Destination Unknown (sequel to Worlds Apart), chapter 7
I decided to give Joey a few days to cool off before trying again. I was determined to win him over, and I knew it would really upset me if I didn’t. He answered the door with a baseball glove on his hand.
“Hi Joey� I said, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice. I swear kids can smell fear. Kind of like sharks.
“Hey� he said, turning his back on me as he walked back into the house.
“Are you playing baseball?�
“What does it look like?�
Fucking hell. He was sharp for an eight year old. I felt myself getting pissed off and swallowed it down. He was just a kid, I told myself. An unhappy one. I followed him out into the backyard where Billie Joe was playing with Jakob, who was swinging a baseball bat around.
“Hey Sophie� smiled Billie Joe, looking up.
I smiled at him and he winked. Then he chucked the ball at Joey, who caught it impressively in his gloved hand.
“You guys play without me for a few minutes, okay?� he said, “I’m going to get a drink�
“I want a drink too� said Joey, pulling off his glove.
“I’ll get you one� said Billie,
“I can do it myself�
“I know man, but I’m going anyway, so I’m getting one. Just chill out, play with Jake for a couple of minutes, ok?�
Joey nodded and picked up the glove again.
“Jake can’t throw like you.� He muttered
Billie Joe and I went into the kitchen and he closed the door. Then he groaned and hugged me. I rested my head on his shoulder.
“I am really sorry he’s being such a pain in the ass,� he said
“It’s not your fault� I sighed, “I just want him to like me�
“You can’t take it personally,� said Billie, “He doesn’t hate you…he hates that you’re another woman. He’s really insecure right now�
He wasn't the only one, I thought.
“Maybe we did this too soon� I said softly.
“I think he would have reacted this way whenever we did it. If it helps, I think that if another guy turned up at Adrienne’s place he’d be exactly the same. He wants to believe Adie and I will get back together, that’s all. He’s in denial. And you…you’re the only concrete proof he has that it isn’t going to happen�
“So I take it he didn’t believe we were just friends�
“He’s a very smart kid� smiled Billie, looking me in the eyes, “What can I say…he has good genes�
I smiled, and fiddled with the collar on his shirt. He put a finger under my chin and lifted my head so our eyes met again.
“This is going to work out Sophie� he said, “The main thing is you’re here…and I’m here…and I’m having an awesome time with you.�
“Me too� I said, putting my arms round his neck and kissing him. He put his arms round my waist and pulled me against him as he kissed me back. As our kisses got more passionate, I found myself wishing Joey and Jakob weren’t waiting for him outside and I could just drag him upstairs…then I felt guilty. I pulled away.
“I think you’re wanted for a baseball game,� I said.
He nodded, kissing me one last time, before getting a drink for Joey and going outside, as I followed behind.
It turned out I wasn’t so bad at baseball, considering I’d never played before. I mean I was good at the batting part and the running part, but when it came to the throwing part Joey took great pleasure in my complete lack of skills.
“You throw like a girl,� he said, as the ball sailed over his head for the third time.
“She is a girl� said Billie Joe, in my defense.
“Yeah….but not all girls throw like girls.�
“Most do� grinned Billie, picking up the ball, “Give Sophie a break, she’s never played before, and she just did really good.�
“I thought she was good� piped up Jakob, “She hit it really far…but not over the fence�
He is my angel.
“Our Mom doesn’t throw like a girl,� said Joey, tossing the ball in the air and catching it again, “Does she Dad?�
Billie Joe looked uncomfortable,
“Your Mom’s pretty good at baseball� he agreed.
I tried to ignore the triumphant look on Joey’s face as he took off the glove.
“I’m bored of this game� he said,
“Yeah, I wanna go in the pool,� said Jakob.
Billie Joe wearily rubbed his eyes.
“I’m hungry. I’m gonna make us some lunch� he said, “Joey, why don’t you help me out.�
“Ok� he said, going off back into the house
Then Billie Joe turned to me, and said in a low voice,
“Will you watch Jakob in the pool while I make lunch…I can’t leave him on his own and I want to talk to Joey. He’s being a little asshole today�
“Sure� I nodded.
He reached down and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.
“You’re awesome� he said, earnestly, before following Joey inside.
I couldn’t help my mind wandering as I watched Jakob play around in the pool. I couldn’t believe how shit an eight year old kid could make me feel. I just wanted to go home.
“Hey Sophie!� called Jakob, holding onto the side of the pool, “Will you come in too?�
“No, not today� I said, “I haven’t got anything to swim in�
“Oh� he said, sadly, “Well, watch me do this!�
He climbed out of the pool and jumped back in again. I grinned.
“That was awesome, Jake,� I said,
“Watch me again, I can do it even better�
I had watched him about ten times when my mobile rang and I took it out. It was Tom. I was eager to speak to him after his drunken call the other night. I wanted to make sure he was ok. I stood up and took the call, walking away from the pool. I didn’t want Jake listening to our conversation, even though I knew he wouldn’t really understand anyway.
“Sorry about the other night Soph� said Tom, “I have no idea what I was saying. Was I really horrible to you?�
“No not at all� I said, “You were fine. Just drunk�
“Oh…phew.�
“Tom, are you ok?�
“Yeah…I’m fine�
“Its just, you said you knew about me and Billie Joe and I wanted to say…I’m really sorry. I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you myself. I just didn’t want to until I knew it was serious�
“And is it?�
“I…don’t know yet,� I said honestly,
“Do you want it to be?�
“Yeah� I admitted, “I do�
He was quiet for a minute, then he said,
“I do hope it works out for you Soph. It’s really cool, that you’re with Billie Joe. And not just cause he’s Billie Joe…I mean he seemed like a really nice guy. He just better appreciate you�
I smiled. I wished I could be doing this face to face with him so I could hug him for being so understanding and lovely.
I was about to say something, when I heard a cry, followed by a loud crack and looked up just in time to see Jakob roll over the side of the pool into the water.
“Fuck� I exclaimed, as panic gripped me. I dropped the phone and ran to the poolside. I screamed for Billie Joe as I grabbed Jakob’s arms and pulled him out of the water. He was completely limp. My heart beat fast. I don’t think I had ever been so scared. This feeling was a hundred times worse than when I was on the plane and I thought it was going to fall out of the sky.
Billie Joe and Joey came running out of the house. It killed me to see the panic on Billie Joe’s face as he saw the scene in front of him.
“What’s wrong with him, what’s wrong?� screamed Joey, his voice high and full of fear.
Billie Joe pushed him out of the way as he dragged Jakob fully onto the side of the pool, raising his head. He was bleeding from his temple.
“What happened?!� he shouted at me.
“I…I’m not sure� I stammered, through tears. I was so frightened I couldn’t string a sentence together, “Tom phoned….and I looked away and…�
It sounded so pathetic coming out of my mouth that I felt real contempt for myself. I couldn’t believe I’d been so irresponsible.
“I told you to fucking watch him!� Billie Joe yelled at me, fear and anger flashing in his eyes. Nothing had felt worse than that look he gave me. I got so choked up I couldn’t breathe. Billie Joe lifted Jake up just as he started coughing up water. It was such a huge relief to see him take in a gasp of air before starting to cry frantically.
“Thank fuck� said Billie, his voice shaking with fear, “Its ok, Jakey, its Daddy, you’re ok�
He turned to Joey,
“Joey go get me a towel� he ordered. Joey ran.
“I’m taking him to hospital� said Billie, standing up with a screaming Jake in his arms. “Stay here with Joey.�
I watched as Billie wrapped Jake in the towel Joey gave him and carried him out to the car. He didn’t say a word to me as he got in and drove off. I watched him go, in complete shock. I felt sick. I could hardly breathe. I walked slowly back into the house and closed the door, then shakily sat down on the stairs with my head in my hands. I couldn’t believe what I had just let happen. If anything happened to Jake…This was it. I had blown it with Billie Joe. He was the most perfect guy I’d ever met, and his five-year-old son had nearly drowned in my care. As if his eight year old son needed any other reason to hate me.
I looked up as Joey walked out from the living room. He was completely white. He didn’t say anything, he just sat down on the floor opposite me.
“Don’t worry,� he said, slowly, “I think he’s going to be ok�
I looked at him
“I know he will,� I said, reassuringly.
“Cause he coughed the water back up…that means he’ll be fine. He might just get concussion, which means he’ll have to be in hospital a few days…but he’ll be ok. It’s just a bump on the head�
He really was smart.
“You’re right� I said, “He’ll be ok�
We were quiet a few moments, then I said,
“I’m really sorry you had to see that, Joey�
He shrugged.
“I’m going to play on my own for a while� he said, getting up.
I began to breathe steadily again. Then I went into the kitchen and closed the door. I sat down at the table and cried. I’d almost lost Jakob, and I’d definitely lost Billie Joe. All I wanted was to go home, and to have my Mum and Ellen, and Rob, and Tom. I don’t know how long I’d been sitting there when the door opened. I hurriedly wiped my eyes as Joey walked in.
“I just called Dad� he said, “Jake’s going to be ok.�
I felt relief wash over me,
“He is?�
“Yeah…they’re doing some tests on his reflexes and stuff…and they’ve done an x-ray…he’s gonna be ok though. He’s just really scared�
“Is your Dad ok?�
“I think so�
I saw him study my tear stained face. Then he sat down at the other side of the table.
“My Dad was really scared� he said, “That was why he yelled�
I blinked back fresh tears.
“He would have fallen in anyway, even if you were looking� Joey continued, “It wasn’t your fault.�
I stared at him. I couldn’t believe he had changed from this little brat into this lovely, mature kid.
“I should have been watching� I said, “But that’s really nice of you…to say that Joey�
He shrugged, then the phone rang. I went to get it. I was so busy thinking about Jake I didn’t think twice about whether it would be a good idea to answer Billie’s phone.
“Uh…this is Adrienne, is Billie Joe there?�
My heart went cold at the sound of her voice.
“No, he isn’t right now� I said
“I’ve just got a bunch of missed calls from him� she continued, “Who’s this?�
“Um…I’m Sophie� I said nervously,
“Oh…hi Sophie� she said, awkwardly.
“Adrienne, I’m really sorry…Jake fell next to the pool…and he banged his head so Billie Joe took him to the ER�
“Oh my God, what happened?� she exclaimed.
I could feel myself getting choked up again,
“We aren’t sure exactly, but he hit his head on the side of the pool. He’s going to be ok…don’t worry�
“How can you tell me not to fucking worry when I have fifteen missed calls on my cell and my son is in hospital?!�
“I…�
“I’m going down there.� she said, “I guess I’ll see you soon�
Then she hung up. This was getting worse and worse.
“Was that Mom?� Joey asked,
I nodded,
“Did she yell too?�
I nodded again,
“I knew she’d do that. She yells when she gets scared too. At least it makes a change from them yelling at each other�
He went back to the kitchen table and started drawing on a pad of paper.
“Hey, you’re an artist, right?� he asked me,
“Yeah…I guess you could say that� I said, shakily sitting down next to him,
“Can you draw something for me?�
Right then I’d have done anything to take my mind of Billie Joe and Adrienne.
“Sure� I sighed, “What do you want me to draw?�
“Uhhhh…�
He chewed thoughtfully on his pencil.
“A dragon�
“A dragon? Hmmm…ok. I haven’t drawn many dragons before. I’ll give it a shot though�
He watched me as a drew. It turned out dragons weren’t that hard to draw after all.
“Wow. That’s awesome� he breathed, his head close to mine. He smelled of grass. “Can I colour it in?�
“Sure� I smiled, passing it to him when I’d finished.
We sat and drew stuff for about an hour. We didn’t talk much, but he didn’t scowl at me any more, so I was happy with that. I looked over as he started adding spiky black hair to the outline of a person.
“Who’s that gonna be?� I asked,
“My Dad� he said, simply.
I smiled as I watched him colour his shirt in black and give him a red tie.
“That’s cool� I said,
“You could draw it better though�
“I’m not eight�
I concentrated on my own drawings for a while until my thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the front door. Joey looked up as I went to open it. My breath caught in my throat when I saw Adrienne standing there. I didn’t know what to say. She was far more beautiful in person, her pictures didn’t do her justice even though I’d thought she’d looked pretty in them too. I didn’t think I’d ever felt so intimidated by someone and so insecure in my own skin.
“Hi Sophie� she said, then she smiled, and her whole face changed so that she didn’t look as scary any more.
“Hi� I said, standing aside and letting her walk in.
“I’ve just come from the hospital� she said, “Jake’s ok, they’re even going to let him go home. Billie’s still there, he’s going to drive him back to my place when they’re done�
“Oh, thank God� I breathed, “That is such a relief�
“I’m sorry I snapped at you on the phone� she continued, “I was just so worried…I completely lost it…�
“Hey, don’t worry about it� I said, “I understand. I’d probably have acted the same way�
“Yeah� she smiled, “Well…Billie told me he went off at you too. I guess you’ve had a pretty rough day, huh?�
“Not as rough as you guys� I shrugged, “…or Jakob�
She nodded,
“Well…Billie Joe told me what happened. I don’t want you having it on your conscience. You can’t watch kids every second that’s the reality of it. Billie has a temper. He says stuff he doesn’t mean. Don’t let him make you feel it was your fault…ok? Accidents happen�
I smiled.
“Thanks Adrienne� I said. She was being so nice and understanding I almost cried again with the relief.
Then Joey came out of the kitchen and ran into his mothers arms
“Hi Honey, are you ok?� she asked, bending down to kiss him
“Yeah� he nodded.
“You ready to go home?�
“Yeah…is Jake coming?�
“Yeah, he’s coming. Daddy’s bringing him soon�
Joey smiled
I watched the two of them walk down the driveway to Adrienne’s parked car. Joey turned and smiled at me. I smiled back. At least something good came out of this, I thought. I went back into the house and sat back down at the kitchen table, which was covered in paper and coloured pencils, to gather my thoughts together and try and calm myself back down. It had been one hell of an afternoon. I just hoped Billie Joe and I could get past it. I scanned the array of coloured drawings, and then Joey’s caught my eye. He’d finished his drawing of Billie Joe, and put a guitar in his hand. Next to him was another figure, with long brown hair like mine, wearing the same clothes I had on that day. I grinned as a warm feeling took me over. Whatever happened when Billie Joe came home, I had won one battle that day.
“Hi Joey� I said, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice. I swear kids can smell fear. Kind of like sharks.
“Hey� he said, turning his back on me as he walked back into the house.
“Are you playing baseball?�
“What does it look like?�
Fucking hell. He was sharp for an eight year old. I felt myself getting pissed off and swallowed it down. He was just a kid, I told myself. An unhappy one. I followed him out into the backyard where Billie Joe was playing with Jakob, who was swinging a baseball bat around.
“Hey Sophie� smiled Billie Joe, looking up.
I smiled at him and he winked. Then he chucked the ball at Joey, who caught it impressively in his gloved hand.
“You guys play without me for a few minutes, okay?� he said, “I’m going to get a drink�
“I want a drink too� said Joey, pulling off his glove.
“I’ll get you one� said Billie,
“I can do it myself�
“I know man, but I’m going anyway, so I’m getting one. Just chill out, play with Jake for a couple of minutes, ok?�
Joey nodded and picked up the glove again.
“Jake can’t throw like you.� He muttered
Billie Joe and I went into the kitchen and he closed the door. Then he groaned and hugged me. I rested my head on his shoulder.
“I am really sorry he’s being such a pain in the ass,� he said
“It’s not your fault� I sighed, “I just want him to like me�
“You can’t take it personally,� said Billie, “He doesn’t hate you…he hates that you’re another woman. He’s really insecure right now�
He wasn't the only one, I thought.
“Maybe we did this too soon� I said softly.
“I think he would have reacted this way whenever we did it. If it helps, I think that if another guy turned up at Adrienne’s place he’d be exactly the same. He wants to believe Adie and I will get back together, that’s all. He’s in denial. And you…you’re the only concrete proof he has that it isn’t going to happen�
“So I take it he didn’t believe we were just friends�
“He’s a very smart kid� smiled Billie, looking me in the eyes, “What can I say…he has good genes�
I smiled, and fiddled with the collar on his shirt. He put a finger under my chin and lifted my head so our eyes met again.
“This is going to work out Sophie� he said, “The main thing is you’re here…and I’m here…and I’m having an awesome time with you.�
“Me too� I said, putting my arms round his neck and kissing him. He put his arms round my waist and pulled me against him as he kissed me back. As our kisses got more passionate, I found myself wishing Joey and Jakob weren’t waiting for him outside and I could just drag him upstairs…then I felt guilty. I pulled away.
“I think you’re wanted for a baseball game,� I said.
He nodded, kissing me one last time, before getting a drink for Joey and going outside, as I followed behind.
It turned out I wasn’t so bad at baseball, considering I’d never played before. I mean I was good at the batting part and the running part, but when it came to the throwing part Joey took great pleasure in my complete lack of skills.
“You throw like a girl,� he said, as the ball sailed over his head for the third time.
“She is a girl� said Billie Joe, in my defense.
“Yeah….but not all girls throw like girls.�
“Most do� grinned Billie, picking up the ball, “Give Sophie a break, she’s never played before, and she just did really good.�
“I thought she was good� piped up Jakob, “She hit it really far…but not over the fence�
He is my angel.
“Our Mom doesn’t throw like a girl,� said Joey, tossing the ball in the air and catching it again, “Does she Dad?�
Billie Joe looked uncomfortable,
“Your Mom’s pretty good at baseball� he agreed.
I tried to ignore the triumphant look on Joey’s face as he took off the glove.
“I’m bored of this game� he said,
“Yeah, I wanna go in the pool,� said Jakob.
Billie Joe wearily rubbed his eyes.
“I’m hungry. I’m gonna make us some lunch� he said, “Joey, why don’t you help me out.�
“Ok� he said, going off back into the house
Then Billie Joe turned to me, and said in a low voice,
“Will you watch Jakob in the pool while I make lunch…I can’t leave him on his own and I want to talk to Joey. He’s being a little asshole today�
“Sure� I nodded.
He reached down and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.
“You’re awesome� he said, earnestly, before following Joey inside.
I couldn’t help my mind wandering as I watched Jakob play around in the pool. I couldn’t believe how shit an eight year old kid could make me feel. I just wanted to go home.
“Hey Sophie!� called Jakob, holding onto the side of the pool, “Will you come in too?�
“No, not today� I said, “I haven’t got anything to swim in�
“Oh� he said, sadly, “Well, watch me do this!�
He climbed out of the pool and jumped back in again. I grinned.
“That was awesome, Jake,� I said,
“Watch me again, I can do it even better�
I had watched him about ten times when my mobile rang and I took it out. It was Tom. I was eager to speak to him after his drunken call the other night. I wanted to make sure he was ok. I stood up and took the call, walking away from the pool. I didn’t want Jake listening to our conversation, even though I knew he wouldn’t really understand anyway.
“Sorry about the other night Soph� said Tom, “I have no idea what I was saying. Was I really horrible to you?�
“No not at all� I said, “You were fine. Just drunk�
“Oh…phew.�
“Tom, are you ok?�
“Yeah…I’m fine�
“Its just, you said you knew about me and Billie Joe and I wanted to say…I’m really sorry. I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you myself. I just didn’t want to until I knew it was serious�
“And is it?�
“I…don’t know yet,� I said honestly,
“Do you want it to be?�
“Yeah� I admitted, “I do�
He was quiet for a minute, then he said,
“I do hope it works out for you Soph. It’s really cool, that you’re with Billie Joe. And not just cause he’s Billie Joe…I mean he seemed like a really nice guy. He just better appreciate you�
I smiled. I wished I could be doing this face to face with him so I could hug him for being so understanding and lovely.
I was about to say something, when I heard a cry, followed by a loud crack and looked up just in time to see Jakob roll over the side of the pool into the water.
“Fuck� I exclaimed, as panic gripped me. I dropped the phone and ran to the poolside. I screamed for Billie Joe as I grabbed Jakob’s arms and pulled him out of the water. He was completely limp. My heart beat fast. I don’t think I had ever been so scared. This feeling was a hundred times worse than when I was on the plane and I thought it was going to fall out of the sky.
Billie Joe and Joey came running out of the house. It killed me to see the panic on Billie Joe’s face as he saw the scene in front of him.
“What’s wrong with him, what’s wrong?� screamed Joey, his voice high and full of fear.
Billie Joe pushed him out of the way as he dragged Jakob fully onto the side of the pool, raising his head. He was bleeding from his temple.
“What happened?!� he shouted at me.
“I…I’m not sure� I stammered, through tears. I was so frightened I couldn’t string a sentence together, “Tom phoned….and I looked away and…�
It sounded so pathetic coming out of my mouth that I felt real contempt for myself. I couldn’t believe I’d been so irresponsible.
“I told you to fucking watch him!� Billie Joe yelled at me, fear and anger flashing in his eyes. Nothing had felt worse than that look he gave me. I got so choked up I couldn’t breathe. Billie Joe lifted Jake up just as he started coughing up water. It was such a huge relief to see him take in a gasp of air before starting to cry frantically.
“Thank fuck� said Billie, his voice shaking with fear, “Its ok, Jakey, its Daddy, you’re ok�
He turned to Joey,
“Joey go get me a towel� he ordered. Joey ran.
“I’m taking him to hospital� said Billie, standing up with a screaming Jake in his arms. “Stay here with Joey.�
I watched as Billie wrapped Jake in the towel Joey gave him and carried him out to the car. He didn’t say a word to me as he got in and drove off. I watched him go, in complete shock. I felt sick. I could hardly breathe. I walked slowly back into the house and closed the door, then shakily sat down on the stairs with my head in my hands. I couldn’t believe what I had just let happen. If anything happened to Jake…This was it. I had blown it with Billie Joe. He was the most perfect guy I’d ever met, and his five-year-old son had nearly drowned in my care. As if his eight year old son needed any other reason to hate me.
I looked up as Joey walked out from the living room. He was completely white. He didn’t say anything, he just sat down on the floor opposite me.
“Don’t worry,� he said, slowly, “I think he’s going to be ok�
I looked at him
“I know he will,� I said, reassuringly.
“Cause he coughed the water back up…that means he’ll be fine. He might just get concussion, which means he’ll have to be in hospital a few days…but he’ll be ok. It’s just a bump on the head�
He really was smart.
“You’re right� I said, “He’ll be ok�
We were quiet a few moments, then I said,
“I’m really sorry you had to see that, Joey�
He shrugged.
“I’m going to play on my own for a while� he said, getting up.
I began to breathe steadily again. Then I went into the kitchen and closed the door. I sat down at the table and cried. I’d almost lost Jakob, and I’d definitely lost Billie Joe. All I wanted was to go home, and to have my Mum and Ellen, and Rob, and Tom. I don’t know how long I’d been sitting there when the door opened. I hurriedly wiped my eyes as Joey walked in.
“I just called Dad� he said, “Jake’s going to be ok.�
I felt relief wash over me,
“He is?�
“Yeah…they’re doing some tests on his reflexes and stuff…and they’ve done an x-ray…he’s gonna be ok though. He’s just really scared�
“Is your Dad ok?�
“I think so�
I saw him study my tear stained face. Then he sat down at the other side of the table.
“My Dad was really scared� he said, “That was why he yelled�
I blinked back fresh tears.
“He would have fallen in anyway, even if you were looking� Joey continued, “It wasn’t your fault.�
I stared at him. I couldn’t believe he had changed from this little brat into this lovely, mature kid.
“I should have been watching� I said, “But that’s really nice of you…to say that Joey�
He shrugged, then the phone rang. I went to get it. I was so busy thinking about Jake I didn’t think twice about whether it would be a good idea to answer Billie’s phone.
“Uh…this is Adrienne, is Billie Joe there?�
My heart went cold at the sound of her voice.
“No, he isn’t right now� I said
“I’ve just got a bunch of missed calls from him� she continued, “Who’s this?�
“Um…I’m Sophie� I said nervously,
“Oh…hi Sophie� she said, awkwardly.
“Adrienne, I’m really sorry…Jake fell next to the pool…and he banged his head so Billie Joe took him to the ER�
“Oh my God, what happened?� she exclaimed.
I could feel myself getting choked up again,
“We aren’t sure exactly, but he hit his head on the side of the pool. He’s going to be ok…don’t worry�
“How can you tell me not to fucking worry when I have fifteen missed calls on my cell and my son is in hospital?!�
“I…�
“I’m going down there.� she said, “I guess I’ll see you soon�
Then she hung up. This was getting worse and worse.
“Was that Mom?� Joey asked,
I nodded,
“Did she yell too?�
I nodded again,
“I knew she’d do that. She yells when she gets scared too. At least it makes a change from them yelling at each other�
He went back to the kitchen table and started drawing on a pad of paper.
“Hey, you’re an artist, right?� he asked me,
“Yeah…I guess you could say that� I said, shakily sitting down next to him,
“Can you draw something for me?�
Right then I’d have done anything to take my mind of Billie Joe and Adrienne.
“Sure� I sighed, “What do you want me to draw?�
“Uhhhh…�
He chewed thoughtfully on his pencil.
“A dragon�
“A dragon? Hmmm…ok. I haven’t drawn many dragons before. I’ll give it a shot though�
He watched me as a drew. It turned out dragons weren’t that hard to draw after all.
“Wow. That’s awesome� he breathed, his head close to mine. He smelled of grass. “Can I colour it in?�
“Sure� I smiled, passing it to him when I’d finished.
We sat and drew stuff for about an hour. We didn’t talk much, but he didn’t scowl at me any more, so I was happy with that. I looked over as he started adding spiky black hair to the outline of a person.
“Who’s that gonna be?� I asked,
“My Dad� he said, simply.
I smiled as I watched him colour his shirt in black and give him a red tie.
“That’s cool� I said,
“You could draw it better though�
“I’m not eight�
I concentrated on my own drawings for a while until my thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the front door. Joey looked up as I went to open it. My breath caught in my throat when I saw Adrienne standing there. I didn’t know what to say. She was far more beautiful in person, her pictures didn’t do her justice even though I’d thought she’d looked pretty in them too. I didn’t think I’d ever felt so intimidated by someone and so insecure in my own skin.
“Hi Sophie� she said, then she smiled, and her whole face changed so that she didn’t look as scary any more.
“Hi� I said, standing aside and letting her walk in.
“I’ve just come from the hospital� she said, “Jake’s ok, they’re even going to let him go home. Billie’s still there, he’s going to drive him back to my place when they’re done�
“Oh, thank God� I breathed, “That is such a relief�
“I’m sorry I snapped at you on the phone� she continued, “I was just so worried…I completely lost it…�
“Hey, don’t worry about it� I said, “I understand. I’d probably have acted the same way�
“Yeah� she smiled, “Well…Billie told me he went off at you too. I guess you’ve had a pretty rough day, huh?�
“Not as rough as you guys� I shrugged, “…or Jakob�
She nodded,
“Well…Billie Joe told me what happened. I don’t want you having it on your conscience. You can’t watch kids every second that’s the reality of it. Billie has a temper. He says stuff he doesn’t mean. Don’t let him make you feel it was your fault…ok? Accidents happen�
I smiled.
“Thanks Adrienne� I said. She was being so nice and understanding I almost cried again with the relief.
Then Joey came out of the kitchen and ran into his mothers arms
“Hi Honey, are you ok?� she asked, bending down to kiss him
“Yeah� he nodded.
“You ready to go home?�
“Yeah…is Jake coming?�
“Yeah, he’s coming. Daddy’s bringing him soon�
Joey smiled
I watched the two of them walk down the driveway to Adrienne’s parked car. Joey turned and smiled at me. I smiled back. At least something good came out of this, I thought. I went back into the house and sat back down at the kitchen table, which was covered in paper and coloured pencils, to gather my thoughts together and try and calm myself back down. It had been one hell of an afternoon. I just hoped Billie Joe and I could get past it. I scanned the array of coloured drawings, and then Joey’s caught my eye. He’d finished his drawing of Billie Joe, and put a guitar in his hand. Next to him was another figure, with long brown hair like mine, wearing the same clothes I had on that day. I grinned as a warm feeling took me over. Whatever happened when Billie Joe came home, I had won one battle that day.
