Power Over Me

I’m sitting in my dad’s living room, on my laptop, looking for houses when Britt, Michelle and Kenny burst in; all with glares on their faces.

“What fucking gives, Lee?” Michelle is the first to speak. “How long have you been in L.A and you haven’t told any of us!?”

“I’ve only been here a couple days, don’t worry.” I roll my eyes. “I was gonna tell y’all eventually.”

“I thought it would be a cold day in hell before you move back to L.A?” Kenny asks. “The last time you were in L.A was for me and Ben’s wedding.”

“Well Covid did make travel difficult.” I shrug. “And everything is fine. Change is good. I’m selling my home in Nashville and coming home. Nothing huge.”

“You’re avoiding telling us what’s wrong because you know damn well that Michelle is gonna kill Douglas.” Britt points out, causing me to roll my eyes. “I’m right, aren’t I? There has to be a reason you’re coming home and Doug isn’t here despite his daughter being here. Letty is here, right?”

“She’s taking a nap with her grandpa.” I reply. “And you’re correct, I’m avoiding telling you guys because Michelle is going to kill Doug, which isn’t gonna happen. He is still Letty’s father.”

“What did the British fucktard do now?” Michelle asks, harshly.

“He cheated on me…again.” I reply. “And once again, he did it with his ex-girlfriend. We were constantly fighting and yea that’s not an excuse but it’s not like I could blame him. Bel doesn’t nag him. Bel is perfect. Bel is the love of his life…” I feel myself start to spiral. I take a deep breath and recenter myself. “We’ve been separated for 3 months. I tried to stay in London but it’s too painful. Nashville wouldn’t be the greatest choice, so L.A it is.”

“And why wouldn’t Nashville be the greatest choice?” Kenny asks, smirking; knowing damn well why Nashville is out of the question.

“Unless you want Ashley to be Letty’s father figure, it’s best I move to L.A.” I chuckle. “As much as I love living outside of L.A, it’s home and it’s a beacon that keeps calling me back.”

“So what’re you gonna do?” Britt asks, sitting next to me. “Are you guys done this time; for good?”

“I was a fucking idiot for taking him back the first time,” I start out. “But if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had my baby girl and that’s something I’m grateful for. But to answer your question, I’m done. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I take him back.”

“And we’ve heard that before.” Kenny rolls her eyes, causing me to sigh. She’s right. They’ve heard the same song and dance before. They heard it with Ashley for years and they heard it the last time Doug couldn’t keep it in his pants.

“Does anyone else know about you and Doug?” Michelle asks. “I need to know who to recruit for my plan to assassinate him.”

“Just you girls and my dad.” I reply. “And I want it to stay that way…at least for a little bit.”

“Please tell me you’re gonna write a song and give that fucker the biggest “fuck you” ever.” Michelle pleads, chuckling.

“I can write a whole album based on my relationships.” I laugh. “And trust me, I’m working on getting it out.”

“Look at our girl, being the next Taylor Swift.” Britt laughs. “Do you have anything written yet?”

“I have a song for Doug, it’s gonna be called Romeo Dies.” I proudly tell her. “I have one called Apocalyptic but that’s for Ashley.”

“So is it still gonna be on the poppier side or are you going towards rock music more?” Kenny asks. “You know Ben will help you with everything.”

“It’s gonna be a mixture.” I smile. “The label is giving me free rein with this one, which makes me excited.”

“So this next CD is gonna be a huge “fuck you” to your exes?” Michelle asks, sounding proud.

“The biggest!” A smile appears on my lips. “I’m done being a welcome mat to boys. It’s time to enter my villain era. I’m done getting hurt.”

Kenny smirks. “It’s about fucking time…”