Rum and Coke

Brian watched as his daughter stormed out of the house. He was so shocked that he couldn’t move of speak. H couldn’t really feel anything other than his heart dropping into the pit of his stomach. He thought that this would be a happy event. He never expected…this.

“I’m sorry, Brian, I didn’t mean to be so rude,” Suzy said.

He turned to face her with a look of disbelief. “Do you not realize how long it has taken me to have an actual conversation with her?! Dammit, Suzy, I was actually getting through to her!”

“Brian, you do not talk to her that way,” Brian, Sr. growled.

Suzy’s lip twitched. “She’s trying to milk you for every penny you have…and she’s using that child to do it.” She stated calmly.

“Danni wants nothing to do with me. She didn’t even want Ellie to go out and find me.”

“How do you know?” Brent asked. “Not that I’m saying that’s what she’s doing…but this is Danni we’re talking about. She up and left you once. Besides, that girl is a little too young, don’t you think?”

Brian shook his head. “No, she’s the right age. I never told you guys this, but, eighteen years ago, when we filmed Brompton Cocktail, Danni was the main girl-”

“We know, but you said that you two never talked.” Dad said.

Brian shook his head again. “Oh no, we talked. We definitely talked and…well, I cheated with her on Michelle a few months after the shoot.”

Suzy and McKenna gasped in surprise.

Brian didn’t pay attention to them. He pushed on. “Did you not see her? When she stood next to Bri the first time, I thought I was seeing double! That girl is my daughter and I plan on keeping her in my life. I’m not losing her like I lost her mother. If you don’t approve, then you can just fuck off,” he shouted at his family before storming out. He couldn’t believe them. Sure, Suzy never really liked Danni and his father and Brent never gave me their opinions of her… Brian still couldn’t believe that they would be so cruel to an innocent little girl. He pushed the gas pedal down further as a particular painful memory of Danni flooded his mind.

“Bri, it’s not what you think,” she cried while she pried herself out of Zacky’s arms. “Please, don’t leave me.”

Brian backed away when she reached out for him. He shook his head as he looked over her in disgust. She was completely naked, her hair was in horrible disarray, her eyes were bloodshot and her mascara was running down her cheeks, but what really stood out to him were the fresh track marks on her left arm.

“Bri?” She pleaded with me. Her eyes weren’t as dilated as he thought that they would be, but they were still a little bad. “Please say something. Anything.”

Brian set his jaw. “What is there to say?” He spat the question.

“Brian, please, let me explain,” she begged, crawling over to him and touching his arm.

As soon as she made contact, Brain saw red and threw her against the sink.

“Brian, calm down,” Zacky said, getting in between the couple. He knew that it wasn’t a smart thing for him to do, but it’s all he could think of.

Brain growled and sucker punched him before going back over to Danni. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her into their bedroom before throwing her down on the ground. “Is this what you do when I’m not around?!” He roared. “Fucking random guys?! I thought you stopped that stupid habit! Told me that you changed for the better!”

“I-I didn’t mean to-” she sobbed, clutching her torso.

Brian slapped her, making her head reel to one side and her body fall backwards. “Fucking Whore!”

She held her hand to her cheek and glared at him. Unsteadily, she stood up, hand still on her cheek. Her eyes glared daggers at him, but Brain didn’t care. “Fuck you.” She seethed, bring her hand down. “Fuck you and all your god damn promises!”

“How dare you-”

She slapped him before he could finish his sentence. “If you fucking listened to me for once, then you wouldn’t be like this!”

“Fuck you, too. It’s not my fucking fault that you’re a whore! I should have known better.”

She growled at him before grabbing the nearest article of clothing- which happened to be Zacky’s shirt- and put it on. She brushed past Brian and began to pick up her clothes after putting on a pair of pants.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Brain growled, wondering why she was acting like she was.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” she asked as she pulled a suitcase out of the closet. “I’m packing. Obviously, I’m not welcome here anymore.”

“I’m not done with you yet!” Brian said forcefully, grabbing her by the wrist and spinning her around.

She met his glare. “But I’m done with you,” she replied in a low and dangerous tone.

Brian pulled her closer to him. “No, you’re not,” he said firmly.

“You will let go of me and you will leave me alone. I’ll be out of here soon.” Brain immediately released her. She glanced over his shoulder and nodded.

Brian looked back to see Zacky with a forlorn expression on his face. “I’m leaving. When you feel like talking to me, I’ll be at my house.” He then turned to Danni. “I’m sorry it ended like this. You’ve always been a good friend to me.”

She nodded her head, but never took her eyes off the suitcase. “I know. And thank you, for everything.”

Zacky nodded once more before walking out.

Brian turned to look back at her. “What the fuck was that?”

Danni didn’t respond as she finishing zipping the suitcase up. She didn’t even look at him as she grabbed the handle and lugged it out of the room. Brian watched her leave, his anger still stewing, before he came to my senses a few seconds later. “Danni, wait!” He called, running down the stairs after her. “Danni!”

“No, I’m sick of your bullshit, Brian.” She said her hand on the front door.

“I’m willing to listen.”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “It’s a little too late for that.”

“It’s never too late-”

She shook her head. “You just don’t get it, do you? I gave up everything for you: my family, my apartment, my jobs, my friends, my lifestyle… You made me do things that I’ve never done before. I opened up my heart to you…and loved you…do you know how fucking hard that was? No, you don’t, because you don’t understand me or where I’m coming from. You don’t understand why I have my panic attacks and break downs. You don’t understand why I do the things I do and why I’m so hot-and-cold all the fucking time.”

Brian broke their eye-lock. He couldn’t take it anymore.

“So, I’m doing something I should have done a long time ago: I’m leaving your ass. Here’s your life back. Here’s all of your silly little promises back. And here’s your stupid ring back! You fucking bastard!” She yelled, launching a small, metal object at his head. She picked her suitcase back up and glared at me one last time. “I wish I had never met you. Life would have been so much simpler.” She huffed before slamming the door behind her on her way out.

Shocked, Brian stood there like an idiot for a few minutes before coming back to his senses. With a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck. He had to bite his lip in order to stop from crying out when he saw the ring.

Brian looked up to see that he had arrived back at Matt’s house. The guys and their respected girls were standing around the bus, laughing and carrying on. He was jealous of them. All their home lives were great. They didn’t have to deal with a wife that was going through a mid-life crisis, a kid that hates them, and another kid that just randomly showed up one day. He rested his head on the steering wheel and sighed.

This is going to be one long-ass tour, Brian thought before he grimly got out of his car.