My Own Worst Enemy

chapter seventeen

Vanessa's point of view

"I feel bad." I told Michael as I took a shot at our game of billards. "I told Dakota I'd spend today with her, but instead I'm spending it inside of our man cave with you."

"You just got back from the hospital, kick back and relax before you start doing anything big." He told me and I nodded as we walked around the pool table, only two balls left to get in the net.

"I guess." I sighed as he took a shot, missing it completely. "You suck."

"Can you do better?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm winning." I said, hitting a ball and nearly making it into the hole in the bottom left of the table. "I don't know. I feel shitty Mikey. Ditched my daughter to play pool with you. I couldn't take pictures outside of the hospital. I didn't make it to my concert today. God, this is terrible."

"Vanessa, it's alright. Everyone understands. You need to rest before you jump back at it, especially if bright, flashing lights make you all woozy. Just chill." He told me and I took a deep breath.

"Yeah..." I said but I couldn't bring myself to believe that. It is my fault. "Anyways, how's you and Jaxon going?"

"Great. Things are going great. We just recently filed in for adoption and we're waiting to get called in to see if we're physically, mentally, and financially ready to take in a kid, which we are." He told me and I nodded.

"They'd be dumb if they didn't let you two adopt." I told him and he nodded as I set the pole down. "I'm bored of this game." I said and he nodded as I set the stick down.

"I win by default." He told me and I nodded as I sat down on my couch. "Want a cold one babe?" He asked me and I nodded again.

"Please Mikey? Corona." I said and he nodded as I heard the mini fridge open up. A familiar song by Lit play and I laughed.

"Oh shit, this is such a jam." Michael said as he handed me an open bottle of Corona. I thanked him and he pretended to play the song on an air guitar. I laughed and took a drink of my beer.

"Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk, I didn't mean to call you that." I sang as I looked at Michael, who was bouncing around the room with his beer, singing the song loudly.

"I can't remember what was said, or what you threw at me," he sang, screamed more like. I laughed and leaned back a bit, tilting the bottle back and taking a swig of it.

"I'll be back." I said and he nodded as he dancing around some more, thankfully not spilling, or dropping, the glass bottle.

I went back upstairs and then walked into the kitchen, grabbing a pack of gummy bears and a plastic tupperware to put them in. I also grabbed my lighter and a pack of cigarettes from a cabinet the kids couldn't reach. I could barely reach it.

I went back downstairs and set the pack down before opening the bowl. I poured the gummy bears inside and took a drink of my beer before setting it down. "I wanna get smashed." I said and Michael stopped singing.

"Vanessa, that's not a good idea." He said as I grabbed a vodka bottle, opening it quickly with a bottle opener. "Calum will be back soon. A couple of beers are fine, vodka gummy bears are a no."

"I'll just have one." I said as I poured the contents of yhe drink into the bowl. I closed it and then put it inside of the mini fridge before looking at the half empty bottle.

"Vanessa, don't you d-"

I took the bottle and then took a quick drink as Michael ran up to me. "Oh yeah, that really felt good." I said, the strong taste of pure alcohol in my mouth. "Lighten up Mikey, you guys were like this when you were my age."