Second Chances

When Sam walked out on to the back patio Matt and Zacky were already in the water taking squirt guns and shooting them at each other from across the pool. Johnny was running at full speed in to the pool, tucking his knees in to his chest and creating a huge splash right between them.

She pulled out one of the patio chairs around the table and sat down in it, watching the idiots make even bigger idiots of themselves.

“You want a beer?”

She looked up at the tall lanky guy next to her. “Sure Jimbo.” He nodded and headed back inside to grab two out of the fridge, putting it down on the table in front of her and taking a seat next to her. He popped the cap off for her before doing his own and taking a drink.

Sam stared off at nothing in particular. She was still pretty amazed at Jimmy’s house. It had tiki torches all around the back yard and a huge pool with a waterfall and hot tub. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve thought that he was forever going to be a bachelor having wild pool parties and strange drinking contests.

Then her mind switched back to what she had originally been thinking about: Brian.

First she was depressed because he had a girlfriend, but he was just her friend and only that. Then his girlfriend called and said that she wanted her to keep Brian away from her so that she could go off and be happy with a kid from high school. What the hell was she supposed to do? Run up to him and go ‘Oh yeah, by the way, you have to be with me because I kinda like you and yourgirlfriend ex girlfriend is going off with another man.’

Hell, Sam didn’t even know if she really had something for Brian or not yet!

She slumped back in her chair and let her brain do all the talking for a little while, listening as it pointed out the most obvious and the not so obvious things.

“Bubbles?”

“You called me Bubbles,” She said turning her head towards him with a small smile.

“That’s your nickname,” He said returning her soft grin. He took another sip of his beer and leaned back in the chair. “You have that look on your face,” He noted. “What’s going on inside that insane little head of yours?” He asked, tapping on the top of her head with his index finger.

“A lot,” She breathed out. “Some of it I don’t even understand.”

Jimmy nodded and let it rest at that. Now was neither the time nor the place to bother her about what was wrong. That was one of the many reasons why she loved Jimmy. He always knew when he needed to stop asking questions around her. Now if it were one of the guys, he would’ve kept asking until they got so fed up with him that they would just tell him.

“Damn,” Johnny said under his breath, eyeing Sam up and down. She felt her cheeks grow a little warm as she pulled her knees up to her chest in an attempt to cover herself up.

“Purple looks very lovely on you,” Johnny complimented, earning another death glare of Jimmy.

“Thanks. Zacky helped me pick it out.”

“VENGEANCE!”

“Yeah?” The dark haired boy answered, leaning up against the edge of the pool.

Sam put her hand on Jimmy’s arm. “Jimbo, calm down. Nothing happened.”

He looked over to Zacky then back at Sam. “Alright,” He sighed, turning his attention back at Zacky who was still wondering why his name was called. “Never mind,” Jimmy dismissed and he went back to sneak attacking Matt with the water gun.

“But as far as you go,” Jimmy said looking sternly at Johnny. “If I catch you trying to get her in to bed, I will cut your balls off. You hear me short shit?”

Johnny gulped and hesitantly grabbed himself before nodding and walking away from them.

“What the hell was that for?” Sam asked, shocked by what just happened.

“I don’t want them all over you,” He stated. “Well, at least not Johnny anyway.”

Sam choked on her own laughter as Jimmy just watched her confused as hell. Once she composed herself she answered back to Jimmy.

“You have nothing to worry about between Johnny Christ and I,” She clarified. “He and I are just friends.” Jimmy eyed her carefully when she said this. “I couldn’t even imagine sleeping with him.”

Just as he was about to say something, Jimmy’s phone began ringing and he got up from the table, walking away to answer the call. While he was away, Zacky and Matt had ceased fire and gotten out of the pool, joining Sam at the table.

“What was I yelled at for?” Zacky asked, taking a seat.

Sam shook her head and laughed. “Jimmy thought I wanted to sleep with Johnny because he made a comment about my bathing suit. Then I told him you helped me pick it out and he thought we did something.”

Zacky nodded understandingly and filled in the rest of the blanks that I had left.

Jimmy returned a few minutes later with a sad look on his face. He threw his phone down on to the table and resumed his spot next to Sam. A second later, her own phone buzzed letting her know she had a new text.

Chellllllllllsea

She hit it open button and read what she had to say.

Bri is coming over. hes a sad panda tonight. take care of him?

She slid open her phone and quickly typed in her reply.

Sure

Sam knew exactly why Brian was coming over and it wasn’t because of Jimmy’s large and extravagant pool.

“Brian and Chelsea broke up,” Jimmy announced to the group. All of the guy’s faces fell while Sam avoided looking at them all.

“Why?” Matt asked. Sam knew why.
“I don’t know,” Jimmy shrugged. “He just called me in tears saying that he was coming over because he needed some.”

“Some?” Sam asked, picking her head up and looking at her cousin. Jimmy looked back at her unsure if he should tell her or not. She tilted her head to the side and gave a confused face.

“Drugs,” Matt answered for him.

“Oh.”

“I thought he was clean again?” Zacky asked.
“He was when he was with Chelsea,” Jimmy said. “But now they’re done and he wants them again.”

“I really don’t feel like driving him to the hospital if he takes too much,” Matt whined. “He’s my best friend, but I hate when he fucking does that.”

“You can’t give him any,” Johnny added.
“And what do you suppose I do?” Jimmy questioned. Johnny just shrugged. “Exactly,” Jimmy replied.

“I could take care of him tonight,” Sam offered. The four of them looked at her like she had just grown a third eye.

“Are you serious?” Johnny asked.

Sam nodded. “I took care of my best friend in her time of need. And my ……” She stopped talking. Jimmy knew what she was going to say and knew that she didn’t want to say it. She drew in a breath and began again. “I’m pretty sure I’m more qualified in this field of breakdowns than you guys are anyway,” She said hoping that they would ignore her hesitant pause.

“He’ll be here in ten minutes,” Jimmy warned. “If I were you, I’d go put on some clothes.”