“What can I do ya for Alex?” you asked, knowing exactly who it was because of the ring tone.

So that wasn’t the reason you were confused, it was more like Alex hadn’t called you in forever and you hoped that everything was good on her end and that her shop was not in any trouble out in Chicago. Hence the song ring tone. See Alex was Syn’s girlfriend, they’d been dating for a little bit now and you had grown to like her. When you saw her, as she lived all the way in Chicago and that meant little interaction between the two of you, which kind of bummed you out. You had a lot in common seeing as she was a tattoo artist who just recently got her own shop. She was a weird one, but that was the way you liked them, people that is. The odder and more off the better. But you were still confused as to why she was calling you.

“Hey Kales is Syn with you by chance?” Alex asked from her end of the phone.

“Ahhh, nope. It’s just me and Jimmy. We left Syn back at the restaurant with Johnny and maggot boy. Why ya ask?” you asked as you absent mindedly packed you new package of smokes.

“Because the giant douche turned his phone off again or is ignoring it and I can’t get a hold of him. I love the man to death, I do with every inch of my heart, but there are times I tell ya, POW straight to the moon with him. So would you be oh so kind and call him for me, or actually call Johnny and have him tell Syn to call me if he values his testicles,” Alex said ever so sweetly.

You chuckled a bit as you brought a cigarette out of the pack and brought it to your lips. You searched for your lighter but Jimmy got to it quicker as he lit it for you. You gave him a thanks nod and took it out of your mouth as you exhaled.

“Can do. This isn’t drastic or anything is it?” you asked, still hoping that everything was okay on her end out there.

“Oh it’s fine basically, shop is going smoothly. I had wanted to ask you about when you were going to get your own but if your with The Rev I won’t bother your time. But no, mainly it was about when the tour stops here in Chi-town. I need to know the dates because he wanted me to stay with you all for a few days, but that’s not possible unless I know the dates,” Alex said as she sighed huffily on her end.

You could see where she might get annoyed with Syn for that and it made you smile. Out of every single girl you had ever seen Syn with Alex was the only who had ever been able to stand up to him. Which oddly enough really wasn’t built into her character make up, he just seemed to bring it out in her. And she did, repeatedly. You figured that’s why they were so perfect for each other because he was the king of dishing out shit and was use to getting his way. Which he did because standing up to the tall, dark, sinister lead guitarist was no easy feat by a long shot. Unless you were Alex, because she took no shit.

“I’ll give Johnny a buzz and have him pass the message on hun. See you in Chi-town,” you said as you went to hang up.

“Thanks love,” Alex said before hanging up.

“Syn being a pain again?” Jimmy asked, car still idling.

“Won’t answer his phone or has it turned off. I’m calling Johnny now, sorry Jimmy,” you apologized as you opened up your phone and pounded in Johnny’s number.

“Hey short stuff are you still with Syn?” you asked as soon as Johnny picked up.

“Hi, nice to talk to you too other short stuff. And yes I am, your arch nemesis as well. What can we do you for. And Zacky if you open your mouth I’m sticking my god damn phone in it,” Johnny said.

Zacky must have opened his mouth to make a comment. You could hear him grumbling in the background.

“I need to talk to Syn, or you could be mediator,” you suggested, wanting to get this over and done with so you could go out with Jimmy.

“Handing over expensive phone now. Piss him off so he ruins it and I’ll haunt you for the rest of your days,” Johnny said as he passed off his phone so it went quiet on his end for a second.

“Yes?” Syn asked.

“TURN YOUR MUTHA FUCKIN PHONE ON!” you yelled into the mouth piece of your phone that you had held away from your mouth so as not to totally blow out his ear drums.

“And why should I?” Syn asked after a pause of silence, as he was probably waiting to see if your shouting would continue.

“Because your wonderful girlfriend has been trying to call you repeatedly, but you seem too cool for the world and have it off. And it’s important. So she called me, to call Johnny to tell you,” you explained.

“Shit. What did she want?” Syn asked suddenly.

“To find that out Mr. Synyster Gates you will have to flip out you nifty little phone and dial her digits and ask her yourself. I will not be telling you,” you said pompously.

“Bitch face,” Syn grumbled playfully.

“Ex groupie fucker,” you teased back.

He hadn’t slept with a groupie in a long time, not since he had started being with Alex. And you didn’t see a stop in their relationship for a good long time, if at all. You just wished that at some point you could have one of those.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Gave up that habit and Zacky picked up the slack,” Syn said in his trade mark bored tone.

“Picked up what slack?” you heard Zacky ask in the background out of the blue as if he had only caught that part of the conversation.

“My left overs, my toss away's, the groupies I’m no longer banging,” Syn replied to Zacky, but still into the phone.

“Damn right,” Zacky said proudly.

There was silence on both ends of the phone for a minute. You were waiting.

“Hey,” Zacky finally protested as he finally caught onto the entire meaning of that statement.

You wanted to laugh at his reaction, not sneer at it. It sounded genuine, there was nothing snide about, it was the real type of joking. He was kidding around. Maybe this is what he was like all the time with guys, and you were only hearing it a bit because he probably didn’t realize that you were still on the other end of the phone. And if you figured if you gave away your presence on the phone still it would ruin it and you really didn’t want a bitch fight with him at the moment. You wanted nothing than to go about your special day with Jimmy and heal whatever wound had created this hurt inside. Whatever thing had caused the breakdown meltdown could be healed by Jimmy, he was the healer for everything, the answer-er to all questions, the all knowing drummer that you had come to call your best friend. So, to go about that you simply closed your phone without saying goodbye to Syn or to Johnny, figuring that they’d get your point.

“So where to madame?” Jimmy asked when he saw you stick your phone into your leather bag.

“The zoo mistro,” you said happily.

Let the healing begin.
-xXx-
“Really? Are you serious? How come I didn’t know about this?” you asked in shock as you waked passed large cages.

You had been at the zoo for over an hour, closer to two, and had just been taking it slow. You had seen all your favorite places, the big Cats, the monkeys, the reptiles and the polar bears. You had laughed the entire time, the two of you rehashed the old times, avoiding all painful subject matter. You talked about weird experiences at college and basically let yourself soak up the time alone with Jimmy. You could feel yourself knitting back together inside, there was still some tears, some pieces missing to the puzzle that would be needed to complete all the healing, but Jimmy was working his magic. What ever it was about his voice, his laugh or the ungainly gait of his long legs it worked on you, always had.

You were walking with peanuts in hand and on your way to the elephants when Jimmy had begun relating the current tale.

“I don’t remember, but for some reason you weren’t home. I think you were out studying. For once. But it’s the gods honest truth, I swear,” Jimmy replied, laying his hand over his heart.

“But, but, but,” you stuttered, still finding it hard to believe.

“Your brother, ugly yellow footy pajamas with race cars on them, sliding down the hall singing Beauty School Dropout into a hairbrush, piss faced drunk. It was a sight. I’m sorry that you missed it, or that we didn’t video tape it,” Jimmy said as he chuckled at the memory.

“Why does it seem now that I missed out on so much even though I grew up right beside you all?” you asked as you shook your head, chuckling at the image of your brother you stored away for future use.

“You didn’t really miss out on all that much growing up, you were there for most of it, all of it mostly. You were just blind to some things,” Jimmy replied, the last bit coming out softer than the first.

You smiled back up at him, having not really caught the last part, but figuring it was as wisdom filled as everything else he tended to say.
-xXx-
“Wow, so ah, Shrek 2. What an interesting movie choice you picked,” Jimmy said as you two walked out of the theater.

“Hey it’s the discount movie place. Are you going to complain about a large soda, large popcorn and a movie all for four dollars? So what if it’s movies that have come out forever ago, it’s still a deal. And you can’t complain about the movie, you laughed more than I did,” you teased as you deposited your empty soda cup, popcorn bag and box of Raisonettes.

“I think I just blew my rock star status,” Jimmy said as he shook his head in shame, hanging it low.

“Yup, you did. And you look ridiculous like that. I forgot how absolutely huge your neck really is,” you said as you lit a cigarette.

“Oh hell no. You’re so dead,” Jimmy said as he shot his head up from it’s slung position and started after you.

You shrieked loudly as you ran from your best friend, weaving in and out of stationary and moving cars, still puffing on your cigarette. You tripped and slammed into a car when a car honked loudly as it almost ran over Jimmy who had darted out into the exiting traffic.

“Oomph,” you said from your position on the ground.

“Graceless,” Jimmy said out of breath as he came over and stood beside you.

“Who’s the one who ran into oncoming traffic and almost got hit and then got honked at? Causing me to run into this ugly wanna be SUV?” you asked, still on the ground.

“Santa Claus?” Jimmy asked in return.

“Duh,” you replied as Jimmy stuck his hand down to help you up.

“Doesn’t help that I was running in flip flops,” you said as you dusted off your butt and hoisted your brown leather bag up onto your shoulder.

“Or that you smoke,” Jimmy added.

“Or drink like a fish,” you added as you made your way back to Jimmy’s car, lighting up a cigarette as it turned out.

“Touché,” Jimmy replied as he flicked his wrist limply and unlocked the doors.

“Loser,” you said softly as you shook your head and got inside.

“Got me there,” Jimmy said as he stuck the keys in the ignition.

“So beer run. Then movie run, something that will hopefully regain your rock star status, but probably not. And then my place?” you said as he pealed out of the discount movie complex.

“Sounds like a rock solid plan to me,” Jimmy replied as he hit his blinker and turned into traffic towards the nearest beer and liquor store.

Notes

Oh the joys of happy pointless days out and about with your best friend!