Seize the Day

15. Zack
No Chance For One More Day



“We’re going to bed. Don’t wake us. Don’t catch anything on fire. Don’t rip up any fields that we use regularly.” Pa started telling us, Johnny kept nodding but he had a grin on his face that I knew better than to think he was going to listen. He’s Johnny fucking Christ.
Johnny lead everyone down to the barn, apparently the upper loft was partially redone and made into what was supposed to be kind of like an apartment until Johnny decided to run off to California.

But it meant it was a room that was pretty sound proof, that also had a bathroom and a fridge. It’s perfect.

Johnny had bought a keg, his favorite wine, some jack and some tequila. If we were leaving tomorrow- we wouldn’t be leaving til late afternoon at the earliest….even by then we would be walking sideways.

“Well, have fun…” Bailey said sitting on the stairs as they all walked away, Ma and Pa had went in. I had a cigarette in my mouth and a beer in my hand already, I was gonna drink away the darkness that was starting to seep in.

The last night here.

The last chance.

At what? Fucking things up between my best friend and his sister?

“Aren’t you coming?” I asked motioning towards the now lit up barn.

“I can’t make it down there and Ma doesn’t want me drinking.” She shrugged. I sat down next to her, our shoulders touching as I looked out across the darkened landscape. I was going to miss this place, it was its own kind of beautiful. It was a new kind of silent that I had gotten used to. You know, plus the scenery. Insert famous wink here.

“I’ll carry you.” I said putting my cigarette in my mouth and handing her my beer. She laughed as I picked her up and she squealed when I acted like I had lost my grip and was about to drop her. I smiled and started walking down to the barn, I noticed she took a few drinks of my beer and even took my cigarette from my mouth to ash it. I acted like I didn’t see her take a drag or two.

If I wasn’t careful I was going to make huge mistakes tonight. Johnny and I had talked, he said he would respect if I chose to move forward with Bailey but… but…. If something went wrong he couldn’t promise he wouldn’t be able to keep it from affecting us. Was I willing to screw up my friendship and my band?

I sat her down by the couch that was facing the beer pong table, naturally it was Brian and I against Midget and Horsecock.

“OOOH!” I said punching the air, I had gotten us another win again. It had been an hour or so and we were all seeing double.

“Alright, you two are the best.” Johnny slurred. “Listen, why don’t we… I’ll get out the quad and we can tear it up.”

“No, I’m not hearing from Pa later.” Bailey protested as I sat next to her, I had given up on staying away from her. I only had one night left and I wasn’t … I wasn’t going to stay away from her because I wasn’t gonna see her again. Was this going to make it harder to leave?
Probably. But hey, that’s what I’m here for baby! To complicate things!

Wait… I don’t think that’s the saying.

She leaned into me, I was too drunk to react and partly because I liked it I let her basically use me as a pillow. I put my arm around her, again no control, and laughed when she took my cigarette again.

“Don’t you have your own pack?” I teased.

“Yours taste better.” She smirked saucily, licking her lips.

Insert drool here.

“Zacky, come on!” Johnny said waving some keys.

“Don’t.” Bailey warned grabbing my arm.

But drunk Zack didn’t hear her. I kissed her cheek which meant to give her some confidence in me as I followed Johnny outside. I bumped into the door walking out due to inebriation and high fived the door for not breaking.

Woo big word Zack, high five!

“Cause I’m a gotdam cowboy!” Johnny hollered doing donuts on the quad. He laughed as it went on two wheels and he fell off, luckily the quad went back onto four wheels and stopped in its tracks.

“Your turn!” He laughed motioning for me to get onto the quad while cleaning himself off.

I got on and I was afraid at first since I wasn’t too used to that kind of thing, but then after getting the hang of it – it was fun!

When I got dizzy enough that I had to stop; I stumbled off, taking the keys with me. Johnny was worse for wear and could barely stand – quad time was over. We all talked for another hour just about random shit, pretty much just telling Bailey about past times and California life. They snuck in a few embarrassing stories about me, to which I would have my revenge, but she was still smiles and giggles. She never took a step from my side, which I liked too.
Matt excused himself and Val, they usually were the first to exit. I looked around and saw Brian talking to Bailey, and she was laughing. I instantly got jealous. She looked over at me and I couldn’t even hide it in my face. I must’ve scared her because she stopped talking and her face fell. Brian followed her gaze to me and winked at me before continuing his story.
I had no threat in Brian, he knew how I felt about Bailey. He would never do that to me, but for some reason it lit a spark inside of me.

I don’t know why, she wasn’t mine and she never would be.

I walked outside to have a cigarette, passing a passed out Johnny on the beer pong table.

After my second cigarette Brian came out, he smoked half of one before even trying to talk to me.

“I’m going in too.” He said. “We’re leaving probably early.”

“It’s 3 am now.” I said.

“Well, hope you recover fast.” He smiled. “Val and Matt are driving, we don’t need to be coherent or anything. I’m sure we’ll stop at every bar along the way.”

I nodded my head. “I’m gonna miss this place.”

“You’ll see her. I guarantee it.” He said nudging me. “Night, bud.” He ruffled my hair before walking off, slightly crooked and jutted due to being drunk. I chuckled to myself watching him before the cherry of my cigarette fell and got me in the ankle, I muttered a few cusswords before stomping it out.

“Hey.”

I almost jumped but her ocean eyes always froze me like ice. I just couldn’t move when she caught my gaze, like I was bewitched or something.

“Hey.”

“So…”

“Shit… I’m too drunk to carry you back to the house.” I cussed putting my head in my hands.
“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, I don’t wanna go back up… I’ve been drinking and I promised I wouldn’t.”

“Did you have fun?” I asked lamely.

“Well, Zacky Baker, I enjoyed hearing all those wonderful stories. Did you really get hit in the
head with a mic and keep on paying?”

I laughed but nodded. Honestly I was so hot and had to have a few beers to get my stage fright gone that I barely even felt it. I thought I just got stung or something, even passed the blood off as sweat. Val was the one that took notice to the crimson liquid going down my neck and after our set got me into medical to get stitches. Pretty cool.

“I missed you.” She shrugged. “I will miss you, I guess I really should say.” She put her head on my shoulder after taking a sip from her beer.

“I’ll miss you too.”

“Will you keep in touch with me?”

“Of course, if you want me to.” I said looking over at her. “How much did you have to drink?”

“I’m not drunk, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Good.”

I picked her head up by her chin and gave her a small kiss, nothing hot or lustful – just a kiss. Her face went red but a smile crept on her lips, I opened my pack of cigs and offered her one.

“I have an idea… help me to the quad.”

“I don’t think I’m qualified.” I quipped.

“Hush it and help me.” She laughed getting on. I got on behind her, my hands going on the bars but I let my right arm snake around her waist. “I was gonna drive.”

“You just tell me where to go, Gimpy.” I laughed. She took my beer and drank the rest of it before putting it down by the hay bale that was next to us. She pointed into a direction after turning on the headlights to the quad, now this was gonna be an adventure.

After a few minutes, it didn’t take long to get there, we were in the middle of an open field. I didn’t see why she would bring us here until she grabbed my arm and motioned to get off the quad. I stumbled off, the drunkenness wearing off now but it still having a tight grip onto my leg movements.

She laid down in the middle of the field so I followed suit. I looked over at her but she was looking up at the sky. She pointed and started to tell me about the stars, telling me how beautiful they were.

“They’re the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen, especially from right here where you can see where the mountains meet the sky if you look over there.”
I couldn’t stop staring at her, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen; not some silly stars.

“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” I said in a soft whisper. Her eyes met mine but she said nothing she just looked back up at the sky. I reached over and grabbed her hand, so much for keeping a distance so tomorrow and the rest of time didn’t suck.

Notes