Sequel: Run Right Back ›
Status: finished.
Little Baby Pines
So Hush, Little Darling, Don't You Cry.
The apartment was dark when Jon came home at 3:28 AM. It wasn’t like he expected to find Kim awake and waiting for him in the living room. It would have been nice to see her smiling face after the 2-1 win, but the thought of her in his bed was a warmer thought. All he wanted right now was to curl up beside her and pass out.
Light from the city and moon lit up some of his living room. It was enough to let him see where he was going. He dropped his hockey bag by the front door, kicked off his shoes, and walked blindly to his bedroom. He stripped off his clothes until he was hopping around in his underwear. His foot was caught in the leg of his jeans and he fell onto the bed. There wasn’t a girlish grunt or shrieks of freight. There wasn’t anything, not even her body. Jon patted the bed searching for her in the darkness to find nothing of interest. He sighed and crawled under the covers. The last time they spoke he was cut off because they were in the Coyote’s visitor’s locker room. The signal cut out and he couldn’t call her back because the room was built like a bomb shelter.
He knew she went to see Sully that night. She was probably still with Sully. That bothered Jon. He never quite got over the hold Sully has over Kim. She pretended that it didn’t exist, but it was very apparent for Jon. Why else would it bother her if he listened to Sully’s music? So what if Sully rapped about her. Jon wouldn’t have known otherwise.
There was the odd sound of rushing water. Odd because Jon was in his bed and as far as he knew he was the only person in his apartment. He crept to the edge of his bed and grabbed a hockey stick from underneath. The bathroom door swung open but the lights were turned off. A body walked out, slumped forward. He pulled the stick back. “How the fuck did you get in my apartment and who are you? What do you want?”
The body walked along the wall away from Jon. “I got in with a key.” The lights were flicked on. “I am your girlfriend. I want to stop being me.” Her tired body sat down on the edge of the bed. She looked like she was struck by lightning. Her short hair was in such disarray that Jon wondered if she got in a fight. Tears caused her makeup to run down her face. The collar of her Social Distortion shirt was ripped.
“Did you get in a fight?” He dropped the hockey stick and shuffled closer to her. “Did someone hit you?” It came out more defensive than his last question. She looked up at him looking as small as a delicate wounded bird. There weren’t any scratches on her face or a black eye. “I thought you went to see Sully. Did something happen?”
Her body leaned against his. She buried her face into his chest. “God. Yes. Something happened. It was fucking horrible. It was all a slap in my face. He premiered a new song and then afterwards—” A jagged sigh escaped her lips. Jon rubbed her back. “I just feel like the dumbest fucking bitch in the world. So much was going on and I was the retard that didn’t even notice. I am a selfish stupid bitch. Fuck.” Tears splashed onto her lap. “I should tell you know that I finished the whiskey that was in the freezer. The empty bottle is in the shower. So my mind is a little fucked.”
“Okay, my girlfriend is drunk.” He smoothed out her hair. “Start from the beginning, Kim.” Even though he didn’t want to hear what Sully did because it would only give him motive to kick his ass. He really wanted to go to Sully’s place and kick his teeth in. But Jon’s mom taught him to not jump to conclusion, so he wanted to hear what happened even if it was only from Kim’s mouth, therefore biased.
A kiss is placed on his chest. “Okay. Just… Just promise you that you won’t do anything stupid. Don’t go talk to him. I will deal with this shit.” Her hands slid up his chest and held his face. She looked into his eyes. “Jon. I am fucking serious. You have to promise me. Before I tell you what happened you have to promise me.”
“I promise you.”
“You promise?”
He sighed. “I promise not talk to Sully and to let you deal with this.”
“Okay. That is crucial, Jon. This is my problem. I do not want you involved.” Her fingers slipped off his chin and she curled up against his body. “Fuck, I am feeling like complete shit.” She clung to his side, tears spilling onto him. “I am sorry. Sorry for drinking. Sorry for crying.” Jon patted her on the head. “Right. It starts with Mindy and I going to see him at the barn. The same barn you and I met at. She and I got there late. It turned into a shit show within my first drink of being there.”
Light from the city and moon lit up some of his living room. It was enough to let him see where he was going. He dropped his hockey bag by the front door, kicked off his shoes, and walked blindly to his bedroom. He stripped off his clothes until he was hopping around in his underwear. His foot was caught in the leg of his jeans and he fell onto the bed. There wasn’t a girlish grunt or shrieks of freight. There wasn’t anything, not even her body. Jon patted the bed searching for her in the darkness to find nothing of interest. He sighed and crawled under the covers. The last time they spoke he was cut off because they were in the Coyote’s visitor’s locker room. The signal cut out and he couldn’t call her back because the room was built like a bomb shelter.
He knew she went to see Sully that night. She was probably still with Sully. That bothered Jon. He never quite got over the hold Sully has over Kim. She pretended that it didn’t exist, but it was very apparent for Jon. Why else would it bother her if he listened to Sully’s music? So what if Sully rapped about her. Jon wouldn’t have known otherwise.
There was the odd sound of rushing water. Odd because Jon was in his bed and as far as he knew he was the only person in his apartment. He crept to the edge of his bed and grabbed a hockey stick from underneath. The bathroom door swung open but the lights were turned off. A body walked out, slumped forward. He pulled the stick back. “How the fuck did you get in my apartment and who are you? What do you want?”
The body walked along the wall away from Jon. “I got in with a key.” The lights were flicked on. “I am your girlfriend. I want to stop being me.” Her tired body sat down on the edge of the bed. She looked like she was struck by lightning. Her short hair was in such disarray that Jon wondered if she got in a fight. Tears caused her makeup to run down her face. The collar of her Social Distortion shirt was ripped.
“Did you get in a fight?” He dropped the hockey stick and shuffled closer to her. “Did someone hit you?” It came out more defensive than his last question. She looked up at him looking as small as a delicate wounded bird. There weren’t any scratches on her face or a black eye. “I thought you went to see Sully. Did something happen?”
Her body leaned against his. She buried her face into his chest. “God. Yes. Something happened. It was fucking horrible. It was all a slap in my face. He premiered a new song and then afterwards—” A jagged sigh escaped her lips. Jon rubbed her back. “I just feel like the dumbest fucking bitch in the world. So much was going on and I was the retard that didn’t even notice. I am a selfish stupid bitch. Fuck.” Tears splashed onto her lap. “I should tell you know that I finished the whiskey that was in the freezer. The empty bottle is in the shower. So my mind is a little fucked.”
“Okay, my girlfriend is drunk.” He smoothed out her hair. “Start from the beginning, Kim.” Even though he didn’t want to hear what Sully did because it would only give him motive to kick his ass. He really wanted to go to Sully’s place and kick his teeth in. But Jon’s mom taught him to not jump to conclusion, so he wanted to hear what happened even if it was only from Kim’s mouth, therefore biased.
A kiss is placed on his chest. “Okay. Just… Just promise you that you won’t do anything stupid. Don’t go talk to him. I will deal with this shit.” Her hands slid up his chest and held his face. She looked into his eyes. “Jon. I am fucking serious. You have to promise me. Before I tell you what happened you have to promise me.”
“I promise you.”
“You promise?”
He sighed. “I promise not talk to Sully and to let you deal with this.”
“Okay. That is crucial, Jon. This is my problem. I do not want you involved.” Her fingers slipped off his chin and she curled up against his body. “Fuck, I am feeling like complete shit.” She clung to his side, tears spilling onto him. “I am sorry. Sorry for drinking. Sorry for crying.” Jon patted her on the head. “Right. It starts with Mindy and I going to see him at the barn. The same barn you and I met at. She and I got there late. It turned into a shit show within my first drink of being there.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Title from "Hush" by Angus and Julia Stone.