This Is Not the End

Max’s POV
“Max, you’re Uncle John died.” My mother told me. I felt my world crash down around me. I was eighteen years old and Elise was ten. I cried for hours. My Uncle John was the closest thing I had to a father, seeing as he was my father’s brother. He was driving Elise home from school, when a Mac truck cut him off. The car was totaled, and Uncle John died on impact. Elise was bending over in her seat to pick up her stuffed dog, Effie, and that’s what saved her life. The funeral was brutal.

“Maxwell, do you think daddy’s in Heaven?” Elise asked me as we approached the casket. I was holding her hand, and as we stepped closer, her grip got tighter and tighter. I didn’t know what to tell her, she was so young; I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I didn’t believe in heaven or hell.

“I’m sure he is.” I told her. I looked down at her as we arrived at the casket. She reached into the casket and touched Uncle John’s cheek. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she dropped her rose into the casket. I placed my rose on top of the coffin, and pulled Elise away. She wouldn’t budge. She started fighting me as I tugged harder. All of a sudden she was screaming.

“NO! DADDY! WAKE UP! PLEASE!” she screamed. She started fighting against my grip to get to the casket again. Finally she broke free of me, and started trying to climb up on the coffin. I lunged forward and seized her around the waist and pulled her away and had to carry her out of the church.

My family moved away from Vegas after that, and I never saw Elise again. Mom and Grandpa moved me and my brothers to Pahrump. I missed Elise every day after that. I was the one who was closest to her, and she was so young, and going through so much. My Aunt Jenny sent us photos of Elise and I talked on the phone with her every once in a while.

Then Escape the Fate took off, and I was never home because of touring and I didn’t hear from Elise or Jenny at all. To be honest, they weren’t on my mind at all. With all the excitement of being on the road, and meeting fan after fan, I just didn’t have time to think about them.

When the hospital called me and told me that they had my cousin in their operating room with a stab wound, I knew that that scumbag, Rodney had everything to do with it. Elise and I had fallen back into contact and she told me about him. It pissed me off to think about the guy. I introduced them at one of our shows. He was working as a roadie for one of the other bands on that tour, and he seemed to be quite taken with Elise, who was sixteen at the time. I, thinking that Rodney was a good guy, gave them my blessing to see each other. Then I started seeing bruises on Elise’s arms and neck. I knew what was going on, and I tried to get her out of it, but she wouldn’t have it. She cut off all contact with me. It broke my heart and filled me with dread.

“Dude, you still with me?” Craig’s voice sounded through the other end of my phone. I took a drag off my cigarette and sighed, expelling smoke into the air.

“Yeah, I’m still here. Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts.” I told him. Elise was in her room, probably crying for the second time that day, and I had only myself to blame. I needed someone to talk to, so I called Craig. He had a sister, so maybe he would know what I should do.

“Man, don’t sweat it. She’ll come around, and she’ll thank you for it. She’ll understand that Jacky really isn’t right for her. She just likes him because he saved her life.” Craig told me.

“Yeah, I know… But that’s not how he feels. He’s totally into her! Maybe I should talk to him personally.

I said as I snubbed out my cigarette.

“Why exactly don’t you like him?” Craig asked me.

I sighed. “I don’t know. I guess I’m being cautious. You know what happened with the last guy she was with. My Aunt Jenny’s funeral is in a few days.” I said. “He hurt her, and took away the only person she had left in her life that she cared about.”

“I don’t think Jacky’s like that, bro. Is there another, non bullshit, reason?” Craig said. Before I could answer, I heard him say something to Leila that I didn’t catch. Then I heard a tiny voice shout my name. “Sorry, I’m back. Leila says hi, by the way.” he said.

“I heard her. Tell her I said hello. And I don’t know. I guess I know the type. He’s in a touring band. A very famous band and she’s my cousin. Do you know how much hate she’ll get from both fandoms? She can’t handle that kind of pressure. She’s already been through so much.” I said.

“I can understand that. But don’t you think she should make that choice herself?”

I sighed. “I guess so, maybe. But I’m just doing what I think is best for her.” I said.

Craig sighed. “Maybe it’s not for you to decide.”

I leaned over in my seat and grabbed my pack of cigarettes. “I don’t know, man. I just want to help her. I feel like I’ve failed her.” I said as I lit a cigarette. I put the pack back on the table and blew more smoke into the already smoke scented air. “I feel like abandoned her the last time she needed me. I just want to look out for her the way I never did before.”

“I can understand that. I just hope you know what you’re doing. If not, you may lose her forever.” Craig said. There was a loud crashing noise in the background, followed by a scream. “I got to go, bro. Best of luck to you.” Craig hung up before I could say anything.

I tossed my phone aside and placed my head in my hands. Craig wasn’t much of a help at all. It sounded to me like he was going against what I was doing. But he didn’t understand. Elise needed a firm hand in this tragic time in her life. I couldn’t let her stray away from herself. I needed to remind her that I really did love her and that I cared about her more than anything. More than my own brothers even. Elise didn’t have any siblings; I was all she had. I didn’t want to lose her. I wanted her to be happy in with her life, even though things looked bleak at the moment. She may not have recognized it, but I was grieving too. Aunt Jenny meant a lot to me, and my Uncle loved her dearly. She was my favorite aunt.

I remembered the visits to my family made to her house when I was younger. She would let me and my brothers watch cartoons and eat junk food. We would stay up late and tell spooky stories. Elise loved that, and she was only three. She’d always sit in my lap and clap her hands and giggle whenever Aunt Jenny would tell “The Hook”; it was her favorite story. Aunt Jenny was a one of a kind woman, and she loved her daughter, and would do anything to protect her. And she proved that up to her very last breath. And I would never forget her.

I heard the dull thumping of music coming from Elise’s room. Then it got louder and louder… I recognized the song immediately. It was Falling in Reverse’s “Caught Like a Fly”. I knew that she was only playing that particular song to annoy me, and to signal to me that she was pissed at me, seeing as the song was written about me. Funny she would choose a Falling in Reverse song just after I banned her from seeing the guitar player. I took the last drag off my cigarette, and stood up. I walked to her room and knocked on the door. Elise opened the door and slammed it in my face.

“I’m going out for a bit! I’ll be back later!” I shouted as I reached into my back pocked for my wallet. I pulled out twenty dollars and slid it under the door. “Here’s some money for food and cigarettes!” I shouted as I turned back down the hallway.

“FUCK OFF MAX! LEAVE ME ALONE!” I heard her shout over the music as it grew louder. I walked out the door and into the parking lot. Once I got to my car, I saw Jacky standing beside it.

“What do you want?” I growled.

“I want to see Elise.” He said in his stupid British accent.

“No. Stay away from her.” I said, as I fumbled for my keys. “And get your ass off my car. I just had it waxed.”

“It’s not for you to decide. If she wants to see me, she can.” He said.

“Well, what if she doesn’t want to see you?” I said irritably, brushing my hair from my eyes, and peering up at Jacky from behind my sunglasses.

“I know she does. You can’t keep her from me.” He said in an almost smug sounding tone.

I snatched off my sunglasses and reeled around to face him full on. “Look you stupid British fuck. You stay the fuck away from my cousin. You’re no good for her. I know your type. And if you know what’s good for you, you’d do as I say.” I growled. Jacky rolled his eyes.

“You don’t know shit about me. And you know what? I don’t give a fuck what you say. She’s eighteen and she can do as she very well pleases.” Jacky said matter-of-factly.

“You better watch yourself, Vincent. I’m not fucking playing!” I said, jabbing him in the chest with my forefinger. “Stay the fuck away from her!” I said, jabbing him with each word. Jacky pushed me away.

“A, don’t touch me. B, you can’t tell me what to do. And C, go to hell!” He said, storming off towards his own car.

“YOU BETTER FUCKING LISTEN TO ME GODDAMN IT! STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ELISE!” I shouted after him. I wrenched open the door to my car and climbed inside. I started my car and drove away, going in the opposite direction that Jacky had. The only thoughts running through my mind were thoughts of pure loathing. How dare he defy my request? It was a simple one. Stay away from Elise. Was that too hard to do, or was he just stupid in general? I couldn’t fucking stand that man. I was going to keep Elise away from Jacky if it was the last thing I did.