*James*

The man helps me and passed out Julia out of the Uber, and I throw some cash at him, uncertain of how much. The whiskey hit me as well, and there's no way I'm getting behind the wheel. Fortunately, my cousin called an Uber to drive us home. I hit the button to get buzzed into Nate's with Julia in my arms.

Once in the apartment, Jonah shakes his head at me. Like this is MY damn fault or something. He apparently doesn't know Julia. She is so damn strong-willed sometimes. There's no stopping her when she gets something in her head. Her mind was set on getting drunk and forgetting life, and that's exactly what she did.

"I tried." I look at Jonah. "Believe me, I tried so hard. She wasn't having it. She's gonna be in rough shape when she wakes up."

"Put her in bed, and I'll grab a waste bucket in case she throws up."  Nate follows me into the room, and I lay her on the mattress and take her shoes off. She is so plastered she didn't even budge. He grabs the small empty waste bucket from the bathroom and places it on the side of the bed.

"What happened? What did she say?" Nate wants to fucking converse right now?

I shake my head at him, kick off my sneakers and lay down on the recliner. I watch Julia sleeping before I fall asleep myself.

I wake up around seven in the morning feeling fine. I didn't drink nearly as much as Julia and know she's gonna get sick when she wakes up.  I look at her sleeping facing me, then look over to the other side at Nate, sleeping facing away from us.

I get up and grab a water bottle out of the fridge for Julia and look through the medicine cabinet for some ibuprofen. Right as I walk back into the bedroom, Julia turns her head and gets sick. EVERYWHERE.

"Oh Shit!" I drop the bottle and bolt to Julia, fumbling to grab the bucket that she missed. She starts crying like she always does when she throws up and Nate jumps out of bed and rushes to the bathroom, grabbing a towel and a wet face cloth.

"I'm so sorry!" Julia cries at the mess while getting sick in the bucket. She got sick all over his hardwood floor. I kinda laugh at that a little but no one notices.

"Jules. Don't worry about that." Nate quickly places a towel over it to absorb it and leaves the room, coming back in with a garbage bag to throw the dirty towel in along with disinfectant spray and paper towels. "I got this, love. You just hold on to that bucket." He drops to his knees and cleans up the floor while I clean up Julia.

"I told you that you were gonna get sick, Julia. You wouldn't listen." I put the wet cloth on her forehead as she starts to calm down.

"Obviously, I didn't think I drank THAT much. I actually can't remember some of the night."

"Because you drank too much. You weren't making any sense."

Julia throws up in the bucket again.

"Jesus, Jules. How much did you drink?? What DO you remember?" Nate looks up at her while washing the floor.

"I don't know... City of Angels? Something about The City of Angels?"

"That's WHAT you remember from last night?" I huff and close my eyes for a moment.

"Oh my God. James. I'm sorry. I wasn't.... I don't know what I was thinking!"

"I know, sweetie. You were drunk. It's fine." I shake my head at her and sit back on my knees.

"I really didn't mean to say that stuff. You know that, right? I was drunk James. I just wanted to be mad. I just wanted to forget." Julia pleads.

"Seriously, it's fine. You weren't making any sense." I help Julia to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"What else do you remember, babe?" I ask while we are in the bathroom. I watch her brush her teeth and use Nate's mouthwash.

"I remember some back room. A breakroom? Oh God, how embarrassing. I was practically begging you to sleep with me, wasn't I? To help me forget. But we didn't have sex. Did we..." She catches on...

"No, Julia. We did not." I smirk and shake my head. Only an asshole would take advantage of her when she was like that.  "You may have thought we were going to because that's what you wanted but I wouldn't be able to live with myself taking advantage of you when you were that drunk."

I explain further.

"I took my shirt off, pretending, knowing the minute your head hits that pillow on the couch you would pass out. I was right. I put my shirt back on and carried you home. Took an Uber. Which reminds me, I need to get my car at Sullivan's today."

"You tricked me!" Her eyes are wide, and I can tell she thinks highly of me for taking care of her instead of advantage of her.... like a decent human would.

"I tricked you."

"Thank you, James." She hugs me and I let out a sigh. But then... Then Julia lets go... She remembers more.

 "No.."

"Huh?" I pull away confused.

"I slept with Nate, didn't I?"

The anger rises to my face. Are you fucking kidding me??? Nate slept with Julia last night? When she was intoxicated?? I've had it. I've fucking had it! I swing the goddamn bathroom door open and furiously walk towards Nate. The asshole stands up, but I don't give him a chance.

"You Sonofabitch!" I yell and punch him right across the jaw before storming out of his fucking apartment.

****

*Trisha*

I can NOT believe this! I'm flipping out at Nate. His fucking lip is swollen and has stiches. Apparently, James the Receptionist had it with Nate not 'keeping his dick in his pants' and slugged him good today. I can't even be mad at James. Nate deserves a good punch in the jaw. But this makes my world much more difficult. How the hell am I going to cancel these upcoming interviews? What am I even going to say the reason is. I sure as hell can't tell the truth.

"Why do you do this to me, Nate! You make everything so much harder for me, you know that?" I yell through the apartment.

"I obviously didn't know the guy was gonna slug me."

"What did you expect when you fuck his girlfriend? A hug? God, Nate. you just can't keep your dick in your pants, can you?" I use James's words against Nate.

"Again. Sorry." 

"You give me so much anxiety." I say softer now. I drop my head down. Of all the things to deal with right now.  All this unnecessary drama.

"I'm sorry, Trish. You know I am" Nate says with more compassion. "I never meant for any of this to affect you. I will fix it, ok? I'll call Richard and come up with something. Ok? I don't want you to be anxious."

I shake my head and cover my eyes, but my quiver lip gives me away. Nate wraps his arms around me, and I cover my face.

"This is all too much." I whisper so only Nate can hear me and not fucking Julia who's out on the balcony. 

"I know, love. I'm sorry." He whispers back and lets me cry in his arms when I should be mad at him. But he also knows when I say this is all too much, I'm not talking about just him and his stupid face.

*****

*James*

I sit in my usual spot in the church pew. The place is empty which is perfect. I lean forward and clasp my hands over the back of the pew in front of me, then drop my head down on my hands. I can't believe I physically punched another person. I can't friggen believe I stooped down to that level. I am NOT my father. 

God, I feel like I'm spiraling out of control. I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I feel like everything is slipping through my hands.  I've been out of work taking care of Julia so who knows if I still have a job to go back to. I'm taking care of Julia who keeps sleeping with Nate. I can't believe he took advantage of her like that. I take care of Julia. I help take care of Ma; I make sure Joe stays the hell away from my family. Who will take care of me? Who do I get to vent to when all this stuff happens? When is it my turn to catch a break...

Because God, seriously....

 I need a fucking break.