A Mass Hysteria In The Modern World

[Month #3 - Martena's POV]

"Lyssa!" I yelled, when I opened the door to see her standing on our porch. I had invited her over to just hang out and whatnot. "You're showing!"

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled and walked in, sitting on the couch.

"What's going on?"

I sat next to her and stared at her intently. She looked at me and I could tell she was about to breakdown.

"Billie and I haven't been talking... for four days so far."

"Why is that?"

"We got into a huge fight..."

"What was it about?"

"He thinks I'm seeing other people when he's sleeping..."

"That's bullshit!" I yelled. Tre and the kids weren't here, so I didn't care. "Have you tried talking to him?"

"Not since the fight."

"What makes him think that you would ever cheat on him?"

"Because I get up in the middle of the night and leave."

"Um... and why?!"

"Just to go on a drive; to think."

"Think about what?"

"About the baby, life, everything."

"You're starting to scare me."

"Everything is fine, believe me. I just like having my own break every once in awhile."

"I don't know what to tell you. I'd be pretty concerned myself if I were him."

She sighed and leaned her head against the couch.

"Does he know you're here?" I asked.

"I left a note on the kitchen table. I don't even want to start another fight."

"Looks like we need to get you something to cheer you up," I said and stood up. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" She asked, standing up behind me. I made her follow me out the door and we both got into the car.

"We're going to go get some Taco Bell."

"Why?"

"Because that's your favorite place, duh!"

[Billie's POV]

I laid on the couch as I watched Keith play with his toys. Alyssa and I haven't talked in four days and it was killing me. All of a sudden, Keith pushed himself up and took a few steps then fell down. I sat up, amazed. We had been trying to get him to walk for the longest time now. I was so intrigued that I erased everything about her and I fighting and I called Alyssa.

"Billie?" She asked as if it was a question.

"Yeah! You wouldn't believe what just happened!"

"What is it?" She still sounded a bit confused.

"Keith just took his first steps!"

"Are you serious! Get the camera! It's in the guest room!"

I ran upstairs and came back down with the camera.

"Come on, Keith. You can do it. Walk," I said still on the phone. Keith wouldn't budge. "He's not going to do it."

"Oh well, maybe you'll catch him again."

"Where are you?"

"I left you a note."

"I know... I was just hoping we could talk."

"We'll talk when I get there. Martena and I are at Taco Bell."

"Oh... okay. I love you."

There was a few seconds of silence before she told me she loved me. We both hung up. I tossed my phone to the opposite side of the couch.

"Dad!" Abby yelled, coming down the stairs. "I'm going over to Alice's. I'll be back later."

"Alright. Have fun. Love you."

"Love you, too," she said and went out the front door.

[Tre's POV]

I knew that Billie and Alyssa were having problems. Mike had come over and we were going to go over there and talk with him. Martena had taken Alyssa out somewhere. We knocked on the door and Billie opened it, holding Keith.

"Hey guys," he sighed.

"Billie, what's going on with you and Lyssa?" Mike asked, going into the house and me following him.

"I don't always have to have my friends help me with my marriage, you know."

"We're just concerned," I said.

"I know you are, I know. Thank you. It's just... this is my marriage and our problems."

"What happened?" Mike asked. Billie took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

"I think she's seeing other people," he whispered.

"Why would you ever think that?" I asked, looking at him like he's crazy.

"She loves you, Billie," Mike said. "You know that, right?"

"I know that, it just doesn't make sense why she gets up and leaves in the middle of the night."

"She can't be doing other guys with her stomach showing," I said.

"They could be doing other stuff, Tre," Billie said and looked at me for the first time. His eyes were a light shade of red.

"Are you smoking, Billie?" Mike asked. Billie shook his head and waved his hands out as if he was saying 'no way'. Mike and I sighed and looked at each other then Billie.

"She's not cheating on you," I said. "There's no way."

"You're going to have to prove it," Billie said.

"How about... the next time you and her go for a check up for the baby, have a test be taken."

"That'd be too much," Billie sighed. "I wouldn't do that to her."

"Then you're just going to have to trust her."

[Martena's POV]

"Are you ready to go back home?" I asked after she explained everything to me that was happening. "You're going to have to sometime."

"I guess I am," she sighed. "I did tell him that we'd talk once I got home."

"Let's go then," I said and threw our trash away. We got in the car and Green Day's new single, 'When It's Time', came on the radio. Alyssa closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the headrest.

"Should I change it?" I asked, putting my fingers on the buttons. She grabbed my hand and said no. We drove out and she sat back up normally.

"This song is so beautiful," she whispered. "Didn't Mike write this?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"I love it."

[Third Person POV]

After Martena dropped Alyssa off at her house, she went to her house just across the street and went inside to see Tre and Mike in the living room.

"Alice, Abby, and Klaus are all upstairs," Tre said.

Alyssa went in her and Billie's house and found him in the kitchen.

"Hi," she whispered, setting her stuff down and going back out into the living room.

"Hey," he whispered back. "Can we talk now?"

"I heard your new song on the radio coming back home," she said. "Yeah, I guess we can talk now."

Billie sat next to her on the couch and began singing it, "Words get trapped in my mind. I'm sorry if I don't take the time to feel the way I do. 'Cause the first day you came into my life, my time ticks around you. But then I need your voice as a key to unlock all the love that's trapped in me."

"Billie," she whispered. He leaned in to kiss her face but she leaned back. "I love you, please know that."

"I love you too," he breathed, wanting to cry. She held back from crying and grabbed his face.

"I'm not seeing anybody else. I don't want to and I don't need to."

"Then why are you leaving?"

They were both speaking to each other in whispers.

"Is it a bad thing to want your own time every once in awhile?" She asked.

"But you go every night."

"No, I don't."

Billie's mouth went into a slant and his eyes made a shape like he was about to cry.

"Shhh," she whispered, bringing him into a hug. "I wouldn't leave you for the world."

He embraced her in a hug and began to let tears out of his eyes. She could almost feel her heart breaking.

"Don't cry," she said, choking up and almost crying herself.

"I don't want to lose you," he said into her shoulder. She pulled his face up and felt his wet cheeks from his tears.

"I'm yours... forever and ever," she whispered and kissed him. "I'm sorry for making you worry."

"Don't do it again," he whispered. I kissed his head. I began singing 'When It's Time' from where he left off.

"So tell me when it's time to say I love you. All I want is you to understand that when I take your hand, it's 'cause I want to. We are all born in a world of doubt. But there's no doubt, I figured out I love you."

He looked up at me and attempted at giving me a small smile. I rubbed his hair and he put my hair behind my ears and sang from where I left off.

"I feel lonely for all the losers that will never take the time so say what's really on their mind, instead they just hide away. Yet they'll never have someone like you to guide them and help along the way. Or tell them when it's time to say I love you. So tell me when it's time to say I love you."

He gave me a kiss and we cuddled on the couch.

[Martena's POV]

"Hey, Abby?" I asked, walking into Alice's room.

"Yes?" She asked, looking up at me from her phone.

"Would you want to stay over? We're having your favorite for dinner tonight," I smiled.

"You should totally stay over," Alice said then laughed. Abby laughed and agreed to stay over. "You can wear some of my clothes tonight and tomorrow."

I walked out of her room and went to Klaus' room.

"You doing okay?" I asked, peeking around the doorway. He was on his laptop.

"Yeah, I'm doing fine."

I started to walk away then heard Klaus call out for me. I walked back to his room.

"Yeah?"

"Come here..."

"What is it?"

"I'm on this website. It's called Mibba. This girl, she's a writer, she's in love with dad..."

I began laughing uncontrollably and almost fell over.

"Are you okay, mom?"

"I'm fine. I just think that's hilarious. Does she write stories?"

"Yeah... she wrote one about dad falling in love with her and stuff. I think I'm going to be sick."

Klaus let out a laugh and I joined in. This was the greatest thing I've heard all day.

"Oh, kids and their fantasies..." I said and walked out of the room and downstairs to start dinner.

"Tre," I laughed, coming into the kitchen. "You wouldn't believe what our son found on the internet."

"What is it?" He asked, chewing an apple and reading the latest 'Rolling Stone' magazine.

"It's this website where people can write stories and stuff, and there's this girl who's completely obsessed with you and she wrote a story about how you fall in love with her and stuff. She's a minor also."

Tre about choked on his apple and started laughing.

"That's so hilarious and awkward," he said and put the magazine down.

"I know, right?!"