Held Tight by Someone I Know

Chapter 21: 7 Days left...

Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby, Oh, Baby.

I love you...I really do...

There song ended after a drawn out instrumental verse and it was replaced by another song, one that I recognised as Change [In the house of flies], by Deftones.

Jimmy sighed a shaky sigh and looked over at me. I looked back worriedly before he turned back, sat up and pulled out of the parking lot, speeding off onto the road.
The song intrigued my ears as I mouthed the lyrics with him, my eyes shut and my eyebrows furrowed in stress.

I took you home.

Set you on the glass.

I Pulled off your wings.

Then I laughed.

Yeah, I watched you change.

In you...

It's like you never had wings.

And you feel so alive.

I've watched you change...

My eyes would occasionally drift from closed to nearly asleep, as Jimmy sped along the suburban streets of Oakland.
I finally let sleep engulf me as the song infiltrated my ears, sending a wave of relaxation of the strung out voice.

••••••••••••••••

~Jimmy's P.O.V~

I pulled up to Neo's house and swerved into the driveway, where Adrienne's car was already parked. I parked the car and put on the handbrake before turning the key to the car off. I clicked the key in my fingers as the motors of the engine slowed to a stop. The silence was deafening and Neo had fallen asleep.

Poor Neomi. I get constant texts from her and they're more often than not about Billie. Then, this happens and she looks so broken. She really does care about this son of a bitch, doesn't she?

I sighed as I opened my door. I hopped out, shutting the door behind me and went to Neo's side. I opened her door carefully as her head was rested against the window and held her up as I opened it so she wouldn't fall out. I unbuckled her seat belt and picked her up in my arms before pulling her out and shutting the door with my foot. I pushed the button on my keys to lock my car and went up the couple steps to kick on the door.
I heard some shuffling before Adrienne reefed the door open, when she saw Neo, her eyes filled up with concern.

"She's fine, she just fell asleep." She nodded in relief and I stepped into the house as Adrienne shut the door behind me. I struggled up the stairs as it's pretty damn hard to climb shit while a dead weight in your arms.
I finally reached the top of the staircase and sauntered off to her room.

Her door was left ajar, so I nudged the door with my foot and walked inside before gently placing her on her bed.

I went to her closet and grabbed a pair of baggy sweatpants, an oversized white tshirt that had a picture of a naked girl on it with a black bar over her tits saying, "DVNT" across it. I almost laughed at her choice of shirts and placed them on the bed.
I gently took off her blue tshirt and untied her docs before pulling them off and putting them beside her bed. I put the tshirt in her laundry bin before unbuttoning her jeans and sliding them down, leaving her in her bra and boy-cuts.

I slid the sweatpants on her as best I could and pulled the shirt over her head. Lastly, I pulled off her socks and tossed them and the jeans in the laundry bin.

I pulled the duvet out from under her and pulled it back over her. She stirred as she clutched my padlock necklace in her hand. I slightly smiled and turned, switching the light off and left the room before pulling the door closed slightly.

I quietly ran back downstairs before going back outside to my car. I unlocked it and popped the trunk. I pulled out my duffle bag that had about a weeks worth of clothes and such in it.
When I got that call from Neo, I prepared for anything. Mom wasn't home at the time, so I left her a note. Sure, it was a shitty way of telling her, but I had no time. And mom is pretty understanding.

I shut the trunk and locked it before heading back inside and closed the door behind me.

I placed my bag on the couch and entered the kitchen where Adrienne was sat at the table, a tissue in one hand and a class of jack on the rocks in the other.

I joined her at the table, sitting down in one of the chairs across from her.

She looked at me and smiled before looking down at her drink.

"You're a good kid, Jim."

"Thank you, Adrienne." I said genuinely.

"Would you like a drink?"
I nodded and started to get up when she stopped me.

"Please, sit." I nodded and slowly sat back down. I heard clinking of glasses and the ice maker before the glass started being filled with the bitter substance.
She came back over and placed it in front of me. She sat back down and looked me in the eye.

"There aren't many like you, Hun."

"I try to stay myself."

"Don't ever stop. No matter what, don't let people tell you that you can't do something."

"Would never dream of it."

"I like you, Jimmy."

"I like you too, Adrienne."

I took a sip of my drink, the bitter distil burned my throat.

"You're really something. I mean, you drove six hours to not only comfort Neomi, but to openly help out finding Billie as well. Now, that. You don't get too much."

I smiled proudly and took another sip of my booze.

"I would do anything for this family."

"Whys that, son?"

"Because anyone who can make that girl happy," I started, pointing upstairs, "Is someone that makes me happy..."