Begin Again {Sequel to Sleepless Nights}

Chapter Three

    I ran my brush down my short hair, cursing to myself as I pulled at the small tats. My brush became tangled in my hair. I screamed a curse word as I pulled the brush free.
"Anna? Are you okay?" Joey asked, sticking his head into the bathroom. He chuckled at my messy hair.
"That's a good look on you."
"Will you help me?" I asked as I ran the straightener through my short hair. He nodded and took the blue straightener from my hands and began straightening the hair on the back of my head.
"Do you want to go get coffee?"
"Yes."
"Do you want me to put alcohol in it?"
"Joey." I said as I laughed.
"Shit." He stuck his burnt finger in his mouth. "Here you are my lady."
"Anna? Can I use your straightener?" Shane called down the hallway.
"For your hair?"
"No, silly. For a video."
"Are you going to pop popcorn with my straightener?" Shane snorted and the echo of his hands clapping echoed.
"Girl you know me too well."
"I'll go get Jackson ready." Joey said as he started walking down the hall.
"It's okay, I can do it."
"I got him." I smiled and poked myself in the eye with my mascara.
"Dammit." I mumbled to myself.
"Okay, big man is ready. Are you ready to leave?"
"Yeah." I ran my fingers down the black skirt and put a necklace over my head.
"How do I look?" Joey stopped in the hallway, and looked me up and down. "You look beautiful. Now, come on. Let's go." Shane pulled at the tie he was wearing.
"Was it necessary to dress up this much?"
"Good impressions Shane."
"They're going to think I'm a sophisticated business man but in reality I make videos about how much I eat." He whined and laughed. Joey put Jackson in the car seat and picked it up by the handle and we walked outside.
"It's windy. Shane grab that blanket in the diaper bag." Shane looked surprised and looked over at me, his mouth in the shape of an O. He reached into the bag on Joey's shoulder and pulled out the blanket. Joey bought it for him one day after he came home from Hi5 Studios. I smiled and Shane placed the blue blanket over Jackson.

In the car, Joey was listening to music, and Jackson was playing with Shane. Shane growled as he played with the lion, making Jackson giggle.
"Don't ask me why, but I feel like we're a family."
"Aw Shane."
"I feel like I'm the teenage son, and you and Joey are the parents." He snickered and laughed as Jackson was pulling on his tie.
"Hey, you okay?" Joey asked, placing a hand on my thigh. "You haven't been talkative."
"I'm just taking this all in." He nodded and returned his eyes to the road. My heart became heavy as we pulled into the parking lot of the courthouse. From Joey's window, I could see Mark at his car.

Mark
"Fuck!" I cursed as I realized I had overslept once again. I ran through my house grabbing everything I needed to take with me. I quickly ran my fingers through the messy hair on my head and started getting dressed, almost stumbling over my pants leg. I started brushing my teeth as I shrugged on the suit jacket, I quickly walked into my disaster of a room and grabbed my shoes, quickly putting them on. I laid my toothbrush on the counter and gargled some water, spitting it into the sink, I grabbed my car keys and took a drink to soothe my dry mouth. I grimaced as it was a glass of vodka, not water. I spit it out into the cup and poured it out, the scent of vodka lingering on me. "There's cologne in the car." I said to myself as I grabbed the small briefcase and locked my door behind me. I climbed into my car and sprayed myself with cologne and took off down the street, my heart sinking as I inched nearer and nearer to the courthouse. I pulled into the parking lot and my heart sank as I looked over to see Joey and Anna. I sank into my seat as I watched Joey pick up Jackson. Anna had a smile spread across her face and it made me yearn for her. Shane looked over to me and his face fell, he gave me a sympathetic smile and wave. It's been months since I've heard from him or seen him. I'm losing all my friends. I got out of my car and quickly tried to tie my tie, my hands were shaking and tears were welling in my eyes, a curse word escaped my lips as I looked into my reflection.
"Hey, calm down. Let me help you." I turned to see Felix, he was wearing a suit, his hair was slicked back and he had trimmed his beard.
"Are you okay man? You smell like a liquor store."
"Yea– yeah. I'm okay."
"I hate to say this because I love my sister, but that's messed up." He moved his eyes to Joey and Anna, I turned to see them laughing at Jackson. I wanted to walk up and hold Jackson but I knew that Anna would smell the vodka.
"Where's Wade?" Felix asked, breaking my stare.
"He's already inside."
"Who else is here for you?"
"Bryan's here."
"That's it?"
"Why? Does Anna have a lot of people?" I looked back to him.
"I'm automatically supposed to be here, I'm her brother. I don't want to be here and she knows that. But other than me, she has Shane,Vanessa is coming, and Joey."
I nodded, and sighed at the familiar names.
"Sides are already being taken."
"Mark, I don't want to be here. I don't want to pick sides, and neither should Joey, no one fucking should be. You obviously care about Anna and you're slowly killing yourself, this is fucking ridiculous. We shouldn't even be here."
"Felix—"
"No, this isn't fucking right. And don't try to deny it either. I watched my sister be torn apart into millions of pieces, lose herself in depression, and then she started watching videos on YouTube, and I heard her laugh. Then as you two slowly got closer, I watched my sister slowly become herself again. This Anna?" He pointed to her as she walked up the stairs with Shane and Joey. "That's not my sister. I don't know what's gotten into her, but that's not her. I'm not going to take that stand and tell the judge she deserves Jackson, because she doesn't, and neither do you. Jackson doesn't deserve to grow up and have to ask why his mom isn't going home with his father. He doesn't deserve to have to worry about who's house he's going on the weekends. He doesn't deserve to have lug around bags with his clothes in it because he's only at his mom's house for four days and three at his dad's. That's not why I'm here at all."
"Then why are you here?"
"I'm here to some sense into my dumbass sister." He sighed and grabbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry, I'm just upset."
"You're not the only one."
"Here." He held out a pack of cigarettes. "Don't tell Marzia."
I nodded and took one out, my stresses came to a halt as I gripped the cigarette and lit it.