Chapter 12
Jet
Jet turned off his car and stared out at the flat, grey expanse of ocean stretching out in front of him. This overlook had always been a place that he’d come to when he needed to think, stretching all the way back to high school. As soon as he’d gotten his driver’s license, it had become part of his regular stomping ground.
Most people think that the number one thing that a kid with a brand-new license wants is freedom. And, sure, he’d wanted– and gotten– a big chunk of that.
But, no. Coming from his small, loud house filled with brothers, and already feeling the pull of the songwriting muse, the number one thing he’d craved was solitude.
He’d seen his car as a place that he could finally take a deep breath. His calm oasis away from the crazy chaos that was most of his life. Hell, the fact that it was mobile was just a huge fucking bonus!
He’d been drawn to this overlook for the same reason most people steered clear of it: it was difficult to access. It wasn’t on the side of any major road or highway. It wasn’t on the way from anywhere to anywhere. It was the destination in and of itself, and it took work to take advantage of it.
It lay at the end of a long, winding road that required almost thirty minutes of slow, careful driving. Far from making Jet like the place less, though, that actually made him like it more. He appreciated things that didn’t come easy. Earning something made it twice as sweet.
Sitting in his car, back in this favorite place, he had to shake his head. He was thinking of a personality trait of his that didn’t even exist anymore. How long had it been since he’d had to work at something in the first place, let alone enjoyed and appreciated the experience?
Way too fucking long.
He just hoped that everything good in his character hadn’t been completely destroyed over these years of boozing and partying. He wanted to get back to himself. He wanted to regain the man that his parents had raised.
He wanted to become a man that was worthy of Abby Baxter. And that would be no easy task.
Suddenly the car felt claustrophobic, and he jumped out, slamming the door behind him and walking to the edge of the clearing to get a little distance. The cold air bit his skin like the stings of a thousand bees but he didn’t mind. In fact, he liked it. It gave him a nice dose of reality.
He knew for sure, in that moment, that he’d never be able to do this alone. As much as he wanted to believe in the magic of his mother’s voice’s one-woman intervention in his head– and he did, and as much as he wanted to believe in the magic of Abby’s presence back in his life– and he did…he needed help.
He didn’t know from where, and he didn’t know from who. But he was sure he needed help.