Post by Adrien | Adam on Dec 18, 2017 2:24:21 GMT -5
(Points should also be awarded to Honey and Jessica Nitoh)
Date: December 13th, 2017
Cameras: OFF
“So why are we about to eat red beans and rice? I thought that was a Friday thing with you people.”
Eddie Walker’s out-loud pondering causes a bit of an eye roll from the two other occupants of the kitchen. Adrien Cochrane places the lid back on the pot that is sitting on his stove before turning to Eddie, prepared to give a response. But he doesn’t need to as his younger sibling beats him to the punch with a response of her own.
Alexis: “It was Dad’s favorite food, so why not have it today, Old Man? I figured you would know that one.”
Adrien’s younger sister, Alexis, gives Eddie a pointed response, something that usually Eddie is the one delivering to everyone else. Walker shakes his head a little bit at the whole idea of the two Cochranes eating their father’s favorite food on what would have been his sixty-sixth birthday.
Adrien: “This is how we’re remembering him, Eddie. This is our first year without him. His first birthday since he left this world.”
Adrien places the wooden spoon he’s using to cook with next to the pot on top of a few layers of Bounty paper towels. He was wearing a black Green Day t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Since he didn’t plan on stepping outside in the immediate future, he wasn’t wearing a jacket, a rarity this past month for the Dropkick King. Alexis glances at Eddie, as she smirks at him. Alexis was wearing a normal black t-shirt with blue jeans, something simple even if the jeans had rips in them. Her red hair was flowing down her back.
Alexis: “Besides least we are doing something together, we could have spent it apart.”
Eddie: “You mean other than buying hair dye with one another?”
Alexis looks at him, as she playfully punches Eddie in his arm.
Alexis: “There is nothing wrong with dying our hair, Old Man. Least we are not like you trying to be all hip.”
Eddie: “Adrien’s hair actually is a shade of blonde though! Dirty blonde, sure, but what’s the point of making it brighter?”
Adrien, at this point, was just ignoring the conversation going on between his manager and his sister. He was just focused on the day’s festivities while they were bickering back and forth.
Alexis: “Why does it matter? I like my hair any color I have dyed it. Come on, Old Man, why are you being such an ass about this?”
Alexis keeps looking at him, as she knew Adrien wasn’t listening to them. She wasn’t going to back down from Eddie.
Eddie: “Hey, you’re the one who had to take a jab at me over the whole red beans and rice thing!”
Alexis: “Yeah, and I am how old compared to you?”
Alexis lightly laughs as she couldn’t help herself. She glances at Adrien.
Alexis: “How is it coming along, Adrien?”
Adrien turns back and sees the twenty-three year old looking back at him. As he was in his own little world while that was going on, he didn’t even hear the question that was asked to him by his younger sister.
Adrien: “I’m sorry, what’s going on? Are we still calling Eddie old and talking about hair dye?”
Alexis: “I’m always going to call him old. Yes, we are, and I asked you how dinner was coming along.”
Alexis could tell he was in his own little world, as she looks down, before back up at him.
Alexis: “We could always change the subject you know.”
Adrien: “Remember how Dad’s red beans tasted so much different than Mom’s?”
The three-time World Heavyweight Champion steers the conversation into something a bit more relevant to what they were doing today. Walker has his eyebrows raised.
Eddie: “No. I don’t actually. I never got to eat anything Ludie cooked, in all honesty. And I’ve eaten your mother’s cooking like...what...twice in the time I’ve known you?”
Alexis: “I think he was asking me as it was. I do remember that I could never figure out how he could get them to taste different.”
Adrien: “He seasoned it WAY differently than Mom does. She would never put chili powder or paprika in hers. Or Tabasco, for that matter. If it didn’t burn your taste buds off, he didn’t want any.”
Alexis: “No wonder, but yet his was better. I just never wanted to tell Mom.”
Adrien chuckles a little bit, knowing that he got his recipes from their mother, not their father. Today’s red beans and rice were no different. Fortunately, Ludie Cochrane wasn’t actually going to be eating it today. Alexis lightly laughs, as she looks at Eddie.
Alexis: “You wouldn’t have been able to handle his, I bet.”
Eddie: “What makes you say that?”
Walker had a genuine look of curiosity on his slightly wrinkled face. The forty-one-year-old manager wore a pair of khakis and a black polo shirt. His dark brown hair was spiked up, and he wore something the other two did not: a wedding ring.
Alexis: “Because, Old Man, I don’t see you handling it, not how bad it would burn your taste buds off. Most sane people wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
Alexis looks at Eddie, almost as a matter of fact way.
Adrien: “Come on, Eddie. You said my grilled shrimp was a bit spicy for your liking. Alexis and Dad thought it was the mildest thing they’ve ever eaten.”
Alexis starts to laugh, as she looks at Eddie.
Alexis: “You couldn’t handle that, you would not have been able to handle Dad’s red beans and rice. Eddie, don’t kid yourself.”
She stops laughing, as she moves to sit down on the stool by the island. Adrien stirs the beans silently for a brief moment before he looks back at his sister.
Adrien: “Miss him as much as I do?”
Alexis looks at Adrien, as she nods her head yes.
Alexis: “Yeah, I do. I keep thinking about things he would have liked, or I would want to tell him. I just wish it would get easier.”
Alexis was trying not to get tears in her eyes, as she tells him how she was really feeling about their father. Adrien walks on the other side of the counter and places an arm around his sister before kissing the top of her head.
Adrien: “Me too, Alexis. Me too. What I would give for just one more day with him…”
Alexis nods her head, as she looks away.
Alexis: “One more day, one more dinner, just anything really. I think at times how I will miss out on certain things that only a father can do for his daughter.”
Eddie: “If you mean walking down with you on your wedding day, I could always do that for you.”
Alexis looks at Eddie, as she was surprised by that.
Alexis: “You would really? You are right, that is what I was meaning. Even just other things in the future.”
Eddie: “What else?”
Alexis: “Grandkids is another thing. The guy I marry asking Dad for my hand in marriage. Just being around.”
Alexis was still trying not to cry. Adrien was still holding his sister.
Adrien: “Whoever the guy is can ask me for your hand in marriage.”
Alexis: “Yeah whoever he is. Least it is still a long while away. You will be married before me I bet.”
Adrien glances in the next room where Stacy Sterling was preparing the dining room for them to eat dinner together. And by together, that also meant with a space at the table for an urn that contains the ashes of Ludie J Cochrane III.
Adrien: “I’m also quite older than you.”
Eddie: “And he was married once before. Remember her, Alexis?!”
Eddie was clearly trying to get Alexis out of a crying state and into a laughing hysterically at Adrien’s poor choice for a wife a few years ago.
Alexis: “Worst choice ever! I remember her alright. At least he has someone way better for him now.”
Alexis glances into the dining room, as she looks at Stacy.
Alexis: “I don’t think anyone else would be as perfect for Adrien as Stacy is.”
Eddie: “I mean, the bar wasn’t set too high. All she has to do is not yell at literally everyone all the time and don’t ditch him and divorce him the moment he was done producing her band’s album. Not to mention the fact he briefly left wrestling for her.”
Alexis: “True, I’m glad though she is no longer around. That would be very bad.”
Alexis glances at Adrien.
Alexis: “Shouldn’t you say something, we are only talking about your failed marriage?”
Adrien: “I mean, I should be the last person that is able to comment on that. I’m the one who did it. Both of you were there. You saw me do it. It is what it is.”
Eddie: “That was actually the first time I met both of your parents.”
Alexis: “Yeah, and would you have listened to me? I just hope if you see me making a mistake, you would stop me.”
Adrien: “Oh, believe me, I will.”
Adrien looks back down at his sister. He’s back into “concerned big brother” mode.
Adrien: “You okay?”
Alexis looks up at him, as she nods her head.
Alexis: “For now, I am. Are you?”
His outer expressions and appearances were a lot braver than how he felt. In all honesty, this was a rough day for him. One he was staring at the calendar in his office and dreading. It was a last minute decision by Alexis that she was even here today. Only nine days from now will be the one year anniversary of their father’s death. The whole month just lost a lot of its luster last year. December basically had the same feeling to Adrien, as September does for Billie Joe Armstrong. But there was one shining glimmer of hope: Adrien’s one year anniversary since he began dating Stacy Sterling was on Christmas Day. Adrien told himself he had to be strong for his sister.
He looks down at his sister, who is still sitting on the stool at the kitchen’s island.
Adrien: “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
He hugs her a bit more than just the side hug he gave her earlier.
Adrien: “I love you, Alexis.”
Alexis: “I love you too, Adrien.”
Alexis smiles softly at him, as she was trying to be braver now.
Eddie: “And I love both of you!!”
Walker tries to wrap his arms around both of the Cochrane siblings, who both give sideways glances at the manager. The voice of Stacy Sterling breaks the awkward moment as she calls to him from the living room.
Stacy: “Babe! Mail!”
Adrien wiggles out of the group hug to retreat to the living room to retrieve whatever Adrien received from the Post Office. Stacy was already back in the dining room by the time Adrien got there, but the envelope was sitting on the table near the entrance. He picks up at smiles as he sees “Honey Smith” above the return address.
Adrien: “Well, this is unexpected.”
Adrien opens the envelope, and the first thing he sees is a small trading card. Adrien turns it over and sees his own face on it. It was the one she showed everyone in her latest video. Adrien gives a bit of a weak smile as he realizes that she sent him this, knowing how much all those trading cards mean to her. Accompanying the card was a letter. He unfolds the paper so that he can read it.
Adrien folds the paper back up before placing it back on the table. In a way, this was a warm feeling to Adrien. Through all these rough times in his life, he has a lot of people in his life that have done nothing but show him love and support. Sure, he had Alexis, Eddie, and Stacy within a few feet of him. But his friends in the Guardians have been almost like family to him. And even though Adrien lost his father almost one year ago, he certainly had other people in his life step up to the plate to be an important cog in his life. And that gave Adrien hope. That helped Adrien believe.
Date: December 16th, 2017
Cameras: OFF
It was a couple of hour past midnight. Adrien Cochrane wasn’t sure of the exact time until he raised his left wrist to see the watch illuminate in a bright blue font that it was half-past two. New York City, fortunately, was the place to be if you wanted to meet someone for some late meal sharing. The downside to that was the drastic change in temperature between New York and New Orleans, which resulted in Adrien wearing a charcoal colored knit cap and matching trenchcoat.
He stood outside the closest diner from his hotel and awaited the arrival of the person he was meeting up with. It didn’t take a whole lot of time before he sees a 2006 Honda Civic pull up and the door open to reveal Jessica Sears. She steps out of the car in a pair of black fuzzy boots, a pair of indigo skinny jeans, a soft purple blouse with a black blazer jacket overtop. Her hair flows freely around her as she approaches Adrien.
Jessica: “You look a little uncomfortable.”
She refers to his choice of warm clothing while she wears something so simplistic. Adrien musters a weak smile at her comment.
Adrien: “On the contrary. In this jacket, I’m quite comfortable. If I was wearing what you are wearing, I’d be uncomfortable. And quit changing the subject. You know why we’re here.”
Adrien attempts to use his “dad voice” that he uses on Kenzie Rydell so much. The purpose of this meeting was clear after they arranged it via Twitter. Jessica’s tweets concerned the Dropkick King. And after the context of a few other tweets, Adrien has pretty much pieced together what really went down. The change of Adrien’s tone surprises Jessica, but she doesn’t seem to be shaken otherwise. She sighs, walks over to the front doors of the diner, and opens one of them for him.
Jessica: “Yes, yes, I know… Come on, I could go for a nice bowl of chicken tortilla soup.”
Adrien: “Why are you getting the door? Aren’t I supposed to be the gentleman here?”
Adrien follows Jessica inside of the diner. Within seconds, they were sitting across one another inside of a booth with menus sticking inside of the bin on the edge of the table nearest the wall. The first thing Adrien does is beginning to shed some of his layers, removing his trench coat and gloves, placing them next to him in his seat in the booth. The hat follows.
Adrien: “So how long had...whatever you want to call that thing with you and Adam been going on?”
Adrien’s question was pointed and straightforward. No need to beat around the bush. There’s a brief narrowing of Jessica’s eyes before she looks away intently. She takes one of the menus and unfolds it in her hands, trying to avoid eye contact with him. She can sense his compassion, but there’s hesitation, perhaps even fear, in her perspective.
Jessica: “...Long enough.”
She answers honestly but it’s rather vague. She presses her lips together and closes her eyes.
Jessica: “I shouldn’t have gotten so close… He’s my friend. A real friend doesn’t hurt their friends, no matter if the consequences were accidental or intentional. I was only trying to encourage him, give him strength, and help him evolve. He has confidence. I saw it… felt it.”
Adrien: “Please spare me the intimate details. I don’t need that much information.”
Her cheeks burn with a soft red hue and she completely covers her face with the menu, as Adrien quickly lets Jessica know where the line is on information relevant to their conversation and the bits that can stay between her and Adam.
Adrien: “What exactly happened? Like, in a broad sense.”
Slowly the red hue begins to fade as she breathes slowly. Composing herself, she lowers the menu and lays it along the table, then she folds her arms over it. Her soft blue eyes look earnestly into Adrien’s and she sighs.
Jessica: “A month ago, I drove from Los Angeles to Long Beach to support Adam on Unscripted. Eddie had to leave to support you for another show, so Adam was on his own. He lost the Long Beach Championship match against Shawn Young and he didn’t want to be alone. Truth be told, I didn’t want to be alone either. So we went to eat at a nice diner…”
She pauses. Coincidence? Perhaps, but there are differences.
Jessica: “...and then we drove to his apartment in San Diego. He allowed me to stay the night. We even played a little bit of Mario Kart 8, but… emotions were running wild. Neither of us wanted to be alone. We just… acted. I grew close to him… too close. That was my mistake. I’m a walking love curse. I’m flawed, broken, and unworthy of love. In my drunken stupor, I made a choice, and for every choice, there’s always a consequence. I hurt him. It wasn’t my intention, but I did and I’m a terrible human being for it.”
She lowers her head and closes her eyes. Without realizing it, her emotions have surfaced and her body is slightly trembling. Adrien’s eyes don’t leave Jessica. He was paying very close attention to every detail.
Adrien: “So you guys had a bit of a...let’s call it a casual thing going on for a couple of weeks. If I know Adam, and I think we can safely assume I know him about as well as everyone not named Kenzie Rydell, correct?”
There’s a brief roll of Jessica’s eyes before she nods hesitantly.
Adrien: “If I know Adam, he definitely got attached and developed feelings for you if you guys kept this going for at least a couple of weeks. You had to know there was a risk of that.”
She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.
Jessica: “It’s been almost a month… I shouldn’t have engaged with him. All I wanted to do was help him evolve, just like I have, and be his pillar of strength. I didn’t mean to get attached to him. I’m cursed, of course, I shouldn’t have gotten attached. So stupid…”
She doesn’t want to tell him everything. Not the intimacy, but the emotions that developed between her and Adam. She lowers her head on her arms and conceals her expression.
Jessica: “...lifelong… there’s no such thing for a love cursed fool…”
Adrien lets out a short sigh.
Adrien: “Jessica, I love you dearly, but if I hear you say the word ‘cursed’ one more time, I’m going to throw whatever you order across the diner, let you order it again, then toss it again.”
There’s a physical response, the slow clenching of her fists, but otherwise, she quietly groans and mumbles. She doesn’t dare raise her head up from her arms. Adrien gently reaches over the table and lifts up her chin a little bit.
Adrien: “You literally go into every romantic situation with the mindset that you are cursed that it’s become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You’re thinking about how badly this is going to blow up before you even finish your dinner on the first date. And what makes you cursed, exactly? The past four years you’ve been married and divorced once with three other relationships? My response to that is my divorce from Adrianna Rivers, followed by my relationships with Jessica Matthews, Becky Baxter, and Stacy Sterling. Am I cursed too because our statistics match up perfectly? No, neither of us are, Jessica. This whole mess is inside the little noggin of yours, causing you to believe you aren’t going to ever be happy. Which, if you stay in that mindset, it might actually happen. The only thing holding you back isn’t some sort of supernatural voodoo, and trust me, I’m from New Orleans, I know voodoo when I see it. The only thing holding you back is your constant pessimism that the relationship gods just want you to wallow in your own misery for forever as you keep every guy who could be your happily ever after at arm’s length.”
There’s a slight focus in her eyes as she parts her lips to say something, anything to contest Adrien’s words… and Jessica can’t find the right words. She’s left speechless, unable to emotionally respond in a way that would turn things around. There’s nothing she can say or do to change his way of thinking. She feels defeated, knowing he’s spoken the truth in every way, shape, or form, and she closes her eyes. A stray tear falls down her left cheek and she can’t bring herself to protest anymore.
Adrien: “Happiness is a choice. So you pushed Adam away. You’re what, twenty-three?”
Jessica: “Twenty-one…”
She speaks ever-so-softly, avoiding eye contact with him as much as possible.
Adrien: “Sorry, Adam is the one who is twenty-three. My mistake. You’re ten years younger than me, Jessica. You haven’t even met a large percentage of the people in your life who will have a huge impact on your life. You have so many years and experiences ahead of you. Okay, so you torched this bridge with Adam. The whole point of dating isn’t to lock down every person you’re with. It’s a process of elimination. I found out the hard way that I wasn’t meant to be with Becky. I mourned...I cried...I met Stacy. Life goes on. And if Stacy broke up with me tomorrow morning, I will be heartbroken. I’m not going to lie, I will be utterly shattered. But a few months later, if I feel like I’ve met someone who I think I can make things work with, I’m not going to be afraid to take that plunge again. The fact of the matter is, a famous hockey player named Wayne Gretzky said that you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take. Jessica, if you don’t take any shots, how is anything going to change?”
No matter the resistance, she always ends up looking back into his eyes. They’re full of sincerity, honesty, and experience. As she relaxes her hands slowly, her eyes look down at her left hand, her wedding ring softly sparkling in the light. With very few exceptions, she’s never taken it off. It has been there since her wedding in May. In her mind, she can recollect Gekiryu’s last words to her before he departed to China in the second week of September.
Her right-hand moves over her left, her thumb and index finger pinching the ring, and slowly she slides it off.
Jessica: “Geki and I made a promise… and I have to fulfill it. That’s what he would want me to do. I loved him more than life itself, but he would want me to love again…”
She examines the ring in between her thumb and index finger and tears spill down her face.
Jessica: “...I want to love again... I want to be happy again!”
Adrien immediately leaves his seat and sits next to Jessica, letting her bury her face in his shoulder for her to cry into. He pats her on the back repeatedly as he does this.
Adrien: “You will, Jessica. You will. And that’s a promise I’m making to you.”
In their embrace, she tightly clutches the ring in her hand, refusing to let it go. Of course, she’s not going to leave it here. It wouldn’t be respectful. She’s not entirely sure what to do with it, but even as she buries her face into Adrien’s shoulder and cries, she feels a sense of relief, a heavy weight on her shoulders flying up and away.
Jessica: “...I’m relieved.”
She speaks softly, raising her head to look up at him.
Jessica: “Thank you… and I’m sorry that I…”
Adrien: “No apologies are necessary. You’re my friend. And I say this next sentence completely platonically, but I do love you, Jess. You’re practically family to me. I’m here for you no matter what is going on.”
Adrien gives her another pat on the back before he slips back into his original seat.
Adrien: “Adam is going to be okay. As much as you probably don’t want to hear this, he will love again too. I know this situation hurts for both of you. I’m sure watching him go through early-2000’s emo music on Twitter probably isn’t easy for you to see, but he will be okay.”
She takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly, and nods. Keeping the ring in her hand, she slowly turns it in her fingers before she closes her fingers over it completely.
Jessica: “I know… I just hope that he and I can still be friends. But if he doesn’t want me in his life, I won’t stay. I’ll go… even if I don’t want to.”
Adrien: “The wounds are still fresh. A month from now, maybe you two will be dating different people and it will be easier for you two to be able to get back to that point you guys were at before all of this happened. He’s going to need some time to get over it.”
She nods solemnly and sighs. There’s nothing she can do for a while. She simply has to watch out for him from afar and make sure he’s alright. After all, she’d said she help take care of him. She’s kept so many promises in her life. This doesn’t change her moral compass one bit.
Jessica: “Ja…”
The New Orleans native nods his head before he makes a sudden realization.
Adrien: “I guess we do have to order our food at some point, right?”
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Like my father's come to pass
Seven years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends
Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are
As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends
Date: December 13th, 2017
Cameras: OFF
“So why are we about to eat red beans and rice? I thought that was a Friday thing with you people.”
Eddie Walker’s out-loud pondering causes a bit of an eye roll from the two other occupants of the kitchen. Adrien Cochrane places the lid back on the pot that is sitting on his stove before turning to Eddie, prepared to give a response. But he doesn’t need to as his younger sibling beats him to the punch with a response of her own.
Alexis: “It was Dad’s favorite food, so why not have it today, Old Man? I figured you would know that one.”
Adrien’s younger sister, Alexis, gives Eddie a pointed response, something that usually Eddie is the one delivering to everyone else. Walker shakes his head a little bit at the whole idea of the two Cochranes eating their father’s favorite food on what would have been his sixty-sixth birthday.
Adrien: “This is how we’re remembering him, Eddie. This is our first year without him. His first birthday since he left this world.”
Adrien places the wooden spoon he’s using to cook with next to the pot on top of a few layers of Bounty paper towels. He was wearing a black Green Day t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Since he didn’t plan on stepping outside in the immediate future, he wasn’t wearing a jacket, a rarity this past month for the Dropkick King. Alexis glances at Eddie, as she smirks at him. Alexis was wearing a normal black t-shirt with blue jeans, something simple even if the jeans had rips in them. Her red hair was flowing down her back.
Alexis: “Besides least we are doing something together, we could have spent it apart.”
Eddie: “You mean other than buying hair dye with one another?”
Alexis looks at him, as she playfully punches Eddie in his arm.
Alexis: “There is nothing wrong with dying our hair, Old Man. Least we are not like you trying to be all hip.”
Eddie: “Adrien’s hair actually is a shade of blonde though! Dirty blonde, sure, but what’s the point of making it brighter?”
Adrien, at this point, was just ignoring the conversation going on between his manager and his sister. He was just focused on the day’s festivities while they were bickering back and forth.
Alexis: “Why does it matter? I like my hair any color I have dyed it. Come on, Old Man, why are you being such an ass about this?”
Alexis keeps looking at him, as she knew Adrien wasn’t listening to them. She wasn’t going to back down from Eddie.
Eddie: “Hey, you’re the one who had to take a jab at me over the whole red beans and rice thing!”
Alexis: “Yeah, and I am how old compared to you?”
Alexis lightly laughs as she couldn’t help herself. She glances at Adrien.
Alexis: “How is it coming along, Adrien?”
Adrien turns back and sees the twenty-three year old looking back at him. As he was in his own little world while that was going on, he didn’t even hear the question that was asked to him by his younger sister.
Adrien: “I’m sorry, what’s going on? Are we still calling Eddie old and talking about hair dye?”
Alexis: “I’m always going to call him old. Yes, we are, and I asked you how dinner was coming along.”
Alexis could tell he was in his own little world, as she looks down, before back up at him.
Alexis: “We could always change the subject you know.”
Adrien: “Remember how Dad’s red beans tasted so much different than Mom’s?”
The three-time World Heavyweight Champion steers the conversation into something a bit more relevant to what they were doing today. Walker has his eyebrows raised.
Eddie: “No. I don’t actually. I never got to eat anything Ludie cooked, in all honesty. And I’ve eaten your mother’s cooking like...what...twice in the time I’ve known you?”
Alexis: “I think he was asking me as it was. I do remember that I could never figure out how he could get them to taste different.”
Adrien: “He seasoned it WAY differently than Mom does. She would never put chili powder or paprika in hers. Or Tabasco, for that matter. If it didn’t burn your taste buds off, he didn’t want any.”
Alexis: “No wonder, but yet his was better. I just never wanted to tell Mom.”
Adrien chuckles a little bit, knowing that he got his recipes from their mother, not their father. Today’s red beans and rice were no different. Fortunately, Ludie Cochrane wasn’t actually going to be eating it today. Alexis lightly laughs, as she looks at Eddie.
Alexis: “You wouldn’t have been able to handle his, I bet.”
Eddie: “What makes you say that?”
Walker had a genuine look of curiosity on his slightly wrinkled face. The forty-one-year-old manager wore a pair of khakis and a black polo shirt. His dark brown hair was spiked up, and he wore something the other two did not: a wedding ring.
Alexis: “Because, Old Man, I don’t see you handling it, not how bad it would burn your taste buds off. Most sane people wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
Alexis looks at Eddie, almost as a matter of fact way.
Adrien: “Come on, Eddie. You said my grilled shrimp was a bit spicy for your liking. Alexis and Dad thought it was the mildest thing they’ve ever eaten.”
Alexis starts to laugh, as she looks at Eddie.
Alexis: “You couldn’t handle that, you would not have been able to handle Dad’s red beans and rice. Eddie, don’t kid yourself.”
She stops laughing, as she moves to sit down on the stool by the island. Adrien stirs the beans silently for a brief moment before he looks back at his sister.
Adrien: “Miss him as much as I do?”
Alexis looks at Adrien, as she nods her head yes.
Alexis: “Yeah, I do. I keep thinking about things he would have liked, or I would want to tell him. I just wish it would get easier.”
Alexis was trying not to get tears in her eyes, as she tells him how she was really feeling about their father. Adrien walks on the other side of the counter and places an arm around his sister before kissing the top of her head.
Adrien: “Me too, Alexis. Me too. What I would give for just one more day with him…”
Alexis nods her head, as she looks away.
Alexis: “One more day, one more dinner, just anything really. I think at times how I will miss out on certain things that only a father can do for his daughter.”
Eddie: “If you mean walking down with you on your wedding day, I could always do that for you.”
Alexis looks at Eddie, as she was surprised by that.
Alexis: “You would really? You are right, that is what I was meaning. Even just other things in the future.”
Eddie: “What else?”
Alexis: “Grandkids is another thing. The guy I marry asking Dad for my hand in marriage. Just being around.”
Alexis was still trying not to cry. Adrien was still holding his sister.
Adrien: “Whoever the guy is can ask me for your hand in marriage.”
Alexis: “Yeah whoever he is. Least it is still a long while away. You will be married before me I bet.”
Adrien glances in the next room where Stacy Sterling was preparing the dining room for them to eat dinner together. And by together, that also meant with a space at the table for an urn that contains the ashes of Ludie J Cochrane III.
Adrien: “I’m also quite older than you.”
Eddie: “And he was married once before. Remember her, Alexis?!”
Eddie was clearly trying to get Alexis out of a crying state and into a laughing hysterically at Adrien’s poor choice for a wife a few years ago.
Alexis: “Worst choice ever! I remember her alright. At least he has someone way better for him now.”
Alexis glances into the dining room, as she looks at Stacy.
Alexis: “I don’t think anyone else would be as perfect for Adrien as Stacy is.”
Eddie: “I mean, the bar wasn’t set too high. All she has to do is not yell at literally everyone all the time and don’t ditch him and divorce him the moment he was done producing her band’s album. Not to mention the fact he briefly left wrestling for her.”
Alexis: “True, I’m glad though she is no longer around. That would be very bad.”
Alexis glances at Adrien.
Alexis: “Shouldn’t you say something, we are only talking about your failed marriage?”
Adrien: “I mean, I should be the last person that is able to comment on that. I’m the one who did it. Both of you were there. You saw me do it. It is what it is.”
Eddie: “That was actually the first time I met both of your parents.”
Alexis: “Yeah, and would you have listened to me? I just hope if you see me making a mistake, you would stop me.”
Adrien: “Oh, believe me, I will.”
Adrien looks back down at his sister. He’s back into “concerned big brother” mode.
Adrien: “You okay?”
Alexis looks up at him, as she nods her head.
Alexis: “For now, I am. Are you?”
His outer expressions and appearances were a lot braver than how he felt. In all honesty, this was a rough day for him. One he was staring at the calendar in his office and dreading. It was a last minute decision by Alexis that she was even here today. Only nine days from now will be the one year anniversary of their father’s death. The whole month just lost a lot of its luster last year. December basically had the same feeling to Adrien, as September does for Billie Joe Armstrong. But there was one shining glimmer of hope: Adrien’s one year anniversary since he began dating Stacy Sterling was on Christmas Day. Adrien told himself he had to be strong for his sister.
He looks down at his sister, who is still sitting on the stool at the kitchen’s island.
Adrien: “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
He hugs her a bit more than just the side hug he gave her earlier.
Adrien: “I love you, Alexis.”
Alexis: “I love you too, Adrien.”
Alexis smiles softly at him, as she was trying to be braver now.
Eddie: “And I love both of you!!”
Walker tries to wrap his arms around both of the Cochrane siblings, who both give sideways glances at the manager. The voice of Stacy Sterling breaks the awkward moment as she calls to him from the living room.
Stacy: “Babe! Mail!”
Adrien wiggles out of the group hug to retreat to the living room to retrieve whatever Adrien received from the Post Office. Stacy was already back in the dining room by the time Adrien got there, but the envelope was sitting on the table near the entrance. He picks up at smiles as he sees “Honey Smith” above the return address.
Adrien: “Well, this is unexpected.”
Adrien opens the envelope, and the first thing he sees is a small trading card. Adrien turns it over and sees his own face on it. It was the one she showed everyone in her latest video. Adrien gives a bit of a weak smile as he realizes that she sent him this, knowing how much all those trading cards mean to her. Accompanying the card was a letter. He unfolds the paper so that he can read it.
Adrien,
Happy Christmas to you and stuff! Now you have your own trading card to trade and be a fun collector like me. It helps me keep my mind off of bad stuff sometimes. Focusing and stuff too!
But I hope you are ok because with the day coming up it might make you feel blue instead of happy, sunny yellow.
I wish my mom was around at Christmas so I can hug her and talk to her lots and lots. But she isn't and I know you have not got your papa there either. I don't know what it is like to not have a daddy, I have two so I hope you remember this.
Whenever you do something, like when I tie my shoes it's because my daddy taught me. And when he wasn't there at school I remembered him and tied my shoes up, so he was like sort of with me there too, I remembered him. So I think we honour people and keep them around in spirit by living our lives and doing what they taught us. So I bet when your papa taught you how to do something, now you keep his spirit around. And he will always be with you too.
So I hope you remember that whenever you feel sad, he's not gone, he's always with you.
Best wishes and have a lovely Christmas and New Year!
Your friend and Guardian teamy,
Honey
Adrien folds the paper back up before placing it back on the table. In a way, this was a warm feeling to Adrien. Through all these rough times in his life, he has a lot of people in his life that have done nothing but show him love and support. Sure, he had Alexis, Eddie, and Stacy within a few feet of him. But his friends in the Guardians have been almost like family to him. And even though Adrien lost his father almost one year ago, he certainly had other people in his life step up to the plate to be an important cog in his life. And that gave Adrien hope. That helped Adrien believe.
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Ring out the bells again
Like we did when spring began
Wake me up when September ends
Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are
As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends
Date: December 16th, 2017
Cameras: OFF
It was a couple of hour past midnight. Adrien Cochrane wasn’t sure of the exact time until he raised his left wrist to see the watch illuminate in a bright blue font that it was half-past two. New York City, fortunately, was the place to be if you wanted to meet someone for some late meal sharing. The downside to that was the drastic change in temperature between New York and New Orleans, which resulted in Adrien wearing a charcoal colored knit cap and matching trenchcoat.
He stood outside the closest diner from his hotel and awaited the arrival of the person he was meeting up with. It didn’t take a whole lot of time before he sees a 2006 Honda Civic pull up and the door open to reveal Jessica Sears. She steps out of the car in a pair of black fuzzy boots, a pair of indigo skinny jeans, a soft purple blouse with a black blazer jacket overtop. Her hair flows freely around her as she approaches Adrien.
Jessica: “You look a little uncomfortable.”
She refers to his choice of warm clothing while she wears something so simplistic. Adrien musters a weak smile at her comment.
Adrien: “On the contrary. In this jacket, I’m quite comfortable. If I was wearing what you are wearing, I’d be uncomfortable. And quit changing the subject. You know why we’re here.”
Adrien attempts to use his “dad voice” that he uses on Kenzie Rydell so much. The purpose of this meeting was clear after they arranged it via Twitter. Jessica’s tweets concerned the Dropkick King. And after the context of a few other tweets, Adrien has pretty much pieced together what really went down. The change of Adrien’s tone surprises Jessica, but she doesn’t seem to be shaken otherwise. She sighs, walks over to the front doors of the diner, and opens one of them for him.
Jessica: “Yes, yes, I know… Come on, I could go for a nice bowl of chicken tortilla soup.”
Adrien: “Why are you getting the door? Aren’t I supposed to be the gentleman here?”
Adrien follows Jessica inside of the diner. Within seconds, they were sitting across one another inside of a booth with menus sticking inside of the bin on the edge of the table nearest the wall. The first thing Adrien does is beginning to shed some of his layers, removing his trench coat and gloves, placing them next to him in his seat in the booth. The hat follows.
Adrien: “So how long had...whatever you want to call that thing with you and Adam been going on?”
Adrien’s question was pointed and straightforward. No need to beat around the bush. There’s a brief narrowing of Jessica’s eyes before she looks away intently. She takes one of the menus and unfolds it in her hands, trying to avoid eye contact with him. She can sense his compassion, but there’s hesitation, perhaps even fear, in her perspective.
Jessica: “...Long enough.”
She answers honestly but it’s rather vague. She presses her lips together and closes her eyes.
Jessica: “I shouldn’t have gotten so close… He’s my friend. A real friend doesn’t hurt their friends, no matter if the consequences were accidental or intentional. I was only trying to encourage him, give him strength, and help him evolve. He has confidence. I saw it… felt it.”
Adrien: “Please spare me the intimate details. I don’t need that much information.”
Her cheeks burn with a soft red hue and she completely covers her face with the menu, as Adrien quickly lets Jessica know where the line is on information relevant to their conversation and the bits that can stay between her and Adam.
Adrien: “What exactly happened? Like, in a broad sense.”
Slowly the red hue begins to fade as she breathes slowly. Composing herself, she lowers the menu and lays it along the table, then she folds her arms over it. Her soft blue eyes look earnestly into Adrien’s and she sighs.
Jessica: “A month ago, I drove from Los Angeles to Long Beach to support Adam on Unscripted. Eddie had to leave to support you for another show, so Adam was on his own. He lost the Long Beach Championship match against Shawn Young and he didn’t want to be alone. Truth be told, I didn’t want to be alone either. So we went to eat at a nice diner…”
She pauses. Coincidence? Perhaps, but there are differences.
Jessica: “...and then we drove to his apartment in San Diego. He allowed me to stay the night. We even played a little bit of Mario Kart 8, but… emotions were running wild. Neither of us wanted to be alone. We just… acted. I grew close to him… too close. That was my mistake. I’m a walking love curse. I’m flawed, broken, and unworthy of love. In my drunken stupor, I made a choice, and for every choice, there’s always a consequence. I hurt him. It wasn’t my intention, but I did and I’m a terrible human being for it.”
She lowers her head and closes her eyes. Without realizing it, her emotions have surfaced and her body is slightly trembling. Adrien’s eyes don’t leave Jessica. He was paying very close attention to every detail.
Adrien: “So you guys had a bit of a...let’s call it a casual thing going on for a couple of weeks. If I know Adam, and I think we can safely assume I know him about as well as everyone not named Kenzie Rydell, correct?”
There’s a brief roll of Jessica’s eyes before she nods hesitantly.
Adrien: “If I know Adam, he definitely got attached and developed feelings for you if you guys kept this going for at least a couple of weeks. You had to know there was a risk of that.”
She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.
Jessica: “It’s been almost a month… I shouldn’t have engaged with him. All I wanted to do was help him evolve, just like I have, and be his pillar of strength. I didn’t mean to get attached to him. I’m cursed, of course, I shouldn’t have gotten attached. So stupid…”
She doesn’t want to tell him everything. Not the intimacy, but the emotions that developed between her and Adam. She lowers her head on her arms and conceals her expression.
Jessica: “...lifelong… there’s no such thing for a love cursed fool…”
Adrien lets out a short sigh.
Adrien: “Jessica, I love you dearly, but if I hear you say the word ‘cursed’ one more time, I’m going to throw whatever you order across the diner, let you order it again, then toss it again.”
There’s a physical response, the slow clenching of her fists, but otherwise, she quietly groans and mumbles. She doesn’t dare raise her head up from her arms. Adrien gently reaches over the table and lifts up her chin a little bit.
Adrien: “You literally go into every romantic situation with the mindset that you are cursed that it’s become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You’re thinking about how badly this is going to blow up before you even finish your dinner on the first date. And what makes you cursed, exactly? The past four years you’ve been married and divorced once with three other relationships? My response to that is my divorce from Adrianna Rivers, followed by my relationships with Jessica Matthews, Becky Baxter, and Stacy Sterling. Am I cursed too because our statistics match up perfectly? No, neither of us are, Jessica. This whole mess is inside the little noggin of yours, causing you to believe you aren’t going to ever be happy. Which, if you stay in that mindset, it might actually happen. The only thing holding you back isn’t some sort of supernatural voodoo, and trust me, I’m from New Orleans, I know voodoo when I see it. The only thing holding you back is your constant pessimism that the relationship gods just want you to wallow in your own misery for forever as you keep every guy who could be your happily ever after at arm’s length.”
There’s a slight focus in her eyes as she parts her lips to say something, anything to contest Adrien’s words… and Jessica can’t find the right words. She’s left speechless, unable to emotionally respond in a way that would turn things around. There’s nothing she can say or do to change his way of thinking. She feels defeated, knowing he’s spoken the truth in every way, shape, or form, and she closes her eyes. A stray tear falls down her left cheek and she can’t bring herself to protest anymore.
Adrien: “Happiness is a choice. So you pushed Adam away. You’re what, twenty-three?”
Jessica: “Twenty-one…”
She speaks ever-so-softly, avoiding eye contact with him as much as possible.
Adrien: “Sorry, Adam is the one who is twenty-three. My mistake. You’re ten years younger than me, Jessica. You haven’t even met a large percentage of the people in your life who will have a huge impact on your life. You have so many years and experiences ahead of you. Okay, so you torched this bridge with Adam. The whole point of dating isn’t to lock down every person you’re with. It’s a process of elimination. I found out the hard way that I wasn’t meant to be with Becky. I mourned...I cried...I met Stacy. Life goes on. And if Stacy broke up with me tomorrow morning, I will be heartbroken. I’m not going to lie, I will be utterly shattered. But a few months later, if I feel like I’ve met someone who I think I can make things work with, I’m not going to be afraid to take that plunge again. The fact of the matter is, a famous hockey player named Wayne Gretzky said that you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take. Jessica, if you don’t take any shots, how is anything going to change?”
No matter the resistance, she always ends up looking back into his eyes. They’re full of sincerity, honesty, and experience. As she relaxes her hands slowly, her eyes look down at her left hand, her wedding ring softly sparkling in the light. With very few exceptions, she’s never taken it off. It has been there since her wedding in May. In her mind, she can recollect Gekiryu’s last words to her before he departed to China in the second week of September.
“Promise me…”
“I want you to keep your ring and my last name until you are ready to love again.”
“I will keep my ring forever, Jessica. You are my Princess Serenity. You are my Neo Queen Serenity. That will never… ever change. What will change is you will love again. You will be happy again. Please...”
Her right-hand moves over her left, her thumb and index finger pinching the ring, and slowly she slides it off.
Jessica: “Geki and I made a promise… and I have to fulfill it. That’s what he would want me to do. I loved him more than life itself, but he would want me to love again…”
She examines the ring in between her thumb and index finger and tears spill down her face.
Jessica: “...I want to love again... I want to be happy again!”
Adrien immediately leaves his seat and sits next to Jessica, letting her bury her face in his shoulder for her to cry into. He pats her on the back repeatedly as he does this.
Adrien: “You will, Jessica. You will. And that’s a promise I’m making to you.”
In their embrace, she tightly clutches the ring in her hand, refusing to let it go. Of course, she’s not going to leave it here. It wouldn’t be respectful. She’s not entirely sure what to do with it, but even as she buries her face into Adrien’s shoulder and cries, she feels a sense of relief, a heavy weight on her shoulders flying up and away.
Jessica: “...I’m relieved.”
She speaks softly, raising her head to look up at him.
Jessica: “Thank you… and I’m sorry that I…”
Adrien: “No apologies are necessary. You’re my friend. And I say this next sentence completely platonically, but I do love you, Jess. You’re practically family to me. I’m here for you no matter what is going on.”
Adrien gives her another pat on the back before he slips back into his original seat.
Adrien: “Adam is going to be okay. As much as you probably don’t want to hear this, he will love again too. I know this situation hurts for both of you. I’m sure watching him go through early-2000’s emo music on Twitter probably isn’t easy for you to see, but he will be okay.”
She takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly, and nods. Keeping the ring in her hand, she slowly turns it in her fingers before she closes her fingers over it completely.
Jessica: “I know… I just hope that he and I can still be friends. But if he doesn’t want me in his life, I won’t stay. I’ll go… even if I don’t want to.”
Adrien: “The wounds are still fresh. A month from now, maybe you two will be dating different people and it will be easier for you two to be able to get back to that point you guys were at before all of this happened. He’s going to need some time to get over it.”
She nods solemnly and sighs. There’s nothing she can do for a while. She simply has to watch out for him from afar and make sure he’s alright. After all, she’d said she help take care of him. She’s kept so many promises in her life. This doesn’t change her moral compass one bit.
Jessica: “Ja…”
The New Orleans native nods his head before he makes a sudden realization.
Adrien: “I guess we do have to order our food at some point, right?”
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Like my father's come to pass
Twenty years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends
Wake me up when September ends
Wake me up when September ends
