I'm Adopted: Vengeance Edition.

Jackie's POV

Visits became less and less frequent until the time had come. "Goodluck Miss Baker." Julianna, one of the nurses who spent the most time with me, smiled as she filed my discharge papers.

"Thanks."

"Is your ride here? Or are you taking a bus?" She asked.

"Bus." I Smiled, assuring her more than myself. Frankly, I hadn't heard a single word from anyone and I figured they had forgotten.

Which, as I left the building and scanned the parking lot, I realized was true. I reached into my backpack and dug out my headphones, plugged them into my glorified iPod, considering my cell phone hadn't worked in over a month, and began listening to my new favorite obsession: Zac Brown. Country music never peaked my interest but they had some good stuff. Chicken Fried began cycling through my ears as I walked down the street.

I neared the bus stop and bought a ticket back to Huntington Beach. A five hour trip that could have easily been two if anyone had remembered to pick me up. I was listening to the bus to pull up when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Jaclyn?"

I turned around slowly, biting the inside of my lip as my eyes met his. My mouth refused to form the word on my tongue so I just waved.

"What... what are you doing here?" Matt asked, walking over "Are you alright? Does Zack know you're here? Are... wait, are you out?" He asked.

"I didn't think you knew." I shrugged.

"Well Zack spilled right before we all agreed to..." He slowly stopped talking and rubbed the back of his neck "Stop... talking."

"Oh." My voice was quiet. One thing I had become was something other than myself. I barely recognized how I responded, how I acted. I was a better person. Not an addict. I wasn't the same and I couldn't distinguis a point in time when it happened.

"So... are you out now? Where's Zack-"

"They didn't show up." I laughed "So I'm taking the bus back to mom's-"

"No." He shook his head "You... uh... can't." He looked around "I'll drive you to Zack's.."

"No, it's fine. I can take a bus." I laughed "I'm a big girl, I can fend for myself, thank you."

"It's not that." He bit his lip and my eyes travelled around the bus station.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" I asked, letting my backpack drop on to the floor next to me.

"I had to drop my parents off, they're going to Vegas and somehow didn't figure the station in Huntington would be ok." He shrugged and rolled his eyes "You know how they are."

"Yah." I laughed quietly "So, what's Zack's address? So I can find it off the station."

He shook his head and picked up my backpack before my reflexes could do otherwise "I'm driving you.. Zack wouldn't want you taking the bus, and he'll already hate himself enough."

"Well..." I had no choice now since he was already in the parking lot walking towards the all too familiar black SUV. I huffed and turned my phone off and walked behind him, trying to catch up, my legs barely keeping up with his strides "Jesus you still walk a hundred miles an hour."

"Still taller than you." He laughed and opened my door.

"Thanks... you don't have to do this-"

"I do." He smiled and tossed my bag in the back before shutting my door for me. He jogged around the front of the vehicle and got in "So... how.. how've you been?" He asked carefully.

"Not an addict, if that's the answer you're looking for." I Laughed and rolled up my sleeves "All healed, for the most part." I gestured to my elbow creases. He shook his head, eyes closed, before starting the car "So... what's with this not speaking thing?" I asked "How in fuck is that working out considering you're all attatched at the hip?"

"Well.." He shrugged as he merged into traffic.

"It's a two hour car ride, we have time. I've been gone six months... I need to know."

"First off.." He looked around nervously "Zack moved out."

"Ok." I nodded "Next."

"We took a break from the band." He shrugged a little "But we started practice up a month or so ago because I had a shit load of music written for us, babe you'd-" We both stopped breathing. He almost break checked the car behind us. I couldn't help but laugh under my breath, his eyes scanning me quickly before redirecting to the road "I... I'm sorry..."

"So have you guys been in the studio to record any of it? Or just practicing?" I asked, disregarding the mistake.

"Jackie, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Can you just shut up and keep going? I mean... stop apologizing and keep catching me up to speed?" I asked hurriedly, not wanting to dwell.

"So... ya we've been tracking, but it's taking a while." He mumbled, keeping his eyes on the road. "Anything else you wanna know about?" He asked, his voice leaving so many questions in my mouth.

"Uhm..." I mumbled "No.. not really." I shrugged.

"Not a one?" He asked, almost surprised "Like... nothing?"

"Nope." I answered, biting the inside of my cheek, feeling the voice building inside my throat.

"Not even about Ma-"

There it was. The singular word that hadn't been spoken or heard in six months. The one word I was most afraid to hear. Before I could control it, I broke. Tears streamed down my face, I began hyperventalating, my voice broke as I tried to control myself from screaming.

"Oh, my god... Jackie... Oh my god-"

"Just... Just... My bag, where's my bag..?" I tried to control my hands as they shook, knowing her name, or even his were the last things I needed to hear.

"Hold on, I'll get it." He pulled the car over quickly, jamming it into park as he reached in the backseat and handed me my bag. My hands shook uncontrollably as I sifted through my belongings, my fingertips grasping onto the plastic bottle. I fought with the cap and began crying harder. "Here." He took the bottle and opened it "How many?"

"T-t-two..." I barely choked "Two..." I reiterrated as he handed me two of the small pills. I threw them into my mouth and swallowed with the small amount of saliva in my mouth.

"How long?" His words were more worried than inquisitive.

"Five-..." I choked "Five minutes..." I held onto my own arms, holding myself together. Shaking my head back and forth, knowing I needed to calm down. My counselor knew this would happen, she warned me the first few times would hurt. She only got me to speak their names twice in session and that was it. His hands made their way to my shoulder and I jerked away.

"Jackie-"

"J-j-just stop..." I clenched my eyes shut and my fists around my arms "Not right now..." I steadied my breathing and felt my blood begin to course through my veins slower. I took a deep breath and looked up at him "I'm sorry-"

"Jackie." He sat back "What's my name?" His eyes were hurt.

"I... Can we just go home already? I want to go home.." I looked out the window, feeling my shoulders shaking slightly still.

"Not until you tell me my name." His voice conveyed the pain.

"I can't." I whispered and looked down at the floor, tears slipping my eyes "Can we go home now, please?" I looked up into his eyes "I just want to sleep."

He turned to the road and nodded, beginning to talk about weather, news, sports, everything to keep both of our minds occupied. But we both knew it was failing because behind every word I could hear his pain and his name tickled the tip of my tongue but burnt my lips as it tried to escape.