Nothing Is Stopping Me, chapter 4
Adrienne found herself asleep in their bed, with Billie beside her. She sat up immediately and dragged herself out of the bed. To her surprise, her husband didn't notice, so she crept downstairs where she saw Joey and Jakob staring and random objects.
"Mommy. What happened?" Jakob asked. Adrienne looked around, letting her eyes adjust to the light. There was a smashed picture frame, and a few wrecked Cds. Billie must have had went mental when he was drunk last night.
"Oh, when I woke up for a midnight snack, I just tripped and accidentally knocked some things down," Adrienne lied whilst picking up the broken glass.
"Okay..." Joey said suspiciously. He grabbed the cereal and started pouring bowls full of it. "Jake, come get it." He gave his brother the meal and they sat down on the couch.
Adrienne saw the picture that was smashed. It was the one she was looking at last night. She stared into it, gazing at the look of Billie's face. He had that mischievous grin that he always showed. He looked healthy as he could be, not knowing what he would turn into.
***
The kids had gone to school and Billie was still sleeping. Adie heard the phone ring and she picked it up. "Hello?" she asked.
"Hey. It's Mike," a familiar voice said. Adie couldn't respond. "I know you're still stunned about the whole night, but I wanna come over and see how Bill is doing."
Adie felt tears starting to come to life behind her eyes. "Why?" Is what she could only ask.
"I know he hit you, I know you're pissed as fuck, but you need to realize, he's my friend too. I'm on no one's side," Mike said in a soothing voice, although Adie could hear the sound of his girlfriend asking what was going on in the background.
"Yeah. He hit me, and I have to live with it. You saw him hit me! But you don't feel any shame?" she asked with a tear streaming down her face.
"I feel awful about it, but you have to understand something Adie," Mike began. Adie saw a very groggy Billie come walking down the stairs.
He saw Adie's face and frowned. "Who are you talking to?" he asked her, seeing that her face went white.
Okay, I admit it. I am now terrified of my husband. The sight of him makes me cringe with fear, and sadness. Another part of me just wants to hurt him back. Hurt his 'innocent' face, that the public sees, so they might change their minds about him being 'a nice person'. But another tiny part of my heart is begging for the rest of me to stop thinking negatively about him. He can change can't he? No. He can't. Fuck, even his songs say he won't. Wait, I'm wrong. He can, he just won't.
"Adie? Adrienne, you okay?" Mike spoke into the phone. Adie could hear him, but dared not to respond. Billie couldn't know about what Mike knew. Everything would only get worse.
"Uh, no one. I was just going to call the school," Adrienne lied turning off the phone and taking a deep breath, trying to be as calm as possible.
"Oh, 'cause I heard you talking to someone," Billie walked over to Adie and smiled. His smile disappeared when she didn't reply with a smile, or anything. She remained still as possible, as if he was a wild animal of some sort. "What's wrong? Where did you get this?" Billie asked pulling back some of Adie's hair revealing a gigantic bruise on her right temple.
Adie frowned. Did he not know what he does when he's in that condition? Does he not realize that when he's drunk he gets violent and out of control? Does he not know anything about hurting Adie and the people around him?
Adrienne replied, "Oh, when I got up last night for a glass of water I bumped my head on the cupboard," she lied, she didn't know what the count came to, but she knew she had lied a lot over the past few months to cover up her somewhat hatred towards the man she had kids with, the man she was soul mates with.
Billie was completely oblivious to her lies, thankfully, and only nodded with an awkward smile, and grabbed a couple Advil pills and swallowed them down. "Wow. I have a major headache. I bet you do too with that nasty bruise," he looked concerned.
"Naw, It's nothing bad," Adie tried to make the things she made up sound real. Her head hurt like hell, but she didn't want him to know.
Billie smiled and hugged her with his arms around her waist, and began to sway, rocking her side to side with him. It was just like he had done when he came home the other night.
Adrienne had fallen in love with the Billie she was swaying with right then. Not the Billie who forced her to feel depressed in every way.
"Mommy. What happened?" Jakob asked. Adrienne looked around, letting her eyes adjust to the light. There was a smashed picture frame, and a few wrecked Cds. Billie must have had went mental when he was drunk last night.
"Oh, when I woke up for a midnight snack, I just tripped and accidentally knocked some things down," Adrienne lied whilst picking up the broken glass.
"Okay..." Joey said suspiciously. He grabbed the cereal and started pouring bowls full of it. "Jake, come get it." He gave his brother the meal and they sat down on the couch.
Adrienne saw the picture that was smashed. It was the one she was looking at last night. She stared into it, gazing at the look of Billie's face. He had that mischievous grin that he always showed. He looked healthy as he could be, not knowing what he would turn into.
***
The kids had gone to school and Billie was still sleeping. Adie heard the phone ring and she picked it up. "Hello?" she asked.
"Hey. It's Mike," a familiar voice said. Adie couldn't respond. "I know you're still stunned about the whole night, but I wanna come over and see how Bill is doing."
Adie felt tears starting to come to life behind her eyes. "Why?" Is what she could only ask.
"I know he hit you, I know you're pissed as fuck, but you need to realize, he's my friend too. I'm on no one's side," Mike said in a soothing voice, although Adie could hear the sound of his girlfriend asking what was going on in the background.
"Yeah. He hit me, and I have to live with it. You saw him hit me! But you don't feel any shame?" she asked with a tear streaming down her face.
"I feel awful about it, but you have to understand something Adie," Mike began. Adie saw a very groggy Billie come walking down the stairs.
He saw Adie's face and frowned. "Who are you talking to?" he asked her, seeing that her face went white.
Okay, I admit it. I am now terrified of my husband. The sight of him makes me cringe with fear, and sadness. Another part of me just wants to hurt him back. Hurt his 'innocent' face, that the public sees, so they might change their minds about him being 'a nice person'. But another tiny part of my heart is begging for the rest of me to stop thinking negatively about him. He can change can't he? No. He can't. Fuck, even his songs say he won't. Wait, I'm wrong. He can, he just won't.
"Adie? Adrienne, you okay?" Mike spoke into the phone. Adie could hear him, but dared not to respond. Billie couldn't know about what Mike knew. Everything would only get worse.
"Uh, no one. I was just going to call the school," Adrienne lied turning off the phone and taking a deep breath, trying to be as calm as possible.
"Oh, 'cause I heard you talking to someone," Billie walked over to Adie and smiled. His smile disappeared when she didn't reply with a smile, or anything. She remained still as possible, as if he was a wild animal of some sort. "What's wrong? Where did you get this?" Billie asked pulling back some of Adie's hair revealing a gigantic bruise on her right temple.
Adie frowned. Did he not know what he does when he's in that condition? Does he not realize that when he's drunk he gets violent and out of control? Does he not know anything about hurting Adie and the people around him?
Adrienne replied, "Oh, when I got up last night for a glass of water I bumped my head on the cupboard," she lied, she didn't know what the count came to, but she knew she had lied a lot over the past few months to cover up her somewhat hatred towards the man she had kids with, the man she was soul mates with.
Billie was completely oblivious to her lies, thankfully, and only nodded with an awkward smile, and grabbed a couple Advil pills and swallowed them down. "Wow. I have a major headache. I bet you do too with that nasty bruise," he looked concerned.
"Naw, It's nothing bad," Adie tried to make the things she made up sound real. Her head hurt like hell, but she didn't want him to know.
Billie smiled and hugged her with his arms around her waist, and began to sway, rocking her side to side with him. It was just like he had done when he came home the other night.
Adrienne had fallen in love with the Billie she was swaying with right then. Not the Billie who forced her to feel depressed in every way.
