Speaking Out

"Are you sure a night out is really what you need right now?" Joanne asked, walking down the street with her friend, "I mean you've had a lot of news. Maybe getting drunk isn't the best idea."

"I need this, trust me." Rey shook her head, "I'm so over all of this bullshit going on." She said, "I'm nineteen. I mean I'm twenty next month. My parents… their chance with me, it's so out the window already." She made clear.

"You might feel differently in a few days, though. It's ok to want to… talk to them and know them. It doesn't make you weak." Joanne shook her head.

"Hey, the rules of the rest of night. No talking about my parents." Rey made clear, taking her hand and pulling her into their local club as Joanne just nodded, walking on in as they pushed their way through the bar.

"Hey, girls. What's up?" The bar man who knew them asked.

"Rico, hey." Rey smiled, "Can we get the usual, oh and four shots. The cheapest ones."

"The cheapest are the most lethal." Rico warned.

"Yeah yeah, you tell us every time." Rey waved her hand, turning to Joanne who just watched her, "What?" Rey shook her head, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because I know you're acting different. Maybe a quiet night in would have been better." Joanne shrugged as Rico chuckled.

"That's not like you, Joanne. You're normally the one dragging Rey out." He noticed, sliding them over their drinks.

"Yeah well, I'm just not feeling it tonight." Joanne shrugged, "I'm going for a cigarette." She shook her head, leaving the club as Rey watched her and sighed.

"What's wrong with her?" Rico asked as Rey shook her head, taking one of the shots and paying for it before leaving the club to go after Joanne, walking through the crowded people and outside where she stood over by the side.

"Hey, what the hell?" Rey shook her head, "What's wrong with you?" She walked over to her.

"I just don't think you're in the right frame of mind to be partying. As your best friend, I'm trying to help." Joanne shook her head, "I mean… this is your parents, Rey. You can't ignore that."

"Yes I can. I want nothing to do with them." Rey shrugged.

"You're not gonna feel like that in a few days." Joanne said, "You heard it from your own father, they weren't ready to take care of you. Is that… is that really such a bad thing?"

"Are you kidding me?" Rey shook her head.

"No. There's no shame in… in admitting that you can't take care of your kid. In fact, it takes balls. And you know what, they thought they were doing the best for you. They were putting you before everything." Joanne nodded, trying to be the voice of reason.

"No, they just gave up on me." Rey corrected.

"Regardless of how you feel you shouldn't be burying it all in booze and sex." Joanne said, "Give yourself a minute to actually think about this. Your parents. How they were just trying to do the right thing." She said as Rey folded her arms, "You don't have to agree with them and their decision but at least try and understand see where they were coming from."

"Why are you deciding to be smart all of a sudden?" Rey raised a brow as Joanne smiled a little.

"I've known you for years." Joanne said, "And I know that whenever we've spoke about your parents you just shut them off but… I know deep down you actually want to know them." She said as Rey ran her hand through her hair, "And you want more answers and going out clubbing isn't going to help you with that."

"Well to state the obvious." Rey shook her head.

"Why don't we go somewhere lowkey? Just a nice bar somewhere. Have a drink and talk about all of this. I'm a good listener." Joanne nodded as Rey looked across at her and sighed. She really did have an amazing friend.

"What'd I do to deserve you?" Rey asked, walking over to her as Joanne wrapped her arm around her shoulder as they began to walk down the street.

"We started that fight in second grade, remember?" She smiled as Rey laughed and nodded, walking down the street with her.

"Hey, it's late. What are you doing here?" Bob asked as he watched Punk walk through the hospital room door.

"Why'd you send that girl to my apartment?" Punk shook his head, "Sarah?" Punk questioned as Bob looked across at him, "I'm not a counsellor for pregnant teens." He shook his head, "I'm not just gonna magically fix her problems."

"W-What?" Bob shook his head with confusion, trying so hard for a second to get inside Rey's brain, trying to figure out what she had said and done.

"The girl. Sarah. You sent her to see me for advice?" Punk shook his head as Bob nodded slowly.

"R-Right. Yeah." Bob went along.

"Well don't do that again. It was weird and it's not my place to say what other people should be doing." Punk said, "Why would you tell her about Reylissa anyway?" He asked, "Oh and she left this. I'm assuming you gave it to her." He handed over the picture to Bob who took it and looked at it.

"Uh… yeah, yeah I did." Bob nodded.

"Look, I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to… bring this all up whilst me and April are here, try and get us to talk about it, but… it's all over. She moved on, she's married with a kid. I'm… doing what I'm doing. Just let it be, ok? Please." Punk nodded seriously as Bob sighed, looking up at him and nodding.

"What'd she say to you?" Bob asked curiously.

"Nothing really. Well she was sort of… disagreeing with me I think." Punk said, "Asking me if I had regrets and… if I thought about her." He nodded, "Which I mean I do so… maybe the advice wasn't all that good." He admitted, sitting down on the chair as Bob nodded.

"I see." Bob nodded, "Did you talk to AJ?" He asked.

"Yeah, a little. She dropped me home." Punk said, "I don't know, I feel like this is just recipe for disaster." He admitted.

"Do you still love her?" Bob asked.

"Of course I do. I never stopped." Punk shook his head, "I got married and my head was still with her."

"Yeah, I know." Bob nodded, "But… there's nothing wrong with that."

"There is. She's married. Her coming back here, us talking about all this shit… it's bringing it all back." He sighed to himself. It wasn't easy, seeing the girl he loved having moved on. The fact she went home to someone else. She'd fell in love and married another man. It broke his heart all over again.

"Well you can't help how you feel." Bob shook his head.

"No, clearly not." Punk sighed, "I blame you." He scoffed.

"Me? What have I done?" Bob shook his head.

"You… invited her here, and you also told that girl to come cry to me with her problems." Punk said.

"Well hey, I'm sorry but I thought I was dying. I called April because I thought it'd be nice to see you both in the same space again but you know what, you're still both too damn stubborn and too damn stupid to just… listen to one another-"

"Stupid? What's stupid is this situation? Did you… call her to come here so she could talk to me?" Punk realised, looking across at him as Bob turned away from him, "Do you think we're gonna just fix things up and get back together? Bob, she's married. She's got a kid."

"Yeah and I still don't think she's happy. I know April. I saw her when she was happy and that was with you. Those few months were you two were good and she was pregnant and you had plans." Bob said, "She was happy and so were you."

"Yeah and it went to shit." Punk said, "And you gotta let that go." He shook his head, "You know, it's late. I should probably go." He sighed, standing up.

"All I ever did was try and help you both. I saw what you both had. It was special. It was real and you both just quit on it." Bob shook his head.

"Yeah and you know how much we appreciated everything you gave us. I still appreciate it. But that was years ago, Bob. We've moved on. Just stop interfering." He shook his head as Bob shook his head.

"You should be thanking me all this time for looking out for your daughter!" Bob exclaimed as Punk turned around, his hand on the door handle as he looked across at Bob.

"What?"

"Hey, I have to go pee but get the drinks in, yeah?" Joanne smiled as they walked into a bar.

"Ok." Rey smiled. It was strange that Joanne knew exactly what she needed. It was to talk, relax, chill out. Not go clubbing until 5am and stumble home with no shoes.

She walked on over to the bar, putting her purse down and sitting up on the stool.

"Oh, hi." Josh folded his arms as Rey looked up.

"Hi." Rey smiled.

"This is a little awkward." Josh admitted as Rey shook her head.

"W-Why?" Rey laughed a little.

"Well I've been calling you the past few days." Josh shook his head as Rey's mouth opened in shock.

"Oh, of course. I thought that was those scam calls." Rey shook her head, taking her phone and looking on at her missed calls, "Yeah, sorry." She cringed as he laughed a little and nodded.

"That's ok." Josh assured her, "How is your friend? In the hospital, right?" He said as Rey nodded.

"Yeah, he's ok." Rey nodded, "It's been a crazy few days." She said, noticing he was already pouring her a drink, "This was the first quiet bar we came across."

"We? Oh, no. You're not on a date are you?" Josh groaned as Rey chuckled a little.

"No, just my friend." Rey smiled as Josh nodded.

"Girls night?" Josh asked as Rey nodded, "Well hey, first one is on the house." He nodded.

"You don't have to do that." Rey shook her head.

"I know." He smiled, sliding her over the drinks as Rey smiled, watching as he walked back down the bar, smiling to herself as Joanne emerged from the toilet and over to her friend.

"Did you pick this place just for the guy behind the bar?" Joanne chuckled, sitting on the stool beside her.

"Yeah, I did." Rey nodded, "Hands off. He's mine." She smiled as Joanne chuckled to herself.