Time And I

Twenty-Seven

Jeanie didn't come to my show. It pissed me off, as she wanted me to play in the first place. She even promised to find a way to come see the show and that she would let me know if something happened that would cause her not to. And I actually believed that she was telling the truth. I believed she was in the audience. I understood that it could have been a precaution thing, but she should never have promised to come and see me if she didn't think it was safe for her to. She should have been upfront and told me. Instead, she missed two important shows back to back.

I didn't feel like celebrating with anyone, so Devon drove me home. While Darcy and everyone invited him to celebrate, he declined and told me he wouldn't want to go if I wasn't there. He wasn't comfortable around them yet and wanted to get to know them better with me around. Though that probably wasn't the whole truth, since he got along fine with everyone when I wasn't around. But since Buddy was going out with them, he probably didn't want to piss him off and tag along.

"You know what pisses me off the most about this?" I ranted, and Devon hummed in reply. "It's the fact that this doesn't surprise me. Her brand is her life. It's all she thinks about. I bet that if we were at the concert, she would have put it up on Instagram or something. I want to be mad because she did this, but I'm more pissed that I actually expected this to mean that she would come."

Devon didn't comment on any of it on the ride home. He let me rant about everything until he pulled up in front of my house. Even then, I still had a few more curses left to mutter before I went inside and snapped at Jeanie. At the end of the day, she was still my sister. I still loved her. I was still thankful for her allowing me to live with her and stay with my friends and give me the chance to learn to drum. I was thankful that she could provide for me, but materialistic things were not enough. They didn't make me happy. With her brand swallowing up all of her attention, she didn't have a social life that existed outside of gaming. She didn't have a family life. All of her friends were from YouTube or Twitch. I was the only family member she talked to anymore, and we didn't have that great of a relationship. And yet I still expected that she would come.

Before I exited the car, Devon leaned over the console to hug me. "Call me if you need it."

"I will."

I exited the car and walked inside. Jeanie sat on the couch, watching TV, and Rick wasn't sitting in his usual corner.

"Hey, Mel," she chirped as I locked the door. "Where did you go all dressed up? Another date with that cutie who took you to the concert?"

I was going to freak out. It wasn't that her safety was at risk. She literally forgot about the concert. I could handle her being worried about being spotted, but that she forgot two important concerts back to back over what had to be a gaming thing pissed me off even more.

"No," I stated, and walked to my room.

"Oh," she whispered and turned off the TV. "Were you out with Buddy, then?"

"We're not talking."

"Oh, is that why you're upset?"

"No," I snarled, and slammed my bedroom door shut. I tore off my jacket and ripped off my shoes before Jeanie knocked on the door and peeked her head inside. "Go away," I groaned and flopped back onto my bed.

"I know it hurts when you lose a friend. I've lost a bunch over the years, but you make new friends. Life still goes on." She sat beside me and smiled as she leaned over me. "It gets better. It may feel like the end of the world-"

"Will you please shut up!" I snapped, jumping up from the bed. "Buddy's in love with me, and he's separating himself from me so he can move on and we can become friends again. I'm mad because of you."