Breaking the Addiction

Reah sat on the steps of the rehab waiting for Tre to pick her up. He hadn't called once or visited. In fact, Carter stopped by more than her doctors did. She smiled at the thought; She stood up and stretched; she felt good. Sore, and tired, but good. She looked around and started walking down the drive towards the road. She knew that Tre would be there in twenty minutes, but they had already checked her out, and so she was free. She smiled, she was free. She knew she could go back to Carter, and that he wanted her back. He had gone through his own rehab, without the doctors or her. She knew he was clean, and that he wanted her back, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to go straight. She didn't even know if she wanted to do pills again. She knew that she still loved Tre, but he had told her the night he dropped her off he was doing it because Carter was getting clean.

Tre got into his car to go pick up Reah. He told Billie Joe, but he didn't want to come, and Mike was at the bar. He started to drive and think at the same time; he was angry with her yes, but he loved her. He told her he was doing it for Carter, but he didn't tell her it was so maybe she'd come back to him. He wanted her back, but he wanted her clean. He didn't care if she drank beer and got drunk, but he didn't want her to kill herself on pills either. He knew he had twenty minutes to get there, but he wanted to be early for her.

Carter sat at his house on the couch. A beer in one hand and the t.v. remote in the other. He was waiting for Tre to drop Reah off at his house. He didn't have a car yet, he was working on his license, but Tre said he'd do it for him. Carter was grateful; maybe she'd be nice again. He smiled at the thought of his Strong being so nice, the way she was when he first met her. But he knew what drugs did. They changed people, and he hoped that she didn't change too much.

Reah walked through the gate and started down the street in the opposite direction of where Tre would be coming from. She knew that Carter's house was in that direction, but still, she walked in the opposite direction. She had decided that Tre could continue drumming for her uncle; that Carter would live without her. She knew that once he got off drugs, he wouldn't start up again and so she wasn't worried about him. Tre had Billie and Mike. He didn't need her, she knew he'd find his own life when she was gone. She didn't let herself cry; she told herself it was like the withdrawals she went through and that'd it'd be over as soon as it started. She wouldn't cry.

STARTING OVER

~Ten Years Later~
Reah walked up to her uncle's door and knocked. She was 28 now, and her uncle Billie was 38. Damn, she thought, he was getting old.
"Hello?" A young boy looks up at her.
"Hi, is Billie Joe or Adie home?" She asks softly.
The little boy nods before running inside the house. A few seconds later she comes face to face with her uncle.
"Reah?"
"Uncle Billie."
He steps aside so she can walk in, but she stands there, and shakes her head.
"I just wanted to see if you were good. And you are. You have a child, or children and you and Adie are happy." She tells him.

She turns around and walks down the driveway; knowing that her uncle wouldn't chase her. He wasn't the one that she wanted to be chased by. She kept walking until she reached the street. She looked around. She knew Carter had seen her walking by his house, but she saw a younger woman walking up and she knew he saw her when he let her in. He had waved, and she waved back; but he wasn't going to chase her.

"REAH!"

Reah smiled to herself, and shrugged. She knew she would be hearing things, that was just her luck. She started down the sidewalk, smiling to herself and thinking of Tre.
"Re..Reah."
A breathless voice attatched to a sticky hand holds her back. Reah turns around. Tre stands up after catching his breathe and looks in her eyes.
"How old are you?" He asks.
"I'm 28. Why?"
"So I can finally do this." He replies, pulling her towards him and pushing his lips against hers. She leaned into his touch before pulling away.
Tre looks down at her, a small, hopeful smile on his face. She shakes her head, trying to stop the tears as she turns around. He grabs her shoulders and she drops to her knees in pain.

"FUCK!" She hollars, dropping her head.

Tre steps back, shocked, before getting on his knees and moving the light fabric of her thin sweater off her shoulders. He feels tears pricking his eyes at the bruises on her shoulders. He could tell that one was probably dislocated, or at least had been, recently. Tre stands up and pulls her up by her hands.

"Follow me." He tells her, his voice tight.
Reah follows him to a car in the driveway. She could tell her uncle was watching her, but she didn't care. She got into the car and looked out the window as Tre pulled away. He didn't go far before pulling up to a house. He pulled her out of the car and walked into the house.

"MIKE!" He hollars.
Reah looks down, realizing what he wanted.
"Yea Tre, dude I'm here." Mike tells Tre, walking around the corner.
"Reah?" He asks, stopping.
She nods and looks away again.
"Tre what's going on?"
"She needs to be looked at." He tells him, his voice cold.
Mike nods and pulls Reah into his living room. Reah takes off her sweater slowly, and let's it fall. Her small tanktop hides almost nothing. The bruises reach from her wrists, growing darker up to her shoulders, where one is swollen. She winces as she pulls of her tank top, leaving her standing in just a bra. A purple bruise wraps around her midsection and varies in color. Mike gestures to her pants and she falls to her knees, crying.

"Reah?" Mike's voice is soft.
"Who did this?" Tre asks, his voice still cold.
"My...my..boyfriend.." She tells them, crying.
Tre crawls onto the floor next to her, tears pouring from his eyes.
"Baby, I thought you were still fighting. Fuck I'm sorry." He tells her, pulling her into a gentle hug.
Mike walks out of the room, and then comes back before reaching the door.
"Tre."
Tre looks up, wiping tears from his eyes.
"This is my house dude." He tells him.
Reah starts to laugh, causing Mike and Tre to laugh with her. Reah stopped when she had to breath and so did Tre and Mike. Tre helped her up and thanked Mike as Reah put her shirt and sweater back on.

"So what's his name?" Mike asks.
Reah looks at him confused.
"The knight in shiny armor." He explains.
Reah glares at him.
"Not all knights are nice in shiny silver armor." He tells her.
She smiles and him and closes her eyes.
"It's Cory."
"You're doing drugs aren't you?" Tre asks angrily.
Reah opens her eyes and looks at him.
"No. We actually all cleaned up. But some took it harder than others" She tells him quietly.
"Let's go home baby." Tre tells her.
Reah nods her head and leans into him. Mike gives her a sideways hug before letting them leave and watches them walk down the drive.

"I love you Tre." Reah tells him, climbing into his car.
"It took you ten years to figure that shit out?" He asks.
Reah looks at him with a frown.
"Fuck baby, I love you too." He tells her, frustration in his voice.
"I promise I'll make it up to you." She tells him, winking.
Tre starts laughing as they pull out of Mike's drive. He smiles at the girl next to him, in so much pain and she was trying to make him laugh.

Reah watched Tre drive and smiled at him. She tried to sit comfortably in the seat and soon gave up, settling for clenching her teeth and closing her eyes at the pain.