Mental Fiction Follows Me

Syd’s POV:

I took another really long sip of the beer in front of me and smiled across the table. Blue eyes met mine, and the slight redness of them made the purple rim stand out more than usual. She raised one eyebrow, but I continued to smile instead of saying anything.

“What?!” Aiden finally asked.

“You two look so cute together,” I said and sighed.

“Syd? Are you drunk?” Aiden asked me.

“Nope. I’m just feeling mighty damn good,” I said and took another long sip from my bottle. I was telling the truth, I did feel pretty good. I was sitting on the outside of the very large booth, with Aiden directly across from me. Beside her was Johnny, then Brian, Zacky, Craig, Deandra, Max, Matt, Nikkita, and finally back to me. Monte and Robert had disappeared right after the first round of drinks, and the last I’d heard Tiana was in the bathroom.

“Hello!” I heard a voice yell right before there was extra weight on my lap. I looked down to see bright green eyes and a wide smile. I guess Tiana’s not in the bathroom any more.

“Hi!” everyone yelled back.

“I wanna go dance!” Tiana yelled.

“Then go dance,” I said and shifted my legs slightly.

“I can’t dance by myself,” Tiana said and poked her bottom lip out.

“Would you look at that face?” Aiden asked.

“Let’s all go dance!” Nikkita yelled and jumped up. She climbed over the table and stood beside me.

“Define all,” I said.

“Yes, who is all?” Deandra asked.

“Us girls, of course!” Nikkita yelled.

“I would really rather not...” Aiden said.

“Get your asses up now!” Tiana yelled and slammed both palms on the table. Brian’s beer even fell over from the force.

“I think I’ll go now,” I said. Tiana jumped off my lap, and I quickly followed behind her. The only two left were Deandra and Aiden.

“I got the little one,” Nikkita said.

“I’ve got the youngin,” I said and smiled over at Deandra.

“She’s two years younger than me!” Deandra yelled and pointed at Tiana.

“So?” Tiana asked. I just ignored them both and grabbed Tiana’s wrist. Nikkita was already pulling on Aiden.

“Back off, granny!” Deandra yelled.

“I will never surrender!” I yelled back. Deandra stumbled over the table at the same time as Aiden, and they both landed in front of us.

“This isn’t over,” Deandra said.

“I accept the challenge,” I said and smiled at her.

“Enough talking! More dancing!” Tiana yelled.

“What she said!” Nikkita yelled.

“Oh, horror of horrors,” Aiden mumbled.

“Even worse,” Tiana mumbled back.

“Come on, you two, live a little!” I yelled and threw my arm around Aiden’s shoulders. The other one was a little damaged and I didn’t want to take any chances with it.

“Are you up for dancing?” Aiden asked.

“Nice try,” I said and smiled down at her.

“Come on!” Tiana yelled and pulled Aiden away.

“You too!” Nikkita yelled and grabbed Deandra. They all formed a semi-circle, and Deandra’s bright green eyes found mine. I shot a wink at her before slipping through the crowd and to the bar. I hadn’t taken any of my pain pills, so I knew it was still safe to drink. And my arm was starting to throb a little too painfully, so a little liquor might actually help me out.

“Please tell me you have some Jack back there,” I said to the bartender.

“Enough to get everyone in this bar drunk,” the old man said with a smile.

“Perfect! I’ll take two,” I said.

“Two shots?” he asked, slightly confused.

“Shot glasses just slow me down. How about two of those big glasses you put the beer in?” I asked.

“You’re sure?”

“Very.”

“Well, the customer is always right,” he said and walked off. He returned a few minutes later with two huge glasses filled with my favorite whiskey. I took a very long sip from one of them and then sighed.

“I thought you were supposed to be dancing.” I whirled around my bar stool and tipped my head up. Blue eyes met mine, and I smiled.

“I got thirsty,” I replied. Jimmy leaned to the side and looked around me.

“I’ll say. How can you drink that much?” Jimmy asked.

“Me and Danny used to live off this stuff. You’d be surprised at just how much I can handle,” I said.

“We’ll have to put that to the test some day,” Jimmy said as he sat down beside me.

“Why not today?” I asked curiously.

“Because you’re sharing,” Jimmy said and took my second glass.

Zacky’s POV:

“We’re not going to be the only ones dancing anymore,” Aiden announced as the girls stalked back over to the table.

“O-okay,” Matt said.

“That means get up,” Nikkita said.

“Nikki, baby...”

“It’s not going to work,” Nikkita said quickly.

“Will you do that one thing?” Matt asked, almost hopefully.

“Of course I will,” Nikkita said and reached her hand towards him. Matt took it and then drug her out to the floor.

“Come on, Johnny!” Aiden yelled and pulled him towards the massive crowd of people. For someone who was so against dancing earlier, she looked pretty enthusiastic.

“So, who should be our victims?” Tiana asked Deandra.

“I chose this one,” Deandra asked and pointed to Max.

“I’ll go with this one,” Tiana said and jerked her thumb in Craig’s direction.

“That’s not fair!” Max yelled.

“Brian and Zacky have to dance too,” Craig said and folded his arms. Wait, where’s Jimmy? I looked around the table to see that he had disappeared. Smart bastard.

“Then they can dance together,” Tiana said like it was the simplest thing in the world.

“I don’t fucking think so,” Brian said from beside me. For some reason, it kind of stung.

“I’m sure Zacky won’t bite you,” Max said.

“Unless you ask,” I added, just for fun. I wasn’t going to let one comment that means absolutely nothing get me down.

“Yeah, so get out here and dance like the rest of us,” Craig said. Him and Max had already moved out of the booth and were standing next to Tiana and Deandra.

“We’re in Texas,” Brian said in what was almost a growl.

“So?” Tiana asked.

“The times have changed, Brian. No one’s going to care if two guys are dancing together in a huge group of people,” Deandra said, looking over at Tiana briefly.

“Don’t listen to them, Bri. If you don’t wanna dance it’s cool,” I said. Brian’s head turned and he looked at me for the first time since this whole conversation got started. I was surprised to see the small smile on his lips.

“You getting scared now?” he asked me.

“Hell no!” I yelled.

“Then put your hips where your mouth is!” Tiana said and slammed one hand down on the table, something that I was beginning to think was a habit.

“Put your hips where your mouth is?” Craig asked and looked over at her.

“What? It fits the situation,” Tiana said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Come on you two!” Deandra yelled and grabbed Brian’s wrist. He reached back to grab mine, and we all went to the dance floor in a line. After getting somewhere in the middle, Deandra pushed Brian towards me at the same time Tiana pushed me towards him.

“Now dance,” Tiana whispered in my ear before hopping over to Craig. I looked up at Brian, and he had one eyebrow cocked. I just shrugged my shoulders as the pile of bodies pushed us closer together.

“This so awesome! You guys gotta try it!” Aiden yelled/sung as her and Johnny twirled by.

“You should!” Johnny yelled back.

“We don’t have to, if you don’t want to,” Brian said. By now we were so close that he didn’t have to scream for me to hear him.

“No, it’s cool. I don’t care,” I said. We were just joking around and having a good time, so it’s not like there was anything to worry about. Two friends could dance, right?

“Whatever you say,” Brian said before his hips started moving against mine. Out of instinct, I ground back and the dancing began.

“Woo! Go Sexy Synyster Go!” I looked over towards the bar and saw Syd standing on a bar stool. Jimmy was standing behind her and holding her hips to steady her, and she was smiling while waving a bottle of Jack Daniels in the air. Brian lifted both of his arms and flipped her off. At that exact time, someone bumped into Brian and both of his arms wound around my neck.

“Oops, sorry,” Brian said and started to move away. I caught his forearms and smiled.

“Nah, it’s okay. It makes dancing a little easier,” I said and started where we had left off.

The songs changed, but neither of us stopped dancing. By the third song, we both had a fine layer of sweat and were getting more into the dancing than some of the people around us. I looked up at the same time Brian was looking down, and I caught a look in his eye before he turned away. And that’s when it hit me...

“Brian?” I asked, leaning my head towards his ear so I wouldn’t have to yell.

“Yeah?” he asked, tilting his head the same way.

“Can we go outside for a second?” I asked.

“Yeah, sure.” I pulled away slightly, grabbed his wrist, and started walking through the crowd and towards the front door.

Brian’s POV:

”Oh shit. He knows. Lie and deny. Lie and deny. Oh shit.”

Zacky’s POV:

I let go of Brian after we got outside, and he leaned his back against the brick wall. He crossed his tattooed arms across his chest and stared at me, waiting. Now I wasn’t so sure about what I thought I was really sure about.

“So why are we out here?” Brian asked.

”Here goes nothing...”

“Are you gay?” I asked. It came out in a quick rush and sounded more like an accusation than a question. Brian’s eyes instantly darkened and I saw the muscle in his jaw tense.

“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it; I was just wondering because I thought, and maybe I thought wrong, it’s just that-”

“Zacky, man, calm down,” Brian said. I looked up to see him smiling, his once enraged face now much calmer.

“Sorry,” I said sheepishly.

“It’s okay,” Brian said. His arms were still crossed, but he looked a little more relaxed. I stepped closer to him, close enough to reach out and touch him if I wanted to, which I didn’t, I think.

“So, um...are you?” I asked again. He sighed and looked down at the ground. He kicked at the gravel, and then he lifted his brown eyes back up to mine. It was kind of weird how I’d never really realized what color his eyes were. Now that his anger was gone, his eyes were no longer dark and almost black. They looked light, nearly golden. Whiskey-colored.

“Does it really matter?” Brian finally asked.

“No, not really,” I said with a small shrug. What the fuck is wrong with me? I cannot look at my best guy friend this way. Or can I?

“Zacky, man, are you alright?” Brian asked. He pushed off the wall with his shoulders and dropped his hands to his sides. He had decided to wear one his tight, sleeveless shirts tonight, and my eyes moved over his straining muscles.

“Definitely not,” I said and raised my eyes back to his.

“Do you need anything?” he asked. You.

“I think I’m drunk,” I finally said.

“You’ve had about three beers, or less,” Brian said.

“I’m not drunk off any kind of liquid,” I said.

“You’re talking crazy now,” Brian said.

“I know,” I said and hung my head down. I felt a sudden rush of heat, and when I looked up me and Brian were almost standing chest-to-chest.

“I think I like it when you start talking crazy,” Brian said and flashed a smile at me.

“What about acting crazy?” I asked, a smile of my own on my face.

“I can go with that too,” Brian said, his chest now fully touching mine. My eyes stared into his, questioning.

“How long?” I asked. I was struggling for air, and I’m sure Brian could tell by the way my voice sounded.

“How long what?” Brian asked, confusion in his eyes.

“Have you been...you know.” I didn’t want to say it again, for fear of setting him off.

“Forever, I think. Syd’s the only one that’s ever known,” Brian said quietly. I could hear the sadness that laced his words.

“You could have told us; we would have accepted you, no matter what. You know that, right?” I asked. His deep laugh vibrated through my chest, and I had to stifle the sound deep in my throat.

“Funny. That’s what Syd’s been telling me for years. I just couldn’t do it though,” he said and started to step away. My hands grabbed the bottom of his tee shirt to hold him in place.

“That’s too bad. I could have done this a lot sooner,” I said and pushed his lips against mine. Brian was still for a moment, but then his hands moved up to rest on the sides of my neck, his thumbs lightly moving over my cheeks.

The feeling of his lips on mine felt better than I could have ever imagined, and I tightened my grip on his slim hips. With one quick movement I had him pushed against the wall, and I heard a small growl deep in his throat.

“Well, what do we have here...”

”Oh shit.”

Tara’s POV:

The body in front of me stopped and I slammed into it. He just had to have a hard back too. I rubbed the middle of my forehead and looked up. Being short isn’t always easy.

“What’s the hold up?! I’m thirsty!” I yelled. As usual, I was at the back of the line. Stupid brother and his stupid friends.

“Well, what do we have here?” I heard Paul ask.

”Great,” I thought to myself, ”It’s gonna be one of those nights.”

“Dammit,” another male voice said. I pushed Eric out of my way and went to stand next to my brother. I didn’t bother looking at who he was harassing, because that wasn’t much of my concern.

“Why are you bothering someone now? We’re here to have a good time and get wasted. So get your ass through that door!” I yelled.

“Don’t make me hit you, TJ,” Paul said.

“Call me that stupid nickname again and I’ll hit you,” I said.

“You talk way too damn much,” Paul said and pushed me behind him. I nearly tripped and fell, but I grabbed Chris’s arm.

“You don’t have to push her like that!” someone said. I finally looked up and saw who Paul had been talking to. It was two guys, both flushed, and looking like something just got interrupted. Ah, so that explains it.

“What I do with my sister is none of your damn business. Got that, Gayner?” Paul said. Was it really...?

“Brian?” I asked, stepping around Paul once again.

“Hey, Honey,” Brian said and gave me a small smile.

“Brian!” I yelled and started to walk towards him. Paul grabbed my arm and jerked me back towards him.

“You are not going to have anything to do with him! Do you understand me?!” Paul yelled.

“You’re not the boss of me!” I yelled.

“According to that last court order, I am,” he said, tightening his grip on my forearm. Oh, yeah. I had almost forgotten about that.

“What’d Brian ever do you anyway?” I asked. Paul had made fun of Brian for being gay and sissy for as long as I could remember. The truth was that Brian was far from either, except for maybe that first one. But that doesn’t really matter. He’s still a great guy, better than all of Paul’s dumbass friends.

“I don’t like his kind, and I just caught him making out with this guy, which proves that I’ve always been right,” Paul said.

“So? If two guys want to make out, who cares? Especially those two!” I yelled and pointed to Brian and the other guy.

“Chris, hold onto her for me, will you?” Paul asked and pushed me back. Another pair of hands grabbed me and I sighed.

“You need to quit doing her that way,” Brian said again.

“Or what?” Paul asked and walked towards him.

“Or I’ll have to kick you and your friend’s asses,” Brian said.

“You’re not man enough to,” Paul said, and I could just imagine his smug smile. From the quiet whispers behind me, I could tell the other eight guys were getting ready for an ambush.

“I’m going to ask you one more time,” Brian said, his voice dropping into a low growl.

“And I say I ain’t going anywhere,” Paul said. I saw Brian turn his head towards his friend, and his friend looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.

“This is why I don’t like Texas,” Brian said.

“It’ll be alright, man,” the other guy said and laid his hand on his shoulder. Brian shrugged, I blinked, and Paul was spitting out blood.

“Woo! Do it again!” I yelled. Brian’s eyes caught mine and he smiled. I smiled back, ignoring Chris’s crushing grip on my upper arms. Paul turned his head back around, and I saw his hand reach up to wipe away some more blood.

“Still feel like staying?” Brian asked with his infamous smirk. I heard Paul let out a shriek of rage before colliding with Brian, both of them hit the ground. Lance dove around me and Chris and hit Brian’s friend, and then they started fighting.

“Would yall grow up and quit acting like a bunch of toddlers!” I yelled out at them.

“Would you shut up for once in your life?” Chris hissed in my ear. I brought my heavy boot down on his bare toes (what kind of idiot wears flip-flops to a bar?) and smiled in satisfaction as he let me go. I barged into the bar and jumped up on the first open chair. If Brian was here, then so was his crazy ass cousin. And I was hoping a few others.

“Syd and friends! Brian’s needs assistance!” I yelled and then dashed back outside. Four guys were on Brian’s friend, and five were on Brian. Definitely not a fair fight. It was time to jump in and join the fun, opposite my brother.

Syd’s POV:

“Syd and friends! Brian’s needs assistance!” an unfamiliar voice yelled throughout the bar.

“Who the hell was that?” Jimmy asked from beside me.

“Shit!” I yelled and scrambled off the barstool.

“What?!” Jimmy yelled, running behind me.

“We’re in Texas!” I yelled. I ran into the door, pushing it wide open, and looked at the scene in front of me.

“A little help, please!” some girl yelled right before a guy threw her off his back. I thought about my arm for a brief second, but all the whiskey made me feel pretty much invincible.

“We got a brawl!” I heard Johnny yell before he ran past me into the huge fight. I just shrugged and went for one of the guys on Brian. Before long, everyone else was outside as well and pulling people off of our friends. The guys who had jumped Brian and Zacky looked a little scared when they realized they were outnumbered now, which made it just that much more fun to kick their ass.

Krys’s POV:

I stopped, frozen, as I approached the bar. My feet were killing me from running around all day, and all I wanted to do was sit down and enjoy a nice cold beer. Was that really too much to ask? But the giant crowd in front of me was blocking the door.

“Excuse me. Pardon me. Sorry. Excuse me,” I said quietly as I tried to step around the fighting bodies. I don’t know why I didn’t just turn around and go to another bar. Maybe it’s because I’m already here.

Something grabbed my ankle, and my feet flew out from under me. My back hid the hard gravel, and breath was pushed from my lungs. The impact caused tears to sting my eyes, but they weren’t tears of pain.

“You sonofabitch!” I yelled and kicked the guy in the face. I was still wearing my thin shoes from my waitress job, but I think the kick was still pretty effective. His nose turned to the side.

“Nobody move!” a deep voice yelled. I leaned my head back, and I was surprised when it landed on something soft instead of the hard ground. I shifted slightly and realized that my head was resting on some girl’s thigh. Her pale brown eyes met mine, and she smiled even though her lip was bleeding.

“I knew it was gonna be one hell of a night,” she said.