Chapter 44

"You okay Non?" I looked at the car window into the eyes of Bert.

"I'm fine Bert."

"You don't look fine. Come on, I'm having a little party at my place. You know Jepha is there." I froze.

"Jepha really?" Jepha was my ex, even though I was high as a kite most of the time we were together he was my first love. I know it would take me to fall for a cocaine addict.

[i]"Jepha, baby I'm home," I was happy things were starting to fall into place. I owed most of it to Marcia and Frank. Who knew that my 17-year-old sister could be so smart? They had done everything in their power to get Gerard, Jepha and me clean. Jepha was having a hard time. He had been doing drugs a lot longer than me, but he loved me and said he would do this for me. He would get clean and stay clean.

Every since we first met my sophomore year in high school. The two of us were inseparable and he fit in pretty well with my friends, we both made the mistake of stumbling into the wrong things. Granted he made the mistake first, I didn't have to follow him. We were recovering addicts at the ages of, 23, 22, and 21. Things were better now than they had been in a long time.

"Jepha, baby where are you?" I walked into the living room to see him cutting lines of coke on the living room table.

"Baby..." he said looking up at me with blood shot eyes.

"Jepha what the hell."

"I swear this is the last time, come on we can start all over tomorrow. I just needed it this last time."

"Baby we said we were going to get clean together."

"I know..."

"I...Jepha I can't do this..."

"Hey Non, you left the door...Open," Marcia came up behind me and saw the same thing I did. "Get out," She said.

"Marcia he..."

"No, Non you are actually serious about getting clean and he's obviously not."

"Shut up you little bitch." Jepha said. If he wasn't high right now he wouldn't have ever said that to her. "You are always trying to come between us."

"Jepha shut up and get out of our house." Marcia persisted. Jepha got up and rushed toward her. I stepped in front of her and he hit me instead sending me spiraling to the floor.

"Baby," Jepha said knelling down beside me. I could hear Marcia calling the cops. "Baby I'm so sorry," he said stroking my hair.

"Jepha you better get out of here or else." She said coming back into the living room. I don't know where Frank came from. I don't know if Marcia called him or what but he swept me up into his arms. Jepha had left, I'm not sure when. I wasn't hurt. I had just shut down. I couldn't tell you anything that happened before Frank got there.[/i]

Chapter 45

"Yeah I told him you were over yesterday and he wanted to see you, but saw that you weren't at your old place. Come on you can leave your car and I'll drive you to my place." I opened the door and got out. I don't know what I was doing, I didn't get too far out of the car before someone had Bert pinned against the back window.

"Gerard!?" I screamed.

"Nonnie, get back into the car." he said.

"Bert, I'm only going to tell you this once. Stay away from her, and me."

"Dude, I didn't touch her," Bert said.

"Gerard stop he didn't do anything." Pete walked over to me and looked me in the eyes.

"You've been crying again." He said. I rolled my eyes, anyone could tell that I'm sure.

"Bert I mean it, stay away and if she comes to you, you better send her away."

"Gerard!" he looked at me and I could tell he was mad at me too. He released Bert and pushed him in the same motion. I watched as he stumbled off toward his car. "I wasn't going..."

"Nonnie, what did we agree to last night?" Gerard yelled.

"I wasn't going to use."

"I said stay away from him."

"I am away from him. I pulled in here and I called Pete." I said defending myself.

"You knew he came here all the time."

"No I didn't. I swear I didn't know he was going to be here."

"Then why were you talking to him?"

"He said...he said that Jepha was back." I said looking down at my shoes.

"Oh so you were going to go see him? That's not any better Non," Gerard said. "After all the things Jepha did to you, you were going to go run to him weren't you?" I looked over at Pete who seemed genuinely lost.

"Pete why did you call him?"

"I didn't I called your sister and she sent him with me to find you. Why were you crying?"

"I told you on the phone?" I said. His face didn't betray any feelings at all.

"Gerard I'll take it from here, okay," He said. Gerard looked like he didn't want to leave, but then did anyway. "Get in the car," I went to get into the driver's seat, but he took my arm and led me to the passenger's side and opened the door. I got in and then he got in and drove off the lot.