Abby

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Jason looked down at his phone as it rang. Brian Harris, best friend. They hadn't been talking as much lately. Jason just didn't have the energy for people. Even the best people.

"Hey." He answered. "What's up?"

"I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that your wife isn't sitting at the end of my driveway." It took Jason a minute to get it. Abby must have taken her mother's car and was now sitting at the end of the Harris's driveway. Jason didn't let himself get excited. "Sierra's not home." Brian continued. "Can I go down and talk to her?" Jason didn't want to have to tell him what had happened. But maybe it would help him to share it with someone who also had a teenage daughter.

"I should warn you that her face is pretty fucked up. Bruised and swollen." He clenched his jaw to stop the anger.

"What happened?" Brian asked, cautiously.

"Her boyfriend's drug dealer thought it was a good idea to beat up my daughter to teach her shitbag boyfriend a lesson." Brian's heart stopped.

"I am so sorry to hear that." Brian said in shock. And then the anger set in. "Who is he, and when are we going to kick his ass." Jason laughed. An odd response.

"Do you think they'll tell me? No. I tried. However, I put in a call to Officer Hicks, and he's pretty sure he knows who the guy is. He's just out of his jurisdiction. Apparently, all the dealers throw parties and meet up in Bristol."

"So... we're taking a road trip?" Brian asked. Jason had been contemplating that very idea. He'd been contemplating moving out just weeks before, but something about seeing his beautiful daughter's face the way it was... it pushed away the petty hurt feelings and ego he'd been feeding. "I know that's exactly what you're thinking." Brian said. "You'd do it for Sierra, I am definitely in for Abby." Jason smiled, relieved that he had this friend no matter what was going on in his life, no matter how much Jason had or hadn't been around.

"Maybe go talk to her. I'm glad she's there. She hasn't really opened up much to any of us about it, even Jennie and Aaron." They ended their call, and Brian went out to see his other daughter.

"Hi, Abby." He said. She'd seen him coming down the driveway, so he didn't startle her.

"Hi." She replied, quietly.

"Sierra's not home." She nodded, staring straight out the windshield.

"I figured. I didn't see her car." Mr. Harris wasn't surprised by her face. He'd obviously spoken to her dad.

"Did you want to come in anyway?" She shrugged.

"That would probably just be weird." She replied. But she wanted to go in more than anything. She wanted to curl up in the bean bag chair in Sierra's room like she had thousands of times; and talk about the things they'd only tell each other. 

"Of course not. You're still my daughter, even if you and Sierra had a falling out." She offered a quick smile.

"I appreciate that. More than you know. But I should probably go." She suggested.

"What made you come here, Abby?" She shrugged.

"I don't really have any female friends... or ones that I can talk to... I just miss that." Her thought he saw her start to cry.

"You can talk to your mom; I know that much." And she knew he was right.

"I don't want to hurt her any more than I already have." She admitted quietly.

"Keeping them in the dark hurts them more than anything else." He told her. He was probably right.

"I should go." She said, starting up the car.