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Guitars & Steaks

Alex groaned as she heaved her now empty suitcase to the top of her closet. Her clothes had already been folded and arranged by color in Mike's mahogany dresser that creaked every time she opened a drawer. The few pairs of shoes she owned were lined up against the wall. She had even organized her toiletries in the guest room's personal bathroom. Her eyes drifted to the clock that read 7:30 PM. It only took her an hour to finish? She smiled at her new personal record.

Just as she was finally about to sit down, a knock on the door caught her attention. Mike cracked the door, peeking in before entering.

"Do you like your room?" he asked timidly, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I know it isn't much but..."

Alex swooned, "I love it! Thank you so much."

Before he was able to react, she had him wrapped in yet another bear hug. It didn't matter that the walls had holes, or that there were parts of the carpet missing. All that registered in her mind was that she finally had a space to call her own. Mike knew that very well. Still, he couldn't shake this feeling that it simply was inadequate. She released him from her suffocating embrace to allow his lungs space for air.

"I'm guessing you want to know how Charlie's doing," Alex sighed, plopping on her bed.

Mike took a seat on the comforter next to her. "I mean, he is my uncle and all."

"Well, he's doing great unfortunately," she grumbled. "Still the king of assholes, but great."

"Alright now watch it. He's still your father," he warned. "What about Aunt Susan?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, her hand flinching. He'd hit a pressure point, and he knew it. It was too late to take it back. Alex couldn't care less whether that woman lived or died. To her, she was the culprit behind all off the hardships she had went through in her life. Living under the same roof as her and the man who had forsaken her was punishment enough. She had not flown across the entire country to continue hearing about them, or having to speak of them. As long as she was in California, they were dead to her. Her glare was enough to send that understanding to Mike.

"I'm making steak and potatoes," Mike announced, changing the subject. "They're still your favorite right?"

"Yeah," she sighed.

"Well...they'll be done in a while," he assured, before rising to leave. Her eyes drift to the ground as he opened the the door. Before he closed behind himself, he turned to say, "Take it easy, alright? They can't reach you here. I promise."

His words in one ear and out the other. He sighed. There was no telling the kind of psychological torture she was being subjected to through all of those years she had to rely on them. Mike just hoped that it wasn't too late to reach her, that she wasn't too far gone. He trudged back into the kitchen, catching Billie Joe's attention. He looked up from strumming Blue at his visibly exhausted best friend.

"Dude, you okay?" he asked.

"Dinner's almost ready," he stated plainly, ignoring the question. "You hungry?"

Billie Joe shrugged, "I could eat."

Before he could press the topic of Mike's wellbeing further, Alex strolled past him into the now vacant living room. His thoughts immediately focused solely on her. He moved to sit next to her on the couch, almost as if in a trance. She flashed him a quick smirk, and changed the channel on the TV. This time, though, his brain did not cease functioning. If anything, he felt more confident towards approaching her. Perhaps it was because he was so caught off that the Alex person Mike spoke of so frequently was a girl, and not a boy like he expected.