She's Not Afraid

Adrienne's POV

I had been sitting in my living room, shaking my leg to keep myself calm. We're supposed to have a band meeting and discuss what to do for the upcoming shows. And if anything happens to go down, Niall and Liam had volunteered to stand guard.
James and Duke were already here and Roxy called earlier saying that she would be late. I continue to sit as my hands tremble.

"You okay, Adri?" Niall whispers in my ear. I turn to face him and nod.

"I just need to calm down a bit." I say quickly.

"Ya'know Liam and me are here fer ya." He says, while rubbing my back. I nod again just as there is a knock on the door. I go over and open it and see Roxy standing there, well struggling to stay standing.

"Hey...hey A-Adrienne." She slurs then hiccups. I let her stumble inside and see Duke and James scowl at her. "Heeeeeyy guys! Wassup?!"

James rolls his eyes and mutters.
"Waitin' for your loose ass to get here."

I suppress a gasp while Duke 's jaw drops.
"Who are you callin' ...loose?!" Roxy asks while sitting opposite of Duke.

"Okay, okay, let's get down to business before anything else goes down." I say then my newly accumulated tick shows it's ugly little head.

"What's up with you?" Duke asks.

I sigh and feel my body tremble.
"I...I got back on heroine and...was hospitalized. That's why I couldn't make our gig yesterday. I had seizures...And it's left me with a n-nervous tick." I say then take a breath.

"Can you still sing?" James asks.

"Where did you get heroin from?" Duke asks, tilting his head.

That's when Roxy drops her head.
"I can, but I need to get my weight up before we perform again. And Duke's question bring m-me to my next point..." I bite my lip and turn my head to look at Niall. He closes his eyes and nods, ushering on. I turn back around then sigh.
"And Roxy is the one who gave me the dope...And I need to get rid of toxic people so Roxy, I think you should leave the band."

The guys gasp and Roxy hops out of the sofa.
"You wan' me to leeaave tha band?! Just 'cause I got my hands...on some dope?!"

"Roxy, you are fucking drunk right now, and it's only 1pm!" James shouts. "Plus, you've been buzzed out on stage during the last few shows! You are a danger to our success and yourself, so I agree with Adrienne with this."

Roxy gasps then turns to Duke.
"And wha d'ya hafta say 'bout thisss, Dukey?" She buffs.

"Roxy, I loved you, but once you started doing strong drugs, I couldn't deal with your shit. You need to leave the band." Duke says. He then drops his head and sighs.

Roxy hiccups then scowls.
"W-well then...fuck you guys." She sniffs, leaves, and slams the door behind her.

After a few seconds pass, I exhale and throw my head back.
"I hope you get better, Adri." James says walking over to me. He hugs me and pats my shoulder. "And I promise not to tell the family."

I give a weak smile.
"Thanks, cuz."

"And I hope all goes well for you, too, Adrienne." Duke smiles. "I'll go see if my neighbor is still looking for a band."

"Thank you, Duke." I say. "I'm happy you guys are supportive with this."

"Of course we would. Plus, you haven't been toxic once. Roxy has been screwing with us for the longest." Duke says.

After we chat and sip on tea, James, Duke, and Liam leave. Once I close the door, I turn around, lean on it, then slide to the floor. I take a deep breath and let the tears I've been holding in, fall.

Niall comes over to me with a confused look on his face and I smile at him.
"These are happy tears, Ni."

"Good, 'cause I was gettin' worried." He says bending over. Niall scoops my body up and carries me to the bedroom.