A Naked Light

There weren't many things that pissed me off. I didn't like finding crumbs in the butter dish, wearing mismatched socks, slow walking people or being awoken at ungodly hours of the day. Other than that, I could safely say that nothing got on my nerves. However, being friends with Jack Barakat meant that no matter what, one of those things always happened, if not all of them. So when I felt jumping on my bed at the unthinkable hour of 10am, I knew who it was. The only question left was how would I kill him? If he didn't stop jumping up and down soon, my guess was fast.

"Fuck off, Jack."

"Nuh uh!" He continued to jump and I shot him a death glare. The mattress' squeaking slowed to a stop, signalling Jack's annoyance had ceased. Sort of.

I grabbed the sheets and threw them over my head, hoping the act would discourage him from further bothering me. He yanked them from my hands, sending cool gusts of wind hitting my warm body. Clearly it hadn't.

"What the fuck, Jack?!" I whined, scrambling for the cover as it tumbled to the ground. He just snatched it from my grasp and tossed it out the door.

"Nuh uh!" he repeated, stubbornly. "Today is my meeting with Glamour Kills for the whole JAGK project."

"Yeah, what's your point?" My head was back to being buried in my pillow, morphing my hair into nothing short of a makeshift satellite antenna.

He pounced beside me, sticking his face right by my ear and shouting. "MY POINT IS --" The noise caught me off guard and I jumped, smacking my head against the headboard. I cursed as Jack stared at me innocently. "My point is that you promised to come with me."

I groaned, diving back into my nest of warmth and comfort. Two fists proceeded to pound on my back fiercely, a whining noise making my blood boil. I sat up and threw my legs over the side of the bed, laying my hands on my knees, my bare chest chilled by the air. "What are you, five? You can't go talk to a group of people about t-shirts and hoodies?"

He shook his head childishly. I felt a pang of guilt course through my veins as he frowned, a bit ashamed.

"Jack, c'mon. It's 10. I went to bed so late. Lindsey had me staring at wedding cake designs and cummerbunds. I can't remember if she wanted a five-tier in fuschia fondant or an eight-tier in raspberry cream."

"Brah, I have no idea what the hell you just said, but you need to get out of this house. She's turning you into a chick." I gave him a lame look but his eyes just widened in fear. "Dude, you're practically growing a vagina!"

I fell backwards onto the bed, wishing that the little voice in my head would stop telling me that Jack had a point. When Addy had announced she had to go back to work, Lindsey had thrown a fit. She'd sobbed and yelled and whined, dubbing Addy an unworthy MOH. It had taken me nearly an hour to figure out that she had meant 'maid of honour'. I tried reassuring her, telling her that it would be fine, and of course, I got stuck taking over. I had never seen so much pink, so much fluff, so much sugar paste. I felt diabetic just looking at the cake magazines. I stared down at my boxers and became shamelessly embarrassed. I wouldn't have been surprised if my manhood had shrunk.

I went to say something when all of a sudden, Lindsey poked her head in. "Hey, you two! G'morning Jack."

He smiled warmly. "Hey Lindsey. What's up?"

"Nothing much," she said, stepping into the room. She looked over her shoulder as she continued to approach the bed. "What're our sheets doing in the hallway?"

"Jack offered to do our laundry."

He looked at me, outraged. I smiled coyly as Lindsey grinned at him. "Oh Jack, you're such a doll. Thanks."

He reached for the sheet and tossed it over his shoulder. "Anytime," he muttered, stomping down the stairs.

I danced about happily in my head, my mood brightened beyond belief. Lindsey brought me back down to reality. I stole a glance at what was in her hands and I felt like dying: more bridal magazines. "So, I called Eduardo at the Sweet Shack and he said he could do our cake. He just needs to meet with us this afternoon to discuss all the details and finalize the contract. Are you free?"

As I stared at Lindsey, her big, bright eyes drawing me in, her dazzling smile begging me to put everything aside and tag along, I realized how much I detested the fact that she was planning my days for me. I was living a day in the life of Addy and I didn't like it one bit. I was apathetic, empathetic and sympathetic, all at the same time. Jack strolled past the bedroom and I took this as my one and only opportunity to make a choice for myself.

"I'd love to but JACK and I," I stated, yelling his name. He stopped in his tracks and peered into the room, smiling a very confused smile. "Jack and I have somewhere to be. He just got offered a clothing contract with Glamour Kills and he needs his best buddy's opinion on t-shirts and hoodies, dontcha buddy?" Lindsey turned to face him and as she did, I pressed my hands together, begging Jack to pity me. He smiled nonchalantly and nodded, crossing his arms in front of him.

"There's nobody's opinion I value more."

"That's right," I quipped, reaching past Lindsey for my white American Apparel t-shirt. She merely watched as I began to slide on my jeans, grabbing my Nikes as I zipped my fly. I kissed her cheek. "Can't let my best friend down, babe. We'll talk tuxes later. Promise."

Before she could say a single word, I snatched my hoodie off of the bed post and ran out of the bedroom, practically flying down the stairs. I slid halfway down the banister before running into the kitchen to steal an apple, grabbing the car keys and heading for the door. As I was about to back out, I heard a light rapping on the window and looked over. I rolled it down slowly, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm and all, but considering it's me they wanna see, do you think I could tag along?"

I paused for a moment, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks as I unlocked the door and watched Jack climb in. I backed out of the driveway and sped towards the main intersection, letting the morning sun hit my face. Nothing was going to ruin my day of freedom; not the wedding, not Lindsey's mood, not even the freeway traffic that threatened to make us late. I was determined to have the best day today, regardless of everything and anything that happened. Unfortunately, I just wasn't aware of how difficult that would end up being.

"We're late," Jack squealed.

"By five minutes," I replied, turning off the engine. I stepped out of the car, locked it, and then pocketed the keys. I watched as the lanky brunette looked at me worriedly, thinking the worst.

"They're gonna cancel the contract," he moped. "They're gonna kick me to the curb cause it's already past 10:30."

"10:35," I muttered. I spun him around and shoved him through the building by the shoulders. "They're not going to kick you to the curb because of a lousy five minutes. They're not like that. Just breathe, bro. It's not a big deal. This is a great opportunity, but don't let it get the best of you."

Jack just smiled and patted my back as the elevator doors opened wide, inviting us to the 8th floor of the Van Pelt Building. Our eyes wandered, taking in the entire setting of the high end office. An oversized, stainless steel 'GK' hung on the wall, glistening under top of the line light fixtures. A tattooed and pierced receptionist sat at a large, oval desk and when she recognized us, she smiled, excused herself to the caller on the line, then hung up. She grinned, showing us her spiderbite piercings and crimson lips. Jack took in the whole look of her. I could see it in his eyes; she frightened him.

"We're here to see Skip Cassidy. 10:30."

She nodded, reaching for the phone she'd just set down. She dialled a number with lightning fast precision and waited no longer than two seconds before someone answered. "Hey Skip. Jack Barakat and Alex Gaskarth are here to see you. Alright."

She stood up a moment later, revealing a tight fitting mini skirt and tattoos along her calves and forearms. Music staffs were inscribed all over her neck and I found myself almost walking into a photocopier trying to read the brand on the back of her leg. When she opened a door, I had to stumble to stand upright, avoiding an awkward conversation referring to looking at her from behind. I smiled and yanked Jack away from the girl. I shoved him into a chair and waited until the door had been closed.

"What the hell were you doing?!" I hissed.

"Did you see how many piercings she had on her right ear? There must've been twelve or thirteen, at least." He got lost in his own little world, trying to fathom a dozen needles being shoved into various spots of his ear, puncturing lobe and cartilage. The mere thought made him shudder in his chair, and all I saw fit was to laugh at his stupidity.

"So did they tell you what they had in mind?"

He shook his head. "Just what you said. T-shirts, hoodies; stuff like that."

I folded my arms and leaned against the meeting table. I envisioned numerous people, tattooed and pierced, ears spaced, with flamboyant clothes, all seated around it, discussing everything from designs to advertising. I smiled, thinking about how amazing this entire clothing label actually was, about how much I would love to be a part of it. It was such a great experience and it would be great for Jack. Maybe he'd finally do something other than play Guitar Hero and eat like a pig.

As I thought about this miraculous prospect, I heard a door open and close and turned my attention to the maker of said noise. He looked at us and grinned, his messy brown hair tousled in every direction.

"Jack! Hey, what's up, man!" He leaned in to hug Jack, who returned the gesture with a smile.

"Hey Skip. Not much, brah. Not much at all." He looked over at me. "Oh, you remember Alex, right? You met him at Warped last year."

"I do. Not sure if he remembers me though." Skip outstretched his hand and all of a sudden, his face registered. This guy had helped us tee-pee Flyzik's bus and massacre We The Kings' bunk room. He was the epitome of all awesomeness.

"Holy fuck, Skip?"

"Oh, he remembers you," Jack laughed, watching as we hugged.

"Dude, it's been forever."

"Too fucking long," Skip laughed. "Did Matt ever get the toilet paper off of the headlights?"

"I don't even know," I laughed. He just chuckled, sitting down beside Jack.

"Man, it's great to see you guys. I'm glad I'll get to work with you."

"The feeling's mutual, but you'll be stuck with Barakat for most of the time, so we'll probably have to stick with just chilling."

He shook his head. "Nah, dude. Feel free to drop by whenever. We have some catching up to do, anyways."

I smiled, shaking my head in response. "I might take you up on that. But only cause you offered."

Skip grinned. "Good. I wouldn't have offered if I didn't think you'd accept." He opened a portfolio. "But now, let's get down to business. Jack, Glamour Kills would like to offer you a two-year contract with us, endorsing our label via JAGK, the Jack Barakat GK clothing line. You've accepted, and now, we have to talk details."

"Like colours and polyblends," I laughed.

"You game?" Skip asked him.

Jack nodded whole-heartedly. "I'm so stoked, you honestly have no idea."

"Glad to hear it. Now, I won't be the only one working with you, or you two, I guess I should say. An associate'll be helping out, too. She's great. Hardworking, perfectionist. Dirty mouth, sarcastic sense of humour. You'll love her."

"She sure sounds dandy to me," Jack replied, cocking his eyebrows suggestively.

"As nice as she sounds, I'm taken. I'm only here cause planning my wedding's gotten way out of hand."

"Well, congrats, dude." I shook Skip's hand and thanked him. "She must really be something."

"Oh, she's something alright," Jack muttered, propping his legs up on the table. I shot him a death glare, but Skip saved him before I could retort.

"And here comes our shining star now."

Jack stood up hurriedly, fixing his hair and hoodie, ready to greet the mysterious lady. I ran a hand through my hair, hoping I looked somewhat presentable. Clearly, Jack was looking for more than a business relationship. Then again, that was just the way he was. We wouldn't love him as much if he were any different.

"Sorry, I'm late. I had some photocopies to make and a quick errand to run to productions but everything's -"

The voice stopped abruptly and the moment I looked up, I knew why.

"Addy?"

"J-Jack?" she stammered.

I stared at her. "Addy?"

Her voice disappeared altogether at the sight of me. She forced a reply. "Alex."

Skip stood next to her awkwardly as I felt the room cave in, wishing I was back at home picking out linens with Lindsey. My day of complete optimism came crashing down in record time, and for once in my life, I couldn't look on the brighter side. I just couldn't.