Opposites Attract // h.osterfield [2]

48 - r e a l - l i f e

Brooklyn sat at a table in the middle of The Capital Grille. Her phone was face-down on the table after receiving countless messages of support from her bandmates and friends. With the only messaged truly bringing her comfort were the ones from Harrison and Kellin.

She exhaled a shaky breath with her legs bouncing up and down under the table. She checked the time on her watch for what must have been the twentieth time.

Cars drove past the windows of the restaurant, the engines humming with the backtrack of people in the Grille chatting and dining.

"Brooklyn?" Brook's head snapped towards the voice.

Elen Roosevelt stood in front of the seat, dressed in light blue denim shorts and a white button-up shirt. Brooklyn watched her silently as she took a seat, finally understanding where she and Bennie's blonde hair and cheek dimples came from.

Elen smiled at Brooklyn but the singer was paralysed.

Elen took a deep breath, "I'm so happy that you asked to meet me,"

"Well, I have questions, and somebody reminded me that you're the only person who can answer them, so," She trailed off, "And I didn't even realise how many questions I had until I started thinking,"

A flash of guilt appeared in Elen's eyes, "That's understandable. I'll, uh, I'll try to answer them all,"

Brooklyn nodded, "I guess, the first question is, why did you leave?"

She sighs, "I had a drinking problem. It had gotten to the point where I was...uh, I was lashing out at you kids and your dad over nothing. I thought it would be best if I left until I recovered,"

Brooklyn's eyebrows furrowed, "You left when we were four. You didn't recover for 18 years?"

"I was on and off the wagon, more off than on," Her eyes began to glaze over, "I haven't drank in two years, Brooklyn,"

Brooklyn sighed and rubbed her temples, "Where have you been?"

"South Carolina, mainly. I opened my own little bakery slash café, kinda thing," The blonde hummed awkwardly.

Brooklyn tried to process the information she was hearing.

"Did you know about Bennie?"

The chattering of the people surrounding them quietened down to almost zero, rendering as simple echoes as Brooklyn awaited the answer.

"I heard about Bennie from your grandmother," She admitted quietly.

"And you didn't come to the funeral," Brooklyn stated, exhaling slowly, "Did you hear about my accident?"

"Your dad told me about that..."

Brooklyn let out a spiteful laugh, leaning back against her chair with her arms crossed.

She was madder about her mother not even bothering to turn up to Bennie's funeral than not coming to visit her after her incident. But it was like rubbing salt in a wound.

"I, uh, I went to every concert that you performed in Carolina. And the New Year's Eve one," Elen cleared her throat, wiping away the single tear that fell, "You're a beautiful singer,"

"You can't just tell me that you didn't care enough to show up at your sons funeral or to visit me in hospital after I nearly died of an overdose and then compliment my voice," She shot back, earning a few looks from surrounding customers.

"I-I know, I know, I'm sorry," The older woman stuttered, her perfect posture wearing down. She was shrinking herself.

"You have every right to be mad at me, to hate me, even. I just want you to know that I hate myself for missing out on so much, for not coming back sooner," She continued.

Brooklyn scoffed, "I want to hate you, frankly. But Bennie," She shook her head, "Bennie could never. All Bennie wanted was to know you, especially when we had to do Family History projects,"

"Your grandma has so many photo albums of the two of you. She wanted separate albums for each of you, but you were always glued to each other's sides," The woman giggled sadly, "I wish I knew hi-"

"Doesn't matter what you wish. He's gone. He's not coming back and that is the reality I have to face every fucking day," She was trying really hard to keep her cool, knowing that she was failing.

The summer breeze wafted through the doors, the bell of the Grille's door chiming happily.

"I have to face it too, Brooklyn. It breaks my heart to think that-" She was cut off once more.

Elen had begun to see similarities between her and her daughter. The stubbornness, the cutting people off when they're pissed off. They were similar in so many ways yet it felt like they were polar opposites.

"You didn't know him. A personality isn't fully developed until between the ages of seven and nine, you were long gone by then. You knew him through stories spoken in the passive voice by relatives who supported us more than you ever did. Don't act like your mourning is equal to mine," Brooklyn picked her phone up off the table, swung her bag over her shoulder and stood from the table, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be,"

"Brooklyn, wait-"

But she didn't wait. She walked out of the Grille as calm and collected as she could. She held herself together until she turned the corner, where she pulled out her phone, ignored the messages from her friends, called Kellin.

He answered after the first ring.

"Brook, you okay?" He asked, his voice drenched in concern.

"I need you to pick me up," She chocked, giving him the street she was on, "Please,"

He showed up five minutes later and the second she sat in the passenger seat, the floodgates opened. She told him all about it, and he comforted her. Like he had done every time something happened in Brooklyn's life.

She didn't realise exactly how much she missed him until this exact moment.

He drove through a McDonald's drive-through and ordered way too much food for the both of them. He stayed with her for the night, worried about his best friend falling over the edge again. Of course, he didn't say this. 

A/U
I originally planned for this to go a lot better but thought this was probably a better way to go, storyline-wise :) this took me all day to write lmaooo