Affliction

prologue

tw: drug use and overdose

Never in his life did he feel so disappointed in himself. He always found some way to utterly and completely fuck whatever good thing he had going for him. The only exception to those fuck ups was Claire. Claire was there for him right from the start, she believed in his dream when no one else did. She was right by his side at graduation and sat in the passenger seat as they made the journey to California so he could start what would be the band Affliction. But what she didn't know is while she was supporting him, he ended up betraying her.

"How could you?" Claire said while trashing their entire apartment that they shared. Ever picture frame was cracked, ever dish was broken, ever fabric was ripped off it's surface.

Holton knew right when those pictures got out that it was only a matter of time before it got back to her. He knew he was fucked.

"Babe, I'm so sorry I had no idea that any of these was going to happen. You have to believe me I would never intentionally hurt you." Holton said pleading with not just his eyes but with his knees on the ground below him.

"Don't you dare!" Claire said while pointing at him like the little boy that he felt he was. "Don't you dare call me your babe! Not after this, after everything I have done for you!"

The tears were normal for Claire at this point. She cried when her parents told her if she left to not bother coming back. She cried when Holton got signed because she knew she'd be losing a part of him. She cried when he went away on tour for weeks on end. Now she's crying because he cheated.

"I was drunk and high out of my mind I didn't know what I was doing! I don't even remember the girls name!"

"So what? Is that supposed to make this all better? You not remembering the girls name makes me feel sorry for her. I'm really getting tired of the drunk excuse. Because honestly Holton, you've been drunk since the day I met you!"

"I don't know what I can say or do to make this better. Claire you know I love you. This was just one mistake, I know we can get past it. Please just talk to me I need you."

Holton wraps his arms around Claire's legs like his life depended on it. He felt like he was drowning in his addiction and regrets, the only air he could even catch was the slight chance that Claire would stay her with him and work things out, even if he didn't deserve it.

"Claire please, I'm begging you. I know I fucked and there isn't a single reason that I could think of as to why you shouldn't walk out that door. I've been absent for a long time I know that. All of it, the life the band brings along with it I know it's done thing to me. It's made different and it's made me do things I've regret and this is one of those things. There's no words I can even say that even begins to show how sorry I am. But we can get through this, we've already been through so much. Don't you remember the promise we made to each other senior year?"

"Of course I do, but the only difference is in that promise we never said anything about infidelity." Claire pushes against Holton's shoulder causing him to lose his balance as he falls on the floor in his drunken state.

She had packed her bag long before he had came back home that night. It was sitting in their once shared bedroom waiting to be carried out of their home never to return again. Claire grabbed that suitcase and walked out of the cold apartment and planned on never looking back. Even though she had no where to go she left that key on the kitchen counter and left. Holton tried gathering himself but by the time he looked back up Claire and that suitcase were already gone. The tears were warm as they streamed down his face coating it like the vodka sweats he was familiar too.

"Claire!"

"Claire!"

"CLAIRE!" Her named ripped through the air like a bomb going off.

His feet carried his frail body through the hallway of the apartment and into the bathroom. He opened the medicine cabinet, grabbed the bottle of pills sitting there, taking them all without another thought in his mind.

***

ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Affliction.