Chapter 5

                                    

                                          
Tim POV: 
My body aches as I get out of the car in front of my manger's house. I know she's going to ask questions, and I know I'll be forced to answer, so I'm really not too excited about this. I knock on her door, to have her fling it wide open almost immediately. She looks disappointed, as if she's already heard. 
"She really beat the shit out of you." She says, shaking her head, before turning around and walking through her house. I follow her, before stopping in my tracks, seeing Faith sitting on a barstool at the kitchen island. She glances up at me, while my manager Kim stirs up some eggs. "She stopped by to talk." Kim releases, before dumping the eggs onto a plate. 
"Talk about what?" I ask, feeling a little hostile. 
"You." Faith answers, before taking a sip of her coffee. She takes a deep breath, before looking out the windows of Kim's family room, and watching the snow fall. 
"We came to the agreement that if we ever find your ass drinking again, you're losing complete custody of the kids." Kim threatens, making my stomach twist. I stare her way for a moment, trying to process how that would even work. 
"That includes visitation." Faith chimes in, appearing to be infuriated. 
"I cannot believe your dumbass left pills on the freaking floor and coffee table, while the girls were unsupervised." Kim releases, rolling her eyes before putting some toast in the toaster. 
"I'm sorry about the black eye." Faith lets out, noticing the bruises she left on me. She hasn't even seen my chest yet, which looks like a black and blue Twister board. She can hit, even though she doesn't realize it. "You said something last night... and I wanted to have you decipher it, essentially... now that you've sobered up." She adds, causing me to tense up. 
"Okay..." I reply slowly. 
"You kind of mumbled as you went upstairs, saying 'You should've let it burn'." Faith says, before clearing her throat, emotion sneaking up. I wince, not recollecting ever having said that. I know what it means, but I don't remember saying something like that. Kim looks up, eagerly awaiting my answer. 
"Probably that you should've left me in the car" I admit what we all could probably draw on our own merit. Faith nods, my explanation confirming her prediction. Kim winces, but tries to play it off, as a thick silence pulls the air from the room. 
"So, I should've let you burn alive?" Faith bursts out, unable to keep quiet any longer. I cringe, the vulgarity of the idea a little shocking. 
"Faith, I was drunk..." I try to brush off, grabbing myself a glass of water. 
"That doesn't matter." She argues while my back is turned toward her. I turn around and take a sip of water. 
"Tim, are you suicidal?" Kim asks, making me roll my eyes. 
"No, Kim." I answer, rubbing my forehead. "That's not what I meant."
"So, you meant that you were better off dead?" Faith continues, making me feel exhausted already. 
"Yeah, maybe that's what I was getting at." I try to dismiss, honestly not remembering. She shakes her head, before looking at Kim. 
"Tim, we are trying to help you. You can't say shit like that, and just expect us to look over it." Kim starts, as I sit myself down on the barstool farthest from Faith. "Why'd you bring up the fire? You never bring that up..." She tries to force out of me. I stare at her, not willing to go into it. 
"Because of last night." Faith pipes out, crossing her arms in front of her, while looking down at her cup of coffee. "He was falling all over the place, and he asked me to help him up, and I wouldn't." She releases, refusing to look at me. Kim takes a deep breath, before looking down at the stovetop. She glances toward me, waiting for me to elaborate.