Abby

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Abby wanted to turn to him, to call him to come pick her up. But she didn't. It took every ounce of her willpower, and she'd given Aaron her phone to hold on to until the anguish dissipated. Her father steered clear of her, and she of him. After two days of her mother's unnecessary apologies, after all, she'd done nothing wrong, she asked for her phone back. She called Jace because he'd texted her non-stop. He listened to her cry as she mourned the loss of her acoustic. He listened to her cry, because he knew she felt low, and he was helpless to lift her up in the situation they were in. And honestly, he just wanted to hear her voice. To feel her spirit.

...

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Jason yelled for the tenth time.

"But you still did it! And you're too proud to apologize! Too stubborn to buy her a new one!" They were headed to Aaron's game, fighting non-stop. Abby had gone earlier with Aaron, still steering clear of her father.

"She owes us about thirty thousand apologies. I'm not going to sweat the one that I owe." Jennie rolled her eyes.

"She's a child. You're supposed to set the tone, be the example." Jennie spat back at him.

"Give me a fucking break! She'd not a child anymore. She hasn't been for some time. If she wants to act independent and not listen to a single person that tries to help her out, she no longer gets the pity of a child!" Jennie was giving him one more week to do the right thing before she went out herself and bought Abby a new guitar. But Jennie knew Abby wouldn't even accept it from her mother, just like the countless apologies she'd offered on her shit bag husband's behalf. Jennie wanted to rip into him some more, but they had parked at the lacrosse field. They both took a second to relax, calm down.

"I love you, Jason." She said quietly. "And I respect that you have feelings, and that she's hurt us all, repeatedly. But I just can't give up on her. I can't stop trying to help her any way that I can. Because one time, it might actually work. We might get our daughter back." She looked at him and blinked away the tears. She squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek. She knew he'd need more time to calm down, to get his head on straight so she left the car and went for the field without him.

...

They were eating dinner when they heard the doorbell chime. They all looked at each other, no one expecting anyone.

"I'll get it." Aaron said. After a few seconds, Abby noticed her parents look up behind her and gasp. Her mother looked heartbroken, her father... sterile. She turned and there stood Jace next to Aaron. He was holding a brand-new acoustic bass. Abby stood, her hand to her mouth.

"And we just lost our daughter for good." Jennie whispered, sitting back in her chair, arms crossed, saving the tears for later and the anger for Jason.

"Mom!" Abby said, taking it from Jace and walking it over to her mother. "Look at the detail! It's amazing!" Jace watched Abby gush over the bass with a humble smile of love and appreciation.

"It is beautiful, sweetheart." Abby sat down and looked at Jace. He noted that the twinkle in her eye was an explosion of fireworks just then.

"What would you like me to play?" She asked him. Jason's anger bubbled up over the surface. She always asked him what he wanted to hear.

"It's your bass, you choose the song." She thought hard. She wanted the first song she played to be of importance. She began to play, drawing a grin from Jace.

"Jace, you can go home now." Jace's grin faltered, but his eyes didn't leave Abby's. Abby stopped playing and looked at her dad, first surprised and then angry.

"He brought me a gift. He's not doing anything wrong." Jason chuckled at the statement. Jace had done plenty wrong. "He can stay." She argued.

"It's a nice gift, but he rudely interrupted a family dinner. So, he can leave now." Jason commanded. Abby looked to her mother. "Don't do that. Don't go looking for your mother to back you up, to bail you out." Her eyes bore into him, cold and stoic.

"This has nothing to do with family dinner. This is because he's right and you're wrong." Jason's eyes turned hot, his posture becoming aggressive. She was a punk teenager, and he wanted to smack that mouth right off her face. She saw his anger churning like a funnel cloud. She held up the bass. "Want to smash this one too?" Aaron stared between the two of them, wide eyed. His dad wouldn't back down with Jace there. Jennie knew the storm brewing inside Jason was about to rip their home wide-open.

"Abby, you know that was an accident." Her mother interjected.

"Really? Because he still hasn't apologized!" Abby yelled. Jennie looked away.

"Abby, I'm going to leave. You guys look like you were having a nice dinner. I just wanted to bring the bass by for you." He kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

"Thank you." Her father said. Jace glanced at him but offered nothing else.

"I'll go with you." She said, her voice quivering. The loneliness she'd been feeling wanted to stay with him. She felt a pull. She couldn't let him out of her sight.

"Abby, just sit down and finish dinner with your family." Her father began. "Don't punish your mom and brother just because you're mad at me." She was furious that he was using them against her.

"Wow. Just when I thought you've hit asshole rock bottom, you surprise me." She turned to Jace. "I'll walk you out."

"I can't believe you still haven't apologized." Jennie muttered as Abby walked Jace to the door. Jason didn't say anything as they waited to see if she'd come back or leave with him. She reappeared and sat down to finish her dinner. They ate in silence. Once she was done, she sat for a few minutes, waiting for her mom or Aaron to make the first move. Aaron could eat for days. And her mom would wait for her dad. Her dad would wait her out on principle alone. She got lost in thought, and without doing so on purpose, she was staring at her new bass.

"If you're done, Abby, go play." Her mother said gently. Abby looked at her to gauge the sincerity of her offer. Abby grinned and hugged her mom before scampering off. She didn't need to be told twice.

...

Abby still had to ask her mother for permission to go to Jace's niece's birthday party. She didn't know if Jace's surprise visit and gift had helped or hurt her chances of being given permission.

"Will there be alcohol there?" Jennie asked. Abby nodded.

"Probably."

"Will there be drugs?" Abby kept the drive for honesty.

"Weed, yeah. Probably nothing more." Jennie nodded.

"Do you think you can handle that?" Abby shrugged.

"I think if I tell Jace ahead of time that I don't want to use, he'll just chill with me. And if someone offers, and I say no, it'll be fine." Her mother didn't look convinced. "Mom, I can't stay in this house forever." Abby pleaded softly. Jennie knew it was true.

"Okay." She said, not okay at all. "But please call me or Aaron if you feel like you're going to make a mistake." Abby nodded. "And I'm probably going to call to check in often." Abby smiled at her admission.

"I know." Abby said. Jennie hugged her daughter, trying to give her strength.