In His Shadow [On Hold]

9: Walking Down Memory Lane

Levi's POV

I park my truck in her family's driveway and turn the engine off. Bailey hops out of the passenger side but I just sit there for an extra second, preparing myself mentally. The last time I was inside this house was the night of the accident. The night Jack was killed. Will everything be different this time or will everything be the same, frozen in time?

"Hurry, it's cold out here," Bailey complains.

I shuffle into the house after her and notice the place still looks the same, except for the amount of dead flowers sitting everywhere. They must be from the funeral. It's obvious no one is taking care of them. We walk into the kitchen and I sit on the barstool like I've done a million times before with Jack.

"Thirsty?" She asks.

"What do you have?" I repond.

"Beer, and water. Want a beer?" She offers.

I shake my head, "No, I quit drinking."

"Alright, suit yourself." Bailey grabs a beer for herself and tosses a water bottle over to me. She opens the can and starts drinking it as if she just came home from a long day of work. I've seen this too many times from Sergio but I've never seen this side of her before. Did this start after Jack died or has she always been drinking behind her family's back?

"Where are your parents? Do they know you drink?" I ask.

"Why do you care? Dad checked into rehab this morning and mom's at her new home, the bar. They don't know what I do and they don't care." She states, taking another sip.

I look around the house, and notice how disastrous this place has become. Spoiled fruit sits in the bowl on the counter and the sink is filled with dirty dishes days maybe even a week old. Their situation is worse than I thought. I wonder why their relatives haven't stepped in to help yet?

"Are you doing okay?" I ask, fully understanding why she agreed to come over for dinner.

"Can you please stop acting like a parent," She rolls her eyes.

"I'm just trying to help," I say.

"Well don't. If I need your help, I'll ask." She grabs her backpack and leaves the kitchen. Am I supposed to follow her? Bailey can be so unpredictable sometimes. I grab my backpack and follow her anyway. We make our way up the staircase and turn left and down the hallway are three doors, bathroom, Bailey's room and Jack's room. I stop in front of Jack's door, my hand on the doorknob. A part of me wants to peek in there, but I don't want to be disrespectful. I just want to see what it looks like now because I miss him so goddamn much.

"You can go in, if you want." She whispers and it's a genuine statement from her.

"Are you sure? I don't want to disrespect you," I tell her.

She snorts, "Pfft, do whatever you want. I don't care."

And now she's back to the Bailey I know. I can't ever read what's going on in her mind.

I turn the handle to Jack's door and take a deep breath before heading inside. It's been months since I last saw Jack's space and part of me still believes I will see him lying on the bed, greeting me with a smile and tossing over a spare controller for us to play Playstation.

When I step inside I notice the room is cold, and quiet with everything still in its place, collecting dust since no one is here to maintain this space anymore.

Jack's shelves are still filled with football trophies, metals, and ribbons that he's earned over the past ten years. On top of his dresser are ticket stubs from dates with AnnaMae, a half empty jar of hair product, and a couple of watches. I pick up the watch I bought him for Christmas one year when he and AnnaMae broke up and I remember telling him the ladies would love it and we both laughed about it, but he ended up back with AnnaMae on New Year's Eve that year. Typical of him to go back to the girl of his dreams instead of meeting someone new. Typical of me to assume I knew what ladies liked.