So far, this week has been great. It’s Wednesday now, and my friendship with Morgan has been fully restored, as if nothing ever happened. Needless to say, Sean was as shocked, as I was, about her reasons behind breaking things off. The first day was slightly awkward, but that faded away pretty quickly.
Morgan and I are back into our morning routine, with slight variation. We have to head out a bit earlier, because it takes longer, for her to get ready, for school. She has to tame her curls and put on her light make-up…things she never used to do. I get a kick out of standing there, watching her, though. How do chicks do that make-up stuff, without poking an eye out?
I am really glad that the trio is back to normal. After all, Spring Break starts after school, on Friday. Do you remember what that means? Yep. The big trip, to the family farm, is approaching quickly. I’m not sure how this trip is going to go and I’m not the only one who is nervous about the whole thing. Thank heavens that I will have Morgan to call, if things go haywire, or if I just need to vent.
“I’m home!” Throwing my bag, on the floor, I walk into the house, looking for any sign of life.
“We’re in here, BayBay!” AJ’s voice makes my ears perk up. I hadn’t expected him, to be here because Nick, Mason and I had to go to another counseling appointment, with Kevin, this afternoon. Walking into the living room gave me an even bigger shock.
“Hi, Baylee. How are you?” I was immediately engulfed, in a hug, by Howie. Now, I was really confused. What is going on, here? My mind was suddenly filled with possible reasons for the unexpected get together, as I took a seat, on the couch.
“Um…what’s going on?” Looking from Howie, over to AJ, I wait for an answer. Before either of them could respond, Nick came storming into the room.
“This is fucking peachy! All the flights are booked, so now, we’re going to have to drive!” Nick threw the phone, onto the coffee table, and plopped into the recliner. AJ’s head whipped, to look in Nick’s direction.
“Oh heeeeeell FUCK no! There is no way on God’s green Earth…no…not happening…uh uh…you’ve lost your damn mind, if you think, for a second that I am going to…no!” AJ stood up, shaking his head vigorously.
“A road trip? Are you serious?” Howie’s eyes went wide, as he stared down, at Nick. “And, what do you mean all the flights are booked? Didn’t you buy the tickets a month ago?” Tilting his head, Howie rested a hand on his hip. We all turned, hearing Mason come in the front door.
“Hey…” he looked around, with a confused expression. I just shrugged my shoulders because I still wasn’t, entirely, sure what was going on. “What’s going on?”
“Nicky boy, here, forgot to book our flight and now we have to drive to mother fucking KENTUCKY! GOD, Carter! How could you forget?” AJ’s eyebrows were furrowed, as he paced the living room floor. Mason dropped his book bag and sat in the recliner, opposite of Nick’s.
“So wait a second, here.” I finally piped up, looking from AJ, to Howie. “Are you two…”
“Going? Yes.” Howie nodded, sitting down, next to me, on the couch.
“Not anymore!” AJ put his hands up, as if he were being held up, by a robber. He even had that ‘deer in the headlights’ look, on his face. “There is no way...in hell…that you…or anyone else…is going to get me…in a car…with Kevin…on a fucking road trip.”
“Let’s all take a deep breath and think about this. Maybe we can just cancel?”
“No. We can’t cancel the trip, Nick. This is something we have to do…for all of us.” Good old Howie, going into his reasonable peacemaker mode, again. “We don’t have time to argue about it, right now…we need to get going. The appointment is in 20 minutes.”
“You guys are going with us, to the counselor?” Mason asked, staring up, at Howie. All three of the older men nodded, at me and Mason. I let out a loud sigh, knowing this was going to be a disaster. Not only did everyone, in this room, have grudges or issues, towards Kevin, but there were pending issues between the rest of us, too. Mason and I both stood, and headed upstairs.
“This is going to suck.” I mumbled, as we reached the top landing.
“Tell me about it!” Mason shook his head and we parted ways, into our own rooms. I quickly changed into a pair of baggy black cargo jeans, and my favorite Miami Dolphins jersey. My glance caught sight, of my dad’s journal. Hmm, it’s just small enough…
“You boys ready?” A light knock, on my door, accompanied AJ’s voice. Snatching up the journal, I quickly slipped it into my right cargo pocket. You never know, if it might come in handy. Taking a look, in my mirror, I straightened my jersey, before opening the door and stepping into the hallway. I came face to face, with AJ.
“It’s going to be fine, BayBay.” He slung an arm over my shoulder. “It can’t be that bad, right?” I could see it, in his eyes, that he was as nervous, as I was. My thoughts drifted, for a moment, back to our unplanned Christmas vacation. There was no doubt, as to why AJ wasn’t looking forward to this, and I didn’t blame him, not one bit! Hopefully we will, all, work some things out and things will get better.
“Yeah, JayJay. We can all do this…it’s just talking…no big deal.” I nodded, trying, not only to convince him, but to convince myself, as well. Mason came out, of his room, and joined the conversation. He must have heard what was said, because he jumped right in.
“Right. We can do this.”
“I love both of you, boys.” AJ pulled us into a small group hug. I think all three, of us, needed a little pep talk and support, before we headed downstairs and to the appointment. When we descended the stairs, we found Nick and Howie patiently waiting. The five, of us, exchanged looks and headed out the door.
“Alright,” Nick cut the engine, once we arrived, and turned in his seat. Looking around to each, of us, he drew in a deep breath. “I know this sucks, for everyone. I’m with you all, on that. But it can’t be that bad, right? We’ll just go in there and…you know…talk…or whatever. We’re all men…we can handle it…not a big deal.”
“Yeah…we were kinda already talking about that.” I nodded, trying to force a smile. See…this is the last session, before the trip, and we knew that all heck was going to break loose. There were still a lot of unsaid things and it was now, or never. None of us were prepared, for this trip and this was our last shot. I’m pretty sure that everyone knew, since AJ and Howie were attending, this was going to be more intense than it has been, in the past. Were any of us prepared? Doubtful!
“Oh come on already. We need to suck it up and get this shit done!” AJ was resorting, to his tough ‘I have no emotions and I don’t give a shit’ attitude. He had that cold look, on his face, like he didn’t care about anything. If you ask me, I think it’s a defense mechanism. But…I’m not the counselor. All four doors opened, at the same time, as we climbed out. We gathered at the front, of the truck, and took a collective deep breath, before heading into the building.
“Come on in, gentlemen.” The woman greeted, us, holding open the door. Although this was, somewhat of, a normal routine…I had a really odd feeling about this session. Never the less, we all followed her, back to the room where Kevin was waiting.
“Hi.” Kevin immediately stood up, licking his lips, nervously. It was a rare thing, to see him nervous, but yet I’m sure he was preparing for everyone to gang up, on him and there was no guarantee that it wouldn’t happen, either.
“Hi dad.” Mason stepped to him, giving him a hug. Kevin leaned down, wrapping his arms around Mason, holding him tightly. AJ had already taken position in the back corner, of the room, with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Nick and Howie plopped into a couple of the plush chairs, as I just walked over to the window, looking out over the parking lot.
“Alright…let’s get started then.” The woman sat down, pen and paper in hand, looking around at us. “So…your trip begins Friday, correct?”
“Huh…maybe…” AJ scoffed, pursing his lips and shaking his head.
“Maybe?” The woman looked up, at him, confused. I closed my eyes, leaning my head back. This was where it all started…I could feel it, in the air. I bet you could cut the tension, with spoon…you wouldn’t even need a knife!
“Psh…Carter forgot to book the plane.” I was a bit shocked that AJ left it there, and didn’t elaborate on his feelings, about the road trip. Anyone could tell that he was just chomping, at the bit, wanting to unravel on someone…mainly Kevin.
“We’re going to drive.” Howie offered up, in a soft voice. All eyes turned, to him. Some were shocked, others were mad, and the rest were confused. The woman was about to speak, when Nick piped up.
“It was an accident…I meant to book the flight last month, but some things came up and I forgot.” Nick fiddled with his hands, looking like a scolded child. He wouldn’t look up, at anyone, and he seemed like he was preparing for a beating.
“It’s not much of a surprise.” Kevin spoke, lifting his head to look at Nick.
“Don’t start your shit Kevin!” AJ stepped away, from the corner, and stood between Kevin and Nick. I leaned against the window, preparing for things to start getting heated.
“I’m not starting anything, Alex…”
“It’s AJ, to you! Only my family and friends can call me Alex!” AJ pointed his finger, at Kevin, with the meanest look on his face. The woman just sat there, scribbling on her little notepad, not saying a word.
“Calm down, AJ.” Howie stepped up, resting a hand on AJ’s shoulder, trying to offer comfort or support.
“Calm down? Nice. Hm…how about you stop acting like everything is just fucking peachy, huh? We all know that you have some issues with Kevin…how about you stop acting like they don’t exist?” AJ had turned, shrugging off Howie’s hand, and was, now, looking directly at him. It seemed like a challenge, but I doubted that Howie would comply, with it.
“So, who doesn’t have an issue, with me?” Kevin asked, looking at the floor. AJ laughed, sarcastically, with fire in his eyes and responded in a harsh voice.
“Your wife, Kris…oh…wait a minute…” AJ smirked at his comment, knowing it would strike a cord, but everyone else looked on, in horror, as Kevin hopped up. Kevin’s face was red, as he stared down, at AJ.
“How dare you!” Kevin shouted, looking at AJ, with a matching fire, in his eyes. AJ stood firm…I think I, even, flinched more than AJ did. Their eyes burned into one another, for a few moments, and the tension grew even thicker.
“How dare I…how dare I? Are you fucking serious, dude? I’m not the one who…fucking…got…her…shot..Kevin!” AJ is known for hitting, below the belt, when he’s angry, but that was harsh.
“Ok…whoa…” Nick stepped between them, resting one hand on Kevin’s chest and the other on AJ’s. “Let’s not start tossing stuff into each other’s faces. It will only get ugly, if we do.”
“So now he decides to act like an adult.” Kevin mumbled under his breath. My eyes widened and I, immediately, stepped over to where Mason was sitting. This was, only, getting worse, with every passing moment. Every word was making things worse. Wasn’t that lady going to step in, and do her job? Any time would be good!
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nick took a step, toward AJ, and looked at Kevin, with wide eyes.
“Fuck…here we go!” AJ threw his hands, in the air and walked over, to the window.
“You know what I mean Nickolas.” You know, seriously, I thought this woman was supposed to be doing something, other than just sitting there.
“Oh that’s right…I’m a fuck up because I’m not your clone! Duh…I forgot again. Oh, but wait…Baylee responds so much better, when I act like myself! When I scream at him, he rebels against me, but when I support him, he listens. Perhaps there’s a fucking reason Brian picked me. Even if I am some stupid, goofy, childish and immature blonde…maybe I am doing something right!” Nick’s eyes portrayed hurt and rejection.
“Well Brian wasn’t always the best judge of character.” Kevin chuckled, looking away.
“EXCUSE ME?!?” Nick blurted. I stepped toward the group, my eyebrows furrowed and anger rose in my body. It was my turn to say my piece!
“You need to leave my dad out of this!” I shouted, as Kevin met my gaze. “I don’t know why you thought my dad was such a horrible parent…or why you think Nick is so bad…you’re worse than BOTH of them could ever be!”
“You don’t know the first thing about your father, Baylee, so just stay out of it!” Kevin glared at me, as Nick went to step between us. I huffed, my chest rising rapidly, as my eyes narrowed.
“Way to be a man, Kevin. Go ahead and knock down Brian, when he’s not even with us anymore, to defend himself. You call me immature! We’re supposed to let Brian’s memory live strong, for Baylee, not tear him down!” Nick rested his hand across my chest, protectively.
“It’s okay Nick.” I bent slightly, reaching into my cargo pocket. “For your information…Kevin…I know a lot about my dad!” Pulling the journal, out of my pocket, I slammed it into Kevin’s chest. “Read it and weep…you’ve been an ass for a long time. My dad was sick of you, too!”
“At least he’s trying to change!” Mason blurted, standing up, from the couch. “Not that my dad’s great, or anything.” He sighed, plopping back down. “At least your dad loved you.”
“I love you, Mason!” Kevin looked, at Mason, with wide eyes. All eyes were, now, on Mason, as he stood back up and walked to his father.
“Oh really? Could have fooled me! You never spend time with me…you’re always yelling at me…you even want to keep me away from all, of them, just because they don’t do everything the way you want them to! How is that fair, dad?” Mason’s eyes were watering, and I was feeling really so bad, for him. Kevin stood there, with his mouth hanging open. “Huh, dad? Got nothing to say? You chose your drugs, over me! You spent your time high, or yelling at everyone, instead of taking me to play ball! You weren’t even there for me when mom died! No! It was Baylee, Morgan and Nick that were there for me. But…it was supposed to be YOU! How am I supposed to believe that you love me, dad? All I want is…is for you…to love me!”
“Mason…I…” Kevin choked, his own eyes watering. Wrapping my arms around, a now sobbing, Mason, I gave him a tight hug.
“Oh yeah…looks like you aren’t as fucking perfect as you think, now are you, Kevin?” AJ piped back up, aggression dripping, from his voice.
“Sounds, to me, like maybe you might be the bad parent!” Nick argued, his voice rising, again. Both men stepped up, to Kevin, in a protective manner, separating Mason, and I, from Kevin.
“More like a shitty ass parent, if you ask me! How can you justify neglecting your own son?” AJ’s eyebrows furrowed, his face nearing Kevin’s. Things were really getting out of hand, as AJ, Nick and Kevin all started screaming, at the same time, choice words flying in every direction. I couldn’t make out what was being said, as their voices continued to increase, in volume.
“ENOUGH!” Howie’s voice carried over, the commotion, but still didn’t stop the verbal fight. He tried to step in, as Mason and I backed up. “I SAID ENOUGH OF THE, FUCKING, FIGHTING!” Howie screamed, his face turning as red, as the other men’s. “I have had enough of this shit!” The room went silent as Howie continued on. “I have spent too many, damn, years being the stupid peacemaker, and I am tired of it! All three, of you, need to just sit your asses down!”
“Yes, please…” the woman, finally spoke. “…we’ve gotten a little bit out, in the open. Now we are going to try to talk some more, in a more productive manner. Shall we?”
I was surprised when everyone sat down and shut up. Mason and I sat on each side, of Nick, as he, protectively, put his arms around us, again. Kevin was in the corner chair, away from the group. Howie and AJ sat in chairs that were by the couch. Everyone looked around, for a moment, before turning their attention, to the counselor.
Chapter End Notes:
Hey! I think I'm on a roll, so you might see another chapter really soon! Thanks, to all of you, for reading and reviewing...I appreciate it very much!
