YOU COULD HAVE DIED

Covet: Kelsey was in her room watching cheesy hallmark christmas movies. She had a box of cereal sitting on the couch and a half gallon of milk sitting on the coffee table, with a bowl of lucky charms in her hands, curled up on the one side of her couch. Connor wasn't around at all and it was fairly quiet in the building.
Alexithymiaa: -Brad was sitting out in the common area with his laptop set up at one of the tables, his paperwork strewn about around it covering the entire surface. He was busy trying to lock in the rest of his preproduction work before everything was reserved in a couple weeks.-
Covet: Kelsey hadn't said anything to Brad since kicking him in the nuts last night, but she knew she needed to let him know about the change of plans for thursday. But because she didn't exactly want to speak to him she picked up her phone and sent him a message. -text: You get to sleep in with no disturbance on Thursday. -
Alexithymiaa: -Hearing the ding, he rummaged through his things on the table to uncover his phone, seeing the message from Kelsey. -Text: Why?-
Covet: Kelsey took another bite of her cereal crunching it to see his response back. -Text: Because I had my mom come pick him up today, because Holly wanted to take the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving things between her and Evan. Mom said she'd happily take him for part of the break, It's easier to explain to him that Grandma wants him for his vacation, then that Mom and Dad still can't get along.-
Alexithymiaa: -He wrinkled his nose, instantly angry that he wasnt going to get Connor during his vacation. -Text: What? That's bullshit. You can't just send him off there without even asking me first.-
Covet: Kelsey raised her eyebrows and shook her head, rolling her eyes. -Text: I did it for his sake, Bradley. He already picks up on so much of the tension between us, and I'm not going to have him be around and have to explain, why we're still angry. And I'm pretty sure I can do exactly that.
Alexithymiaa: -Dropping his phone down onto the table, he pushed up from his chair and stormed down to her dorm room, banging his fist against her door harshly. "Kels! What the fuck?"-
Covet: She finished off her cereal and set her bowl down. Hearing the heavy steps then the banging she waited until he was done. "Thanks for knocking but it's not locked." She told him, not moving from the couch except to set her bowl down on the coffee table.
Alexithymiaa: -When he heard her, he grabbed for the doorknob and pushed the door open, standing just inside the doorway. "So it's perfectly fine for you to ship him off for the week and not even so much as tell me you're doing it before you do? What the shit is that?"-
Covet: "A week? It's a couple of days. We're bringing him home after Thanksgiving." She said shaking her head at him. "That's me looking out for him. Because I dont' want him being around us when we're like this. That's how he ended up over at my cousin's for nearly a week."
Alexithymiaa: "Well you said his vacation and his vacation is almost a week so considering you didnt tell me shit, how was I supposed to know it was only a couple of days? This only reenforces my point that you should have told me what was going!" He yelled at her, tossing his hands up into the air.-
Covet: Kelsey just stared at him. "Okay. But I didn't, for more important reasons. And now here we are. What do you want me to say?"
Alexithymiaa: "I want you to admit you should have at least texted me before shipping him off!" He huffed and puffed, whirling around to stalk out the door only to turn back and stalk back into the room.-
Covet: "I figured it would help you get your work done over the next couple of days. " She said with a shrug. "That seems to have taken precedence over everything else. Not to mention it's probably better there, than here with his angry coke head mother, right?" She said crossing her arms across her chest.
Alexithymiaa: "That was up to me to decide, not you!" He yelled, completely seething at this point. "You don't get to decide when I'm too busy to spend time with him or if I can or can't see him. That's MY choice. And if you were so concerned with him being around yourself, you should have been the one to leave, not him."-
Covet: "Actually I do. Because where he and I both consider you his father, there's nothing official about it. The only thing I decided today, was to let my son go spend some time with his uncle and grandparents for a couple of days since he doesn't get to see them all the time anymore." Kelsey told him, still just sitting on the couch. "I'm not concerned about him being around me right now, because I haven't even touched the stuff since before Halloween. It's you who keeps treating me like it's something I'm still doing."
Alexithymiaa: "So because it's not on some legal document, I don't get a say?" He asked, the pain cutting through his anger for a moment because that one hurt. "So I can just take care of him and act like the father he never had, but when it comes down to it, fuck me, right?" He asked sharply, very obviously offended. "You called yourself an angry coke head."-
Covet: "At the end of the day.. Yeah. Sorry.. life's unfair like that. But I'm the one who has the ultimate say in anything to do with his well being. And I'm done having him be around because you keep treating me like I'm some potential Celebrity CPS case. That's not fair to him and that only puts him in the middle of our fighting." She told him, then spoke softer Seeing the hurt on his face, "He deserves better than that out of both of us." Shaking her head, "I called my self that because that's how you're still treating me. And I told you it pisses me off, because I've been actively trying to do right by all of that, and You give me nothing."
Alexithymiaa: "Sounds kind of familar. I'm actively trying to do right by him, but you give me nothing and I don't matter. Hurts doesn't it?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.-
Covet: "Really? And shitting on his mother for one mistake, albeit a big mistake, is doing right by him?" Kelsey said looking at him, standing up. "What do you mean I give you nothing. How often to I praise you for being so amazing with him? It's two days...And I'm letting him stay with you when I am able to leave. So what the hell is your problem?"
Alexithymiaa: "Because when it matters, you're real quick to throw it back in my face that I have no fights to him since I'm not his real dad.
Alexithymiaa: (NO)
Alexithymiaa: "Because when it matters, you're real quick to throw it back in my face that I have no fights to him since I'm not his real dad. You think that feels good?" He asked quickly, narrowing his eyes on her. "You use it as ammunition against me when I haven't done shit to deserve it."-
Covet: "No I know it doesn't feel good. And I'm not doing it to hurt you...But I can't keep him around because you want him around. Do you want him to have to deal with us like this? Do want him sitting in the other room, having to listen to us every time we argue?" Kelsey said, wiping her eyes off. "So what I deserve to have my one mistake thrown back in my face every time you get the chance. That hurts too Bradley."
Alexithymiaa: "It's a big mistake and you should at least own up to it. You're like trying to pretend this didnt happen less than a month ago and that's bullshit. If this were me you'd throw it in my face every chance you got. Like you do with Connor even though I didnt do anything to warrant that."-
Covet: "I am owning up to it!" Kelsey said yelling back at him. "I'm not pretending like it didn't happen, I know it happened, but I'm also not going to dwell on it, because then it's all I'm going to think about, and that's not exactly a good feeling either. I'm keeping myself distracted so I don't think about it. That's part of what I'm supposed to be doing to." She shook her head, "No I wouldn't... I might have held it against you for that first week, but when I saw you making those changes to fix it, I'd be supportive and encourage that, not keep you on lock down like some damn prisoner. But that's because I see the best in people, even when they aren't at their best, You only seem to see the worst in me right now. To the point that you're giving me nothing. Absolutely nothing. What the hell am I supposed to do with that?"
Alexithymiaa: "How can you expect me to give you anythign when all I see when I look at you is someone who not only lied to me, but tried to make me feel lesser for the same damn thing she ended up doing herself?" He shot back roughly. "And on top of that, you tried to give me shit for something I'd done a handful of times, not DAILY. And not dependantly. You're a hypocrite."-
Covet: "I KNOW I WAS. and I'm sorry. That wasn't fair from me. I know." Kelsey said. "And I've done my best to abide by your rule, but when you become so overbearing that I feel like I'm sixteen dealing with my Dad all over again... I can only handle so much of that, before I feel like I don't deserve any support, and only punishment. And you want me to be okay with that, and keep Connor around for your sake, when you want nothing to do with me? And I'm not supposed to look out for his best interest, because you're entitled to something. We're kind of a package deal, remember. And you treating me like some addict, when I'm not. Especially in front of him... How is that fair to him."
Covet: How is that fair to him?" *
Alexithymiaa: "Kels... you ARE an addict. Did you not go through withdrawal when you stopped?" He asked her, starting to think she didnt really understand the caliber of what she was doing. "Did you not need it every day? Did you not take it with you places?" He let out a deep sigh, adjusting his beanie. "I told you I would help you, and I will. But I cant help you if you don't really know why what you did was bad. It's like you know because you were told your whole life that drugs are bad for you, but you don't know beyond that."-
Covet: "I did.. and I know why it's bad. I know that I put Connor at risk, and I know that I lied to you.. and I did a lot of things, that were terrible decisions. And I have to live with those decisions for the rest of my life. But I'm also determined to never get to that point again, because I see the damage it did. But do I have to be miserable about it for the rest of my life? Am I not allowed to be thankful that I have someone who jumped in before it could become a way more serious issue? To be thankful that it's not worse than what it was... is...?" kelsey asked him, wiping the tears off of her cheeks, "I've never been the type of person who focuses on the negative...and this isn't any different. But.. it sucks when I'm the only one supporting the changes I've been doing to make all that right."
Alexithymiaa: "You are making changes and I can see that, but it still seems like you think I found out about it before anything bad could have happened to you. Do you know the kind of damage to your organs that can do with regular use? Your temperment? The damage might already be done, I don't know. I'm thankful I found out when I did because I'm scared of what might have happened if I never did find out." He stepped closer to her, moving to sit down on the couch. "I just want you to see what I see."-
Covet: Kelsey looked at him and everything about her just dropped. Her eyes, the tears in them, her arms, "I'm sorry. I messed up...everything is a mistake." She told him, before stepping over to sitting down on the couch, resting her head in her hands as she cried.
Alexithymiaa: -He instantly leaned over to swing his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close to him so he could hold her as she tried. "You did, but we're fixing it, right? We're being careful and we're avoiding those mistakes from here on out."-
Covet: "Mhhm." Was all she was able to get out as she leaned into him and pulled her feet up onto the couch, basically just taking over his lap, because at least he was willing to touch her for a moment.
Alexithymiaa: "Everything is going to be fine." He repeated, moving his hand to her head so he could stroke her hair, trying to calm her. "Let's get you into bed, okay?"-
Covet: Kelsey nodded her head, and got up trudging off to her bed to be tucked in so that she could cry some more about her mistakes and short comings.