The Masochism Is Alive

These flashing, dazzling blue lights and giant beer- stained speakers had become my home this past year. After touring with Hatebreed around the whole world, I decided to retire my black and red- headed self to being a shitty new- aged DJ at a club called 'The Rainbow Room'. My life was boring, completely. I drink, I fuck, I sleep. I do nothing out of the Californian ordinary. I used to, though, with my friends. We "had the straight edge". What ever the fuck they used to say. We flaunted it in our little band called Eighteen Visions. We were epic, nonetheless. Brought in a nice sized crowd.

We broke up in 2007. What a fucking knock- off.

Now I sit around, jobless for the most part, drinking my ass off. I had fallen "off the wagon" about two years ago, and I enjoyed every second of my drunken high, but only when I was on it. Other than that, I hated every last second of my dreadful, hung over, pissed off, apocalyptic life.

I used to have everything. Great friends, a great job, a great sister, and the best girl around, but I lost it all. All of it. One night took it all from me. Just one night ruined it all.

The first time I ever met Sage Aleena Hart was in early 1997 when I was doing her older brother a favor. James called me from the gym, begging me to pick up his sister from his house and drop her off at the gym. I had asked him why the fuck he couldn't do it himself or why Brandan couldn't just pick her up because, come on, I had never met the girl in my life. I mean, wouldn't it be hella awkward to just show up at someone's door all like, "Hello, I'm Mick Morris, and your brother called me from the gym to pick you up and drop you off with him. Trust me. Now get in my car, and let's drive off to never- never land,"? Yeah, I thought so. But, alas, let it be so.

"Mick, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Open up your sun roof!" My sister sat on skinny jean- covered legs in the seat behind me, straining her arms to push the button to open my sun roof. I slapped her hand down, re- adjusting the giant sunglasses that perched on my nose. Glancing at Vienna and her boyfriend in the rear view mirror, I scoffed. Her boyfriend was a nice guy. Trust worthy, loving, a little on the dark side, but extremely sweet to my sister. His name was Christopher, and it fit his lengthy as fuck body. Long, dyed- black hair framed his face, and pierced lips always curled into a smile while he was around. He was a little on the gay side, though. Not that I'm homophobic or anything! I have a nice hand full of gay friends, and, let's face it, I've had a few of my own gay escapades here and there. Gay pride, all the way!

Ehem, anyway, back to where I was going with this. They were a perfect couple. Brown eyes met brown eyes in shy gazes, nimble fingers would twine with tiny ones, thumb stroking the other. They were just too sickening.

On the other hand, Sage Aleena was sitting in the seat next to me. I still don't know where her and James were going, but my sister was going with them, too. I swear to God something was going on with my sister and him. It was just strange. Sage glanced at Vee and Chris through monster aviators, tapping black Van- covered feet tap to the beat of whatever was playing in her ears on the dash board. Her pale skin was hardly covered by spandex shorts and an all black wife- beater, and it was a rather... Teasing outfit, to say the least.

"Come on, Mick. It's all nice and cool outside. Just let it open for a little bit!" I rolled my eyes and finally let into my sister's pleas, opening the sun roof. Sage's nose crinkled a little, and she brought her sun glasses down to the tip of her nose, looking at me over the top of them,

"Is that completely necessary?" Her eye brow was raising, and she took one of the buds out of her ear.

"Yeah, yeah, I think it is." She rolled her eyes, placing her glasses back up at the top of her nose and flipping hair off of her shoulder before she threw what I assumed was a glare at me. I just shook my head, reaching over to knock her feet off of the dash board.

"Hey!" She shot up in her reclined chair, yanking her glasses off to reveal beautifully lined green- blue eyes, "That was uncalled for!" I just shrugged and cranked up the volume on the car's radio, ignoring the ranting sixteen- year- old in shot gun. She huffed a little and turned down the radio before placing her feet back on the dash.

"Yeah, uhm, Sweety, no. I'm sorry to break it to you, but," I brought my leg up from under the steering wheel to kick her feet back off, "That's not gonna work." I turned the music back up, trying to pay no attention to any of the egotistical teenagers in my car. Vee and Chris were obviously not swayed in any way for they hadn't released the other's lips in a good five minutes. I think that might actually be a record.

"Listen, Mick," She turned the music back down and pulled her chair back up to the right position, "I know you're like, my brother's best friend slash gay lover thing, but that doesn't mean I have to like you. So, let's set this in stone. I don't like you," She pointed her thumbs at herself before pointing her pointer fingers at my chest, "You don't like me, but this is a twenty minute ride, can't we just get the fuck along?" I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying my hardest not to just open the door and literally kick her out of my car.

"I wasn't the one who fucking started it, but whatever." There was an awkward silence between us until a quiet moan came from the back seat, causing the both of us to laugh.

"Okay, okay. You can turn the music back up," She glanced in the back seat again before laughing even harder and placing a hand on my shoulder, "I feel so sorry for you. I know how they are. They fuck like fucking bunnies back at my house, and Holy fucking GOD, they aren't quiet!" My nose crinkled up in disgust at the mere thought of my sister like that, and I just waved my hand,

"Yeah, well, I feel sorry for you. You've got James as a brother. I think you win this round." She just laughed again and nodded as we pulled into the parking lot of the stupid fucking gym. She got out, dragging Chris and Vienna behind her, regarding me with a wave goodbye. That car ride would go down in fucking history. She was a cocky one, yes, but something about her made me like her already.

We didn't get a long regardless if James was around or not. She'd do things to me in my sleep, and James would always tell me about it while trying to hold back laughter. She'd do things like poor ice cold water on my crotch, or draw fake mustaches or penises on my face. But I got back at her as much as I could without James totally flipping shit on me. Nothing big like coming on her pillow and leaving it there or tea- bagging her in her sleep... Just enough to get on her nerves. Eating the last of her cereal, for instance. She hated that, but I'd always play stupid and get away with it.

The second time we actually had long enough contact with each other to establish more hate... Oh, God. My good friend Matt was over, and we were watching cheesy scifi movies for my birthday, which was that day, when my little puppy started going ape shit about a noise we heard outside.

"Shut your fucking dog up, Mick." Matt shot a dagger- like glare at the little dog who shut up right away. He walked over to the little front window of my house, moving the certain a little bit before chuckling darkly. "Mick," I perked up and paused the movie, "Be quiet, and come here." I walked over next to him, peering out the window as a pink and black haired man darted across my yard.

"Oh, Jesus Christ, what is James doing?" There was a flash white and toilet paper lined the my front bushes in a second. Next, a mess of black on black rushed by, spraying something else white at my door step. Matt stepped back from the window, looking down on me with an eyebrow raised,

"Should we do something about it? And who the living fuck is that with him?" He glanced out of the window again, licking his lips.

"You know what we should do? We should scare the living shit out of them. Oh, and Matt." He looked at me, green eyes fully attentive, "You're a dirty old man. That's James' little sister Sage. She's sixteen right now." He just laughed again, turning a little red in the face before sitting down and stroking my dog as he questioned my idea. "I will go around the side, get the hose pipe ready, and when they're almost done, you can walk out, bust them, and I'll spray everything down." He just cocked his head a little, looking at me like I was stupid, "Then we'd make them clean it up themselves, of course." He showed a wolfish grin, and stood.

"You go around, and tap the window lightly to let me know when to go out." I slunk off out of the back door and around the house, looking at the girl who was wrapping my trees. She ran around the tree in a way that teased, and tossed a roll of toilet paper over it to her brother. James handed her a bottle of shaving cream, pointing at my front door. She nodded, and ran over as a I quickly tapped on the window. I heard my door open, and I could see Sage's shadow in the door way. She went stiff as Matt let out a devilish chuckle."

"Well, well. May I help you with something." Even though I couldn't see the scene, I still could picture everything. Matt's eyes growing darker as he realized that he had a perfect view down her low cut shirt. Sage's face was probably paling more and more as the minutes ticked away. I stood after a moment of silence, the hose pipe already dripping a little as I kinked it before I jumped out. I screamed loudly as I sprayed down my yard and everyone in it, throwing the hose down.

"Oh, my God. Mick!" James stood with his mouth hanging open, pink and black hair plastered to his head as he dripped with water. I slunk out of the darkness with my hands in the air, and James walked over, opening his arms. "Happy Birthday, man!" He walked closer and closer, his nimble fingers outstretched and wiggling.

"Woah, James. I'm not about to hu-" He caught me and pulled me to his chest, the water on his shirt already soaking through mine. I pushed him away, and placed my hands on my hips. "Now, when I go change, you and your evil little sister," I motioned towards Sage, who looked pretty short compared to my large friend standing next to him, "Can clean up my yard. All of it." James' mouth popped open, as if to protest my request, but I cut him off with a simple, "Or I'll call the cops." I just smirked, and stalked off toward the backdoor to change.

Once I got back from my room, Matt was sitting back down on my couch, mumbling smugly to my dog. "Well, well, well. What's this?" I picked at a piece of paper that was poking out of Matt's pocket. He blushed a little, and shoved it deeper into his pocket.

"It... It's nothing." I smirked, and danced a little, singing something about "Matty has a secret! Matty has a seeecreeet!" He glared, and sighed. "Fine, fine. It's Sage's number." After this, he took my dog off of his lap, and stood. "Now, the movies are over, I actually think I'm going to retire back home. It's like, three AM." I just nodded, and sighed, walking him out to his car. "Happy Birthday, man. Hope you had a good one." There was a man hug somewhere between those words, and I walked back inside, heading right to the couch to collapse.

Fuck. My. Life.