Falling Down
Chapter 28
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and is not a reflection on any of the characters mentioned/portrayed...Al is my creation, so I can do with her what I want. Mwahaha.
A/N: A huge thank you to DeeMarie426 (Trust me, we're getting close to him finding out...very close…) and Amnbama (Thanks for reading and falling in love!). I'm working on updating this and Retaliation regularly, so you should expect updates to be more frequently than they were. I hope most of you are still reading and enjoying. I can promise that shit is gonna be going down soon. Let me know what you're thinking, you all know I love to hear from you! Love you guys! XoXoXo
Seeing as the Superstars and Divas had a show the next day, AJ and Jon were at the arena, preparing for said show. This gave Al and Phil the opportunity to spend some time together.
Jon had dropped Al off at Phil's house and picked AJ up to go to the show. The longtime friends were sitting on Phil's couch, in the living room.
"You can't seriously tell me that there's nothing going on between the two of you," he insisted.
Al rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Can't you just let this go? Jon's a really nice guy. I have a lot of fun with him, but I can't be in a relationship with anyone right now. I've got way too much on my plate," she replied.
Phil sighed. "How's your staying clean campaign going?"
She smiled. "Good. Sometimes it's hard, but I'm still clean."
"What's been making it hard?"
"Seeing me father, for starters," she breathed.
"Oh...when you and Jon went out to lunch in LA?"
Al nodded. 'Yeah. It just…" She let out a loud breath. "He's still a major trigger for me. I think seeing him made it worse."
Phil nodded. "Understandable. Has being with Jon helped?"
"Honestly, he's really good to talk to. He was rough around the edges at first, but now he's really great when it comes to just talking. He knows most of my story. He knows about my parents. He knows about Mark and Adam. I've pretty much spilled my guts to him about everything. He's good to have around, you know? He listens to me when I feel like talking," Al explained.
"That's good. How are you feeling about your recovery?"
"Overall, I feel pretty good. I have my bad days, but I still feel good. I'm determined this time. Really determined. I'm away from all of the bullshit in my life. I feel like I have a better grasp on my life now than I did the last couple of times I tried to get clean," she told him.
Phil nodded. "Well, I'm proud of how well you've been doing so far," he said with a small smile.
"Thanks. It's just...I dunno. I wish it was easier."
He nodded. "Me, too."
"But I'm really gonna do it this time," she confidently spoke.
"I know you will, Al. I believe you've got this," he assured her.
She smiled. "I hope you know that I really appreciate you getting me on the road and getting me away from all of that shit I was doing. It means a lot to me that you've never turned your back on me...even when I'm sure you wanted to," she spoke, meaning every word she spoke.
"Listen, you're like a little sister to me. I love you very much. I don't want anything happening to you."
She smiled. "I love you, Philly."
"I know you do," he replied. Phil paused for a couple of moments. "I'm really happy you're here. I'm happy to see you. I'm so happy that you're clean and doing a lot better than you've been."
"Me, too. I don't want to get back into all of that stuff again. I'm so sick of it. I want to have a real life. I want to fix things. I hate what I was. I hate how everyone sees me. I know it's my fault, but I want to be a better person. I want to have a good life. I don't want the life that I've had."
"You're gonna have a great life, Al. You're not a bad person. You've got problems. That's all," he replied.
"Yeah, I guess."
"AJ said she hangs out with you a little bit on the road. She told me you've been looking good, and you've been in really good spirits," he said.
She smiled. "I love seeing AJ around. She comes and spends some time with me when she can."
"Good. And I know you really don't want to talk about it, but I really don't believe that you're not sleeping with Jon."
Al rolled her eyes. "Phil, come on with this. Do you honestly think that I'm focused on having a relationship right now?"
"I know you, Al. You love companionship. You've been spending so much time with him. You've been sleeping in a bed next to him. You don't really have much privacy from him. And sometimes, you have that flirty way of acting. And Jon isn't big on dating and shut. But you also know how to make men fall for you."
Al rolled her eyes. "Phil, this isn't a good time for me to start something with anyone. I need to stay clean. My focus isn't on anything but staying clean and fixing my life."
"Don't give me that bullshit. We both know that you replace all of your problems with another problem. You aren't doing drugs anymore? You'll find a guy to drive you back onto them."
"Phil, come on. It isn't like that this time."
"You know I'm right."
"Okay. So, let's say you're right...you're not, but for argument's sake, we'll pretend that you are. What's wrong with me finding someone?" she questioned him.
"Well, for starters, you're just getting clean. You don't need that kind of drama right now. And please let's not get into how your past relationships haven't been particularly helpful to your ability to stay clean. And you're only with Jon because I need you to get away from the life that enabled you to stay hooked for all of these years.
"Okay. Well, that doesn't mean that being with Jon would cause me to relapse again."
Phil raised an unconvinced eyebrow at her. "Seriously? Don't even try that bullshit with me."
"It's possible. Jon's a really great guy. I'm sure he's the kind of guy that could take care of a woman," she spoke.
"Yeah? You're telling me this from personal experience, huh?" he shot at her.
"I'm not saying that at all, Phil. But even if I decided to get involved with Jon, maybe I wouldn't even want to tell you because you're so against it," she pointed out. Truthfully, she hated not telling him the truth. Al hoped that having this conversation with Phil could make him rethink his attitude about her being with Jon.
"So, what you're telling me is that you're with Jon and are afraid to tell me about it because you think that I'll get mad at you?" he asked her.
"No. It isn't even about Jon, at this point. I'm just saying...you're very protective of me. So, it's a little intimidating to think about telling you that I managed to get myself involved with anyone."
"I wouldn't be mad or anything."
She gave him a look. "Bullshit."
"I'm not gonna lie, if you got involved with someone right now, I wouldn't be happy, but I wouldn't be mad at you. I might be your friend, but this is still your life. I just don't want you to end up relapsing. That's all."
Al nodded slowly. "Well, I'm not involved with anyone, much less Jon."
"And I still don't believe you."
"Well...that's fine. You're still my big brother, and I still love you...even if you're going to be a huge pain in my ass."
Phil smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Well, thank you. I appreciate the love. You're still one of the most important people in my life."
Al gave him a smile. "I love you, Philly."
"And I love you, Allie. Just please promise me that you're not going to do anything to compromise your recovery."
"I won't." She leaned over and hugged him. He returned the gesture.
"I'm happy that you're still alive."
Al pulled back. "That's an odd thing to say to someone."
"Not really in this situation."
She thought for a moment. "That's true."
"It's good to see you like this...clean...normal. It's nice. I've missed this Allie for a very long time."
"Me, too," she agreed with a nod.
