Everything I Used to be is Coming Back to Torture Me
Suspicion
Clover was still out like a light, sleeping like a rock on the couch, when the others woke up the following morning. As everyone started to get around to getting the bus moving towards their next destination, Brian gently picked Clover up off of the couch. He took her into the back of the bus and laid her on his bunk so she wouldn’t be disturbed during her sleep before going and grabbing the comforter that she must’ve kicked off in her sleep. He spread it over her. Clover didn’t stir once; she only moved to hug the comforter closer once Brian slipped it back over her body.
Brian went back out into the main part of the bus and took a seat at the table across from Matt. Seeing Matt with a mug of coffee, however, made Brian think about how much he really wanted some coffee, so he ended up just standing back up and starting to put together a cup of coffee for himself.
“Did Clover ever tell you why she was in a foster home?” Matt asked Brian suddenly. Brian frowned, pausing as he was putting creamer in his coffee, and twisted around to look at his best friend.
“Because she’s an orphan, I’m assuming,” Brian answered. “Why else do you go into a foster home?”
“It’s odd that she’s been hiding it,” Matt mumbled, staring into his coffee. Brian frowned deeper, not entirely sure what Matt was talking about. Was his friend still drunk? Matt hadn’t even returned to the bar after bringing Clover back. Brian, Zacky, and Johnny had found Clover sleeping on the couch and Matt sitting on his bunk working on lyrics when they returned. Brian finished fixing up his coffee and went back to the table, sitting across from Matt and blowing into his coffee to cool it down.
“What the hell are you on about, man?” Brian asked.
“Last night, outside of the bar, Clover said something about how I was like a dad, killing her fun and all that. I told her that since her real dad is dead, someone needs to step in,” Matt explained.
“And she didn’t respond well to that?” Brian asked sarcastically. “Gee, I can’t see how anyone would ever respond with anger at that.”
“No, it didn’t seem to bother her,” Matt answered, shaking his head. “But then she asked me who said that her dad was dead. She seemed genuinely confused, too. Then she went on to tell me that she’s not an orphan, just a ward of the state.”
“So her dad’s still alive?” Brian asked. Matt nodded. “Where the hell is he? Doesn’t he want something to do with her?”
“That’s where it got interesting,” Matt continued. “She then told me that he’s in jail. He killed her mom when she was only nine!”
“Dude,” Brian replied, his eyes widening. His coffee mug stalled halfway to his lips. “She hasn’t mentioned this to me or Michelle! If she told Michelle, I’m sure Michelle would’ve told me. Why is she keeping it a secret?”
“I asked her to elaborate, but she just shut down,” Matt said. “She wouldn’t look at me or answer my questions. She just lay down on the couch and went to sleep. I guess I wasn’t sure how to process that information so I just went to the bunk room and tried to make sense of it. I still can’t.”
“Have you been noticing her acting strangely?” Brian asked.
Matt nodded. “Yeah, didn’t you find it…a little unnerving how she was acting last night? I mean, I understand that alcohol can make people act more outgoing, but after our first concert, she didn’t act that way.”
“She disappears at our venues for half an hour,” Brian continued. “And then she comes back acting weird. Or I’ve noticed her go into the bunk room for ten minutes, and when she comes out, she’ll go straight to the bathroom and then when she comes back out into the main area, she smells like toothpaste and perfume, like she’s trying to hide something.”
“What do you think is wrong? Stress from the tour?” Matt asked.
“Sort of,” Brian answered. “I think she’s been drinking during the day. I hate to think that this is really true, but I have a hunch that she might be developing alcoholism.”
“A little soon to jump to such a morbid conclusion, don’t you think?” Matt said.
“Maybe,” Brian agreed. “Maybe she’s not becoming an alcoholic, but can you at least entertain the idea that she’s drinking during the day?”
Matt thought about it for a few minutes. Brian’s hypothesis wasn’t just pulled out of thin air. Matt had been noticing the same things Brian had. Touring changed people, but they usually didn’t act like Clover was, being all secretive and such.
“Yeah, I guess your hypothesis makes sense,” Matt answered. “And if you’re right about the alcoholism part, we need to stop it before it gets too serious.”
“We should confront her,” Brian said. “Once she wakes up and eats something and feels better. We need to know.”
Matt agreed. Clover was in need even though she wasn’t aware of it herself, and they were going to help her.
Brian went back out into the main part of the bus and took a seat at the table across from Matt. Seeing Matt with a mug of coffee, however, made Brian think about how much he really wanted some coffee, so he ended up just standing back up and starting to put together a cup of coffee for himself.
“Did Clover ever tell you why she was in a foster home?” Matt asked Brian suddenly. Brian frowned, pausing as he was putting creamer in his coffee, and twisted around to look at his best friend.
“Because she’s an orphan, I’m assuming,” Brian answered. “Why else do you go into a foster home?”
“It’s odd that she’s been hiding it,” Matt mumbled, staring into his coffee. Brian frowned deeper, not entirely sure what Matt was talking about. Was his friend still drunk? Matt hadn’t even returned to the bar after bringing Clover back. Brian, Zacky, and Johnny had found Clover sleeping on the couch and Matt sitting on his bunk working on lyrics when they returned. Brian finished fixing up his coffee and went back to the table, sitting across from Matt and blowing into his coffee to cool it down.
“What the hell are you on about, man?” Brian asked.
“Last night, outside of the bar, Clover said something about how I was like a dad, killing her fun and all that. I told her that since her real dad is dead, someone needs to step in,” Matt explained.
“And she didn’t respond well to that?” Brian asked sarcastically. “Gee, I can’t see how anyone would ever respond with anger at that.”
“No, it didn’t seem to bother her,” Matt answered, shaking his head. “But then she asked me who said that her dad was dead. She seemed genuinely confused, too. Then she went on to tell me that she’s not an orphan, just a ward of the state.”
“So her dad’s still alive?” Brian asked. Matt nodded. “Where the hell is he? Doesn’t he want something to do with her?”
“That’s where it got interesting,” Matt continued. “She then told me that he’s in jail. He killed her mom when she was only nine!”
“Dude,” Brian replied, his eyes widening. His coffee mug stalled halfway to his lips. “She hasn’t mentioned this to me or Michelle! If she told Michelle, I’m sure Michelle would’ve told me. Why is she keeping it a secret?”
“I asked her to elaborate, but she just shut down,” Matt said. “She wouldn’t look at me or answer my questions. She just lay down on the couch and went to sleep. I guess I wasn’t sure how to process that information so I just went to the bunk room and tried to make sense of it. I still can’t.”
“Have you been noticing her acting strangely?” Brian asked.
Matt nodded. “Yeah, didn’t you find it…a little unnerving how she was acting last night? I mean, I understand that alcohol can make people act more outgoing, but after our first concert, she didn’t act that way.”
“She disappears at our venues for half an hour,” Brian continued. “And then she comes back acting weird. Or I’ve noticed her go into the bunk room for ten minutes, and when she comes out, she’ll go straight to the bathroom and then when she comes back out into the main area, she smells like toothpaste and perfume, like she’s trying to hide something.”
“What do you think is wrong? Stress from the tour?” Matt asked.
“Sort of,” Brian answered. “I think she’s been drinking during the day. I hate to think that this is really true, but I have a hunch that she might be developing alcoholism.”
“A little soon to jump to such a morbid conclusion, don’t you think?” Matt said.
“Maybe,” Brian agreed. “Maybe she’s not becoming an alcoholic, but can you at least entertain the idea that she’s drinking during the day?”
Matt thought about it for a few minutes. Brian’s hypothesis wasn’t just pulled out of thin air. Matt had been noticing the same things Brian had. Touring changed people, but they usually didn’t act like Clover was, being all secretive and such.
“Yeah, I guess your hypothesis makes sense,” Matt answered. “And if you’re right about the alcoholism part, we need to stop it before it gets too serious.”
“We should confront her,” Brian said. “Once she wakes up and eats something and feels better. We need to know.”
Matt agreed. Clover was in need even though she wasn’t aware of it herself, and they were going to help her.
♠ ♠ ♠
Awww, c'mon.20-some-odd people read that last chapter.
And I got one comment.
Thank you, the-quiet-one! For actually commenting!
As for the rest of you....COME ON!!!!