I'm the Kind of Human Wreckage That You Love.

We parted ways, somehow. I’m not sure how. What I do know is that I thought about him everyday right up until we crossed paths again.

A month had passed and I had managed to make my way up the corporate ladder. I bounced around the Eyeball Records looking for my niche. I really enjoyed my position as an sound technician intern. I felt so in control, and all those little knobs were so much fun to mess around with. Although I loved it, my boss must of had some problem with women in the workforce because he never liked me. So, being fed up with his bullshit, I started working with a band manager. Michael Spiegel, worked with, like, a dozen bands, but his most popular was Pencey Prep. He thought that if he was ever really going to teach me anything, I would learn from a successful band, rather than a struggling one. I started working with them exclusively. Since so many good things were happening with them, they needed a lot of help. Michael became swamped with band turmoil with one of his other successful bands, so that left me working with Pencey Prep alone. It was really exciting for me. Not only was just a huge advancement in my career and salary, they were the band that changed my life.

“So tonight after you finish dinner, we have to go to New York to check out the new cd cover artwork,” I read off a sheet of folded paper from my back pocket. It was as organized as I could get, but it worked.

“No, actually we’re going to Sadie’s party,” Frank corrected me. Like classic Frank with a dead pan delivery.


Him, John, Shaun, and Tim were sitting around my kitchen table, as I leaned on the kitchen counter. (Thanks to my new salary, I could finally afford an apartment that held more than one person.) I turned around to face the sink and mumble some profanities. I felt him come up behind me and wrap his arms around me. His lip ring on my neck was a cool, familiar feeling. This was his trick to persuade me to do anything. It always, well, did the trick.

I turned to face him and pushed him off me. “Sadie’s party, huh,” I looked at the two boys sitting and joking, “Now what would New Jersey punk heroes be doing at a college party?” That was my trick.

“I thought we told you to not call us that. It’s bad karma.” John spoke up.

“Well Michael’s always saying, and what he says is law. And he’s gonna have my ass if we don’t make it to New York.” I alerted them.

I saw the guys nod their heads.

“We’ll go, we’ll go, ok?” Tim assured.

I went to grab my coat in my bedroom. Frank walked behind me and when I entered my room he slammed the door shut and I heard him slam his body against it and start yelling to the guys, “Go!, Go!”

“Frankie open the FUCKING DOOR!” I heard him start to whistle as I pounded on the door.

“What was that, princess?” he laughed before he resumed his whistling.

“Guess I’ll just have to climb out the window then!” I threatened.

“And go where, exactly?”

Fucker had a point.

“They better be going to New York...”

“They are, ...but we’re not”

“What? How is that going to work?”

“You forget you write everything down and give it to us weeks ahead of time. I knew we were going tonight, we’ll not me exactly...”

“What are you trying to pull, Frankie?”

“Just an early birthday present.”

Huh? I had forgotten that my birthday was only a week away. But he didn’t, he’s good with things like that.

“Really? Shit...”

“Did you forget again? Silly goose.” With that he opened the door, grabbed my hand and we ran out to my car.

On the way there, he blasted his favorite new band. They didn’t have a name yet, like many of his favorite bands. He had an ear for music. I remembered him playing this demo to and from gigs. I can see why, it was new, and it lifted my mood.

“You’re gonna love tonight.”

I raised my eyebrow at him as we pulled into a parking space. We had to park around the corner and we raced to the front door. He won on account of me having no idea where we were going.

“How cute! Your nose is pink! haha” I teased as he rang the doorbell and pounded on the door shouting ‘The party’s here! Open up!’

As we were silent, I could hear Thursday playing.

“NO WAY! Aaaahhh! No way, no way, no way!”

“I told you tonight would fucking rock...”

Just then a girl opened the door. She had her hair in two long braids, wore a newsboy cap, and sported a pair of purple tinted glasses.

“Mikey hurry up!” She didn’t notice we were standing in front of her. When she turned her head at us she seemed embarrassed and annoyed. Then a young guy, about my age, poked his head out from behind the door, above hers. He was wearing glasses, too ‘What a cute couple,’ I thought.

“Hey, Mikey! How’s it goin’?” Frankie asked

I looked at him surprised.

Mikey replied, “Uh, well, you know, good. I guess.”

“This is..”

We suddenly heard a loud crash from inside. Mikey turned around and rushed away. I turned to the girl who wrinkled her brow and rolled her eyes in frustration.

“Oh, for christsakes,” I hear her say, “Hurry up! I’m leaving”

“I’m comin’ sister,” I hear a new voice say, well, more like slur.

“Oh, Jesus!” Mikey complains, “Get up!”

“Don’t rush me...slowww and sleepy wins the race...wait, thats not IT!” The new voice starts laughing hysterically after that.

The girl huffs past Frankie and I and we move out of her path stiffly. We’ve been almost stunned frozen.

“Sid, wait! Please!” Mikey pleads, trying to grasp the body, now on the floor, rolling in laughter.

The door has been pushed open at this point and I took a peek at the guy causing all this trouble. He’s wearing a pair of tattered jeans and a faded brown plaid shirt. His short black hair was matted and ragged. But he did have on a sweet pair of black boots. Finally getting the guy to his feet, Mikey takes a deep breath and lets it out, as if preparing for something. Frankie tells me to stay where I am and he begins to help poor Mikey and his obviously drunk-out-of-his-mind friend. They stumble down the stairs and I never got a good look at the fool’s face. As they walk away down the street I sit on the steps. I hear Thursday again and start singing along. Before I know it Frankie’s back and rushes me into the party.

“So what happened?”

“What’d you say, princess?” He pretended not to hear me. ‘I’ll just ask later,’ I thought.

We made a beeline towards the band. We watched for a good 45 minutes until they finished. Then Frankie said something about beer. Sounded good to me. At the bar we met some of our friends, also preparing to get hammered. I only ever got hammered with Frankie because if I got out of hand, he would always take care of me. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be getting too drunk tonight, based on the scene we had just witnessed.

“Ryan! Buddy, ol’ pal!” I screamed over the music

“Hey, babe, you look good as always. Hey Frank,”

“Hey. Where’s Natalie?” Frankie asked. Him and Nat kind of always had a thing for each other.

“I don’t know, actually, we broke up again.” Ryan replied depressed. How many was this now? Four? Five?

“Sorry to hear that, hang with us tonight?” I offered. “Did I see Vincent here? He owes me a good time.”

Frankie left, but said he would meet me at the green couch in an hour. In search of Natalie, I suppose.

Ryan and I found Vincent, Garrett and Ashley, other friends, and we drank and laughed a lot. It came to a more quiet moment between us, and I happened to look out the window. I saw the guy Mikey had helped out sitting against a tree. Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to meet him. I told the guys where I was going and told them to meet Frankie in my place. I pulled out a cigarette from my purse to make it look like I had a reason to go outside. When outside, I almost regretted it, realizing how frickin’ cold it was out. I kept my back to where he was as I thought of how to approach him. Then I heard a quick laugh and a rustling of leaves. I turned to identify the noise, and gasped at what I saw. He was trying to climb the tree!