Abby

CHAPTER ELEVEN

"That was before she realized I loved you, and that I wasn't ever going to give up or give in. Now that she knows it's real, me and you, she just wants me to be happy." Abby assured him.

You and Aaron don't need to be sorry. Dad needs to be sorry, and it's not me he or anyone need to apologize to. Abby didn't want to fight, but she would stand up for Jace. Every time.

"Thank you." He whispered. She turned toward him and they kissed. "I really never need to leave this bed as long as you're in it." He said. Her mother texted her back.

Tell Jace I'm sorry- I'm apologizing on behalf of my sometimes asshole husband for his behavior. All in all, I think it was pretty brave and sacrificial of Jace to go in the first place. It couldn't have been easy. Jace laughed, reading the text.

"It was so awful. Awkward and so difficult to judge whether your dad was being real or not. He isn't soulfully transparent like you." Jace admitted.

"I get that from my mom." Abby said, regret of a wistful nature in her voice.

"You want to go home and see her, don't you?" She shrugged. "It's okay, Abby. To want to go home." He said, tucking her hair behind her ear. She smiled. "Tell your mom it's all but forgotten." She did as much. "She's at work right now, right?" He asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. Why?" He sat up and pulled two joints out of his nightstand.

"One last high before you leave me?" He suggested. She playfully slugged him.

"I hate when you say it like that. I always come back to you." They got high. Weed. Cocaine. And then they made love another few times, the cocaine giving them the playful energy. They ended hours later in a sweaty and exhausted tangle of naked limbs. "What time is it?" She asked, not able to move. He glanced at the clock.

"Six fifteen."

"Ugh." She moaned. "It's already so late."

"We should never have given your family my number." He muttered. "Six texts. Two missed calls from the brother." She didn't move. He pulled her close, lifted the blanket over them, and they feel asleep. It was morning when they woke again. Wednesday, she assumed. More texts and more calls. She didn't want to wake Jace, it was only seven fifteen. She put his phone down quietly, not even reading the texts. She fell back asleep with him. At eleven thirty she felt him slip out of bed. She opened one eye, all the energy she had, and watched him put on shorts and leave the room. She closed her eyes again, trying to go back to sleep. It was fitful, and she woke up half an hour later even more exhausted. And she was in a bad mood.

"Abby." Jace said, noticing her stir. She pulled the blanket over her head, shutting the world out. "Abby." He repeated, pulling the blanket down.

"Just let me sleep." She snapped. He wasn't offended, he knew what was up.

"You've been in bed all day." He observed. "Come hang with me. We can go do something." She didn't want to, and his insistence, which in reality wasn't all that insistent, was pissing her off.

"Leave me the fuck alone." She shot back. Her anger shocked him. Abby was so gentle. Even when she would be justified to be otherwise.

"Abby," he began. "It's the coke." He explained. "It makes you moody when your body wants the next fix."

"Just make it stop." She whispered. She felt angry for no reason. Irritated by everything. He fixed her a line on the nightstand. She did it, and waited it out, until the high kicked in. Wednesday turned into Thursday. Thursday into Friday. It was practically snowing in Jace's bedroom. She hadn't showered since Saturday. Almost a week. She'd barely eaten. Her stomach growled; her head throbbed.