Giving them time to work, AJ and I wandered back down stairs without comment. Putting her down, we watched Lexy bumble down the stairs, my eyes not leaving her in case she tripped. AJ looked at me, and I smiled. When she didn't smile back, I faded and asked “What?”
“Nothing.” She waved it off “I'm...I'm paranoid.”
“AJ?”
At the foot of the stairs, AJ turned to me “Do you love my brother?”
Freezing, I looked at her and sighed “I knew this was coming. Protective siblings, protective parents; it's all relative. Pun intended.”
“Dawson, seriously.” She looked at me, and I felt bad for making the joke “My brother and Lexy are the most important people in my life. If anything happened to them like what happened before, I—I don't know what I'd do.”
I smiled “I don't think you give him enough credit. He's incredibly talented, and such an amazing father. The way he loves Lexy...He'd do anything to make her happy, and keep her safe. Anything. I can tell; I can see it.”
“But what about you?” She asked, “When you leave, it'll be Erin all over again. And I swear, I will die if he hurts again, or my name isn't Amerricka Justice.” Of course I knew the name was coming; I expected nothing less.
“AJ, do you really think that?” I shook my head “Do you really think I'd just leave him like that, with no explination or guilt?”
She shrugged, “I guess I have to wait and get to know you. It's just scary, having this new person in our lives. I'm used to being the one Indie goes to when he needs someone, but now he has you. It's gonna be a change.”
I reached out, taking her hand “We'll do it together. It's all going to be okay, AJ. You don't have to take care of them all by yourself.” She nodded, and I thought of something I wanted to ask. Looking at her, I questioned, “That song that Indie sang...”
“If You Can't Hang?” She asked, and I nodded.
“Is it about Erin?” I pressed, watching her expression. Taking a breath, she nodded, and looked at me with a sad smile.
“It's difficult.” She said, wringing her hands “He...He can't hate her, and he can't love her, so he's just been resentful. And confused. I mean, you don't get it, because you weren't here when all of this shit went down, no offense. But he couldn't talk to anyone about it; he didn't know how. So he wrote all of his feelings down, and sang about them; how much he wanted Erin to understand that it meant more to him that she just...stuck around. It was awful, and I could see how much it was hurting him. But that song came out of it, and now it's one of the best things he could have done for the band, and for himself.”
I felt like crying when I whispered, “I'm so sorry, Amerricka.”
AJ smiled, hugging me for a few seconds. When she pulled away, her eyes found Lexy wandering toward the living room, and sighed “You know what? How do you feel about going in to town today? I need some retail therapy.”
I shook my head, “I can't. I have work in a couple hours, but maybe another day?”
She agreed, and took out her phone “Here...You got your phone back?”
“Yeah.” I walked to the table, unlocking my phone. Checking the time, I looked up as I handed it to her “I have to go in a couple hours. Come down to the diner if you're bored; I'm sure Becca would love to see you.”
“Oh my God, Becca.” She gasped, laughing “It's been forever since the last time I saw her. Is she doing okay?”
I said, “Yeah. She told me that she's known you since you were a youngster.”
YOU ARE READING
Hometown Hero
Teen FictionDawson Bennet never had a permanent home. Traveling from restaurant to restaurant with her dads, no town held her in one place long enough to get comfortable with anyone. And signs don't look good, now that she's become acquainted with Indie, the to...
