For all my readers, part two ends in a weird spot, but I haven't posted in almost a year, so I felt I owe to yall to poast as much as I can.
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Nearly an hour and a half later, Jared and I were finally home.
“Just help me carry all these drinks up and I will come back down and get these clothes later.” I said to him. I only picked up the only bag from my trunk and set it on top of a package of PowerAde. As I picked up the package and turned in the direction of the building, a police car pulling into the parking lot caught my eye, and my heart fell into my stomach.
Without any question, I knew they were here for one reason; Hollie. Brandon gave his statement last night. I wondered what else they could possibly need with him. I made a silent wish that they would just go away and leave Donny alone.
“Hey,” Jared said matching his step with mine. I looked up only to see a quizzical look on his face. “Are you okay Ali-Cat?”
I was at a loss of words. So instead I just nodded my head up and down to falsely signify I was okay.
“Ali, it will be okay. Just ignore them. He persuaded me.
When I looked up at him, his eyes were glaring down at me with a comforting sense. For years, there has always been something in his voice that could calm me down, even when I was so worked up. I told myself that he just knew how to treat a lady. Maybe so, but whatever the reason, I respected him for it. I love Donny with every ounce of my soul but sometimes, he just doesn’t know how to handle some issues that come along with being in a relationship.
“Come on.” He soothed me as I turned and followed him up the stairs. I was a rather long walk up to the apartment. I tried waking quickly to keep up with Jared, making sure not to drop anything I was carrying.
After what seemed like a century we finally reach the third floor of the complex and we silently walked to our front door. As we neared the door, I realized neither of us had a free hand to open the door, so I set all of the items I was carrying down and opened the door just enough so that it would not close on us. I bent back down and picked it back up as Jared waited patiently. He was easily carrying three times more than I was, so I tried to get out of the way quickly.
I swung the door fully open with my foot and stepped through the door. Immediately an all too familiar feeling blew through my hair. I knew he was sitting outside on the balcony because I could feel the breeze in my hair, and I could smell the fresh air. Our little apartment was so light and airy whenever we open the balcony door.
The things I was carrying had long past become heavy so I quickly walked into the kitchen and set them on the counter. Only seconds later Jared peered around the corner and did just the same with his three pallets of PowerAde. I looked at him and then just past him out the door. I could see Brandon sitting on one of the patio chairs with his feet propped up on the railing. He sits out there like that whenever something is on his mind. I didn’t have to ask what is about.
Donny, Jared and I have been friends–family more like—for nearly twenty three years. There is not one thing any of us can do, and not know why. Every little gesture, facial grimace. We know everything there is to know about one another.
I walked past Jared and walked out on to the balcony. Donny was sitting down with a blank stare in his eyes. The three of us know when something is wrong with each other, but we aren’t psychics; we can’t read each other’s minds. I wish I could. I wish I could know what Donny what thinking so I could help out with this. I felt so miserable for him; I could only imagine how he really feels.
I set on the empty chair next to him and reached out to gently grab his hand with mine. Simultaneously, as I touched him, he looked up at me, and my heart sunk. His eyes were blood shot and puffy. My heart reached out for him. I wasn’t here whenever he woke up, and that is what I was afraid would happen. I wasn’t here to comfort him.
I slid my chair closer to his and moved closer. He leaned over and rested his head on my shoulder. I clung to him tightly. He began to sob into my chest, and I couldn’t help myself. I hated seeing him like this. Tears began running down my face as well.
“It’s okay baby, I am right here.” I rubbed his shoulder and held him even tighter. I could feel his warm breath down my chest, and his forehead felt as if it were on fire. I reached up and pulled his hair out of his face and kissed his forehead. “It is going to be okay.”
Eternity seemed to have come and taken over me. It felt like I sat there for hours. It was when Jared stepped out on the balcony and cleared his throat to get my attention. Donny sat up and I turned and looked up at him.
“We have some very ignorant visitors.” He said with a forced smile on his face.
“Who?” I asked. The very moment the question slipped from my lips, I remembered seeing the police pull up in the parking lot on our way up.
“I think you know who.” Jared said relaxing the muscles in his face.
Anger snapped deep down inside me. What else could they possibly want? Donny was a mess and I know he would snap on the two officers in a heartbeat. I stood up and leaned over and kissed Donny on the forehead. “I will be right back.” He looked up at me and he pleaded me to stay with him.
“They want to talk with you Donny.”Jared said.
I thought it was literally impossible for Donny’s facial expression to worsen, but I thought wrong. He looked absolutely miserable. I knelt down in front of him and held his hands in mine. “It is going to be okay. They are probably here just to ask a few questions. I will be right here by your side no matter what okay.” He pleaded me again to stay here on the balcony. I wished in my heart as well that they would just leave; but I knew they can’t just leave. They have jobs and duties to uphold.
I looked up at Jared. “Go inside and offer them a drink and tell them we will be there in just a moment.” Without word or expression he complied, and my attention was right back on Donny.
“Come on baby, they need to talk to you. You know just as well as I do, they aren’t going to leave until they do. I attempted to get him to stand up, but he would not move. “Donny.” I paused letting him go and taking a breath. “Are you okay?” I continued.
He shook his head yes, but I could tell he was lying. He motioned for me to move out of his way and I complied as he stood on his own. I stood and caught him as he almost fell over. I put m arms around his waist and took almost everything in me to keep him on his own two feet.
“God, I don’t feel like doing this.”He sighed deeply. I understood where he was coming from. I didn’t want to either, but there are just some things in life that we just have to put on a pair of big girl panties on and just do it. But I have to be here for Donny, and I have to be strong for him. I know from personal experience that it is harder to think positive when everyone around you thinks so negatively.
Slowly Donny and I staggered through the dining room and into the living room. On our way to the couch, I noted that it was the two officers from last night; (insert names here). The expressions the had plastered on her faces werent very promising.
Donny and I sat down on the couch and jared stood by the table in the dining room with his arms folded over his chest. Just like everyone else, I could tell that Jared didn’t want to be doing this either.
The shorter of the two spoke first as he took a small note ad and an ink pen out of his breast pocket. “So, Brandon, would you care to teoll me more about the victim?” His question was a statement than anything. He held his pen over the paper waiting for a response.
“I don’t know who the victim is, but I can tell you more about my sister, Hollie.”
There it was. I knew the arrogance was coming sooner or later. Donny has a way of dealing with ignorant people, and that is to fight beack with even more ignorance.
The officer wasn’t nieve at all. He held his tongue as if he had years of experience. “I am sorry. Let me restate that. So Brandon, tell me more about Hollie.”
“Sure thing.” He sighed.”Just tell me what you want to know.” Donny relaxed completely as he sat back into the couch.
I set there listening to them talk for the next few minutes. I heard the ocassional sarcastic remark here and there. Jared spoke up once or twice . At several points through out the conversation, I thought Donny was going to say something that could get him into ssome severe trouble.
Within about twenty or twnety-five minutes or so, the officers concluded their vistit and left our small apartment. I stood up without word and walked into the kitchen. I didn’t really know what for, but I honetly needed to get out of the living room. I left Donny to sit there by himself, and I felt the heavy glare of Jared’s attention on me as I walked right past him.
Now in the kitchen, I stood absolutely mindlessly. I couldn’t collect my thoughts.
“Ali.” Jared snapped me back to my senses. “Are you okay?” He looked at me with concern as Donny walked up behind him.
“Yeah, I am okay.” I replied. There was a brief moment of awkward silence.
I looked at Donny as he spoke. “Where did yall go this morning?”
“We went to the grocery store, and to do the laundry.” I explained. As my confession slipped my lips, a sense of guilt flooded back to my head. Suddenly I wish I was standing there mindlessly again.
All he did was nod his head. His expression seemed to say something else though.
“What time did you wake up?” I asked him trying to distract his running thoughts.
“I woke up about ten minutes before yall walked in the door.” Now the guilt wasn’t that bad. I was happy to hear that he hadn’t woken up just after we left. We were gone for almost two hours, and I was honestly afraid of what Donny would do to himself if he were left alone.
As I stood there watching him, he stepped forward passed me, and proceeded to the coffee maker to make himself a cup of coffee.
I didn’t turn around to watch him; instead I stood there frozen like an ice sculpture. I looked up at Jared with a confused look on my face. He looked back and shrugged his shoulders, gave his quick smile and walked off.
It was at that very moment I felt a sensitive touch. I would have stood there in an endless reality had Donny not slid his arms around my waist. I was instantly pulled into a world where everything was perfect. Whenever I was in his arms, I was at home. The world wasn’t such a scary place, and everything was okay. No fear, no lies, no pain. It was a mystery to me how I could find perfection in one persons arms.