Sometimes It's Just Too Late

"Aunt Chris, do you want to play monopoly with me, Simon, Alex, Gabrielle, Mom and Dad?" asked Gage after Scarlet left. I smiled at him and nodded. "Sure, I'll play" I said, causing him to beam at me and then go grab the monopoly board. Shawn just laughed at me while Chantal shook her head. "We're going to be here for quite awhile" said Chantal. I raised an eyebrow before turning to Shawn ."We never seem to finish a game of monopoly because it goes on for such a long time that the kids fall asleep" he said, chuckling near the end. I laughed as the kids set up the board and I sat down next to Simon. "Aunt Chris, what do you want to be?" asked Simon. "I'll be the ship" I said as he handed me my piece. Chantal was the dog, Shawn was the guy on the horse, Alex was the thimble, Gage was the shoe, Simon was the car, and Gabrielle was the hat. We had just started playing when there was a knock on the door.

Chantal got up and got the door while I rolled the dice. "Is Chris here?" asked Corey. I froze and Shawn just patted my shoulder, a gesture to make me calm down. Corey walked in and I could see Alex glaring at him, Gabrielle pretending she didn't see him, Simon rolling his eyes and Gage also glaring. He didn't pay attention to the kids, his focus was on me. I looked up and met his gaze, his blue eyes showing a form of remorse and I sighed before smiling. "Can I talk with Chris?" asked Corey. "Go ahead" said Alex, not moving. "Alone?" he asked. Everyone just nodded, although Gage and Alex were the two who didn't wish to move. "It'll be alright" I said, smiling at them as they left the room. Turning back to Corey, my smile faltered a bit. Corey threw something at me and I caught it, seeing the skull charm he gave me way back when. "Remember what I said when I gave that to you?" he asked me. I chuckled and then started to trace it with my finger. "You told me to never take it off, that it connected you to me, that we'll always be friends, and that you cared for me" I said. Corey nodded and walked over to me. "I cared for you, and I still care for you" he said.

I shook my head and then looked back up at him. "You're a liar and you know it. You hate me for something I didn't do but you hate me nonetheless" I said, watching as my words cut into him and his remorse slowly turn to anger .Do you know how much that hurts? Watching someone you care about be hurt by something you said? He growled and I could tell he wasn't going to be nice when he started talking again. "I'm a liar?! How could I possibly be a liar? Maybe it's you who's the liar! Haven't you ever thought about that?! You do nothing but ruin everyone's lives, why'd you come back to Des Moines? I was fine before you walked back into my life!" he said. Now it was my turn to be hurt. Corey took a deep breath and then looked at me, sorrow replacing his anger. "Shit, Chris I'm so sor-" he started. I held up my hand and then lifted my head so he could see the tears. "No, no sorry. I don't want to hear that word from you because I know deep down you're not sorry. Hell right now I can tell you're drunk. You were drinking on your way over here. Guess what Corey, drunken minds speak honest hearts! You said what you truly feel, now leave. Don't rip me apart even more" I said before I headed to the room where I was staying.

I heard Alex walk into the room with Corey and then heard her talking. "You know what Corey, I may have not known Chris for that long, but I know she's a good person. After all, why would my father be around her if she was a threat to anyone, especially his own kids? He loves her like she was his younger sister, and I heard from the other band members that they think of her like their sister as well. They all missed her and now when she's trying to come back into their lives, you're pushing her away over something that someone lied to you about. You honestly have no idea how hurt she is and because of that, I don't think you deserve to have her. You can leave now Corey, I'm sure my dad doesn’t want you here right now" said Alex as she kicked Corey out before heading to my room. Knocking on my door, she opened it and smiled at me, Gabrielle right behind her.

"I heard what you said" I told her. She blushed and then laughed. "I'm sorry, it's just, I know how much my dad respects you and I know he treats you as if you were his younger sister, my mom loves you as much as my dad does, but I only wish that Corey could see how much this is affecting everyone around him. The longer he's being an asshole about this whole thing, the more stress it puts on everyone, especially you. You're a wreak and all you want is your friend back" said Alex. I smiled at her and got up to give her a hug. "Thank you, for everything" I said to her before looking at Gabrielle. "What's your thoughts on this whole thing?" I asked her. "I think he's a complete moron for hurting you. He needs to clear his mind and think about what's important to him. After all, you guys used to be friends , correct?" asked Gabrielle. "That's correct. We used to be the best of friends" I said before my phone started to ring. Picking up, I started talking. "Hello?" I asked. "Hey Chris, it's Craig" came Craig's voice. I was shocked that he would call me. "What's wrong?" I asked, knowing he hardly ever called unless something was wrong. "It's Corey" he said. "What's wrong?" I asked again. "He's in a drunken rage and is flipping out on Scarlet" said Craig. "I'll be over at his place in a few minutes" I said quickly. "Hurry" said Craig before he hung up.

Alex and Gabrielle looked at me before Shawn came into the room. "You got a call too?" he asked, noticing the terrified expression on my face. "Yeah, Craig called me" I said as I ran out of the room. "We'll be back" said Shawn as we ran to the car and got in. "This isn't good" said Shawn. "Is he going to hurt her?" I asked. "Physically, no. Emotionally, yes" Shawn said. Once we arrived at Corey's place, I saw the others all there. Scarlet was outside, crying while Joey and Paul comforted her. "Where's Corey?" I asked quickly. "Inside, Mick and James are trying to calm him down right now" said Sid who had ran over to me. "Any luck?" I asked. Chris shook his head and I gave Scarlet a quick hug before rushing inside. Mick and James were dodging flying objects when I walked in. "Mick, James, you guys stand outside, wait for me to call you in if I need you" I said. They both nodded and I approached Corey who was now no longer angry, but seriously depressed and was standing the railing of the balcony. "Corey" I said softly, making him turn around slightly.

"I thought you hated me" he mumbled. I felt my heart break and I shook my head. "No, I don’t hate you at all" I said. He shook his head. "You should…I'm a terrible person. I didn't believe in you when I was being lied to and I have hurt you more then anyone. I can't ask that you forgive me, but I ask that you forget me" he said before making a move to jump. In the moments that followed, I rushed forward, grabbed his arm, and pulled him backwards. Corey fell back and landed on me, our faces an inch apart. His eyes bore into mine and I saw all his sorrow, his pain, his anger, his love. He was hurting because he hurt me, he was sorry that he hurt me, he was angry that he hurt me, and he loved that I had come back. "You're quite the confusing character" I said to him, trying to make him laugh. He just chuckled slightly and I saw Scarlet come back inside, a smirk planted on her face. "You guys planned this didn't you?!" I exclaimed, pushing Corey off me.

"Well, most of it. The whole drunken rage thing, that was staged, the tears were also staged, the only things that weren't staged were the throwing of objects, the fact that Corey's drunk, and the fact that he almost killed himself" said Scarlet. I got up and hugged her. "Thank you" I said, my tears finally falling. "Why are you thanking me?" she asked, shocked. "You brought us back together again" I said, referring to the fact that Corey and I had mended the wounds that both of us had wrecked upon each other. Scarlet smiled but I knew something was wrong, the smile didn't reach her eyes. "You're welcome" she said before walking away. "Something's not right" I mumbled. "What isn't?" asked Shawn and Paul. "There's something that happened between Scarlet and Corey, her smile didn't reach her eyes and she seems rather distant" I noted. Paul looked at Scarlet, who had her back turned to us and was starring out the window at the sky. "I guess I can see what you mean" said Paul.

Corey was now passed out, so I had Paul, Craig, and Joey help me carry him to bed. Once there, he rolled over and pulled the blankets around himself, as if he was in a cocoon. I smiled and took a picture with my phone before brushing a strand of purple hair out of his face. The others had left, giving me some time alone with Corey, but someone walked in. "Chris?" asked Scarlet. "Yeah" I said softly before tearing my eyes away from Corey's sleeping form. "I have something to ask you" she said. "What is it?" I asked. "Would you hate me…if I said that I wanted to get a divorce from Corey?" she said. That hit me like a ton of bricks. "But you guys were so good together" I said. "I know, but we've done nothing but hurt each other since he's started drinking. Once he sobers up, he'll realize that" she said softly. I nodded, understanding what she meant. "I won't hate you, and I'm sure he won't either. None of us could possibly hate you" I said. Scarlet smiled at me before giving me a hug. "He loves you, you know" she said.

That was a big surprise to me and I felt myself blushing. "No he doesn't" I said. "Yes he does. He once told me, when he was drunk, that he loved me because I reminded him of you" said Scarlet. 'Corey, you drunken fool' I thought to myself. "I wasn't mad, if that's what you're thinking. I guess I always knew he'd still love you, from the way he spoke about you" she said, smiling at me. I just stared at her, not really knowing what to say. "I guess what I am trying to say, is to take care of him. I know he'll listen to you and that he loves you, he's told me so, just before you came over. I'll be around, here give me your phone and I'll put my number in it" she said before taking my phone and putting in her number. "If you need me, just call" said Scarlet before she left. I turned to find Corey struggling, like he was in a bad dream. Sitting down next to him, I ran my hand through his red, purple, and blue hair as I calmed him down. Corey put his hand over mine before calming down and I smiled. Kissing his forehead, I got up and left the room.

Shawn was sitting on the couch, waiting for me. "You coming to stay with us tonight?" he asked. "I think I should stay with Corey, you know, make sure he doesn't get up and start drinking again" I said. Shawn nodded and then hugged me. "Glad to know you're responsible. Well, Chantal, the kids, and I will be over in the morning. Get some sleep" he said before kissing the top of my head and then leaving. Pulling out my phone, I sent a text message to Keira telling her I was now over Corey's. She wasn't happy but oh well, she was going to have to deal with it. I grabbed a blanket and curled up onto Corey's couch, falling asleep in a matter of moments.