Watch Me Drown

29. Getting ready

TW: mention of abuse, negative body image

(Julien's point of view)

It was the day we left for tour, a few days after our last hospital trip. Everything was packed and ready to go. We would leave sort of early. The flight was from LA straight to Boston, Massachusetts, where our first show was, the day after we got in.

Abby and I were asleep, when her phone started to ring. It was around 3:00 AM.

"Just ignore it." I whispered in her ear when she started to move. "It'll stop."

But it didn't stop. When the buzzing paused, it only took seconds to start again. Eventually, I released Abby from my arms so she could answer. She didn't even look at who it was, she just answered it.

"Hello?" She said groggily.

Her body tensed up at whoever was on the phone.

"M-...mom?" She stuttered quietly.

I sat up. Her mother hadn't called her in months. Maybe a year. Not like Abby wanted to talk to her. She wasn't the nicest lady. Her and her husband had put Abby through years of verbal and mental abuse. I despise that woman.

"Mom, it's 3AM here..." Abby muttered. "It's 6 there? Oh. Could you have waited a few more hour-"

Her mother interrupted her, and I could hear the buzz of her rebuff. Abby tightly closed her eyes, running her hand across her face. After a few minutes of ranting, her mother seemed to remember why she'd called.

"Yeah, we'll be in Boston." Abby answered some question.

I raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think we have time..." She went on. "Maybe after Madison Square Garden...yeah, they're playing there..."

The conversation only lasted a few more minutes. When it ended, Abby just stared at her phone.

"Abby?" I said.

"She wants to see me." She whispered. Her voice shook.

"What?" I scooted closer to her and put my arm around her shoulders.

"She knows that you're doing shows in Boston," She explained. "And she wants to see me when I'm in the area."

I put my other arm around her.

"I haven't seen my dad since..." She shuddered. She was referring to when her and Lucy met up with her father at a bar.

"You know what Lucy says..." I told her. "You don't have to see them."

"We don't have time," Abby said. "But after MSG, we're not busy."

When she looked at me, I touched her cheek comfortingly.

"What do you wanna do?" I questioned.

"I don't know." She sounded tired. "Can we go back to sleep for now?"

I kissed her forehead. "Okay."

***

(Abby's point of view)

It took me a while to fall back asleep. I was still awake when Julien's breathing evened out and her eyes closed. I was still awake when light started to come through the curtains. I watched Julien. She looked so peaceful when she slept. Her perfect eyelashes brushed her cheeks, and her lips parted slightly. I watched her chest rise and fall. She was so beautiful, like an angel. I didn't dare stroke her hair or kiss her. I didn't want to disturb her.

Eventually, I fell asleep. I had a lot of dreams. Most of them involved my family. I never woke up from them. They just faded in and out, not giving me a chance to panic. When I did wake up, I opened my eyes to Julien's pretty face.