[Drabble]
Before she left, Sherry had taken the bracelet off. It was now stored in a safety deposit box at the bank, away from where it would constantly catch her eye and remind her. It had been weeks now since she had even thought of Jake, and if she hadn't run into Steve unexpectedly at the show, she probably would have gone even longer without thinking about him.
Instead of the usual hurt, though, she realized something. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she was happy. Out here on the road with her idiot boys, spending plenty of days getting by on gas station food, bumming cigarettes off of strangers, sacrificing a pay by the hour hotel room for alcohol money, and sleeping in a freezing van, she was happier than she had ever been traveling with Verona on their fully-equipped bus, never wanting for anything. She realized again that she just did not fit in with Verona, but instead of the usual pain and frustration that would accompany the thought, she found she just did not care. Verona were not the be-all end-all of life.
And Jake was not so perfect as she had always told herself that he was. He was a good person and very sweet, but he had his flaws too. He had hurt her. Many times. And whether he had ever intended to or not, the fact remained that he had repeatedly inflicted the same wound, and she had no reason to continue taking it. He didn't need her. And more than that, she realized now that she did not need him. He was not the last good guy on earth. All she had to do was glance in the rearview mirror while she was driving to remember that. Yeah, they stunk like ass and armpits, had a questionable grasp on manners, and an even more questionable ability to understand that not everything qualified as community property, but they were good guys. They had been her friends for a while, and they had helped her back onto her feet after Verona had fucked her over. Nothing about being with them made her feel like she was less than anyone else. There was a reason she had Cockstar's logo tattooed on her, and had never even considered doing the same for Verona.
Her lease would be up shortly after the tour was over, and she had no plans to renew it. J.J. and Alex had offered her the spare room at their duplex, and she was going to take it. Pasadena sucked ass, but even Pasadena would be better than going back to another sham home.
It was time to finally and really start over.
Instead of the usual hurt, though, she realized something. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she was happy. Out here on the road with her idiot boys, spending plenty of days getting by on gas station food, bumming cigarettes off of strangers, sacrificing a pay by the hour hotel room for alcohol money, and sleeping in a freezing van, she was happier than she had ever been traveling with Verona on their fully-equipped bus, never wanting for anything. She realized again that she just did not fit in with Verona, but instead of the usual pain and frustration that would accompany the thought, she found she just did not care. Verona were not the be-all end-all of life.
And Jake was not so perfect as she had always told herself that he was. He was a good person and very sweet, but he had his flaws too. He had hurt her. Many times. And whether he had ever intended to or not, the fact remained that he had repeatedly inflicted the same wound, and she had no reason to continue taking it. He didn't need her. And more than that, she realized now that she did not need him. He was not the last good guy on earth. All she had to do was glance in the rearview mirror while she was driving to remember that. Yeah, they stunk like ass and armpits, had a questionable grasp on manners, and an even more questionable ability to understand that not everything qualified as community property, but they were good guys. They had been her friends for a while, and they had helped her back onto her feet after Verona had fucked her over. Nothing about being with them made her feel like she was less than anyone else. There was a reason she had Cockstar's logo tattooed on her, and had never even considered doing the same for Verona.
Her lease would be up shortly after the tour was over, and she had no plans to renew it. J.J. and Alex had offered her the spare room at their duplex, and she was going to take it. Pasadena sucked ass, but even Pasadena would be better than going back to another sham home.
It was time to finally and really start over.