The Mistakes We Made

Too late

It was nearly 4am by the time the Uber arrived at my house. I turned the key and flicked the light on in the hall. Seth and I then walked in, I locked the door up and hung the key on one of the key hooks. Walking into my living room, Seth sat in the arm chair and I got comfy on the sofa, bringing my knees up to my chest.

"You can't just keep crying, Bailey. Tell me what happened?" Seth asked. I wiped my eyes. "I don't know who he is anymore." I said feeling sick to my fucking stomach. "What happened? I walked back in just as shit was going down about blow on titties? and JJ assaulting you! I care about Brad and I care about you." Seth said.

I sniffed and snivelled until I drew in a deep breath. "To cut..." I cried. "...a very long story short... Brad snorted fucking cocaine off the tits, and I... I am led to believe... fucked, a 15 year old girl. Me and you, then had the pleasure of bidding on the video evidence." I said putting my hands up to my face and sobbing harder than I had ever cried in my entire life.

Seth stayed silent for a moment. "If that is the bullshit that fucking JJ is saying about him then I will smash my fucking fist through his skull." He said standing up. I lifted my head to see him pace the living room. "Seth, I saw it with my own eyes. I saw the video of her pouring that shit on her body and inviting him down to snort it off her fucking tits. Brad told me himself, she was 15!" I said now watching someone else's heart break.

Seth shook his head. "Why would he do that? he isn't in to shit like that! Is he?" Seth asked as he walked out to my kitchen and boiled the kettle. I turned and placed my arms over the back of the sofa as I watched him get two mugs out. "It was backstage. He said usually girls get carded but for some reason this one got missed." I said filling in the gaps for him. "So he didn't know?" Seth said as he dumped milk into the instant coffee's he had just made. "He obviously found out somehow. I couldn't hear any more from him, I needed to get out of there. I don't know why he wanted me to watch it? " I said.

Seth shook his head. "He is vigilant with that. Even when he was gigging in the clubs before Devin found him." Seth defended. "Not vigilant enough though." I said wiping my eyes. Seth walked over and handed me one of the coffee's he had in his hand. "But he found out after? so he was tricked into sleeping with this girl as he thought she was over 18 because he thought she must of been carded if she had got backstage." Seth said sitting back down in the chair. "Are you honestly sticking up for him right now?" I asked. "It sounds to me like he was the fucking victim, Bailey. He was tricked by this girl and let down by people who should of been doing their job properly and carding girls who were allowed back-fucking-stage." Seth said always seeing Brad like he could do no wrong.

"You are delusional, Seth..." I said getting angry. "...Brad, our mate Brad, is doing coke and fucking under age girls in front of a guy that he has known for not even 18 months, who was filming it. Surely you can see that none of that is normal behaviour. None of that or what happened tonight is a normal way to live your fucking life, Seth!" I snapped as my tears fell with zero effort.

"Yes, Bailey but his life isn't fucking normal is it? Also, what 15 year old is pouring cocaine onto their tits? She doesn't exactly sound innocent does she? The way he lives is different now and we might not ever understand what he really goes through. If you don't like the way he is then stop dangling yourself in front of him like a fucking carrot. There is nothing to stop you from just leaving him in the past!" Seth said.

I actually laughed at the irony. "It's not that fucking easy." I argued. Seth stood back up, he was pissed at me now. His coffee spilling from the mug all over my carpet as he moved. "Not that easy? Just let him go. If you don't like it then just let him fucking go!" Seth yelled at me.

"I can't!" I snapped back, crying uncontrollably. "What is stopping you huh, Bailey-Grace? Your loyalty is obviously no longer there." He argued. "You wanna know what is stopping me? Chase! Chase is fucking stopping me! Brad is Chase's Dad, Seth. That is what is fucking stopping me!" I said seeing a flicker of sorrow in his eyes as what I said sunk in.

Seth sat himself down next to me. He stayed silent for a minute. "I always wondered, you know!" he said softly, making me look up. "You knew?" I asked. Seth shook his head. "No... Just always thought they looked alike. Bet Brad thought all his Christmas's had some at fucking once eh?" Seth said. "Don't be sarcastic over my son Seth, Brad found out two seconds before I left tonight, I don't know or care what he thinks. I only found out the other week. Darren had to practically spoon feed it to me because I was so deluded.

Seth laughed. "I'm not being sarcastic, Bailey. But if you need something else being spoon fed to you, it's that Brad is in love with you. He moans about it all the fucking time. If you give him the time, then I think you will be pleasantly surprised with what he has to say about it." Seth added. Now it was my time to stay silent for a moment. Confirmation that Brad did in fact feel the same way was huge, but just a fraction too late. "Seth, I can't even stand to look at him. His life choices are not what I want my son to be exposed to." I said honestly. "Yeah well... You know what?" Seth asked as he took a drink from his mug. "What Seth?" I asked. "Maybe Brad needs something this big to make him realise that he needs to come back down to earth before it's too late." He said. "I know he is your friend and you love him but I think it is already too late. He had sex with a minor, Seth." I said standing up. "I'm gonna go to bed, feel free to stay on the couch, okay." I said giving him a kiss on top of the head and taking my weary body up to bed.

"Bailey?" I heard faintly making me open my eyes relectantly. I winced from the bright light in my room. I had forgotton to close the blinds in my window, the day was dull and grey, just how I felt. "Bailey." Came my name again. Letting my eyes adjust and regretting the alcohol I had consumed, the nights drama came back to me. I looked to see Seth stood in my door. "Alright?" I said, my mouth dry. "Yeah... Brad is downstairs. He is in a bit of a state. Pissed out his face." Seth warned. "Great!" I asked. "Will you talk to him?" Seth asked. I nodded. "Send him up." I said but Seth pulled a face. "Might be best if you go to him. He isn't so steady on his feet... He drove himself here too, Bailey." He added, almost apologetically like it was his own fault Brad kept doing stupid shit. I nodded. "Can you stick around so you can drive him back to his Mum's after?" I asked. "Goes without saying." Seth said then left my doorway.

I momentarily laid back down on my bed and stared up to the ceiling. "It wasn't meant to go like this." I said to myself before getting up and making my way down stairs.