Happiness ↣ Jon Mess

2. a temporary stay

"yeah, i have your friend in my car right now. i just didn't know what to do. he seemed so panicked like a deer in the headlights, i couldn't just leave him there. yeah. oh? okay?" she talked into the phone as jon woke up. who is she. why is he in some chicks car. oh god, he KNOWS a crazy fan did not just abduct him.

"what are you doing with my phone?" he makes a reach towards his phone." the girl looks at him. she has a small accent, and he ruled out kidnapping. she's like, four foot eleven. 

"i thought i'd call someone you know before 911," she says sharply. "tilian something was the first starred contact."

he remembers stepping on the cracks of the sidewalk and walking into traffic.

"you..." he remembers the figure. "please don't call 911, please, please, fuck." did he seriously walk into traffic?! he was so unhinged last night, god, the lights were hot and so many eyes on him....

"PUT ME ON SPEAKER" he hears tilian through the phone. she obliged and taps the speaker button. "you are not coming back until you get the help you need jon! for fucks sake you walked into traffic! you could've died!"

"i'm sorry til." he almost croaked out. "it's just, i just,"

"listen," he could almost see tilian taking off his glasses and rubbing his face. "just take the time you need off. go see someone, do something, please. will can cover for you. but we aren't taking you back until we know you aren't gonna go bat shit crazy and kill yourself."

"i wasn't trying to kill myself." he complains. "i don't know what i was thinking."

"well sort it out." tilian said. "we give a fuck dude. so many fucks. look, i'll see you in three weeks. once tour ends we will pick you back up and take you home." he hangs up.

jon just falls back, lounging in the corner of the strangers car. "your phone didn't have a password." she hands it back to him quietly.

"i blanked. and i did something dumb." he started. "it was like i just short circuited."

"your job?" she guesses. "that guy sounded like a coworker."

"you could say that." he memorized the shape of her lower dashboard. "i'm under a uh... a lot of pressure."

it's impossible to ignore the awkwardness. "i'm wren. you should probably know the stranger you're in a car with right now." she nods. he looks up at her finally. she has long thick black hair. and a light brown complexion. she has big hazel eyes, and is playing with the hem of her shirt.

"i'm jon." he says. "and uh... thank you."

"for what?"

"well tilian was right. i could've died."

they sit in silence again.

"i won't call 911." she says. "on the condition that i can make sure you're stable before leaving you stranded. your friend mentioned you're not from around here before you came to."

"i really don't wanna overstep wren," he said, trying to politely say he wishes he walked into a semi truck. it would've been better than his friends thinking he's gone insane. "you've already done a lot for me, i just—"

"you tried to kill yourself. you were literally in an unresponsive state. slept right through the night, couldn't budge you. i'm either admitting you to the psychiatric wing here, or you're staying with me so i can make sure you're okay. your friend already told me he doesn't want you alone."

of course tilian said that. she starts driving. he's shaking. "who put you in charge."

"your friend. like i just said." she says. "he asked if i could watch you. just for three weeks. i said i might have to admit you. he said that was fine too. he said either way to tell him what's happening and he will pick you up then."

they approach a duplex surrounded by trees out of the way of the downtown area.  she takes the keys out of her car and they sit there. "wren?" jon said.

"yea?" she replied.

"whyd you help me? i could've been anyone." he said. she could almost see the pain in his eyes. "i could've shanked you for all you knew."

"well, i was just gonna confront you and ask what you were doing in the middle of the intersection so i could pass. but when i came up to you, i saw the look in your eyes. you looked like...." he waited as she paused. "my dad had a nervous breakdown once. we found him sitting on a bridge with his legs dangling. he didn't know who he was or where he was. and he looked calm, but scared out of his mind. i recognized it. so i got you in my car and you were out like a light."

"i tour in a band." he explained, now that he definitely believed she didn't know him from anywhere. "and it's like living the same day over again. we're recording an album and there's a lot of stress, and i'm just generally off my game. my memory was going and i was numb and... there's not much for me to go back to." they make eye contact.

"cmon. i have to figure out where you're gonna be, stranger." she gives him a warm smile.

they get out of the car. the pavement is warm and stained with purple flowers from the trees surrounding. it's a beautiful june day. the sun feels too bright and jon winced under the glare. they go into the door and up some stairs, she lives on the top floor. jon is immediately greeted by a massive cat with long gray hair.

wren picked up the cat, putting her up on the counter next to her as she put her purse down on the counter. jon inspects the area around him; the place was small with a living space, leading into the kitchen wren was in, a room with a closed door, a bathroom, and a bedroom. "i really think you should see someone" she finally says. looking back to jon. "i don't know why your friend suggested this."

jon is greeted by the little gray cat, weaving between his legs. "hi little man," he says to the cat, reaching down and scratching his head. the name on his collar says medusa. he thinks about psych ward horror stories, and thought about how much he didn't want to be stuck inpatient in ohio. ohio of all places.

"please don't send me away, wren." he says, sitting on her floor to invite the cat into his lap. "like tilian said, three weeks and i'm out. you owe me nothing but they don't want me alone and... i don't really have anyone eager to check up on me. i'll be out of your way."

to be honest wren thought this whole situation was crazy. she's just a nursing student in the middle of nowhere ohio trying to get by. she had no idea why she promised whoever jon's friend was that he could stay. this was insane.

but she saw something she couldn't pinpoint. as she glanced over to him petting her cat, criss cross on the carpet, she had a gut feeling.

god. why did i have to be born an optimist, she thought.