November 24th, 2004
Alex sat slumped in the passenger seat and glared out the window. He didn't like the agreement he and Joline had come to. He only wanted Dana to fly over for Thanksgiving. Joline had refused to let her go alone, expressing concern for her only daughter to fly alone. Alex called her on her bullshit. There was no way a few rounds with a therapist had suddenly turned her into this caring mother.
Joline had countered his offer, saying if he wanted to spend Thanksgiving with Dana so badly, he should come home. That had elicited a quick snap that place was not home. They went back and forth on the matter and Alex had gotten the feeling that it might be cost. As far as he knew, Joline had no money. At least, none she would put into family. And he was fairly certain Dana hadn't gotten a job yet. He volunteered to pay for Dana's plane ticket, Joline still refused; she was not flying alone. Alex argued that she wasn't a child, she was almost sixteen. Joline didn't care, but her tone had changed subtly. He was on the right path. He begrudgingly offered to pay for Joline's return flight ticket. There was no way in hell he was going to pay for her to come here, but he'd sure as hell pay to send her ass back.
That's what he believed for the better part of two minutes. The more he argued against it, the more Joline reverted to her original answer of no. Pinching the bridge of his nose and gritting his teeth, he growled out he'd pay for her full flight as well. Joline acted the part of a grateful mother and somehow that made him hate her even more.
Since then, he'd been hoping for something to happen. For her to get too sick to fly, break a leg, get arrested, disappear on a drinking binge, get on a no-fly list… Anything. But his prayers went unanswered. Story of my life…
Casey had questioned whether or not this was a good idea when he told her. He admitted it wasn't, not now. But he wanted to see Dana again. She asked, since Joline was coming along, why not go back to Las Vegas. Truthfully, he felt he would behave better here; there was less chance of him snapping in the ways he had when he lived there. Plus, he'd have her with him. She offered a sad smile and comforting hug with soft spoken appreciation.
And now here they were, driving in silence to the airport to pick them both up. Casey glanced over at him occasionally, but Alex hadn't moved a single muscle. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, again thinking that this wasn't a good idea, but she didn't voice it. She knew she didn't need to.
BLAH BRIDGE BLAH
Casey had no idea who to look for. She'd never seen Joline or Dana and had only Alex's less than perfect descriptions to go by. With that, she was looking for someone who looked like white-trash and a typical teenage girl. There were quite a few people who matched that description. She sighed inwardly and resorted to people watching, glancing over at Alex every so often to gauge his reaction to see if they were close or not. The anger had ebbed from his face and what had taken its place looked akin to a dog looking out the window in anticipation of its owner coming home.
While it was mildly amusing to see him that way, Alex felt like a wire pulled taut. It was bad enough that he hadn't seen Dana in nearly eight months, but that three of those months had been spent with Joline had him worked up and ready to snap. He'd tried not to think too much about since Dana had told him, but that hadn't worked out at all. It occupied every spare thought and often distracted him from studying or working. He wanted to believe his sister, that Joline was better than she used to be and that everything was fine. But he knew better.
His mind became preoccupied with the same thoughts as before and he failed to see Dana before she was shouting his name and running towards him. He snapped out his thoughts and focused on Dana, a relieved smile spreading across his face as he got to his feet. Dana stretched out her arms and leapt at him, throwing her arms around him and knocking him back a step.
"I missed you so much," Dana whined, "I don't know how you do that flight, it's so long."
"I usually do homework," Alex replied.
"You're such a nerd," Dana teased.
Dana stepped back and gave him a light push with a smile. She took notice of Casey, still sitting just behind him, at the same moment Alex took notice of Joline walking towards them. Casey politely introduced herself to Dana as Alex's friend, she'd already heard so much about Dana from him that she felt like she knew her already. Dana glanced down, hiding a bashful smile, glad to know her brother talked about her in the same way she talked about him.
Next to her, any levity Alex had felt was gone. He was tense and still as a statue, narrowing his eyes at Joline as she came closer. Admittedly, she looked better than he remembered, healthier and nicer. But not by much. He could still see the same cruel woman in her clear as day, even five years later.
She walked with her head held high and looking down her nose at him. He didn't know it was possible to hate her any more than he already did. How dare she, of all people, look at him like that. He clenched his fists and set his jaw, not once taking his eyes from her and doing his best to muster all his contempt for her into a glare.
"Alex," Joline regarded with a hint of distain.
He didn't say anything to her. He had nothing and too much to say.
Joline flicked her eyes to Casey and Dana, who had moved just a bit behind Alex instinctively. Casey sat up a little straighter, her own expression becoming more neutral. Joline snorted softly and turned her attention back to Alex.
"Aren't you going to introduce me?" Joline prompted.
"Casey, this is Joline," Alex said tightly.
Casey stood up, faltering imperceptibly, and clasped her hands together. She had no intention of shaking Joline's hand, nor would she say it was a pleasure to meet her.
"I'm Casey, Alex's friend," Casey introduced.
"Never heard of you," Joline dismissed.
Casey tilted her head slightly and narrowed her eyes. Joline noticed her reaction and, as if remembering she was planning to put on a show of a good mother, corrected herself.
"I'm sorry, it's been long flight," Joline apologized, "It's nice to meet you."
Casey nodded slowly.
"Well, that being the case, I'm sure you'd like to get some rest then," Casey suggested, "Why don't we go get your luggage?"
Joline was quick to agree and started off towards the baggage claim. Dana followed after her hesitantly. Alex remained in his place. Casey gave him a worried look, silently asking if he was alright.
"I'm fine," Alex stated.
He started after Dana and Joline, taking long strides to catch up. Casey hummed to herself, she expected that answer. She started walking towards the baggage claim as well, knowing it would probably take some time for their luggage to come around on the carousel.
Once they had their luggage, Alex led the way back to the car. Dana was close by his side, telling him all about their flight and how scary it had seemed. It was her first flight; that she remembered anyway. He smiled and laughed under his breath; he remembered the first time he had flown had been scary as well, but for a few different reasons.
Casey was only two steps behind them Joline a few steps behind her. Joline's lip twitched in anger as she watched the three of them in front of her. She even bristled when Alex looked over his shoulder, not at her, but at Casey and stalled a second to allow to her walk beside him. He didn't even spare a brief glance at her. She tightened her hold on her bag and walked more swiftly, bringing herself even with them and erasing some of the happiness from Alex's face. That was the moment he acknowledged her. With slight, visible disgust.
Joline maintained her level of anger and annoyance throughout the car ride. She sat in the front seat, wearing the same expression Alex had had on the way there. Casey felt a tinge of guilt of thinking she could see where Alex got it from. Joline looked up to the rearview mirror every once in a while to see Alex and Dana in the backseat. She could them talking, mostly Dana, but to see Dana so happy… She felt insulted. Dana hadn't once been this happy around her. Hell, even Alex looked happy; compared to the serious face he always had before.
When they arrived at the house, Joline and Dana followed Alex and Casey to the front door. As soon as the door was unlocked and open, Joline brushed by Casey and let herself in. Casey turned to Alex with her jaw set and eyes slightly widened. This woman was unbelievable. Yes, she knew of everything that she had done and she really shouldn't be surprised. But yet she was still amazed how rude she could be to someone she had just met and who had been willing to host her.
Joline gruffly asked where she'd be sleeping and Casey went up the stairs to show her to the room Alex had helped clear out. Alex had suggested that she sleep on the couch or in the basement, but Casey hadn't thought it would be a good idea to put her in anymore foul of mood than they were certain she'd be in. Plus, the room had needed cleaning up for quite a while.
As for Dana, it was up to her to decide where she wanted to sleep. She shifted on her heels and gave Alex an innocent look.
"Oh, for Christ's sake…" Alex sighed.
"Please, for old times?"
"…Fine."
She smiled and clapped her hands together as he started up the stairs. Luckily, his bed was big enough for the both of them. Or it would be, once he cleared all his textbooks and notes off of it. He hadn't thought Dana would ask to sleep with him, she was almost sixteen now.
"Wow, you really are a nerd," Dana commented, "Do you just leave it there when you sleep?"
"I fall asleep while I'm doing homework sometimes—"
"Because it's boring?"
"No. Because I'm up late," Alex stated, "I wasn't doing myself any favors by falling asleep on the kitchen table."
"Is there really that much to do?"
"Take a look at this pile and ask me that again," Alex deadpanned.
He gathered up a few books in his arms and searched through the scattered papers in search of the notes related to the books he had. Dana came up beside him and picked up one of the notebooks. She squinted her eyes at his messy handwriting as she studied what had been written.
"I don't understand any of this…"
Alex opened his mouth with a snippy comeback, but Dana continued.
"You must study a lot. I mean, you always did, but this— This is a lot, how do you do it?"
"A lot of late nights," Alex shrugged, "Obviously. Casey tries to help where she can."
"Who is she anyways?" Dana asked, "How'd you meet her?"
"…That's a long story."
"Well, we got all night."
Dana hopped up on his bed, taking up the recently cleared space. Alex stood still with an armful of books and notes, staring at the space between them. He'd never talked about Casey to anyone. He didn't even know where to start. He glanced at Dana, half hoping she'd drop the question, but he knew from her expression she wouldn't.
He set the books and papers on the floor and gathered up the rest, putting them beside the others on the floor. He sat down next to her, fixing his eyes on the carpet and fidgeting his fingers. Dana leaned forward to get a better look at his face, she couldn't remember Alex ever struggling with admitting something. He'd always either said it or bold-faced lied about it.
"She was… the first person I was ever friends with. The only person, really," Alex started, "She knew about what Joline did— I told her—"
Alex had always told her not to tell anyone of what happened at home, he didn't want them to be separated. To find out that he had told someone was someone was something of a surprise.
"And she was going to help us. In probably the best way anyone could," Alex continued.
He shook his head and backtracked, starting with how he knew her in the first place. Dana was completely transfixed by the story, as short as it was. He left out a handful of things he decided she didn't need to know. It was hard enough for him to dredge up the memories and the thoughts of what could've been.
All Dana could do was stare at him. She had thought about it before, what it would be like to not have Joline for a mother or not have her in their lives, but to hear that they'd almost had that made her heart drop. She didn't know how to process it and just leaned against Alex as she wrestled with the thought. He gave her a few minutes, pushing back against her slightly for support, before clearing his throat and pulling himself back together. He busied himself with the books and notes on the floor, setting out to organize them more thoroughly.
Dana laid back on the bed, making a pinched face when a pen poked her in the back. She tossed it aside and as soon as it clacked softly on the carpet just beside Alex, he fixed her with an annoyed look.
The next morning was Thanksgiving. Alex and Casey had talked about whether it would be better to go somewhere for Thanksgiving or make something at home and decided that going out would be better. Neither of them particularly wanted to make Thanksgiving dinner. They'd decided on a restaurant that was nice enough to warrant dressing up, but not so nice the numbers on the menu would be appalling. Casey had made reservations for late afternoon, during the football game; it was slightly easier to get a reservation then and neither of them watched football anyway.
Alex had slept most of the morning away, which was no surprise to Casey or Dana, which left them with each other. Joline had hardly bothered to come out of her room. Dana was still a little sheepish around Casey, she was still essentially a stranger, but she couldn't help but feel immense gratitude to her. Because of the conflicting feelings, Dana didn't say much. But the moment Casey offered to fix her breakfast, Dana threw her arms around her.
"Um… are you alright?" Casey asked.
"'m fine," Dana sniffed.
Casey blinked at her in confusion, but relaxed and returned the hug. Dana pulled away, sniffing once more and wiping at her eyes as she went to sit down while Casey made breakfast.
It was the smell of food that had finally drawn Alex out of his room, though he didn't look entirely awake yet. When Dana teased him for it, he muttered it was because someone was a restless sleeper.
A couple more hours went by before Joline came out, wondering when they were going to eat and groaning she was hungry. They'd leave in about forty-five minutes which was, evidently, too long, judging by Joline not so discreetly rolling her eyes and failing to keep her mutterings to herself.
Alex and Dana went to get dressed, up to this point still in pajamas, cueing Joline they were finally getting ready to leave. Alex and Joline, seeing each other dressed nicely, regarded each with thinly concealed disdain; both seeing the other as a sham of who they were.
Surprisingly, the car ride to the restaurant wasn't unbearable. It consisted mostly of Dana asking being excited by the foreign city around her, to Alex's slight amusement. They arrived at the restaurant, one slightly nicer than average, and were seated only minutes later.
Dana bounced in her seat, scanning over the menu and commenting how fancy everything sounded. They gave their orders to the waitress, who'd promised to have them right out.
There were a few ways dinner could've gone. Awkward silence was one of them, but Casey broke it with a comment about Alex interning at GenTek.
"What's GenTek?" Dana asked.
"Genetic and biological research company," Alex replied simply.
Joline stared at him in disbelief.
"You should see all his homework and notes, it's crazy," Dana said.
"When the hell did you get so smart?" Joline quipped.
In a different tone, it might've come across as a compliment.
"Always have been," Alex grumbled, "You were just too wasted to notice."
Casey netted her fingers together on the table, pursing her lips and wishing she'd said something else to break the silence. Dana shifted her gaze cautiously from her brother to Joline as the two of them glared at each other.
The waitress came back with their food, her happy demeanor fading as she realized the situation she had walked into. She left them with their, not even bothering to tell them to enjoy.
After that, Alex and Joline both kept their eyes fixed on their plates, stabbing and cutting their food with a little more force than necessary; the glossy, ceramic plates chirped and kree'd in protest occasionally. The waitress came by a short while later, asking how everything was and if she could get them anything. They politely decline, except for Joline, who asked for a Corona. The waitress left to fetch it as Joline slid Alex a dirty look.
Casey closed her eyes for a moment, silently begging Alex not to do or say anything. Dana shrank back and chewed her lip, fearing another fight between her brother and mother. Neither Alex nor Joline even so much as blinked as they glared at one and other. She was taunting him, daring him to lash out the way he used to. He could see it in her eyes, she hadn't changed and she never would. She just put on a show to get out early, just like she had when he was little. Alex narrowed his eyes, holding his breath and tightening his hold on his fork.
Casey lightly knocked her foot against his. His glare snapped to her out of reflex, but her expression remained unchanged. She gave the slightest shake of her head, warning him not to do whatever he was thinking. Not here. Alex growled inwardly and huffed, flicking his eyes back to Joline. Her lips were upturned in a smug grin. Alex felt his lip curl in anger and resisted every muscle in his body begging him to do something. He tried to ignore the itching feeling and keep eating, but it was of little success. He got fed up, the plate forward and took to staring the edge of the table.
After another few tense minutes, each minute marked by Joline flashing a proud look at Alex, the waitress came by once more. Joline ordered another glass. And another. Just as she was about to order her fourth, Casey stood and excused herself briefly. Alex watched her from the corner of his eye as she went around a corner, but not entirely out of sight. She was speaking with someone, but not for long. She came back and sat down, without looking at any of them. Alex quirked an eyebrow at her, but it Joline who asked where she went.
"I just let her know we're ready to pay," Casey answered simply, "I think some of us are done."
Joline grunted indifferently.
The waitress came over with two small, black folders. She set one beside Casey and one beside Joline. Alex raised his eyebrows with a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips and glanced over to Casey; she returned the look with one that told him to say nothing. Joline glowered at the folder waiting for her and turned to Casey. Casey paid her no mind as she reached into her purse for her card. Joline continued to stare at her for another long minute, but Casey pointedly ignored her. Joline snatched up the folder.
"Wouldn't've ordered those drinks if I'd known I was gonna pay for 'em," Joline grunted.
Alex could see a remark on the tip of Casey's tongue. The annoyance on Joline's face intensified to anger as she opened the folder. Her dinner was on there as well.
"Not even payin' the meal?" Joline challenged.
"I made no promise to," Casey replied, "We never even discussed it."
Both Alex and Dana ducked their heads; Dana doing so out of worry, Alex doing so to hide his grin. Joline angrily dug through her own purse and stuffed a card inside. She sat back in her chair, slumping and crossing her arms. She caught sight of Alex's amusement, indignation flashing across her own face.
The waitress took both folders with a promise to return shortly. When she did, she thanked them for coming and wished them a good night. Alex watched Joline scribble her name on the receipt, noting that she'd written nothing on the line for the tip and the total she wrote matched the one printed just above it. He wasn't surprised.
Joline tossed the pen on the table and glowered unfocused at Casey. As soon as Casey started to stand, Joline was on her feet and taking staggered strides towards the front doors without so much as even a glance over her shoulder to see if any of them were close behind.
None of them made any effort to catch up with Joline and knowing she waiting outside in the cold only further served to make Alex smile. She was shivering outside by the car, arms crossed up on her chest and stamping her foot.
They got into the car without a word and drove in dead silence for several minutes before Alex had had it.
"Are you fucking serious?" Alex barked.
"About what?" Joline snarled.
"Well, I would think part of your getting out early was alcohol rehab and you just ordered four beers!"
"So what? Do I look like fuckin' drunk to you?"
"Yeah, actually, you do. One more and you'd probably be shit-faced. What does it take for you learn? Jesus Christ…"
"What's it matter? You're ungrateful ass is out—"
"The hell did I have to be grateful for, huh?" Alex interrupted, "You never did shit!"
"I put a roof over your head!"
"No, you didn't! Some dead relative did!"
"That's it," Joline growled.
She fumbled at her seatbelt furiously, throwing it over her shoulder and twisting around in the seat in the same motion. Casey swerved as Joline's hip hit her shoulder as she lunged back at Alex. Dana pressed up against the door as Alex surged to meet her; quick enough that the safety on the seatbelt clicked at held him back, but it didn't stop him from grabbing Joline by the shoulders and pulling her away from Dana.
Casey slammed the brakes, throwing Joline off balanced. But she was undeterred in her efforts to swipe and hit at Alex. He took most of the hits in favor of keeping a hold of her. Without a thought, Dana unclicked Alex's seatbelt and her own. Alex let go of Joline only for a second to throw the belt off himself; Dana opened her door and scrambled out. Casey got out and ran around to the other side of the car, ripping Alex's door open. He sank down in his seat, pulling Joline further into the back seat. He used the now open space to turn and leverage her against his knees, then effectively kicked her out of Dana's still open door.
Joline tumbled to the ground and struggled to get up, impaired by alcohol and adrenaline. Alex twisted over and went to lunge for her, but Casey caught him by the collar of his jacket. Set on continuing the fight, he smacked her hand away and scrambled out the other side. Just as soon as he got his feet on the ground, Dana bolted in between them.
"Stop it! Just stop, please!" Dana cried.
Alex looked between Dana and Joline, torn between fighting Joline and keeping Dana out of harm's way. He could pull her back behind him to get her out of the way again. Joline got to her feet, swaying and spitting to the side.
"I'm not doin' this shit anymore," Joline declared.
"Why? Because I'm not a little kid you can kick the shit out of anymore?" Alex roared.
Joline bristled and grabbed Dana by the wrist and started dragging her towards traffic.
"The hell do you think you're doing?!" Alex bellowed.
"Leaving, the fuck does it look like?!" Joline yelled.
She deliberately marched out in front of an oncoming yellow taxi. The driver hit the brakes, screeching the tires against the pavement. Joline hurried around to the far side of the taxi as Alex started towards them. Joline pulled the door open and shoved Dana inside with no regard for the other people inside. She quickly whipped up tears and rushed to make Alex seem like the bad guy to them, quickly earning their sympathy; his visible anger only served to corroborate her lies. Joline climbed in with them and slammed the door shut.
Alex broke into a sprint towards the taxi, yelling now at the people inside that Joline was trying to kidnap Dana. The driver either didn't believe him or didn't hear him, he just stepped on the gas. Alex swore at the top of his lungs and ran after the taxi, now yelling at Dana to just get out of the car. He could see a struggle through the back window, but neither door even so much as cracked open. The taxi accelerated and weaved into heavier traffic.
Alex tried to keep up, his lungs burning with the effort, but there were too many cars. All of them blaring their horns and flashing their lights at him as they narrowly avoided hitting him. The taxi was getting harder to keep track of, especially as a few more filtered into traffic, and it wasn't a minute longer before he lost sight of the one his sister was in.
o0o0o0o0o0o
Author's note: not as big of a chapter as what I've been doing while away, but I just need to get back in the groove and remember where I was going with this. If any of you have been waiting all these years for this update, you have my deepest and sincerest apologies