Skeptics and True Believers

"This is exciting isn't it?" Brody asked enthusiastically, peering out of the passenger side window the way a young child often stared out.

"Maybe for you it is," I sighed, looking out through the windshield at the familiar stretch of freeway.

The news of Brian wanting a divorce led to a conversation with the private investigator. It turned out that Brian was looking to get married to his current girlfriend and needed to divorce me in order to do so. The private investigator spent two years trying to track me down and finally was able to locate me when I had moved to New York. He filled me in on his whole process and the details that Brian knew as far as my whereabouts were while I let it sink in that I had someone tracking me the last years I was in Japan. He told me that a tip came from Hizumi, one of the friends I stayed with in Tokyo, since they were on the Taste of Chaos Tour in the states. I guess I couldn't blame Hizumi but it still sucked that they were able to extract information from him.

So now, I was driving down the 101 again with Brody sitting shotgun on my way back to Huntington. We just got in from LAX a while ago and had to get our bags from baggage claim as well as grab a rental car to drive to my former home. Brody decided that he would accompany me on my journey as moral support since, he figured, this was going to be really hard on me. I was actually grateful I had him along because if I was alone, I'm not sure how I would react.

It was surreal to be back in the warm California air. I'd been away for so long that I actually forgot how much the air tasted of the ocean nearby. The skies were clear and bright blue as opposed to the thick humidity of the city. I missed the sunny weather that never really required rain jackets and umbrellas. It truly has been too long since I'd been home. Driving along on the 101 was too unreal. I was beginning to question why I hadn't come back here to begin with. I could've gone to San Diego or Los Angeles in order to hide in the big city life there but it didn't matter anymore. I was finally back home where I belonged.

"Delilah?" Brody asked quietly, causing me to glance at him from the corner of my eye.

"Yeah?" I asked with a straight face.

"You're not depressed or anything, are you?" he asked seriously.

"Why do you think that?" I asked.

"Well, it's just that you haven't said more than two words to me since we left New York. I'm just wondering if you're ok or if you're going to suffer a breakdown anytime soon," he said.

I sighed, "I'm just numb right now Brody. I haven't been back to Huntington in five years and the reason I'm coming back here is to see the one person that made me leave in the first place to give him a divorce. It's overwhelming."

"But you're not gonna break out into tears or anything?" he asked skeptically.

"I doubt it. I didn't cry when I left or after that. I just remained still about it all. It hurt a lot but then that pain became numb after a while and so I forgot about it after a while. Right now, I don't know how I'm gonna feel," I told him honestly.

"Well, if you need someone to cry on, I'm here," he said, patting my shoulder.

"Thanks Brody. That's really comforting," I smiled.

He nodded at me with a tiny grin before switching on the radio, hearing Rise Against immediately start up. Brody cranked up the volume and rolled his window down, sticking his hands out and mimicking an air guitar as 'Ready to Fall' began to play. He started head banging along to the song, violently moving his body along to the beat of the song while I tried to keep the smile off my face.

"C'mon Lila! You know you wanna rock out with your cock out!" he said in a coaxing manner.

"What cock am I supposed to rock out with? I'm cockless here!" I argued.

"You know what I mean! Just pretend you have one and then rock out with it all out baby!" Brody said loudly, halfway hanging out of the window.

"I swear Brody, it's a wonder that you haven't been committed to a psych hospital," I laughed.

"Sing with me Lila!" he yelled, still leaning out of the window. "I'm standing on the rooftop ready to fall! I think I'm at the edge now but I could be wrong! I'm standing on the rooftops ready to fall!" he yelled loudly.

"You're fucking crazy!" I laughed as I noticed the looks we were getting from the other cars on the freeways. "Get your ass back in this car!"

"Fine! Kill my boner," he said dejectedly. "That just means I'm not putting out tonight."

"Like I wanted to have sex with your diseased ass!" I argued.

"Hey! I'm not diseased! I've had all my shots and all! I think you're diseased! You're a girl with cooties!" he cried.

"Cooties? Really? You're twenty-five years old and the best you can come up with is cooties?" I asked him seriously.

"Fuck you Lila," he grumbled in defeat.

"I'm pretty sure that we've established that there's not gonna be any sex between the two of us happening ever in life," I laughed.

He just crossed his arms over his chest, slumping down into his seat and poking his tongue out at me in a very child-like manner. I just laughed at him, shaking my head at his over the top behavior as we settled into a silence with nothing but the songs on the radio filling the air.

Twenty minutes later, I was driving into the city limits of Huntington Beach and taking a long breath. Looking out through the windshield, I couldn't believe how similar it all looked. Most of the buildings were the same, standing tall and spread out through the neighborhood. There were people out on Main Street, shopping or heading down to the pier that wasn't too far away. I felt like I was daydreaming, seeing all the different places in town where I used to hang out in my teenage years. I thought that I would eventually wake up from this dream and find myself back in the East Village in Traci's apartment, wishing that I was back in California.

"I can't imagine leaving this place," Brody said from beside me, his eyes glued to the scenery passing by.

"It was the hardest thing I had to do," I replied quietly.

I felt the different emotions arising as we drove out to the houses that were right on the beach. My aunt and uncle had moved to Texas not long after I left, deciding that they needed to get away from all the rumors that had been spread about me. Apparently, there were many different retellings of what happened after the wedding that I had become a bona fide legend. They couldn't stand to hear what people had been saying so they took off, selling the house and moving to some ranch in Texas. They kept a beach house though for when they wanted to vacation in the summer and were allowing Brody and I to stay there so we didn't have to pay for a hotel.

Driving around the beachfront homes was something I used to do with Jimmy and Brian. We would go driving through the neighborhoods, smashing mailboxes and wreaking havoc on the rich people in the community. I just remembered thinking about how lucky these people were because the beach was their own private backyard. I remember sitting out on the beach with Brian on most nights, pointing out the different houses we would move into and start a family in.

"One day baby, you and I will live in one of those houses. We'll make beautiful little babies and raise them there where the beach can be their backyard. We can teach them how to surf and swim and build proper sandcastles. I promise, we'll have a beautiful life together," he would tell me.

I shook my head of the memory, feeling bitterness at the thought of Brian's empty promises, and gripped the steering wheel tighter, scanning for the correct address of the house we were going to stay in. These houses were massive, prompting me to wonder how my aunt and uncle could afford it but I guess they made good money on their ranch in Texas. I stopped questioning the money and just felt grateful I had the opportunity to stay in one of my dream homes.

"Hey, I think it's this house," Brody said, pointing on his side of the street.

I leaned over a bit, slowing down to read the numbers. Sure enough, we found the right house. I turned into the driveway, parking the car and shutting off the engine. I stepped out of the car, feeling the ocean air against my face and inhaling the smell of the salty sea; a small smile creeping up on my face at the feeling of being home once again.

"God, I've missed this place," I sighed.

"Well, we're here now so let's go check it out," Brody said, nodding towards the house.

We grabbed our bags from the truck and wandered up the walkway of the massive, tope one-story house, sticking the key into the lock and pushing open the light blue door.

Stepping inside, I was instantly blown away. The whole layout of the house was wide open and full of sunlight shining through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows along the back of the house. The living room was decorated with a red couch and matching loveseat along the walls in front of the large flat screen television that hung on the wall across from them. There was a glass coffee table in the middle of the couches and a black leather chair in the far corner of the room near the French doors leading out to the back. The windows were draped with long, grey and white curtains that were pushed open, revealing the ocean that waited outside.

The view of the beach was phenomenal and my favorite thing about this house so far. I ran through the living room to the French doors, pulling them open to reveal a large wooden deck that held patio furniture as well as a barbeque. I walked out to the edge of the deck, noticing the fences between the houses merely separating the properties. I could see the similar layouts of my neighbors' backyards, some of them out and cooking lunch. I looked down, seeing there were stairs that lead down the steep ledge of this property to the beach, where a few people were scattered along, sunbathing on the shore.

"Yo Delilah! Come check out these rooms!" I heard Brody call from inside.

Sighing, I walked back through the spacious house and down the hallway, passing a small bathroom and what looked like the master suite. I turned the corner to the end of the hall where there were two spare bedrooms. I peeked inside to see that one of them had been converted into an office where a computer lay on top of a desk and books covered the shelves surrounding. I walked to the next door over, where Brody was already lying on the queen sized bed in the middle of the room.

The sea foam green walls were accented by the white trim that lay around the top of the ceilings and bottom of the beige carpeting. It was a rather large room complete with a dresser and desk pushed along the far side of the room. There was a large window over the bed that overlooked the neighborhood. I stepped inside the guest bedroom, taking in the reality of my surroundings.

"This house is fucking amazing!" Brody said from his spot on the bed. "You should just move in here and stay."

"You wish," I laughed.

"Man, I can't believe I'm out here in fucking paradise! I need to get a surfboard. I want to surf," he said, leaning up on his elbows and yammering on enthusiastically.

"It's been so long since I've been surfing," I said quietly.

Standing in the room, I started to realize that I hadn't be so excited to be in a house in so long but that this homecoming was tainted by the fact that I had to face my demons. After I finished up with Brian, I would leave again. I couldn't stay in a place that held so many memories of the when I was happy with him. I couldn't stand the thought of running into him and his new wife in the neighborhood. It was too much. I don't even know why I came back when I would just have to leave again.

"Hey, are you alright babe?" Brody asked in concern.

"Oh, yeah," I said, shaking myself out of my daze. "I'll be alright."

"You sure?" he asked, scooting closer to me.

I nodded, "No worries Brody. I'll be alright."

Suddenly, I felt Brody's limbs wrap around my body and pull me forward on top of him. I couldn't help but laugh as he held onto me tightly, attached to me like a baby monkey. I tried to wiggle out of his grip but it was no use. I gave up not too long after that, laughing and putting all my weight onto him.

"You know you're light as a feather, right?" he chuckled.

"No I'm not! I'm a brick that's gonna squash you!" I argued, trying to turn around to sit on him.

"A brick? How'd you come up with that?" he laughed.

"I dunno. It was the first thing that popped into my head," I shrugged. "Now let go of me so I can unpack!" I squealed, trying to wiggle out of his grasp again.

"No! Not until you're happy again!" he said.

"I'm alright Brody! Please? I wanna get settled in and maybe hit the beach," I told him.

He immediately let go of my body and pushed me off of him, jumping up from the bed happily at the mentioning of beach. He started jumping around like a hyperactive child, clapping his hands with a huge grin on his face.

"Yay! The beach!" he cheered.

"God, you're a loser," I laughed, shaking my head at him.

"Hurry! Go unpack and take me to the beach! I command you!" he said, pointing at me.

I rolled off his bed and walked past him, shaking my head and laughing some more at his child-like antics. Sometimes I really questioned his age and maturity level. He was worse than a five year old.

I snagged my bags from the living room and proceeded into the spacious master suite. The walls were painted lavender with the same white trim that was in Brody's room. There was a large king sized bed with fluffy white sheets and millions of pillows placed against the headboard. Across from that, there was another flat screen television that was hooked up to the wall over the dresser. In the far corner of the room, there was another set of French doors that led out to the back deck and a small black couch near the doors. I noticed that the closet was near the far end of the room near the couch.

I walked past the dresser into the adjoining bathroom that was painted white with marble countertops. There was a large bathtub in the far end of the room and a shower near the bathroom door. There were also double sinks in the countertops as well as a large mirror over that. There was already plenty of light flooding into the room from the bedroom without even having to flip on the light that it was almost blinding.

Walking back into the bedroom, I grabbed my bags from the floor and started unpacking, wanting to get that chore out of the way. Once that was done, I wandered into the living room, looking at the stereo system that my uncle had hooked up, trying to figure it out. I noticed a cable hooked up to the system that allowed my iPod to plug in. I pulled it out of the back pocket of my jeans and hooked it up, turning on the 'Morning View' album by Incubus and letting Brandon Boyd's lovely voice filter through the speakers. I cranked up the volume a bit, wandering through the living room to the kitchen.

I opened the large fridge, looking around for anything to drink. I saw that the fridge had been fully stocked, which made me smile a bit knowing that my aunt wanted to make sure that we had some food in the house upon our arrival. I found a note taped up on the second shelf of the fridge, pulling down and bringing it closer so I could read it properly.

Delilah-
When we heard you were coming out here, we made arrangements to have some food delivered to the house so you and your friend don't starve. No need to thank me. Uncle Rich says hello.
-Auntie Clara

I smiled at the note before setting it aside on the dark countertop. I surveyed the fridge, seeing that she put a bottle of red wine on the list of things needed in the house. I reached for it, seeing that it was a lovely Pinot noir. I decided to uncork it and begin my day drinking it, since Brody wasn't a fan of wine.

I didn't bother with a glass, though I probably should've for moderation as I walked to the deck. I could hear the music drifting out of the house as I took a seat on the ledge of the deck, letting my feet dangle off the side. I took a swig of the wine, letting the sweet alcohol coat the back of my throat as it went down and smiled, enjoying the view of the ocean before me. I could feel the sun beating against my tan skin, warming me up as a cool breeze from the ocean front lightly blew by. I felt like I had returned to the little piece of heaven that Southern California had to offer.

"Hey Dee," I heard from behind me.

I slightly turned my head and looked, seeing Brody standing there, completely shirtless and in a pair of red board shorts. He had a towel wrapped around his neck, slightly covering his muscular, tattooed covered chest. He wore a pair of black flip flops as well, which displayed the star tattoo he had on his right foot. I looked up to his blue-grey eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?" I asked him. "Going swimming in the ocean?"

"Yeah, you wanna go?" he asked.

"No, I think I'm just gonna sit here and enjoy my bottle of wine," I said, holding up the nearly full bottle of alcohol.

He nodded, "Well, don't drink it too fast. I don't wanna take care of your drunken ass tonight," he grinned.

"I hope you get bit by a shark," I said, taking another swig of wine.

"That's not very nice," he gasped.

"I'm a bitch. Deal with it," I laughed.

He shook his head, "You're ridiculous. I'll see you later," he laughed along with me.

I watched his retreating form grow smaller as he walked down the stairs to the beach below. He set it towel down on the sand and took off his flip flops, running straight into the water screaming. I giggled at his silliness as he dove right in.

Resting the chilled wine bottle between my legs, I laid back flat against the deck, feeling the sun shine against my cheek as I shut my eyes. I could hear the peaceful sounds of guitar along with the waves crashing against the shore ahead of me. Sighing contently, I found myself drifting into a peaceful state of rest, nearing the brink of sleep any moment.

"Excuse me!" I heard a man's voice yell loudly from beside me. "Do you mind turning the music down?"

Dully, I opened my eyes and searched around for the source of the voice. I looked to the left of me and my eyes widened in shock of the person standing on their back porch, hands leaned against the fence. I felt my heart begin to race as I stared at him, unable to move or respond to his request.

He looked nearly the same as he did five years ago, the same short black hair that lay messy on his head and the same caring, vibrant green eyes that pierced right though my dull hazel ones. He still wore those silver rings in his lower lip and that half ring through his septum. He seemed a little chubbier these days but not so bad. At least he wasn't sickly skinny anymore like he once was during the touring for 'Waken the Fallen'. He had a grey, sleeveless Jack Daniels shirt on, showing off the many tattoos on his arms as well as a pair of black pants. Zacky Baker hadn't changed much in the past few years.

He was staring at me carefully, most likely because I hadn't answered him. There was no way he could've recognized me with my short, choppy hair and tattooed skin. I didn't look as childish as I once had, filling out a little more in shape when I left. With the few minor changes I had made, there was no way he would be able to determine that I was once the sweet girl he used to know. I was just hoping that this moment would pass. I would nod my head in agreement and tell him that I would turn down the music.

"Um, hello?" he asked, speaking really slowly and waving at me.

I snapped myself out of my gaze and opened my mouth to speak, hearing nothing audible coming out. I immediately shut it, feeling the embarrassment rushing to my face and tinting my cheeks pink. He looked at me like I was mentally handicapped, as if he were unsure of what to say. I just sighed, taking a long swig of the wine that had been resting between my knees and looked back out to the ocean.

"Just," Zacky said, catching my attention once again. "Please, just turn it down a little."

I nodded and he simply gave me a small awkward smile before turning back to his house. I let out a long breath that I didn't know I was holding, thanking whatever Supreme Being that existed above me for not letting Zacky realize who I was.

"Hey Delilah!" I heard Brody's voice yell from the beach.

My body froze, glancing to the left once again to see that Zacky had stopped walking as well. He slowly turned back around and started staring at me, a look of concentration on his face the entire time. I looked back out to the shore where Brody was standing, waving at me to get attention.

"Could you grab me the sunscreen on the coffee table?" Brody yelled. "I fucking forgot it!"

I quickly stood from my spot, walking back into the house and turning the music way down. I set my wine bottle on the coffee table and grabbed the tube of sunscreen that Brody left behind. I ran a hand through my short dark hair, trying to remain calm and hope that Zacky had disappeared. I peeked out the window, noticing that Zacky was no longer in sight so I thought it safe to walk out to Brody.

I walked out of the house and down the steps to the beach. Brody was standing there, drying off with the towel a bit before I chucked the bottle at Brody, hitting him in the chest. It dropped to the sand as his hand automatically went to the spot where the bottle came into impact.

"Ow! Bitch!' he grumbled, rubbing the spot on his chest where I hit him. "What was that for?"

"When we're out here, you're calling me Dee and that's it, you got it?" I said harshly.

"What the fuck? Ok, I guess," he said, very confused to my request.

I turned back around and stormed up to the house once again, trying to calm my nerves. I decided at that point, I needed to finish that bottle of wine that was waiting for me in the living room. I reached the door to the property and opened it, walking back up to the deck only to see that Zacky was standing right in front of me, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin.

"Gah! What the fuck?" I shrieked, nearly stumbling over my feet. "Jeez Zack, way to give me a fucking heart attack!"

His green eyes lit up with realization as his face displayed obvious shock.

"Holy shit, it is you!" he breathed.

"Hi," I waved.

He immediately launched himself at me, seizing me into a tight hug. I felt him lift me off the ground, my feet dangling in the air, desperately wishing to touch the ground. I felt completely trapped in this massive hug with no hope of being able to breathe ever again. After what felt like an eternity, he finally set me down on my feet again and pulled away from me, staring with amazement.

"I can't believe it's really you!" he said, grinning.

"I can't believe Aunt Clara fed me to the wolves," I mumbled.

"You look so different!" he said, scanning my body.

"You pretty much look the same," I laughed.

"Nah, I'm kinda fat right now," he chuckled lightly, patting his stomach.

"It's better than the stick figure you used to be! I mean, I knew I was thin back in the day but I thought I could even break you in half," I smiled.

"So where have you been all this time?" he asked, shock still evident in his voice.

"Or you know, here and there," I shrugged.

"Why did you leave in the first place?" he asked.

"Brian never told you?" I asked in astonishment.

He shook his head, "He just said that you left and weren't coming back. Every time someone tried to bring it up, he would go off on everyone and then disappear for a while, always winding up at Johnny's Bar."

"Wow. I can't believe he didn't tell anyone. I'm so shocked," I said, thinking about how the person I had married, Synyster Gates, would most likely brag about his conquests.

"What happened?" Zacky asked quietly.

"Brian was fucking some blonde bimbo at the reception," I said emotionlessly.

"He WHAT?!" Zacky shouted.

"He was fucking some blonde bimbo out on the balcony of the hotel at the reception," I replied.

Zacky's eyes flashed with anger as his jaw clenched. I could see that he was stuck in a daze, reminiscing about that night when his features softened a bit. The anger left his eyes as they stared into mine, drenched with regret.

"That's when you said you needed something from the hotel room, wasn't it?" he asked. I just nodded as he stepped closer to me. "I'm so sorry."

"It's ok. It's all in the past now," I shrugged.

"So I guess you're back cuz of the impending wedding, right?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck. I nodded once as he sighed. "I'm sorry Delilah."

"It's whatever," I shrugged again. "If he wants me out of the picture once and for all so he can get married to someone else then it's whatever. I'll do it. I'm sick of hiding away anyway. Once I'm free of Brian Haner, I can continue on with my life," I said, feeling as if I were slightly lying to Zacky.

There was a part of me that really wanted to get rid of Brian for good so I could move on and live my life normally but then there was another part of me that kept telling me that he was the Prince Charming I always dreamed about when I was younger. I usually ignored that part of me because the Brian I used to know transformed into the beast known as Synyster Gates, someone who was the polar opposite of my high school sweetheart. I needed to let go of the past. He wasn't that person anymore. He was someone else completely.

When I was abroad, I tried to be with other guys but no one compared to the way Brian was when we met. He was that archetype of what I had wanted in someone else and no one could fill his shoes. Instead of having serious relationships with other men, I just decided to keep things casual. Normally, if I slept with someone else, it was the last time I saw them because I couldn't stand the thought of turning it into something more because they weren't Brian Haner. They weren't the person I longed to wake up beside every morning.

"So Dee, I was thinkin'," Brody began as he walked up the steps, the towel placed over his head as he dried off his hair, "we oughta go out and dance tonight. You know, get a little of the 'uhn tiss, uhn tiss, uhn tiss' action going on," he added, adding some pelvic thrusts during his impersonation of porn music.

"Jeez, I didn't know you got down like that," Zacky laughed, nudging my side.

Brody pulled the towel off his head and looked at Zacky with wide eyes and a slacked jaw. He was completely frozen, stuttering incoherently as Zacky and I watched. Zacky was confused and slightly concerned while I was trying to stifle back a laugh at Brody's expense.

"Y-y-you're, holy shit," he breathed, shaking his head violently from side to side.

Zacky and I proceeded to wipe the water droplets that landed on our faces from his hair off with our hands as he snapped himself out of his teeny bopper moment.

"Um, this is Zacky. Zacky, this is my friend from New York, Brody," I said, easing the awkward tension between everyone.

"Nice to meet you," Zacky said politely, offering his hand to shake.

Brody took his hand and shook it enthusiastically, looking as if he were about to pull Zacky's arm clear off. Zacky glanced at me for help as I just covered my mouth with my hand, laughing at how ridiculously star-struck Brody was.

"It's so nice to meet you! I'm such a huge fan! Oh my God, I think this has to be the best moment of my life right now," Brody rambled on, still shaking Zacky's hand.

"Hey Brods, Zacky needs a working arm to play guitar you know. I don't think it's detachable," I giggled.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry!" Brody said, immediately letting go and recoiling from Zacky. Zacky was rubbing his sore arm now, looking slightly frightened as Brody looked slightly humiliated. "Sorry. I just didn't think I would ever get to meet you in my lifetime and now, here I am cuz Dee invited me up here with her so she wouldn't be lonely."

"Well, I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other now that I know she's next door," Zacky said with a wink.

"Awesome! I promise not to be so hyper next time," Brody laughed.

"It's cool," Zacky shrugged as I giggled. He shot me a quick glare as I rolled my eyes. "Well, since you're back, we need to hang out and catch up soon."

I nodded, "Yeah, alright. Well, you know where I live for the time being," I laughed.

He smiled, "Well, I should head back. I was just getting ready to head over to Matt's house."

"Sanders or Berry?"

"I would've said Berry if it was Matty B," he chuckled.

"Like I know that!" I scoffed.

"Well now you know," he winked. "I'll drop by tomorrow. It was good seeing you again Delilah. I've missed you," he said, giving me another hug.

"Alright Zacky. I'll see you tomorrow," I laughed.

"It was good meeting you," Zacky said to Brody, keeping his arms near his body.

"Yeah, you too," Brody said enthusiastically.

"Later," Zacky waved, walking off our back deck and over to his house.

"Wow, that seriously could've been the coolest moment of my life if I wasn't such a fucking idiot," Brody said, slightly groaning.

"Um, you really can't help your natural state of being," I laughed.

"Ah fuck you!" he said, shoving me.

"I think we've been over this before dorkwad," I laughed.

"Well shit, I can't believe we're next door to Zacky fucking Vengeance," Brody laughed, running a hand through his damp messy hair.

"Yeah, who knew Baker lived next door," I grumbled.

I wandered back into the house, Brody trailing behind me and blabbing on about how he needed to call everyone at the shop and tell them that he met the infamous lefty guitarist of Avenged. I grabbed my bottle of wine off the table, plopping myself onto the couch and taking a long drink from the bottle. I could faintly hear Incubus still playing in the background as I settled into the couch, thinking about this day thus far.

It wouldn't be long now before everyone else I abandoned five years ago came banging on my door. Zacky doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut when he's got news so I figured, they'd all find some excuse to see Zacky sooner or later and we'd "coincidently" run into each other. I already knew how this was going to play out when he picked me up into the bone crushing hug.

The only concern I had at this moment was seeing Brian again. There was no telling how this was going to play out now that everyone was bound to find out about my homecoming.

I took another long drink from the bottle, sighing and resting it between my knees again as I let Brandon Boyd's voice lull me into a state of unconsciousness from an emotionally exhausting day.

Tomorrow would only get worse.