Fragments Of Yesterday, chapter 25
Adrienne watched from the kitchen as Katie and Joey teased Jakob light-heartedly in the living room. She loved how close the two had become lately, and it seemed that whatever problem that they had had before had completely dissolved. She was proud of them both, because both of them had considerably matured with the events that had happened over the past year.
She glanced down at the dishes she was supposed to be washing, and she realized with disappointment that they weren't going to wash themselves. Adrienne sighed and picked up a washcloth and went about the devious task, hating it the most out her household duties. Well, except laundry. She fucking hated laundry.
Laughter escaped from the living room, light and musical, making her smile. It wasn't just Joey and Katie--it was Jakob too. Adrienne had been worried that Jakob wasn't going to get along with Katie at first, but after time he had warmed to her a little. She had dreaded the thought of any of the kids not getting along, but with that laughter her fears were banished.
Her mind shifted to the adoption. It was really starting to have a stress toll on Billie, and from what he tried to explain, things weren't going well. He had had to re-submit his request for adoption as Katie's mother had lovingly ripped up the first one, putting the whole process behind considerably. Even though a new set of papers were on the way, a court hearing was also in the works, and the state showed no signs in budging as far as they knew.
She hoped that things would go as planned and that Katie would legally become their daughter. Adrienne loved her boys more than anything in the world, but nothing could take away those tender girl-to-girl moments that she and Katie had occasionally had. It was nice not being the only female in the house (this, of course, not counting Billie), and deep down inside Adrienne had always wanted a daughter.
Grabbing a dish towel, Adrienne dried the clean dishes and began putting them away. She paused, sneaking a glance in the living room. Joey was smiling from ear to ear, his face lighting up much like Billie's, skin crinkling around his eyes. She stopped what she was doing and watched a moment longer, noticing the way his eyes light up as he and Katie shared some conversation about something obviously entertaining. Adrienne's brow furrowed momentarily, watching them silently only a few more moments before going back to the dishes.
A mother always knows.
***
"This is all going to be really tight," Billie sighed, having gotten a letter in the mail about a said court date the adoption. Adrienne rubbed his back, lips sealed and mind thoughtful. Billie leaning into her touch before sighing. "With recording and practice and shit--fuck."
"Have you talked to Katie about all of this?" Adrienne asked quietly, her mind still working. Billie stood up and stretched, yawning.
"Of course," he said. "I talked to her a while ago about the adoption."
"I mean lately," Adrienne clarified, sitting on the edge of the bed. Billie tilted his head at her with a curious look.
"No," he answered. "Why do you ask?" Adrienne smiled up at him sweetly.
"No reason, baby," she said. "I just think it would be nice to keep her up to date on these things. Keep her prepared, you know?"
"Yeah," Billie nodded, climbing into the bed next to his wife. "I'll talk to her tomorrow about it."
"Maybe we should tell the kids, too," Adrienne also pointed out. Billie frowned, having completely forgotten that neither of the boys knew, to his knowledge.
"I forgot," he muttered sleepily. Adrienne snuggled next to him.
"There's always tomorrow," she said.
***
"You wanted to talk to me?" Katie asked, walking into the studio. It was about twenty minutes before Adrienne was supposed to drive her and Joey to school.
"Yeah," Billie said. "I would've talked to you later, but me and the guys are going to start some hardcore recording today."
"That's fine," Katie said with a sleepy smile, sitting on the couch. Billie moved to sit beside her.
"I just wanted to say that all the papers are in for the adoption," he explained. Katie nodded, her insides squirming. "We have a court date set for the state to decide whether or not you'll become ours legally."
"Really?" Katie asked, her voice sounding almost far off. Billie studied her for a moment.
"You still want this?" he asked. Katie met his green eyes with hers.
"Of course," she answered without hesitation. She wanted this adoption more than anything, but now she had mixed feelings. She had always dreamt of a home to call her own, a family to love and nurture her as their own. But now with her feelings for Joey, she couldn't help but feel torn. She cared for Joey in a lot of ways that didn't include brotherly love, and her being adopted would only compromise that and make things weird.
"I just wanted to say that things may be tough," Billie went on. "Apparently the state doesn't look highly upon relinquishing parental rights unless the situation is pretty bad."
"My mother is in prison," Katie scoffed. Billie's face changed as he scratched his head.
"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "I actually visited her, hoping that she would voluntarily sign the papers." Katie frowned.
"You saw Leslie?"
"Yeah," Billie hesitated. "And she tried to stab me with an ink pen." He paused. "Point being that we'll just have to do things through the state."
"Right," Katie agreed, not really knowing what to say.
"And I've told the boys about this, just so you know," Billie added. Katie nodded, wondering why he hadn't mentioned anything to them before. He looked up at the clock and glanced over at Katie. "You better get going, or I'm going to make you late."
"Oh yay," Katie said sarcastically. She twirled her finger in a circle in the air. "School," she added, rolling her eyes.
"Don't look so excited," Billie chuckled. Katie gave him a hug and a small kiss on the cheek before walking up the stairs and hurriedly rushing out to the car.
The ride to the school was filled with silence. Katie glanced over at Joey, who seemed to be deep in thought. She wondered what he thought about this whole adoption deal, but she didn't trust herself to ask. With that, her spilling some of her feelings might ensue. And then things would suddenly moved from the level of confusing to fucked up. In fact, she was almost borderline believing that things were fast becoming fucked up.
Joey shifted, staring out of the window. His dad has officially told them about the adoption, which Joey had only hoped not to be true. It felt like every day his feelings for Katie grew even more, and he wondered if a fifteen year old could even be so damn complex. He couldn't explain what it was--the way she acted, her smile, her stupid laugh, her biting sarcastic remarks--all of that seemed to drive him decidedly crazy, and now she was apparently going to become his sister.
Of course, it would be selfish of him to say anything. He couldn't just walk up to his dad and say 'please don't adopt her, because I think I have deep feelings'. He couldn't even accurately explain to himself how he felt. He just knew that he really didn't want the adoption to go through because of some reason or another, but he would never say so to anyone else. He glanced at Katie through the corner of his eye, this time noticing the morning California sun lighting up her red hair. He knew that Katie loved his dad like her own, and that only made him more guilty for not wanting her to be adopted.
School that day when on in what Katie described as a creep. They were glad that they only had about a week of this jolly good fun left, and then they'd officially hit high school the next year. Sitting at lunch was silent on both Katie and Joey's parts, both with a lot on their minds. Finally, they decided to spend the last ten minutes walking.
"So you're going to be my sister," Joey said finally, trying like hell to make it sound just like a statement instead of a disappointment. Katie didn't answer for a long time.
"Yeah, I suppose so," she answered. She, too, tried to keep the same tone that Joey had. "I really can't believe all this is happening."
"Me either," Joey said. He thought a long time before speaking again. "We've gone through a lot, you know?"
"I'm still sorry about everything," Katie said, guilty feelings not quite banished. Joey stopped and shook his head.
"Quit apologizing," Joey responded. "We're past all that shit now, remember?" Katie smiled as they continued walking.
"Can't help it," Katie explained. "I still feel bad. There's--I dunno--this feeling that I wasn't accurately punished."
"We all make mistakes," Joey argued. "You were just making yours. And you learned from them." Katie chuckled at this, smiling over at him and making his stomach flip-flop.
"You sound like Mike, you know that?"
"Eh, I guess it comes from being around him literally all my life," he shrugged. "He's like Buddha or something."
"Thanks for that image," Katie giggled as she swatted at a fly that was buzzing around her face.
"Well look at this," a whiny voice intruded on their conversation. Claire walked up to Katie and Joey, looking fiercely mischievous. "Do I see a new happy couple."
"Go fuck yourself," Joey said.
"In the asshole," Katie added.
"Oh how cute!" Claire giggled. "You're even finishing each other's insults." She fixed her eyes on Katie. "So it wasn't Billie you were interested in. It actually was his brat."
"You really have no life," Katie retorted, her stomach clenching. She knew that Claire was just grabbing at air and trying to annoy--and was greatly succeeding--but it was almost as if Claire was exploiting her feelings for Joey.
"And you have a new one," Claire kept on. "Joey Armstrong."
"Would you really like me to beat your ass again?" Katie seethed through clenched teeth. "Because I will fucking take great pleasure in bloodying that fake nose again." Her fists were clenched now, and she was getting tense. She was vaguely aware of Joey tugging on her arm.
"Come on," Joey said. "Let's go." He started to pull her away.
"Aww... is your boyfriend trying to keep you out of trouble?" Claire snickered. Katie tensed again, and this time Joey pulled on her arm even harder.
"Shut the fuck up, Claire," Joey spat. He looked over at Katie pleadingly. "You know what'll happen if you fight again."
"You know," Claire cooed, "she wouldn't get so angry if it wasn't true." At this point, Joey physically had to wrench Katie from her spot to keep her from lunging at Claire. He placed his hands in the small of her back and damn near frog-marched her to the other side of the grounds.
"Don't let her piss you off like that," Joey said. Katie whipped around to face him.
"Easy said than done, Joe," she retorted. She shook her head, not meaning to snap at him like that. "She just gets under my fucking skin."
"I know," Joey answered with emphasis. Katie sighed and scratched her head; a subconscious trait picked up from Billie.
"Sorry," Katie muttered. "Thanks for keeping me from stupidity."
"I try," Joey said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. The bell rang across the grounds. Katie rolled her eyes and glanced over at Joey.
"Another round of paradise," Katie said sarcastically. Joey rolled his eyes as they both headed to their next class together.
She glanced down at the dishes she was supposed to be washing, and she realized with disappointment that they weren't going to wash themselves. Adrienne sighed and picked up a washcloth and went about the devious task, hating it the most out her household duties. Well, except laundry. She fucking hated laundry.
Laughter escaped from the living room, light and musical, making her smile. It wasn't just Joey and Katie--it was Jakob too. Adrienne had been worried that Jakob wasn't going to get along with Katie at first, but after time he had warmed to her a little. She had dreaded the thought of any of the kids not getting along, but with that laughter her fears were banished.
Her mind shifted to the adoption. It was really starting to have a stress toll on Billie, and from what he tried to explain, things weren't going well. He had had to re-submit his request for adoption as Katie's mother had lovingly ripped up the first one, putting the whole process behind considerably. Even though a new set of papers were on the way, a court hearing was also in the works, and the state showed no signs in budging as far as they knew.
She hoped that things would go as planned and that Katie would legally become their daughter. Adrienne loved her boys more than anything in the world, but nothing could take away those tender girl-to-girl moments that she and Katie had occasionally had. It was nice not being the only female in the house (this, of course, not counting Billie), and deep down inside Adrienne had always wanted a daughter.
Grabbing a dish towel, Adrienne dried the clean dishes and began putting them away. She paused, sneaking a glance in the living room. Joey was smiling from ear to ear, his face lighting up much like Billie's, skin crinkling around his eyes. She stopped what she was doing and watched a moment longer, noticing the way his eyes light up as he and Katie shared some conversation about something obviously entertaining. Adrienne's brow furrowed momentarily, watching them silently only a few more moments before going back to the dishes.
A mother always knows.
***
"This is all going to be really tight," Billie sighed, having gotten a letter in the mail about a said court date the adoption. Adrienne rubbed his back, lips sealed and mind thoughtful. Billie leaning into her touch before sighing. "With recording and practice and shit--fuck."
"Have you talked to Katie about all of this?" Adrienne asked quietly, her mind still working. Billie stood up and stretched, yawning.
"Of course," he said. "I talked to her a while ago about the adoption."
"I mean lately," Adrienne clarified, sitting on the edge of the bed. Billie tilted his head at her with a curious look.
"No," he answered. "Why do you ask?" Adrienne smiled up at him sweetly.
"No reason, baby," she said. "I just think it would be nice to keep her up to date on these things. Keep her prepared, you know?"
"Yeah," Billie nodded, climbing into the bed next to his wife. "I'll talk to her tomorrow about it."
"Maybe we should tell the kids, too," Adrienne also pointed out. Billie frowned, having completely forgotten that neither of the boys knew, to his knowledge.
"I forgot," he muttered sleepily. Adrienne snuggled next to him.
"There's always tomorrow," she said.
***
"You wanted to talk to me?" Katie asked, walking into the studio. It was about twenty minutes before Adrienne was supposed to drive her and Joey to school.
"Yeah," Billie said. "I would've talked to you later, but me and the guys are going to start some hardcore recording today."
"That's fine," Katie said with a sleepy smile, sitting on the couch. Billie moved to sit beside her.
"I just wanted to say that all the papers are in for the adoption," he explained. Katie nodded, her insides squirming. "We have a court date set for the state to decide whether or not you'll become ours legally."
"Really?" Katie asked, her voice sounding almost far off. Billie studied her for a moment.
"You still want this?" he asked. Katie met his green eyes with hers.
"Of course," she answered without hesitation. She wanted this adoption more than anything, but now she had mixed feelings. She had always dreamt of a home to call her own, a family to love and nurture her as their own. But now with her feelings for Joey, she couldn't help but feel torn. She cared for Joey in a lot of ways that didn't include brotherly love, and her being adopted would only compromise that and make things weird.
"I just wanted to say that things may be tough," Billie went on. "Apparently the state doesn't look highly upon relinquishing parental rights unless the situation is pretty bad."
"My mother is in prison," Katie scoffed. Billie's face changed as he scratched his head.
"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "I actually visited her, hoping that she would voluntarily sign the papers." Katie frowned.
"You saw Leslie?"
"Yeah," Billie hesitated. "And she tried to stab me with an ink pen." He paused. "Point being that we'll just have to do things through the state."
"Right," Katie agreed, not really knowing what to say.
"And I've told the boys about this, just so you know," Billie added. Katie nodded, wondering why he hadn't mentioned anything to them before. He looked up at the clock and glanced over at Katie. "You better get going, or I'm going to make you late."
"Oh yay," Katie said sarcastically. She twirled her finger in a circle in the air. "School," she added, rolling her eyes.
"Don't look so excited," Billie chuckled. Katie gave him a hug and a small kiss on the cheek before walking up the stairs and hurriedly rushing out to the car.
The ride to the school was filled with silence. Katie glanced over at Joey, who seemed to be deep in thought. She wondered what he thought about this whole adoption deal, but she didn't trust herself to ask. With that, her spilling some of her feelings might ensue. And then things would suddenly moved from the level of confusing to fucked up. In fact, she was almost borderline believing that things were fast becoming fucked up.
Joey shifted, staring out of the window. His dad has officially told them about the adoption, which Joey had only hoped not to be true. It felt like every day his feelings for Katie grew even more, and he wondered if a fifteen year old could even be so damn complex. He couldn't explain what it was--the way she acted, her smile, her stupid laugh, her biting sarcastic remarks--all of that seemed to drive him decidedly crazy, and now she was apparently going to become his sister.
Of course, it would be selfish of him to say anything. He couldn't just walk up to his dad and say 'please don't adopt her, because I think I have deep feelings'. He couldn't even accurately explain to himself how he felt. He just knew that he really didn't want the adoption to go through because of some reason or another, but he would never say so to anyone else. He glanced at Katie through the corner of his eye, this time noticing the morning California sun lighting up her red hair. He knew that Katie loved his dad like her own, and that only made him more guilty for not wanting her to be adopted.
School that day when on in what Katie described as a creep. They were glad that they only had about a week of this jolly good fun left, and then they'd officially hit high school the next year. Sitting at lunch was silent on both Katie and Joey's parts, both with a lot on their minds. Finally, they decided to spend the last ten minutes walking.
"So you're going to be my sister," Joey said finally, trying like hell to make it sound just like a statement instead of a disappointment. Katie didn't answer for a long time.
"Yeah, I suppose so," she answered. She, too, tried to keep the same tone that Joey had. "I really can't believe all this is happening."
"Me either," Joey said. He thought a long time before speaking again. "We've gone through a lot, you know?"
"I'm still sorry about everything," Katie said, guilty feelings not quite banished. Joey stopped and shook his head.
"Quit apologizing," Joey responded. "We're past all that shit now, remember?" Katie smiled as they continued walking.
"Can't help it," Katie explained. "I still feel bad. There's--I dunno--this feeling that I wasn't accurately punished."
"We all make mistakes," Joey argued. "You were just making yours. And you learned from them." Katie chuckled at this, smiling over at him and making his stomach flip-flop.
"You sound like Mike, you know that?"
"Eh, I guess it comes from being around him literally all my life," he shrugged. "He's like Buddha or something."
"Thanks for that image," Katie giggled as she swatted at a fly that was buzzing around her face.
"Well look at this," a whiny voice intruded on their conversation. Claire walked up to Katie and Joey, looking fiercely mischievous. "Do I see a new happy couple."
"Go fuck yourself," Joey said.
"In the asshole," Katie added.
"Oh how cute!" Claire giggled. "You're even finishing each other's insults." She fixed her eyes on Katie. "So it wasn't Billie you were interested in. It actually was his brat."
"You really have no life," Katie retorted, her stomach clenching. She knew that Claire was just grabbing at air and trying to annoy--and was greatly succeeding--but it was almost as if Claire was exploiting her feelings for Joey.
"And you have a new one," Claire kept on. "Joey Armstrong."
"Would you really like me to beat your ass again?" Katie seethed through clenched teeth. "Because I will fucking take great pleasure in bloodying that fake nose again." Her fists were clenched now, and she was getting tense. She was vaguely aware of Joey tugging on her arm.
"Come on," Joey said. "Let's go." He started to pull her away.
"Aww... is your boyfriend trying to keep you out of trouble?" Claire snickered. Katie tensed again, and this time Joey pulled on her arm even harder.
"Shut the fuck up, Claire," Joey spat. He looked over at Katie pleadingly. "You know what'll happen if you fight again."
"You know," Claire cooed, "she wouldn't get so angry if it wasn't true." At this point, Joey physically had to wrench Katie from her spot to keep her from lunging at Claire. He placed his hands in the small of her back and damn near frog-marched her to the other side of the grounds.
"Don't let her piss you off like that," Joey said. Katie whipped around to face him.
"Easy said than done, Joe," she retorted. She shook her head, not meaning to snap at him like that. "She just gets under my fucking skin."
"I know," Joey answered with emphasis. Katie sighed and scratched her head; a subconscious trait picked up from Billie.
"Sorry," Katie muttered. "Thanks for keeping me from stupidity."
"I try," Joey said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. The bell rang across the grounds. Katie rolled her eyes and glanced over at Joey.
"Another round of paradise," Katie said sarcastically. Joey rolled his eyes as they both headed to their next class together.
