The Flood

I changed into a pair of pajamas that I’d left a Robyn’s when I’d slept over a few weeks before hand and walked into the living room where everyone was spread out watching Freddy Vs. Jason. Max and Monte on the couch, Robert in an armchair his legs dangling over the edge and Robyn and Craig on the floor sitting Indian style. I sat down on the couch between Monte and Max who handed me the popcorn and started watching the movie. I didn’t realize it but I started tapping my fingers on the side of the bowl.

“Loran! Will you stop tapping out ‘Not Good Enough For Truth In Cliché’? I’m trying to hear the fucking movie!” Robyn said. “So that’s what that was, I thought it sounded familiar.” Craig laughed. I threw a handful of popcorn at Robyn, “Bitch! Throwing food is my thing!” she said and threw an even larger handful of popcorn back at me but missed and hit Max. “What the hell dude?” he replied and that’s when the popcorn began to earnestly fly.

Soon the room was covered in popcorn leaving us with none to finish our movie. “You guys can clean this up. C’mon Loran lets go make some more.” Robyn said taking the bowls from Max and Craig. “Okay spill.” Robyn said as soon as the kitchen door swung closed. “Spill what?” I asked and she rolled her eyes. “You almost said something earlier about you and Max.” she said. “Oh. That.” I said. “Talk!” Robyn said. I took a deep breath and let it out, “Fine, I think that Max and I might have almost kissed.” I said. “What?!?” she asked dropping the popcorn bowl with a clatter.

“Yeah I bent down to get something and he reached over me to get something and when I stood up he was closer to me than I thought and we were sort of moving in for it and then my hand hit the mixer and batter went everywhere.” I said. “Only you Loran.” she said with a smile and put the popcorn in the microwave. “So what’s going on with you and Craig?” I asked. “Nothing.” Robyn said with a blush. “C’mon…tell me!” I said. “Fine, nothing has happened yet but I think it will. He keeps sitting by me, finding someway to touch me, that thing.” she said. I nodded, “We traded in MCR for ETF. We’ve gone up a step on the hotness ladder if I do say so myself.” I said thinking about our high school obesession with Gerard and Mikey Way who were nothing compaired to Craig and Max. Robyn laughed, “Defiantly.”

After the popcorn was done we poured it into the bowls and walked back into the living room where we watched the rest of the movie. “God I’m tired.” Robyn said with yawn. “Same here.” Max said. “Well I’m sleeping in my room, that couch is a pull out and should be enough for two people. Robert that chair you’re in is a recliner and I have a blow up bed in the closet.” Robyn said. “You’ve got a lot of places to sleep for someone who lives alone.” Robert said. “Eh…someone is always crashing her.” she replied. I had done the math in my head, that was a total of four places to sleep since the blow up bed was a twin bed, and had caught the glint in Robyn’s eye. “I call the pull out!” I said and stood up and began tossing the cushions off of the top of it.

Monte was in the closet and pulled out the blow up bed. “Uh…dude this is a twin.” he said. “Yeah, I figured Loran wanted to sleep in my room and let you guys sleep out here but i guess not.” Robyn said in what only I could tell was a fake pissed off voice. “You’re bed’s too squishy.” I replied and she mock rolled her eyes. “I call dibs on the recliner.” Robert said and sat it back. “I’ve got the blow up.” Monte replied. “Fine then I’ll take the floor.” Max said. “You don’t have to take the floor Max, you can sleep up here. We’re both adults.” I said. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Totally. C’mon!” I said and patted the bed beside me.

“What about Craig?” Robert asked but by his tone I could tell he knew what was going on. “I’ll sleep with Robyn if she doesn’t mind.” Craig said. “Oh, it’s cool. C’mon and help me get the blankets for them.” she said with smile. Robyn and Craig returned with a pile of blankets and handed them to us. Max helped me make up our bed while Robert helped Monte blow his up.

“Do you mind if I take off my jeans? It’s kinda hard to sleep with them on.” Max asked. I looked at Max, if he took off his jeans that would leave him in his boxers and a t-shirt (he’d changed back into his own clothes earlier) so he wouldn’t be completely naked. “No, It’s fine.” I said. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Yes!” I replied. I tried not to watch as he pulled his jeans off and haphazardly folded them and put them in the chair before climbing into bed. “Night guys.” Robyn said and shut off the light. “Night.” I replied and turned onto my stomach to go to sleep and ignore the fact that Max Green was lying right next to me in bed. Eventually I dozed off and fell into a restless sleep.

Robyn and Mikey Way (when Mikey still had his glasses) stood under an arch of black and purple flowers kissing when suddenly Craig charged in, “STOP! That’s my girlfriend!” he yelled but his mouth wasn’t moving like it should it was like he was being dubbed like in old Kung-Fu movies. “You’ll never defeat me!” Mikey yelled back his voice dub like too. They jumped into the air Matrix style and began to fight like two anime characters. “I will win! You do not stand a chance!” Craig yelled. From nowhere Mikey picked up his bass and began to whack Craig with it like he was some sort of piñata. It looked like Craig was going to lose but suddenly he pulled out a microphone and began to tie Mikey up then pulled it tighter and tighter and ‘BOOM!’ and Mikey exploded into a pile of popcorn.

I sat up with a bolt in the bed, my heart pounding in my chest. “Whoa, Loran are you alright?” Max asked sitting up. “Y-Yeah I just had a…well I don’t know if it was a nightmare or not but it was weird.” I said. “So you’re okay?” he asked. I nodded, “Yeah, I sometimes get that when I sleep in different bed.” I said and laid back down. “Do you think that I’d help if I did this?” Max asked and wrapped an arm around my waist and pressed his chest to my back. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck and the heat of his body thorough my thin black wife beater and Nightmare Before Christmas pj pants. “Uh…yeah.” I said and leaned back into him, it did make me feel better. I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep and eventually I did.

I don’t know how long I slept but I was woken up by a weird noise at the door. I sat up and Max stirred beside me, “What’s wrong? Another dream?” he sleepily slurred. “No there’s someone at the door.” I whispered. “I’ll see who it is.” Max said and got up form the bed and began to slowly walk toward the door when suddenly it flew open with a gust of wet wind and a crack of thunder and a dark figure standing in the doorway. Max jumped back onto the bed as both him and I let out a scream.

Monte toppled off his air mattress and Robert sat straight up in the recliner just as Robyn, who was armed with an aluminum bat, and Craig, who was only in a pair of tight fitting boxers, raced in. “What’s going on?” she said and switched on a light. I looked back toward the door and saw my friend Shayla standing in the doorway her long dark hair falling in wet dreads around her face. She turned to me and Max her eyes blazing, “Other than these two scaring the living shit out of me?” she asked. “We scared you? You were the one breaking in here at 2 in the fucking morning!” I said. “I wasn’t breaking in! I got the fucking key from under the mat!” she replied throwing said key at me.

“Whatever! Shayla what’s going on?” Robyn asked. “I needed out of that fucking house.” she replied shedding her soaked hoodie. Shayla didn't get along with her aunt who she lived with. They had regular fights and she usually ended up here. “I couldn’t-” she began but stopped when she looked around. “Why is Escape The Fate sleeping in your living room? And…why don’t they have pants on?” she asked looking first at Max then at Craig. I’d seen Craig in his underwear on YouTube and in pictures but it was nothing compared to seeing it in real life. “Uh…Craig and I were…but Loran…why aren’t you wearing pants Max?” Robyn stuttered out.

“I can’t sleep in jeans.” he said with a smile. “Okay…” Robyn said with a look at me then launched into the story of how we’d met them the day before, how Max had knocked me in the head, then how I’d rescued them from death by fangirls earlier. I knew she was omitting the parts where she and Craig were getting close and how I’d almost kissed Max knowing that she’d fill Shayla in later. “So you’re all like friends now?” Shayla asked. “Uh…yeah I guess.” Craig replied. Shayla just nodded and I saw her look over at Robert and noticed that Robert was looking at her the same way. “I don’t know where you’re going to crash.” Robyn said looking around. “She can sleep over here with me. She’s small enough to fit.” Robert said. “Uh…thanks.” Shayla said.

Shayla changed into some dry clothes that Robyn found for her and climbed onto the recliner with Robert. Max, Monte and I all got into our beds and turned off the light. I felt Max scoot closer to me and once again wrap his arm around my middle, allowing me to relax into him. “What was your nightmare about?” he whispered. “Nothing big. Lets just say it involved Robyn, Mikey Way, Craig and Kung-Fu.” I said and he chuckled, “That scared you?” he asked. “I told you it was just weird. Sometime weird things freak me out.” I replied. He was silent for a moment, “I’m not exactly normal, do I freak you out?” he asked and I could hear the smile in his voice. “No, you don’t freak me out.” I replied turning so I could look at him better. “What about this?” he asked and pressed his lips to mine.

He pulled away and looked at me, biting the snake bite on his lower lip with a smile, “No, that doesn’t freak me out.” I replied and leaned in kissing him again. He pulled me closer to him deepening the kiss. I tugged at his lower lip and he let out a small moan. Suddenly something flew through the air, “What the fuck was that?” I asked. “Can you please keep the fucking to a minimum? Some of us are trying to sleep and would prefer not to hear that shit!” Shayla’s voice responded from the dark. I rolled my eyes and laid back down allowing Max’s arms to wrap around me and my body to mold with his. With one brief kiss we fell asleep.