The Road to Acceptance

Mike walked straight into Adrienne's room without bothering to knock, and stood ominously over her as she lay asleep.

"Get up," he ordered.

When she didn't respond he leant forward so his mouth was nearer her ear. "Get up," he repeated, just as stern.

"Mike---what the fuck---?" she mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Billie's on his way round. We're going to put an end to the confusion before it really begins."

At his words, Adrienne sprang out of bed, looking terrified. She knelt at his side, her arms wrapped around his legs and buried her head into his hip.

"Please---no Mike. Don't do this. Not now. Please---I am begging you---"

"The longer we leave it, the worse it's going to get. With us both together you can decide who you want."

She gripped his legs harder. "You don't understand," she sobbed. "If we tell Billie we're going to get in so much shit! Mom and dad will find out. And so will the other kids at school! We could go to jail Mike! Please---please let's not do this now."

As she pleaded with him, Mike felt a tiny pang of realisation in his chest. He knew what she was saying was right but he ignored it. "It was bound to come out sooner or later if our relationship was going to be serious."

"But not now---not like this." She scrambled to her feet and gripped Mike's shoulders hard, forcing him to look her in the eye. "Mike---" she spoke through gritted teeth, "please---not now."

Gritting his own teeth to disguise the fact that his voice was cracking due to welling of emotion in his throat, he pushed Adrienne away from him. "You fucked this up Adrienne. This is your doing. Now you have the chance to make it right---it's him---or me---"

The sound of a knocking at the door distracted both of their attention.

"Come on---" Mike beckoned, heading out the room. "This'll be Billie."

Adrienne's heart beat so furiously, she thought it would rip right though her shirt. This wasn't what she wanted. And with every step Mike took down the stairs, her panic heightened---she couldn't let this happen.

"Its you!" she heard herself cry from the top of the stairs. "I want you."

Mike stopped in his tracks, half way down the stairs. "Don't just say that for the sake of it," he hissed.

Trying her hardest not to trip and fall, Adrienne raced to meet Mike on the half way stair. "I'm not. I swear I'm not. The love I feel for Billie is nothing compared to the way I feel about you---and I mean that. I swear I do---just please, please don't make me go through with this---"

Mike hesitated. The knocking sound came again. Adrienne squeezed Mike's hand.

"Not now---" she whispered, her lips grazing Mike's ear lobe.

"Then when?"

"Soon---I promise. We'll sit everyone down and tell them in a rational manner. That way they'll know we're serious about each other---"

Mike sighed deeply as Billie's angry voice shouted through the letter box. "For fucks sake Dirnt---what are you fucking about at? Answer the fucking door!"

Leaving Adrienne stood adrift on the stairs, Mike went to open the door.

"What the fuck have you been doing?" Billie scolded as soon as the door opened.

"I was in the bathroom," Mike mumbled as he let Billie in.

Billie huffed as he kicked off his shoes, but was stopped in his tracks at the sight of Adrienne on the stairs.

"Hey," he said bluntly, quickly pushing past Mike to get into the living room.

Mike went to follow Billie, turning to look at Adrienne before he entered the room. He held her gaze for a second, the pleading look still etched on her face, and then he disappeared out of sight.

Adrienne was left adrift the stairs; her heart still pounding. What would Mike say? Would he keep his word? Should she have really told him that it was he that she wanted and not Billie?

It was the latter question that worried her most.

True, her outburst had come as a surprise, even to her. But surely she wouldn't have said it if she didn't mean it? Not knowing what Mike and Billie were talking about would kill her, she decided; so slowly, she edged down the stairs to linger just behind the living room doorway.

"So it's not the dance that you're worried about?" Adrienne heard Mike first.

"No."

"Then what is it then? Coz it seems to me that every time we talked last night about performing at the dance, you went all quiet and moody."

"It's got nothing to do with the dance alright!"

"Then what is it?!"

Mike's improvisation skills impressed Adrienne.

"It's complicated."

"Bullshit Billie Joe. I'm your best friend---nothing is too complicated for me to help."

What was Mike doing? She wondered. He was just delving deeper into Billie's troubles. Why wasn't he just leaving him be instead of pushing at him? If Billie talked, then Adrienne was sure all his feelings for her would be known, and she didn't know if Mike would be able to hold back from telling him the truth.

Torn whether or not to go and interrupt the two of them, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway distracted Adrienne from her thoughts.

The parents were home.

Not caring whether she interrupted now, Adrienne raced into the room and did a quick scan to make sure everything was in order. Much to the bewilderment of Mike and Billie, she threw herself onto the couch and turned the TV onto a random channel.

Mike started as if to question Adrienne, but the cheerful 'hello' from the front door answered all his thoughts.

"Hey mom," brother and sister called in unison.

"Hey Mrs Pritchard," Billie followed.

"Good trip?" Adrienne asked, standing to greet her mother and father as they entered the living room. Mike and Billie followed suit.

"I love it in the city, but it's a shame that meetings get in the way of my shopping!" Sheryl laughed, greeting the youths.

"Your mother couldn't get out of that conference hall fast enough!"

"Typical woman," Mike and Billie both scoffed together as they went back to their seats on the couch.
"Adrienne, will you help your mother fix dinner while I go and fax through these minutes to my office please?" her father asked.

"Sure." She headed into the kitchen but briefly hung in the doorway, listening intently to see if Mike would pick up the conversation. She sighed in relief when she heard them both laugh at something on TV.

But for how long the cartoons would keep the conversation in limbo, Adrienne did not know.

---

"Can I come in?" Mike's voice from her bedroom door distracted Adrienne from reading her book.

She smiled and closed the book, gesturing for Mike to sit by her. He smiled back and gratefully climbed in bed beside Adrienne, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her down onto his chest as he did so.

"Where's mom and dad?" she worriedly whispered.

"Relax, they're downstairs. And besides---I didn't come up here for anything---I just wanted to talk to you."

"What about?"

"Today. Did you really mean what you said? You want me instead of Billie?"

She felt her breath hitch in her chest and she coughed to hide her hesitation. "Of course I meant it! What makes you think that I didn't?"

"I'm just making sure that's all." He dropped his vice to barely above a whisper. "I love you so much Adrienne. I can't imagine ever being without you."

Wide eyed, Adrienne looked up at Mike. "Do you mean that?"

"Every word. You're not just my sister any more. You're my whole future."

Mike softly kissed Adrienne's lips and pulled her tighter.

"I love you too Mike," Adrienne whispered, meaning every word. She inwardly scolded herself for ever doubting her feelings for Mike because as they sat in the embrace, she felt that she had never loved him more.

He kissed her once more and climbed out of bed. "I better leave before I get too carried away," he laughed, pointing to the huge boner in his shorts.

Adrienne grinned wickedly and blew him a kiss goodnight before she shut off her lamp and rolled over.

'Well that's Mike sorted,' she thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep . 'Now just to tell Billie.'