Fragile As We Lie

by Aurette

Chapter Six: Silver for Her Tears

“I'm going to catch a world of hell for this,” Johnny muttered to himself as he tried to keep himself from speeding on the suburban streets. He'd left the warehouse without telling his manager, and that was a huge no-no. But he didn't have time to find the miser, who usually had no desire to mingle with the “laborers,” especially the temp workers.

It wasn't that he would regret it. Alice's voice, tearful and shaky, was enough to push him to action. But he would a hard time finding another job, temp or otherwise, if Burns complained about his absenteeism. And if he couldn't make up his share of the rent, the other band members would have to pick up the slack, and Johnny had already screwed up too many times. He was a talented guitarist, but playing a killer solo didn't pay the bills when they weren't signed.

He swiped a few errant strands of hair out of his eyes and concentrated on finding the right house. For some reason, she wasn't at her own house, and had called from a neighbor's garden shed. A neighbor that lived five streets away. Alice hadn't really been able to eke out anything more than that she needed him and her location. She'd succumbed to a panic attack and had to hang up her cell phone. The worst scenarios rushed through Johnny's mind, and he nearly missed the house. Blue, she said, with green shutters. Rather strange, but at least it was recognizable. He parked on the street, and hopped out of his car. He saw a familiar man leaning against a black Volvo across the street, talking on his cell phone.

The man's form and face were incredibly familiar, though the distance proved a bit much for Johnny, and he couldn't tell where he knew the man from. He shook his head, and chalked it up to seeing him before when he picked up Alice, and went around the blue house, hoping no one was home. He found the garden shed, and slipped inside quick as lightning when he heard gasping sobs.

Alice was huddled on the floor, cell phone still in hand, her face buried in her arms. She was crying, shuddering, and seemed to have trouble breathing.

“I'm here, Alice,” he said, tentatively kneeling in front of her and placing a hand on her arm. “I'm here.”

“I c-can't go back home,” she forced out. “Bill will kill me, and he's there.”

“What about your mom?”

Alice didn't answer, as she was nearly hyperventilating.

“Breathe deeply, love,” Johnny spoke in a low, soothing voice. “In through your nose, out through your mouth.” He rubbed her arm, not even thinking that it might be crossing a boundary she wasn't ready for.

Alice didn't notice. She just sobbed, not even looking up at him.

“Now, why are you hiding in your neighbor's shed?” he asked when she calmed down a bit.

“I skipped the rest of school and came home and Bill was there with M-mr. Daniels,” she managed. “And B-bill yelled at me and I ran away and h-he's going to be pissed when I go home.”

Daniels... the name struck a chord with him and it seemed to click with the man out across the street. “Wait, would that be Ethan Daniels?”

“H-how do you know him?” Alice asked, lifting her face to look at him for the first time. Her face was red, and her eyes bloodshot, and she was still trembling something awful.

“We kind of... had an altercation at a party,” Johnny admitted. “He was standing across the street when I arrived.”

Alice's eyes widened. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. “I c-can't go out there.”

“Sure he won't wait forever. Maybe he came after you after you left?”

Alice shrugged, not willing to say anything more. Johnny sighed, and patted her shoulder. “It's alright, Alice. I'll take you back to my place and you can rest easy. You don't have to go back right now, right?”

She nodded, though she didn't quite look convinced. Johnny stuck his head out the garden shed, but couldn't see if Daniels was still standing in the front. “Wait here,” he whispered, and slipped out. He crept alongside the house, hoping that the residents were away. He'd be hard pressed to explain what he and Alice were doing in their garden shed. Once he rounded the corner, he stayed in the bushes. He was sure he looked completely stupid, but he didn't want Daniels to recognize him. Ethan Daniels wasn't his favorite person in the world, and Johnny was sure the feeling was mutual.

Sure enough, Daniels was on his cell phone still, looking annoyed. His voice raised suddenly.

“Bill, I don't know where she is, she just bounded off like a fucking deer. I'm not going to cruise around the neighborhood for you. You're not my boss. If you want her back that badly, you find her.”

Johnny raised his eyebrows. Daniels was just the same as always.

“It's your own goddamned fault she ran off, now isn't it? I was just trying to be helpful. Fuck off, asshole.” He flipped his phone shut and slipped it into his pocket. He looked around, and Johnny ducked under the bush, hoping the man didn't see his head poking out.

“Alice!” Daniels called out. “You around? Your stepdad's looking for you. Just thought you should know!” He lowered his voice, and said something under his breath that Johnny couldn't hear. He poked his head out again, and saw Daniels looked rather annoyed. Or at least that's how he seemed as he got into his car and drove off.

Johnny let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know why Alice was so against seeing Daniels, but Johnny himself didn't want to see him. He was such a selfish bastard that Johnny was glad the man hadn't recognized him. He went back to the shed. Alice was still seated, but her trembling had eased off.

“He's gone now,” Johnny announced, and knelt down by her again. “Let's get going.” He helped her to her feet, and put an arm around her shoulders to keep her steady. She let him lead her to his car, though she was still shaking like a leaf. A few of the neighbors who'd come out at Daniels' shout looked at them curiously. Thankfully, they said nothing.

Alice was extremely shaken, and Johnny was beginning to have a very bad feeling about her connection to Daniels. Pushing those thoughts aside for the time being, he made sure she was comfortable in the passenger seat, and walked around to the driver's side. The ride to the garage was deathly quiet. He neglected to turn on the radio, and figured to do so now would only make things worse. Alice's trembling was uncontrollable, and she seemed almost freezing to look at her.

"I think you need to get some food in you," Johnny said, parking behind Ben's motorcycle.

"I c-c-c-c-can't eat." It took a great deal of effort for Alice to speak. She was still shaking with the same intensity as when they left, and Johnny worried that she was going to dissolve into hysterics at any moment. She didn't focus her eyes on anything in particular, and wouldn't look at him. He gazed at her for a moment before getting out of the car and helping her out.

"You have to eat sometime, Alice." He didn't press it further, though. He let go of her arm when it was clear she was growing increasingly agitated with the physical contact. He led her into the garage, and found Ben at his computer, working on his paper. Ray was in the office, playing video games with Mia. Cat was probably at work, like always.

"I thought you had work today, Ben," Johnny remarked. The young man didn't even look up from his computer.

"Dr. Thatcher had a death in the family. She went to California for the funeral, so the vet's office is closed for the next couple of days. Sheila and Katie are taking care of the kennels, so I get an unexpected vacation." He looked up. "Hey there, Alice. You doing okay?"

"She's had a fright. Hey, you want to lie down or something?" he asked Alice. "No one will bother you, and you could use some sleep."

Alice nodded, and for the first time since he picked her up, she relaxed somewhat. Ben was looking at both of them with questions in his eyes. Johnny just raised his eyebrows at him, and headed for the stairs. "You can crash on my bed. I share a room with Cat, but he won't be home until late tonight, so you don't have to worry about him busting in." Alice was following him silently. "Sleep as long as you like. Maybe when you wake up, you'll be hungry again. And you should call your mom when you get a chance. She's probably worried sick."

"H-has to know I'm th-there to worry."

Johnny knew better than to say anything. He opened the door to his room, but didn't bother flicking the light switch. "My bed's on the right." He gestured towards it. Both his and Cat's beds were rumpled, as neither were very conscientious about keeping the room tidy. Clothes, books, and the occasional guitar pick littered the floor, but other than that, it wasn't trashed. "Sleep as long as you like. I'll be hanging downstairs with Ben, and maybe Ray if he can surface from Mia long enough. Just come down when you wake up, okay?"

Alice nodded, and took a hesitant step into the room. She turned to look at Johnny, and met his gaze. He could tell it was a struggle for her to keep eye contact. "Thank you," she said, so softly Johnny wasn't even sure he heard it.

"Anything for you, Alice." He flashed a smile, and closed the door behind him. He waited a moment. Sure enough, moments after he closed the door he could hear muffled sobs. It broke his heart into pieces to see her in such obvious pain. She had an incredibly long way to go to recover from her ordeal. And it didn't help that not only was her family completely not supportive, but she had so many problems already.

He let out a sigh, and headed back downstairs to the kitchen. He brushed past Ben. "Don't you ever do anything but write on that damned thing?" he asked. He opened the fridge and began rummaging around.

"Sometimes I help hold the cats when they get shots," Ben replied dryly. "How is she really?"

Johnny pulled out some of the leftover pizza and started in on it thoughtfully. He dropped into the chair across from Ben. He looked up at the other man with a bleak expression across his face. "Absolutely terrible. She got into it with her stepdad, and Ethan Daniels of all people came looking for her."

Ben raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What the hell does he have to do with her?"

"I guess he works with her stepdad. In any case, it shook her up even worse than she was. She was hiding in a garden shed when she called me. The guy scares her terribly. I think-" he trailed off.

Ben didn't say anything, just waited for him to gather his thoughts.

"I think he was the one."

Ben nodded, his eyes dark. "Makes sense. With what you said."

"She won't tell me. She won't tell anyone. I don't have any real proof. For all I know he could just be a jackass to her, and that's why she's scared. But that's not a normal reaction to a jackass, even for her!"

Ben typed a few keys, hit save, and closed his laptop. "Maybe you should talk to her about it?"

Johnny shrugged, and tossed the stale pizza crust into the trash can. "I don't know if she's really in the state of mind to talk about it right now. You saw her. She could barely stand to be in our presence. She started crying when I closed the door to my room."

"You have to figure something out. She's still a minor and can't stay here forever."

"I know. I just can't make her go back right now."

Ben nodded again, and stood up. He stretched his arms over his head, and glanced over to the office. Johnny looked over his shoulder to see Ray and Mia kissing, the game completely forgotten.

"Glad to know someone's giddy with love," he remarked. "The only one of us getting any."

Ben made a face. "Not in our room he doesn't. I'd kick his ass into next Tuesday, and he knows it."

The change of conversation was a godsend, and Johnny embraced it wholeheartedly.

****

"What do you mean she just ran out of the house?" Kathy didn't bother to keep her voice down. She was angry, and she wanted Bill to know it. "And you didn't even try to stop her?"

"Daniels ran after her. You know how he was looking at her at the Christmas party."

Kathy narrowed her eyes at her husband, and fought the urge to throw a lamp at his head. "She's seventeen, you moron. Daniels is ten years older than her. It's completely inappropriate, and why the hell was he even in the house?"

"Keep your enemies closer, remember? The bastard's out for my job, and I figured if he's with me he doesn't have a lot of opportunity to do his little schemes." Bill, sitting on the couch watching TV, hadn't been too forthcoming when Kathy asked him where Alice was. It was enough to make a woman scream.

She crossed her arms over her chest, and walked in front of the TV. "You know how she is, Bill. Daniels scares the shit out of her, and you thought it was just fine that he went after her? Hell, it probably spooked her even more."

"She's your kid, goddammit. I can't keep tabs on her every second. I have problems, too. But no, you don't give a shit because your daughter has 'issues.'"

"It's not my fault she has problems with socializing, Bill. And someone has to take care of her. It's not like you're stepping up to the plate."

"Send her to her father, if she's such a burden. Now, move. I"m trying to watch the news."

"If she doesn't turn up in a day, I'm calling the cops, and telling them exactly what happened."

"What, that she's a goddamn rabbit and spooked at the first sight of an argument?"

"That you drove her away and sent someone who gives her and me the creeps after her."

"Like the cops even give a shit for a teenage runaway. Happens all the time."

Kathy glared at her husband in disgust. She moved out of Bill's way, knowing he wasn't going to help her any more. Reluctantly, she went into the kitchen, and closed the door behind her. She didn't want Bill to hear her make the phone call.

She took her cell phone from her pocket, and dialed the number, hoping he wasn't at work.

"Hello?" The voice was slightly confused, obviously since he didn't recognize the number.

"Hello, Luken."

"Kathy?"

Kathy closed her eyes, memories from eighteen years ago flooding her mind. "Yes. I have a little problem with Alice."

"That being?"

"She's not here."

The long pause on the other end was so tense, it even set Kathy on edge. "Where is she?"

"I don't know. She got into an argument with Bill and ran off. She's done that before, but always came back after running out her anxiety and the shakes. She's been gone for six hours now, and isn't answering her cell phone. She hasn't called you, has she?"

"She did around lunchtime. Everything seemed perfectly normal."

"Well, she's been even more skittish than usual. If she calls, please let me know?"

"Of course. I'll call her myself to see if she's just trying to ignore you. You know how teenagers get."

"I'm just very worried. She doesn't really have any friends. I don't know where she could have gone. Except there was a young man who gave her a lift. I don't recall his name. John something or other."

"I'm sure she's fine. She may be a nervous little thing, but she's far from stupid. She'll be back."

Kathy bit her lip, and glanced at the clock. "I sure hope so."

Author's Note: Sorry for the long time in updating. I've had some personal issues I've been dealing with. I'm back though! Hopefully I'll keep a more regular schedule of dates.