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Just Before You Go

Chapter Thirty-Six: Ten Points

Jimmy and I had taken as many drinks as we could carry. Matt wasn’t exaggerating in the slightest when he’d warned us about the sheer volume of patrons at the bar. We’d waited in line for thirty god damn minutes—so the only logical next step was to take all that we could get. Luckily for me, Jimmy had gigantic hands and even larger arms. We filled him to the brim.
I guided him as we made our way out of the crowd and onto the outskirts of the venue. There were no free tables, no free chairs…so, we compromised. We made ourselves a tidy little cluster of drinks on the floor between us.
“If you knock these over,” Jimmy warned me with his long finger. “I’ll have to sacrifice you.”
“To who?” I challenged, sipping at my brown drink.
He shrugged, “Whoever’ll take you, I guess.”
“How sweet,” I laughed.
We started downing our drinks like it was going out of style. The music was loud and the crowds were rambunctious. As the night continued on, the place got more and more packed. It was almost hard to believe that any more people could actually fit inside the space.
I’d lost sight of Brian and the blonde—and of Blair Peterson too. Though, she’d said once that she hated crowds, so maybe she’d gone home.
“Ten points if I get it down her shirt,” Jimmy grinned at me, steadying his hand to throw the cap of his beer.
“James Sullivan,” I gasped, grabbing his hand before he had a chance to release him ammunition. “You can’t throw things at strangers!”
Oo, James,” he cackled. “I’m in trouble.”
“You will be,” I laughed, forcing the bottle cap out of his death grip.
“Okay,” he narrowed his eyes. “Fair enough. But…Am I allowed to throw things at people that I know?”
I shrugged.
“Perfect,” he smirked, snatching the bottle cap back. “Ten points if I get it down her shirt.”
He tossed the cap into the air and—I’ll be damned—it slipped down the woman’s top. She jolted from the surprise impact and immediately began patting herself down. Once she discovered what she’d been pegged with, she started searching the crowd. Jimmy made himself look innocent—whistling into the air and all.
“Jimmy,” an irate voice shrieked.
The victim marched over and grabbed Jimmy by the ear, pulling him down to her eye level.
“I know it was you,” she told him.
He couldn’t help but laugh.
“Are you five?” she groaned, releasing his lobe.
“Six,” he said matter-of-factly. “I’ve just had a birthday.”
“You have not,” she laughed, shaking her head. “Your birthday isn’t for a week. Johnny says we’re going out of town.”
“If LA counts as out of town,” he nodded.
The woman shifted her gaze to me, she looked puzzled, “Who’s this?”
“Oh, shit. Anna, this is Aria—my girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend?” she gasped excitedly, shaking my hand with the same enthusiasm. “It’s so nice to meet you! I’ve never met a Jimmy girlfriend before.”
“We are a dying breed,” I jested.
“I belong to that one over there,” she told me but I couldn’t see who she was pointing at. “Johnny.”
“Christ?” I asked confusedly.
She nodded, “That’s the one!”
“They’ve been together off and on for years,” Jimmy said quietly into my ear. “More off than on, though.”
“Jimmy, are you gossiping about me?” she smirked.
He shook his head, straightening his spine out, “No, ma’am.”
“Are the other guys here?” she asked curiously, glancing around. “You’re the first one I’ve seen.”
Jimmy took a big gulp of his drink, “Brian’s around here somewhere, assuming he hasn’t skipped out…in which case, he’s a dead man.”
Anna looked from me to Jimmy and then back to me and then laughed, “I won’t ask.”
“Shadows is around here somewhere,” Jimmy added lazily. “Don’t know about Zacky though.”
She shrugged, “It’s so busy in here it would be a miracle if we found anyone at all. Hell, I’ve already lost Johnny a dozen times and we’ve only been here twenty minutes.”
“Yeah, we’ve built a base camp,” Jimmy told her, gesturing to our fortress of both full and emptied drinks.
I nodded along, “No need to venture out when you have a base camp.”
She looked at me and smiled, “Anyway…I should go find Johnny since he seems to have disappeared…again. It was nice to meet you, Aria. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”
I smiled politely and waved as she departed. Jimmy let out a long and exaggerated sigh once she was out of earshot.
“You don’t like her?” I asked knowingly.
“Ah, she’s fine,” he replied simply, finishing one drink and immediately replacing it with another.
“How long have they been dating? I’m sure I’ve seen Johnny with other women.”
Jimmy nodded, “You have indeed.”
“So?” I asked with a laugh. “How long?”
“I don’t know…three…four years.”
I nearly choked on my vodka.
“Don’t look so appalled,” Jimmy chuckled. “Like I said, they’re off and on. They break up every other week.”
“But why?” I asked, rubbing at my temples.
He bent down a little to meet my gaze, “Who knows. They don’t like each other I guess.”
“Then why date?” I asked confusedly, trying my best not to get lost in his blue eyes.
He shrugged again, “They love each other I guess.”
“What?” I laughed. “They love each other…but don’t like each other?”
He nodded.
“That makes no sense,” I concluded with a smirk.
He tilted his head a little before standing back up, “Maybe not. We’re lucky though, we don’t have to worry about that.”
I looked up to him for some sort of explanation—he didn’t seem to realize that I was confused by his comment at all. He was glancing around the room, scanning the crowd for familiar faces. He sipped at his drink, still oblivious to me.
“Why don’t we have to worry about that?” I finally asked.
He shrugged, “Cause we’re good on both accounts.”
My heart stilled itself. Suddenly the room was very quiet—but a distant ringing could be heard. Maybe that was just in my head.
Did he just tell me he loved me?
As I questioned it, I think he did too. He shifted his weight quickly and gathered up what drinks were left. He ditched the empty glasses where they lay.
“I see Matt!” he shouted quickly, grabbing me by the wrist. “Come on!”
He pulled me into the crowd, where it was too loud to ask any questions. Jimmy was intelligent; something told me that this stunt was no coincidence.
I could see Matt clearly once we’d finally made it to the other side of the crowd. It was astounding to me that Jimmy had spotted him through all the carnage—but he was so tall that I guess it would have been weirder if he hadn’t seen Matt.
But, to my horror, Matt was not alone.
“Oh, hey,” Blair smiled at me sheepishly.
I blinked a couple of times, “Uh—hey.”
“You make her nervous,” Jimmy grinned. “She would like to have your babies please.”
“Jimmy!” I gasped, nearly dying of embarrassment.
“You know, I’m not sure how the actual mechanics of that would work,” Blair laughed. “But I’m not opposed.”
“I’m going to go die in a hole,” I groaned, covering my face.
Jimmy dried another glass, “We need more liquor.”
He disappeared into the crowd without any further warning. That left me feeling a whole hell of a lot like a third wheel. Had Matt learned nothing?
“So, I met Johnny’s girlfriend,” I said loudly to Matt. “She’s nice!”
“She is not,” Matt laughed. “Just wait until she gets a couple brews in her.”
I grimaced which only made Matt laugh harder.
“I’m going to go help Jimmy,” Matt said to both me and to Blair. “Any requests?”
We both shook our heads. Matt gave Blair a wink as he darted into the crowd. I couldn’t quite describe the feelings brewing deep inside…rage. Anger. Disappointment.
“Having fun?” Blair asked me awkwardly.
I nodded, taking one last giant gulp of my drink, ultimately rendering it emptied.
“Hey, that guy I walked into,” I said abruptly. “Your guitarist.”
“What about him?” she asked curiously.
I couldn’t help but notice her hips moving subtly to the beat. Her black jeans were tight against her body and I was totally drooling. It made total sense why Brian and Matt were both keen on her. I shook away the impure thoughts I was totally having about her.
“Is he your boyfriend?”
She grinned, “Why, you jealous?”
“Yes,” I said seriously. “But no.”
“Nah,” she laughed. “That’s just Tyler. He’s basically my brother.”
“Oh,” I nodded. “Where is he?”
He shrugged, looking around a little over her shoulder, “I’m not sure…He’s around here somewhere though. He saw Mike Shinoda and took off after him—so, he’s probably killing Linkin Park’s buzz.”
I snickered a little.
“How long have you and Jimmy been together?” she asked me as she took a swig of her beet.
“Couple months,” I shrugged. “Four…ish.”
“That’s sweet,” she smiled. “Jimmy’s a great guy.”
There was that tinge of jealousy again.
“He is,” I nodded.
“What’s it like?” she asked oddly. “You know, to have a boyfriend.”
“Um…”
“Sorry,” she laughed knowingly. “I seriously don’t get out much.”
“No, that’s okay,” I said quickly. “It’s…It’s really nice. You know? You have someone that you know you can count on…Someone to call when things go wrong…Someone to celebrate with when they go right…Someone that has your back, no matter what.”
She looked deeply unsettled. Her forehead wrinkled a little as she frantically chugged her beer. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d touched on a nerve.
“Why?” I asked quietly.
She wiped at her perfect lips with the back of her hand, “I’ve never really had one. Was curious if they’re worth looking into.”
“Sometimes,” I said seriously. “But not with Matt.”
Blair’s face lit up—much to my relief. That would have been three times I’d asserted myself where I didn’t belong. This woman didn’t seem to take much offence to anything. She would have been perfect for Brian.
“What makes you say that?” she asked curiously, cracking open her second beer and stuffing the cap into her denim pocket. “Is he secretly a serial killer or what?”
“No, of course not,” I rushed.
It took me a second to realize she was joking.
“He’s a great guy,” I continued helplessly. “He just…”
She tilted her head in anticipation.
“I have nothing,” I sighed.
She smirked, “Well…I don’t know why you’re worried—but don’t. We were just talking about a little vocal collaboration for the festival next weekend. We’re both playing and thought it might be fun to mix it up.”
“Oh,” I blushed. “That sounds…fun.”
“Will you be coming?” she asked me. “It’s Jimmy’s birthday next weekend, isn’t it?”
I knew it was his birthday…but I had no idea about a festival. I didn’t know Avenged was docketed to play another show. I didn’t know about going to LA. Jimmy hadn’t mentioned any of that to me…
“I’m not sure,” I answered slowly. “I work weekends.”
“Lame,” she shrugged. “You should try and come out. You can always come hang with me if your friends get boring.”
I tried not to show how genuinely excited I was about her proposition.
Before I could say anything, Brian appeared as if from nowhere. He stepped in front of Blair, effectively cutting off our communication. His brown eyes looked down at me curiously. The petite blonde was staring me down with daggers in her eyes. I tried not to look intimidated.
“Where’s Jim?” he asked me coolly.
I gestured to my left with my head, “At the bar.”
“Oh, sweet,” he grinned. “I’ll go catch him there.”
“You seem lively,” I noted.
He laughed a little, “Yeah, it’s a wonder what magic women can do.”
“It’s true,” I smirked. “We are miracle workers.”
He slapped my shoulder before heading, quickly, in the direction of the bar. The blonde attached to his hip followed closely. I watched Blair watch Brian as he disappeared. She was nearly impossible to read.
“What’s his deal?” she asked me, still watching after Brian.
I hesitated, “What do you mean?”
She shrugged, “Is he always such an ass?”
“Kind of,” I laughed lightly. “He’s a good guy, though…for the most part.”
“Is that a girlfriend?” she asked casually.
“No,” I replied simply. “I have no idea who that is.”
She nodded, biting at her lip with serious force. A nervous tick, I assumed. Interesting. Very interesting.
“Why?” I asked, trying my best to sound aloof.
She finally snapped her eyes back to me, “Just curious.”
I’ll bet you are.
Jimmy and Matt returned in expert timing. Jimmy handed my drinks to me and Matt gave an extra beer to Blair. Her hand lingered over his as they exchanged the bottle. She batted her eyelashes in a way I recognized from the groupies earlier in the weekend. I was appalled.
“We ran into Syn,” Jimmy told me. “And some girl…Anyone know who she is?”
“A savior, I’m told,” I scoffed.
Jimmy cheered, “Brian’s going to get laid!”
I watched Blair squirm within her own skin. Her face hardened and her eyes lost their life. I couldn’t help but judge her a little bit for developing a crush on a guy that had treated her like absolute shit upon their only encounter. But she was obviously feeling something about Brian’s little groupie.
Sure as shit, to make things even more entertaining, Brian and the stranger joined us within minutes.
“Guys, this is Trixie,” Brian told the group.
She waved.
Blair scoffed so loudly that I’m sure people on the other side of the building heard her, “You’re joking, right?”
Brian scowled at her.
“This is half of Avenged,” Brian told her, slurring a little as he did.
How someone could drink until they were sick and then start drinking again was beyond me. I would have assumed Brian would take it easy—you know, drink water. But no. He was well on his way to impaired.
“It’s super nice to meet ya’ll,” she smiled.
Blair rolled her eyes.
“So is Trixie your real name?” Jimmy asked, his eyes squinted. “Is it short for something, perhaps? Trixantha? Trixinator?”
She looked genuinely confused.
“No?” Jimmy relented. “Huh.”
Blair took a strategic step toward Matt, who didn’t seem to mind at all. Brian hadn’t noticed yet—or if he did, he didn’t care. If Brian didn’t care, I didn’t care.
Since no one else seemed to care.
“Trixie can tie a knot in a cherry stem,” Brian told us seriously.
Jimmy’s mouth dropped.
“We should show them!” she clapped like a four year old.
“Maybe we keep that between us,” Brian cooed. “You know…in private later.”
“Oh,” she purred. “Okay.”
Blair cringed visibly. It was seriously hilarious and it took everything I had to keep a straight face. Jimmy decided to return to the name topic and was desperately trying to get it out of her.
“There’s no fucking way your name is just Trixie,” he told her like that would change the facts. “Your parents looked down at you, all gooey and new and were like…This is our baby…Trixie? No. No way that happened.”
She was arguing with him when I noticed Blair lean into Matt’s ear and whisper something. He looked at her oddly; she smiled reassuringly. The smuggest grin spread over his face before he shot her a quick wink.
“We’re going outside,” Matt said to the group. “It’s too, uh…hot in here.”
It’s times like these that it’s imperative that one brings a camera. If I’d had a camera, I could have captured Brian’s priceless face as the realization dawned on him. He was so busy flaunting the flavor of the week in front of Blair that he didn’t notice her being so put off by him that he’d forced her attention somewhere else.
He looked mad.
“We’ll be back in five,” Matt said smoothly.
Blair was looking straight into Brian’s soul as she added, “Maybe ten.”
The second they were gone, Brian dismissed his arm candy and sent her packing. He instantly fell back into his former gloomy self.
“Come on, Synny poo,” Jimmy cooed sympathetically. “Let’s get you good and fucked up.”
It was clear then that the games were in full swing.

Notes

xx

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RamonaFoREVer RamonaFoREVer
6/18/19

@kiss my sas
I'm sorry!!!! Didn't mean to kick you while you're down, I swear!!

fyction fyction
5/14/19

I'm so proud of you for finishing this masterpiece, but I am SO SAD!!!
WHY ARE YOU BEING MEAN AND UPSETTING THE SICK AUSSIE?!??!?!
WHAT IS LIFE??!???!!!!

kiss my sas kiss my sas
5/14/19

IT IS NOT OVER!!!
I REFUSE TO ADMIT IT IS OVER!!!!!!
PLAGUIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kiss my sas kiss my sas
5/14/19

Holy shit, holy shit, I am not prepared!!!!
Going to read the... last... chapter now...

kiss my sas kiss my sas
5/14/19