Categories > Celebrities > AFI > Whirlwind
Litzy was grateful for the interruption of her sleep that morning at 4:30 AM. She'd been having a nightmare. And whenever she had one she always wanted so badly to drag herself back to consciousness, but never could. This time her son's cry was her salvation. It was her turn to get him, Davey had gone the last time.
She sat up, momentarily fascinated by Davey's form beside her. He was asleep in boxers and a white t-shirt. She lovingly stroked his shoulder before getting out of bed. Then she went to the nursery and looked into the crib at Julian, who was crying himself red in the face and flailing his little arms and legs. She picked him up and cuddled him, taking him down to the kitchen to fix him a bottle. She fed him, burped him, changed his diaper, sang to him and put him back to sleep. He looked so adorable when he was asleep, she just sat there and watched him for awhile. Then she put him back to bed.
She slipped into bed with Davey, and he turned over, cuddling her and throwing a leg over her. She smiled to herself, feeling completely enveloped and protected from all nightmares.
"How is he?" he asked, sleepily.
"Fine. Asleep now."
"I missed you. I'm glad I'm home."
"Me too, babe," she said. "Me too."
The next morning they were having breakfast at the kitchen table when he told her he had some bad news for her.
"What is it?"
"Jade is trying to quit the band. Management is holding him to the contract, but we just found out he's hired a lawyer so he can try and get out of it."
"Oh my God," she said, shaking her head. "There's no AFI without Jade."
"That's what I told him but he doesn't care."
"Why? Why is he leaving?"
"Because of me. He says I've changed and everything's changed."
"This is terrible," she said, shaking her head. "We cant just let him leave. Shouldn't we talk to him?"
"I dont know how much good it would do."
"Yeah...but it can only help. Why don't you go see him today?"
Davey gave her a face that said 'naaah.'
"Please, Davey? Just try it. For me."
He sighed.
"Alright. I'll go over and see what I can do. I'm just warning you, I might return in pieces."
"He's not that mad, is he?"
"Well, I kinda let it slip that you know about his feelings towards me..."
She was sorry to hear that. Jade was the sensitive type. That must've hurt him.
"He says he can't trust me and he doesn't know who I am anymore."
She sat there for a moment staring at her pancakes.
"Litzy?"
"This is all my fault."
"It's not -"
"Yes, it is. If I hadn't...If we'd never -"
"But I'm glad we did," he said, putting a hand on hers. "You know, I used to get bored with time off the road. I used to come here and first I'd catch up on my sleep, then I'd veg for awhile, then I'd start to go crazy. I never enjoyed being here. I lived in a house, I never had a home. And it feels good, for once, to be home."
She couldn't help but smile a little, hearing that.
"I never had this either," she said. "I didn't ever really think I would."
"We were lucky."
"We were," she agreed with a little smile.
The sounds of Julian's cries started carrying down the steps.
"The little prince is awake," Davey said. "I'll go."
He gave her a kiss before heading upstairs. She sat there thinking and still feeling responsible for Jade wanting to leave. The phone started to ring. She got up and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hey Litzy," Jade said.
"Jade? How are you? I wasn't expecting you to call. Do you want to talk to Davey?"
"No, no I uh, I called to talk to you."
"Oh," she said, having a seat. "Well, you know what I'm going to ask you about. Why are you leaving the band?"
"Personal reasons."
She laughed.
"Jade, you can't just say that and expect to get off the hook -"
"Yeah, but I'm not really calling about that. There's a problem..."
"What kind of problem?"
"I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what to do in this situation and there is only one thing to do."
"Okay, back up, I need the whole story here. You're scaring me."
"Litzy, you know that Tyler hates you."
"Oh I definitely know that."
"He claims to have dirt on you that he's going to take to the press."
"What dirt?" she scoffed.
"The kind that would make Davey leave you."
Her heart started pounding in her chest.
"What does he claim to know?" she asked, very seriously.
"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me. I made him leave, but I can't stop him from interfering."
"God! Why cant he just get over it?!"
"I think we both know that Davey is a hard person to just 'get over.'"
She didn't say anything. It made her uncomfortable to be reminded that she wasn't the only person who loved him.
"And Davey is a very good person, a very 'by the book' innocent kind of person. If he were to find out that you did something bad and kept it secret, he might leave you. But maybe if you came clean, he might understand."
"Jade, what are you saying?"
"Nothing. I'm just asking you - is there anything you maybe should've told him by now, but haven't?"
"No, not that I know of..."
"Anything you might have done in your past that there might be a record of?"
"No, no Jade, I haven't done anything."
"Well Tyler says he has proof."
"What kind of proof?"
"He didn't say! Look, Litzy, despite everything that is happening I consider you a friend. I don't want to see you put out there like that. And I know Davey well enough to know that if he feels betrayed by you, it will tear him apart. If there is a secret you're hiding I am begging you - tell Davey the truth. The sooner the better. And try to find a way to shut Tyler down."
"Where is he?"
"I don't know. But I bet I can find him."
"Alright, I'll check back with you, then," she said. "Why is he doing this? What does he want?"
"You to disappear from Davey's life completely. I'm just trying to warn you, Litzy. Before it's too late."
"I know. And I appreciate it. I just wish you wouldn't leave AFI."
"I should've known you'd find a way to slip that in there."
"I can understand how you must feel. Davey is changing in some pretty big ways. But the things about him that made him an awesome singer, lyricist and frontman, those things haven't changed. AFI gave you the opportunity to become the best at what you love. I think you owe it more than this."
Jade was silent for a long time.
"When my relationship with Davey changed it had a domino effect I guess. But that doesn't mean that the relationship you have with him can't still be meaningful and worthwhile."
"I don't know," he muttered.
"Just think about it?"
"Yeah, I will," he said, and hung up.
When she put the phone down she thought hard and she knew there was only one thing Tyler could know about her that Davey didn't know. It was something that she had hoped she would never have to tell him. Something that she had buried in her past and never even thought of herself. It was just a means to an end, but it had gotten so far out of hand. That wasn't her. Not then, and certainly not now. So she never saw any reason to tell him. But it was the type of thing that if he found out from someone else, the reaction would be...explosive to say the least. She was going to have to bite the bullet.
She sat up, momentarily fascinated by Davey's form beside her. He was asleep in boxers and a white t-shirt. She lovingly stroked his shoulder before getting out of bed. Then she went to the nursery and looked into the crib at Julian, who was crying himself red in the face and flailing his little arms and legs. She picked him up and cuddled him, taking him down to the kitchen to fix him a bottle. She fed him, burped him, changed his diaper, sang to him and put him back to sleep. He looked so adorable when he was asleep, she just sat there and watched him for awhile. Then she put him back to bed.
She slipped into bed with Davey, and he turned over, cuddling her and throwing a leg over her. She smiled to herself, feeling completely enveloped and protected from all nightmares.
"How is he?" he asked, sleepily.
"Fine. Asleep now."
"I missed you. I'm glad I'm home."
"Me too, babe," she said. "Me too."
The next morning they were having breakfast at the kitchen table when he told her he had some bad news for her.
"What is it?"
"Jade is trying to quit the band. Management is holding him to the contract, but we just found out he's hired a lawyer so he can try and get out of it."
"Oh my God," she said, shaking her head. "There's no AFI without Jade."
"That's what I told him but he doesn't care."
"Why? Why is he leaving?"
"Because of me. He says I've changed and everything's changed."
"This is terrible," she said, shaking her head. "We cant just let him leave. Shouldn't we talk to him?"
"I dont know how much good it would do."
"Yeah...but it can only help. Why don't you go see him today?"
Davey gave her a face that said 'naaah.'
"Please, Davey? Just try it. For me."
He sighed.
"Alright. I'll go over and see what I can do. I'm just warning you, I might return in pieces."
"He's not that mad, is he?"
"Well, I kinda let it slip that you know about his feelings towards me..."
She was sorry to hear that. Jade was the sensitive type. That must've hurt him.
"He says he can't trust me and he doesn't know who I am anymore."
She sat there for a moment staring at her pancakes.
"Litzy?"
"This is all my fault."
"It's not -"
"Yes, it is. If I hadn't...If we'd never -"
"But I'm glad we did," he said, putting a hand on hers. "You know, I used to get bored with time off the road. I used to come here and first I'd catch up on my sleep, then I'd veg for awhile, then I'd start to go crazy. I never enjoyed being here. I lived in a house, I never had a home. And it feels good, for once, to be home."
She couldn't help but smile a little, hearing that.
"I never had this either," she said. "I didn't ever really think I would."
"We were lucky."
"We were," she agreed with a little smile.
The sounds of Julian's cries started carrying down the steps.
"The little prince is awake," Davey said. "I'll go."
He gave her a kiss before heading upstairs. She sat there thinking and still feeling responsible for Jade wanting to leave. The phone started to ring. She got up and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hey Litzy," Jade said.
"Jade? How are you? I wasn't expecting you to call. Do you want to talk to Davey?"
"No, no I uh, I called to talk to you."
"Oh," she said, having a seat. "Well, you know what I'm going to ask you about. Why are you leaving the band?"
"Personal reasons."
She laughed.
"Jade, you can't just say that and expect to get off the hook -"
"Yeah, but I'm not really calling about that. There's a problem..."
"What kind of problem?"
"I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what to do in this situation and there is only one thing to do."
"Okay, back up, I need the whole story here. You're scaring me."
"Litzy, you know that Tyler hates you."
"Oh I definitely know that."
"He claims to have dirt on you that he's going to take to the press."
"What dirt?" she scoffed.
"The kind that would make Davey leave you."
Her heart started pounding in her chest.
"What does he claim to know?" she asked, very seriously.
"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me. I made him leave, but I can't stop him from interfering."
"God! Why cant he just get over it?!"
"I think we both know that Davey is a hard person to just 'get over.'"
She didn't say anything. It made her uncomfortable to be reminded that she wasn't the only person who loved him.
"And Davey is a very good person, a very 'by the book' innocent kind of person. If he were to find out that you did something bad and kept it secret, he might leave you. But maybe if you came clean, he might understand."
"Jade, what are you saying?"
"Nothing. I'm just asking you - is there anything you maybe should've told him by now, but haven't?"
"No, not that I know of..."
"Anything you might have done in your past that there might be a record of?"
"No, no Jade, I haven't done anything."
"Well Tyler says he has proof."
"What kind of proof?"
"He didn't say! Look, Litzy, despite everything that is happening I consider you a friend. I don't want to see you put out there like that. And I know Davey well enough to know that if he feels betrayed by you, it will tear him apart. If there is a secret you're hiding I am begging you - tell Davey the truth. The sooner the better. And try to find a way to shut Tyler down."
"Where is he?"
"I don't know. But I bet I can find him."
"Alright, I'll check back with you, then," she said. "Why is he doing this? What does he want?"
"You to disappear from Davey's life completely. I'm just trying to warn you, Litzy. Before it's too late."
"I know. And I appreciate it. I just wish you wouldn't leave AFI."
"I should've known you'd find a way to slip that in there."
"I can understand how you must feel. Davey is changing in some pretty big ways. But the things about him that made him an awesome singer, lyricist and frontman, those things haven't changed. AFI gave you the opportunity to become the best at what you love. I think you owe it more than this."
Jade was silent for a long time.
"When my relationship with Davey changed it had a domino effect I guess. But that doesn't mean that the relationship you have with him can't still be meaningful and worthwhile."
"I don't know," he muttered.
"Just think about it?"
"Yeah, I will," he said, and hung up.
When she put the phone down she thought hard and she knew there was only one thing Tyler could know about her that Davey didn't know. It was something that she had hoped she would never have to tell him. Something that she had buried in her past and never even thought of herself. It was just a means to an end, but it had gotten so far out of hand. That wasn't her. Not then, and certainly not now. So she never saw any reason to tell him. But it was the type of thing that if he found out from someone else, the reaction would be...explosive to say the least. She was going to have to bite the bullet.
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