All Grown Up

Chapter 22

End of the winter semester

Jo left the building of her last exam, running a hand through her hair she let out a breath. The stress leaving the body finally, it felt like her headache was gone. She smiled as she made her way to her car. There leaning on it was Alex with a steeped tea from Timmy’s.

“Hey,” she went into his arms, he kissed the top of her head.

“How did it go?” Alex asked as he handed her the tea.

“It went as good as to be expected,” Jo said, opening the top and looking for the straw. “Did you get me a straw?” She asked.

“No,” he said, surprised she would ask for a straw.

Jo clicked the doors opened threw her bag in the back of the car and got a straw from the glove compartment. “You’re the only person I know that drinks tea with a straw,” Alex said, but he didn’t seem amused.

“It’s cooler if I drink it with a straw less chance of spillage,” Jo gave him a smile and he reluctantly smiled back. “What are you doing here anyways?”

“Can’t I come see my girlfriend?” Alex looked wounded and surprised at the question.

“Of, course. Are you going to help move Sam in?” Jo asked knowing full well he wasn’t going to stick around for that.

“I don’t think I have time,” he said, making the face, the one that Jo recognized as the why are you moving in with Sam, why didn’t you ask me to move in face.

“Ok, well I have to go,” Jo said opening the car door.

“Do you want to go out to dinner tonight?” Alex held the door opened as Jo slid in.

“I can’t,” Jo said simply, he pouted.

“Ok, I’ll give you a call tonight,” Alex gave Jo a brief kiss on the lips, and shut the door. She turned on the engine, letting it warm up. She watched him in the rear view mirror, as he drove away. She let out a sigh, and reversed the car.

Her cell phone told her she had a text message.

From: Sam
Dude we’re here.

Jo stopped at the light and froze WE? What did she mean WE. She was at the apartment in a matter of minutes. Up front was a moving van leaning on it was Brian smoking a cigarette. Jo pulled into the parking spot.

She grabbed her bags and threw them on her shoulder, making sure she got everything she got out of the car. Walking towards the van. Brian noticed her and nodded. “Sup?” He said as she looked around at the van, it was huge.

“What the hell is in here?” Jo asked.

“The bikes,” Brian said and Jo followed him to the back true enough the bikes were packed perfectly, and Sam had a couple of bags in there thrown.

“You going to miss her?” Jo asked.

“I got used to her around,” Brian said sadly.

“Well, you can come visit her anytime,” Jo said patting him on the back, out of nowhere someone grabbed Jo by the waist and lifted her up.

“What the hell,” Jo said trying to get out of the person’s arms. She was finally released, when she turned there stood Jimmy laughing from ear to ear.

“When Sam said WE, did she mean everyone?” Jo asked, not knowing what to expect.

“Of course,” Johnny said appearing from behind the truck.

“Holly shit,” Jo said as Johnny picked her up. “Stop passing me around like a rag doll,” Jo said as she was finally put down.

Then a car pulled up, Sam got out of the passenger in a shot, “Dude you’re finally here,” she said as she handed everyone Timmy’s. Some shower her she already had one. The car drove away to an empty spot in the parking lot.

“I had my final exam,” Jo said in her defence.

“How did that go?” Johnny asked.

“Meh, as well as can be expected,” Jo said.

“You don’t sound very confident,” Brian said, they all started to take the bikes out of the truck.

“It’s better to be surprised,” Jo said. Then her eyes were covered.

“So you like surprises, eh?” She shivered at the sound of the voice. Then turned and hugged the owner of the voice.

“This is a nice surprise, why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Jo asked Zacky as he hugged her back.

“Duh, it’s called a surprise,” Jimmy said as he led one of the bikes out of the trunk. “Where do we put these?”

“Actually we need to drive them to my garage,” Jo said.

“Dude, it’s freezing out,” Johnny complained.

“I’ll do it,” Jo said. “You guys can follow. Park the truck in the back, then meet me up here, I have to go change.”

“I’ll come with you, I still want to see the place,” Zacky said as they guys wrestled about who gets to drive the truck, Jo went into the building, with Zacy behind her.

They went into the elevator. “This is a very nice building,” Zacky said looking around.
“Best money can buy, at least my money.” Jo smiled as she watched the number change.

“Top floor?” Zacky asked.

“Nothing less would work,” Jo said as she stepped out of the elevator. She opened her front door and stepped inside. She flipped the curtains open with one button.

“Wow, this is very nice,” Zacky said as he sat down on the couch.

“Thanks, I’ll be right out,” Jo said as she went into the bedroom and looked for her leather outfit. Changing as quickly as she could, she got her helmet out of the closet. When she stepped out Zacky had his eyes closed. She went and bent over him.

“Zacky?” She said softly, his eyes fluttered opened in surprise, but then the surprise changed into something else, he lifted his head and grabbed the back of Jo’s neck. Their lips touched and Jo froze, his lips moved on top of hers and with a groan she opened her mouth.

He took that opportunity to explore her mouth sending shivers up and down her spine, his other hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her down on top of him. She straddled him while holding on to the back of the couch. The kiss deepened as he moved his head to the side.

His hands rested on her hips, she realized she could pull away from him but the kiss was too good. He pulled away first and she stared into his green eyes. Loosing herself in them. Then when he blinked the magic was shattered.

She jumped off him and turned her back to him, her hand went immediately to her mouth that now felt cold. Lonely even. Zacky got up too, “I’m sorry he said,” then he took a long breath. “No, I’m not sorry.”

Jo didn’t dare turn and look at him, she felt like she had done the worst thing in the world. She had kissed her best friend or he had kissed her, it didn’t matter. It felt wrong but not because it was him, it felt wrong for a reason she couldn’t think of at that moment.

“Jo,” Zacky whispered as he came up behind her. She turned to him, and her eyes saw something they took as regret. Her heart flipped upside down and she walked around him. Grabbing her helmet.

“We, gotta go the boys will wonder what we’re doing up here,” Jo said as she went to the front door, all Zacky could do was follow.

They went downstairs in silence. When they reached the cold air, Sam was on the Harley waiting, which meant that Jo was taking the Ducati, not that she minded.

“What did you guys do up there? Have sex?” Jimmy asked from the back seat of the car.

“You’re just sad you weren’t there to video tape it, if we did have sex,” Jo laughed as she climbed on the bike. “All right follow me, it’s about 20 km from here,” Jo said as she kicked the bike to life. Sam put her helmet on and kicked the bike to life too. Zacky climbed into the back seat of the car next to Jimmy.

Jo tore out of the parking lot as slow as she could, and it wasn’t that slow. Sam kept up with her, they got there faster then should of expected, at least there were no cops to stop her. She pulled down a dirt road, and reached the house.

Someone stepped onto the front porch just as Jo killed the engine. “Hey,” Jo said as she climbed the steps two at a time. She gave a hug to the man that had stepped out on the porch.

Sam got off the bike and jumped up too. “Oh my god, why didn’t you tell me?” she accused Jo.
Sam hugged the old man, he smiled and looked at her. With his crooked smile he spun her around, “You look good Sam,” he said with his deep accent.

The boys pilled out of the car, the just stood at the bottom of the stairs. “Come I want to introduce you to someone,” Jo said and motioned for the boys to come up the stairs they did.

“This is Brian, Zacky, Jimmy, and Johnny, they play in Avenged Sevenfold,” Jo said pointing to the guys.

“Oh, astia sunt aia de care iti placea tie cand erai in facultate?” these are the guys you liked when you started university?

“Yeap,” Jo smiled, “Guys, this is my dad.”

The boys were speech less from the different language, but then Zacky snapped out of it and shook his hand, “Nice to meet you,” Zacky said.

“Nice to meet you too, I’m Vlad now all of you come into the house, it’s cold,” he went in first. Followed by the boys. Zacky was last, he stopped.

“We have to talk,” he said.

“What about?” Jo asked, he couldn’t read her poker face.

“Don’t do that,” Zacky said.

“Do what?”

“Jo, you’re letting the fucking cold in,” Vlad yelled from the house.

“I’m not going away,” Zacky whispered as Jo went into the house.