Fragments Of Yesterday, chapter 27
The next week Katie and Joey finished the last days of their eighth grade school year, and they were relieved when it was finally over. They didn't even want to think about the four years that they both had left with high school, so they contentedly avoided the subject. Billie, however, could let it drop, simply because he always complained that he was getting old because he had a son that would graduate it a few years.
The guys, meanwhile, had been bust recording their next record. They had been recording nonstop for a long while, and anyone barely saw either three of them outside of a studio. They were getting ready to finish up and do a bunch of editing, and after that, promotions and touring would take place. It was an exhausting process, but they loved it and would continue to do it until they dropped dead.
Adrienne was outside with the kids, watching as they swam around in the swimming pool. It was incredibly bright and incredibly hot, and she felt like doing nothing. She shifted her attention to the pool, where Joey and Katie were tag teaming against Jakob so that they could dunk him underwater. She smiled to herself as she watched her son's expressions; she had known that he had feelings for Katie for a short while now, and she wondered to herself if Katie even knew about or possibly shared those feelings.
Adrienne had found that Joey was as easy of a person to read as Billie for her, but Katie was a different story. Katie was a lot like Mike, very personal at times and you could never exactly tell what they were thinking. It really didn't matter, Adrienne had concluded, because both were just kids and things couldn't possibly be that serious.
"Hey Adie!" a very loud voice said from behind her. All of a sudden, she was being lifted in the air against her will and unceremoniously thrown into the swimming pool.
"Tre!" Adrienne yelled once she resurfaced, shooting a mock glare up at him. He only grinned, unaware that Billie was creeping up behind him. Adrienne smirked right back at Tre, causing a somewhat small amount of confusion. Tre continued to be confused until Billie gave him a forceful shoved in the middle of his back, landing Tre right beside Adrienne, fully clothed, into the pull.
"Billie, you ass-monkey!" Tre shouted at him, wiping his wild hair out of his eyes. Billie cackled evilly, as did all the other current occupants of the pool.
"Way to go, Dad!" Jakob cheered. Joey took this opportunity to jump on his brother, submerging him in the water.
"Looks like you guys are having fun," Billie observed as Tre climbed out of the pool, sopping wet.
"We are," Katie said with a grin. Her attention was drawn to Tre, who was walking towards Billie with his arms outstretched.
"Come on Billie," Tre said, "gimme a hug."
"Give yourself a hug," Billie said, sidestepping him easily as he laughed.
"I said give me a fucking hug!" Tre yelled, running at Billie and tackling him to the ground. They wrestled around for a minute, Adrienne shaking her head all the while. A three ring circus, she thought to herself. Speaking of three rings, she added, where's Mike?
"Hey babe?" Adrienne called out. Billie shoved Tre off him forcefully, standing up and looking down at his now wet clothes.
"Yeah?"
"What did you do with Mike?" she asked curiously. Billie glanced back at the house, where Mike was somewhere.
"Mike's here?" Katie asked. She hadn't even been aware that Tre was there, let alone the whole band.
"Yeah, somewhere," Billie answered. Katie climbed out of the pool, picking up a beach towel and wrapping it around herself.
"I'm going to go bug him," she announced, walking into the house. She found Mike sitting in the den, looking very off-put and upset about something. "Hey Mike," Katie greeted, sitting down beside him, carefully placing the towel beneath her so she didn't get the couch wet.
"Hey," he answered absent-mindedly, rubbing his face.
"Something the matter?" Katie asked. She frowned with concern, not liking the look of melancholy on his face. "What is it?"
"It's nothing," he muttered. Her really didn't want to talk about it with anyone, let alone a kid. Katie crossed her arms and stared at him defiantly, knowing he didn't want to talk about it. In the time that Katie had known him, he had always pushed Katie to talk about what bothered her. Now she was just returning the favor.
"Liar," she retorted. Mike groaned and looked over at her.
"Nothing you need to worry about," he answered a little more firmly. Katie's frown deepened.
"Nothing I need to worry about, eh?" Katie repeated. "You're like my adoptive uncle," she added, searching his face. "So I'm gonna worry."
Mike offered her a weak smile, letting out a heavy sigh and looking at the ground. "Brittney broke up with me," he answered. He held up his cell phone. "Over voicemail," he added miserably.
"Brittney... what?" Katie barely managed, sure that she had misunderstood him. She knew that he and Brittney had been together for a long time, and that they lived together, and she never would have thought Brittney to do something that low. "Why?" Katie demanded, slightly angry.
"She said that I was spending too much time in the studio and not enough with her," he answered; an almost automatic response. Katie understood by the tone of his voice that he had been down this road before with other women, and she could also tell that he thought Brittney was different.
"I'm so sorry," she said, trying to comfort him. She leaned over and gave him a hug before pulling away quickly. "Oops... I'm gonna get you wet." She sighed and looked at Mike's face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you say anything."
"It's okay," Mike assured, looking over at her concerned face. "Billie and Tre would have harped me anyway. At least you asked." Katie shook her head, feeling bad nonetheless.
"Yeah, but it's none of my business," she disagreed. "I should've just kept my mouth shut." She stood up and pulled the towel around her again, feeling the need to get into some dry clothes. Before she walked out the room, Mike said:
"You act a lot older than you are, you know that?" Katie turned around and grinned.
"Someone has to act like an adult around here," she said with a slight giggle. Mike grinned in return, even though he still felt like shit.
***
"Come on, tell me what it is," Joey whined for about the fiftieth. He even employed the puppy dog look, staring up at Katie from her bedroom floor. Katie soon realized that she was powerless against that brown eyed gaze and smiled, rolling her eyes.
"If I tell you, but I want your word over your life," she confided. Joey nodded and gave her a solemn look.
"I'll give you both," he said seriously. Katie's smile faded slightly, pondering over those words instantly. Joey seemed a bit startled and shook his head, forcing a grin. "Cause I really want to know!" he added, almost as an amendment to himself.
Katie sighed and shot a sidelong glance at the door. She was sure that Mike hadn't wanted her to say anything to anybody, but she couldn't help it. Joey had been bugging her for the past hour, and she had been itching to tell someone about it. "Brittney broke up with Mike," Katie answered. "Over the phone, no less."
"What?" Joey blurted, obviously showing the same reaction Katie had. Katie nodded as if for reinforcement.
"That's what I said," she continued. She suddenly became angry, the need to rant taking over. "How could she do that?" she asserted angrily. "I met Brittney, and she didn't seem like the kind of bitch to do that to someone, let alone Mike, who probably would have offered the world to her."
Joey only nodded, keeping his own biting remarks to himself. Right now, her couldn't keep himself from focusing on how Katie looked angry. It was the kind of anger that he was attracted to--that justified anger out of love and care for another. He was drawn to the way that her eyes had blazed and her body gestures as she continued to talk about Brittney.
Without really meaning to in spite of himself, Joey started to smile. He realized it a little too late, for Katie had looked over and noticed. "What?" she spouted. "It isn't funny!" Joey knew that he couldn't explain it, and impulse began to take over. He leaned forward and raised himself on his knees, kissing Katie, who had been lying flat on her stomach on her bed.
Katie's breath hitched at the surprise of Joey's actions, and she found that she was completely paralyzed with this contact. Once her mind began to focus and clear, she went to kiss him back, but he pulled away, shocked with himself at his own actions and obviously flustered. Katie frowned, wondering what the hold up was as they stared at each other.
"I--uh... " Joey trailed off. He stood up without warning, his eyes darting everywhere but at Katie's face. Katie wanted to say something, to encourage him, but he rushed out of the room before she had the chance to do anything and shut the door behind him.
Katie rolled over onto her back, sighing heavily, her lips still tingling pleasantly. She wished that she had said something, had let him know that it was okay. She wanted nothing more than to tell him how she felt, but she had been hindered by the fear of what he would do or say. With Joey kissing her, though, it opened a door of newfound possibilities.
No, Katie thought. I saw the look on his face. It was probably a mistake.
Feeling like shit, Katie dressed herself for bed, trying to push everything from her mind. Maybe it would have been best for the court to allow the adoption. Maybe she should have tried harder, because at least then she would have made Billie happier. Her mind swam with all these maybes and what ifs, but she knew that it was no good. She knew that within herself, what she had truly wanted had happened. She would have to make good with the decision, no matter what.
After he had ran out of Katie's room, Joey had jogged down the stairs. He had been hoping to rush out the back door in the kitchen, but that clearly wasn't going to happen. Billie had been coming out of the basement door and intercepted him halfway there.
"What's wrong?" Billie asked, grabbing Joey by the arm and making him sit on a bar stool at the island in the kitchen. Joey just shook his head, willing his face to turn back to its original color. Billie sat down beside him, adjusting himself on the bar stool more comfortably. He studied his son, frowning, his face becoming suddenly emotional. "Damn it Joseph," he said hopelessly. "Why won't you talk to me?"
Joey looked up at his dad, hearing the intonation in his voice. He sounded upset and a little hurt, which made guilt pang in Joey's stomach. "Dad... I just don't want to talk about it, okay?" He tried to make his words comforting as he could, pulling all the irritation out of it.
Besides, what was he supposed to say? Gee, Dad, how about that adoption? Good thing it didn't go through, huh? Now I can properly make an ass out of myself in front of Katie and not have to worry about it being gross because she isn't my sister. Joey inwardly laughed bitterly at himself, realizing how stupid that had sounded in his mind.
"Joey," Billie said in almost a pleading voice, "I know I'm not around much. I know that I'm not the greatest father in the world, and I've been busy lately, but I want you to know that I still love you." Joey opened his mouth to say something, but Billie interrupted him. "Just listen," he sighed. "You can tell me anything, Joseph, no matter how stupid you think it is. If there's something bothering you, or if you have a problem, I want you to know you can come to me."
"I know, Dad," Joey said. He wondered when it had turned into one of those conversations. It was ironic that Billie was thinking that this was the reason that Joey wasn't divulging him with any information. He was sure that if his dad really knew that it was--well, Joey wasn't even sure how Billie would take that. Joey cleared his throat and looked up. "It's none of that, Dad. I know I can tell you anything, but right now, I just want to... uh... I dunno, come to terms with myself."
"Right," Billie nodded, understanding but at the same time still wanting to question. "You'll tell me eventually, though, right?"
"Yeah Dad," Joey said, none too convincing. "I'll tell you eventually." Joey hopped off the stool and stood there a moment, feeling like he should say something else, but not really knowing what he should say. "I'm gonna go outside, okay?"
"Don't be out too late," Billie said with a nod, watching Joey walk out the sliding glass doors.
The guys, meanwhile, had been bust recording their next record. They had been recording nonstop for a long while, and anyone barely saw either three of them outside of a studio. They were getting ready to finish up and do a bunch of editing, and after that, promotions and touring would take place. It was an exhausting process, but they loved it and would continue to do it until they dropped dead.
Adrienne was outside with the kids, watching as they swam around in the swimming pool. It was incredibly bright and incredibly hot, and she felt like doing nothing. She shifted her attention to the pool, where Joey and Katie were tag teaming against Jakob so that they could dunk him underwater. She smiled to herself as she watched her son's expressions; she had known that he had feelings for Katie for a short while now, and she wondered to herself if Katie even knew about or possibly shared those feelings.
Adrienne had found that Joey was as easy of a person to read as Billie for her, but Katie was a different story. Katie was a lot like Mike, very personal at times and you could never exactly tell what they were thinking. It really didn't matter, Adrienne had concluded, because both were just kids and things couldn't possibly be that serious.
"Hey Adie!" a very loud voice said from behind her. All of a sudden, she was being lifted in the air against her will and unceremoniously thrown into the swimming pool.
"Tre!" Adrienne yelled once she resurfaced, shooting a mock glare up at him. He only grinned, unaware that Billie was creeping up behind him. Adrienne smirked right back at Tre, causing a somewhat small amount of confusion. Tre continued to be confused until Billie gave him a forceful shoved in the middle of his back, landing Tre right beside Adrienne, fully clothed, into the pull.
"Billie, you ass-monkey!" Tre shouted at him, wiping his wild hair out of his eyes. Billie cackled evilly, as did all the other current occupants of the pool.
"Way to go, Dad!" Jakob cheered. Joey took this opportunity to jump on his brother, submerging him in the water.
"Looks like you guys are having fun," Billie observed as Tre climbed out of the pool, sopping wet.
"We are," Katie said with a grin. Her attention was drawn to Tre, who was walking towards Billie with his arms outstretched.
"Come on Billie," Tre said, "gimme a hug."
"Give yourself a hug," Billie said, sidestepping him easily as he laughed.
"I said give me a fucking hug!" Tre yelled, running at Billie and tackling him to the ground. They wrestled around for a minute, Adrienne shaking her head all the while. A three ring circus, she thought to herself. Speaking of three rings, she added, where's Mike?
"Hey babe?" Adrienne called out. Billie shoved Tre off him forcefully, standing up and looking down at his now wet clothes.
"Yeah?"
"What did you do with Mike?" she asked curiously. Billie glanced back at the house, where Mike was somewhere.
"Mike's here?" Katie asked. She hadn't even been aware that Tre was there, let alone the whole band.
"Yeah, somewhere," Billie answered. Katie climbed out of the pool, picking up a beach towel and wrapping it around herself.
"I'm going to go bug him," she announced, walking into the house. She found Mike sitting in the den, looking very off-put and upset about something. "Hey Mike," Katie greeted, sitting down beside him, carefully placing the towel beneath her so she didn't get the couch wet.
"Hey," he answered absent-mindedly, rubbing his face.
"Something the matter?" Katie asked. She frowned with concern, not liking the look of melancholy on his face. "What is it?"
"It's nothing," he muttered. Her really didn't want to talk about it with anyone, let alone a kid. Katie crossed her arms and stared at him defiantly, knowing he didn't want to talk about it. In the time that Katie had known him, he had always pushed Katie to talk about what bothered her. Now she was just returning the favor.
"Liar," she retorted. Mike groaned and looked over at her.
"Nothing you need to worry about," he answered a little more firmly. Katie's frown deepened.
"Nothing I need to worry about, eh?" Katie repeated. "You're like my adoptive uncle," she added, searching his face. "So I'm gonna worry."
Mike offered her a weak smile, letting out a heavy sigh and looking at the ground. "Brittney broke up with me," he answered. He held up his cell phone. "Over voicemail," he added miserably.
"Brittney... what?" Katie barely managed, sure that she had misunderstood him. She knew that he and Brittney had been together for a long time, and that they lived together, and she never would have thought Brittney to do something that low. "Why?" Katie demanded, slightly angry.
"She said that I was spending too much time in the studio and not enough with her," he answered; an almost automatic response. Katie understood by the tone of his voice that he had been down this road before with other women, and she could also tell that he thought Brittney was different.
"I'm so sorry," she said, trying to comfort him. She leaned over and gave him a hug before pulling away quickly. "Oops... I'm gonna get you wet." She sighed and looked at Mike's face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you say anything."
"It's okay," Mike assured, looking over at her concerned face. "Billie and Tre would have harped me anyway. At least you asked." Katie shook her head, feeling bad nonetheless.
"Yeah, but it's none of my business," she disagreed. "I should've just kept my mouth shut." She stood up and pulled the towel around her again, feeling the need to get into some dry clothes. Before she walked out the room, Mike said:
"You act a lot older than you are, you know that?" Katie turned around and grinned.
"Someone has to act like an adult around here," she said with a slight giggle. Mike grinned in return, even though he still felt like shit.
***
"Come on, tell me what it is," Joey whined for about the fiftieth. He even employed the puppy dog look, staring up at Katie from her bedroom floor. Katie soon realized that she was powerless against that brown eyed gaze and smiled, rolling her eyes.
"If I tell you, but I want your word over your life," she confided. Joey nodded and gave her a solemn look.
"I'll give you both," he said seriously. Katie's smile faded slightly, pondering over those words instantly. Joey seemed a bit startled and shook his head, forcing a grin. "Cause I really want to know!" he added, almost as an amendment to himself.
Katie sighed and shot a sidelong glance at the door. She was sure that Mike hadn't wanted her to say anything to anybody, but she couldn't help it. Joey had been bugging her for the past hour, and she had been itching to tell someone about it. "Brittney broke up with Mike," Katie answered. "Over the phone, no less."
"What?" Joey blurted, obviously showing the same reaction Katie had. Katie nodded as if for reinforcement.
"That's what I said," she continued. She suddenly became angry, the need to rant taking over. "How could she do that?" she asserted angrily. "I met Brittney, and she didn't seem like the kind of bitch to do that to someone, let alone Mike, who probably would have offered the world to her."
Joey only nodded, keeping his own biting remarks to himself. Right now, her couldn't keep himself from focusing on how Katie looked angry. It was the kind of anger that he was attracted to--that justified anger out of love and care for another. He was drawn to the way that her eyes had blazed and her body gestures as she continued to talk about Brittney.
Without really meaning to in spite of himself, Joey started to smile. He realized it a little too late, for Katie had looked over and noticed. "What?" she spouted. "It isn't funny!" Joey knew that he couldn't explain it, and impulse began to take over. He leaned forward and raised himself on his knees, kissing Katie, who had been lying flat on her stomach on her bed.
Katie's breath hitched at the surprise of Joey's actions, and she found that she was completely paralyzed with this contact. Once her mind began to focus and clear, she went to kiss him back, but he pulled away, shocked with himself at his own actions and obviously flustered. Katie frowned, wondering what the hold up was as they stared at each other.
"I--uh... " Joey trailed off. He stood up without warning, his eyes darting everywhere but at Katie's face. Katie wanted to say something, to encourage him, but he rushed out of the room before she had the chance to do anything and shut the door behind him.
Katie rolled over onto her back, sighing heavily, her lips still tingling pleasantly. She wished that she had said something, had let him know that it was okay. She wanted nothing more than to tell him how she felt, but she had been hindered by the fear of what he would do or say. With Joey kissing her, though, it opened a door of newfound possibilities.
No, Katie thought. I saw the look on his face. It was probably a mistake.
Feeling like shit, Katie dressed herself for bed, trying to push everything from her mind. Maybe it would have been best for the court to allow the adoption. Maybe she should have tried harder, because at least then she would have made Billie happier. Her mind swam with all these maybes and what ifs, but she knew that it was no good. She knew that within herself, what she had truly wanted had happened. She would have to make good with the decision, no matter what.
After he had ran out of Katie's room, Joey had jogged down the stairs. He had been hoping to rush out the back door in the kitchen, but that clearly wasn't going to happen. Billie had been coming out of the basement door and intercepted him halfway there.
"What's wrong?" Billie asked, grabbing Joey by the arm and making him sit on a bar stool at the island in the kitchen. Joey just shook his head, willing his face to turn back to its original color. Billie sat down beside him, adjusting himself on the bar stool more comfortably. He studied his son, frowning, his face becoming suddenly emotional. "Damn it Joseph," he said hopelessly. "Why won't you talk to me?"
Joey looked up at his dad, hearing the intonation in his voice. He sounded upset and a little hurt, which made guilt pang in Joey's stomach. "Dad... I just don't want to talk about it, okay?" He tried to make his words comforting as he could, pulling all the irritation out of it.
Besides, what was he supposed to say? Gee, Dad, how about that adoption? Good thing it didn't go through, huh? Now I can properly make an ass out of myself in front of Katie and not have to worry about it being gross because she isn't my sister. Joey inwardly laughed bitterly at himself, realizing how stupid that had sounded in his mind.
"Joey," Billie said in almost a pleading voice, "I know I'm not around much. I know that I'm not the greatest father in the world, and I've been busy lately, but I want you to know that I still love you." Joey opened his mouth to say something, but Billie interrupted him. "Just listen," he sighed. "You can tell me anything, Joseph, no matter how stupid you think it is. If there's something bothering you, or if you have a problem, I want you to know you can come to me."
"I know, Dad," Joey said. He wondered when it had turned into one of those conversations. It was ironic that Billie was thinking that this was the reason that Joey wasn't divulging him with any information. He was sure that if his dad really knew that it was--well, Joey wasn't even sure how Billie would take that. Joey cleared his throat and looked up. "It's none of that, Dad. I know I can tell you anything, but right now, I just want to... uh... I dunno, come to terms with myself."
"Right," Billie nodded, understanding but at the same time still wanting to question. "You'll tell me eventually, though, right?"
"Yeah Dad," Joey said, none too convincing. "I'll tell you eventually." Joey hopped off the stool and stood there a moment, feeling like he should say something else, but not really knowing what he should say. "I'm gonna go outside, okay?"
"Don't be out too late," Billie said with a nod, watching Joey walk out the sliding glass doors.
