After getting a call from Brian about starting a band, I was frickin' stoked. I couldn't stop moving and it was unbelievable.

"Yeah, man. We just need a bassist and a drummer." Brian said. I tapped the tip of my finger against the corner of my eyebrow and sighed.

"I'm trying to think, dude. Hold on a minute." I replied, looking in every which way as if it would help me magically find a drummer. After a few seconds, everything came to light. "Jimmy Sullivan." I thought out loud.

"Jimmy Sullivan? Who's that?" Brian asked.

"Just a kid that I used to go to school with. Real bad ass on the drums. But I have to see if he's still around anymore. Not like alive around, but I need to check for his number."

"When you find his number, give it to me and I'll talk to him about being in a band. That sound cool?"

"Yeah, man. Sounds fine." I said. "I'm gonna go. Val's in the hospital for punching a mirror and I need to see her."

"What did you do this time?" He asked, concern flooding his voice. I sighed.

"I... Fuck, dude. I cheated again." I admitted. There was a long pause on the other side of the line. "Brian, you there?"

"Oh, uh. Yeah. Yeah, I'm here. Don't let Amy find out." He said sternly. It bothered me that Brian scared me so much when it came to talking about girls and break-ups. Especially when he threatens Amy into the situation. I sighed, and rubbed the bridge of my nose.

"I'm hanging up now. I don't feel like talking about cheating and especially not Amy. Don't even freaking mention her name to me, again." I said, then I hung up. I had to visit Val before I did anything band related. It was time to man up and take back what was mine.

I got into my car and everything felt different. I could always smell Val sitting in the passenger seat, but that was gone now. With her. After getting situated, I started the ignition, and backed out of the driveway and drove to the hospital. After parking and walking inside, I asked the nurse where she was, and pointed me down the hall. They were performing tests on her to make sure she was mentally stable, and for the moment they had emitted her for the night.

When she looked up at me from the magazine she was reading, she looked so heartbroken. She turned her attention back slowly to the magazine and mumbled, "What are you doing here?"

I walked in and sat on the bed beside her and reached for her hand, and she pulled it back away. I frowned and sighed. "I came to check up on you; to see how you were doing."

"I'm doing just fine.." She said. "You can leave now."

"Val.." I sighed again. "I'm not leaving.. Just give me another chance."

"You take everything from me and now you're wanting more?" She raised her eyebrow and looked up from the magazine once more. "I used to trust you, but now all I see when I look at you is just another backstab waiting to happen."

"Val. Listen. What I did was wrong and god forbid anyone let me forget about it. Just..Forgive me for my sins; I'll do anything to redeem myself. I promise." I pleaded. I leaned in closer to her, but all she did was look away with tear filled eyes.

"No. Stop. Just go away, Matt. I don't want to see you. Not right now." She said softly. My eyes wandered to her wrapped up hand, and I sighed again.

"This isn't like you." I mumbled, then pushed myself off the hospital bed. She gasped, and threw the magazine across the room and got up, pushing me back into the hospital door.

"This?! This isn't like me?!" She yelled, grabbing my shirt by the collar. "I've given you everything! Everything, Matt! And this isn't like me?! Me being mad at you for cheating on me for the second time isn't like me?!"

I turned my head away, knowing she was right. "You're a fucking dick." She said, letting go of my shirt. I was breathing heavily and I couldn't help it. This was a side of Val that I had never seen. "You're fucking lucky I'm not telling Amy. I'd let her beat your ass, but I could easily do that myself."

I was scared, no doubt about it. When she let me go and stopped talking, I darted out of the hospital and to the parking lot, and sat in my car, holding my hand over my chest. All I could think about was those few words.

"I've given you everything! "

I would have let her beat the everlasting shit out of me if it meant that she would take me back. But she was done. We were done and over with and there was nothing that I nor anyone else could do about it. I started the ignition with a shaky hand and hooked my phone up to my radio and dialed Jimmy's number. It was in my phone from when we had went to school together and he gave it to me to keep in touch. I never said a word to him until now.

"Yello?" I heard. It was Jimmy. I put my phone on speaker and pulled out of the lot, and drove off.

"Hey, man. It's Matt! Remember me?" I asked, stopping at a stop light. He laughed, and I could tell he was excited just hearing from me.

"Oh Lord, dude it's you! What've you been up to?" He asked. I shrugged to myself.

"I've been through some shit, Jimbo." I said. "Listen, I have an idea that you may be interested in."

"Oh yeah?" He asked, I could hear the sound of him scratching his beard and he hummed quietly.

"Yeah! How about being in a band? We need a drummer and you're dope as hell at it. I thought you'd like it so I called you."

"Oh, boy, would I love to!" He exclaimed. "Wow man. This is great. When are we all meeting up for it?"

"Like, sometime tomorrow at Johnny's. You remember where that is?"

"The bar? Fuck yeah I do. Been going there every night because my fiancé works there." He said proudly.

"Who's your fiancé?" I asked.

"Leana MacFadden, dude. Hot as hell." He said.

"Never really seen her around. I don't usually go at night anymore to drink, yknow? Got real tired of having no one to drive me home." I said. "But good job on the engagement."

"Thanks, man. Hey I gotta go. Thanks for giving me a call, text me when you need to." He said. Then hung up before I could reply. This was going to be great. Thinking of how the band would be took my mind off of Val and how she threatened to beat my ass.

---

*Jimmy's POV*

Wow man.. After 5 years of not hearing from an old friend, it was nice to finally have contact again. Not only would I be reuniting with Matt, but I would be the drummer of a band as well. From what I could think of, we hadn't had a band name yet. I should get to thinking of one.

I sat and stared at my phone for a while. It was an old Razor, y'know? One of the really thin ones that everyone just had to have. Maybe I'll get a new one sooner or later. I twisted at the ends of my beard, which had gotten incredibly long, even for my taste, since I had last shaved.

"I like a beard on you." Leana would always say. If it made her happy, it made me happy, and I would walk to the other side of the earth just for her. Which didn't surprise most. Lee and I had been stuck like glue since high school and she was the closet friend I had. When I was on the verge of insanity, she would be there to pull me back.

After a few minutes, my phone beeped, signaling a text message. It was from someone named Brian.

"Hey it's Matt's friend Brian. Gimme a call and we can work out band deets."

I replied back quickly, still excited that I was in a band.

"Will call later. Kinda busy at the moment."

It was, but wasn't true. I had been working on wedding rearrangements for ages, figuring out what flower would be right for the center of the table and whatnot. This was a very important day for me, even though Leana and I hadn't properly discussed a wedding day. Yet.

Notes

Okay!! Drama!!! New characters are being introduced, such as Jim Jam! :') Very proud of the story thus far, and I'm pretty sure everyone's gonna like this chapter, because I sure did!! Comment? Rate, Subscribe!! Make momma proud. :P Give me feedback, too! What should I change and how? Next chapter will be up soon, maybe sometime today. :)