Shattered By Broken Dreams

As much as he wanted to take her home with him, Johnny drove his daughter to the house where she was staying with Lyric, Legend and Blade. He knew she would be safe even if Lyric was the only one there now, he was Matt’s son after all, but he still couldn’t help, but want to be the one to protect her. The fact that she was an adult now had no bearing on that fact either.

“Thanks, Daddy” she smiled as he pulled up in front of the house.

He nodded and turned his face to look at her. “Breakfast tomorrow at the coffee house?”

“I wouldn’t miss it” she smiled and reached over to hug her father. “I love you”

“I love you too, princess. I’ll see you in the morning.”

She nodded and got out of the car and headed into the house. He sat there and waited until the door closed behind her before driving himself home.

The house was quiet as she figured it would be. As she climbed the stairs she wondered if Lyric had gotten home yet. He answer came when she saw the light shining from under his bedroom door. She walked passed his door as quietly as she could so not to alert him to the fact that she was home.

When she walked into her room she sat down on the bed and kicked off her shoes. When she looked up Lyric was standing in her doorway with his arms folded.

“I told you to stay here. I said you couldn’t come with us and you didn’t listen. You could have been killed damn it!” after speaking his mind he walked away and went back to his room. She jumped when she heard his door slam and got up off the bed to close her own door.

As she climbed back on the bed she thought about the night at the bar when she’d sang with his band and how she missed being free and able to do the one thing that she loved more than life itself. She closed her eyes as her head hit the pillow and the words that came out of Laura’s mouth were the last thing that she heard before falling asleep.

“The little girl that nobody loves”

The following morning…

When Jonnie woke up she took a shower and dressed so that she could go meet her father for breakfast as promised. As she walked down the hall and passed Lyric’s door she remembered how he yelled at her the night before. Part of her wanted to barge right in there and slap him across the face, but the other part remembered that her father was waiting for her.

She drove to the coffee shop with many thoughts running through her head. Before she got there she had already decided that this would be the day she would stand up for herself and tell her father that she was going to live her life….her way.

“Hi” she said as she sat down at the table where he was waiting.

“Hi. I ordered your favorite” he smiled and she smiled back making a mental note that she was fully capable of ordering for herself, maybe she wanted somthing different today, but she would let this one little thing slide.

“Are you ok?” she asked

“Yeah, last night was pretty rough, but I’m good. How about you?”

“I’m ok, but there is something I want to talk to you about”

He eyed her with concern. “What is it?”

“Daddy, I know you love me and I know you want what’s best for me, but the only person who knows what’s best for me, is me. I’m not going to be a doctor and I’m sorry that disappoints you, but I’m going to sing.”

He looked down into his coffee cup knowing that this day would eventually come.

“I don’t like the idea of you being in the business, Jonnie. I know what it can do to you and I don’t think you’re ready for it.”

“I’m 23 years old and you can’t keep telling me I’m not ready. You’ve been telling me that my whole life.”

“Jonnie, I’ve already looked into schools here and you can finish medical school with your credits from New York. The next semester starts in the fall.” It wasn’t a suggestion.

She didn’t say anything. There was no point in arguing with him because when it came to her life, it was his way or no way at all. After the two of them had their breakfast in silence, they parted and he went back to the mansion while she went back to the house where she was staying temporarily.

She wasn’t quiet this time. She was angry and didn’t care if Lyric heard her or not. He was sitting on the couch when she walked in and on sight she glared at him and went up to her room.

Inside her room she grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and started writing:

Dear Dad and everyone else,

For the last 23 years, I’ve lived in a bubble and I’m sick and tired of it. I’m tired of sitting back and watching everyone else’s dreams come true while mine are pushed aside. I’m sick and tired of feeling like I’m not part of this family. I was here first and for two years I was loved and then Legend came along and after him came Lyric, Seven and Blade and you all forgot about me, especially you, Uncle Matt. The one person who would drop everything for me as soon as I came into the room dropped me because he had children of his own. You don’t do that to a kid. You broke my heart.

None of you ever even tried to include me or make me feel welcome. Everything revolved around your four children. Maybe I sound a little selfish right now, but I don’t care, I feel like I have a right to be right now.

It’s strange how you all were so close when you were our ages and yet you never took sight of the fact that I was treated like an outsider. Everything you did involved the four children that were the same age and because I was two years older, not once did any of you include me. Matter of fact, neither did your children.

You could say I am a little angry and you could say that I am a lot hurt, but I have dreams of my own and maybe just once if any of you had bothered to sit and ask me about them, I wouldn’t be writing this letter.

Daddy, maybe just once if you would have cared what I wanted instead of forcing me to do what you felt was best, I wouldn’t feel the way I do. Don’t get me wrong, I do love you, but I’m taking control of my life now.

So, this is it. In a way I guess you could say, I was never really there so it wont be a big loss now that I’m gone. I’m not sorry daddy, I begged and pleaded and you wouldn’t listen.

I’m going to live my life on my own with out all of you. Don’t bother looking for me, I’m sure you’ll all be over it by the time you finish reading this letter. Uncle Matt, I’ll miss you and Uncle Brian I truly do hope Melody is going to be all right. Uncle Jimmy, sometimes I wish you could have been my father too and Uncle Zacky, I hope you learn to accept the fact that Blade was always your son no matter what his bloodline is now.

And Lyric…FUCK YOU TOO!

So, that’s it. I’m leaving today and maybe when I’m settled, I’ll call and check in and maybe I wont. Like I said, it’s not like any of you give shit.

This is goodbye,

Jonnie

She set the letter down on the bed and grabbed her bag. After putting the strap over her shoulder, she headed down the hall as quickly as she could bumping straight into Lyric.
“Watch where you’re going!” he growled.

She sidestepped and ran passed him down the stairs and out the front door. The tears started coming as she got into her car and drove away. Not once did she look back.

Two hours later

Johnny sat on Jonnie’s bed with Lyric reading the letter that his daughter had written. When he finished, he handed the letter to Matt and waited for him to finish before he said anything.

“Wow” Matt said looking over at Johnny who was hanging his head.

“I’ve lost her. First Kelli and now Jonnie”

“She’ll come back,” Matt said. “I’ll help you look for her if you want.”

Lyric got up and walked out of the room. He was angry that she was gone and had no idea why. She didn’t have to run away, she could have made a life for herself here.
He knew where she was heading.

“I’m a horrible father”

“No, you can’t do that to yourself, looking back we all let Jonnie down in a big way and if it wasn’t for her my son and daughter might be dead right now and I didn’t even think to thank her for it.”

“I need to go see Riley”

Matt nodded and walked out of the room behind Johnny taking the letter with him to show to the others. He drove Johnny back home and when they arrived, Johnny went straight up to his room to find Riley while Matt showed the letter to Jimmy and Zacky.

“Shit” Jimmy mumbled under his breath. “She came to me in the hospital for advice and I blew her off and told her to go talk to her father.”

“How is Johnny taking it?” Zacky asked

“Not well. How did you expect him to take it?” Matt sat down on the stool at the kitchen counter and when Brian walked through the door they all turned their gazes to him.

“Hey, how’s Mel?” Zacky asked.

“She’s still sleeping” he said with his hands in his pockets “Why do you all look so upset?”

Matt didn’t answer, he just handed Brian Jonnie’s letter to read.

“Is this for real?” he asked handing the letter back to Matt.

“Yeah, she’s gone” Matt said.

“Well, that made me feel even worse than I already did before I read it.”

“Yeah, we all feel bad.” Zacky said. “But there is nothing we can do, she’s 23 years old.”

“Bullshit” Matt grinned and they all stood there knowing that their fearless leader was back again….took him long enough.