pick your poison.

Watching Ava, Jimmy, and Matt head upstairs, Kayla wondered how much luck they would actually have. Johnny didn't really seem to want to get sober. But then again, neither had she and she'd managed to do it. For a little while, at least. Kayla shook that thought aside as Zacky approached her, smiling as he kissed her. "Yeah, we had fun," Kayla told him. She held up her hand. "We got our nails done and Ava even insisted on buying my lunch afterwards." When Zacky asked if she was thirsty, Kayla nodded. She wasn't really all that thirsty, but the way Zacky was looking at her made her feel a little uneasy. "Thanks, babe," Kayla said, taking the cup from Zacky. She took a sip. "How long do you think this is going to take?" she asked him. "I mean, it's probably going to take a lot of convincing for Johnny to go anywhere, even from Ava." Probably just as much effort as it would take for

---

Even when he heard Ava's voice on the other side of the door, Johnny was hesitant. He wanted to see her, but he knew this little reunion wouldn't be what he wanted it to be. Ava wasn't here because she wanted to see him, she was here to help the guys manipulate him. "Just you?" Johnny asked, just to be sure, and only after he was assured that it would only be her, he unlocked and opened the bedroom door. When Ava stepped inside, Johnny quickly shut the door and locked it again, wanting to make sure no one else would come inside. "I, uh, I'm glad you're here," Johnny said, not really sure what else to say. He was sure he looked like a mess and he felt like one, too. But he supposed that was his fault. Everything was his fault.

Ava sighed gently, biting her bottom lip. She shuffled over to the bed and sat down on the edge before folding her arms and looking over at Johnny. "I heard you had an interesting day," she spoke, not really knowing what else to say. "I'm just glad that Brian was there for you. He's a good friend to us... All of the guys are." Ava mused as she looked down at her feet. "I know that they aren't really... going about this the best way. Believe me, I'm annoyed they all showed up here without my permission or even notifying me before I pulled up in the driveway. But their intentions are good, Johnny. Do you think we'd go through all of this shit, you yelling at us and just treating us like garbage, if we didn't care about you at least a little bit?" The words were now flowing, and Ava didn't think she could stop. "I mean fuck, Johnny-- I LEAVE you because of your drinking, and as soon as I'm out of the driveway you're off buying MORE booze and getting fucking arrested. I don't know what the hell it's going to take. Will me filing for divorce work? Because at this point I'm willing to try anything to get you how you used to be."

--

Zack shrugged, biting his bottom lip as he sat down next to Kayla. He remembered when he and Ava had to convince her to check into rehab--that had taken what felt like an eternity, but was honestly probably only half a day. "I have no idea. But honestly, it probably will take a bit. If you start to get tired or want to go home or anything just let me know and I can drop you off okay?" He slung an arm around Kayla, gently resting his head on her shoulder. "It means a lot to me that you're here. And I know Ava appreciates it, too." Brian had come back in from having a smoke outside (why, Zack had no idea-- Ava always said the guys were more than welcome to smoke inside) and plopped himself down in the easy chair. "I'm getting too old for this shit," the other guitarist announced.

"I know that Ava appreciates it, but I just don't see what good I'm going to do," Kayla mumbled, looking at the mug in her hands. She was still holding a bit of a grudge about what he'd said to her this morning and it was only compounded by what it had driven her to do. She heard yelling upstairs and she knew that Ava had gotten into Johnny's room. She knew things would only get uglier from here, even with their help. Johnny would fight this every step of the way, just like she had. He might get sober for a little while, but something would trigger him, something would send him back down the hole, just like it had for her over and over. It took a handful of near overdoses and the threat of prison time to force her into rehab and sobriety. What would it take for Johnny? The dissolution of his second marriage? Killing someone? There was no telling, but Kayla hoped it didn't come to that, mostly for Ava's sake. She knew her friend wouldn't be able to handle it if she really lost Johnny.

---

"Goddamn right they aren't going about this the right way," Johnny grumbled, but he knew that Ava hadn't heard him. She was ranting now, her voice escalating to a yell as she spoke. He knew he deserved it, but he still flinched. When Ava mentioned filing for divorce, Johnny's head whipped around and he felt his heart start to race a little. "You think divorcing me would help?" he asked. "You think Lacey divorcing me helped? Fuck no, it didn't. All it did was make me feel like she didn't care what happened to me. And if you do the same thing, I'm going to feel the same way about you. And you know what that's going to do? It's just going to make me want to drink more, until I won't wake up when I pass out." Johnny paused, running his hands over his face. "This is going to hurt so bad, Ava," he continued, his voice much softer this time. "I know it will. What if I can't take it? I'm not strong enough for this shit. If I was, I would've done it a long time ago."

Ava bit her bottom lip, hugging her sides as she listened to her husband talk. "What was it that you told me when we first got together? Nothing worth having is every easy to get?" She sighed gently as she moved to wipe her eyes. "Of course it's going to hurt. You've been poisoning yourself for god knows how long now. Withdrawal is never easy. You remember watching Kayla go through it? Of course it's going to be painful. You're not strong enough by yourself. I think we've learned that by now. But babe, you aren't going to be going through this by yourself. You have me, and you have our friends-- who even though they're going about this all wrong, they have the best intentions and all they want to do is help you. They don't want to bury their best friend and I don't wanna bury my husband." Ava hiccuped slightly before wiping her eyes again.

--

"You're doing her good just by being here. The moral support probably means more to Ava than she's letting on." Zack spoke, kissing the side of Kayla's head. There really wasn't much more they could do at that point, so Zack pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through twitter to pass the time. He was never really much of a social media addict, but he checked it every now and again. "We're going to have to head home soon, anyway... if we don't let the dogs out soon they'll destroy the entire house." Zack laughed as he put his phone back in his pocket.

"Why didn't you let the dogs out before you came over here?" Kayla asked. The question came out sounding a little more hostile than she'd meant for it to, but her head was starting to hurt and she just couldn't help it. It had been hours since she'd snuck into Zacky's electric razor case and even though she'd promised herself it was just a one-time thing, she could feel the familiar cravings creeping up on her. But she couldn't, she just couldn't. She was supposed to be sober, she was doing so good. But just like before, the feelings were almost overwhelming and Kayla just, well, she needed it. "You know what? I'll go home and let the dogs out," Kayla offered, getting to her feet. "You stay here, just in case they need the manpower. I need to change clothes, anyway." She took Zacky's car keys from him before he could argue with her, hurrying outside to his car. Kayla felt bad for lying, which was a good sign, but she didn't really care, which wasn't. Once she got home, she quickly ushered the dogs into the backyard before she went to Zacky's electric razor case again, pulling out the small baggie of white powder. Even as she went through the familiar motions of setting up a line, she felt conflicted. She knew she'd been lying to herself the first time, when she said that was going to be the only time. She had a history of addiction, she was a fucking idiot for thinking that she could snort coke just one more time. But everyone was so proud of her and her recovery and here she was, throwing it all away. But what they didn't know couldn't hurt them, right? Kayla would just have to keep it all a secret.

---

Johnny knew Ava thought she was helping with her little speech, but in all honesty, hearing her say that he wasn't strong enough stung. It stung a lot. If even Ava didn't think he was strong enough to manage this, then what hope did he have? She could cushion it as much as she wanted by saying that he wouldn't go through this alone, but that was a lie. Sure, Ava and the guys would be there from an emotional standpoint, but that wasn't what Johnny was afraid of. None of them would be the ones shaking and vomiting while their bodies started to detox and they wouldn't be the ones with the hallucinations that came along with delirium tremens. Johnny had done his research. He was a heavy drinker, he knew the road ahead of him would be long and physically painful. And everyone else would get to just stand by and pretend they knew what he was going through. "Yeah, but...but none of you would actually have to do anything," Johnny said. He was starting to get a headache and he was definitely feeling agitated, just like he usually did when he went a few hours without a drink. "I know you think you're going to be there for me but Ava, none of you are really going to know. When I'm laying in that bed, you're going to have no idea how much pain I'm in. I could have seizures, Ava, did you know that? Seizures and tremors and fucking hallucinations. This could kill me. I just, I don't know." Johnny sat down on the bed, resting his head in his hands. "I don't know. Have you even found a bed for me anywhere? I can't just quit cold turkey without some sort of medical help."

Zack was bewildered as he watched Kayla's mood do a complete one eighty in about ten seconds. It almost reminded him of... no. It couldn't be. Kayla had been sober for a year. There was absolutely no way that she would throw away her sobriety, something she worked so hard for. She was just stressed is all, that's right. It was a rough day for everyone. Zack shook his emotions away before grabbing his cigarettes out of his jacket pocket and lighting one up. He took a long drag and held it in for a bit, exhaling. There wasn't any more yelling coming from upstairs, so Zack assumed it was going good. Well, either that or Ava finally snapped and strangled Johnny. Which Zack really wouldn't put past her at this point. He wouldn't blame her, either. Zack himself had come close when Johnny had disrespected Kayla that morning.

--

Ava bit her lip, trying to remind herself to be patient. Johnny was beginning to enter the second stage of withdrawal, so he was bound to be a little irritable. "I don't think I'm going to be there for you. I know I am. When we got married, I said for fucking better or for worse. Well guess what, Johnny? It's worse now. Is it going to be painful? Yes. Is it going to be worth it when you're sober, you look back and see how far you've come? Absofuckingloutely. I want to have kids someday, and I want their father to be there for them." She wiped her eyes. "I haven't found a place yet. I want you to be as involved in your recovery as possible. We can look online together. You can find a place you like, or even an outpatient program. Baby, I'm begging you. Please."

Zack was bewildered as he watched Kayla's mood do a complete one eighty in about ten seconds. It almost reminded him of... no. It couldn't be. Kayla had been sober for a year. There was absolutely no way that she would throw away her sobriety, something she worked so hard for. She was just stressed is all, that's right. It was a rough day for everyone. Zack shook his emotions away before grabbing his cigarettes out of his jacket pocket and lighting one up. He took a long drag and held it in for a bit, exhaling. There wasn't any more yelling coming from upstairs, so Zack assumed it was going good. Well, either that or Ava finally snapped and strangled Johnny. Which Zack really wouldn't put past her at this point. He wouldn't blame her, either. Zack himself had come close when Johnny had disrespected Kayla that morning.

--

Ava bit her lip, trying to remind herself to be patient. Johnny was beginning to enter the second stage of withdrawal, so he was bound to be a little irritable. "I don't think I'm going to be there for you. I know I am. When we got married, I said for fucking better or for worse. Well guess what, Johnny? It's worse now. Is it going to be painful? Yes. Is it going to be worth it when you're sober, you look back and see how far you've come? Absofuckingloutely. I want to have kids someday, and I want their father to be there for them." She wiped her eyes. "I haven't found a place yet. I want you to be as involved in your recovery as possible. We can look online together. You can find a place you like, or even an outpatient program. Baby, I'm begging you. Please."

Kayla was going to have to get her own stash if she was going to keep this up, that was sure. She couldn't keep taking from Zacky, he would notice. But it would be difficult getting started again. When she'd finally gone into rehab, she'd been forced to delete the contact information for the dealers she had and she didn't have the numbers memorized. But maybe Zacky had his dealer's contact number in his phone? He obviously wouldn't have it saved, but it wouldn't be hard to figure out which number was the right one. She would just have to get to his phone when he wasn't around. Once she was finished, Kayla made sure to clean up her mess and put the razor case back exactly where she'd found it before changing clothes and going to bring the dogs back inside. She stopped to check her appearance in the mirror near the front door before leaving again, making her way back to Ava's. "I think we're good for a few hours," she said, plopping down on the couch next to Zacky. "How are things going? Is Ava having any luck?"

---

"Yeah, well we'll just see how fucking worth it all of this is when detoxing kills me," Johnny grumbled underneath his breath. He rubbed at his eyes until he saw lights behind his eyelids. He knew the chances of sobering up actually killing him were slim to none, but it was still a possibility. If he died from this, there wouldn't be any future or kids like Ava wanted, the same way there wouldn't be any of that if the drinking killed him. But at least if he died drinking, he would die numb instead of dying in pain. "I don't want to look," Johnny said. Now his voice was hoarse. He'd always hated seeing Ava cry, especially when it was his fault. "I'm not going to find one that I like and you know that. Just...find one. And not an outpatient program. I think we both know that if I can leave, I'm still going to drink." Johnny knew that even in an in-patient program, his stay would still be voluntary and he would still be able to leave. He just hoped that having an actual bed in a hospital somewhere would make it harder for him to drink.

Ava raised a brow, hardly believing what she was hearing. She was half tempted to ask Johnny to repeat himself, but she decided against it. He might change his mind. "Thank you, baby... I'm so proud of you." Ava whispered, leaning across the bed and pulling her husband in for a hug. "I love you so much. I hope you know that." She pulled away before exhaling softly, looking toward the bedroom door. "You need a shower and a nap. No offense, but you smell like jail. I'm going to go kick everyone out." Ava gave Johnny another kiss before getting up and crossing the room, opening the bedroom door and closing it behind her. "He agreed to go to rehab. I just need to find him a place." Ava was grinning wide and tears of joy were now pouring out of her eyes. She could hardly believe it. Ava knew that this would a long, tough road ahead. But it would be worth it. "You guys can go now... Thank you so much for your help. I'll call you when I find a place." She stood on her tip toes to hug Jimmy and Matt both. Ava followed them downstairs, poking her head into the living room. "Hey, Kay, can I talk to you for a second?"

--

Zack had just started to fall asleep when Kayla came flouncing back into the room. "It's been quiet, so either she's had some luck or she killed him." He shrugged. Just then, Matt and Jimmy came downstairs with Ava trailing behind them. Everyone looked relatively happy, so Zack assumed everything had gone good. "Go ahead and talk to her, babe, and then we can head home." Zack gave Kayla a kiss to the temple, watching as she got up and followed Ava to the foyer. Matt and Jimmy filled him and Brian in on what happened, and Zack nodded in approval. "Thank fucking god."

"With how things have been lately, I'm going to put money on the latter," Kayla said. She knew she might've at least tried to strangle Johnny if he was her husband. He was mostly insufferable since his drinking had gotten so heavy. She looked up when she heard someone coming down the stairs, seeing Jimmy and Matt making their way down with Ava trailing behind. Kayla wasn't sure why the redhead wanted to talk to her, but she followed after her anyway. "So Johnny's going to rehab, then?" Kayla asked. She was pretty surprised that Johnny had agreed so easily, but she supposed he'd just reached the point where he realized that he needed to, like she had a little over a year ago. Either that or Ava gave him an ultimatum he couldn't refuse. No matter how much Johnny loved his alcohol, he loved Ava more and he would ultimately choose her when it came down to it.

---

Deep down, Johnny knew he was making the right choice and the way Ava reacted only confirmed that. But he still felt a little uneasy about the whole thing. His head was already pounding and it had only been maybe twelve hours since his last drink. What was he going to do when he hit the twenty four hour mark? Or the forty eight hour mark? It was going to be next to impossible. And what about beyond that, when the physical withdrawal symptoms were gone and all that was left was the mental part? Johnny had next to no willpower, that was why his drinking had gotten so heavy in the first place. He had a hard time saying no. Johnny grumbled as he got up to go to the bathroom, not really feeling like taking a shower. He didn't have a lot of energy. But he also didn't have the energy to argue with Ava about it, so he showered anyway. When he crawled into bed afterwards, it was the most miraculous feeling in the world, aside from the jackhammer in his school and the swirling in his stomach. "Ava," Johnny called out. "Ava, where's the trashcan? I think I'm going to be sick."

Ava nodded her head, still hardly able to believe it. "I just need to find a bed. I'm going to call a few places once he's asleep.... I'm so excited, Kayla." She grinned before pulling her best friend in for a hug, squeezing tight. "Thank you for today. I needed it." Ava headed out into the living room. The redhead watched as her friends gathered up their things and they left, hugging her one by one and telling her to call if she needed anything. Once the last person left, Ava headed up to the bedroom. And just in time, too, apparently, because Johnny was asking for the trashcan. She jogged into the bathroom and quickly grabbed it before handing it to Johnny. Ava sat on her side of the bed, rubbing Johnny's back in a soothing motion. "Is there something I can give you to help you sleep? Advil, a glass of water, anything?" She asked, biting her bottom lip. Ava wanted to make this process as smooth as possible.

---

Zack waited for Ava and Kayla to finish up, standing and zipping his hoodie. "Come on, babe, it's time to go get some food," he said a final goodbye to his friends before leading Kayla out to the car and opening the door for her. Zack got into the driver's side once she was seated, turning the car on and heading back towards their home. "I was thinking maybe I could make something for once. We've had take out for the past couple nights." Zack mused, looking over at Kayla when they reached a red light. "I can't believe that Ava actually got him to agree to go to rehab. It might be a miracle." He rested a gentle hand on Kayla's knee.

"I'm excited for you," Kayla said. It was miraculous that Johnny had actually agreed to go to rehab and Kayla hoped that he stuck with it, both for his sake and for Ava's. She hugged her friend back before going back to Zacky. She sort of shrugged it off when Zacky mentioned food, since she wasn't really that hungry. "You can make whatever you want, I'm not feeling too picky," she said. She would have to come up with an excuse as to why she wasn't eating, but she could probably just tell Zacky she was cramping and he would leave her alone. He usually did. "I just hope he actually sticks with it," she said, starting to bounce her knee. She was starting to feel that familiar surge of energy. "I mean, I hate to be the one to say it and I definitely wouldn't say it to Ava, but we both know how Johnny is. And this is going to be hard for him. But I mean, if I can do it, he can, too. It's definitely possible." Kayla looked down at her hands in her lap, reaching out to grab Zacky's hand. If sobriety was so possible, why was it so hard to maintain? And why was she throwing it away?

---

Johnny almost thought Ava wasn't going to get him the trashcan in time, but suddenly it was being shoved at him and he was being sick. There wasn't anything in his stomach other than alcohol, so he was throwing up pure bile and it burned. "I'm not going to be able to sleep," Johnny said. He wanted to and probably needed to, but there was no way he would be able to, not now, anyway. He would need a drink or some sort of medicine to sleep. "You might need to start calling around for a bed now, Ava," he continued, flopping down so that he was still hanging over the side of the bed. He was sure he wasn't done being sick. He had maybe another twelve hours before things started to really get bad and he knew enough to know that he needed to be in an actual hospital or rehab facility before that happened. The vomiting and headaches they could handle at home, but Johnny would prefer to be somewhere with a doctor if or when he started to have seizures.

Ava nodded her head, retrieving her phone from her pocket. She googled nearby facilities and wrote down a few numbers. The redhead didn't want her husband too far from her-- him being out of the house for thirty days would be bad enough. She wanted to be able to visit him conveniently. "I'll be right back, love." Ava whispered, kissing Johnny's temple before getting up and exiting the bedroom. She headed to her little computer room and shut the door behind her before setting about calling the rehabs and trying to find a bed. It took a few tries, but Ava found one that was about twenty minutes away that was willing to take Johnny as soon as possible. Ava thanked the woman on the phone before getting up and heading into the bedroom. "I found a place. They can have you admitted as soon as tonight." She spoke quietly, leaning against the door frame.

--

Zack nodded his head in agreement. "It's gonna be a long ass month, but it'll be worth it in the long run." He rested a hand on Kayla's knee as the light turned green and they continued toward home. Zack pulled into the driveway about fifteen minutes later, cutting the engine and putting the car keys in his pocket. He got out of the car and locked it once Kayla was out, leading the way into the house. Zack locked the door behind them before kicking off his shoes. It had been a long day, and he was glad to finally be home. "I think I'm just gonna throw some chicken in the oven. Nothing too fancy." Zack shrugged as he headed into the kitchen.

Kayla followed Zacky into the house, slipping her shoes off near the door. She heard Zacky say he was going to throw some chicken in the oven, giving a shrug. She didn't really care what he cooked for dinner, because she likely wouldn't be eating any of it. She would just tell Zacky that she'd had a lot to eat at lunch, because how would he know? "Whatever you want," Kayla told him, following him into the kitchen. "I'll toss together a salad." Going to the fridge, Kayla pulled out the supplies to make a salad. She knew Zacky liked grape tomatoes on his but she didn't, so he could add those later if he wanted. At some point, Kayla heard Zacky say something about going upstairs, but she wasn't paying enough attention to know why he was going. She spotted his phone sitting on the counter and after a second's hesitation, she reached for it. She opened his messages, going to the one unsaved number. That had to be his dealer. Kayla quickly added the number to her own phone before placing Zacky's phone exactly where he'd left it.

---

Johnny only bothered to move when he heard Ava come back into the room. He looked up at her, her words taking a few seconds to sink in. "Well let's go then," he said. He slowly got to his feet, groaning. He grabbed his duffle bag from the closet and started haphazardly shoving clothes inside. He wasn't sure exactly how much he would need, but if he needed more Ava could always bring it to him. "I'm going to go wait in the car," he mumbled, slowly making his way downstairs. He stopped just outside the front door to vomit in the bushes, glad he'd at least done that outside instead of in the living room. He cursed underneath his breath when he realized the car was locked, slumping against the door to wait for Ava. He hoped they would be able to give him some sort of medicine or something, because he was barely twelve hours in and he was already feeling miserable.

Ava bit her bottom lip as she followed behind Johnny. She hesitated on the last step, a frown gracing her delicate features as she listened to him get sick all over her rosebush. It pained her that her husband was feeling so bad, but in the end Ava knew that this would be more than worth it. "Here," the redhead spoke quietly, handing Johnny some gum from her purse to get the taste of vomit out of his mouth. She pressed the button on the key fob to unlock the doors and climbed into the driver's seat, buckling her seatbelt while she waited for Johnny to do the same. Once he did, Ava put the address for the facility and began to drive. She kept one hand on the wheel, while putting the other on the center console for Johnny to hold if he wished. "I love you," Ava whispered quietly.

--

"I'm gonna change out of these clothes. I'll be right back, babe." Zack kissed the side of Kayla's head before heading upstairs into the bedroom. He closed the door behind him and headed over to his pajama drawer, throwing on some flannel bottoms and a plain white t-shirt. Green eyes flicked over to the en suite bathroom door, but he shook those thoughts away. There was absolutely no way Kayla would dip into his stash, and shame on him for even thinking so. Zack heaved a sigh, telling himself he would do a line or two once Kayla was asleep. He headed downstairs into the kitchen so he could start with the chicken. "How's the salad going, love?" Zack asked curiously as he turned on the oven to preheat.

"Going pretty good," Kayla said. Once she was finished making the salad base with lettuce and spinach, she figured she might as well chop up some carrots and boiled eggs to put on top. She watched Zacky out of the corner of her eye as he started to prepare the chicken. She knew he would probably try and sneak into the bathroom to do a line once she was asleep and she was starting to get worried that he would notice that she'd dipped into his stash. It wasn't a well-founded worry, since she hadn't taken nearly enough for him to even notice, but just like it had before, the cocaine was making her paranoid. Kayla hated to think how disappointed everyone would be when they found she was using again and she wanted to keep it a secret as long as she could. Finishing with the salad, Kayla put it into the fridge to stay cold, leaning against the counter as she watched Zacky.

---

Johnny just sort of stared at the gum Ava handed to him, not really sure what to do with it. He knew she'd had good intentions in giving it to him, but if he chewed it right now, the inside of his mouth would taste like a combination of spearmint and vomit and he doubted that would be a good combination. Johnny climbed into the car as soon as the door was unlocked, immediately leaning over to rest his chest against his legs. He hoped he could manage to at least make it to the facility before he threw up again, because he would feel awful if he did that in Ava's car. "Love you, too," he mumbled. Soon enough, the car came to a stop and Johnny reluctantly undid his seatbelt, climbing out of the car. He grabbed his bag, staring up ahead at the building as he waited for Ava.

Ava parked the car before shutting it off and putting the keys in her purse. She took a deep breath, shutting the door and looking over at Johnny. "You got this," she whispered, joining him after locking the car. Ava took his free hand in hers and led the way into the facility, giving Johnny's hand a squeeze. As proud as she was of him for making this decision, Ava was also scared out of her mind. What if Johnny came out of rehab completely different? Well, he would. But what if he decided that Ava wasn't the woman for him, that they just didn't work as a couple anymore? She shook those thoughts out of her head and nudged the door open.

--

Zack eventually put the chicken in the oven, closing the door and setting the timer on the microwave. "Dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes or so," he spoke, wrapping his arms around Kayla and resting his head in the crook of her neck. "I love you," he mumbled, pressing a kiss to her temple. A sigh left his lips and he eventually pulled away, heading over to the fridge and grabbing a beer out for himself, and a soda of Kayla's choice for her. Zack cracked it open and took a sip before putting it on the counter. "You can pick whatever we watch on tv tonight babe, I don't really care." Zack shrugged.

Kayla couldn't help but smile softly when Zacky wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, too," she whispered. When he pulled away, she went to take a seat at their little breakfast nook, bouncing her knee. She thanked Zacky when he handed her a soda, twisting off the top and taking a drink. "Come on, you know I hate picking what we what," Kayla whined playfully. Whenever she chose, she usually wound up picking something both of them had already seen. That way, there was no chance of Zacky being unhappy with her choice. When the oven beeped to signal that the chicken was ready, Kayla got to her feet and went to get the salad from the fridge, pulling out the salad dressing as well. "The chicken smells really good, Zack," Kayla commented. She likely wouldn't eat much of it, but she had to make Zacky think she had. She would just have to use some of her old tricks. It wasn't like he'd figured any of them out, anyway.

---

Every step Johnny took felt like he was walking through molasses. Even though he knew this was the right decision, he was still dreading every second of it. Hell, he was only twelve hours in and already he wanted to give up and have a drink. But it wasn't just the physical symptoms that Johnny was worried about it. Most people who went through rehab changed so much. What if Johnny changed and he lost Ava or his friends? It would be difficult to find ways to spend time with his friends without the temptation to fall off the bandwagon again, because they all at least drank. "Goddamn," Johnny mumbled, following Ava inside the building. The lights in here were absolutely blinding, he just wanted to be shown to his room so he could hide in the darkness. But of course there was paperwork and shit like that to fill out, but he would leave that to Ava.

Ava gave Johnny's hand a squeeze as they headed up to the desk. "I'm Ava Seward, I was on the phone with you about two hours ago?" She spoke, clearing her throat. The nurse nodded her head, handing Ava a clipboard full of paperwork. She announced that an advocate would be out shortly to escort Johnny back to his room. There, Ava would say her final goodbyes to Johnny. She'd be able to call him the next day, but she wouldn't be able to visit for about a week. "Thank you for accommodating us," Ava spoke gratefully, clutching the clipboard as if her life depended on it. In a way, it sort of did.

--

Zack smiled proudly, taking the chicken out of the oven and setting it on top. "It's nothing special, just something I threw together. I can do better." He spoke, sipping his beer as he made his plate. Once he was done, the guitarist took his seat in the breakfast nook and began to eat. Zack looked over at Kayla every once in awhile, confusion settling over him. Normally, she ate his chicken like it was his job. Was she okay? Zack shook away the nagging feelings, telling himself that she must have had a big lunch was all.

Kayla fixed herself a plate, putting on a little less than she normally would have in hopes of tricking Zacky into thinking she'd eaten more than she really had. She took her seat at the breakfast nook again, sighing softly as she cut into the chicken. There was no way she was going to be able to eat all of this. But maybe she could tell Zacky that she'd had a big lunch or that she wasn't feeling well. After eating all that she could, Kayla got to her feet, scraping the leftovers off into the trash before taking her plate to the sink. "Do you think we could watch TV upstairs?" she asked, looking over at Zacky. "I'm not feeling too good, I want to lay down." Kayla felt bad for lying to Zacky, but it was better if he didn't know the truth. He would be so disappointed in her. He'd been the proudest of her for her sobriety and his opinion mattered more to her than anyone else's, despite the fact that he'd continued to use the entire time.

---

"Do you have to talk so loud?" Johnny mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut and using his hands to cover his ears. He felt like his head was about to crack open. It seemed like an eternity had passed before Ava finished with the paperwork and Johnny heard his name being called. He slowly got to his feet, following Ava and the advocate down the hall to his room. The other woman was saying something as they walked, telling Johnny about his stay here, but he wasn't really listening. He preferred not to think about the weeks ahead, even when he finally detoxed and spent most of his time at meetings. His life was going to be like it had been before he'd started drinking and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. "I guess, uh, I guess you have to go now," Johnny mumbled as the advocate stepped out of the room.