To Keep Her Safe is All I Know

Chapter 21

Chris calls Melanie to check in. Even when she constantly assured him that she and Sadie were doing okay, he still often worried about them.

"Hey, dickbag."

"'Sup, cunt? How's life in the electric city?"

"Alright, I suppose. It could be better though."

"Everything okay?"

"Sadie's getting made fun of at school."

"What? Why?"

"For being a boy sometimes."

"Can you talk to her teachers about it?"

"You met her teacher, and she didn't seem very fond of Sadie being a boy either."

"So the school is just gonna let her get bullied?"

"I'm going to talk to her principal about it, but that I have to do that on a day when I can get off of work soon enough to talk to the principal during the day."

"Well, tell Sadie if it makes her feel better, I just emailed you your tickets for Saturday's show."

"That will definitely make her feel better."

"You guys gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll figure it out. I always do, don't I?"

"Yeah, you definitely do...I miss you."

"I miss you too, Chris."

It sort of made Chris uncomfortable just how much he missed her. After hearing about the incident where one of Sadie's teachers thought Chris was her stepfather, he began to wonder if maybe everyone was right after all. But what would Chris do about that? He couldn't just not be there for Melanie and Sadie when they needed him.

 Maybe it wasn't so bad. Maybe Chris should just let everyone think what they want to think. None of it was true. Chris didn't have any feelings for Melanie...even though the two of them seemed to have a lot of "moments" lately...Chris didn't feel like a father figure towards Sadie...even though he sometimes felt like he could certainly love her like she was his own blood...

 But he couldn't. He couldn't let himself develop feelings for Melanie. She was Melanie! Melanie was his best friend, nothing more. She would never be anything more.

x

Saturday night.

Melanie and Sadie walk into the back stage area. Sadie was wearing a MIW shirt, tan cargo shorts, black sneakers and the black beanie with her hair covered up underneath. Motionless in White's tour manager, Josh, walks out to greet them.

"Hey, you guys. The band is just this way."

"Yay!" Sadie exclaims.

They walk back to the green room and Josh knocks on the door.

"Chris, I have your wife and child here."

Melanie snickers. The door opens to reveal Chris with a deadpanned look on his face.

"Ha ha ha ha, you're hilarious."

"Chris!" Sadie exclaims. Chris picks Sadie up and squeezes her.

Melanie steps up,  "Don't I get a hug too?"

"Of course you do."

Melanie hugs Chris, pinning Sade between the two of them.

"Uh, you guys, you're kinda squishing me here!"