‹ Prequel: Dear God
Status: ACTIVE
Almost Easy
Half your life you struggle, half your life you fly
Liz’s POV
Moving to a new town so far from home, being pregnant, and trying to find work, was probably the most stressful combination of scenarios I have ever put myself in. Never mind the whole buying a house deal, which thankfully the area I chose had gorgeous houses and was not as debilitatingly expensive as I had anticipated for my current budget of my life savings.
I had found an ok apartment to settle in for now until I decided my next life move, which looking at the calendar every day, was going to be bringing a child in to this world with literally zero support system. Which was all my own choosing. I glanced down at the brick-like cell phone on the desk in front of me and sighed. Living while trying to stay off the radar of thousands of people who knew my last name and brothers face, which I happened to share a very close likeness of myself, was proving not as difficult as I planned. That, I was thankful for. Thankfully not many people my age, here, were big fans of hard rock. I had landed a job being a receptionist for a dentist office within the town I moved to, it was nice, it was cute, and the people were lovely.
I’m pretty sure I was hired solely on the premise of the fact I was almost in tears upon arriving to my interview because I had been without my morning sickness medication for two days and hadn’t been able to make a single interview because of the fact I was head-hung in to a trash bin most of the day waiting for a doctor to call me back on making an appointment. It was a rough first month here to put it nicely, and a few later I finally had the swing of things.
“Hi,” My attention was taken off of day dreaming as a patient walked in, “My names Annie Jacobs, I have an appointment at nine with Dr. Heely?”
“Oh, sure.” I clicked a few buttons on the computer screen and checked her in, smiling up at her bright blue eyes as she redirected them from my stomach to my face, “You’re all set a nurse will be out shortly to bring you back.”
“Thanks.” She grinned and turned quickly away.
I leaned back in my chair and huffed, only a handful of weeks left until my life change upside down once again.
.:.:.:.:.
Matt’s POV
The calendar hung in my kitchen, my empty booze bottle filled kitchen, had large black X’s in each day box leading up to one circled in a giant red, well, circle. Liz’s due date, or from what she had told me when she was here, what he due date should be.
Or as Jacky called it and graced us all with the reminder in our phones: pop day. Which she loved reminding us we wouldn’t be home for, her’s was weeks before Liz’s and a piece of me wished and prayed every day that she would have the decency to reach out before it happened. So far? I’ll take Not Happening for a thousand, Alex. Answer? Daily Double. We were most likely going to be left in the dark about Liz’s delivery and probably had a good chance of missing Jacky’s by a few hours.
The whole situation was enough to drive someone to drink, which I was currently doing. As I did by ten in the morning every Tuesday… And Wednesday, and come to think of it Thursday. Alright so every day. It was fine, I sobered up enough to meet up with the guys when they nagged me enough and once Brian even came over and physically dragged me, blacked out, out of my house on to the lawn to sober me up. It was great having friends who cared so much. This is where I laugh sarcastically and explain they’re only doing it so I don’t die and they have to deal with my funeral while dealing with Liz’s disappearance and Zack’s new baby.
Then there was tour, which we left for in two days. That flew by quickly, but I wouldn’t know, for all I knew yesterday I was standing in LAX with Zack and Brian trying to pry information out of the poor lady at the kiosk fielding Zack’s emotional outburst about Liz leaving. That’s really the last memory I had before I bought the liquor store out of booze and started quite literally drowning myself in tears and whiskey. And cheap vodka, really whatever I could get my hands on fastest in the store so no one could bother me. I would have to find a way to closet drink on a bus surrounded by people who were handling this, seemingly, a thousand times better than I was.
Seemingly, I told myself, because if I confirmed they were in fact no where near as bothered as I was, I’d lose it even more. That’s saying something. AS of right this moment the only thing keeping me alive was the thought that in eighteen years my child would have the right to come looking for me and I’ll be damned if he gets sent to some lonely ass headstone somewhere.
“Are you serious again?”
I looked up from the blank email on my laptop to see Brian standing in front of me, “When did you get in here?”
“Ten minute ago, you’ve been sitting there with that open email this whole time, mumbling under your breath. You really didn’t hear me yell when I came in? Or while I’ve been standing here?” He asked, I shook my head, “Jesus man-“
“I can’t die like this.” The thought hit me, “What did she mean I won? I won? What did I win? A life of misery waiting for her to come back? Waiting for her to give me some type of answer? Is that what I won? That’s not fucking fair-“
“So… what you’ve been doing to Liz for years now?” Brian pushed his jaw tight and cocked his head, “Listen, I’m not here to talk about this. We’ve all come to terms with the fact she’s an adult, she’ll be ok, if she needs us she’ll reach out. You aren’t going to die like this and wanna know why? Because we’re here for you, for whatever reason why, keeping you alive. Now,” He looked around and pretended to hold back barf, “Let’s attempt to get you packed and cleaned up? We leave in two days, I doubt you have any clean clothes in this house and because I prohibited Michelle on coming in here,” I raised an eye down as he rolled his eyes, “She could suffocate to death it smells like… honestly it smells kind of fine-“
“Because I do clean up, it’s just empty bottles everywhere because I don’t need my garbage men knowing I drink like a house of sailors.” I shrugged, “And I shower, daily, alright? Drunk me doesn’t even like smelling my own balls.”
“Well, right on. Still, we need to pack.”
I nodded and managed to stand up, letting Brian talk over the questions about Liz that were running through my mind now. This seemed like it was going to be an ongoing thing for tour. I knew for a fact Zack would probably hit me in to next year if I got emotional about it because I’m the one who chased away his little sister and his only chance at having a nephew. So there was that.
“Oh about my room-“
I paused as Brian opened the door of my bedroom and gasped, “Yo, dude.” He looked back at me and blinked.
“Yeah, so I have this problem about ordering things online when I’m drunk… which I have been for months now.” I pushed a few boxes aside as we walked in.
“What… What the fuck is in here?” He asked, opening one and groaning, “Really?”
“I’m going to be a dad, and the chances of Liz coming back-“
“Are none.” He closed the box full of diapers and pushed his hand through his hair, “Listen, obviously I get how excited you were, how devastated you are, I can’t say I know what you’re going through, but having dozens…” He looked around and raised an eyebrow again, “Hundreds? Of boxes of baby stuff… it’s creepy and slightly concerning for people who don’t get it. So… we will bring these to Zack and Jacky’s, since they can use them if, by chance, Liz doesn’t reappear with a small child any time soon and then you don’t look like some child-creep hoarder. Ok? Jesus man you don’t make this easy. She was my best friend, alright? Michelle’s best friend. We get it, we really do. No one wants to hear it from you any more. She gave you years of her life and you fucked her over. SO many times I can’t even keep track, yet you didn’t figure it out. I cheated on Michelle, I fixed it when shit got real. When I really fucked up and almost fucked your wife, my best friend, that one hit home. I fixed it, I don’t know what is so chemically different with you but you can’t. You don’t deserve her,” He only slightly hesitated at the sight of my eyes darting to the floor, a few tears falling down my face, “ And no one gives a fuck about that ok? So let’s pack, get this shit… sorted. And get you to my place to detox you before the bus comes ok?”
“Yeah, sure.” I nodded and pushed boxes aside, “Whatever works.”
“Good, because you honestly cost us all having her and that baby around with your stupidity.”
“I get it, thanks.” I furrowed my eyebrows and made my way to the closet to dig out my tour luggage, this was about to be a joyful few weeks.
Moving to a new town so far from home, being pregnant, and trying to find work, was probably the most stressful combination of scenarios I have ever put myself in. Never mind the whole buying a house deal, which thankfully the area I chose had gorgeous houses and was not as debilitatingly expensive as I had anticipated for my current budget of my life savings.
I had found an ok apartment to settle in for now until I decided my next life move, which looking at the calendar every day, was going to be bringing a child in to this world with literally zero support system. Which was all my own choosing. I glanced down at the brick-like cell phone on the desk in front of me and sighed. Living while trying to stay off the radar of thousands of people who knew my last name and brothers face, which I happened to share a very close likeness of myself, was proving not as difficult as I planned. That, I was thankful for. Thankfully not many people my age, here, were big fans of hard rock. I had landed a job being a receptionist for a dentist office within the town I moved to, it was nice, it was cute, and the people were lovely.
I’m pretty sure I was hired solely on the premise of the fact I was almost in tears upon arriving to my interview because I had been without my morning sickness medication for two days and hadn’t been able to make a single interview because of the fact I was head-hung in to a trash bin most of the day waiting for a doctor to call me back on making an appointment. It was a rough first month here to put it nicely, and a few later I finally had the swing of things.
“Hi,” My attention was taken off of day dreaming as a patient walked in, “My names Annie Jacobs, I have an appointment at nine with Dr. Heely?”
“Oh, sure.” I clicked a few buttons on the computer screen and checked her in, smiling up at her bright blue eyes as she redirected them from my stomach to my face, “You’re all set a nurse will be out shortly to bring you back.”
“Thanks.” She grinned and turned quickly away.
I leaned back in my chair and huffed, only a handful of weeks left until my life change upside down once again.
.:.:.:.:.
Matt’s POV
The calendar hung in my kitchen, my empty booze bottle filled kitchen, had large black X’s in each day box leading up to one circled in a giant red, well, circle. Liz’s due date, or from what she had told me when she was here, what he due date should be.
Or as Jacky called it and graced us all with the reminder in our phones: pop day. Which she loved reminding us we wouldn’t be home for, her’s was weeks before Liz’s and a piece of me wished and prayed every day that she would have the decency to reach out before it happened. So far? I’ll take Not Happening for a thousand, Alex. Answer? Daily Double. We were most likely going to be left in the dark about Liz’s delivery and probably had a good chance of missing Jacky’s by a few hours.
The whole situation was enough to drive someone to drink, which I was currently doing. As I did by ten in the morning every Tuesday… And Wednesday, and come to think of it Thursday. Alright so every day. It was fine, I sobered up enough to meet up with the guys when they nagged me enough and once Brian even came over and physically dragged me, blacked out, out of my house on to the lawn to sober me up. It was great having friends who cared so much. This is where I laugh sarcastically and explain they’re only doing it so I don’t die and they have to deal with my funeral while dealing with Liz’s disappearance and Zack’s new baby.
Then there was tour, which we left for in two days. That flew by quickly, but I wouldn’t know, for all I knew yesterday I was standing in LAX with Zack and Brian trying to pry information out of the poor lady at the kiosk fielding Zack’s emotional outburst about Liz leaving. That’s really the last memory I had before I bought the liquor store out of booze and started quite literally drowning myself in tears and whiskey. And cheap vodka, really whatever I could get my hands on fastest in the store so no one could bother me. I would have to find a way to closet drink on a bus surrounded by people who were handling this, seemingly, a thousand times better than I was.
Seemingly, I told myself, because if I confirmed they were in fact no where near as bothered as I was, I’d lose it even more. That’s saying something. AS of right this moment the only thing keeping me alive was the thought that in eighteen years my child would have the right to come looking for me and I’ll be damned if he gets sent to some lonely ass headstone somewhere.
“Are you serious again?”
I looked up from the blank email on my laptop to see Brian standing in front of me, “When did you get in here?”
“Ten minute ago, you’ve been sitting there with that open email this whole time, mumbling under your breath. You really didn’t hear me yell when I came in? Or while I’ve been standing here?” He asked, I shook my head, “Jesus man-“
“I can’t die like this.” The thought hit me, “What did she mean I won? I won? What did I win? A life of misery waiting for her to come back? Waiting for her to give me some type of answer? Is that what I won? That’s not fucking fair-“
“So… what you’ve been doing to Liz for years now?” Brian pushed his jaw tight and cocked his head, “Listen, I’m not here to talk about this. We’ve all come to terms with the fact she’s an adult, she’ll be ok, if she needs us she’ll reach out. You aren’t going to die like this and wanna know why? Because we’re here for you, for whatever reason why, keeping you alive. Now,” He looked around and pretended to hold back barf, “Let’s attempt to get you packed and cleaned up? We leave in two days, I doubt you have any clean clothes in this house and because I prohibited Michelle on coming in here,” I raised an eye down as he rolled his eyes, “She could suffocate to death it smells like… honestly it smells kind of fine-“
“Because I do clean up, it’s just empty bottles everywhere because I don’t need my garbage men knowing I drink like a house of sailors.” I shrugged, “And I shower, daily, alright? Drunk me doesn’t even like smelling my own balls.”
“Well, right on. Still, we need to pack.”
I nodded and managed to stand up, letting Brian talk over the questions about Liz that were running through my mind now. This seemed like it was going to be an ongoing thing for tour. I knew for a fact Zack would probably hit me in to next year if I got emotional about it because I’m the one who chased away his little sister and his only chance at having a nephew. So there was that.
“Oh about my room-“
I paused as Brian opened the door of my bedroom and gasped, “Yo, dude.” He looked back at me and blinked.
“Yeah, so I have this problem about ordering things online when I’m drunk… which I have been for months now.” I pushed a few boxes aside as we walked in.
“What… What the fuck is in here?” He asked, opening one and groaning, “Really?”
“I’m going to be a dad, and the chances of Liz coming back-“
“Are none.” He closed the box full of diapers and pushed his hand through his hair, “Listen, obviously I get how excited you were, how devastated you are, I can’t say I know what you’re going through, but having dozens…” He looked around and raised an eyebrow again, “Hundreds? Of boxes of baby stuff… it’s creepy and slightly concerning for people who don’t get it. So… we will bring these to Zack and Jacky’s, since they can use them if, by chance, Liz doesn’t reappear with a small child any time soon and then you don’t look like some child-creep hoarder. Ok? Jesus man you don’t make this easy. She was my best friend, alright? Michelle’s best friend. We get it, we really do. No one wants to hear it from you any more. She gave you years of her life and you fucked her over. SO many times I can’t even keep track, yet you didn’t figure it out. I cheated on Michelle, I fixed it when shit got real. When I really fucked up and almost fucked your wife, my best friend, that one hit home. I fixed it, I don’t know what is so chemically different with you but you can’t. You don’t deserve her,” He only slightly hesitated at the sight of my eyes darting to the floor, a few tears falling down my face, “ And no one gives a fuck about that ok? So let’s pack, get this shit… sorted. And get you to my place to detox you before the bus comes ok?”
“Yeah, sure.” I nodded and pushed boxes aside, “Whatever works.”
“Good, because you honestly cost us all having her and that baby around with your stupidity.”
“I get it, thanks.” I furrowed my eyebrows and made my way to the closet to dig out my tour luggage, this was about to be a joyful few weeks.