Testing What I Know:- Chapter 12-Pure Morning(complete)
Here's the end of the story Testing What I Know, it was written before Monday the 28th Dec 09, before everything changed, but I wanted to put it up before the end of the year, bit of closure on everything for me anyways.
I sincerely want to thank anybody who read this story I wrote and let me know what yous thought, your comments kept me working on it all the way up to completion, and I now feel like I've achieved something with my time apart from shitty reports and business projects (bleurgh). I'm glad I stuck with it.
There's a lot of Jimmy in it, so if you think it'll upset you then I understand if you don't wanna read. But the option's there.
Like I said, thank you to everyone for all the support. I think Avenged Sevenfold fans are the best in the world, and nothing can change that dedication. Let's bring it with us into the new year.
*** Chapter 1
*** Chapter 2
*** Chapter 3
*** Chapter 4
*** Chapter 5
*** Chapter 6
*** Chapter 7
*** Chapter 8
*** Chapter 9
*** Chapter 10 pt.1
*** Chapter 10 pt.2
*** Chapter 11
Chapter 12- Pure Morning
A/N: Went to see Placebo last week, and had a bit of a lightning bolt moment for the title
**********
In all their eagerness, they had forgotten to close the curtains the night before. Now, on this cold morning, there was nothing resisting the icy sunlight’s entrance into the bedroom. Brian’s eyelid’s flickered open to the daylight. Slightly dazed from waking, he spent quite a few moments statuesque, resisting all movement, until he had gathered together enough consciousness to qualify as awake.
He peeled his face off Matt’s chest and stared up at the peaceful features that lay sleeping inches above his own. An easy happiness spread from his stomach through his veins, heating him from the inside out. Stealing another glance up to check that Matt was still sleeping, Brian leant back from Matt’s body, pushing his torso up with his arms and resting up on his knees, and took in every crevice spread before him. His eyes explored the territory, and then his calloused fingertips claimed it as Brian’s now. It was an indulgence Brian only permitted because Matt couldn’t see him doing it.
His right palm came to rest over Matt’s lower abdomen, fingers massaging at the smooth skin in a ring around Matt’s belly button. As if in unison, Brian’s own stomach grumbled hungrily. ‘Enough gay-zing’ he thought, ‘time for breakfast.’
Brian pushed himself towards the edge of the mattress and toppled his body out of the bed onto the rug with less effort than purely standing up would have required. He lifted his t shirt off of the bedside lamp and scooped his jeans into his arms, putting them both on while bounding unsteadily down the stairs. Once downstairs, he strode straight over to the kitchen to take out the packet of bacon, a newfound degree of swagger in his walk. The shrill tone of his own whistling stopped him from hearing the porch door slide open.
Brian took down the largest frying pan hanging on the hooks over the countertop and clashed it onto the ring of the stove. He added some oil and turned the heat up under the pan. Once the oil began to sizzle readily, Brian laid enough bacon for both him and Matt into the pan to cook.
A hand scraped the side of Brian’s waist as it darted forward to twist off the heat under the pan, and a seductive smirk crept across Brian’s mouth at the hand’s sudden appearance.
“Don’t try to tell me you’re a vegetarian, cuz after last night I seriously doubt that...”
Brian turned slowly to face the arm’s body, immediately coming face to face with Jimmy. Their twin confused expressions kept each other company while their brains caught up with the situation.
“..-Oh! Uh hey man, what’s up?” Brian scrambled to regain a laid back demeanour, but failed miserably. Luckily, Jimmy seemed to have other, more urgent, things to worry about than Brian’s morning behaviour.
“Did you bring him home last night?”
Brian’s eyes flew open in shock.
“How’d you know about that?”
“What are you talkin about? It was my idea for you to go get him, wasn’t it?” Jimmy looked unsure of his own memory’s reliability as relief washed through Brian.
“Oh Brent! Yeah, no that didn’t work out...”
“Shit. That would’ve made everything nice and easy y’know...”
Jimmy swore some more, and then registered Brian’s dazed expression.
“Are you, you high? You got some good shit you’re keeping to yourself dude? Sharing’s caring remember...”
“Uh...no!” Brian denied guiltily. For longer than Jimmy had known him, Brian’s eyes had always looked as if they knew something nobody else was allowed to know, something he was determined to keep within himself. Now was no different.
Jimmy scowled sullenly.
“...pity. So you ready?” Jimmy shifted his weight between his feet, swaying spiritedly in the centre of the kitchen and rubbing his palms together energetically as if generating electricity.
“Not really Dude, you’re coming out all crazy man, just sit down, we can have some breakfast and come up with something else for bringing Brent back...” Brian turned back towards the stove, but Jimmy spun him back around, grabbing him with both arms and shaking him urgently.
“We don’t have time for breakfast!” Jimmy rasped impatiently “We gotta go!”
“What? Why?”
“Cause Jason’s skipping town, dude!”
Gravity pulled Brian back down to earth with a swift thump. His eyes shed their dreamy outlook and his features went rigid, it was almost business like.
“When?” Brian demanded.
“Like, now. I walked past his place a half hour ago, and they’re loading everything up in cars ‘n shit! So I came straight over to get you...”
“Did you see Brent? Is he still there?”
“Nah, but I wasn’t exactly gonna hang around outside for long, waiting on them to see me...”
Brian nodded frantically. He rushed over to the back door and slid his feet into the boots propped on the mat. They were his Dad’s, but he didn’t have time to remember where he had flung his own shoes last night.
“We need to get over there, like, now! What are the chances you drove here?” Brian threw at Jimmy hopefully.
Jimmy snorted dismissively, and craned his neck towards the kitchen window, pulling the net curtains away from the glass to give him a better view of Brian’s driveway.
“Man, why don’t we just take your Dad’s car?” Jimmy asked, shooting a suspicious glance at Brian, questioning why this wasn’t the obvious solution to their problem.
“He’s back already?” Brian darted over to the front door and yanked it open; almost tripping over his father’s scrunched up body lying over the porch’s doormat. His Dad’s keys were still gripped within his fist; obviously his intentions had been to at least make it into the house before collapsing. The resounding snores that rose up from his father’s body drowned any worries Brian had for his father’s wellbeing. He grabbed the shoulders of his father’s coat and dragged him into their hallway, the porch mat coming in with them. Then Brian reached down and prised the car keys away from his unconscious father as Jimmy stepped over the sleeping adult and took long strides towards the waiting car. Brian shook his head vigorously and pushed Jimmy away from the driver’s side of the car.
“You’ve got to be kidding me...” Brian protested in an amused disbelief. Jimmy nodded in acceptance and slunk disappointedly over to the passenger’s door as Brian revved the engine.
*********
Brian tried to stick to the small roads, avoiding morning rush hour traffic as he sped towards Jason’s house. His erratic driving had an added fury as he dodged in and out of every gap in the other road bound cars. As they stopped at the traffic lights a block away from Jason’s, Brian glanced anxiously in his rear view mirror. His anxiety wasn’t aided by recognising the flashing lights of multiple police cars only 100 metres behind them. A few seconds later, Jimmy lazily came to the same conclusion.
“Dude, there’re a load of cop cars behind us...”
“I fuckin’ KNOW!” Brian snapped frantically.
“Just sayin’...” Jimmy glared at him defiantly, and proceeded to flick through the radio stations purposefully searching for some good car chase music. Unfortunately, “My Heart Will Go On” seemed to be occupying every station. Jimmy decided it would have to do. It was succeeding in calming Brian down slightly, at least until Jimmy decided to start singing along. That drove Brian’s blood pressure back up into dangerous territory once again.
They skidded around the last corner onto Jason’s road.
“Park out back, the cops’ll set up out front when they get here...” Jimmy advised decisively. Brian took his advice, swerving towards the row of houses behind Jason’s house. They fled from the car and cut through the bare, flowerless gardens, running up to the wall bordering the garden of Jason’s home. Without hesitation, Jimmy threaded his fingers together, forming a makeshift step for Brian’s foot and hoisted Brian up the rough wall, just like they used to do as kids. Once steadied, Brian leant his hand down to Jimmy and pulled him up the obstruction. They swung their legs over and dropped down uninvited into the unmowed lawn.
The remnants of a back door lay against the outer wall. Brian stepped over the splintered panels still attached to the doorframe and into the kitchen. Thin dust hung in the air, and many of the essential kitchen appliances had been recently removed. From the state of the kitchen, it looked like they had been taken out in a hurry. A damp figure lay slumped in the space where a refrigerator once stood. Water leaked from a pipe, seeping down the front of the figure and soaking his clothes, but the guy was too big to be Brent, so Brian kept searching.
He pushed against the door into the living room, and fell upon the slightly panic reducing sight of his little brother leant against the fire place, shaking down a large empty duvet cover as if searching for something lost. Brian strode straight over to his little brother and pulled him into a brisk, relieved hug.
Once he realised who was hugging him, Brent pushed him away petulantly and clamoured over to the other side of the dining room.
“What are you doing here Brian?” He scanned his hands around random objects lining his path as he moved into the attached living room, still searching.
A burly, disorientated guy pushed past Brian in the hallway and stumbled out into the front garden, not making it any further than the front lawn before collapsing once more. Brian continued on belligerently after his brother. Every step Brian took to follow him lessened Brian’s relief and heightened his anger. By the time he had caught up with Brent, he was properly pissed off.
“I came to rescue you, you fucking prick” Brian tugged a sofa cushion out of Brent’s grip and threw it towards the coffee table, knocking it over powerfully and smashing the ashtray lying on it. The shattering sound filled the hollow living room.
Brent cried out in protest. He threw himself onto the couch of the wasted living room and stuck his hand in the couch’s crevices nervously.
“Quit brakin’ shit Brian, you fucking idiot! You can’t just come in here, break Jason’s stuff, bossing me around...”
“Get a fucking grip!” Brian gave a quick irritated slap to the back side of Brent’s head. His brother rubbed at his head dramatically and stood to yell at his big brother face to face. He was a lot taller now than Brian had remembered Brent being.
“Brian you don’t know shit about anything! He could be back any minute! I don’t have time for this shit, he gave me last night’s takings to look after and I can’t find them! If he comes back and-”
“He’s not coming back! He hasn’t even fucking told you what’s even happening! This place is gonna be raided any second Brent! Why would he come back?” Brian persisted in his reasoning. “He already took everything he wants! And if you don’t get out of here it’s all gonna fall on you...”
Brent shook his head firmly, but his resolution was weakening. He hesitated slightly in his speech.
“Nah, man. There just wasn’t a seat left in his car, that’s all. He promised me.” The bravado died in Brent and left him looking younger than he was.
“ Dude, Jason even took the TV with him! What does that tell you about your place on the food chain?” Brian recklessly shrieked at the kid in front of him. He watched as realisation broke into his brother’s youthful eyes, and Brent’s shoulders slumped weakly.
It was miserably relieving for Brian to see.
“....Oh” After a few moments, Brent nodded to show his participation in their escape plan.
Brent’s eyes spaced out and he stared at a dirty stain on the carpet. Brian hesitated, but patted his brother’s shoulder briskly and then dragged him back the way they came. Brent began moving a lot faster as the sound of sirens grew closer. Tyres screeched on the road outside, letting Brian know they had ran out of time.
He rushed through the kitchen, tugging Brent along behind him, pushing a rigid Jimmy towards the door.
“Dude! Fuckin move already!”
But Jimmy still resisted. With a stolen pot plant tucked under one arm possessively, he used his other arm to wave towards the figure slumped in the kitchen where the refrigerator should have been. The figure hadn’t moved since Brian had passed through the room a few minutes ago.
“Don’t I know him from somewhere?”
Brian scowled over to inspect the figure. He hunched down beside they guy and tilted his face into the light.
Brian shook his head in disbelief.
“Shit”
Brian smacked at the unconscious Zack’s cheeks to revive him. His face was slightly greener than usual, his pallor less human, but he was definitely alive. Good news for Zack, but it meant that now they had to get him out of there too.
Zack mumbled obscenities as he dipped in and out of consciousness. Irately, Brian slid his arm under Zack’s and dragged him up into a stance, angling them both towards the door. Jimmy laughed at Brian’s struggling, so Brian dropped Zack into Jimmy’s grasp.
“Fine, you can carry him.” That quickly halted Jimmy’s cackling. He purposefully bashed Zack into as many countertops as possible as he manoeuvred Zack’s body towards the door, kindly encouraging him to wake up quicker. By the time they made it into the garden, Zack was moving his feet of his own accord, only relying on Jimmy to steer him and keep him vertical.
Brian led the way through the garden. With Brent securely by his side, he glanced back to make sure Jimmy was doing okay with Zack. When he turned forward again, they had been joined in the garden by someone else. Someone with a gun and a badge. The teenagers froze in their tracks, but the officer halted in his tracks and focused on Brian in particular.
“No...” The officer’s gun lowered slightly in disappointment. “...I wouldn’t have thought you’d get mixed up in this kind of shit, boy!”
Recognition dawned in Brian; it was the cop that showed up when he was on that drive with Matt a few weeks ago. Inwardly, Brian began wishing he had been a little nicer to the officer the first time they had met.
The officer drew his gun back up as Brian took a sudden step forward.
“Don’t move!”
Brian threw his hands up to appear less threatening. “Nah, man, It’s not what it looks like!”
The officer shook his head sadly.
“Awh, man! And now I have to arrest you, and then you’ll be put in jail for at least two years, and you’ll build each other up in your minds, and then you’ll get out but you’ll both be in different places in your lives...”
Brian shrugged and proposed an alternative “...or you could let me go?”
“I can’t do that, you’re breaking the law!” But even whilst saying it, Brian could tell that the officer didn’t want to have to hand them over.
“No, I’m not I swear! My idiot brother is!” Brian swiped at Brent demonstrably. “And he’s too young to really know anything about anything. I’m just trying to get him outta trouble, please!”
The officer lowered his gun and checked around the corner he had just come around. He gestured flippantly with his gun towards Jimmy’s pot.
“He can’t take that with him...” The officer lay down some conditions of their release. Jimmy looked resistant. He clutched the plant pot closer to his chest, loosening his grip on Zack in the process. Zack staggered forward limply as Jimmy attempted to conceal his find within his coat. Brian turned to face his reluctant best friend angrily.
“Jimmy, drop it!” He ordered in a hiss.
The pot dropped to the gravel and its contents spilled out into the stones. Jimmy’s lip quivered dejectedly, but they didn’t have time for remorse now.
Brian nodded in appreciation towards the police officer and made a dash to the wall. The ground on this side was higher, and at a run Brian could jump up without too much strain to sit on the top of the barricade. He stayed there helping the others over, until all four of them were free from the scene. He hopped down on the other side of the wall and followed the other guys in a run to their car. His pulse didn’t regulate until he had driven several streets away.
********
On waking up, Matt didn’t need to open his eyes to know that the sun was shining; he could feel it in his veins. Warmth had grown into his system overnight and now as he lay in Brian’s bed, making his own impression on Brian’s mattress and breathing in Brian’s air, he felt at peace with the world. He turned over, seeking the source of his contentment, Brian, but was faced with the undesired reality of the morning. He wasn’t sharing Brian’s bed with its owner.
Matt’s heavy arm grazed over the vacant mattress space beside him, where Brian’s body had promised he’d remain ‘til morning. But the promise seemed empty in the face of this new day. Startled into consciousness, Matt tugged the bed covers up to search under them, but there wasn’t enough room in the small bed for Brian to be hiding. There was barely enough room for Matt on his own, which wouldn’t leave much room for Brian’s body to rest. He could have easily rolled over and fallen out in the middle of the night, Matt reasoned hopefully. He gripped at the edge of the mattress and peered over expectantly, even scanning under the bed. The only things that were lying on the bedroom floor now were his own discarded clothes.
Matt let a slow sigh escape his lips.
*************
They had to pull over twice to let Zack and Brent out to puke, once for each of them, but Brian didn’t care once they weren’t being followed by threatening sirens. They were home within five minutes thanks to Brian’s enthusiastic driving. He parked crookedly in his own driveway, but it was still straighter than his father had managed the night before, so it counted as an improvement.
Brian led the motley crew through the side entrance and around the back of his house to avoid the possibility of his guests tripping over his father. Zack staggered after Jimmy, eyes only half opened.
“Why am I even here?” He complained through a split lip to everyone within earshot.
“Matt’s here, you can get a ride home when he’s leaving later.” Brian threw the offer back over his shoulder just in time to witness Zack tripping over a stack of handle-less pans that lay idly along the gravelly path. Brian sniggered quietly in satisfaction as he slid open the porch door, truly glad to be home.
“Morning boys” His Dad greeted cheerily as they came through the door, holding a plate full of freshly cooked bacon in one hand. He looked much more presentable now that he wasn’t asleep on the door mat; obviously he had had his morning coffee.
“What happened to you last night?”
A shining purple bruise had flourished beneath the skin surrounding his father’s right eye that Brian hadn’t seen the night before.
“Who did that?” Brian tailed his Dad into the kitchen and inquired about the new bruise. His father waved his free hand dismissively.
“Stacey’s husband apparently...” He shrugged and smiled as if proud of the development, and then pointed at Brian, demanding his full attention. “...oh yeah, so good news; I checked out my calendar and I’m off the hook financially for that whole pregnancy thing too! So what we were talking about before, well, you can forget about all that...”
Brian nodded in acknowledgement and turned to help himself to some of his father’s freshly brewed coffee, not willing to make a big scene over the good news, not wanting his Dad know how happy that news had made him. His Dad walked into the living room to welcome Brent back, and then returned to settle down at the kitchen table with his plate of bacon.
“Thanks for goin’ to collect your brother, Brian. I was in no fit state, I appreciate it.” He nodded towards Brian and began to butter his toast vigorously. Brian gargled a feeble “you’re welcome” into his coffee. What his father didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. Jimmy strolled in to join them in the kitchen.
"Hola, Señor Senior!”
Jimmy threw a friendly pat on Mr. Haner’s shoulder and sat down next to the older man, stealing a slice of bacon from his plate.
“Jimmy! What’s happenin’?” Brian’s father beamed widely, as if welcoming an old friend.
They talked casually about nothing in particular, and Brian left them to their catch-up session. He took an ice pack out of the freezer and walked back in to the living room to check on his brother and his guest, tossing the ice to Zack for his swollen lip. Zack had made it as far as the sofa before collapsing into it.
“Anybody want coffee or anything?” Brian offered to the room. Zack let out a pained groan by way of a negative response, while Brent poked his dishevelled head up from the back of the armchair nearest the TV.
“We got any pop tarts Bri?” He asked hopefully.
Brian smiled to himself as he nodded. Maybe they were related after all. He trailed back in through the kitchen and tossed the packet to his brother. Jimmy swiped by Brian into the living room and threw himself down on the couch beside Zack, seizing the TV remote from Brent’s armchair as he passed.
Brian, having recognised that everyone was settled in, made for the staircase.
*********
Matt’s hand tapped shamefully around the carpet under the bed frame for his mislaid clothes. His fingers found the fabric of his shirt and he tugged it up under the covers with him. He fastened up a few of the shirt’s buttons to give it form, and then tugged it over his head. As soon as his head had pushed through the collars, he was met with the sound of the door creaking open. His stomach jumped into his throat in anxiety. But the person coming through the door was the only one who would be welcome.
“Who told you that you could leave?” Brian smirked as he nudged the door closed behind him with his elbow.
Matt’s jaw slumped in shock as he stuttered “I thought...”
Brian laid his mug of coffee on his bedside table and sat on the edge of the mattress.
“What?” he smiled over at Matt, who was now half wearing his shirt. He reached up and tugged the shirt away from Matt’s body again and dropped it to the floor.
Matt let Brian tug the shirt away without resistance and shrugged his fears out of his body.
“It doesn’t matter now” he beamed.
Brian ignored the avoidance and coughed to reduce the congregating awkwardness in his throat.
“So...uh, we...” Matt fumbled uncertainly
“Yeah”
Matt scratched at the back of his neck. “Kay...and are you...uhm, do you..?”
Brian frowned any other possibility away and shook his head decisively. “Nah I’m glad”
A relieved smile spread across Matt’s face accompanied by a slight blush tinting his cheeks. He threw his arm around Brian and pulled him down on top of him, nodding happily. “Good, me too. Sorry if I was too...uhm...”
Brian smirked deviously. “Yeah, talk about an eager beaver...”he sniggered into the crook of Matt’s neck. Matt pretended to be offended and swiped him lightly in the stomach.
“Fuck you” He smiled over at Brian affectionately.”Man, I hate you, you know....”
But Brian wasn’t fazed, he smirked away the insult.
“No you don’t, you want me”
“That doesn’t mean I can’t hate you too...” Matt kept up the injured facade to protect his own ego.
“Ironic, ain’t it...”
Matt looked up questioningly, signalling he was in need of an explanation.
Brian willingly obliged.
“Well I like me best when I’m around you...” His voice was very close to cracking under the strain of sincerity.
Matt stared intently into Brian’s eyes, acknowledging the significance of the moment. He silently pressed a light, quick kiss on Brian’s cheek.
A small confident smile graced Brian’s mouth. “Nah Matt you weren’t too anything, no worries. I’m kinda glad you were so, uh, assertive...”
Matt’s own cheeks now flushed completely red, but he beamed widely. Both embarrassment and pride danced in his eyes.
The embarrassment spread over to Brian. He stopped looking in to Matt’s eyes and closed his own. “It’s kinda weird though...”
“Why’s that?”
“I just didn’t think people really got this lucky...” Brian admitted reluctantly as he opened his eyes slowly. “I’m kinda waiting for everything to turn shit so I can be miserable again...” Brian laughed to cover the vulnerability.
“We can be miserable together, how’s that?” Matt offered happily. Brian adjusted his body into a more comfortable position on the overburdened mattress as Matt kept talking.
“I’m real glad you don’t regret it, cuz I don’t think I could storm off angrily right now...”
“Why’s that?”
A wide sinister smile spread across Matt’s mouth.
“I can’t fucking walk...” They both broke into devious laughter. “...my ass hurts.”
Brian lightly swiped at Matt’s bicep, feigning modesty through his sniggers.
“You flatterer” He approved happily.
Their laughter died down and they lay together easily, cramped onto the single mattress. Matt’s bare feet hung down over the end of the mattress gracefully.
“You know, Brian, I-“
“You don’t have to say it Matt, I know”
“But I’ve got something I wanna say” Matt’s determination showed no signs of faltering.
“You don’t have to promise me anything Matt” Brian’s eyes were locking up.
“How you gonna know if I don’t say it though? I wanna say it...” The deeper voice was calm, confident.
“I know already” Brian smiled in assurance. “And I don’t want you to say it. I know and you know, and that’s enough for me”
Matt frowned under frustration “Fine...”
Brian didn’t look convinced yet. “Yeah?”
A familiar spark of electricity shot through Matt’s eyes and he nodded resolutely. “I’ll just have to show you...”
Understanding dawned on Brian.
“Fine, but do it quietly, we’ve a full house downstairs...” Brian smirked into Matt’s kiss.
Problem solved.
*********
Directly below Brian’s warm bedroom, the inhabitants of the living room were still recuperating from their morning’s ordeals. Mr. Haner came in to ask if Brent wanted to come with him to the gas station for some smokes, leaving Jimmy and Zack alone together in the living room.
Jimmy flicked endlessly through the cable channels while Zack kept the melting pack of ice pressed against the painful side of his face.
Zack’s constant huffing was making Jimmy restless, so he attempted a conversation with him as he settled on Saturday morning cartoons.
“So...” Jimmy tried “Did you have a good birthday?” He stared blankly at Zack, waiting for a useable response.
Zack’s building anger gushed out as he spat a belligerent “Fuck you” in Jimmy’s direction.
Jimmy nodded carelessly and turned his attention back to the cartoons, satisfied by his own effort. He was content to sit in silence for the rest of their morning, but after another few minutes Zack lost the ability to retain his own thoughts within his head.
“How can you be fine with this?” Zack accused, momentarily taking the ice pack away from his lip and quickly replacing it as pain again shot through his face.
Jimmy shrugged, unperturbed. “Nothin’ else on, man...” he rasped lethargically. His laziness only succeeded to enrage Zack further.
“I meant with Brian and Matt!” Jimmy let out a caged belch and began picking at his fingernails idly, thoroughly uninterested in Zack’s aggravation.
Zack tried again.
“Did Brian tell you they were together? As in, like, together together?”
Jimmy straightened up from his slouch and smiled easily. “Awesome”
Zack disregarded the reaction with a snort and maintained his protest.
“What, it doesn’t bother you at all?”
Jimmy shrugged lazily. “Matt seems like a good guy...”
“Yeah he is, that’s the fuckin’ point. Too good for this filthy shithole, and your fuckin’ friend!”
Jimmy leaned slightly closer to Zack, his voice dropping to a menacing tone.
“Well obviously Matt doesn’t agree with you about that...”
“Matt’s not even really gay for Christ’s sake, he’s just going through a phase! He only wants what he hasn’t had yet! That’s all!”
Jimmy began to say something, but hearing Zack’s words made him realise there was no need for him to argue with Zack, because Zack was really only trying to convince himself. Instead Jimmy began to laugh, and Zack’s argument lost some of its confidence at being laughed at.
“He’s just-“
Jimmy cut Zack off as he began to try and defend his lifeless point of view.
“Dude, if you don’t back off and let him do what he wants, he’s not gonna wanna be around you...”
Zack quietened and leant back into the sofa, defeated.
“But Matt’s gonna want to spend all his time with Brian now, what am I supposed to do?” Zack blatantly revealed his own motivations.
Jimmy’s eyes flicked over to see if Zack was staring at him and waiting on a response. Seeing that he was, he presented the TV remote in Zack’s direction by way of an answer.
Zack regarded the remote through a frown for a few seconds, but then his resolve broke and he smiled lightly at the offer. “Nah, thanks.”
“Things change dude.” Jimmy shrugged freely.
“I know, but what if...”
“It’s their decision”
Zack smiled sadly at the TV set. “Free will and all that bullshit I guess...”
Jimmy laughed lightly. “Yeah, pity we can’t get more shit free ain’t it...” Jimmy rasped cynically.
Zack said nothing, and frowned. A particular memory from the night before was working its way into his consciousness. He patted his pockets, searching for something he vaguely remembered saving for later. And now officially qualified as “later”.
Zack dug his hand into the left pocket of his jeans and pulled out a roll of twenty’s the size of his fist. Jimmy’s face lit up as if witnessing the holy grail being produced in front of his very eyes.
His eyes were close to watering under the intensity of his powerful emotions, and he didn’t take them off the money dangling in front of him. Jimmy ventured one long spindling finger out to stroke the roll tenderly.
“Ahww Zack...” He gushed theatrically “...I love you, man.”
The End