Crossroads of Life

“Lee, you know I would love to, but I’ll be on the road, it’ll almost be like you’re still here alone.” I said.

“I know, but I’ll probably end up spending a lot of time with Val, Gena and Lacey, I’ll barely realize what’s going on here.”

“Leana, you know as well as I do that if you hang out with Val, you’ll end up around Michelle.”

“I know,” she sighed, her face looking repulsed. I laughed, and hugged her.

“I don’t know what I want right now, but I’ll let you know soon.” I told her.

“So, you’re around all these guys for weeks on end, anyone you’re particularly interested in?” Leana asked me with a smile. I blushed as one person came to mind. He was a rising star who was on the Raw brand.

“There is someone,” she teased me. “Okay spill, I want to know everything.” I rolled my eyes at Leana’s teenage personality.

“Okay fine,” I said, bringing my legs up and crossing them on the couch. “His name’s Matthew Korklan. He’s from St. Louis Missouri, dark hair, one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen on anyone.”

“Is he a superstar? I’ve never heard of Matthew Korklan if he is,” Leana said.

“Yeah, he goes by a ring name. Evan Bourne.”

“Oh, he’s a cutie,” Leana said, nudging me with her elbow. “What’s the problem with him?”

“Nothing, except he lives clear across the country and he only sees me as a friend.” I answered, picking at a loose thread on my jeans. “He’s three years older than me, so I think he feels I’m more of a kid sister than anything else.”

“All guys feel that way in the beginning. I know Jimmy did. It took me years to get him to see me in a different light.” It amazed me how easily Leana just talked about Jimmy, when she was still so torn up over losing him.

“Don’t worry about distance, if all else fails, you can move closer to him, and take me with you. I wouldn’t mind having a little ‘meeting’ with Mr. Orton,” she waggled her eye brows and winked at me, so I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Okay, TMI Lee,” I said, shaking my head at her.

“So, any brothers?” Leana asked, winking at me.

“Not that I’m aware of,” I answered, rolling my eyes. “I think I might just give up.”

“No, you can’t give up. Even if it takes you moving to St. Louis, like I said before, do it. Don’t worry about your family, they’ll understand, it’s not like you see them all the time anyway.”

“I know, but Missouri, really? The place has snow and cold and everything else we don’t have here and don’t even want to think about having here.”

“It’ll be a different change of pace Mad,” Leana pointed out.

“I know, but it’s just not in the cards for me right now.” I sighed.

“Well, I’ll let you get to bed.” Leana said, laying back on the couch.

“I’m going to sleep on the recliner,” I informed her.

“It’s not that comfy,” she warned me as I laid back.

“Feel’s great to me,” I replied honestly. I was so tired anyway, it would of felt the same if I was laying on a bed of nails.

“Okay, goodnight.” Leana replied. Even after I knew she fell asleep, I continued to stay up and think. I knew why Leana was so determined to get me to move to Missouri, she wanted to move with me so she could get away from Huntington Beach, away from the place that brought back so many memories. I didn’t blame her, but I just wasn’t ready to be away from my family permanently like that, even though I could visit them, I just don’t want to be away from my family.

On the other hand, however, I know it’s hell for Leana to be around here, and I’m getting confused about my family, so maybe the time away would be a good thing. After tossing and turning more, I eventually fell into a fitful sleep, that had nothing to do with the chair, and more to do with the thoughts running non-stop through my head.

~POV: Brian~
“She’s staying with Leana.” Dad informed me the morning after the argument. “When will you learn to listen to your sister?”

“What happened to you changing how you treat her Brian?” McKenna asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Okay, it’s one thing when she doesn’t deserve it, but when she lies about my fiancé attempting to kill her three years ago,”

“Michelle did try to kill her Brian, that’s what you’re not getting. Maddy lost 5 months of her life thanks to Michelle.” Dad snapped, his eyes blazing. The front door opened just then, cutting off the discussion. We turned to the door to find it was Madison.

“Hey Maddy,” Dad said, raking his hand through his hair.

“Is this a bad time?” she asked, glancing at me.

“Not for you pumpkin, what’s on your mind.” Maddy took a deep breath and let it out.

“There’s this guy, in the company,” she started.

“If you’re thinking about dating him, you’re twenty four years old, you don’t need our permission,” Dad cut her off.

“No, it’s nothing like that,” she said quickly. “He’s a lot older, so I wouldn’t think about dating him. There is, however, something that’s confusing me. I did research, and it just confused me even more.”

“Will you just get to it,” I snapped. She stared at me coldly before turning back to our father.

“I’ve only talked to him a few times, but each time, it feels like there’s something there, like a connection that’s been there for years, even though I know I just met him and we’ve only interacted a few times, like the connection I share with you. I looked it up online, and a lot of people said they felt that, and it turned out they were adopted by their parents, and the connection they felt with the stranger turned out to be their birth parent. Is there and possibility that that’s the case with me? You adopted me and I found my birthfather?”

“You fucking told her, even after I told you to hold it off?” I blew up before I thought about what she really asked.

“No Brian, you just told her.” Dad said, venom in his gaze.

“I-I was adopted?” Madison asked, her eyes wide.

“Yes, Maddy, we adopted you when you were only a month old.” Dad told her. “We don’t know anything about your father, but we do know that your mother is gone. She-” he stopped and took a deep breath. “She passed away, right after giving birth to you. She started hemorrhaging, and they couldn’t stop the bleeding.”

“I-I knew it,” she breathed, staring at the floor. “When I saw him, I knew there was something, I just didn’t think it was true.”

“Are you okay Mad?” McKenna asked her gently. Maddy nodded, looking around everywhere. Her eyes suddenly narrowed, and she turned to face me. “I guess you’re going to admit that to your future wife now right?”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” I admitted. “It’s none of her business.”

“Really, it should be, if you plan on making her a part of the family,” she replied, crossing her arms.

“What do you care? It’s obvious you don’t want to be a part of this family, why don’t you go find your real father,” I snapped. Her eyes grew wide and bright with tears.

“I fucking hate you Brian!” she shouted. She stood herself up taller. “I guess you just made my decision for me. I’m sorry Daddy, I love you, and you McKenna, but I can’t stay around him anymore.” The tears started falling as she stared at me. “I’m going to move in with Leana, and when we get enough money saved up, we’re going to move to Missouri.”

~POV: Papa Gates~
“Missouri? Why so far?” I asked, shocked.

“I can’t take being around him anymore Daddy. I hate him, he hates me, I’m not going to fight with this anymore.” she said. “I’m going to go get the rest of my clothes.” she ran up the stairs as Brent walked into the house.

“Go apologize!” I shouted to Brian.

“No, she wants to leave, let her!” he shouted back.

“Hey, don’t yell at Dad like that!” Brent snapped to Brian.

“Fuck you Brent,” Brian muttered, walking toward the front door.

“No,” I said, grabbing him.

“Let go,” Brian said, turning to look at me with blazing eyes. I didn’t budge an inch, and he knew I wasn’t going to either.

“Not until you go apologize to your sister,” I said gruffly.

“No, she wanted to know, so now she does.” Brian said, jerking his arm from my grip.

“I don’t give a damn, you don’t say that to people Brian!”

“What the hell happened?” Brent spoke up.

“Our dumbass brother just basically told our sister to go take a hike.” McKenna answered.

“We told her about the adoption,” I explained more. “She thinks she found her birth father, but she wanted to talk to me about it, which I understand. Well she just asks a question and Brian here, tells her it’s true, so we explain, it basically ended with Brian telling Madison to get the hell out of our lives and to go to her birth father.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Brent asked, looking at Brian with a look of pure anger. “Seriously Brian, you hate her when she’s never done anything to you.”

“She’s blaming my fiancé for something she didn’t do,” Brian snapped.

“She did Brian, she poisoned her. I was there when Madison passed out, and when the tests were ran. The drink that Michelle gave her, in a private residence, I might add, was laced with poison. It was just damn lucky Madison didn’t want to press charges, because I sure as hell would of.”

“I’m not that type of person Brent, you know that.” Madison said from behind him.

“Madison, please wait and talk to us about this. You don’t even know anyone in Missouri.”

“Wait, you’re planning on moving to Missouri, is that where he lives?”

“If you’re talking about my possible birth father, no, it’s not. I do know people who live there though. Randy Orton and Matt Korklan. I’m friends with the both of them, and they’ll help me out.”

“Just, wait a minute Madison, please.” McKenna said. “Wait until Mom gets home, than we can all sit and talk about this like a family.”

“It’s not a family without a certain future sister-in-law, and I don’t think I feel like seeing her right now,” Madison replied. She stared at Brian, who just looked around.

“You’re not going anywhere until we sit and talk about this, all of us.” I said, putting my foot down. “Why Missouri?”

“It’s a change of pace,” she replied, but I could tell it was something more. I decided not to push it for now.

“Dad, I’m not doing this just for me, but for Leana as well. We’re at her house, the house she shared with Jimmy. She can’t stay there Dad. She’ll go insane if she stays here.”

“I get that, but that’s up to her on getting out of here, not you.” I told her gently.

“I don’t care, I want to help her, and I’m not going to stay around someone who thinks I’m lying about nearly being murdered by a bitch who hates me anyway.”

“When the hell will you let that go?” Brian groaned.

“When she’s behind bars or as far fucking away from me as possible,” Madison answered. I knew she was pissed. She wasn’t normally one for cussing, but piss her off, and she’ll out curse a sailor and out attitude the most self-centered diva.

“Well, I hope you enjoy Missouri, you might want to invest in a coat though, I hear winters up there are pretty brutal.”

“Go to hell Brian,” she shouted, turning and storming out of the door.

“What the hell will show you we’re not lying about that?” I asked with a sigh.

“When you have more than circumstantial evidence that it happened,” he stormed out of the house right after Madison. I heard tires squeal, I knew both I had just lost not only my youngest child, but my oldest as well.