I Found You, Something Told Me To Stay.

“Hey pal,” Jimmy said timidly as the door to my old bedroom opened.
“What do you want man?” I grumbled. It had been a week since Jayda had disappeared and we hadn’t heard anything from her.
“How’ bout we go out and eat, yeah?” He suggested.
“What for Jim?”
“Because Matt,” he sighed. “You haven’t left the house all week.”
“That’s cause I don’t fucking feel like it.” I grumbled.
“Get up, we’re going out.”
“Who is?” I asked.
“Just me and you.” Jimmy replied, a grin spreading across his face when he knew that he had won.
“Fine,” I mumbled throwing the blankets off of me.
“Aren’t you going to shower first?” Jimmy questioned wrinkling his nose as I stood in front of him.
“Listen, now you’re just pushing it.” I growled and he grinned sheepishly.
“You smell and look like shit my friend.” He told me. I glanced down at my disheveled clothes and shrugged.
“If you want me to go out with you, then you’ll have to deal with it.” I replied.
“I’ll deal with your shittiness.” Jimmy said grinning as I followed him from the bedroom.
“Well, look who finally emerged from hiding.” Mom said with a smile as we entered the kitchen. I just grunted in reply.
“Where are you two going?” She asked looking overly happy, which annoyed me.
“To eat.” I replied.
“Good,” Mom said with a smile.
“Where’s Molly?” I questioned frowning.
“Oh, Johnny took her to the park.” Mom told me and for some unknown reason, anger rose in me.
“Why the hell didn’t he ask me first?” I growled.
“Honey, you’ve been holed up in your room all week.” Mom reminded me.
“Let’s go Jimmy.” I replied ignoring my mother.
“Sounds good bud.” He said and bid my mother goodbye as we left the house.

“So what do you think about finishing the new album?” Jimmy asked as we sat in a booth by the window in the local restaurant.
“I’ve got an idea for a song.” I replied as I skimmed the menu.
“Well come on, you can’t leave me hanging like that!” Jimmy said excitedly.
“I’ll show you when we get back to the house.” I told him.
The waitress came and took our order and while we were waiting, I knew that Jimmy wanted to say something.
“Are you starting to feel better?” He finally asked.
“No,” I replied. “I’m going to find her Jimmy. I’m going to find her and bring her back home.”
“But Matt, what if she doesn’t want to come back? I mean she did leave.” Jim asked hesitantly and I saw red.
“Of course she’s going to come back,” I hissed. “Why wouldn’t she?”
“Calm down Matt,” he replied. “You don’t even know where she is.”
“That’s why I’m going to find out.” I told him, pausing, as the waitress appeared to give us our food.
“How’re you going to do that?” Jimmy asked once his mouth was full of food.
“She’s probably with Kade,” I replied “There’s no where else she could be.”
“Jayda wouldn’t go to him cause she knows it’d be the first place you’d look.” Jimmy told me. I thought for a moment.
“Unless…unless she’s with her mother.”
“She could be.” He pointed out taking a drink of his pop.
“I’ll call as soon as I get home.” I said feeling a surge of excitement run through my body.
“Maybe you should wait, call Kade first.” Jimmy suggested and I nodded.
I glanced over Jimmy’s shoulder as I bit into my burger and saw the one person that I truly hated with every fiber of my body, Jayda’s father. He smirked when he saw me look his way and began walking towards our booth.
“Who’re you glaring a hole through?” Jimmy asked before turning around to see Mr. Claude.
“Well hello there boys,” he said with a smirk as he stood in front of our table. I grunted glaring up at him and Jimmy ignored him.
“Why the hostility?” Jayda’s father questioned with a humorless chuckle.
“Fuck off.” Jimmy said still not looking at him.
“Aww, are you two upset now because your little Jay-Jay’s gone?”
“Get the hell out of here and leave us alone.” I growled.
“Did I hit a sore spot Matthew?” Mr. Claude taunted. “How does it feel now, huh? She’s gone and you’re stuck with the brat. Now you know what it’s like.”
“There’s a difference between you and me though,” I spat as I stood. “I love my daughter, unlike you, and wouldn’t lay a fucking hand on her.”
“Defensive are we?” He laughed.
“Get the fuck out of my face.” I said angrily through my teeth as my whole body tensed and my fists clenched.
“Matt,” Jimmy said placing a hand on my shoulder. “As much as I’d like you to bash this fuckers head in, I don’t think that you should.”
“Is there a problem here?” A man with a nametag asked, appearing beside me.
“No,” I growled jabbing my finger in Mr. Claude’s direction. “He was just leaving.”
“See you soon.” He replied with a malicious smirk on his face as he turned and headed towards the exit.
“Asshole,” Jimmy grumbled sitting back down.
Using all my might I forced myself not to follow the bastard and beat his face in, and plopped down on the bench with a huff.
“Stupid motherfucker.” I growled taking a bite of my hamburger angrily.

As soon as I walked into my parent’s house, Molly came wobbling around the corner with a big grin and squealed.
“Hey baby girl,” I said with a smile as I picked her up and kissed the top of her head.
“Dada.” Molly said happily as she tugged on my stretcher.
“Hey Matt, good to see you out and about.” Johnny said timidly as I walked into the kitchen where he was sitting with his arm around Maddy.
Everyone had been walking on eggshells around me ever since that night, as if they were scared that I was going to suddenly lose it. I just nodded at my brother and set a wiggling Molly down on the floor.
“So, me and the guys are going out tonight, wanna come?” He asked.
“No I’m good, I’ve got things to do.” I replied.
“Like what,” Johnny challenged. “Sit around the house and fuckin’ mope around cause Jayda left.”
“You shut the fuck up,” I said raising my voice as I went at him. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, so just get the hell out of my face.”
“Good job man,” I heard Jimmy grumble as I stormed out of the kitchen and down the hall to my bedroom. I slammed the door behind me and immediately punched the wall.
“Dada,” I heard Molly call as her little footsteps came closer to my bedroom. “Dada.” She called again hitting her hands against my door.
Sighing, I sat on my bed rubbing my hands down my face hoping that she’d lose interest and go find Jimmy to play with. I wanted to be left alone, I needed to think and I needed Jayda back. What her father had said got me thinking, what if it was him who had something to do with her leaving?
Molly began screaming and crying outside my door; I stood and opened it. There was my little girl, her bottom lip stuck out and tears streaming down her face. I picked her up in my arms and wiped her cheeks before she laid her head down on my shoulder, her thumb in her mouth. Figuring that she hadn’t had her nap, I walked to my bed and laid down with Molly cuddling into my chest. Rubbing her back, I closed my eyes and we both fell asleep.

“Hey Kade,” I said into the phone the next evening as I sat in the kitchen. “It’s Matt calling.”
“Yeah, I know who it is.” He replied not sounding very happy or in the mood to talk.
“Listen, I need to get a hold of Jayda.” I told him.
“Why do you need to get a hold of her?” Kade asked sounding confused.
“Because,” I sighed. “I need to know why she left man. Why she just disappeared and didn’t say anything.”
“Jayda left?” He questioned. “What about Molly?”
“Wait, you haven’t heard from her?” I asked frowning.
“No man, I haven’t talked to her in about two weeks.” He replied and I groaned.
“Perfect,”
“Have you tried my mom’s house?” Kade asked.
“Not yet, I figured that I’d try you first.” I told him.
“Do you want the number?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind.” I replied.
After he had given me the number and we said goodbye, I instantly dialed his mother’s house and waited for someone to pick up.
“Hello?” A lady answered and my shoulders dropped in disappointment at the fact that it wasn’t Jayda.
“Hi, is Jayda there please?” I asked.
“No I’m sorry, she went to Sacramento to stay with a friend for awhile.” She replied.
“Sacramento? Do you have a number that I can reach her at?”
“Who’s asking?” The lady who I’m assuming was Kade’s mother questioned.
“Her boyfriend,” I replied. “The father of her child.”
“Oh dear,” she gasped. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes, and I’d really like to call her.” I told her hoping that she’d give me the number.
“Hold on a minute and I’ll find you the number.” She replied and I grinned.
“No problem.” I said and waited anxiously for her to give it to me.
“Alright,” she said a minute later. “The number where she’s staying is 555-314-5274.”
“Thank you very much,” I told her with a grin. “I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome, I hope everything ends well.” I hope so too, I thought as I thanked her again and hung up.
The nerves started to build and my mind began to race. Just pick up the phone you pussy. Glancing at the phone, I slowly typed the numbers in and held the receiver to my ear, listening to each ring.
“Hello,” I suddenly heard Jayda’s soft voice say through the phone and my throat began to close up. “Hello?” She said again when I didn’t answer.
“Hi Jayda,” I said clearing my throat.
“M-Matt?” Jayda stuttered sounding shocked. “How did you find me?”
“I called your mother.” I told her.
“Oh,” she replied softly.
“Why’d you leave Jay?” I asked trying to keep my emotions in check.
“I had to,”
“You didn’t say anything to me,” I said my voice hardening. “Not even a fucking goodbye.”
“I’m sorry.” She whispered.
“When’re you coming home?” I asked.
“I’m not.” Jayda replied barely loud enough for me to hear.
“You’re what?”
“I can’t Matt, I’m sorry.” She told me. “I might go to Canada and stay with my mother.”
“Like hell you’re going to Canada,” I roared. “Fuck that, what the hell has gotten in to you?”
“I’m sorry, alright,” Jayda said her voice rising. “But I can do whatever the hell I want and you can’t stop me.”
“No you can’t do whatever the hell you want,” I yelled back. “Do I need to remind you that you’ve got a fucking kid, huh? You weren’t only leaving me behind when you disappeared, Molly was missing you too.”
Jayda didn’t say anything for a long time and if it wasn’t for the sound of her sniffling, I would have thought that she had hung up on me. I knew that I had upset her when I said that Molly missed her, but fuck that, Jayda was hurting all of us.
“I can’t Matt,” She finally whispered. “I just can’t.”
“Why not?” I asked my voice hard. “Give me one good reason why?”
“I can’t tell you,” Jayda replied. “You’ll get hurt if I come back.”
“I don’t fucking care if I get hurt, just fucking tell me.”
“I-I can’t,” Jayda said in a wobbly voice. Right then I knew that it was her father that had made her leave, he had probably threatened me or Molly.
“You know that I won’t let anyone hurt us babe, you know that.” I said softly.
“I can’t do it.” Jayda replied.
“If you aren’t on a plane here in the next two weeks, you’ll never see me or your daughter again.” I told her harshly and slammed down the phone, knowing that she’d be here.

By the end of the week I was just about ready to have a nervous breakdown, I didn’t sleep, I barely ate and everyone was avoiding me. I was ready to give up after ten days, but I told myself that she’d come back and it wasn’t until the fourteenth day that she called.

* * *

When the plane landed in Huntington, the nerves hit and I kept telling myself that it was a good idea to come home and that Matt would keep us safe. As I walked off the plane and into the airport, my body began shaking and my pace slowed. I spotted Jimmy first and quickly glanced around him to find Matt standing slightly behind him. My boyfriend looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks, bags under his gorgeous tired sad eyes, stubble on his face and his shoulders slumped.
When I finally reached them, Matt quickly walked towards me and wrapped his arms around me. He buried his face in my neck and began to cry.
That’s when I knew that leaving Matt and our daughter had been a mistake.