Wake Me Up When the Sun Rises, chapter 7
People were whispering all around me. I groaned and they stopped abruptly. "Tori?" asked a familiar voice, but it was fuzzy, like it was coming over an old radio. I felt like someone had dropped a ton of bricks on my head and winced as severe pain shot through it. Opening my eyes slowly, I saw the worried and sleep deprived faces of Joey, Billy Joe, Adrienne, Mike, Tre, and Jakob, peering down at me. Jakob came up to the edge of the bed and looked at me shyly.
"Is she still sick mommy?" I smiled as he looked up at Adie. Adie looked at me before turning to her son.
"A little honey." Suddenly, everything from the night I ran away to the night that my dad was killed crashed back into place. I remembered every little detail. Adie gasped as I shot up straight in the hospital bed.
"Tori, you need to lie back down. Your suffering from shock, you need to take it easy honey." Said Billie Joe, placing a hand on my shoulder. I sat back but didn't lie down.
"What happened?" I asked firmly setting my chin out so they knew I wanted answers and wouldn't do a damn thing till I got some.
"Your dad was killing you, Tori! If the bailiff hadn't of whacked him with that night stick, we might be looking at a corpse instead of you!" Said Tre, sitting up a little straighter. I looked at him, feeling a little numb.
"And he, my dad, is he-?"
"Yes." Said Billie Joe shortly. "He's dead. Sitting in a morgue waiting for some blind old man to embalm him. I'm sorry." he finished, looking at his feet.
"I'm not." He looked at me, shocked. "That son of a bitch beat me for almost nine years! I'm not sorry to see him go. The only thing that worries me is what will happen to me." Billie Joe disregarded my last comment for a moment.
"So I guess you won't be going to his funeral then. Which by the way, is two days from now."
"Oh I'll go! But only because he wasn't always like this. He used to be good to me but when my mom died-" I trailed off and the room was silent for a moment.
"As for what will happen to you? As far as I'm concerned, the spare bedroom is yours. I'm sure neither Billie Joe, Joey, nor Jakob will protest to this!" Said Adie. "You can do whatever you want with it, it's yours. Billie Joe and I can get guardian papers as soon as tomorrow! And you can be part of our family by next week!" Joey looked up startled.
"You can't adopt her!"
'I didn't say adopt! But we can be legal guardians." She said.
Joey sighed in relief and everyone laughed. Then I bit my lip and thought about it. I looked up. "You'd really do that? For me!" I said. They all nodded.
"Being friends with one of these guys is the best decision you'll ever make in you life kid!" Said Mike, clapping Billie on the shoulder. I looked at the smiling, warm faces of the people in the room with me. I realized for the first time in my life that someone cared about me. Truly cared. The thought warmed my heart and I smiled, feeling happy tears roll down my eyes.
"So what d'ya say? Stay with us?" asked Billie Joe. I looked up nodding, knowing everything would be ok.
*Two days later; day of funeral*
By the time the funeral rolled around, all my stuff was at the Armstrong's and all Billie and Adie had to do to gain custody of me was sign one more document which we were going to do afterwards. I didn't have to wear any pink clothes this time. Instead, I wore a long black skirt and a navy blue halter top with my usual amount of dark eyeliner. Other than me and my friends, there were only three other people at the actual viewing. As we proceeded outside I noticed it was raining. Joey pulled out an umbrella and sheltered me with it. The funeral only took about and hour but I stayed to watch them put him in the ground for good. After everyone had walked away and the pile of dirt was securely covering his corpse, I still stood there looking at it. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder.
"Come, on Tori. It's done." I took Joey's hand and started to walk back to the car with him.
"TORI!" someone shouted my name before I got into the car and I wish now that I would've ignored them. I turned and felt my jaw drop. Running towards me with a trench coat held above there head was a younger woman. She had a black dress on and black pumps. I recognized her almost immediately and felt red hot rage pump through my veins as she stopped before me. Gazing at the dark blue eyes, the dark brown hair that was all too familiar because it was all mine, I stared into the face of my--
"Mom?!"
"Is she still sick mommy?" I smiled as he looked up at Adie. Adie looked at me before turning to her son.
"A little honey." Suddenly, everything from the night I ran away to the night that my dad was killed crashed back into place. I remembered every little detail. Adie gasped as I shot up straight in the hospital bed.
"Tori, you need to lie back down. Your suffering from shock, you need to take it easy honey." Said Billie Joe, placing a hand on my shoulder. I sat back but didn't lie down.
"What happened?" I asked firmly setting my chin out so they knew I wanted answers and wouldn't do a damn thing till I got some.
"Your dad was killing you, Tori! If the bailiff hadn't of whacked him with that night stick, we might be looking at a corpse instead of you!" Said Tre, sitting up a little straighter. I looked at him, feeling a little numb.
"And he, my dad, is he-?"
"Yes." Said Billie Joe shortly. "He's dead. Sitting in a morgue waiting for some blind old man to embalm him. I'm sorry." he finished, looking at his feet.
"I'm not." He looked at me, shocked. "That son of a bitch beat me for almost nine years! I'm not sorry to see him go. The only thing that worries me is what will happen to me." Billie Joe disregarded my last comment for a moment.
"So I guess you won't be going to his funeral then. Which by the way, is two days from now."
"Oh I'll go! But only because he wasn't always like this. He used to be good to me but when my mom died-" I trailed off and the room was silent for a moment.
"As for what will happen to you? As far as I'm concerned, the spare bedroom is yours. I'm sure neither Billie Joe, Joey, nor Jakob will protest to this!" Said Adie. "You can do whatever you want with it, it's yours. Billie Joe and I can get guardian papers as soon as tomorrow! And you can be part of our family by next week!" Joey looked up startled.
"You can't adopt her!"
'I didn't say adopt! But we can be legal guardians." She said.
Joey sighed in relief and everyone laughed. Then I bit my lip and thought about it. I looked up. "You'd really do that? For me!" I said. They all nodded.
"Being friends with one of these guys is the best decision you'll ever make in you life kid!" Said Mike, clapping Billie on the shoulder. I looked at the smiling, warm faces of the people in the room with me. I realized for the first time in my life that someone cared about me. Truly cared. The thought warmed my heart and I smiled, feeling happy tears roll down my eyes.
"So what d'ya say? Stay with us?" asked Billie Joe. I looked up nodding, knowing everything would be ok.
*Two days later; day of funeral*
By the time the funeral rolled around, all my stuff was at the Armstrong's and all Billie and Adie had to do to gain custody of me was sign one more document which we were going to do afterwards. I didn't have to wear any pink clothes this time. Instead, I wore a long black skirt and a navy blue halter top with my usual amount of dark eyeliner. Other than me and my friends, there were only three other people at the actual viewing. As we proceeded outside I noticed it was raining. Joey pulled out an umbrella and sheltered me with it. The funeral only took about and hour but I stayed to watch them put him in the ground for good. After everyone had walked away and the pile of dirt was securely covering his corpse, I still stood there looking at it. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder.
"Come, on Tori. It's done." I took Joey's hand and started to walk back to the car with him.
"TORI!" someone shouted my name before I got into the car and I wish now that I would've ignored them. I turned and felt my jaw drop. Running towards me with a trench coat held above there head was a younger woman. She had a black dress on and black pumps. I recognized her almost immediately and felt red hot rage pump through my veins as she stopped before me. Gazing at the dark blue eyes, the dark brown hair that was all too familiar because it was all mine, I stared into the face of my--
"Mom?!"
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