Point Of View 2 [*Do not read until you've read the same chapter of ATW]

Chapter 30 California Crying

*James*

"Welcome home!!!!"  My family shouts the second we open the door to my house. Even my mother is here. Maggie goes crazy when she sees the girls and heads straight to Ma. I purposely avoid eye contact with my mother but give her this huge hug before anyone else. God, I've missed my family so much. They are my everything.

I had a feeling Julia would sneak away from everyone and I can't blame her. After an 11-hour flight and not feeling great the last thing she wants is a houseful of people. Paul follows her to make sure she's ok while I visit the girls.

"We missed you so much, Jamie." Ashley says and my sisters bombard me with hugs and kisses.

"You have a lovely home, Jamie." Mom has been to my house a trillion times but apparently with her dimentia she thinks it's her first time.

"Thanks mom. I worked hard for this. I'm glad you like it." I play along keeping my eyes down and feel her scruff up my hair and wrap her arms around me.

"I'm so proud of you. You know that? Your father is too." She pauses. "He just doesn't know how to show it sometimes."

Yeah, ok mom...

"No mom. He is an awful man." Gwen chimes in. We let a lot of things go but when it comes to Joe, we will ALWAYS remind mom he is not a good person. We never want her to feel like she can be comfortable around him. God forbit a day comes when he is near her and she doesn't realize the awful things he has done to us all. Including her. She's very trusting when she doesn't understand or remember things.

"He just has trouble showing his emotions, that's all. You girls know that." Mom is still sticking up for her abusive husband and the girls won't let it go. I'm the one who usually ignores it, but I get where the girls are coming from. They don't want mom to ever let her guard down. Ever.

"No mom. He has trouble keeping his hands to himself. THAT'S what he has trouble doing." Jennie's eyes become glossy. I know my father has hurt us in all different ways but the girls.... the girls he hurt in ways that I can't even put into words. There's a reason not one of my sisters are married or have kids. They will most likely never have husbands of their own. The damage he did to them was too much and trusting men is something they all struggle with. Jennie is the one for some reason who dates the most and lets her guard down the most.  She goes through men like the rest of us go through toilet paper. She is also the one who attracts people who are like my father. People like Dave Brennan. 

I worry about Jennie.

*****

*Trisha*

"Welcome to Oslo, Norway!" Leslie reminds us of where we are as she holds open the door to the Oslo Spektrum. A stadium that holds 10,080 people with a sold out show tonight. This one show will rake in $800,000 just in ticket sales alone, never mind any merch sold. Nate did well. REALLY well.

"Are you still texting that Noah guy?" Nate raises a brow at me while I read a funny meme Noah texted me.

"Maybe. What's it to you?" I tease but can tell Nate is having a hard time. Julia hasn't reached out to him or texted him back once since saying goodbye. She has some nerve after all he does for her to fucking ghost him the way she's ghosting him. But in a way, maybe this is a good thing. Maybe she's doing this so Nate can focus on what's important right now. His tour.

"She'll come around." Jonah gives Nate a little nudge.

"I think she's pissed at me now. She went from her sad phase to her angry phase now that she's home."  Nate shoves his phone back in his pocket once we enter the rec room area of the stadium, already set up for today.