destinesia | gnr

here you are

1990

"WHY MASON, WHY?" Jackie sobbed as she heaved into the toilet. Mason didn't know 'why' either. He had no idea what she was crying about.

"Why did Axl have to be such an asshole?" She cried. Mason furrowed his brows while he tried to figure out what the hell she was on about. "Steven didn't-" she hiccuped. "Didn't deserve that."

Mason held her hair back as she emptied her system, helped her brush her teeth and then helped her to bed after she finally stopped crying. "Take this when you wake up." He set a small tablet on the bedside table.

She fell asleep pretty quickly- probably from the puking and sobbing exhaustion. "Christ, Turner." He shook his head and left the room.

"MORNING, SUNSHINE." Mason beamed as Jackie appeared in the stairwell. She grumbled in response and threw herself on the couch. "What're you making?" She asked, her voice muffled from the cushions. "Eggs and bacon!" He walked over to her with a spatula in hand and examined her small figure as she flipped over to face him. He thought she looked like a stray cat that he brought home last night.

"So, uh.. you went pretty hard last night." He mumbled. "Huh?" Her voice was scratchy and dry from all the crying and vomiting that probably stripped her throat to nothing but sandpaper.

"Last night, you got drunk and high. You probably don't remember, but damn-" he laughed. "you threw up all over my car." He rolled his eyes as he remembered. "I brought you home and you started hurling in the toilet while you cried about some dude- Axl? I think?"

She snapped her jaw shut as she was about to yawn. What did she tell him?

"Oh, huh. That's weird." She scratched her neck, looking anywhere but him. "I don't know anyone named Ax."

He stared at her. "Ul..." she pronounced the last part of Axl's name. "Axl.. yeah, no. I don't- Doesn't ring a bell." She continued digging her grave deeper. "Um, okay?" Mason blinked at her.

Jackie followed him into the kitchen and slid some eggs onto a plate, sitting on the stool in front of the island.

"Anyway, someone called earlier, said they were lookin' for you? Sounded like it was kind of an emergency. It was a California number, though."

Her hand froze in place as she was about to take a bite. "California?"

"Yeah. Didn't you move from there? Maybe it's your dad or something."

"It was a male voice?"

"Uh.. yeah." He blinked. "Oh." She shrugged. Duff was the only one she'd ever spoken to after she left, and it was a one time thing. He just called to make sure she was still alive. She was confused as to why he'd call again. Mason did say it sounded like an emergency- but then again, Duff would say anything just to hear her voice again.

"They left a message?" She asked, eyeing the phone hooked on the wall. "Yeah." He nodded.

She gulped and pressed a button on the receiver so the message would play.

"Hey, Jackie. Just wanted to see how you were doing. Gimme a call when you get the chance. It's kinda important, and-oh shit, I gotta go."