24. Zacky
I Found You, Something Told Me To Stay


Imagine waking up in a tent on the top of the tallest mountain you know, it has just rained so there’s a bit of water and dew on everything… Step out of the tent, smell the air. Look around you. The beautiful water fall off in the distance, the landscape… can you see it’s beauty?
Isn’t it perfect?

Not even that compares to waking up to Bailey next to me, nothing could ever be more beautiful to me in the morning than her. I must’ve moved too much because she whined and buried herself into my chest as she pulled the blankets up over herself, she did not want to get up. I laid on my back, letting her use me as a pillow, and I rubbed her back while she slept. I wished my ceiling was that mountain and waterfall but it was just a flat white, not even a popcorn ceiling I could count pieces of.

Then a loud sound threatened this perfect little piece of heaven we had going on, I jumped and looked around – ready to kill whatever was disturbing us.

Bailey’s phone had went off. I tried to wake her but she wasn’t having it, I didn’t wanna shove her off either so I managed to get her phone and I just answered it.

“Oh, hey.” Johnny said. “I called Bailey didn’t I?”

“She’s asleep…”

“Oh.” It fell silent but he continued anyways.

“Well, I wanted to go shopping today. Well… Lacey wanted to go shopping and I figured you and I would just be drug along.” He laughed lightly. “I was gonna make sure Bailey was up for it.”

“I’m sure, we gotta get stuff for the party anyways.” I said looking down at her, she was so peaceful. “What time were you thinking?”

“Whenever ya’ll come over.” He sighed. “Lacey started getting ready a half an hour ago, so she’ll be another half hour or so.”

“Okay. I’ll text you when we’re leaving.”

I gently woke up Bailey, she agreed to go but said she needed a shower first. It didn’t take her that long and she was ready, 20 minutes all together? I’ve never seen a woman get ready that fast. I had put on jeans and a flannel then styled my hair back, I was feeling pretty confident today but it was mostly because of the woman on my arm.

“Ready?” I asked. She nodded, still tired, as we walked to my garage. “Whichever you wanna take.”

“I like the jeep the best.” She smiled. I had figured as such. When we pulled up to Johnny’s I felt a little nervous but I kept telling myself he was just going to have to get over it, that no matter what Bailey came first. She held my arm the whole way to the door, I had stopped on the way and got her coffee.

I stopped in my tracks when Johnny opened the door, he looked at her holding my arm but smiled anyways. What has gotten into him? I felt like it was a trap. We walked in but didn’t take our shoes off, Lacey was shrugging on some heels as she walked towards us.

“Good Morning!” She squealed hugging Bailey. “I know you don’t have an outfit for the party, so guess what.”

“Oh, i..”

“Nope. You have to.” Lacey took Bailey’s arm and they walked out the door talking. Johnny and I laughed and followed them, it almost felt normal but I knew I probably shouldn’t push it. The girls (Lacey) had decided on where we were going, so we started off at some dress shop. It was all going well until about middle of the day, I think we were all tired and just wanted to be home. We stopped on the way home and got all the alcohol we’d need, party favors…food… you know the stuff we really went out for. Bailey drove my jeep, her and Lacey had went off while Johnny and I started to set up the party.

“Thanks for today, I know I said I didn’t want a party and all…” I sighed as we got all the ice into the different coolers and then put the alcohol in them. We sat out food that wouldn’t spoil, the girls would be picking up the pizzas.

“It’s your birthday, we always go big.”

I laughed, he was right… birthdays would always be felt for a few days afterwards, we usually got most of our yearly water intake the days after a birthday party along with our migraine medicine intake.

An hour later I had changed into a white button up shirt with a red bowtie like Lacey had suggested with black slacks. The girls were back and people started to show up, I was glad that all of my friends came. I knew tomorrow I would go to my mom’s for dinner, I still hadn’t talked to Bailey about that. Note to self: stop putting it off.

“Hey bud.” Brian said giving me a hug. “How’s it feel to be old?”’

“You’re older than me.” I laughed.

“Meh, not by much.” He said jabbing me lightly with his elbow. “Come on, the beers over here.”

Bailey found my side and I finally got to see the outfit that Lacey talked her into getting, she looked absolutely stunning. She was wearing a red dress that was two pieces, it had lace and her belly showed just slightly. She looked absolutely stunning. She came over, her hand on my chest as she kissed me. My hand felt at home on her hip, my thumb feeling the skin of her stomach as she got on her tippy toes to kiss me.

She smiled and stayed next to me as I talked with some friends, introduced her to people she didn’t know. Everyone was pretty infatuated with her and thought she was amazing, as they should. Before we knew it everyone was drinking and playing different games, there were people everywhere and it was a bit hard to get around but Bailey managed to stay with me most of the night.

I noticed Johnny looked a little irritated but he wasn’t acting out so I figured it was just his face and ignored it, at least at first. I couldn’t help but think back to our fight the first night…


**Flashback**

“I don’t like that guy.” I said pointing out the guy that had been shamelessly hitting on Bailey to the extent of trying to grab at her. I have given him a few warnings but he didn’t care too much. In an effort to save a scene from happening I walked away, hoping it wouldn’t escalate and/or bailey would follow me to where I was going.

“He’s just talking to her.” Johnny said in an irritated tone. “Like you care.”

“What the hell does that mean, I obviously care.” I spat. “She’s beyond drunk and needs to go to bed, that’s where I’m taking her.”

“Like fuck you are, you’re just gonna fuck her!” Johnny said shoving me.

I was so mad it was like I was stone sober.

“Is that what you think this is? That I just wanna fuck her? Listen here Seward, if I wanted to just fuck her she would’ve been in and out of my bed the first night I saw her.” I spat. “You should respect both of us more than that. I thought I knew you, and I thought you knew me. I guess I was wrong.”

“I thought I fucking knew you too, then I took you back to Wyoming to my family and you decided to just jump right into bed with my sister. My teenage sister!” Johnny screamed creating a scene, now the people that hadn’t known we were fighting definitely knew. I was sober enough to realize that, but not sober enough to make sure Bailey hadn’t noticed.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice your screen was Bailey!”

I took out my phone and nodded, showing him the innocent picture. “Fuck you Johnny. You said you’d fucking try, if not for me for your fucking sister who – mind you – I’M MAKING HAPPY!”

The phone got smashed to the ground out of rage and before I knew where my feet were taking me I was gone, too angry to even ask if Bailey wanted to go with me. But in all honesty, I needed to be alone. Nothing hurts worse than someone that you thought was like family to you doing something like this to you.

**End Flashback




I never told Bailey about that fight, but I did notice that guy was here tonight – the guy that sparked my rage in the first place. Instead of stating my dominance I ran off instead, I’ll really regret that later.

Bailey was a bit tipsier than me and had excused herself to go to the bathroom, it was near the end of the night now so I was about halfway through saying goodbyes and thank yous. I had stopped drinking about an hour ago so I could take us home, Johnny was starting to irritate me a while ago so I figured I’d better not drink too much to save another fight from happening.

“Hey man, thanks for the party but I’m gonna get going. I’m gonna see if Bailey’s going with me or not.”

“She’s not with you?” Johnny asked. “I told her you were waiting for her inside.”

“No? I just now said bye to you why would I be inside waiting for her to leave?”

“Couldn’t keep your hands off of her all night, and now you’ve lost her.” Johnny sneered.

“Maybe she ran into Mark, he really had his eye on her.”

“She was drunker than drunk.” I pointed out. “And handsy mark? You let her alone with him?”

He waved me off and went back to talking to a few other people that hadn’t left yet. I walked inside and lacey was just coming back in from grabbing all the trash, she smiled but looked at me confused.

“Did Johnny say something? Ignore him, he had tequila.”

“I’m just sick of hearing about it, Bailey and I are fucking together now. Like officially.”

“Oh my god!” She gushed half hugging me. “He’ll get over it, he’s okay with it but you know how he is when he’s drinking. Really I talked to him this morning and he was good with it… I think he just saw you guys kissing and holding eachother all night and it was weird for him.”

“Yeah, well he’ll have to get over it.” I sighed. “I’m fucking trying Lacey but he’s ruining the best thing that’s…” I trailed off when I heard a slamming sound.

“Probably someone fucking in the bathroom.” She sighed. “Was a good party, a lot of drunk people walking home tonight.”

“Did you see Bailey? Do you think she’s upstairs?”

“I haven’t, I know she said she was going to the bathroom a while ago.” Lacey said. “Maybe she passed out in the bathroom, that’s probably what the slam was.” She giggled a bit before offering to go look. I waited by the counter before I heard screaming, I jumped up and ran towards the bathroom and what I saw … I can’t even explain to you the rage that I felt.

I just blacked out, I can’t tell you what happened next. When I was “conscious” again my hands were covered in blood and Mark was below me unconscious, I looked around and saw Bailey crying in Lacey’s arms. As soon as I saw her like that all my anger went away and I stepped away from him, I washed my hands and left the room.

Happy fucking birthday to me. The cops will be here any moment, might as well smoke before I go to jail.

Notes

Well Shit.