If It Keeps You Around Then I'm Down

"What a dick!" John called out with an astonished look on his face. I nodded raising my eyebrows in agreement. Kennedy sat in silence most of the ride except to let out chuckles a joke John or I had made, in sarcasm of course. The heat was sweltering despite the fact the air conditioning was on, I peeled off my cardigan and tied up my hair into a loose bun.

"Tell me about it, actually don't I was there," I said jokingly and John laughed slightly smiling a little. I looked over at Kennedy who smiled slightly, we pulled up to a large white brick house and I saw Katie's bright lime green car in the driveway, she went through a phase sophomore year where she was obsessed with lime green and her parents took it a little too far, but they were going off what they knew which was relatively nothing.

I saw a short raven-haired girl standing the doorway with a white button down and black pants on from work. She waved excitedly and her short, chin length hair was flying everywhere. I chuckled to myself taking off my seatbelt and pulling on my backpack before he had even stopped the car, as soon as he shifted into park I bolted out.

"KAY-KAY!" I yelled excitedly running and we did a big bear hug and then did our secret handshake, which we invented in third grade making all the other kids jealous. First we slapped hands and shook them and then kicked feet before bumping hips and doing a jumping chest bump. Worked better before puberty, but the handshake was unamendable.

"AY-AY!" She called out before hugging me again and studying me. She was curvy, which was cute because they thought I was short, Katie was five one on a good day. Which meant I was taller than someone in this world. "What's wrong?" She asked analyzing my red eyes and smeared makeup.

"I'll tell you later," I smiled and she nodded as Kennedy and John groaned pretending my bags were really heavy and bending their knees dramatically. Katie gave Kennedy a stern look and he straightened up. John did as well, but only to laugh at Kennedy. I laughed at John laughing until Katie gave us both looks and it got awkward.

"Come in! Your room is upstairs!" She said as Kennedy groaned hauling my suitcase up the stairs, I felt bad and I smiled sympathetically at me.

"Oh, hell no!" John said putting my bag down in protest. Katie shot him a look again and he raised his arm like it would bounce off his hand. "Don't use your scary eye powers on me! Have you fucking felt this thing?!" He pointed down to the bag. I let out a laugh and walked down the stairs.

"Well hello to you too John," Katie said with a clear despise in her voice. Katie already told me she didn't like John, she didn't really know why either. She liked all of Kennedy's other band mates, not John.

"Here, I can get it," I smiled politely and John swatted my hand away. He pushed up his hoodie sleeves and took a deep breathe lifting it up and running up the stairs past Kennedy, he disappeared past my eye sight and I laughed as he came back out dancing circles.

"I'm a fucking boss," He chanted, Katie rolled her eyes and led Kennedy to my room as I followed. It was a guest bedroom with pale walls and a random picture of Katie and I in second grade holding up our construction paper turkeys, me dressed up as an Indian and her as a pilgrim.

"Aw, Katie I love it!" I said sitting on the white sheets and white comforter over a twin bed. John walked in smiling and Katie's attitude dropped in a matter of seconds. I laughed, Katie and her mood swings.

"Is this you two?" John inquired holding up the picture, I bit my lip and nodded but Katie sighed dramatically and I saw Kennedy blush slightly.

"Who else would it be?" She sneered leaving the room. John opened his eyes wide and bit his lip as if in fear, I laughed and nodded. Kennedy followed her out and John lagged behind to talk to me.

"What did you do to piss her off?" I asked smiling nodding to the empty doorway. He shrugged and jutted out his bottom lip,

"I dunno." I rolled my eyes in disbelief and he sighed in concession, "I might have slept with her one of her best friends and not called her after?" He said like it was question. I laughed and nodded.

"That would do it," I said nodding, Katie had a wrath that could make Chuck Norris quiver. I was actually a little bit jealous of her, I had one of those wraths that was easily forgotten after about two weeks.

"I apologized too, it was insane! Now half the Arizona population thinks I have herpes," he pouted as I laughed we walked down the stairs to see Kennedy and Katie arguing.

"No, I'm not bringing Ava to your band's practice on the very first day," Katie said clearly annoyed of being in the presence of John. I chuckled, I was actually starting to like John which would clearly cause a conflict.

"Katie, that actually sounds like a lot of fun," I said as Kennedy looked at Katie who was much more relaxed. She raised her eyebrows as if to ask are you sure and I nodded. That was the best thing about best friends, secret talking codes.

"Let me change real quick," She ran past John who looked at her very intimidated, he whimpered slightly and Katie flicked him off. Kennedy looked back and forth between them and I busted out into laughter. She came out in short denim shorts and a v-neck, a very low-cut v-neck. Kennedy smiled slightly and John raised his eyebrows earning him a smack from her.

"Ow! Get your mind out of the gutter Katerina I was admiring the fabric!" John said defensively and I knew using her full name would earn ten years or so on the grudge, which is probably why John did it.

"Fuck you, O'Callaghan," She said wrapping her arm around Kennedy and making her way to the passenger seat. John mocked her putting his hands on his waist and scrunching his nose. I laughed and made my way to the back seat.

"You got some legs on you for a shorty," John said raising his eyebrows. Katie sighed loudly and shot him a very stone cold look from her gray eyes. John rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out slightly, "I wasn't talking to you Kitty Kat, I was talking to you very interesting friend." I blushed and knew that Katie's blood was probably boiling, Kitty Kat was another one of those things that could earn you a stab or two.

"Thank you awkward-bodied cocky boy I just met like an hour ago," I smiled and John mimicked me again. I mimicked him mimicking me and he realized I was joking a giant smile spread across that he tilted his head back to support. Katie snorted and Kennedy let out a little chuckle.

"We're here!" John called out excitedly, I laughed unbuckling my seat belt.

"No shit, Captain Obvious," Katie said under her breath. This would definitely be interesting. I walked into a still hot garage, my neck was beginning to perspire, but not badly. I was blessed with shy sweat glands.

"KAY-TAY!" A medium height boy with a large nose and a very scrawny body came up and hugged her. I stood relatively awkwardly next to John as all the guys greeted her excitedly. She smiled her mood was good again as she talked to a tall redhead and medium height reddish-brown haired boy. They suddenly grew silent and eye fell on me. Katie pulled me away from John and into their circle.

"Guys this is my best-est friend, Ava, so be nice and make sure John keeps her penis away from him," She joked and I smiled as they all looked at John who sighed raising his arms above his head. "Ava, this is Jared," She pointed to the tall red head who now looked like he had more blond hair. "This is Garrett," She pointed to the medium height boy next to him and then pointed to the scrawny boy who was spazzing out climbing on the counter tops making me cock my head in curiosity, "That's Pat."

"Wait- who's that?" Pat asked jumping off and I laughed.

"That's Ava retard!" Garret said dropping his jaw condescendingly Pat brought up his middle finger and grabbed drum stick and started playing his legs. John got up on a lone mic and smirked at me. The boys got their instruments and started playing.

"Thank you, we're the Maine and that song was called Give Me Anything," John smirked, he had a really good voice and they were all really talented. I looked at Katie who was completely enamored with Kennedy.

"So Jack and I broke up," I said quietly when they started playing a new song.

"What?!" Katie yelled terribly loud, I laughed and looked at the boys who had stopped playing and she looked at me with sympathetic and wild eyes.

"Calm down, it's okay," I said returning my attention to the boys who looked at me wildly.

"What do you mean 'it's okay'?" She seemed offended, "You break up with a guy you're totally head over heels for and you don't call your best friend?!" I laughed and got up pulling my cellphone out of my pocket reminded of my best friend so many miles away. I turned on my phone and saw I had five missed calls all from Alex. The music resumed and I dialed Alex's number, he picked up after two rings.

"Dude what the fuck?!" He answered.

"Hello, is this pizza hut?" I joked and he faked a couple of 'ha's.

"What the fuck happened, I hope you know I beat Jack's ass and I miss you, are you okay?" He asked his voice transitioning from anger to sympathy.

"I will be soon enough," I smirked and he let out a real laugh.

"Come back to Maryland, I miss you! Do I hear music?" Alex said compacted into a matter of five seconds.

"Yeah, I'm at Katie's boyfriend's band practice, I don't know why I keep making friends with band guys, but I think I need a change of scenery. Moving across the country wasn't enough," I laughed.

"That is weird, come with me on tour, we're coming down to the southwest, please pretty please? Are they better than my awesome band?" Alex asked again in an alarmingly fast pace, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Alex, I miss you so much! But, I can't go on tour with you and you know why. The Maine totally kicks All Time Low's ass," I laughed and I heard a Pat yell 'yes!'

"The Maine? What a gay name, please Ava think about it, otherwise I'll have to kidnap you and take you anyways and it will just be so much easier on me if you come of your own free will," Alex said starting to slow down his speech a little.

"Alright well I will think about it Alex, I'm going to make some new friends so I don't have to sit alone in my room, I'll call you and we can talk to sleep alright?" I asked as Alex whined like a child in protest.

"Fine, Love you!" I could see a giant smile across his face on the other side.

"Love you too! Bye!" I said hanging up and I saw a bunch of weird looks at me. I shrugged and muttered 'Best friend'. They all returned to their instruments.

"So you think we're awesome?" Pat said leaning on his drum set trying to seduce me with his giant wiggling eyebrows. I laughed as Katie and Kennedy disappeared, strangely. I nodded biting my lip.

"So where you hail from?" Jared asked trying to cut the tension. I smiled and explained my moving story and he raised his eyebrows. "That's pretty freaking epic." I shrugged and John plopped down next to me.

"So Ava, you're not gonna wanna after you see how we party down here in Arizona, I mean past elementary school, you know," he shrugged.

"We'll see," I said biting my lip.