Just Before You Go

As Haven began integrating themselves into the party, I watched as Jimmy dragged Brian by the ear into the house. Jen didn’t seem to understand—or appreciate—what mastery Jimmy had accomplished with this ridiculous endeavor. So, I pulled myself from the pool and dripped all the way through the backyard and into the kitchen.
“Just play nice,” Jimmy was telling Brian sternly, a long finger pointed at his chest.
Brian rolled his eyes. In doing so, he caught sight of me right away.
“Sup, Aria?” he grinned coyly, using Jimmy’s distraction as a means of escape.
Jimmy attempted to grab onto Brian as he sneakily dipped out of arms reach but it was too late. So, he called some unmentionably crude things to Brian’s back as a last ditched effort to bridge the gap between Synyster Gates and Haven.
“How?” was all I could think to ask.
Jimmy’s face lit up, “I’m the master.”
“I can see that,” I smirked, pushing myself into the space where Brian had just been. “But how?”
He shrugged, a playful smile pulling at my heart strings, “It wasn’t that hard, really. I called Larry last weekend and he set it all up. Granted, I did it under the guise of musical…appreciation and not underhandedly trying to get my best friend laid.”
“You little shit, you,” I grinned.
“You said you wanted to play matchmaker,” Jimmy beamed. “It’s perfect. Now they can’t escape each other—in which case, it might not be perfect…If they hate each other, they might end up at each other’s throats. Who knows, Aria. One night, Blair might sneak into our bus in preparation for Synyster murder—she pulls back the curtains to the bunk but oh no! It’s the wrong bunk! But it’s so dark, Aria. It’s so dark. She can’t see that she has the wrong guy. All I wanted to do was help! It doesn’t matter because—”
“Honey?” I tried not to laugh.
He seemed genuinely startled by my making any noise.
“Are you done?” I smiled.
“All I’m saying,” he said seriously. “Is when you wake up and find me dead one day, it will absolutely be Blair’s fault.”
I raised a suspicious eyebrow, “Wouldn’t it be Brian’s fault? You know, by association?”
“Go on.”
“If he’s the one that’s supposed to get murdered…but you die in his place from a tragic case of mistaken identity—especially since you guys look so similar…”
“He’s an ant, I know,” Jimmy nodded solemnly. “But for the sake of the story, go on.”
“If you die in Brian’s place…Wouldn’t that make it Brian’s fault?”
Jimmy let out a rather heaty laugh, “Survivor’s guilt would tear you to shreds!”
I sighed at my mammoth boyfriend, apparently reaching the end of my wits about fictitious and hypothetical murder. He sensed my fatigue for the subject and smiled, pressing his lips to mine ever so gently.
“Come on,” he said happily. “We have work to do.”
“Tyler might be a problem,” I noted to Jimmy quietly, trying to keep the use of his name hushed.
Jimmy nodded, “Distract him. But…don’t spill anything on him.”
“Oh, come on,” I whined with a laugh. “It happened one time!”
Jimmy just stared.
“Okay, two times,” I groaned. “Two times.”
He laughed, stealing one more quick kiss before giving me a determined nod and disappearing back outside. I made myself, and Jen, a drink and then followed suit. She was still in the pool, chatting with Matt. I hoped that Jen could act as an unaware buffer between Blair and Matt. One less distraction for Blair on her way to Brian’s heart. I could see it now. They’d make such adorable B-named babies.
“Hey,” I called to Jen as I sunk down to the concrete, balancing on my toes. “I brought you a drink!”
She made her way over to me quickly, hungrily snatching up the vodka, “Thanks!”
“Having fun?” I asked hopefully.
“Oh yeah,” she nodded with a wink of a nod to Matt behind her. “A great time.”
“Good,” I smiled down at her. “I’m going to go mingle.”
“Hey, you were right, by the way,” Jen said lowly. “Blair is stunning in person.”
I nodded my head knowingly, “I told you.”
She laughed, shaking her head at my massive girl crush and turned back to retreat to Matt’s side. I watched for a second, fond of Jen and her ability to fold her way into any group of people. She was undeniably social and made for an excellent partner in crime.
But, soon enough I was bored of watching her life and had decided to take up my own.
“No! No! No!” someone was shouting quickly.
I turned to see what was happening and crashed straight into another human being. My drink flew up and out of my cup. My eyes slowly found those of my victim and I thought he might stab me right then and there.
“I said no!” Tyler groaned loudly. “I fucking knew it! I knew it! I saw you moving and I knew that meant you’d spill your god damn drink all over me!”
“Oh my god,” I gasped with a hand over my mouth. “I am so sorry! I don’t know what’s wrong with me!”
“Do you need fucking glasses?” Tyler growled, wiping at his ruined white tee. “Or classes for depth perception or some shit?”
I nodded enthusiastically, “I think I might. You’re just, like…a magnet for my drinks. I don’t know how else to explain it.”
Jimmy appeared as if from nowhere. He was cackling; holding his sides to keep from bursting as tears formed in his eyes.
“I fucking told you not to spill anything on him!” Jimmy howled.
Tyler was shaking his head, “Every fucking time.”
“I’m so sorry,” I maintained.
“It’s fine,” he sighed. “As luck would have it, Blair packed me a second shirt.”
This bored Jimmy, who kissed my cheek quickly, called me an idiot, and then pranced off to join other gazelles—or whatever it was that Jimmy did.
“Blair packed you another shirt?” I asked, following Tyler as he walked through the yard and into the house.
He nodded, glancing at me quickly, “Yeah. She’s psychic.”
“She must be.”
“Or,” he announced loudly as he pulled open the front door and stepped outside, “it’s just reasonable at this point to assume that if you’re around, my shirt’s getting ruined.”
It was both amusing and embarrassing that my name had come up while they were selecting their outfits for this party. I’d earned myself a reputation for being a complete mess.
“I’m sorry,” I frowned.
He laughed finally, “Why is it that your clothes never see a drop, huh? That’s easily the most frustrating part!”
“Because,” I giggled, “Obviously my drinks aren’t made for me. They’re made for your clothes.”
He slipped his wet shirt over his head and I was pleasantly surprised by the body hiding beneath the fabric. His stomach was nicely toned and his chest muscled. I’m not sure why, but I never would have guessed he’d worked out. Regardless, I had to consciously scold myself for staring. What was it about this band that had me drooling over their members?
He pulled a navy blue shirt over his head, “Can you not ruin this one too?”
My cheeks were rosy, “I’ll try not to.”
He laughed, his eyes floating away from me and to Jimmy’s house, “Your boyfriend has a nice place.”
I nodded, “He talks about selling it and moving into a condo downtown a lot.”
“Why?” Tyler asked with a scoff. “Why would you want to live downtown when you could be up here? It’s quiet up here.”
“I’m not sure,” I shrugged. “Jim likes to…be out. He likes to go and be with people, I guess. We spend most of our time downtown anyway, so it wouldn’t be so bad to move down there.”
“Together?” Tyler asked.
I shook my head, “I don’t think so.”
It wasn’t like I hadn’t given that any thought. There was a big part of me that hoped one day we could, at the very least, share a home—but if he didn’t like ‘socially constructed commitment’ then I wasn’t sure what that meant in any aspect of our life together. Maybe he didn’t see moving in together as a step at all, but rather something that would happen—or not happen—on its own in time.
I didn’t mind, to be totally honest. I really enjoyed living on my own and decorating to my own tastes. I liked controlling the television and not having to report to anyone about my comings and goings. If I wanted a cat, I could get a cat—I wouldn’t need to clear it with any other persons. There were so many positives to living alone that I didn’t find myself wallowing in self-pity about Jimmy and my very different relationship goals.
“Can I ask you something?” Tyler thought aloud, finally looking away from the house and back to me.
I smiled, “Sure, shoot.”
“Your friend,” he said oddly. “Synyster—uh, Brian.”
“What about him?”
“What’s his problem with Blair?” he asked callously.
I shook my head, “He doesn’t have a problem with Blair.”
“Could have fooled me,” Tyler scoffed.
I wasn’t sure how much to divulge. If anything, Brian was closer to a twelve-year-old boy; teasing and mercilessly bullying the girl of his affections. He’d never admit that, though. But if Tyler hadn’t figured out that Brian was pining, I didn’t think I should be the one to wrap his head around it.
But I also didn’t want them to be enemies. That would only complicate the plan further—and it was already complicated enough. From Brian being unable to control himself and his word vomit, to Blair being completely unreadable, down to Tyler’s unfiltered hatred for all things Haner…It was bizarre and tirelessly exhausting.
“Brian’s just…” I paused, looking for the right string of words. “Socially awkward. He’s honestly a bit of an introvert…but he hides it. He just doesn’t hide it well—and he comes off looking like a total asshole most of the time.”
I wasn’t sure if Tyler believed me—or understood. But he seemed to accept the explanation regardless.
“Why do you ask?” I asked curiously as we slowly made our way back inside.
He shrugged, “She mentions him sometimes…I’m trying to get a feel of him and you know him pretty well, don’t you?”
I decided to lie, “Yeah, for sure…”
Blair mentions him sometimes. I wondered what she mentioned. I wondered if I could bring it up without seeming way too invested. I decided the answer to that was ‘no’—but I couldn’t wait to tell Jimmy what I’d learned.
“She’s my best friend,” Tyler said to me seriously, looking at me from the corners of his eyes. “I just want to make sure she isn’t getting into something she can’t handle.”
“She seems pretty capable,” I replied simply.
He nodded slowly, “Yeah…Blair’s…It doesn’t really matter.”
What was Blair? What? I was dying to know.
“I’m sure she’ll be alright,” I encouraged. “Whether she dates Brian or not—”
“Dates?” Tyler choked. “Who said anything about dating Brian?”
Oops. Foot in mouth syndrome flairs up once again.
I opened my mouth to try and start digging myself out, but before I could make the damage any worse, Blair Peterson skipped over to us. She had two drinks, one in each hand, and was looking pleasant as all hell.
“Where’d you two go?” she asked curiously.
“She,” Tyler grumbled, pointing to me with his thumb, “spilled her—”
“No,” Blair gasped, her face stunned as she tried not to laugh.
I was embarrassed all over again, “I have problems.”
Blair erupted into laughter—my eyes darted around, hopeful that no one had become alerted. The sound of Blair’s laugh had elicited Brian’s attention and he gazed over at her with pure lust. It was almost sweet—if her laughter hadn’t been at my expense.
“Sorry,” she finally wheezed, smiling at me sympathetically. “But it’s hilarious. I told Tyler he needed a second shirt. Hilarious.”
“Thanks, Blair Peterson,” I half-laughed.
She rolled her eyes playfully at me, “Stop using my last name. You’re giving me a fucking complex.” She turned her attention to Tyler, “Mind if I steal her?”
He scrunched his face oddly, “Go for it.”
She looped her arm with mine and practically dragged me over to Jimmy’s unending row of patio and lounge chairs. She slunk into one and I happily fell into the one next to her. Her lips found a cigarette right away and soon I was basking in her second-hand smoke.
“So,” she said flatly. “I guess everything’s okay?”
I looked at her strangely.
“The last time I saw you—”
“Oh,” I interjected quickly. “Um…yeah…Everything’s good.”
“Good,” she smiled. “Did you decide about the tour?”
I nodded, “I’ll be there.”
“Fuck yeah!” she laughed, pulling at her cigarette. “I thought for a second I was going to be the only female in the group buses.”
“Nope, I’ll be there,” I insisted, happy that it seemed to please her.
She was watching Brian for a second, but when he looked over, she darted her eyes away. High school.
“I was pretty surprised that Avenged offered us an opening slot,” she thought aloud, seemingly suspicious. “We’re a little…under…their usual standards.”
I just shrugged, “I honestly don’t know anything about their touring or anything like that…I just found out today that it was Haven going out with them.”
“Really?” she asked flatly. “Interesting.”
Matt and Jen spotted us. Jen was pulling him toward us, but to my surprise, he was resisting. Blair didn’t seem to notice—her eyes were back on Brian. What an interesting dynamic this would make for the tour life.
When Matt wouldn’t budge, Jen abandoned him. Soon enough, she was dripping in the chair next to me. She gave a quick introduction to Blair and then folded herself right into our conversation. It was a talent, I swear.
“Are you excited to tour with Avenged Sevenfold?” Jen asked Blair curiously.
She nodded, “Of course.”
“Because you’ll get to see Brian Haner every day?” Jen asked bravely.
My ears began to ring with anxiety as I watched Blair freeze.
“W-What?” Blair managed.
Jen laughed, “I was just joking.”
Blair didn’t really look amused.
She struck me then as someone who preferred to keep their feelings to themselves. I don’t think she like enjoyed being called out—but that’s what it was. And for her to react in such a way, there had to be at least a grain of truth to Jen’s so-called joke. I was basically taking notes at this point, eager to go and spring them all onto Jimmy.
“I’ve been there, done that,” Jen shrugged. “Nothing special.”
Blair returned to her cigarette.
“That’s definitely not what you said before,” I decided to be brave too. “And you were, if I remember, pretty upset that Brian didn’t want to date you.”
Jen sort of gasped at me.
Blair was grinning but had politely turned her head away from Jen. Jimmy was bounding over toward us and had stolen up Blair immediately. He’d hardly acknowledged me at all—had literally just come to take Blair’s hand and drag her off to the group of musicians forming in the corner of the yard. Brian and Johnny were the only ones left on the outs.
Jen got a little cocky, “Prepare for that to be your life.”
I looked over at her.
“Neither of us could compete with that girl,” she told me seriously. “Next to her, we’re chopped liver.”
While I couldn’t argue that perhaps that was true; Blair was stunning and funny and genuinely nice…next to her, I was still Jimmy’s heart and soul. Maybe she was talented and could relate to him in a way that I couldn’t, but that didn’t matter. I knew that didn’t matter.
And yet, as his arm slinked around her shoulder, I could feel myself burning with jealousy.
“Doesn’t matter,” I said pointedly, firming up that I could be just as catty as Jen when I wanted to be. “We’re all pretty sure she and Matt are fucking.”
Jen’s eyes widened, “What? No.”
But sure enough, Matt’s arm was around Blair’s waist, his hand resting on her left hip. They were all passing around a joint, that much was clear—but the men all seemed to gravitate toward her.
“What?” Brian’s voice cut through our spectacle. “You girls didn’t get invited to that weird little pow wow?”
We just glared at him.
“Well,” he sighed, plopping into the chair next to me, “neither did I.”
“Whatever,” Jen shrugged. “I’ll just impose.”
She laughed to herself as she abandoned our post and pushed her way into their circle. They let her in and Matt’s grip on Blair immediately dropped. Interesting.
“Why aren’t you over there?” I asked Brian.
Jimmy knew I wasn’t much into weed—and to drag me over there and have everyone try to force it on me…It was obvious why Jimmy hadn’t selected me as his sacrificial lamb. The jealousy began to subside a little. Jimmy was a touchy guy, and I knew that. Blair liked me; she would never try and step on my toes…would she?
He shrugged his shoulders, lighting a cigarette and plunking it between his lips, “I’m under specific orders to stay away from Tyler Brody.”
I nodded, “Makes sense.”
“And, by extension, Blair Peterson.”
“No!” I exclaimed way too enthusiastically.
He cocked an eyebrow at me.
“I just mean…you guys will be touring together. Don’t you think you should make an effort to bridge the gap?”
He scoffed, “No.”
“At least with Blair?” I asked hopefully. “After all, you do—”
“Shut the fuck up,” he whispered loudly.
I was going to yell at him—but his rude little outburst made sense once Blair’s voice cut through my rage. She had her hand extended to Brian and a warm smile on her face.
He looked from her hand to her face and back again. I was on the edge of my seat.
“I’m getting in that pool,” she told him. “And I’d love a buddy. You know, in case I drown.”
He grinned up at her and then pointed to his cigarette, “Give me this much time.”
She laughed and nodded and immediately stripped down in front of the guitarist. His brown eyes were fixated on her tight body—and then it was ripped away from him as she dove into the pool and lost herself beneath the surface.
“Bridge,” I told Brian knowingly as he began power smoking his cigarette.
He nodded, “A fucking tasty bridge.”
He smashed his cigarette into the ash tray and was instantly in the pool, finding himself at Blair’s side. I watched happily as they finally seemed to be getting along, at least for now.
Jimmy stepped in the way of my view, his hand now extended to me. I laughed, shaking my head at him.
“I’m getting in that pool,” he said to me in his girliest voice.
“Don’t,” I laughed.
He stripped down in front me, dramatically elongating his actions and never once breaking eye contact. He tossed his shirt at me, causing me to break into a giggling fit.
“Come on,” he finally spoke normally, his hand extended to me once more. “We have to make sure they don’t drown each other.”
I smiled, taking his hand finally and rising from my chair.
“Are you happy?” he asked me as we neared the edge of his pool.
I beamed up at him, “Oh yeah.”
“Good,” he grinned and then gave me one solid shove into the pool.

Notes

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