Dad, what’s masturba- JOEY NOOO!

Slip Into The Tragedy

Image

The following day, Adrienne and the boy’s along with Myla, Tré and Mike left New Orleans and headed back to Berkeley. Billie on the other hand left New Orleans and was headed to Los Angeles for a meeting with Gibson as they were releasing his very own signature series of Les Paul Junior guitars. He was staying there for two days so he could film the interview and then head back home.

“Shhh come up slowly,” Billie murmured, carrying a tray of breakfast up the stairs, headed for his bedroom. Jakob followed from behind along with Joey both holding presents and a bouquet of Adrienne’s favorite flowers, red, orange and yellow colored tulips. They walked towards Adrienne who laid there peacefully on her side with the duvet covering up to her middle. Billie motioned for his boy’s to place the gifts on the bed next to Adrienne and go back downstairs. He placed the tray softly on the bedside table near her, fixed up her birthday card letting it stand on the tray and leaned down to kiss the side of her face, whispering to her that he was taking the kids to school.

***

“Alright, so Joey you’ll finish soccer practice at three thirty right?” Billie questioned, coming to a gentle stop in his car.

“Yeah, so you’ll wait for me in the car, I won’t be long,” Joey replied, opening the car door.

“Ok then, have a good day and stay out of trouble,” Billie smiled, as Joey and Jakob closed the car door behind them and walked towards the entrance of their school. He put on his parking break and grabbed hold of his ringing PDA. “Hey Mike,” he spoke into the receiver, raising himself to see his reflection in his rearview mirror.

“Hey Billie, got the boy’s at school yet?” Mike answered, the sounds of very faint giggling echoed into the phone.

“Yeah, just now…Is somebody with you or is that the TV?” Billie questioned, analyzing the familiar giggling that was being heard through the receiver.

“Nah, it’s not my TV…guess who I found waiting for me on my front porch,” Mike grinned, tickling the lady next to him.

“Umm…front porch…a crazy cat woman?” Billie replied with a sarcastic smile.

“Hey Billie,” Brittney laughed into the phone then dropped it down, trying to battle Mike with one arm as he pulled her down onto her back and leaned over her, caressing her neck with wet kisses.

“Guy’s… hello? Mike, you there?” Billie question, feeling abandoned.

“We’ll see you at Tré’s at four for the surprise, bye!” Mike managed to reply quickly. He shut his phone and went back to teasing his girlfriend.

“I don’t want to even picture what they’re doing,” Billie said to himself, turning on his CD player and driving off back home.

***

“Happy birthday, to you…Happy birthday to you…Happy…” Billie sang as he entered his bedroom to find Adrienne watching TV, and drinking her coffee. His warm childish smile quickly transformed into a flirtatious grin. “Happy thirty seventh birthday,” he sang once more, moving up close towards their bed.

“Must you sing how old I am every year,” Adrienne said, taking a sip from her mug.

“Did I get your coffee right?” Billie grinned, as he quickly unbuttoned his shirt and slid off his pants, moving onto his side of the bed and cuddling up under their duvet.

“It could’ve done with a bit more sugar,” Adrienne teased, putting down her coffee mug as Billie crawled on top of her and sealed his mouth with hers. She stroked the back of her husband’s soft, dark colored hair as he worked his muscular tattooed arms up and around her waist and thighs. He pushed past her delicate pink lips and passionately continued to kiss her. She then broke away from their romantic, libidinous kiss, only to meet with his infatuated lustful green eyes.

“What’s the matter?” Billie hushed, as his perspired face searched for answers through Adrienne’s angelic but concerned looking eyes.

*Adrienne’s P.O.V*

“I have to say it now before we go any further,” that voice in the back of my head repeatedly expressed. “But I can’t, I’ll spoil this moment he’s been waiting for,” I protested back to myself. “Just say it and get it over and done with!” that voice fought back. “SHUT UP SHUT UP!” I screamed back to myself.

“Adie?” Billie whispered, wanting my answer as he cupped his hand around my cheek which only made me feel worse for my guilty conscience.

“Babe I…I don’t know how to tell you this in any other way,” I began, slowly pushing myself out from under his cologne evaporating body.

“What is it?” he questioned, quirking his eyebrow and also raising himself off me, sitting on the side, waiting patiently for my response.

“I’m…I’m preg…” I was just about to say, when I got cut off by his ringing cellular phone. However I think he understood what I was about to say because his eyes widened.

“Mike I’ll call you back,” Billie replied to the receiver, shutting off his phone looking back towards me. “Good joke Adie, I almost believed you there,” he laughed, thinking I was just making this up for amusement. Boy was he in for a surprise.

“Billie it wasn’t a joke, I really am pregnant,” I said again, looking at him straightly. I watched his smile slowly fade away; giving me the indication that he was trying to compute with what I was telling him.

“You’re not playing with me are you,” he said softly, his eyes growing worried glancing down at my stomach and back up at my face.

“I wish I was,” I whispered back, looking away from him.

“Adie, how did this happen? We’re always extra careful when it comes to avoid impregnating you by accident,” he stated, glancing at me, then back down to his hands.

“I’m…I lied to you about having food poisoning three weeks ago,” I mentioned, fixing my bra strap that fell down across my arm and taking in a deep breath.

“How could you lie to me about something like this?” he questioned, placing his right hand across my shoulder in order for me to face him.

“I know, I’m sorry I should’ve told you earlier, I was just waiting for the right time,” I answered back, feeling the lump in my throat growing bigger.

“We’re going to have another baby…another Armstrong in the family,” he whispered to himself in disbelief, but loud enough for me to hear.

“Yes we are…that’s the reason I couldn’t drink alcohol when I was with you in New Orleans,” I spoke back, looking up at his confused and shocked face. “We didn’t use any contraception the last time we slept together,” I began to explain, my heart thumping faster as I waited for his reply.

“What do you mean we didn’t use protection Adie!” he suddenly snapped. “I use protection all the fucking time and you take your pill all the time as well…unless of course if you forgot to it take it the last time we fucked!” he exclaimed sarcastically, aggression passing through the tone of his voice.

“Billie don’t you DARE even think of blaming this all on me!” I shouted back with sadness, feeling my eyes tremble with tears. “This is equally your fault just as it is mine…I didn’t think you’d react like this, I…I thought you’d be…happy or at least understanding,” I lied, knowing well and true that Billie wouldn’t take this news easily. I closed my eyes only to feel my husband draw near me, and take hold of my hand.

“Darling I’m sorry, it’s just that we’ve always used protection and it worked for a good eight years after Jakob was born, I mean…couldn’t you have reminded me to at least stop before we had gone any further and told me to put it on,” he explained, clasping both his hands over mine, his voice changing back to a normal level.

“Accident’s happen Billie, I couldn’t stop you and you couldn’t have stopped me either and I would’ve taken the pill but I was out of them… I didn’t think I’d get pregnant that easily, I mean it wasn’t that time of month for god sake,” I answered him, afraid to look up into his eyes that had always made my stomach tighten.

“I’m just overwhelmed by this sudden news, why couldn’t you have told me this earlier instead of lying to me,” Billie replied, his voice changing to a sympathetic tone as he sat on the edge of the mattress beside me.

“I’m sorry,” I pouted, laying my head across his shoulder as he gently put his arms across me.

“Was this the right time to tell me…on your birthday?” he questioned, spreading back onto the backside of our bed frame.

“I didn’t know when I was going to tell you Billie, I don’t know what we’re going to do,” I answered, trying to wipe away my salt-stained face.

“Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright,” he reassured, placing the edge of his chin on the side of my head, lowering his arm down to my stomach and gently hugging me.

*End of Adie’s P.O.V*

***

“Why is this homework unfinished?” Ms Moutevelis questioned Jakob, glaring down at him angrily.

“I didn’t know how to do this part Ms,” Jakob lied with an innocent tone.

“You little rascal, you’re lying to me aren’t you,” she retorted back, the tone of her voice frightening the rest of the students.

“No I’m not, I really didn’t know how to do them,” Jakob lied once again, glancing down at his book.

“If everyone else knew how to do them, why couldn’t you?” she said again in a sly tone.

“Well I’m sorry I’m not perfect like every one else and it’s not like you can teach properly anyway,” Jakob replied with an attitude.

“GET OUT OF MY CLASS!” his teacher screamed, pointing outside to where the isolation desk was placed.

Jakob was put outside of his class room and was given a blank book of 300 pages to fill out with the sentence ‘I will not give attitude to the teacher ’. During lunch time, he was to sit alone in the library to finish off his work and to eat his food, however Cody had managed to pass by the librarian and get to Jakob.

“Today is not your day, is it?” Cody questioned in a whisper, sitting on the floor hiding behind the table.

“Actually it’s pretty fun if you ask me,” Jakob replied, pretending to write in his book.

“How is it?” Cody asked, with a confused look.

“Think about it, I get to be in school and spend the whole day out of class where you guys are doing work and being taught by that bitch,” Jakob explained, with a grin.

“Oh I get you…so why couldn’t you do that last part for homework?” Cody asked again, fiddling with his shoe laces.

“I had no time and I couldn’t be bothered,” Jakob sighed, sliding down halfway on the seat.

“Oh so you really did lie, how did Moutevelis know that,” Cody thought, glancing up at his best friend.

“Well Joey said she’s pure evil, so I guess we should think of it that way,” Jakob replied, picking up another book pretending to read.

“Mmm I guess that’s one way of looking at it…hey Jake, do you know what mastur…masturbation is?” Cody questioned, thinking of how to pronounce the word.

“Huh?” Jakob muttered in confusion. “Does that word even exist?” Jakob replied once again.

“Well I think so…you see on Saturday my big brother Daniel got caught by my dad for doing something that was supposedly really bad and I sort of over heard their conversation from the other room and that word slipped in,” Cody explained, scratching his nose.

“Maybe you heard it wrong,” Jakob said, glancing at him and then back to his books.

“Yeah maybe…do you want some nerds?” Cody offered, holding up a brown and yellow colored box.

Willy Wonka coca cola nerds, hand them over,” Jakob grinned on a quiet level.

“What’s Moutevelis going to do if you don’t finish filling up every line in this book?” Cody asked, perching his head upward to glance at what Jakob was writing, whilst stuffing a handful of candy in his mouth.

“Well, she said that I wont be allowed to come back to class until I finish all of it and she muttered something about calling my mum or dad, but I sort of tuned out because I got sick of hearing her voice screech in my ears,” Jakob laughed, filling his mouth with the sugary candy.

“I don’t know how I’m going to last the whole school year with her,” Cody frowned in disappointment.

“Yeah me either…I think she really hates me,” Jakob replied, taking a peek from the window at the rest of the students playing outside.

“Jakob, I think she hates everyone…Do you think she’s married?” Cody asked, taking out his handball and throwing it lightly in the air.

“Cody are you crazy? No one in their right mind would want to even think of marrying her, and if they did then she…she probably would’ve said something really scary or dangerous to frighten them and probably make them wish they were never born,” Jakob replied, loosening his navy coloured tie.

“Well she isn’t wearing a ring on her right hand anyway, so she probably isn’t,” Cody muttered back.

A few minutes later, Joey and Ryan surprisingly appeared into the library, walking right up to Jakob.

“Jake what are you doing here?” Joey asked, sitting down on the opposite side of Jakob.

“Long story…Moutevelis pulled me out of the classroom because I gave her attitude and yeah now I’m sitting here for lunch and need to finish this 300 page book she wants me to complete,” Jakob explained, placing both his hands on the side of his face.

“Ooo that’s tough,” Ryan muttered, glancing behind Jakob to take notice of Cody hiding away.

“Hey what are you doing under here?” Ryan asked, with his hands in his pockets.

“I came to see Jakob and I don’t want the librarian to see me or else I’ll get kicked out,” Cody explained, gently coming up to see Joey staring at him along with Ryan.

“Don’t worry she won’t say anything, its lunch and what better way to spend it, then sitting in the library on a nice sunny day reading Dr. Seuss?” Joey sarcastically winked, taking hold of the red covered book. “Green Eggs and Ham,” Joey laughed, glancing at Ryan to come sit next to him and read one of their favorite kindergarten books.

“I am Sam, I am Sam, Sam I am,” Ryan and Joey began to read out loud.

“Joey stop,” Jakob cringed, annoyed that he had to listen to them recite it as he had read it four times that day.

“Do you like green eggs and ham; I do not like them, Sam-I-am. I do not like, green eggs and ham,” Ryan and Joey continued with grins across their faces.

“No!” Jakob snapped, pulling the book out of Joey’s grip. “I’ve had enough of reading it alright, in fact I’d rather die then hear it again,” Jakob said again, lowering down his voice so that they wouldn’t all get in trouble.

“Alright, alright, we’ve got to go anyway,” Joey replied, standing up from his chair and yawning. “I’ve got to go and get my soccer ball off Mr. Griffin because he confiscated it first period,” Joey muttered, walking away with Ryan.

“What time will you finish practice?” Jakob questioned, standing up from his chair.

“Around 3:30, I already told you that in the morning,” Joey whined, turning back with an agitated facial expression.

“Alright, Bye,” Jakob muttered, sitting back down only to hear the school bell ring.

“Oh man I don’t want to leave now,” Cody whined, slowly standing up from the floor he was sitting on.

“Great, I have to get back to writing about another 290 pages of this stupid sentence,” Jakob sighed, grabbing hold of his blue ballpoint pen. “Do you have a lot of set homework?” Jakob questioned, glancing at Cody.

“Yes, I think she’s going to send someone before the end to tell you what’s for homework…all I can remember is pages 4 to 8 from our English exercise book is for homework, other than that I don’t think she said anything else,” Cody informed, picking through his pockets and walking towards the exit. “I’ll see you later or most probably tomorrow,” he said once again, waving back and heading out the door.

“Stay safe, don’t let Moutevelis run over you,” Jakob replied with a laugh, waving again and glancing back down to his pointless work.

***

“Adie, come on we’ll be late to pick up the boys,” Billie sighed, gently pulling his wife out of their foyer and outside to the entrance of their grand house.

“Take it easy for crying out loud… soon I’ll be a walking whale,” Adrienne remarked with a teasing grin.

“Ha-ha I can’t wait,” Billie sarcastically replied, locking their front door and walking towards their 4wd.

“And what’s that suppose to mean exactly?” Adie questioned, pretending to sound offended.

“Oh nothing, I’ve missed those days were I’m prohibited for 9 months to keep away from you with no psychical intimacy,” Billie answered, with a pouting tone. He pulled out of their driveway and drove off to their children’s school.

“Oh shush,” Adie laughed, turning on the radio to a low volume. The car drive fell silent, filled with a happy atmosphere.

“Hey we’re not going to tell the boys yet are we?” Billie questioned, referring to the pregnancy.

“No, not yet…not until we’re past the ‘danger zone’,” Adie replied, thinking and placing her arm around her stomach.

“How long are you classified under the ‘danger zone’ for anyway?” Billie questioned curiously, glancing back and forth at his wife and the road.

“Around the first two-three months,” Adrienne informed, smiling gently.

“Another gorgeous mix up of me and you,” Billie cooed back, his smile growing into a sexy grin.

“I know, don’t you just miss it,” Adrienne sighed back, glancing around the streets.

“Eight years ago Adie, it feels like the news about Jakob was just yesterday,” Billie replied, slowing down as he came closer to the school’s entrance and parking it parallel to the curb.

“I reckon, time flew too quickly…speaking of the devil, here he comes,” Adie grinned, unlocking the back door for Jakob to come in.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MOMMY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!” Jakob sang loudly, pushing his bag off his back and leaning forward to give his mother a kiss on her cheek.

“Thank you sweetie,” Adrienne replied, suffocating her son with kisses, allowing Billie to tickle his son and hear him laugh.

“Stop it,” Jakob laughed, as his father continued to tickle him and ruffle his hair. Billie finally stopped teasing his youngest son and continued to laugh with both Adie and Jakob.

“Phew I feel too hot,” Jakob proclaimed, taking off his school blazer and whipping off his tie.

“Did Joey tell you what time he’ll finish?” Adie questioned, glancing at her husband momentarily.

“Yeah he said 3:30ish…he should be out soon enough,” Billie replied.

“So Jake, how was school today?” his mother asked, turning around in her chair with a gentle smile.

“Oh it was…good I guess,” Jakob responded with a smirk, feeling his cheeks that were crimson red.

“What did Moutevelis do to you?” Billie asked, quirking his eyebrow with a sly grin as he looked at his son through his rearview mirror. Moutevelis had already called on his phone and informed him during the lunch hours.

“Nothing, she’s the same old mean teacher that she always was and will never change,” Jakob sighed, glancing away from his father’s eyes and focusing on the students that were getting on the bus and leaving the school grounds.

“Did you finish filling that book out for her?” Adie laughed, pushing her head back into the seat as she glanced at her husband who was grinning back at her.

“W…what book?” Jakob lied, pretending as though he had no idea what his parents were on about.

“Jakob Danger Armstrong, quit playing games with us,” Billie said back, purposely using his angry voice just to scare his son, trying to hide his growing urge to laugh out loud.

“She called you didn’t she,” Jakob said, rolling his eyes and looking at his father through the mirror.

“Well of course she did, wouldn’t you have expected that,” his mother said, cracking a grin through her mirror.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get in trouble,” Jakob pouted, kicking the floor of the car gently with his foot.

“Jake, we’re too happy to be mad at you right now but we’d at least appreciate, if you told us the truth from now on,” Billie explained, holding his wife’s hand gently, causing their fingers to entwine with each other.

“Thank god it’s mum’s birthday then,” Jakob smiled, glancing back up at his parents, feeling as though they were going to make out right in front of him. “Mom, did you like your gifts?” Jakob questioned, quickly changing subjects.

“I decided to wait and open them up with you and Joey instead,” his mother replied, watching more students leave the school premises.

“Come on Joey, where are you?” Billie muttered anxiously under his breath, glancing at his Rolex watch to read ‘3:38pm’.

“Oh good I think he’s coming…yeah it’s him,” Adie said back, placing her hand out and waving for Joey to see her.

He took notice of his mother’s hand and waved back, balancing on his soccer ball with his right leg. He then went back to his friends and said goodbye to all of them and began walking up the footpath towards the car, kicking his soccer ball along.

“Hey dad, can I ask you a question?” Jakob piped up, sitting on the edge of the back car seat and pulling his bag closer to the side to make room for his brother.

“Sure, what is it buddy?” Billie said back, leaning against his steering wheel and looking ahead of him.

“Cody said this word to me, asking me if I knew what it meant…I don’t think it does exist but anyway,” Jakob began explaining, rocking back and forth on his seat.

“What’s the word?” his father replied, watching his older son continuing to walk towards them.

“It’s-” Jakob was answering, stopping quickly as his mother suddenly interrupted.

“Billie, what’s Joey doing?” Adie interrupted, trying to move her head around the side as her view of the road was blocked by another car.

“Mmm…why’s he suddenly stopped?” Billie replied, also moving his head out of his window to see what his son was doing.

As Joey was kicking his soccer ball, he accidently kicked it a little too far causing for it to roll onto the main road.

*Billie’s P.O.V*

“His soccer ball…where is it?” I questioned, my heart beginning to thump rapidly. I could barely see his head from the car parked in front of us, I could only make out he was moving by seeing half of his uniform. I suddenly saw his black and white torn out soccer ball rolling onto the road, causing him to follow it. Wait…is he paying attention to that silver colored car speeding ahead?

“Billie,” my wife muttered concernedly, removing her belt buckle and sitting up on the edge of her seat.

Joey reached the other side of the road and picked up his soccer ball from underneath a parked car. He got up and began walking forward with his attention focused on his scratched, dirty ball, not paying any attention to the silver colored car that was speeding his way. Everything from that moment felt as though time was running in slow motion.

“Dad, what’s masturba-” Jakob was about to say being cut off by my screaming voice, unaware of what was about to happen to his brother.

“JOEY NOOO!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, as the speeding car’s breaks screeched against the rock hard gravel, hitting my son against the curb. I rushed out of the car like a maniac, unaware of what was about to happen to my life. I don’t know how fast I ran as I came up close to my sons unconscious body, falling down to my knees. People on the streets instantly ran up to the accident, looking down at me as I held Joey’s motionless body close to me, feeling my eyes instantly let go of the tears that quickly accumulated from fear and drop down against Joey’s scratched, bleeding face.

“CALL A FUCKING AMBULANCE!” I yelled out suddenly, feeling someone push behind me only to hear Adrienne screaming and crying. She pulled Joey out of my hands, holding him close to her body. I stood up with a wet face and turned around only to see the silver car down the street, speeding away.