Find Your Own Way

Getting her phone back Arianna hugged her dad tightly. She was so happy she’d be able to talk to her friends again. More importantly she’d be able to talk to Dan.

Turning it back on she noticed that she had a couple of voicemails from her friends asking what the hell was going on. She’d get back to them later.

Opening up her only text she smiled. It was the one she sent herself from Dan’s phone. Creating a new message she told him that she was sorry for freaking him out.

She also got her laptop back and the first thing she did was Google Dan’s band. Liars Hate Liars had been around longer than she had been alive. Eight studio albums, three DVDs, and they were a big supporter for the non profit organization To Write Love On Her Arms; whatever that was.

Quickly going over to YouTube she typed in one of their older songs and listened. Dan’s voice floating through the speakers made her giddy. She actually missed him even though she didn’t get to know him too well.

Feeling her phone buzz she grabbed it and smiled.

“As long as you’re okay darling, xo,” Dan replied. The pet name and the small “xo” made her squeal with excitement.

Going back to Google while another Liars song played on YouTube she typed in Dan’s name. Millions of hits but she just clicked Wikipedia. That gives her the most information.

“He’s thirty-nine?!” She laughed and rolled over to look at her ceiling. There was no way they could be together. She was only sixteen!

Her phone buzzed again and startled her.

”How are you?” Dan asked and she smiled.

”Never better,” she replied. Hearing his song end she sighed. She’d have to buy their albums.

”You aren’t high, are you?” Dan replied making her roll her eyes. No she was not.

”If I was I’d share some with you of course,” she responded and laughed. It was almost horrible of her to say that to him but she didn’t care.

Opening his response she felt her mood drop. He definitely didn’t like that message. ”I shouldn’t have told you that secret.”

“Oh well,” she thought going back to her laptop. “Screw him.”

Knocking lightly on her door Michelle heard a familiar song playing. Taking a deep breath when she realized which song it was she left. Arianna didn’t hear her knock so it wouldn’t matter.

“Huh,” Arianna thought when the words “On sleepless roads the sleepless go” haunted her ears. Where had she seen those words before? And then it hit her. Max Sullivan’s headstone.



Running into the house Arianna searched desperately for her father. He would save her from the monsters.

“Daddy,” she cried out, looking through all the rooms. “Daddy!”

“Sweets?” Brian asked running upstairs from the basement. “What is it Ari?”

“Daddy help,” she cried clinging onto him. “They’re trying to get me. I’m going to die Daddy.”

“What are you talking about honey? Who’s trying to get you?”

“The monsters,” she shrieked closing her eyes and crying into his shoulder. They told her it’d be fun but so far it was nothing but terrifying. “Please save me Daddy.”

Holding her close to him he looked over to the basement door. Matt, Zacky, and Johnny all staring at him just as confused as him.

“Sweets, did you take something?” Brian asked trying to get her to look at him. She wouldn’t open her eyes though.

Shaking her head she continued to cry into his shoulder. “It hurts Daddy,” she moaned. Tremors overtook her body and her eyes snapped open. At the end of her leg a monster was gnawing on her foot. “Daddy,” she screamed kicking at the thin air.

“We can’t help you if you don’t tell us what you took,” Matt said coming up behind the father and daughter. She was definitely tripping, on what, was the question.

“They said it’d be great,” she whispered staring up at her uncle. “I’m so fucking scared Uncle Mattie.”

“Shh,” Brian whispered rocking her back and forth. “It’s going to be okay. Just calm down okay? Do you want some water?”

“Don’t leave me,” she said grabbing onto his shirt.

“What’s going on?” Michelle asked coming into the room. Looking down at her daughter she sighed. Her eyes were the size of a quarter. “Honey?”

“She’s tripping,” Zacky explained coming into view. He remembered when he had his first bad trip. He thought the earth was opening to swallow him whole. “Ari, what’d you take? We just want to help you.”

Looking up at her uncle she screamed. His face was distorted into a monster.

“Sweets,” Brian begged rubbing her back now. “What was it?”

“No Daddy, you need to save me,” she said holding onto him like her life depended on it.

“Listen to me Sweets, you need to calm down, no one is going to hurt you. Whatever it is you’re seeing isn’t there,” Brian tried to explain. His daughter just kept shaking her head back and forth. This felt too real.

Sobbing into the night Arianna continued begging for them to save her. Zacky had actually left when he realized that she was afraid of what she was seeing when she looked at him.

A little after midnight she passed out crying into her Dad’s chest. She hadn’t let him go once. And part of Brian was glad that she trusted him to keep her safe, but he was also upset she had taken the drug to cause the hallucinations.

“What are we going to do Chelle? It’s not like we can put a tracker on her,” Brian said hugging his wife. “Where did we go wrong?”

Michelle sighed and just shook her head, “We didn’t go wrong anywhere baby. We just can’t protect her from the world.”

“We should home school her,” Brian suddenly said after a long silence. “We can keep an eye on her, she won’t have to see those friends, it’s perfect!”

“I’d love to do that but we both know she wouldn’t go for it,” Michelle stated. “Hell she’s barely passing in school as it is.”

“I know,” Brian sighed exasperated. “I just hate this.”



Going into the kitchen and wiping the sleep from her eyes Arianna hugged her father. She didn’t remember much from last night but she knew it was a long one. She wasn’t even sure how she got home.

“Feeling better Sweets?” Brian asked.

“I’m good Daddy,” she mumbled.

“Good,” he told her kissing her forehead. “We’re going up to Big Bear tomorrow. I know how you are with packing so don’t put it off until tomorrow morning.”

“We only go to Big Bear on special occasions,” she said skeptical of his intentions. “What’s going on?”

“Just want to get away for a few days, that’s all,” Brian said.

“Oh. Do I have to go?” she asked scratching her face. It would be next to impossible to get high while she was up there.

“You don’t want to?” Brian asked shocked. She loved Big Bear. It was her favorite place, or second favorite, the beach being her first love.

“No, I just,” she shrugged. “I’m gonna go take a shower.”

Watching his daughter walk away Brian sighed. She was well on her way to become a full blown drug addict. The guys had searched her room with him last night after she passed out. What the found scared them more than anything.

Cocaine, another handful of pills, and a couple ounces of weed.

Hearing her scream followed by her feet stomping back down the stairs he winced. They had flushed everything.

“What the fuck? Who do you think you are?!” she screamed throwing her hands in the air. Her room was trashed, her drugs were gone, and her cell phone was once again missing.

“I’m your father Arianna,” Brian said getting up from his seat. “You’re coming to Big Bear with us. There will be no drugs, no contact with those friends of yours, just your family.”

“You aren’t my family,” she shouted and stormed off back to her room. They could burn in hell.

Taking a deep breath Brian bit back his tears. His little angel had fallen in love with drugs faster than he originally thought. And now she hated his guts.