Bandmate ||Ricky Garcia||

《e i g h t y - t w o》

Audrey's POV

He sits there with steam brewing up his nose and faded gray-green eyes. Last I saw him, his weak mental state matched his outsides, now his skin glows and lips burn pink.

"What are you doing here?" I ask stepping closer, making sure it's not a hallucination.

"Well I came to talk, but then your mom offered me coffee. You know I don't really drink much caffeine but this is good." He takes another sip before setting the cup down.

"Yea she adds a little bit of cinnamon and- that's not the case. Want to talk outside then?"

He nods his head. As he gets up he takes another sip before following me. Mom gives me a sympathetic smile as we exit the room.

We walk out to the backyard and pull out some old rusty lawn chairs. He sits across from me. I intertwine my fingers and pinch at my skin.

"You want to talk after not answering my call or text?" I ask and he bites his cheeks.

"Yea I'm so sorry about that. I wanted to answer and talk but I was talking to my counselor and she advised me to take a break from my phone. My mom wouldn't stop calling me so I had Emery take it away."

"So you're in counseling now?" I won't mention how Emery told me days ago. Softly he nods his head making a clicking sound with his mouth.

"It's been a few sessions but it's been good. I still can't believe I'm actually doing it, since I do find it stupid to talk to a stranger about my things." He rolled his eyes.

"What you didn't want is exactly what you needed. You can't tell me it doesn't feel good to talk it out." I say resting my elbows on my knees.

"It kind of does. She's sweet though. Helen is trying to make me forgive my mom and Stephen but she's struggling."

"I mean, what you have to think about is how at the end of the day, your mom will always be there for you." I shrug.

"That's what Helen is saying. I'm working on it. I don't feel anger towards her anymore, I just feel disappointed." He turns to look around the yard. I wonder if he's thinking that it's bigger than his childhood home.

"What about Stephen?" I ask him.

"We're cool at the moment. I came to terms with that he was a dad figure to me all the time. Still not calling him dad though, gross." We chuckle at the thought. He was always harder on Ricky. Maybe it was because he is a tab bit irresponsible and his son.

''I don't think he wants you to call him that, or has he told you he does?'' I ask and he shakes his head rapidly.

''Hell no, even if he did want me to. He just said to keep things as the norm, so I'm trying to.'' He smiles and it warms me to see him like this. I want to blurt out how I was wrong and that if it's possible to get back together.

"Hey-'' we say at the same time.

''You go first.'' I laugh and he smiles.

''You must be wondering why I am here to see you? You must think I was a dick for ignoring you all this time.'' He rubs his hands together and his foot starts to tap against the floor.

''No no! I just assumed you were busy.'' 

Busy forgetting about me.

"I kind of was but I came to say sorry for everything.''

''You don't have to apologize for not answering a stupid call and text,'' I say nervously laughing.

He licks his lips and leans back against the chair, ''It's not just that I'm apologizing for.''