Help Me
"So you called her?" Renee asked the next day, getting Bella ready to go stay with Punk for the night. Dean was working and it was Renee's day off, so Punk had gone around to the house to collect his niece to come stay with him.
"Yeah but she never answered. I just had to leave a message." He said, "I get the feeling she doesn't want to speak to me if she's trying to move on." Punk shrugged, "And I don't want to look desperate." He said.
"You don't look desperate. You look like you care." Renee nodded whilst folding Bella's clothes into her little backpack whilst the three-year-old sat watching the TV, eager for her mother to pack her bag so she could go stay with her uncle for the night, "Would you even consider going to see her?"
"I don't know." Punk rubbed his face tiredly, "If she wanted any contact with me, she would have answered her phone or called me back at least." Punk said, "I'm not gonna… I'm not gonna burden her." He said.
"I just find it so strange." Renee shook her head, "How she was… so ready to go with you, and it was obvious you cared about each other, and then… and then she just changed her mind."
"Maybe she was getting back at me for what I done to her in court." Punk shrugged, "It's really not in her nature but it could be a possibility."
"I don't think so, somehow." Renee shook her head.
"C'mon, mommy." Bella whined, jumping down from the couch as she tugged on her mother's arm, "Can I go?"
"Yes, you can." Renee smiled, standing up straight and passing along her overnight bag to Punk, "You need to behave for Uncle Punk, ok?" She said, crouching down to Bella, brushing the hair from her face, "You phone me before you go to bed, yeah?" She said as Bella nodded.
"Ok, mommy. Can I go?" Bella pleaded as Renee smiled.
"Alright alright." Renee laughed at her eagerness, planting a kiss on her cheek and standing back up straight, "You can go." She nodded as Punk smiled, watching Bella run to the front door and wait for Punk, "Please look after my baby." Renee said as she walked over to Punk who nodded.
"I will." Punk smiled.
"And stop trying to think of reasons to give up on this woman. You're still hung up on her, and if it means you go to New Jersey to… talk to her, then so be it." Renee said, "You have something good, you don't let go of it." She said as Punk smiled.
"Right now, I just wanna spend some time with my niece." Punk nodded as Renee smiled, "I'll bring her back home tomorrow afternoon time." He said as Renee nodded, letting them leave and waving goodbye.
"Comfy?" Punk smiled, later that night as he saw Bella in the middle of his bed. He almost couldn't see her from how puffy and big the bed was, and how small she was didn't help.
"Yeah." Bella smiled, "I love this bed." She said, patting her arms beside her.
They had spent the night eating pizza and watching movies. Punk enjoyed the calmness he felt with Bella. There were no intrusive questions like Dean and Renee would ask him. She was just simply there to relax with him and be his little buddy like she'd always been.
She'd just called Renee and Dean to say goodnight, and was getting ready for bed now. Punk promised her she could stay in his bed as she liked his room the best. She liked his whole house actually, and always referred to it as the big house.
"Have you brushed your teeth?" Punk asked her, making his way around the bed as she nodded, "You good then?" He asked. Although he was great with her, he wasn't a parent figure at all, and sometimes he did dismiss the fact she was three and had more needs than he would if he was going to bed.
"Can you read me a story?" Bella questioned, wondering why he wasn't going to even offer.
"Oh." Punk said, "I don't… I don't have any stories." He said.
"There's one in my bag." Bella sat up, pointing over to her bag in the room as Punk nodded, walking over and finding the book.
"The princess and the frog." Punk scoffed, walking back over to her as she lay back down, "Really?" He groaned.
"Yes, really." Bella demanded, "Read it to me." She ordered as Punk groaned and sat down on the edge of the bed beside her, opening up the book as he began reading it.
She made sure he showed her every picture in the book, and once he had read it, she was still laying awake, but a little more tired than before, "Ok, kid. That's it. They lived happily ever after. As usual." He said, sitting the book on the night stand, leaning forward and giving her a kiss on the head.
"Uncle Punk?" Bella said.
"Yeah?" Punk said, standing up as he tucked the covers up over her to make sure she was warm.
"Are you lonely?" Bella asked in a small voice as she looked up at Punk who turned to her.
"N-no." Punk shook his head, "Why would you think that?"
"Because you're here all alone." Bella said with genuine concern for her uncle, "Don't you get sad?" She wondered, tiredly.
"No." Punk shook his head, "Don't you worry about me. I'm just fine." He smiled.
"Are you sure?" Bella asked.
"Yeah." Punk laughed lightly, "You get some sleep." He said, "I'll be downstairs if you need me." He told her as she nodded, getting comfy in the bed as he left the room and headed downstairs.
The next morning, after AJ had to sleep in the bed beside Cass, practically dangling off the edge of the bed so she could be as far away as possible from her, she was woken up by the alarm. She knew the easiest thing would have been for her to run out of the apartment whilst Cass was asleep, but considering she had a lock on her bedroom door with a key that only she had access to, it was a little difficult.
After she had been hit over the head with the bottle of wine, she realised she was in much more danger than she thought. She'd figured out that Cass was clearly unstable, and this wasn't just a crush, this was an obsession. A stalker that she had befriended, and she knew she had to get to safety one way or another.
When the alarm had gone off, she heard Cass get up and move around, heading into the shower as AJ turned on her back and ran her hands over her face. She still couldn't believe this was happening. Someone she had regarded as her best friend. Her only best friend. Her sister like figure, had been lusting open her the entire time. She felt betrayed and hurt, especially with the way Cass was behaving and the already sexual harassment she was making towards her.
AJ listened with fear as the shower stopped, turning back on her side as she listened to the bathroom door open, listening as Cass walked out, walking around the bed to her side to get her clothes from the dresser as AJ saw she was completely naked, quickly turning around the opposite way so she didn't have to look.
"Oh, please." Cass laughed, "You're gonna need to get used to this." She said.
"It's not right." AJ shook her head, "I'm supposed to be your best friend."
"Would you look if I was a man?" Cass asked.
"No!" AJ said, "Not if he was my best friend."
"I'm not just your best friend, AJ. Remember." Cass said whilst AJ still had her back to her, "Soon enough you'll be walking around with me." She laughed, walking back around the bed and into the toilet as AJ shook her head and sighed, "You need to get up!" Cass shouted from the toilet.
"Where are we going?" AJ sat up with confusion.
"Work, obviously." Cass said.
AJ had somehow ended up back in her maid's uniform. Cass had a spare one of course, and since they were just about the same size, she of course gave it to AJ to wear. She'd also insisted that they both do their rooms together, obviously so Cass could keep an eye on AJ.
"How do you even know I've got the job back?" AJ asked with confusion as they walked down the street, approaching the hotel. She couldn't believe she was having to just play along with this. Although it may have seemed easy to run off, especially since they were now in public, it wasn't at all, because Cass had already threatened that she would use her bipolar disorder against her, and the last place she needed to be was hospital getting sectioned.
"I spoke to the manager obviously." Cass said, "He didn't even know you'd left in the first place." Cass shook her head as they got into the hotel.
To think a few weeks ago, they walked into the hotel together and everything seemed fine. It was nothing more than best friends coming to work together, but now… now AJ didn't feel safe with her. She felt violated of her personal space, she felt abused and betrayed and she didn't know who to reach out to for help.
"I can… get the keys." AJ said, "I'll only be a second."
"I'll wait here." Cass nodded, standing by the elevator as AJ just nodded slowly, walking over to the reception where Nadine was, Cass keeping her eyes on her the full time like a paranoid hawk. She was still under the illusion that everything would resume as normal again, only this time she had AJ right where she wanted her, and she expected her to do and say what she wished.
"I thought you'd left." Nadine shook her head.
"I thought I had to." AJ said, "I need the keys." She said whilst Nadine opened up the drawer below and fetched for the keys.
AJ turned around and watched as Cass was watching her closely, her every movement.
"Here." Nadine said, sitting the keys down on the reception desk for AJ to take, "Have fun." She said, taking her hand away from the keys as AJ held onto it tightly, her body blocking the view of her clutching onto her from Cass.
"Help me." AJ begged quietly as Nadine looked at her with confusion, "Just… Just pretend I'm asking you a question about the rooms. Don't say anything to anyone." She said.
"What?" Nadine said, "AJ?"
"Please call Phil." AJ whispered, "Tell him I need him."
"AJ, what is going on-"
"Ok, we need to start." Cass interrupted as AJ quickly loosened the desperate grip on Nadine's wrist, turning to Cass and nodding as she gave her the keys.
Nadine just watched closely, trying not to react like AJ had said, for the first time showing legitimate concern for her and wondering what was wrong. The way she gripped her, the glisten in her eyes that were close to tears, she was completely worried, and could only do as she asked, watching as she walked away with Cass.
"How was she?" Dean asked the next morning where Punk had dropped Bella off after breakfast.
"She's great, man." Punk smiled. Bella had gone off to the kitchen where Renee was making some lunch, telling her all about her stay with her uncle, "We just had some pizza and watched some movies." He said, "And she stole my bed of course."
"She steals mine too, it's fine." Dean waved his hand, "Renee was filling me in about AJ." He said as Punk nodded, "I wanna tell you to… just forget about her but… Renee is right, if you had something good then why let it go? It's rare that you find someone you actually like, I hope you don't take offence to that." He said wearily.
"No, it's true." Punk nodded with his hands in his pockets, "I think I'll go to New Jersey. See her face-to-face, you know?" He said as Dean nodded, "At least while I have this time off work." He said as Dean nodded.
"Yeah, I think you should." Dean nodded just as Punk's phone began to ring.
He took his phone out of his pocket and looked at the unsaved number, "Could be work." Punk said, "Do you mind?" He asked.
"No, go on. I'll be out in the kitchen." He said, walking away as Punk answered the call and raised the phone to his ear.
"Hello." He said, curious to find out who was on the other line.
"Phil? Phil, it's Nadine." She said as Punk raised a brow with confusion.
"Uh… ok?" Punk shook his head, "Is everything alright?" He asked with confusion.
"No. Not really." Nadine said, "April was back at work today and she… she told me she needed help." Nadine said, "And that I should phone you." She said as Punk shook his head.
"Wait… what do you mean? Help with what?" Punk asked, confused.
"Desperate help." Nadine said, "I think she's in trouble."
A/N: Let me know what you think!
