Adrienne's Pain - Sequel to Jamie's New Love, chapter 6
"Patrick, she can't be in the band, she has school. She has a mother who will miss her 304 days out of the year." I whispered back.
"Pete, she wouldn't need school if she made it big with us." he whispered again.
"Then what will happen when we retire, she will still be fairly young and have many years of taxes and that shit to deal with?" I asked back, still whispering.
"She will still get benefits, plus her pension. She will get money from the gigs." He returned in a whisper.
I didn't say anything back. I just looked at him, in thought.
"You could buy her text books from the school and I could teach her. Remember, I was a B and A student." He continued in a whisper.
"Okay, I just have to run it by Jamie so don't say anything." I agreed.
We walked back into the living room where Adrienne was playing a song that had rests in between the strums. She stopped when she saw us.
"What you guys talking about?" She asked curiously.
"Nothing. Just whether or not to continue to teach you or if we should just buy you music CD's and you can learn on your own." I answered.
"How about CD's?" She answered.
I only laughed.
"No, you are going to take lessons. There are more songs we may never publish and if you start a band, we will get you started on some of them." I said back.
"Yeah. You are going to take them." Patrick butted in.
Adrienne and I just looked at him.
"What?" he asked, confused.
I just shook my head.
"Come on Adrienne, you got your guitar today." I said.
"When do you want me to bring her by again?" I asked Patrick.
"How about every Tuesday and Thursday?" he asked.
"Perfect. She'll be here." I said.
We walked out to the car and went home.
"Jamie, we're home, " I yelled out as I opened the door.
"Pete, can I go to my room or do I have to show mom?" she asked.
"You can go to your room if you want." I answered. I kissed the top of her head before she let me out of her hug.
She went to her room and I found Jamie in the living room, playing twister with Jimmy. I sat on the couch as each took turns falling.
Adrienne's POV
I went to my room so I could crank the stereo. I put my guitar in the closet so mom wouldn't see it. I grabbed the closest Green Day CD, popped it in and cranked it. As loud as possible. I sat on my bed writing in my journal. I wrote stories, days, songs, poems, and everything else I could think of. I was currently writing a story about how mom got married to Pete and so on. I think Pete is the best thing that has happened to me, ever. I can't think of a time when I was happier.
I had listened to about all of 'American Idiot' when someone knocked on my door.
"Hang on!" I screamed over the music. I hid my journal, paused the song, and walked to my door.
Oh yeah, Pete put my door back on since I started eating and stopped cutting. Just some info I thought you should know
I opened the to find Pete standing casually against the door frame. I just smiled for a second
"What do you want?" I asked in a pretend annoyed voice.
"Came to see you. Mom and Jimmy are in the living room doing nothing but Twister so I thought about you. All alone and secluded. I used to be that way." He explained.
"Really? Why are you so outgoing now?" I asked.
"I'll tell you if you let me come in." He bribed.
"Fine, you can sit on the bed." I said, opening the door wider.
He sat down and looked at me in confusion.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.
"Why don't you sit beside me?" He asked.
I didn't answer; I just headed over to the bed and sat down.
"Okay, I was secluded but I had a band so I couldn't be that way, right?" He said, lying backward on the bed. I lied beside him and I looked at him.
"Okay, since I wrote the lyrics for the band, I had to be outgoing. I didn't want to be. I liked to be alone. Do you like to be alone?" He asked as he continued the story.
"Yeah, I don't have to worry about anything else." I answered.
"That is a good reason but don't you get lonely?" He asked again, before continuing the story.
"No." I simply replied.
"Well, anyway, Patrick threatened to throw me out of the band if I didn't change. At first I thought, 'Screw them. Who needs them?'. Then I realized that we could be big. I began to worry about my future. What if I didn't do good in high school? What if I flunked? What if I never made a career? What if I had to give up my dream to work at McDonalds?" He continued.
I laughed at the last on but I realized he was serious and I stopped.
"Adrienne, being secluded won't help you in the future. You have to open up. I can understand being in your room every once and a while but not every minute of the day. Girls your age should be scoping guys out at the fair or be going to parties. You should be asking us for money to got to get girl thing or for money to go to the mall or movies. I can understand shopping at Hot Topic. I love that store myself but you shouldn't be cooped up in your room every day and every minute." he explained as he had worry in his voice.
"Pete, I like my room." I said, putting my hand on his chest, looking at him chest.
"Adrienne, you need to learn to lie." he said, pulling my eyes to his with his index finger. He smiled as he did so. It made me smile. He made me feel so much better. I wondered if that was the way mom felt around him?
"Adrienne, I want you to make some friends. You aren't ever going to have any if you continue to lock yourself up in your own world and room. I understand you love music. You could have a career in it. You are that good. You need the band and you are set. Adrienne, I love you." He continued.
"Pete... I love you too." I returned.
"Pete, I'm going to go somewhere. I have something for you to read." I said, standing up and grabbing three full journals and the one I was working on right now.
"Where are you going first of all?" He asked.
"On a walk. I'll have my phone." I explained shortly.
"And second, why did you want me to read these?" He asked again.
"Just read them. You will find out. And dad, please don't tell mom?" I explained again.
"Okay." He replied as he lied the right way on the bed and opened the first journal.
"Pete, she wouldn't need school if she made it big with us." he whispered again.
"Then what will happen when we retire, she will still be fairly young and have many years of taxes and that shit to deal with?" I asked back, still whispering.
"She will still get benefits, plus her pension. She will get money from the gigs." He returned in a whisper.
I didn't say anything back. I just looked at him, in thought.
"You could buy her text books from the school and I could teach her. Remember, I was a B and A student." He continued in a whisper.
"Okay, I just have to run it by Jamie so don't say anything." I agreed.
We walked back into the living room where Adrienne was playing a song that had rests in between the strums. She stopped when she saw us.
"What you guys talking about?" She asked curiously.
"Nothing. Just whether or not to continue to teach you or if we should just buy you music CD's and you can learn on your own." I answered.
"How about CD's?" She answered.
I only laughed.
"No, you are going to take lessons. There are more songs we may never publish and if you start a band, we will get you started on some of them." I said back.
"Yeah. You are going to take them." Patrick butted in.
Adrienne and I just looked at him.
"What?" he asked, confused.
I just shook my head.
"Come on Adrienne, you got your guitar today." I said.
"When do you want me to bring her by again?" I asked Patrick.
"How about every Tuesday and Thursday?" he asked.
"Perfect. She'll be here." I said.
We walked out to the car and went home.
"Jamie, we're home, " I yelled out as I opened the door.
"Pete, can I go to my room or do I have to show mom?" she asked.
"You can go to your room if you want." I answered. I kissed the top of her head before she let me out of her hug.
She went to her room and I found Jamie in the living room, playing twister with Jimmy. I sat on the couch as each took turns falling.
Adrienne's POV
I went to my room so I could crank the stereo. I put my guitar in the closet so mom wouldn't see it. I grabbed the closest Green Day CD, popped it in and cranked it. As loud as possible. I sat on my bed writing in my journal. I wrote stories, days, songs, poems, and everything else I could think of. I was currently writing a story about how mom got married to Pete and so on. I think Pete is the best thing that has happened to me, ever. I can't think of a time when I was happier.
I had listened to about all of 'American Idiot' when someone knocked on my door.
"Hang on!" I screamed over the music. I hid my journal, paused the song, and walked to my door.
Oh yeah, Pete put my door back on since I started eating and stopped cutting. Just some info I thought you should know
I opened the to find Pete standing casually against the door frame. I just smiled for a second
"What do you want?" I asked in a pretend annoyed voice.
"Came to see you. Mom and Jimmy are in the living room doing nothing but Twister so I thought about you. All alone and secluded. I used to be that way." He explained.
"Really? Why are you so outgoing now?" I asked.
"I'll tell you if you let me come in." He bribed.
"Fine, you can sit on the bed." I said, opening the door wider.
He sat down and looked at me in confusion.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.
"Why don't you sit beside me?" He asked.
I didn't answer; I just headed over to the bed and sat down.
"Okay, I was secluded but I had a band so I couldn't be that way, right?" He said, lying backward on the bed. I lied beside him and I looked at him.
"Okay, since I wrote the lyrics for the band, I had to be outgoing. I didn't want to be. I liked to be alone. Do you like to be alone?" He asked as he continued the story.
"Yeah, I don't have to worry about anything else." I answered.
"That is a good reason but don't you get lonely?" He asked again, before continuing the story.
"No." I simply replied.
"Well, anyway, Patrick threatened to throw me out of the band if I didn't change. At first I thought, 'Screw them. Who needs them?'. Then I realized that we could be big. I began to worry about my future. What if I didn't do good in high school? What if I flunked? What if I never made a career? What if I had to give up my dream to work at McDonalds?" He continued.
I laughed at the last on but I realized he was serious and I stopped.
"Adrienne, being secluded won't help you in the future. You have to open up. I can understand being in your room every once and a while but not every minute of the day. Girls your age should be scoping guys out at the fair or be going to parties. You should be asking us for money to got to get girl thing or for money to go to the mall or movies. I can understand shopping at Hot Topic. I love that store myself but you shouldn't be cooped up in your room every day and every minute." he explained as he had worry in his voice.
"Pete, I like my room." I said, putting my hand on his chest, looking at him chest.
"Adrienne, you need to learn to lie." he said, pulling my eyes to his with his index finger. He smiled as he did so. It made me smile. He made me feel so much better. I wondered if that was the way mom felt around him?
"Adrienne, I want you to make some friends. You aren't ever going to have any if you continue to lock yourself up in your own world and room. I understand you love music. You could have a career in it. You are that good. You need the band and you are set. Adrienne, I love you." He continued.
"Pete... I love you too." I returned.
"Pete, I'm going to go somewhere. I have something for you to read." I said, standing up and grabbing three full journals and the one I was working on right now.
"Where are you going first of all?" He asked.
"On a walk. I'll have my phone." I explained shortly.
"And second, why did you want me to read these?" He asked again.
"Just read them. You will find out. And dad, please don't tell mom?" I explained again.
"Okay." He replied as he lied the right way on the bed and opened the first journal.
