Time; Don't Let It Slip Away

The Only Jack I Trust Is Daniels

I woke up to the sound of my phone vibrating, rather loudly. 

Groggy, exhausted, and still with a sore throat, I sat up in bed and answered the phone, making sure I didn't wake up Steven.

"Hello?" I squeaked, stretching. 

"Mia, I swear to god you better not be doing drugs…" My mothers shrill voice crooned. 

"Mom?" I yawned, looking at the clock. "Mom, it's like 8:15 in the morning… What's this about?"

"Honey, go turn on the television. The news has pictures of you at your show last night at the edge of the stage, sticking a spoon of something in your mouth… They claim that it was drugs."

Sure enough, as I clicked on the television and switched the channel so the news was on, Some sleazy reporter named Jack Carey was describing a picture of me standing by an amp, right next to Steven who was handing me a silver spoon of honey. Because it didn't look like honey, Jack was calling it an 'unidentified substance; probably cooked heroine' 

"Mia, honey, if you're doing drugs, I need you to tell me." 

I let out an exasperated groan, making my voice crack, and a fire set ablaze in my throat. 

"No, Mom." I croaked. "I'm not on drugs. What you're seeing Steven hand me, is a spoon of honey and lemon juice. I'm sick, and I lost my voice. This girl at the Meet and Greet told me her mother's a vocal coach, and that's what she makes her do before her shows."

"Okay… So you're not on drugs?" She asked warily. 

I turned to see Steven roll over in bed and open his eyes, smiling at me. 

"Jesus, mom. No I'm not!" I nearly cried. "Do you really believe what they're saying? Apparently my life isn't entertaining enough for them, so they feel the need to make up bullshit about me so they can get their money." 

"No, honey. I believe you. I was just calling to make sure… Especially cause they're saying that Steven's the one who gave them to you, and well, I know he does have a history with things of that nature. " She sighed. "I love you, okay."

Steven saw the worry in my eyes, and crawled out of bed to come and sit down next to me on the couch. 

"I love you too…" I paused, letting her words soak in. "But wait, they said that?"

"Yeah…" She murmmured. "I'll let you go though. It sounds like you've got alot to sort out right now." 

"Okay… Bye Mom." I sighed, hanging up the phone. "Those fucking bastards!" 

"Is everything okay, Baby?" Steven asked, pulling me into his arms. 

"No! Fucking Jack Carey!" I tried clearing my throat, which only made me sound even more like a frog. "He's saying that you gave me drugs last night, and that's what I was doing over at the end of the stage! They got a picture of it and are claiming that you're relapsing and that you're getting me hooked onto it!" 

"Are you fucking serious?" He groaned, rubbing his temples. "It's fine… People will talk. You and I both know that that's not what happened, and it's not true. Everyone in our circle knows that's not true. We'll just clear it up with the media later, I guess. They're gonna be swarming the venue tonight, anyway, so we'll just clear the air, then. Okay?"

"Okay, but that's just so fucking annoying!" I whined.

"Yeah, it is." He kissed my cheek. "But Mia, I was a drug addict for years. I'm used to people thinking that my stupid actions are the cause of a relapse. You need to get used to people thinking that any stupid action, or misconception that happens to you, is the result of people thinking I gave you drugs."