Fragments Of Yesterday, chapter 24
"Adie, I'm not sure how we're going to do this," Billie admitted with a heavy sigh. He had his hands to his temples and was trying to fend off what he believed to be the world's biggest headache. Adrienne came over and sat down on his lap, snuggling close to him and burying her hands in his hair.
"It'll work out, baby," she encouraged, massaging his head for him and trying to alleviate some of the pressure.
"Are you kidding?" he asked rhetorically. "Her mother tried to stab me with an ink pen."
"Didn't Jean say something about the state being able to take parental rights away from her mother?" Adrienne questioned, trying to keep thinking for her husband. Billie looked up at her with a desperate expression.
"Yeah," he nodded, "but she also said that the state doesn't like to do that." He scratched his head and shifted slightly under Adrienne. "Maybe we just aren't meant to have her like that."
"Of course we are," Adrienne disagreed. "And even if we can't adopt her, I'm sure that Jean could set something up so that Katie won't get moved to anymore homes."
"You know, I never thought of that," Billie admitted. "And who says that we need papers to say Katie's our daughter?" Adrienne grinned widely, laying her head on Billie's shoulder.
"Have you ever thought of us having another one?" she pondered aloud. Billie looked over at her with a shocked expression.
"You want another?" he asked incredulously. Adrienne only laughed.
"I love our kids," she responded. "I don't know... I just remember when they were babies. You know, all the care and time spent with them. And how they always looked up to you as if you're the only thing that matters."
"I miss that too," Billie agreed, kissing her forehead. "But they all grow up eventually."
Adrienne sighed. "I know."
***
Joey knocked on the door, wishing his stomach would stop squirming relentlessly. Slowly, he had been coming to terms with his highly evolved liking for Katie, and it seemed that every time he was around her, or talked to her, or even saw her walk by, he'd get that damn nervous tension. Now, he was just wanting to ask her to go to the pizza place with him and a few friends, and it felt almost like he was asking her out.
"Yeah?" Katie asked, opening the door finally. Her hair was still wet and he could see that she had just gotten out of the shower. Her scent of Herbal Essences and coconut drifted into his senses, and for a moment he almost forgot what he had wanted in the first place.
"Uh," he said, wracking his brain and feeling a little stupid. "Me and a few others are going to go to Charlie's Pizza for a while. Wanna come?"
Katie grinned and gave a small laugh. "Billie bully you into asking me?" Joey frowned, shifting slightly on his feet.
"No," he answered seriously. "I just thought that you might want to come with us is all. Better than sitting around here all day watching Mom and Dad make eyes at each other."
"So very true," Katie nodded in agreement. She looked behind her a second, and then back to Joey. "Just give me a few minutes, alright?"
"Sure," Joey said. "Jay shouldn't be here for another hour or so."
"Must be nice to have older friends who can drive," Katie said. She looked down at the carpet. "Or friends at all, really."
"You have friends," Joey insisted. Katie looked up with a sad smile and shook her head.
"No I don't," she disagreed. "I've managed to fuck that one up completely."
"You have me," Joey grunted irritated, hating the way she always pushed away from him like it was an obligation for him to talk to her. "See you in an hour," he added before turning and walking down the stairs.
He flung himself heavily down on the couch, rubbing his face and reaching for the remote. His hand stopped dead when Adrienne's voice carried from the other room.
"And even if we can't adopt her, I'm sure that Jean could set something up so that Katie won't get moved to anymore homes."
Adoption, he thought miserably. That would legally make Katie his sister. Joey leaned back disgruntled, wishing that he didn't feel like this about Katie. He didn't want her to become his sister... that would just be too weird. After all, he thought, this isn't West Virginia. Completely in a bad mood now, Joey turned to TV on and cranked up the volume, drowning out the rest of his parents' conversation.
A few minutes later, Billie came into the room, grinning widely at his eldest son. "What's the matter?" he questioned perceptively, noting the look and demeanor of his son. Joey just shrugged indifferently, definitely showing no intention of telling his dad what was bothering him. Where would I start, anyway, he thought miserably. Oh, by the way, I have this massive crush on Katie. Joey scoffed out loud, staring resolutely at the TV.
Billie stared at Joey, eyebrow raised slightly. He was trying to decide whether or not he wanted to get in the middle of teenage drama or to just let Joey have at it alone. Finally, he decided to sit. He stared at Joey for a long while until Joey looked over at him, annoyed.
"What?" Joey snapped. Billie frowned, not liking that whatever was bothering his son was causing him to snap at him like that.
"You can talk to me, you know," Billie assured him. "I may not be the best dad, and I may not be around a whole lot, but I'm here."
"You're fine, Dad," Joey sighed, hating it when his dad brought in the whole 'Sorry I'm not around' comments. That had always irritated him to no end, especially if that wasn't even the reason he was pissed off in the first place.
"Then what is it?" Billie pressed. "School? Friends?" Billie paused tilting his head and then getting a gleam in his eye. "Girl?" Joey fought to keep his face still, but a warmth was prickling at the tips of his ears. Billie nodded knowingly. "A girl," he confirmed.
"Dad, I really don't want to talk about this," Joey said firmly. Billie wanted to press for more details, but he decided to shrug it off.
Billie held up his hands defensively. "Alright, alright. I'll quit asking," he said finally. "But you can talk to me, Joseph." With that, Billie got up and walked out of the room and upstairs. Joey let out a heavy sigh, feeling somewhat exposed. He hoped that his dad wouldn't figure out exactly what girl was putting him in such an off mood. He'd hated to find out what kind of trouble that would cause.
***
Katie walked down the stairs, spotting Joey and Jay talking about something that she didn't quite catch. Both of them stopped talking and looked over at her.
"Finally," Jay commented, being sarcastic. "Women," he said, shaking his head. "Always take forever doing their hair and shit."
"You think I take forever," Katie scoffed, "you should see his dad." Jay stifled a laugh, and at that precise moment, Billie took the liberty to walk through the living room. This only made Jay turn his laughter into a series of coughs.
"Ready to go then?" Joey asked. Katie nodded and Billie stopped and turned to the three.
"She going with you?" Billie asked, gesturing to Katie. Joey just nodded and shrugged noncommittally, hoping to God Billie wouldn't put two and two together. "Okay, cool. Be back at seven."
"Seven?" Joey blurted, looking at the clock. "That's only, like, two hours."
"We're going to Tre's this weekend," Billie explained. "I told you this a week ago."
"Doesn't he live all the way in L.A.?" Katie asked subtly, not ever wanting to see what kind of madhouse that man lived in. Or if she did, she would try to stall from it as long as she could. Billie glanced over at her.
"Yes," he answered.
"Then we should have left earlier in the day," Katie reasoned. "It takes forever to get to L.A. Especially with all the traffic."
"She has a point, Dad," Joey jumped in. "Can't we just leave tomorrow?" Billie looked back and forth between Joey and Katie, trying to decide whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that they were ganging up on him.
"Okay fine," Billie agreed. "We'll leave tomorrow." He sighed and thought for a moment. "Be back by nine, then."
"Ten?" Joey asked hopefully.
"Nine," Billie said finally, walking out of the room. Katie giggled as Joey cursed under his breath.
"Your really need to learn the art of bargaining," Katie pointed out to him. Joey just shot her a mock glare as all three of them walked out to Jay's car. "We make a pretty good team, though," Katie added thoughtfully. Joey glanced back at her from the front seat as they began driving down the road.
"Yeah," Joey agreed. "Why is it that you decided to help me?"
"Are you kidding?" Katie asked with a laugh. "I don't want to go to Tre's house." Joey just laughed and went back to a conversation with Jay.
Forty-five minutes later they pulled into the pizza place, all three chattering loudly. Katie got along with Jay pretty well, even though he seemed to her like a tamer version of Tre. He was a naturally funny person though, and Katie had always gotten along with funny people. They seemed to balance her out, so to speak.
They walked into Charlie's, quickly spotting Joey's group of friends sitting around a large table in the corner. Altogether there were eight of them, and Katie suddenly felt ill at ease. She didn't really know anyone that well, and she didn't do too good at social interaction.
"They're all cool," Joey said to her quietly, noting the look on her face. Katie just nodded and slid into the back part of the large booth behind the rounded table beside him. The group ordered a ton of pizza and pop, all loud and happy to be together outside of school.
Katie took to leaning back after a while, watching all of them interact. She wasn't exactly being antisocial--just quiet. She admired the way that the group all cared about each other and how close they were individually. She also noticed how they were all the same, and how they all were different. But the last thing she noticed, and probably the most important thing, was Joey.
She found herself paying attention to him the most, loving the way that he laughed and how he was more outgoing around his friends. At home, he was quiet like Billie, but around his group, his friends, he was talkative and happy. She smiled at his dumb jokes, which were pointedly supposed to be stupid, and she liked the way he laughed.
Oh God, she realized in thought, I like Joey. Katie shifted and turned her attention to look out the window, trying to convince herself otherwise. She couldn't like her foster brother--that would just make things wrong. Especially if Billie adopted her. She wondered vaguely if Joey knew about that, but it was really the least of her thoughts.
She knew that she liked him--no one else had stuck with her or by her like Joey had. Even after the horrible ways she had treated him, he was there. He had been skeptical of her at first, sure, but she probably would have too. It only showed just how loyal he was and how much he cared, and fuck if she was thinking about him like that again. Katie tried in vain to clear her head, but it didn't work. Finally, she sighed and looked over at Joey again. His eyes were bright with laughter and amusement, and at that moment he looked over at her and smiled.
Katie knew that she was falling for Joey--and she was falling hard.
"It'll work out, baby," she encouraged, massaging his head for him and trying to alleviate some of the pressure.
"Are you kidding?" he asked rhetorically. "Her mother tried to stab me with an ink pen."
"Didn't Jean say something about the state being able to take parental rights away from her mother?" Adrienne questioned, trying to keep thinking for her husband. Billie looked up at her with a desperate expression.
"Yeah," he nodded, "but she also said that the state doesn't like to do that." He scratched his head and shifted slightly under Adrienne. "Maybe we just aren't meant to have her like that."
"Of course we are," Adrienne disagreed. "And even if we can't adopt her, I'm sure that Jean could set something up so that Katie won't get moved to anymore homes."
"You know, I never thought of that," Billie admitted. "And who says that we need papers to say Katie's our daughter?" Adrienne grinned widely, laying her head on Billie's shoulder.
"Have you ever thought of us having another one?" she pondered aloud. Billie looked over at her with a shocked expression.
"You want another?" he asked incredulously. Adrienne only laughed.
"I love our kids," she responded. "I don't know... I just remember when they were babies. You know, all the care and time spent with them. And how they always looked up to you as if you're the only thing that matters."
"I miss that too," Billie agreed, kissing her forehead. "But they all grow up eventually."
Adrienne sighed. "I know."
***
Joey knocked on the door, wishing his stomach would stop squirming relentlessly. Slowly, he had been coming to terms with his highly evolved liking for Katie, and it seemed that every time he was around her, or talked to her, or even saw her walk by, he'd get that damn nervous tension. Now, he was just wanting to ask her to go to the pizza place with him and a few friends, and it felt almost like he was asking her out.
"Yeah?" Katie asked, opening the door finally. Her hair was still wet and he could see that she had just gotten out of the shower. Her scent of Herbal Essences and coconut drifted into his senses, and for a moment he almost forgot what he had wanted in the first place.
"Uh," he said, wracking his brain and feeling a little stupid. "Me and a few others are going to go to Charlie's Pizza for a while. Wanna come?"
Katie grinned and gave a small laugh. "Billie bully you into asking me?" Joey frowned, shifting slightly on his feet.
"No," he answered seriously. "I just thought that you might want to come with us is all. Better than sitting around here all day watching Mom and Dad make eyes at each other."
"So very true," Katie nodded in agreement. She looked behind her a second, and then back to Joey. "Just give me a few minutes, alright?"
"Sure," Joey said. "Jay shouldn't be here for another hour or so."
"Must be nice to have older friends who can drive," Katie said. She looked down at the carpet. "Or friends at all, really."
"You have friends," Joey insisted. Katie looked up with a sad smile and shook her head.
"No I don't," she disagreed. "I've managed to fuck that one up completely."
"You have me," Joey grunted irritated, hating the way she always pushed away from him like it was an obligation for him to talk to her. "See you in an hour," he added before turning and walking down the stairs.
He flung himself heavily down on the couch, rubbing his face and reaching for the remote. His hand stopped dead when Adrienne's voice carried from the other room.
"And even if we can't adopt her, I'm sure that Jean could set something up so that Katie won't get moved to anymore homes."
Adoption, he thought miserably. That would legally make Katie his sister. Joey leaned back disgruntled, wishing that he didn't feel like this about Katie. He didn't want her to become his sister... that would just be too weird. After all, he thought, this isn't West Virginia. Completely in a bad mood now, Joey turned to TV on and cranked up the volume, drowning out the rest of his parents' conversation.
A few minutes later, Billie came into the room, grinning widely at his eldest son. "What's the matter?" he questioned perceptively, noting the look and demeanor of his son. Joey just shrugged indifferently, definitely showing no intention of telling his dad what was bothering him. Where would I start, anyway, he thought miserably. Oh, by the way, I have this massive crush on Katie. Joey scoffed out loud, staring resolutely at the TV.
Billie stared at Joey, eyebrow raised slightly. He was trying to decide whether or not he wanted to get in the middle of teenage drama or to just let Joey have at it alone. Finally, he decided to sit. He stared at Joey for a long while until Joey looked over at him, annoyed.
"What?" Joey snapped. Billie frowned, not liking that whatever was bothering his son was causing him to snap at him like that.
"You can talk to me, you know," Billie assured him. "I may not be the best dad, and I may not be around a whole lot, but I'm here."
"You're fine, Dad," Joey sighed, hating it when his dad brought in the whole 'Sorry I'm not around' comments. That had always irritated him to no end, especially if that wasn't even the reason he was pissed off in the first place.
"Then what is it?" Billie pressed. "School? Friends?" Billie paused tilting his head and then getting a gleam in his eye. "Girl?" Joey fought to keep his face still, but a warmth was prickling at the tips of his ears. Billie nodded knowingly. "A girl," he confirmed.
"Dad, I really don't want to talk about this," Joey said firmly. Billie wanted to press for more details, but he decided to shrug it off.
Billie held up his hands defensively. "Alright, alright. I'll quit asking," he said finally. "But you can talk to me, Joseph." With that, Billie got up and walked out of the room and upstairs. Joey let out a heavy sigh, feeling somewhat exposed. He hoped that his dad wouldn't figure out exactly what girl was putting him in such an off mood. He'd hated to find out what kind of trouble that would cause.
***
Katie walked down the stairs, spotting Joey and Jay talking about something that she didn't quite catch. Both of them stopped talking and looked over at her.
"Finally," Jay commented, being sarcastic. "Women," he said, shaking his head. "Always take forever doing their hair and shit."
"You think I take forever," Katie scoffed, "you should see his dad." Jay stifled a laugh, and at that precise moment, Billie took the liberty to walk through the living room. This only made Jay turn his laughter into a series of coughs.
"Ready to go then?" Joey asked. Katie nodded and Billie stopped and turned to the three.
"She going with you?" Billie asked, gesturing to Katie. Joey just nodded and shrugged noncommittally, hoping to God Billie wouldn't put two and two together. "Okay, cool. Be back at seven."
"Seven?" Joey blurted, looking at the clock. "That's only, like, two hours."
"We're going to Tre's this weekend," Billie explained. "I told you this a week ago."
"Doesn't he live all the way in L.A.?" Katie asked subtly, not ever wanting to see what kind of madhouse that man lived in. Or if she did, she would try to stall from it as long as she could. Billie glanced over at her.
"Yes," he answered.
"Then we should have left earlier in the day," Katie reasoned. "It takes forever to get to L.A. Especially with all the traffic."
"She has a point, Dad," Joey jumped in. "Can't we just leave tomorrow?" Billie looked back and forth between Joey and Katie, trying to decide whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that they were ganging up on him.
"Okay fine," Billie agreed. "We'll leave tomorrow." He sighed and thought for a moment. "Be back by nine, then."
"Ten?" Joey asked hopefully.
"Nine," Billie said finally, walking out of the room. Katie giggled as Joey cursed under his breath.
"Your really need to learn the art of bargaining," Katie pointed out to him. Joey just shot her a mock glare as all three of them walked out to Jay's car. "We make a pretty good team, though," Katie added thoughtfully. Joey glanced back at her from the front seat as they began driving down the road.
"Yeah," Joey agreed. "Why is it that you decided to help me?"
"Are you kidding?" Katie asked with a laugh. "I don't want to go to Tre's house." Joey just laughed and went back to a conversation with Jay.
Forty-five minutes later they pulled into the pizza place, all three chattering loudly. Katie got along with Jay pretty well, even though he seemed to her like a tamer version of Tre. He was a naturally funny person though, and Katie had always gotten along with funny people. They seemed to balance her out, so to speak.
They walked into Charlie's, quickly spotting Joey's group of friends sitting around a large table in the corner. Altogether there were eight of them, and Katie suddenly felt ill at ease. She didn't really know anyone that well, and she didn't do too good at social interaction.
"They're all cool," Joey said to her quietly, noting the look on her face. Katie just nodded and slid into the back part of the large booth behind the rounded table beside him. The group ordered a ton of pizza and pop, all loud and happy to be together outside of school.
Katie took to leaning back after a while, watching all of them interact. She wasn't exactly being antisocial--just quiet. She admired the way that the group all cared about each other and how close they were individually. She also noticed how they were all the same, and how they all were different. But the last thing she noticed, and probably the most important thing, was Joey.
She found herself paying attention to him the most, loving the way that he laughed and how he was more outgoing around his friends. At home, he was quiet like Billie, but around his group, his friends, he was talkative and happy. She smiled at his dumb jokes, which were pointedly supposed to be stupid, and she liked the way he laughed.
Oh God, she realized in thought, I like Joey. Katie shifted and turned her attention to look out the window, trying to convince herself otherwise. She couldn't like her foster brother--that would just make things wrong. Especially if Billie adopted her. She wondered vaguely if Joey knew about that, but it was really the least of her thoughts.
She knew that she liked him--no one else had stuck with her or by her like Joey had. Even after the horrible ways she had treated him, he was there. He had been skeptical of her at first, sure, but she probably would have too. It only showed just how loyal he was and how much he cared, and fuck if she was thinking about him like that again. Katie tried in vain to clear her head, but it didn't work. Finally, she sighed and looked over at Joey again. His eyes were bright with laughter and amusement, and at that moment he looked over at her and smiled.
Katie knew that she was falling for Joey--and she was falling hard.
