Nothing Is Stopping Me, chapter 3
Adrienne stared out the window, with rain pouring down it. It was 11:25 when she saw Mike's car pulled up in the driveway. She saw a small man with his black shaggy hair plastered against his face come running up to the house wobbly, and opened the door.
Adie saw Billie come in and shut the door behind him. "Hey honey," she said in a calm voice.
He took a huge sniff and rubbed his nose. "Hey fucking wife." he grinned then burped loudly. "Wher- What have I... hick... missed?" he managed say before collapsing on the couch in front of Adrienne.
"How many times have I told you, stop getting wasted!" Adie noticed a bit of drool slipping from his mouth. "Bill! How many times?"
"Too fucking many!" he choked while stroking the sofa. "I love this couch, where did we get it?"
"That doesn't matter. Stop coming home drunk!" Adie hissed, but winced when she saw him stand up and stare at her, warning, daring her to say another word to him.
"Don't ever tell me what to do! This, don't insult the couch!" he screamed.
"Shhhhh! The kids are sleeping," Adie whispered, as he came closer. "Please, don't wake 'em up. They need to sleep." Adrienne knew that there was no hope in Billie understanding the importance that the kids could not find out, at least, until they were older.
"Fuck the damn kids," Billie chuckled slightly at the look of Adie's concern and anger. "Or fuck me," he grabbed her hips and began to sway.
"No! Billie. Just, no! Fuck the stupid couch tonight, 'cause you're not sleeping with me!" Adie murmured while tears fell down her face.
With that, she turned around and ran upstairs. She ran until she reached the bedroom and slammed the door behind her. She just stood there, fear and guilt rising to her throat, feeling like she was going to choke on it. She couldn't believe that Billie would do that to her. She couldn't understand why she couldn't just deal with it, other people could, why not her?
Without thinking she picked up the phone on her bedside table and dialed a number. The number belonging to Mike. She saw him driving Billie and Tre home, so she knew that he was more sober than the rest of them. She heard the dialling and the sound of Mike's voice. "Who would be calling this fucking late?"
"Mike?" Adie asked uncertain.
"Yeah, that's me," she heard Mike say confused.
"It's Adrienne," she whispered, trying to keep her heart from racing out of her chest.
"Who is it Mike?" Adie heard a girl's voice ask.
"A friend. I gotta go. No, no... NO! I'm not fucking cheating on you! It's Adrienne if you must ask. Yes now. I'm coming back home don't - okay you know what? Yes things... It's after 12:00! Let's talk about that in the morning!" she heard Mike yelling.
"Okay, I'll be over," Mike sighed, clearly barely buzzed.
"Thanks," Adie whispered and she heard the click of Mike hanging up. She knew Mike wouldn't mind to help, but this happened more and more frequently, and everyone was loosing more and more sleep over this.
Adrienne set down the phone and stared out the bedroom window that looked out into the driveway. It was still raining pretty heavily, and not the best driving conditions, but Mike only lived a few blocks away.
***
The doorbell rang and she heard Billie rush over to it. Adie held her breath as she creeped down the stairs trying not to make a sound. She saw Billie open the door carefully and she saw Mike pop his head in the house.
"Hey man. Let me in, it's pouring out here," he managed to squeeze through the door without Billie saying a word, just a slight mutter here and there.
"I fucking hate you," Billie blurted out.
"That's nice Bill," Mike paused when he saw Adie by the stairs.
"Don't call me that! My name is Billie! Who's Bill?" he asked scratching his head and gradually making his way to the living room with his fingers fluttering all over the place as if they had a mind of their own.
"Okay Billie. I'm gonna be right back," Mike whispered while he steadily made his way up the stairs.
"NO! I need you here!" Billie shouted. "Shut up, you wake the kids!" Billie seemed more and more mental every time he did that.
"Shhhhh. Billie, quiet yourself down," Mike disappeared behind Adie as they made their way upstairs.
When they reached the bedroom, Adie turned on her table lamp. She sat down and just stared at him.
"Wow," Mike could only say.
Adrienne immediately started bawling into the sheets of the bed. "I - cant - stand - to - see - him - like - this!" she cried, which Mike remarkably understood even though they were extremely muffled.
"I know, but he'll change," Mike still just stood there, watching Adrienne in depression.
"No he wont! He'll be this way. I... I don't know what to do," she sobbed.
Mike finally sat down beside Adie. "What have you been doing for the past couple months?"
She looked up at him, her eyes bloodshot and makeup running down. "I've had nightmares."
"What kind?" Mike asked rubbing her back.
"I'd kill Billie in them. I, stab him," she looked away from Mike and stared at the floor.
"Well, it's only a dream," Mike smiled, trying to think of ways to cheer her up.
"That happened every night when Billie's home!" Adie said louder. Mike looked taken aback, since he stopped rubbing her back, and his face went stiff.
"Have you told anyone?" Mike asked, his eyes huge.
"No," she stared back down to the floor.
"Not even Billie?" Mike enquired.
She shook her head like mad. "He'll send me to a shrink! And his problem won't get better. I'm too scared."
"Well, it's your job to tell him, not mine, so I can't help you there," Mike looked away.
"I know... " Adie glared at the lamp. The door burst open and Billie popped in.
"Whoa! Mike... I never knew you had two heads... they're too fucking huge too. When did you get here?" Billie clumsily sat down between them and put his arms around their necks.
"I fucking hate you all," he leaned over and kissed Mike before running into the washroom and throwing up.
Adie saw Billie come in and shut the door behind him. "Hey honey," she said in a calm voice.
He took a huge sniff and rubbed his nose. "Hey fucking wife." he grinned then burped loudly. "Wher- What have I... hick... missed?" he managed say before collapsing on the couch in front of Adrienne.
"How many times have I told you, stop getting wasted!" Adie noticed a bit of drool slipping from his mouth. "Bill! How many times?"
"Too fucking many!" he choked while stroking the sofa. "I love this couch, where did we get it?"
"That doesn't matter. Stop coming home drunk!" Adie hissed, but winced when she saw him stand up and stare at her, warning, daring her to say another word to him.
"Don't ever tell me what to do! This, don't insult the couch!" he screamed.
"Shhhhh! The kids are sleeping," Adie whispered, as he came closer. "Please, don't wake 'em up. They need to sleep." Adrienne knew that there was no hope in Billie understanding the importance that the kids could not find out, at least, until they were older.
"Fuck the damn kids," Billie chuckled slightly at the look of Adie's concern and anger. "Or fuck me," he grabbed her hips and began to sway.
"No! Billie. Just, no! Fuck the stupid couch tonight, 'cause you're not sleeping with me!" Adie murmured while tears fell down her face.
With that, she turned around and ran upstairs. She ran until she reached the bedroom and slammed the door behind her. She just stood there, fear and guilt rising to her throat, feeling like she was going to choke on it. She couldn't believe that Billie would do that to her. She couldn't understand why she couldn't just deal with it, other people could, why not her?
Without thinking she picked up the phone on her bedside table and dialed a number. The number belonging to Mike. She saw him driving Billie and Tre home, so she knew that he was more sober than the rest of them. She heard the dialling and the sound of Mike's voice. "Who would be calling this fucking late?"
"Mike?" Adie asked uncertain.
"Yeah, that's me," she heard Mike say confused.
"It's Adrienne," she whispered, trying to keep her heart from racing out of her chest.
"Who is it Mike?" Adie heard a girl's voice ask.
"A friend. I gotta go. No, no... NO! I'm not fucking cheating on you! It's Adrienne if you must ask. Yes now. I'm coming back home don't - okay you know what? Yes things... It's after 12:00! Let's talk about that in the morning!" she heard Mike yelling.
"Okay, I'll be over," Mike sighed, clearly barely buzzed.
"Thanks," Adie whispered and she heard the click of Mike hanging up. She knew Mike wouldn't mind to help, but this happened more and more frequently, and everyone was loosing more and more sleep over this.
Adrienne set down the phone and stared out the bedroom window that looked out into the driveway. It was still raining pretty heavily, and not the best driving conditions, but Mike only lived a few blocks away.
***
The doorbell rang and she heard Billie rush over to it. Adie held her breath as she creeped down the stairs trying not to make a sound. She saw Billie open the door carefully and she saw Mike pop his head in the house.
"Hey man. Let me in, it's pouring out here," he managed to squeeze through the door without Billie saying a word, just a slight mutter here and there.
"I fucking hate you," Billie blurted out.
"That's nice Bill," Mike paused when he saw Adie by the stairs.
"Don't call me that! My name is Billie! Who's Bill?" he asked scratching his head and gradually making his way to the living room with his fingers fluttering all over the place as if they had a mind of their own.
"Okay Billie. I'm gonna be right back," Mike whispered while he steadily made his way up the stairs.
"NO! I need you here!" Billie shouted. "Shut up, you wake the kids!" Billie seemed more and more mental every time he did that.
"Shhhhh. Billie, quiet yourself down," Mike disappeared behind Adie as they made their way upstairs.
When they reached the bedroom, Adie turned on her table lamp. She sat down and just stared at him.
"Wow," Mike could only say.
Adrienne immediately started bawling into the sheets of the bed. "I - cant - stand - to - see - him - like - this!" she cried, which Mike remarkably understood even though they were extremely muffled.
"I know, but he'll change," Mike still just stood there, watching Adrienne in depression.
"No he wont! He'll be this way. I... I don't know what to do," she sobbed.
Mike finally sat down beside Adie. "What have you been doing for the past couple months?"
She looked up at him, her eyes bloodshot and makeup running down. "I've had nightmares."
"What kind?" Mike asked rubbing her back.
"I'd kill Billie in them. I, stab him," she looked away from Mike and stared at the floor.
"Well, it's only a dream," Mike smiled, trying to think of ways to cheer her up.
"That happened every night when Billie's home!" Adie said louder. Mike looked taken aback, since he stopped rubbing her back, and his face went stiff.
"Have you told anyone?" Mike asked, his eyes huge.
"No," she stared back down to the floor.
"Not even Billie?" Mike enquired.
She shook her head like mad. "He'll send me to a shrink! And his problem won't get better. I'm too scared."
"Well, it's your job to tell him, not mine, so I can't help you there," Mike looked away.
"I know... " Adie glared at the lamp. The door burst open and Billie popped in.
"Whoa! Mike... I never knew you had two heads... they're too fucking huge too. When did you get here?" Billie clumsily sat down between them and put his arms around their necks.
"I fucking hate you all," he leaned over and kissed Mike before running into the washroom and throwing up.
