Fight for Me #Wattys2017

Chapter 8

Recap:

After what seems like no time, we pull up in front of a huge mansion. "Andy, welcome home." He says climbing out of the car and grabbing my bags and even my guitar. "C'mon, you're gonna love the house. We even have a recording studio inside." He says the last part like its a secret.

I just smile at him. Mason hasn't changed at all, I guess it's true some people never do grow up. We walk up the front steps and into the house, within a moment I know for sure this is my Dad's house, because he goes for nothing less than extravagant.

"Mason, you're back. We have some business to discuss." Speaking of the devil, here he comes, the only person I have ever hated: my father. "Oh, I forgot you were going to the airport." He turns to me and actually acknowledges my existence. "Hello, Alexandria."

"Hello, Dad" I pause for a moment choosing my next words with extreme care. "Or should I just call you 'John' since you never really liked playing the role of my dad?

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Silence hangs in the air and Mason keeps nervously glancing between the two of us. My father's expression remains perfectly calm and he ignores my comment by saying. "Mason, why don't you show your sister to her room and help her get settled in?"

"Sure thing." Mason says tugging me up the staircase, and once we're out of earshot, harshly whispers at me, "Are you serious? What was all that about?"

"Well, I honestly didn't know whether he would rather I call him 'John' or 'Dad,' so I thought it would ask. Although,  I don't think I'll be finding out anytime soon." I reply with a casual shrug.

Mason just gives me a punishing glare and drops his shoulders, not facing me as he speaks. "I wish you two would stop this fighting. All it would take is one of you to stop, and the other would follow."

I sigh, almost holding in a laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure he would stop the cycle he started when we were kids just because I decided to stop fighting back."

Mason gives me a long look, and I know he's about to say something I won't want to hear. I try to walk away from him, but he grabs my arm to stop me as he says, "Have you ever thought that maybe the reason you fight so much is because you two are too stubborn to admit you're so alike."

I glare at him gritting my teeth as I speak, "No. I am nothing like him. I would never even wish what he did to us to happen to my worst enemy." Mason goes to say something but I ignore him as I keep talking. "The only thing we have in common is that we're both stubborn. I'm to stubborn to forget what happened, everything he did and said. Whereas, he's too stubborn to own up to his own actions, and to even give me a chance without having a million loopholes attached."

Mason looks at me for a moment, pity and understanding painted all over his face as if he finally understands a piece of what I've felt all this time. "Andy, I-- I don't know what to say." He pauses for a moment, looking at his shoes. "I always tried to understand how you felt, but I guess I've gotten to see the better side of him. I didn't realize I had forgotten how we all felt when it first happened. I'm sorry." He whispers the last part, giving me a tight hug, which I return, trying not to cry at the idea that he just now understands.

We break apart, and awkwardly move on to the rest of the house. Eventually we make it back to normal, as Mason excitedly runs around showing me a bunch of different things. "--and over here is your room!" He shouts as he drags me into a pale cream room, decorated with shades of pastel pink and grey. Mason and I start laughing simultaneously. "You should have seen your face!" He says, which makes me laugh even harder.

Once I recover from laughing, I ask, "So where am I actually staying?" Mason just motions to the room. "Seriously? I mean it's not ugly or anything it's just--pink. I'm not really a pink kind of person if you can't tell." I say motioning to my band shirt, jeans, and hair.

"I know, but this is where Sta--I mean--Dad wanted you to stay." He says, his face flushing at the stumble.

"Wait who?" I ask, he brushes it off like he didn't know what I was talking about. "Mason, don't play dumb with me. You know I can see right through it."

"Fine." He says giving in. "Stacy, one of dad's co-workers, suggested that he have you stay in here since it's got the nicest view and has a feminine decor." I watch him closely and realize there's something he's not telling me, but I ignore it as we continue.

"Well, I know of one thing you're sure to like." Mason tells me as he leads me upstairs, insisting that I cover my eyes. "Promise you're not looking?" He asks as he pushes me forward.

"Yes, Mason. I promise." I tell him with a sigh. "How much longer do I have to keep my eyes covered?"

"Only a moment longer." He replies, pausing before saying, "Okay, you can look now." I take my hands off my eyes. My jaw drops as I look around. "I told you so." Mason says with a smug look on his face. 

"What? Why?" I babble, barely able to form the words as I look at the recording studio around me. "Why do you guys have this here?" I ask, in complete disbelief admiring it all.

"Dad had it installed when we first moved in. We occasionally have some of his high profile clients come to visit and he figured it would be just as easy for them to record their music in here." He says, leaning on the door frame, chuckling at me as I go around the room. "There's also a dance studio up here. This whole floor is pretty much stuff like this."

"This is insane." I tell him. "I mean it's great, but insane at the same time to have all of this in your house."

Mason just casually shrugs, I guess for him this kind of stuff is completely normal. "Do you want to try it?" He asks with a hopeful smile.

"I don't know, Mason. I normally don't sing without my friends, and I don't even have my guitar." I tell him, feeling self-conscious about singing in front of him for some reason.

"I can't do anything about your friends, but go in there and I'll be back in a second." He tells me running out of the room like Flash. I do as he said and take the seat in the recording booth. Mason comes back a moment later with my guitar in hand and a triumphant smile on his face. "Here you go." He says, handing it to me, and sitting himself in front of the equipment as he gets it ready. "So what do you want to sing?"

"What do you want to hear?" I ask him.

"Um--Do something different from what you're used to, like Sam Smith."

"I guess I can do that, Damian taught me how to play Stay With Me one time." I tell him, putting on the headphones, and getting my guitar ready. "Ready?" I ask him, and once he nods I start playing the opening chords and sing. "I guess it's true I'm no good at a one night stand, but I still need love 'cause I'm just a man..." I put my everything into the song, smiling to myself when I hit the high notes just right. I finish the song, and look up to see Mason slack jawed as he puts his phone down and starts clapping.

I take the headphones off and meet him outside. "So? What did you think?"

"That you sound absolutely amazing in person, I mean you sound great on video, but in person you can hear so much more of your voice. You have an awesome range by the way."

"Thanks." I say, awkwardly hugging him and trying to change the topic. I don't know what it is, but singing around Mason makes me nervous, I guess it's because he works with the really big timers and I'm only his sister. I never really know if he means it or is exaggerating to make me feel better.

Mason spends the rest of the day showing me around the garden, the pool, and even the basement full of retro video games and a movie room. "Wow. How did you ever manage to live in such harsh conditions?" I ask Mason sarcastically. He just rolls his eyes at me, making a sarcastic comment in reply. I end up turning in early after dinner that night, taking care of my migraine and crashing from the jet-lag. I rest my head and instantly fall asleep, my last thought of how much I'm dreading the next morning.