The New National Anthem (Vic Fuentes fanfic)

Truly Ashley

song: Disenchanted by My Chemical Romance

NO ONE'S POV

It was all just a horrible nightmare. For Vic, Katrina, even the rest of the band. But not Ashley. It was perfect. She finally got her daughter back, not that she actually wanted her. No, it was all an act.

Win custody, smoothly walk over to Vic, promise to stop at his house with Katrina to get her shit and keep her in school, then pry the sobbing girl out of his arms. She never went back to the Pierce the Veil residence. Ashley just drove straight for San Francisco with Katrina helplessly watching from the backseat.

The "boyfriend" that was with her in court was long gone. She'd only payed him to act as thought they were together, and possibly make Vic jealous. Deep down, Ashley wanted him back. She regretted lying all those years ago and completely ruining their chances. It was all Katrina's fault. If she hadn't been born, her and Vic might have even gotten married.

Out of anger, she unknowingly gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. The feeling only grew when she glanced into the rearview mirror and saw the pathetic teenage girl staring out the window.

As for Katrina, she now knew the emotion she had dreaded, heartbreak. Such a self explanatory term; the condition of a broken heart. But not even a thousand words could describe the severity of it. The way it shredded your insides until your brain was convinced it was a physical pain. How your formerly naïve eyes were replaced by ones that saw the true ugliness of the world.

But for that poor soul sitting in the backseat of her mother's car, she had the worst bite of it. After almost sixteen years of worthlessness and pain, she found a real happiness and place where she belonged. But the devil likes to play cards with this one, doesn't he?

And there she sat, over active imagination spitting out possibilities of how it would end. It was slowly starting to drive her mad. Far enough that she might even be categorized similar to the Mad Hatter.

She'd found that movie, The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland on Netflix. It had been one of those rainy nights. Those where you would make yourself a steaming cup of tea and wrap yourself in half a dozen blankets, content with being alone. Katrina did love her friends and family, but being alone was her natural state.

It was as her friend Austin had once told her, "Trusting is when you give people the knife they're gonna stab your back with"

Of course Katrina socialized and was comfortable relying lightly on others, but that level of deep trust and friendship, where taking a bullet for them was no hesitation, she had never given. If you ever asked her, she'd most likely say something about how she's always ended up alone in the end. While many of these opinions are effects of her upbringing, Katrina just wasn't someone who talked about how she felt or wanted to expose her secrets. As you know, she has no issue giving a light summary of her earlier life. But there were still many things her own father didn't even know.

Like the number of times she'd contemplated lodging a bullet in her skull, the amount of death that has occurred right in front of her and almost getting sent to a mental hospital. Oh, that last one was such a fun story. There were at least a dozen more unspoken tales to this out of place girl's life.

Katrina didn't dare make a single noise, her mother in the front seat looked like she might snap at the slightest move. Just being in the presence of that woman was like walking in a minefield. Take a step and pray you didn't trigger a shitstorm.

Upon arriving at her mothers apartment, Katrina was harshly told to go into "her bedroom". To say it wasn't as nice as her room with her dad was paying it a compliment. There was absolutely no furniture in the small 10' by 10' room and the white carpet was stained with spill alcohol. Occasionally, she'd come across a small pile of broken glass, no doubt from smashed liqueur bottles.

The best Katrina was able to do was find the cleanest area in the room and curl up on the floor. She still wore her formal clothes from the trial, but didn't have her phone. Just after Ashley had collected her, she plucked the device out of her fingers, smirking "Oh, you won't be needing that"

Katrina shivered at the cool draft, it was beginning to become summer but she had a low tolerance for cold temperatures. She hadn't seen any sign of her mother since she harshly directed her to the shitty room. All of a sudden, the sound of smashing glass echoed through the unfurnished apartment. Through the crack in the door, she was able to make out a stumbling figure, pouring alcohol down their throat.

This was the train wreck woman she'd seen emerge for the shadows that one night, brandishing a knife she would plunge into her. This was the horrible person that Katrina's imagination always believed she was. Not that fake woman in the court room.

It was the real Ashley Marie Rodriguez.

A/N:

Sorry this is so short, I've had standardized testing all week with a little more coming up. Totally just stressing about that and some other shit.

I'm super happy to finally get this story going, I can finally use a bunch of ideas I've had forever! Please just put up with the not as frequent updates, but I can say there will be at least one a week.

Much love,
Rachel