Page 12 of Creed

My eyes slide over to where Bear and Ayla sit and while the latter has her eyes on Asher and Collins, the former jerks his chin to the door as he sets his guitar down and moves to exit the room and I follow him out, pulling the door shut behind me, leaving Ash and Collins alone for a moment.

“What the fuck happened?” I whisper-shout at Bear. I know none of this is his fault, but he just happens to be the person on the receiving end of my ire.

“I don’t know, man,” He scrubs a hand over his hair, mussing it. “I’d just sat down at the bonfire at the same time as Scotty when I heard what sounded like a kid yelling and crying in the woods. Shocked the shit out of me because I had no idea that Asher was bringing his little sister to a fucking party where people are drinking, smoking, and fucking in every corner of the property.” He grunts out the last part, clearly pissed at Asher’s dumb-fuckery.

I take a deep breath and exhale heavily because I’m also one of those fuckers. I just stare at him, trying to hide the turmoil looming behind my eyes, because I don’t know what to say. I’m just as guilty, even though Collins technically isn’t my responsibility.

Bear just shakes his head, looking down at his feet for a moment before he speaks, his voice sounding pained. “She was so fucking scared, Creed. It was a miracle I found her because she was completely alone in the dark of the woods, calling for Asher, for you.” Pain splices through my heart at the thought of Collins alone and crying out into the dark of the woods.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to rid myself of the awful images that float through my head of all the things that could’ve gone wrong. “Fuck!” I yell out wanting so badly to put my fist through the wall, but Bear’s hand on my shoulder stops me when my fingers curl into tight fists at my sides.

“Look, I won’t pretend to know what life is like at home for them. The way Asher talks, it sounds like his stepdad is a real piece of work, so I get not letting her stay home.” He sighs before speaking low. “I won’t pretend to know how to be a parent, but I know all about being a protective brother,” Something dark flashes in his eyes, a look of knowing. “Collins needs stability, and tonight for her was anything but. Maybe talk to Asher about that.”

I open my mouth to argue but he puts a hand up, stopping me.

“He’s your best friend, so he may listen to you. Shit like this,” he points at Ayla’s bedroom door, “Can’t happen again. Not only was she in danger but had anyone else found her tonight and called the police, she could be taken away. Not just from her parents, but from Asher, too.”

With a solemn expression, he rubs at the back of his neck with one hand as he turns and walks down the hall, disappearing down the stairs. I feel the blood drain from my face at what Bear had just told me. He’s right. Asher’s parents may be fucking shitty at raising Collins, but that little girl is his whole little world and if she gets taken…

Fuck.

Shoulders slumped as I give myself a half-second shake down to talk to Asher about what Bear just told me, I grab the door handle and push it open.

Words die on my lips with my body being knocked back at the knees by a tiny body slamming into me. My heart lurches when Collins’ little hands wrap around my waist and squeeze. I pull her back long enough to kneel down and wrap my arms around her in a tight hug. Hearing her little sobs and hiccups nearly wrecks my goddamned soul. But nothing compares to the ache in my chest than when she whispers seven little words into the crook of my neck.

“Please don’t leave me again.” She rasps. “Please don’t.”

My eyes lift to Ayla’s for a split second, noting her pained expression as she gets up from where she’s sitting and steps out of her room, I close my eyes briefly before shifting my eyes to Asher. He just gives a small shake of his head, and I know right then that we’re fucked.

This sweet kid just begged Asher and me to never leave her again, which tells me that she has no idea that he and I are leaving in a few weeks for California. Asher got into a University in California on a baseball scholarship, Dani attending with him as well, and my band and I are meeting with a talent scout and record label director who had spoken to me after a gig I’d scored three weeks ago.

I was fucking pumped and ready to finally make a name for myself somewhere other than this Podunk town I’ve been living in…until this very moment.

Asher knows we can’t take her with us. That we have no choice but to leave her behind. I can’t make Collins empty promises, so I hold her until her breathing slows and I can tell she’s drifting off to sleep. Asher scoops her from my arms as we silently make our way out of the room and out of the house.

On the way home, Asher is quiet, and I can feel the stress rolling off of him in massive waves. He pulls into his driveway, next to where I parked my Triumph Street Triple bike, and he exhales heavily. I watch him from the corner of my eye as he glances back at his little sister who’s sleeping in the backseat with her hood up and her head propped up against the window.

“Creed,” Asher’s voice cracks, “I-I know I fucked up in bringing her tonight. In leaving her alone. But…I fucking can’t leave her here, alone. Those people in that house,” he waves a hand at his house, “May be her birth parents, but they’re not her fucking family.” He says through gritted teeth his voice wavering. “They don’t deserve her.”

“I know.” Is all I manage to say around the lump currently lodged in my throat.

He wipes furiously at his watery eyes with the heel of his palm. His emotions are all over the place, warring from fear, to anger, to heartbreak. He rears his fist back like he's going to punch the steering wheel but a quick sleepy gasp from Collins has him thinking better of the action. I glance back and she’s still asleep. I finally look into Asher’s eyes and my resolve wavers.

I reach over and pull him into a side hug that he leans into for a moment. I hug him until I feel some of the tension leave his body and I drop a kiss on his temple before he pulls away. He sucks in a quick breath, gathering himself before speaking again. “I fucking hate that I can’t just take her with me.”

“You know you can’t do that, man. There’s no way the dorms would allow it, let alone being able to shuffle her around to her own school, or pay for her care.” I try to reason with him.

“I know. Trust me, I fucking know.” He sighs, raking his fingers through his hair. “Doesn’t make it suck any fucking less, though. I don’t want to leave her.”

“Just work your ass off to get on your own two feet. If shit doesn’t turn around at home for her by the time you’re ready, we can come get her and figure out a plan.”

Ash ponders this for a moment. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He acquiesces.

After a silent moment of letting his mind settle, I step out of the car to remove Collins. As Asher takes her into his arms, he looks back at me. “Send me the address of your new place. She doesn’t have a phone, so I got her something to feel like she’s got a connection to us in some way, so hopefully it’ll make it easy on her when we leave.”

I nod. “I’ve got something for her, too. Maybe we can give it to her as a gift before we go. It might help soften the blow.” I say before straddling my bike and heading home. When I get there, I fire off a quick message to Asher that contains my new address for California before dropping onto my bed with my guitar. I strum and pick the new melody I’ve written and sing quietly.

Not sure why, my house is vacant. Again.

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