when dave caught sight of april from his car, he bit his lip nervously. her makeup was smeared, her eyes were red and puffy, she was shivering, and her hair was messy. he had never once seen her so disheveled, and the thought of what (or who) could shake a girl he previously perceived as unshakable was anxiety inducing. they didn't exchange any words, silently driving to dave and kurt's shared home. the only words exchanged between them during the car ride were when they pulled up to the house.
"thank you," she whispered, turning her head to look toward him with flushed cheeks from the cold. he only smiled in response, but it was an earnest smile. he placed his warm palm over her icy one, the two temperatures contrasting, then melding together almost perfectly. his hand warmed hers, and hers sent chills down his back, and through his heart.
he lead her into the house quietly, putting his finger over his lips. kurt was asleep. leading her up to his bedroom, he told her to make herself comfortable, lending her a shirt to wear to bed. as he began to leave the room, she stopped him.
"where are you going?" she asked, looking at him with a broken look in her eyes that almost made him pull her into a hug.
"i-- i thought you might want to be alone."
truth be told, april thought if she were to be left alone, she'd go crazy, hearing nothing but her own breaths and the sound of the city. she needed the comfort of knowing there was another living being beside her, to calm her jittery nerves.
"stay. please." she whispered as she stood in only dave's t-shirt, looking almost helpless to the world around her. he nodded, pulling off his shirt and jeans as she pulled the covers over her body.
she lay facing away from him, at first barely touching except for the occasional brushing together of limbs. they lay like this for a few moments before dave tenderly pulled her closer to him.
"what happened, aurora?" he whispered in her ear. his breath made her shiver, and the use of her middle name made her heart thump. however, having to recall the confrontation with her father made her want to break down crying, and doing that in front of dave was quite possibly the last thing she wanted him to see.
"my dad found my stash. he kicked me out." she replied simply.
"shit." he replied. shit, was correct.
"i'll be out of your hair by tomorrow afternoon. but thank you for letting me stay the night."
"wouldn't be the first time."
her breath hitched in her throat and she turned around on her side to face him. he stared intently into her eyes, and as did she, the seconds creeping on like minutes as both of them waited for the other to do something. dave was the first to break the eye contact, as he reached his hand forward to stroke her cheek. this act of affection turned into him cupping her cheek, then pulling her in for a chaste kiss on the lips. she closed her eyes, savoring the sensation of his touch. they fell asleep soon after.
---
april was in her bedroom, finger knitting with a ball of blue yarn. she was six years old. she could hear the yelling from the kitchen where her parents were. she didn't question it anymore, as the yelling at this time had become routine. it would always happen after her mother drank from the pretty glass bottle. her mother would take the tall bottle and pour a small amount into a glass, telling her to promise not to tell her father. she would always wince after she sipped it, and april wondered why she would drink something if it tasted bad.
after a couple of refills in her cup, her mother would begin to act funny, and then shortly after, her father would usually enter to the kitchen and tell april to go to her room. april was clueless to the concept of being drunk at age four, and so, she just went along with it.
it was on this particular day, however, that the yelling had progressively gotten louder and louder, until she peeked her head out from her bedroom door. she looked to where her parents were standing, her mother yelling at her father, who was holding the pretty bottle away from her.
"give me back the fucking bottle, james!" she yelled at him, reaching her arm out to it. he shook his head, looking like he was close to tears. "give it back!"
"no, marissa." he replied sullenly.
a crazed look flashed over her mothers features as he said this, and she took a china plate from the dish rack and hurled it at the wall behind her husband. she then stormed into her room, emerging minutes later with a packed suitcase. except, when she emerged, she looked different, and so did her father.
she was younger, and he was older. it was then that april realized that the woman screaming at her father was her. her father no longer had a spark in his eyes, and he had his head in his hands. the older april stormed out of the front door, and little april followed closely behind. she stood on the porch after the older april slammed the door. the older version of april then turned to her six year old self and spoke directly toward her.
"you're heartless, and anybody who sticks around long enough to find out what a fucking pathetic mess you are is a fucking idiot."
she gulped.
"that isn't true. i have cherry." she spoke, barely above a whisper. the version of herself in front of her scoffed.
"you really think cherry gives half a shit about you? all you two do is get loaded together. you're pathetic." she spat. "and i know you're starting to think he cares, but he doesn't. he'll give just as much of a shit about you as tony did. you're an idiot to think your relationship will ever amount to anything." she paused, grinning almost maniacally before continuing. "you'll fall in love with him-- that much is obvious, and in the best case scenario you'll get together. you might even move in together, get a dog, get sober, maybe even talk about marriage one day. but you'll get bored-- you always do. and he'll stop loving you eventually, and you'll go back to your old ways; popping pills and salivating over your next adrenaline rush. and you'll die alone."
april shot up; her breaths short, shallow, and fast. her forehead was coated in sweat, and she was crying. she began to hyperventilate, clutching onto the bed sheets to calm herself down. as she gasped for air, she didn't even register the arms that were wrapped around her. she collapsed back onto the bed, meeting dave's chest, his arms wrapping tighter around her. he wiped her tear stained cheeks with his thumb, then tenderly rubbed her forearm.
"you're ok, aurora. i promise." he whispered as he ran his hand up and down her arm. she let out a pained sob as she recalled the words she had told herself in her dream.
"i'm sorry." she choked out, her breaths beginning to slow down as he brushed her hair from her eyes.
"shhhh, it's ok, aurora." he kissed her forehead. he debated whether or not he should give her space, and almost as if reading her mind, she spoke to him in a whisper.
"please don't let go of me."
"i'll stay with you however long you need."
आप पढ़ रहे हैं
girl singing in the wreckage ✰ dave grohl
फैनफिक्शन"my dress is torn, my hair is wild, girl singing in the wreckage." 'girl singing in the wreckage' follows the life of april aurora torres; a compulsively rebellious young girl with a passion for photography and a habit for trouble.
