The next morning, I woke up early. A quarter to nine, actually. Very early for me, and I was exhausted. But, when I remembered the night before, and Jimmy’s invitation, I decided to get up, make myself look presentable, and see if The Reverend Tholomew Plague was one to stick to his word. I didn’t feel like he would be one to bullshit people, but you can never put too much trust into someone you just met, regardless of their fame. I figured, if he was nice enough to go out of his way and save me from a bunch of crackheads (or whatever they were) in a dark alleyway on the bad side of town, then he was somewhat trustworthy, right? However, this was The Rev, notorious for being a bit of a troublemaker. They say never meet your heroes. I wanted to know if Jimmy was an exception to the rule.
After spending some time getting ready, I checked my pale torso in the bathroom mirror. My muscles ached, and it hurt a little to breathe, so I wondered if I was marked. I reached for the hem of my t-shirt and pulled it up. When I saw myself, I gasped. Part of me didn’t actually expect to see bruises. I thought I was just being dramatic.

“Fuck, dude,” I whispered to myself.

They were pretty bad, and hurt to the touch, but these were nothing. What if Jimmy had never showed up? I could have easily been raped or kidnapped…hell, I could have been fucking killed! Then where would I be? Leaving Rami behind in this big house by herself. Abandoning any purpose I might have. I was alive because of Jimmy, and I hoped he showed up today. I needed to confirm to my hungover self that this all was real.
I pulled my shirt down and finished up before shutting off the lights and running downstairs. In the kitchen, I was hit with—not the smell of coffee or breakfast, but the stench of alcohol and cigarettes. When I saw the slumped over form of Rami, passed out over the island, I froze. A box of empty cigarettes was laying next to a tipped over shot glass and an empty bottle of Jack Daniels, which had not been full to begin with. Still clasped in her hand was a bottle of beer. I sighed and gripped the archway.
Rami had not been acting right since I came home. She was jumpy, aggravated, and just not…I don’t know. Right? What was worse, was that I had worried her to death and sort of shoved her aside when I came home. I was drunk and high on meeting Jimmy, and just too wound up to think clearly. I should have tried to calm her down. It was my fault she was a complete wreck, passed out drunk on the kitchen island.
I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a dish towel from a drawer, preparing to clean up and Rami and get her to bed. When I turned on the water and began to soak the towel, the beer bottle clinked and the blue-haired girl roused.

“Hey,” she grumbled out, pushing her hair out of her face and rubbing her eyes.

I glanced back at her as I shut the faucet off.

“Hey,” I said softly, trying to spare us both from the torture my voice could cause, “What are you doing down here?”

Rami licked her chapped lips and attempted to clear her throat, which elicited a coughing fit.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she replied.

I wrung out the towel before walking over to her. She was a fucking mess.

“So you drink enough to kill you?” I asked, my tone darkening as I picked up the bottles.

Rami propped her elbows on the countertop and covered her eyes.

“I had to do something,” she groaned.

I tossed the bottles into the trash and picked up the shot glass and empty cigarette carton so I could wipe off the spilt beer and drool from the granite surface.

“I’m regretting it now. Goddamn!” she continued.

I smiled slightly and took a new towel to wipe her face.

“Sander! I’m not a child!” she complained.

I smiled as I gripped her chin and wiped away some of the smeared eyeliner and dried drool.

“You’re a mess, Rami. Be still,” I ordered.

Rami sighed and let me clean her face. I smiled at her. She was pitiful.

“I feel like I’m your mom or something,” I said jokingly.

Rami cut her bloodshot eyes at me.

“It’s not fucking funny, Sander,” she growled.

I turned away and tossed the towel on the counter beside the sink before washing out the shot glass.

“I felt like a worried mother last night. I couldn’t find you and I was scared. Do you know what I would have done if something had happened to you?”

I sighed as I squirted some dish soap into the glass.

“You don’t think I was scared?” I asked.

Rami pushed her greasy hair behind her ear.

“What the fuck happened to you last night?” she asked.

I opened my mouth to reply, but I was promptly interrupted.

“What in the shit happened to your arm?” she exclaimed.

At the sound of her voice echoing throughout the kitchen, both of us winced in pain. I needed to get some coffee and some sort of painkiller down me before, or if, Jimmy showed.

“Rami, I’m okay,” I replied as I rinsed the glass out, “I got out before anything happened.”

“Why didn’t you call me? How the hell did you even get home?” she snapped.

“My phone is busted from the beer that asshole spilt on me, for one. And, I caught a ride. How did you get home?” I asked.

“This nice girl named Val. She said you two met,” Rami replied.

I nodded and placed the glass in the drainer.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“She said her friend went out looking for you, but that was hours before you came home,” she said.

I jolted and stared at the window over the sink, looking out to the beach. Friend? Was that the Valary? No way!

“Oh, I caught a ride,” I replied.

Rami scoffed.

“From who?” she asked.

Just then, the doorbell rang. My heart leapt into my throat. Jimmy!

I spun around to see Rami looking up at me with desperate eyes.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Stay there. I’ll be right back.”

Rami let out a small squeak of protest as I exited the kitchen and jogged down to the front door. I chucked the peephole, just to make sure it wasn’t the mailman or something. However, I couldn’t make out anything for a second. There was definitely movement, but there was a shadow cast over the figure. It was only when they moved back did I see a labret piercing and a tattooed neck. A small burst of excitement spread through me, and I nervously opened the door. Jimmy was standing on the other side, clad in a plain black polo, dark jeans, and his black-framed glasses. The crown of his black hair was teased in its signature quirky way, and he wore a necklace and a silver watch. He looked oddly normal for such an eccentric person. It was different (at least, to me), but he I had to admit, he looked nice.

“Hey,” I greeted breathlessly, and wondering why I was so out of breath all of a sudden.

Jimmy’s eyes lit up behind the lenses of his glasses, and his smile was warm and friendly. If this was some cruel dream my hungover brain was playing for me, I was going to be pissed!

“Hey,” he replied, “I know I’m a little early, but…”

I waved him off.

“No, it’s cool. I’m ready, but, um…”

I glanced over my shoulder to hear Rami groaning and complaining to herself in the kitchen.

“I’ve got a little issue going on. I’ll have it taken care of in it a minute. Would you mind coming in?” I asked.

Jimmy shrugged and I stood aside to let him in. I shut the door behind him as he looked around. The house was still void of any sort of character, but I had put out a few of my decorations from my old apartment—most of which were borderline Halloween decorations and antique pieces I had either picked up or inherited. The bright, modern home was quickly turning into a dark castle.

“Oh, wow. This is cool,” Jimmy said, pointing out an old black mirror on the wall.

Below it was a console table with a candelabra, a glittery skull, and Rami’s cell phone and house keys. Jimmy’s eyes moved from it to the ceiling as I locked the door.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Jimmy asked.

I led him to the hallway.

“A little sore, but I’m okay,” I replied.

He nodded and followed me into the hall.

“Did your roommate make it home okay?” he asked.

We walked into the living room, the kitchen just next to it.

“Yeah,” I sighed, looking at Rami, who was rubbing her forehead and staring at the countertop.

“Ah,” Jimmy said quietly, “Is she okay?”

I sighed.

“Yeah. We didn’t really talk too much about what happened, and she had a hard night. I’m going to get her up and get her to bed and we can go,” I replied.

Jimmy nodded.

“Okay. That’s cool,” he replied.

I turned away to approach Rami and cringed. He probably thought we were both huge, fucked up messes.

“I’m really sorry,” I said to him over my shoulder, “This isn’t our normal routine. Rami, come on.”

“No, it’s okay,” Jimmy said, crossing his arms over his chest, “I understand.”

I walked behind Rami and gripped her shoulders.

“Get up. Let’s get you to bed. You’ll feel better if you get some sleep on something a bit more comfortable,” I said to her.

“No!” she growled, then yanked herself out of my hands and her head snapped up to me, “Fucking tell me what happened!”

“Nothing happened, Rams. I was walking home and got lost and got into it with a couple of douchebags. Nothing serious,” I replied.

“Sander,” she said strictly, then paused to rub her undoubtedly pounding temples before proceeding, “You could have fucking died.”

“I know. I shouldn’t have left without you. I’m sorry,” I apologized.

Rami looked as white as a sheet, and her skin contrasted deeply with her pink sclera and dark bags hanging beneath her normally bright eyes. I hoped to God that she held it until I got her away from Jimmy to be sick. Maybe going out wasn’t the best idea.

“Who brought you home?” she asked.

“Jimmy,” I replied, not remembering that, unlike myself, Rami listened to very little Avenged Sevenfold.

Hell, she didn’t even know all of their names. Saying Jimmy instead of “The Rev” went right over her head. The angry and confused expression on her face told it all.

“Who?” she exclaimed.

I sighed and rolled my eyes.

“Would you believe me if I said The Rev?” I asked.

Rami narrowed her eyes at me.

“No!” she snapped.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.

“The Rev brought me home. His real name is Jimmy,” I explained, “He found me and brought me home before anything bad could happen to me.”

Rami curled her lip.

“Bullshit, Sander!” she snapped.

I groaned and harshly pointed to the tall man in the archway, patiently watching and waiting. Rami’s head lazily rolled over to the direction I was pointing in. Her eyes widened, then squinted.

“What?” she hissed, “Sander, I’m still drunk. He’s not real, right?”

I smiled and shook my head.

“You’re just hungover,” I assured her.

Jimmy smiled shyly and waved.

“I’m real,” he said.

Rami’s mouth fell open. Dear God, don’t let puke follow.

Rami wavered and pointed a finger at Jimmy, her eyes narrowed and her mouth opened as she tried to find the right words.

“You found her?” she asked accusingly.

What’s that movie where Meryl Streep is a drug-addicted, bat shit crazy cancer patient? That’s who Rami reminded me of right now.

Jimmy nodded.

“You brought her home?” she pressed on.

Jimmy nodded again. What was this? A police interrogation?

“Of course, I did,” Jimmy replied with a shrug.

Rami quickly moved from the bar stool to her not-so-ready or steady feet. I reached out to catch her, but the little shit was too fast. She moved around the island and quickly rushed him. I prayed that she didn’t attack him. However, her actions were exactly the opposite. Bold, yes, but totally the opposite of what I feared.
Jimmy was quickly attacked by not a fist, but a hug. He seemed a little surprised at first. I was in shock.

“Y-you saved her life,” Rami said into his shoulder.

Jimmy smiled and put his arms around her. Rami began to shake like she was crying. Concerned, I walked over to them.

“Th-th-thank-you, Rev,” she whispered.

Jimmy smiled and gave her a light squeeze.

“You’re so welcome,” he said softly.

I felt my shoulders drop with my jaw. Rami cried easier than I did, sure, but I had never, ever seen her so emotional. Not even on the night we parted to go to college. Moving away from each other and only communicating of the phone and webcam for four years. Maybe it was the hangover, but I felt like I was missing something here.
Rami let go of Jimmy, who gave her a soft smile before letting me take her.

“Come on, Rami. Bed time,” I said, taking her arm.

Rami shook her head.

“Please, no. Not the bed,” she pleaded.

I gripped her shoulders and stared at her like she was crazy.

“What’s wrong with the bed?” I asked.

Rami hung her head and shook it.

“Well, how about the couch?” I asked.

Rami looked passed Jimmy to the living room. She then nodded. I patted her back.

“Okay. Couch it is,” I said.

I helped Rami to the couch and made sure she was comfortable. Jimmy worriedly watched on.

“Rami, I’d invite you to come too if you were feeling better,” he said.

Rami smiled weakly. I felt my heart drop. I really needed to stay here with her, but Jimmy was already here, and I didn’t want to take a rain check.

“Rami, do you want me to stay here with you? You’re not okay,” I said.

Rami shook her head.

“Just get a blanket and some of my things and set them out here. You two go ahead. Sander, can you go get my cell phone and a glass of water? Oh! And some painkillers, please? And a blanket?” she requested.

I smiled and patted her shoulder.

“Sure thing,” I said, then turned to leave.

“And you, Jimmy,” she said.

I slowed down to hear.

“Sander is freakishly in love with you, so if you hurt her, I will hunt you down,” she said.

I groaned and covered my face. “Favorite” and “in love” are two very different things.

Jimmy laughed.

“I won’t,” he replied.

“Now, I don’t know what you two are planning to do, but you seem like a nice guy so I don’t think I have much to worry about. Just take care of her. She’s my best friend,” she continued.

I smiled to myself. Jimmy chuckled.

“We’re just going cruising around Huntington. We may find some other things to do, but I promise, she’s safe with me,” he said.

I wasn’t sure what organ it was. My heart, maybe, but something inside of me flip-flopped when he said that.

“Good,” Rami said, “You’re a nice guy, Jimbo.”

I rolled my eyes. Jimbo? Really?

“Thank-you,” he laughed, “Hey, if you start feeling better, call and we’ll come pick you up. I hate for you to miss out.”

“It’s okay. I’ll keep that in mind. Thank-you. Now, I don’t mean to sound rude, but go away. If I don’t shut my eyes, my brain will blow.”

Jimmy laughed.

“Gotcha,” he said.

I waited in the hallway to see Jimmy approach. He raised a mischievous eyebrow at me.

“Freakishly in love, huh?” he asked.

Embarrassed, I groaned and spun away.

“She says a lot of stuff to get me riled up. Ignore her,” I said.

Jimmy laughed and followed me to the staircase.

“Well, we’ll see,” he said.

I rolled my eyes.

“Come on, then, Jimbo,” I said, “Come help me get her things so we can go.”

Jimmy smiled and politely gestured to the stairs, letting me go first.

“After you.”

I smiled and jogged up the stairs. What kind of shit have I gotten myself into now?

Notes

Sorry it took me so long. Work, trips, and a small depressive episode kept me from writing, but I'm getting back into the swing of things. Let me know what you guys think! I know the length is atrociously short, but I wanted to get something out before work starts again. So, here! Yay!

Please comment and subscribe.

-sharpiewashere