Reinventing the Heartbeat

'Douche Bag' ;;

Dad was more than thrilled when I told him after my first day of school that I had made four friends that I could actually see myself getting close to. I didn’t bother mentioning that by four, I meant two, and that the other two probably hated me. He just needed to hear the things that would make him happy. Even if some of the things weren’t completely truthful. At least this way, he wouldn’t be worrying about me as much. He would finally believe that he was getting his son back. And who knows? Maybe he was.

“Maybe you’ll even pick those drumsticks up again soon,” he’d told me with a small, hopeful smile. Drumming was something I had picked up at the young age of ten, when my music-crazed dad first started introducing me into the world of music. But ever since the accident, I hadn’t even glanced at my drums. It was just too hard sometimes. Even the simplest of things brought back memories. “I’m sure they miss you.”

I watched as he stirred the big black and silver pot on the stove containing our dinner - grandma’s chicken noodle soup recipe; and one of my favorites, merely because it was so simple yet so incredibly delicious. And, like most grandmothers would say, made with love in every bite.

“Yeah, maybe,” I agreed with my dad, nodding my head for emphasis.

That night after dinner, I decided I would pay a little visit to my drums. It was awkward at first; almost like running into a girl you’d promised to call back but “never had the chance to because you were so busy” while you’re skating with the guys in the mall parking lot. Yeah…kinda like that, I guess. Only in that scenario, it never really gets comfortable again… But after a few songs, it just started coming back to me and almost seemed as if I hadn’t just gone months without touching them.

I played for a couple hours before opting with taking a shower and then getting into bed for school the next day when my phone vibrated in my pocked, signaling a new text message.

I knew it could only be one person, considering I had given him my number on our walk home from school that day when he’d asked for it.

Hey bro, hey!

I shook my head and laughed as I replied with a simple, “Uh…hey,” grabbing a towel for a shower and walking into my bathroom.

Forgot ta tell you - we meet at the park down the street from ur house every morning. Care to walk with us?

I pondered his question for a few minutes. At least he generally seemed to like me. Who cares what the girls thought about me? Even if it was my fault they didn’t like me… Still, I could use some friends. So I took him up on his offer, deciding I would.

Sweetness. Be there around 7.45. Later bra.

The following morning I was downstairs, finishing up my before-school routine and just about to leave when my dad called me into the living room. He had the remote in his hand, setting the DVR on our TV to record his favorite shows that he’d be missing while at work today - he’d recently gotten a job at one of the self-owned record shops in town, which was similar to the place he worked at before we left New York.

“What’s up, dad?” I asked, throwing the bag of chips I’d grabbed from kitchen into my backpack and zipping it up. Healthy lunch, no?

He turned off the TV and faced me. “I was just thinking, you should have your friends over for dinner or something one of these days. I’d like to meet them,” he told me with a smile.

I attempted to smile back, and laughed nervously. “Yeah…” I started, scratching the back of my head almost nervously. “Maybe I’ll see what they’re doing this weekend or something.”

He nodded his head in approval, his smile only widening as he patted me on the back. “I’ll see you tonight, kid. Spence wants me to close the shop up today.”

I watched as he grabbed his keys from the table by the door and left, shooting me one last grin before doing so. Sighing, I glanced at the clock above the fireplace, seeing that it was only 7.36. I still had about ten minutes to get over there, but seeing as how I was ready anyways, I decided to head towards the park and get there a bit earlier than Caleb and them.

I wasn’t exactly sure where the park was, but I figured it couldn’t be too far, since Caleb said it was just down the street from my house. As I walked down to the end of the street, closer to the main road, I realized just how blind I must have been. The park was directly across the street, on the other side of the main road, encaged by a thin black railing and many large oak trees.

As I made my way in the direction of the play structure, I noticed a figure already at my destination; the swings. Then it took me a second to realize just who this person was. Naturally, none other than Blake herself. What are the chances of that? I thought about turning around and waiting by the gate for the rest of the guys, so that I wouldn‘t get any farther on her bad side. Until I had a better idea, that is.

She wasn’t really swinging, just sort of sitting there, playing with something in her hands. I couldn’t be too sure what it was, considering her back was facing me. So I quietly snuck up behind her, quickly yet gently covering her eyes and whispering, “Mornin’ doll face,” in her ear.

Blake let out a soft, surprised gasp, immediately ripping my hands from her face and rising to her feet. I smirked as she glared, something I was already becoming accustomed to and enjoying being the cause of.

'Doll Face' ;;

Mornings seemed to be my favorite time of day lately. Just around 7.30. When I could get away from my house and just think. With my mom being so close to poppin’ and what not, most could understand where I was coming from. It was nice to get out of the house every now and then and just be able to think without any interruptions. To escape reality for fifteen minutes and have things go your way for once.

But naturally, when I find something I’m finally starting to like, something has to come up from behind me and ruin that. Or rather, someone.

“Mornin’ doll face,” this person, who I was seriously starting to dislike more and more by the second, whispered in my ear as he placed his hands over my eyes from behind me.

Almost instantly, I rose to my feet, pulling his hands off of me and quickly slipping the bracelet onto my wrist that I had been, once again, mindlessly playing with, prior to his arrival.

Intently glaring at his smirk, I huffed, turning around and sitting back down on the swing. “Don’t call me that,” I finally spat back at him.

I sensed movement behind me, only to see Gage’s body reappear at the swing to my left.

“Aw, why not, doll?” Oh yes. I could tell he was getting a kick out of pissing me off. Have your fun now, pretty boy. But watch your back later.

Wait….pretty boy??

Shaking my head free of these annoying thoughts, I looked over at him for a split second before redirecting my attention to my bracelet. I had a tendency to play with it when I had nothing better to do, in case you hadn’t noticed.

“Because,” I stated simply, only to continue a second later at the sound of his soft, clearly entertained laughter, “Doll face is, basically, a nickname. Nicknames are what friends call each other. And you are not my friend.”

I finally looked at his face again, that smirk now almost appearing to be a smile of admiration. Practically growling under my breath at his stubbornness, I smirked at the sight of my friends, now entering the small park. Gage seemed to be a bit more polite in the presence of the boys, and less of a douche-y jerk.

Mel was the first to reach us, as she ran towards the two of us, nearly pouncing on me in a hug and knocking me off the swing.

“Hey, bestie!” she yelled happily, rising to her feet and holding a hand out to help me up as well. “Did you bring money for after school?”

My friends, now just a few feet away and clearly in hearing range of us, looked confused.

“What’s happening after school?” Ty asked. Generally, I loved going places with all of my friends. But not when that place was the café my ‘crush’ happened to work at. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my boys to death. They just weren’t as quiet about certain things as Mel and I were.

Melanie shot me an apologetic smile, but decided to tell them our plans anyways. “Blake and I were gonna go to Willy’s to grab a bite to eat,” she explained nonchalantly, the five of us beginning on our walk to school.

“Shweet, mind if we tag along?” Caleb asked, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I noted how Gage was walking a few feet behind us, slightly slower. Hah. That ought to shut the bastard up.

Caleb had continued talking before even receiving an answer from either Mel or I. “You can come, too, Gage!”

My neck made a cracking sound as I turned around too quickly, mouth agape, to see the smirking boy.

“Thanks, I’d love to join you guys,” he told him in a sincere voice that made me want to punch him right between his eyes, only to shoot me a wink directly after. This was not going to end well. I could already tell.