Lost, Confused, Unkind (Sequel To "Freaked")
Chapter 45
We decided I should go through the cases & Jeff would do the bags.
"Oh and please don't look at my knickers!" I laughed.
"Ok how about you handle your bag & your case & I do Matt's stuff? Otherwise I'm just gonna end up doing something really stupid.." he rummaged through the bag, "Like…" he paused. "This!"
When I turned around he had my knickers on his head & I screamed & made a dive for him! "JEFF! You shit!" I grabbed them off his head as he rolled around laughing! I took my bag & threw it on top of my case, "I'll kick your ass Hardy then you'll be sorry!" I laughed. "Ok I have a better idea, how about we leave all of my shit for now just see if we can get through the rest of it?" I didn't hold out much hope, we'd already been in the room an hour & we hadn't even gotten through one bag!
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Jeff sat up & I sat beside him on the floor, "Where should we start?"
I looked around the cluttered room & sighed, "Well most of the stuff in his suitcase and bags from the trip will be laundry anyway so.." I pulled his bag over & dumped it down in front of us, "We can start with this!"
We actually found some stuff we both agreed we could throw away. Little things, but it was a start! Stuff like his toothbrush, man I never thought I would have a hard time throwing away a toothbrush but it felt like I was trying to erase him from my life & I could never do that! In another bag we found the camcorder & three used tapes, one of his jackets, 2 pairs of sneakers & a plastic bag. When I pulled it out of the sports bag it smelled pretty bad & I turned my nose up.
"Damn! What the hell is in there?" Jeff said, taking the bag from my hands.
"I have no idea, but knowing Matt it's probably his old socks!" I laughed. "I daren't look!" Jeff opened the bag, peered inside & then closed it & put it in the pile for garbage! "Well? What was it?"
"Oh nothing, just some old clothes!"
"CLOTHES? Jeff let me…" I grabbed the bag & looked inside before he snatched it out of my hands. "Oh….oh…" I sat back onto the bed & Jeff ran a hand through h is hair. What was inside the bag were his clothes from the hospital. The ones they'd had to cut off him. The ones that had been soaked in his blood. I put a hand to my mouth, I could feel the vomit in the back of my throat burning & I swallowed it down.
"Who the hell would put those in there?"
I swallowed again & shook my head, "The hospital maybe….is his other stuff in there too? Watch, neck chain?"
"No I got those, they're in the drawer beside my bed……wait a minute didn't Adam have these bags in his car?"
"I can't remem……..yeah yeah he did!"
"So how did this stuff get into the trunk of Adam's car?"
My face went pale & the tears welled up in my eyes. My farewell present from Mick! What a bastard! Was he ever going to leave me alone? "Burn them Jeff! I don't wanna see!"
He threw the bag down away from us & came over to the bed kneeling in front of me. "Ok it's alright! Come on babe!" I leaned forward & he held me. Once I'd calmed down he took the bag & burned it in the barrel in the back yard.
When he came back up he had a cup of coffee in each hand & he handed me one & sat down beside me.
"Thanks!" I sniffed & wiped my face on my sleeve. "I don't think I can do any more today, I can't face it."
"That's ok!" He rubbed my leg, "I can do it, or we can leave it for another day if you'd rather, whatever?"
"I think I need to help, God knows why I wanna put myself through this but I do. So if we could leave it for another day I'd appreciate it!" Jeff seemed distracted, staring at the wall with a puzzled look on his face! "Jeff?"
"What? Oh yeah we'll leave it…um I just remembered something though!" He got off the bed & went to a bag, rummaged through the side pockets then went to another & did the same, "Can you….ah pass me my coffee please?" I gave him a puzzled look & turned to reach out for the cup. When I turned back he was finished whatever he was doing with the bag & he walked back to the bed, took his cup from my hand & sat back down.
"What were you looking for?"
"Huh?"
"In the bags? You were looking for something?"
"Oh erm no! I was just erm…"
"What was that?" I cocked my head to one side.
"What?"
"Listen!"
"Leavin on a jet plane…." Someone sang.
"There's someone outside!!"
"There is?" Jeff smiled slyly.
"Don't know when I'll be back again!" The voice sang again.
"That's……..NO WAY!!!" I shrieked & ran to the window with Jeff close behind! I threw the window open & leaned out.
"Ooooh babe I hate to go…"
"DWAYNE?" I shouted.
From the porch below came a familiar voice, "You gonna let me in or am I gonna have to get Rocky out to bust this door down?"
"DWAAAAAAAAYNE!!!!" I yelled & ran out of the room & down the stairs as fast as I could! I burst through the door & jumped into Dwayne's arms as Jeff stood back smiling.
"WOAH! What a welcome!!!" he laughed as he put me down.
"Oh my God! I can't believe you're here!" tears welled up in my eyes.
"Ah it was all Jeff's idea! He said that you ere feeling a little down, so me & a few of the guys decided to drop by on an old friend see if we can't cheer her up!"
"A few of the guys?" Before the words came out of my mouth Adam ran around the side of the house & lifted me off my feet twirling me around in the air! "ADAM! OH MY GOD!!!" I said as I hugged him tightly! From behind him came Jay & Shane & Shannon & I hugged them all like I hadn't seen them in years! Even though we saw Shannon at least once every couple of weeks it was still really great to see them all & I was very close to tears!
Shane had come loaded with beers & Shannon & Adam had a bag each with God knows what inside! Jeff took everyone inside & left me on the porch with Dwayne for a few minutes.
"Man it is so good to see you!" I smiled as we sat down on the steps.
"Yeah you too! You feelin ok? You look a little pale?"
"Oh yeah I'm ok. Well as close to ok as I can be right now! I haven't been out much but hey I'm getting better!"
"So you're erm, doing ok then?"
"Yeah, thanks to Jeff I'm baring up!"
"Oh Jeff huh?" Dwayne smiled.
"It's not like that!" I snapped.
"Hey I know! I'm sorry! It was a stupid thing to say!"
I sighed, "It's ok, it's just me! Well we had some problems with Gilbert, it's ok now though, I think!"
"You guys coming in?" Jay leaned his head out of the door.
"Um yeah sure!" I stood up & Dwayne followed me to the door.
"Hey Bec!" He touched my arm, "I'm here y'know, if you wanna talk? Anytime at all, just pick up the phone ok?"
I kissed him on the cheek, "I just might need to do that Dwayne! Thanks!" He smiled & winked before we headed in to join the others in the lounge.
Chapter 45
We decided I should go through the cases & Jeff would do the bags.
"Oh and please don't look at my knickers!" I laughed.
"Ok how about you handle your bag & your case & I do Matt's stuff? Otherwise I'm just gonna end up doing something really stupid.." he rummaged through the bag, "Like…" he paused. "This!"
When I turned around he had my knickers on his head & I screamed & made a dive for him! "JEFF! You shit!" I grabbed them off his head as he rolled around laughing! I took my bag & threw it on top of my case, "I'll kick your ass Hardy then you'll be sorry!" I laughed. "Ok I have a better idea, how about we leave all of my shit for now just see if we can get through the rest of it?" I didn't hold out much hope, we'd already been in the room an hour & we hadn't even gotten through one bag!
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Jeff sat up & I sat beside him on the floor, "Where should we start?"
I looked around the cluttered room & sighed, "Well most of the stuff in his suitcase and bags from the trip will be laundry anyway so.." I pulled his bag over & dumped it down in front of us, "We can start with this!"
We actually found some stuff we both agreed we could throw away. Little things, but it was a start! Stuff like his toothbrush, man I never thought I would have a hard time throwing away a toothbrush but it felt like I was trying to erase him from my life & I could never do that! In another bag we found the camcorder & three used tapes, one of his jackets, 2 pairs of sneakers & a plastic bag. When I pulled it out of the sports bag it smelled pretty bad & I turned my nose up.
"Damn! What the hell is in there?" Jeff said, taking the bag from my hands.
"I have no idea, but knowing Matt it's probably his old socks!" I laughed. "I daren't look!" Jeff opened the bag, peered inside & then closed it & put it in the pile for garbage! "Well? What was it?"
"Oh nothing, just some old clothes!"
"CLOTHES? Jeff let me…" I grabbed the bag & looked inside before he snatched it out of my hands. "Oh….oh…" I sat back onto the bed & Jeff ran a hand through h is hair. What was inside the bag were his clothes from the hospital. The ones they'd had to cut off him. The ones that had been soaked in his blood. I put a hand to my mouth, I could feel the vomit in the back of my throat burning & I swallowed it down.
"Who the hell would put those in there?"
I swallowed again & shook my head, "The hospital maybe….is his other stuff in there too? Watch, neck chain?"
"No I got those, they're in the drawer beside my bed……wait a minute didn't Adam have these bags in his car?"
"I can't remem……..yeah yeah he did!"
"So how did this stuff get into the trunk of Adam's car?"
My face went pale & the tears welled up in my eyes. My farewell present from Mick! What a bastard! Was he ever going to leave me alone? "Burn them Jeff! I don't wanna see!"
He threw the bag down away from us & came over to the bed kneeling in front of me. "Ok it's alright! Come on babe!" I leaned forward & he held me. Once I'd calmed down he took the bag & burned it in the barrel in the back yard.
When he came back up he had a cup of coffee in each hand & he handed me one & sat down beside me.
"Thanks!" I sniffed & wiped my face on my sleeve. "I don't think I can do any more today, I can't face it."
"That's ok!" He rubbed my leg, "I can do it, or we can leave it for another day if you'd rather, whatever?"
"I think I need to help, God knows why I wanna put myself through this but I do. So if we could leave it for another day I'd appreciate it!" Jeff seemed distracted, staring at the wall with a puzzled look on his face! "Jeff?"
"What? Oh yeah we'll leave it…um I just remembered something though!" He got off the bed & went to a bag, rummaged through the side pockets then went to another & did the same, "Can you….ah pass me my coffee please?" I gave him a puzzled look & turned to reach out for the cup. When I turned back he was finished whatever he was doing with the bag & he walked back to the bed, took his cup from my hand & sat back down.
"What were you looking for?"
"Huh?"
"In the bags? You were looking for something?"
"Oh erm no! I was just erm…"
"What was that?" I cocked my head to one side.
"What?"
"Listen!"
"Leavin on a jet plane…." Someone sang.
"There's someone outside!!"
"There is?" Jeff smiled slyly.
"Don't know when I'll be back again!" The voice sang again.
"That's……..NO WAY!!!" I shrieked & ran to the window with Jeff close behind! I threw the window open & leaned out.
"Ooooh babe I hate to go…"
"DWAYNE?" I shouted.
From the porch below came a familiar voice, "You gonna let me in or am I gonna have to get Rocky out to bust this door down?"
"DWAAAAAAAAYNE!!!!" I yelled & ran out of the room & down the stairs as fast as I could! I burst through the door & jumped into Dwayne's arms as Jeff stood back smiling.
"WOAH! What a welcome!!!" he laughed as he put me down.
"Oh my God! I can't believe you're here!" tears welled up in my eyes.
"Ah it was all Jeff's idea! He said that you ere feeling a little down, so me & a few of the guys decided to drop by on an old friend see if we can't cheer her up!"
"A few of the guys?" Before the words came out of my mouth Adam ran around the side of the house & lifted me off my feet twirling me around in the air! "ADAM! OH MY GOD!!!" I said as I hugged him tightly! From behind him came Jay & Shane & Shannon & I hugged them all like I hadn't seen them in years! Even though we saw Shannon at least once every couple of weeks it was still really great to see them all & I was very close to tears!
Shane had come loaded with beers & Shannon & Adam had a bag each with God knows what inside! Jeff took everyone inside & left me on the porch with Dwayne for a few minutes.
"Man it is so good to see you!" I smiled as we sat down on the steps.
"Yeah you too! You feelin ok? You look a little pale?"
"Oh yeah I'm ok. Well as close to ok as I can be right now! I haven't been out much but hey I'm getting better!"
"So you're erm, doing ok then?"
"Yeah, thanks to Jeff I'm baring up!"
"Oh Jeff huh?" Dwayne smiled.
"It's not like that!" I snapped.
"Hey I know! I'm sorry! It was a stupid thing to say!"
I sighed, "It's ok, it's just me! Well we had some problems with Gilbert, it's ok now though, I think!"
"You guys coming in?" Jay leaned his head out of the door.
"Um yeah sure!" I stood up & Dwayne followed me to the door.
"Hey Bec!" He touched my arm, "I'm here y'know, if you wanna talk? Anytime at all, just pick up the phone ok?"
I kissed him on the cheek, "I just might need to do that Dwayne! Thanks!" He smiled & winked before we headed in to join the others in the lounge.