jessie wanted right then was to have her brother and be with the people who were always there for her. She reached over despite how much it hurt and wrapped her arms around her brother. She buried her face into his chest and cried softly into him. Mike sat there holding his sister quietly. A few minutes later Tre' appeared at the door. He looked in at Mike and made eye contact, he just nodded and went back down stairs.
"Mikey?" Jess said sitting up and looking at her brother.
"Yeah Jess?" Mike said.
"I'm going to go to bed now." She replied pulling herself up on her bed. She cringed at the pain in her side.
"Okay did you want me to tell Billie Joe and Tre' to come say good night?" Mike said helping her into her bed.
"I would like that." She said smiling weakly.
Mike nodded and walked out of her room closing the door, but not completely.
He turned to walk down the stairs when something caught his eye. He looked down at his shirt where his sister had been crying. Suddenly he felt woozy and dizzy, like he was going to throw up. He managed to make it to the bottom of the stairs. He looked at his shirt again. His stomach dropped, where he should have seen a wet spot of tears, what he thought was tears leaking through his shirt was...blood. Was it possible to cry blood? No...it had to be from her lip or something, right? Billie Joe and Tre' got up and walked over.
"Mike are you okay?" Billie Joe said sitting down beside him.
"Hey man, what happened?" Tre' said pointing to the spot on Mike's shirt.
Mike choked for words, "Go check on her, turn on the light. She's bleeding."
At this Billie Joe's face dropped as he got up and ran up the stairs. He ran into Jessie's room and tuned on the light. He rushed over to her bed. He felt the tears swell up in his eyes when he saw her face. All bruise and bloody. Around her eye was black and blue blood was coming from the side.
"Oh my god, Jessie we have to take you to the hospital." Billie Joe said picking her up. Jess yelped in pain as Billie Joe grabbed her side.
"I'm sorry! Are you okay? What hurts?" He said setting her down. Jess pointed to her side. Billie Joe pulled her shirt up to look at it. It was bruised as bad as her face, except you could see the hand prints. He pulled her shirt back down and looked at her sadly. She sat up and held her arms out to him. He leaned forward as she wrapped her arms around his neck and picked her up like a little kid.
"I'm sorry Billie Joe." Jess whispered as she laid her head down on his shoulder.
"It's not your fault." Billie Joe said walking towards the door. Jess could hear the disappoinment in his voice. This made her feel aweful.
That night at the hospital was long, too long. Mike went in with Jessie while Billie Joe and Tre' waited outside in the waiting room. Ray had elbowed Jessie the eye which had chipped the bone below her eye. The doctors had to carefully find and remove small bone fragments from her eye. Mike was going to kill him...He was going to put Ray through as much pain as he did Jess. He hated him. All Billie Joe could think about was how helpless Jess seemed to be while he was carrying her. At least then he knew she was safe, she would always be safe in his arms, but that would never happen. Tre' managed to concentrate on how to cheer everyone up when they got home. He didn't like Ray, hated him even. But he wasn't going to focus on that. He knew everyone else would and since Jess was in no shape to lighten the mood it was all up to him. His partner in crime or well more like cheerfulness was wounded so it was all up to him. That night everyone was pulled closer.
