Morganville (Justin Bieber)

Chapter 31

I couldn't believe how much had poured out of Justin - all that grief and horror and bitterness and anger. He'd always seemed sort of, well, normal, and it was a shock to see all the emotional bloodshed and a shock to hear him talk so much, about things so personal. Justin wasn't a talker.

I collected the dishes and did them alone, comforted by the hot water and fizz of soap on my hands; I cleaned up the pots and pans and splashes of red sauce, and thought about Justin finding his Mom dead in a bloody bathtub. I wasn't so sure I'd ever be able to smile again, if that had happened to me. How did he keep it all together?

I wanted to cry for him, but I was almost sure that he would of been embarrassed, so I kept the misery inside, and scrubbed the dishes clean.

The kitchen door swung open, and I jumped, expecting Justin, but it was Micheal. He walked over to the sink, ran some cold water in his hands and splashed it over his face.

"Bad night" I said.

"Tell me about it" he cut a sideways look at me.

"Do you think he's right? About them, you know, killing his mother?" I asked.

"I think Justin's carrying around a load of guilt. And I think it helps him to be angry" Micheal shrugged. "I don't know. It's possible. But I don't think we can know"

That felt sick, somehow. No wonder Justin was so reluctant to talk about it.

"So" Micheal said. "I've got about three hours until morning. We need to make some plans about what we're going to do, and what we're not going to do"

I nodded and set a plate aside to dry.

"First thing is, none of you leave the house" Micheal said. "Got it? No school, no work. You stay indoors. I can't protect you if you go outside"

"We can't just hide!" I argued.

"We can for a while, and we will. Look, Justin's dad can't run around there forever. It's a temporary problem. Someone's going to find him" Micheal said.

"You're putting a lot of trust in-"

"A vampire, yeah, I know" Micheal shrugged and leant a hip against the counter, looking down at me. "What choices do we have?"

"Not too many, I guess" I studied him more closely. He looked tired. "Micheal? Are you okay?"

"Sure. Justin's the one who's got issues. Not me" he looked surprised.

"Micheal I'll stay home today, but I really do have to go to school, you know. Really" because me missing school was like a caffeine addict going without a daily jolt.

"Your education or your life, Ana. I'd rather you be alive than a little bit dumber" Micheal sighs.

"Well, I wouldn't. I'll stay home today. I don't promise about tomorrow" I meet his eyes.

He smiled, leant forward, and put a warm sloppy kiss on my forehead. "That's my girl" he said, and left.

I finished the dishes and went back to the living room. The TV was on, tuned to some forensics show, and Justin was slumped on the couch staring at it. No sign of Eve and Micheal.

I went and settled next to him. I didn't say anything, and neither did he, and after a while his arm went around me and that was all right. I fell asleep there, braced against his warm body.

I supposed that I should of known Justin might have nightmares - bad ones - but I'd never really thought about it. When Justin jerked and rolled off the couch, I thumped flat into cushions.