FicWad

Abbey woke sluggishly, covered in sweat. She threw the blanket off of her and dragged herself to the dresser to grab her things. She shuffled from the room, hearing Tré snore down the hall. Once downstairs, she closed herself in the bathroom and peeled her clothes off, being careful not to observe her body too closely. She peered into her own tired, green eyes with meaning. She found that her cheeks had plumped up and her hair had regained a weak shine after only a few days. She turned the water of the shower boiling hot and stepped under and never even flinched at the scalding heat.
She still felt entirely dejected after the night before. She could only imagine the things Mike and Billie thought of her. Even Tré had seemed to be focusing on that detail and for good reason, she supposed. She already owned him her life, she couldn’t stand the concept that he thought down upon her. When she dried herself and dressed, she walked into the kitchen where Frankito sat eating cereal from a large bowl.
She grinned warily at him and sat down at the island, “You’re up early.”
“So are you,” Frankito observed with his mouth full, “It’s only 5:30.”
Abbey glanced at the clock on the stove and saw that he was right.
“You alright?” Frankito asked confused by her blank expression. She shrugged and got up to leave.
“Abbey,” Frankito said to her, “whatever’s bothering you, it’s not as bad as it seems.” She turned to look at him and wondered how this barely teenage boy could so easily see through her. She continued back upstairs where she sat for the next hour and a half until Tré walked by, running his fingers through his messy hair. He stopped in the doorway and looked at her sleepily.
“You could have woke me up,” He grumbled while stretching.
“I find your snoring soothing,” She joked grimly. He chuckled and she just stared beyond him to the darkened wall.
“I’m going to go get dressed, I guess,” Tré told her nonchalantly. Abbey took a second to appreciate that he was standing shirtless in her doorway and against her will her cheeks flooded with color. With that, he smirked and walked back down the hall. She went to wait for him in the living room, while he dressed.
He flipped the lights on as he came down with a puzzled look on his round face.
“Why are you sitting in the dark?” He asked queerly. She shrugged and started wordlessly for the door. She felt bad. Tré had really done nothing to deserve the silent treatment and she wasn’t even angry but she was mortified and embarrassed of her past. She knew she should let it go before her attitude lead to more questions which she wasn’t sure she could answer.
She came to stand beside Gypsy and Tré followed after her sulkily. He unlocked the cherry red vehicle and Abbey slid inside. He got in and looked at her with confusion, so she faked a smile before staring out the windshield. Tré didn’t seem convinced but he pulled out of the driveway, nonetheless. They coasted quickly down the streets and Tré seemed more reckless than usual.
As they pulled up in front of Adeline Records, Tré turned to her, his blue eyes full of uncertainty.
“I’m really sorry about last night,” He began, “I had to tell-”
Abbey cut him off, “Tré, I’m not mad at you. I understand.” His eyes searched her face looking for signs that she was deceiving him. After a moment, he sighed in relief. She thanked him for the ride and hurried out of Gypsy’s interior.
As Abbey expected, he was gone by the time she reached the door. She sighed and started down the road in the other direction. As she went the neighborhoods got worse and worse and the more nervous she became. The areas she had explored in the past were much more hospitable but despite the risks, she delved deeper. She walked for hours until the sun was high overhead leaving her sweating but found she still had two hours to kill. Eventually, she happened upon a gritty, little coffee shop in the middle of the Barrio. It didn’t seem to fit in a place like this. Abbey liked places like this, obviously. She thought it was the best she would get and shoved her way inside.
She stopped short at the door. A familiar song drifted from the small, smoky stage and her eyes watered. She would have known the voice just about anywhere. She turned toward the voice and smiled. Sitting upon a worn stool, her dark hair curled around her pretty face was Autumn, acoustic guitar in her lap as she sang honey sweet into the microphone. She was naturally drawn to this girl, her best friend. She hesitated next to table right near the front before pulling herself into a chair.
Questions coursed through her mind. Why was she here? When did she come? The rest she pushed away because the pain attached to them was too much to bear. Autumn sang through several songs and every one brought up bittersweet memories. Finally, when her set list was finished she announced that she would be taking a break. Abbey stood on shaky legs and began towards her. The manager of the shop passed Autumn a bottle of water and she stood in singularly in the corner drinking from it.
“Autumn,” Abbey called out to her shrilly. Autumn turned; her eyes wide but as she took in Abbey’s countenance, she rolled her eyes and turned away. Abbey’s breath hitched in her throat. Her first thought was Autumn had no interest in speaking to her. She rounded mutely and shoved past patrons out the door. Pain ripped through her as she trudged back toward Adeline Records. She didn’t really know where she was but at that moment she could have cared less if she got lost.
She didn’t stop to notice that someone had followed her out. Hot tears streamed down her sharp cheeks and she made no effort to dry them. She walked on and on for blocks before she perceived the sound of footsteps behind her growing steadily closer and closer. She found as her fear intensified, that she was gasping for air. She felt her pockets for anything she could use to defend herself and found absolutely nothing. She braced herself, trying to remember what to do in a situation like this, she knew in the condition she was in, she’d never be able to make a run for it. As she passed by an alleyway, it happened.
Someone slapped a hand over her mouth and dragged her down the alley, her screams muffled against their palm. They slammed her against the dirty, brick wall. She found herself face to face with a switch blade, she couldn’t even focus on the man’s face but she heard his voice loud and clear.
“Give me everything in your pockets,” He growled at her, waving the blade too close to her face for comfort.
“I don’t have anything,” She blubbered, shrinking away from him.
“Bullshit,” He howled and hit her in the face. She shrieked and fell into the garbage behind her. He ripped her to her feet by her collar and forcefully placed her back against the wall.
He pressed the knife to her throat and she could feel it break the skin.
“Empty your pockets, now,” He snarled, “I don’t want your blood on my hands.” A fresh sting of terror rippled through her and she began turning out her empty pockets. He hissed as each time she came up empty handed and she felt sure she was going be murdered in broad daylight in a dingy alleyway.
Just then someone screamed, “Get away from her!”
Both she and her captor turned in shock. At the end of the back street stood Autumn, a brick in her hand. The man let out a cackling laugh and turned to face her. Abbey grasped her throat glad to be free of the piercing feeling.
“What are you going to do about it, sweet heart?” He taunted before grasping a hand full of Abbey’s hair. She whimpered and tried to pull away.
“I fucking warned you,” Autumn called. Then without another word, she lobbed the brick at him. It hit him squarely in the stomach and he released Abbey’s hair before collapsing to his knees.
Autumn advanced and Abbey scrambled away from the man. Autumn grabbed him by the collar with one hand and delivered a blow to his face with the other. Abbey cringed as she heard his nose break.
“You can’t just go around hurting people,” She shouted in his bloodied face, “you fucking scum!” The man’s eyes rolled in his head and Autumn dropped him carelessly to the ground.
She rushed to Abbey and pulled her to her feet.
“You’re lucky I was passing by. Are you okay?” Autumn asked grasping her gently by the shoulders. Abbey found she couldn’t speak. Autumn’s blue eyes searched Abbey’s now bruising face before becoming wide in her slim face.
“A-Abbey?” She squeaked. Abbey had begun to cry again and simply nodded. Autumn pulled Abbey’s scrawny body into an unexpected, tight hug and to Abbey’s surprise Autumn began to sob into her hair.
Autumn pushed her back then, her blue eyes tear-rimmed and serious.
“I thought you were dead,” She shrieked, “We all did!”
“I-I’m sorry,” Abbey told her hoarsely. Autumn shook her head.
“I’m taking you home,” She said to Abbey briskly, pulling her from the alley “Where are you staying?”
Once back on the street, she shoved Abbey into the passenger seat of her familiar truck and went around before getting inside. Once in, she turned to Abbey.
“Well?” She asked expectantly.
“Well, what?” Abbey inquired, hoping she wouldn’t want an explanation.
“Give me your address?” Autumn demanded.
“Wait,” Abbey halted her, thinking of Tré, “Where are you staying? Can I stay with you?”
Autumn’s face softened, “I have a place not far from here but I don’t really have any room.” Abbey remembered Autumn’s daughter then.
“Is Alyx here in California?” Abbey asked then.
Autumn nodded, “She’s with Paul.”
Despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins, she had to ask, “Who’s Paul?”
Autumn laughed sharply, “That’s a story for another day. Address?” Abbey sighed in defeat and told her what she knew of how to get back to Tré’s house. They cruised the streets in silence, though Autumn stole distracted glances at Abbey every once in a while, as though she would disappear.
Autumn gasped as they pulled in the driveway of the large white house.
“Autumn,” Abbey told her, “About the person I’m staying with-”
Autumn interrupted her, “I don’t care who they are. I’m going to give them a piece of my mind for letting you wander around Oakland alone.” Abbey shrank back from her anger and ducked out of the truck’s door.
Autumn practically dragged Abbey behind her to the door. Abbey stepped behind Autumn’s tall frame as she began to bang on Tré’s door. The door flew open then to a frazzled looking Tré, grasping his keys. Autumn’s eyes widened but her scowl did not wane.
“Tré Cool?” She asked bitterly.
“Yeah,” He said with bewilderment, “Who are you?” Autumn stepped aside then to reveal Abbey and her black and blue cheek.
“I’m her best friend,” Autumn grumbled. As Tré took in Abbey’s rattled personage, shock and relief mingled in his eyes.
“Abbey,” He started.
“I found her in the Barrio with a knife to her throat,” She shouted at him, bitterly. He gaped back in forth between the two women, for a moment.
“Come in,” He said simply. Autumn guided Abbey to the couch and Tré stood before them unsure what to do. Autumn cleared her throat and his light-blue eyes focused on her.
“She needs to put ice on that bruise or it’s going to swell,” She told him. He nodded and started for the kitchen. Abbey’s cheeks were burning. Her best friend, after all, was bossing around her hero in his own home.
“So,” Autumn asked turning her burning gaze on Abbey, “How did this happen?”
“I’m not really sure how to explain,” Abbey sputtered helplessly.
“Abbey, you need to call your mom,” Autumn began, “She thinks you-”
“Shh!” Abbey told her ferociously, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“It doesn’t having to be this way,” Autumn whispered, “If you’d just tell the cops-” Tré walked in then with a bag of frozen peas.
“I don’t have any plastic bags,” He admitted awkwardly, “Will this work?”
Autumn rolled her eyes at him, “It’ll work.” She stood and grabbed it from his hand before pressing it to Abbey’s damaged face. Abbey sighed in relief and took it from Autumn’s hands. Autumn stood and looked down at Abbey, her eyes filled with pain and puzzlement.
“I have to pick up Alyx from Paul’s,” She told Abbey, pulling a pen and a receipt from her pocket. She bent over the table and scribbled furiously on the back of the paper.
She shoved it into Abbey’s empty hand, “This discussion isn’t over.” With that, she nodded to Tré and let herself out.
Abbey and Tré look soberly at each other.
“I’m sorry,” They both began at the same time. Abbey dropped the peas and the paper, stood and came to stand a few feet in front of him.
“I’m such an idiot,” She gushed, “I just got so upset. I should have known better.”
“No,” He told her, “I should have realized-”
“Tré,” She stopped him, “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. You’ve done everything for me and more. Don’t kick yourself about it.”
“I was going to come look for you, after Adrienne called.” Abbey winced at the thought of Adrienne.
He continued, “I thought I should give you time to cool off. I never thought-” Abbey tensed, new tears brimming in her eyes at the thought of her attack.
She realized that these days she owed her life to just about everyone. Tré looked mildly uncomfortable but sympathetic.
“D-do you want to talk about it?” He asked nervously, his thin lips pulled in an uncharacteristic frown.
Tears flowed down her cheeks, then and she covered her face to shield Tré.
“I was sure I was going to die,” She admitted, unrelenting sobs racking her frail body.
“B-but you didn’t,” Tré reminded her somberly; his hands tucked into the pockets of his 50s diner pants.
“If it weren’t for Autumn though,” She trailed off, her brain replaying the scenario over and over.
“It won’t happen again,” Tré told her suddenly serious. She peered up at him from her hands; his blue eyes pierced her tear-sparkling green ones.
“I said I would help you,” He notified her, “and that includes keeping you safe.” Against her will her face pulled into a wary smile.
“Tré,” She told him emphatically, “I’m so thankful for you.”
He smiled at her for a moment and without another word pulled her into a gentle hug. She tensed against his chest and as he was about to release her, she wrapped her skinny arms around him, holding him to her. She breathed a sigh of relief and leaned her tear-stained and bruised face against his chest and to her surprise everything hurt a little less. They remained that way until she could cry no longer and even a little longer.