You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory

SAPPHYRE'S POV

"So where do you work?" some redhead asked me as I saw Zacky walk out of the room to deal with a very drunk Jimmy that was slumped against his side to help support him. Charlie was no where to be seen, and I hadn't seen her in almost twenty minutes. Not being able to find her, I just turned back to the girl I didn't know, and tried to be nice and courteous.

"I work at Coyote Ugly." This girl nodded her head and smiled.

"So you're basically just a whore?"

"What?" I tried to keep my cool. I was seriously getting tired of everyone thinking that anyone who worked at Coyote Ugly was a whore.

"All the girls, bartenders or waitresses that came from that bar were whores." She had this squeak in her voice towards the end that what she had to say was the obvious.

"Wow, I can't believe I'm having this conversation." I rolled my eyes and walked off in search of Aaliyah or Charlie.

"There you are!" I turned around to see that Johnny was the one yelling at me over the loud music I walked closer to. "I leave for five seconds to take a piss, and you've disappeared already."

He chuckled as he placed a hand on my back and searched for a new CD to put into the CD player. I scanned the crowd and looked for one of my friends, and Charlie pushed herself through the crowd to get to me when she caught my eye.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

I hadn't realized that I was frowning, showing the wrinkles in my forehead.

"Some red-headed bimbo was talking to me about where I worked, and when I told her where that was, she proceeded to tell me that every employee that comes from Coyote Ugly is whore Fucking pisses me off when people make that assumption, and it's getting rather old."

She just nodded in silent comprehension, and there were a few moments of silence between us before one of us spoke again.

"Where's Zacky?" she asked.

"He left to one of the rooms," I replied as I took a sip of my beer, emptying the bottle. "I saw Zacky walk out of the room carrying Jimmy. Jimmy is already completely wasted and somehow lost his pants, so I'm assuming Zacky took him back to his room before he passed out on the floor, or somewhere just as odd. Wanna go get another drink with me?"

By this time, Johnny had already switched CD's and was looking intently at the both of us as we held our own conversation, cocking an eyebrow at me as I asked Charlie to go with me to get more drinks.

"I swear, I'll come right back and find you."

He smiled and removed his hand from my back, then joined Matt and Kenzie on a nearby couch. Charlie and I wound our way though the sea of people to the kitchen area where the now almost-empty cooler of beer was sitting on the counter.

"So what's with the sudden decision to drink more?" She smirked at me as I flipped her off. "You didn't even want to be here in the first place."

"Well, Aaliyah didn't drive here, you have all the keys and I know you wouldn't let me leave, so what's the point in sulking?" I grabbed the Rolling Rock, then Charlie grabbed the last bottle, which was a Corona, and we started to make our way back to the couch, my voice growing louder to meet the demands of the music. "I'm here, the alcohol is free, so I might as well just suck it up, and take it like a 'ho."

We busted up laughing and wrapped our arms around each other's shoulders. We got to the couch and took two of the seats on the couch. There were two loveseats on either side of the large sectional, so everyone was sitting next to someone. Three random people, Matt, and Johnny were sitting on the couch, Charlie and I taking up two of the three spaces on the large loveseat.

"DUDE! NO! YOU GET A FUCKING GIRLFRIEND BEFORE YOU START TRYING TO DO THAT SHIT TO ME!" Zacky slammed the door, his face flushed and just about everyone in the room had hushed and was looking at him now. His flushed face grew even darker with the unwanted attention that he drew and he let go of the doorknob and walked away from the room that Jimmy was in.

"Hey guys." Zacky said to Matt and Johnny as he walked up he bypassed them and stood in front of Charlie and I.

"Can we help you, lover boy?" I giggled since I had a vague clue what Jimmy was trying to do to him in the secluded room.

"Oh shut up. You two are taking up a three person couch and there's nowhere for me to sit. Can I please sit down?"

"No it's because of Charlie isn't it?" I decided to tease him as the alcohol started to make me a bit tipsy and Zacky smiled.

"She's a plus."

We scooted over to make room for him, then the five of us began to talk about everything from music, to movies, to pets, to the current weather, our voices becoming louder and more obnoxious the more alcohol we consumed.

“Where’s Brian?” Matt asked. “I just realized that I hadn’t seen him since we got here.”

“Did you also notice that you haven’t seen Cassidy since we got here either?” Zacky chuckled. I busted up laughing.

“I guess you were right about not being able to properly meet Cassidy, Sapphyre,” Matt said with a laugh.”

"Something smells like laundry detergent," I said as my laughter subsided, sniffing the pillow I was holding as I thought the cover had just been washed.

"It's not me," Johnny said. "My clothes are clean."

It took a few seconds for that statement to click in my head, but once it did, I didn't think I was ever going to stop laughing.

"You, dumbass," Charlie managed to choke out through her laughter. "Then you're the one the smells like laundry detergent."

Johnny just stopped everything he was doing and stared at her for a moment.

"Oh...right," he drew out.

Matt smacked the back of his head.

"Oh, like you've never said anything stupid before, Mr. I-wear-sunglasses-inside."

"Fuck you, oompa-loompa."

Johnny tried to hit Matt, but Matt had gotten off the couch too quickly and stepped just far enough away from the couch so that Johnny couldn't reach him.

"I'm gonna go look for Kenzie."

"She's right there, you fucking dumbass," Johnny said as he pointed to the other loveseat where Mackenzie was talking to the redhead I encountered earlier. Zacky and Charlie were laughing at Johnny and Matt, and I could barely stifle my own laughter.

"Maybe if you took off those damn sunglasses, you'd be able to see her."

Johnny chuckled then went to take a sip from his plastic Cup 'O Something, not expecting Matt to shove it in his face and spill his alcohol all over his front.

"You son of a bitch!" Johnny yelled.

Matt giggled like a little girl and ran from Johnny as he pushed himself off the couch and chased after Matt. Everyone was laughing at the two of them, and I could see Kenzie out of the corner of my eye, hands on her face, shaking it from side to side like she was embarrassed, although I could see her shoulders shaking from laughter.

Five minutes later, Johnny was out of breath, and Matt didn't want to run anymore, so they called a truce, after Matt had gotten Johnny into a headlock.

"That was a clean shirt, asshole. Now I have to go put on a new one."

Johnny took off his shirt and threw it in Matt's face before disappearing down the hallway, coming back a few minutes later in a clean shirt.

"ZACKY!"

Suddenly, a great big nude blur went across my field of vision, then Zacky squealed and I looked over at him.

A very naked Jimmy was sitting on Zacky's lap with his arms wrapped around Zacky's neck. I leaned as far as possible away from the scene, Charlie following.

"Zacky you always seemed so pretty to me," Jimmy slurred, smiling stupidly as he spoke.

"Jimmy, get the fuck off me, man!"

Zacky squirmed as he tried to shove his naked, inebriated friend off himself, but Jimmy was sitting on his hands, leaving Zacky immobile for the most part.

"I love you, Zacky. I really do."

He then leaned his head in and rested it on Zacky's shoulder. He sounded so serious, but the surrounding party couldn't have found the situation any funnier. Matt had even gotten his cell phone out and was video recording the whole thing as Zacky continued to try and free himself.

"Well, Zacky," Johnny said with a smile. "Why take Charlie when you can have Jimmy?"

"Oh my God, Johnny, I'd kick your ass if I could move."

At that moment, Charlie's head whipped around from watching the scene, to looking at me with wide eyes.

"Did you hear that?" she mouthed and I cracked a huge grin.

I just nodded my head and Charlie's face turned a dark shade of red that I couldn't even describe. She was blushing that hardcore. I couldn't help but giggle at her, but then what happened to Matt next took my attention away from the mentally-freaking-out Charlie.

Matt handed his phone to Johnny, and asked him to shut it off while he helped to get Jimmy off Zacky. For whatever reason or another, Johnny kept it going.

After a few moments of struggling, Matt got Jimmy off Zacky's lap. Jimmy was just standing in all his glory, for the entire room to see, when he barfed all over Matt's face and front side.

Matt just stood there with this "Oh my fucking God" look on his face before he dragged Jimmy to the bathroom, no doubt to wash himself and Jimmy off, Mackenzie and Aaliyah going to help. A random person from the room cleaned the small mess off the floor, and people didn't seem to have the desire to drink anymore.

One by one, people left the room, and soon it was just me, Charlie, Aaliyah, the guys, and their girls. Matt had managed to dress Jimmy, then left him on the bathroom floor with his head hanging over the toilet.

"I swear to god I would've kicked his ass if he wasn't so fucking trashed," Matt seethed and everyone couldn't help but laugh.

"As gross as it was, it was fucking awesome. He technically got you back for all the shit you've ever given him," Johnny quipped.

"Dude, no one picks on String Bean. We all fucking pick on you." Brian took a swig of the beer that he had in his hand. Okay, so maybe one person still had the desire to drink.

"It seems to be that Jimmy is the only person who trashes hotel rooms," Zacky said from next to Charlie and I couldn't help but smile.

"I highly doubt he takes all the credit," I couldn't help but say and then Zacky's eyes trailed to the ceiling.

"Nah, you're right. We're at fault too." Zacky shrugged and then laughed, looking at everyone else quickly who weren't laughing quite as hard as he was. He must have felt like an idiot because his laughter died quick and he sat back in his chair.

"I thought I was a dork." Charlie blurted and I laughed harder with Aaliyah. Only us two would know the full extent of what she was talking about. Zacky just rolled his eyes and nudged her shoulder. What a friendly action for someone who's best friend made it clear that he had no friendship desires for.

"This fucking party reached its peak early," Brian said and then cursed under his breath.

"What?" Aaliyah looked at him as he got deep into his cursing while Cassidy giggled at him.

"That means that the party will be ending really soon and he doesn't want that."

Cassidy had to answer for Mr. Gates and then his reaction became completely understandable. Jimmy got wasted quickly which caused the big scene for the night, and now that no one wants to drink anymore, the party ends.

"Well fuck," I complained and then Brian laughed heartily.

"See, she knows what the fuck is up!" and he clinked his beer bottle with the one I was still holding but because of Jimmy, I didn't want to drink it in fear of turning out like him. I had already had quite enough to drink to be getting along with.

“Matt, what time do we have to leave in the morning?” Zacky asked.

“Shit. I forgot,” Matt said, checking his watch. “We should leave about ten. We gotta be in LA no later than three.”

All the guys groaned.

“We set up recording stuff.” Brian drained the last of his beer as he explained to us girls what they were talking about. “Then we’ll be holed up in Matt’s parent’s garage for a couple months to do some demos before we actually start recording anything in the studio.”

“Well I guess we should go then?” Aaliyah’s statement was more of a question as she looked around at me and Charlie.

“I…can’t drive,” I said.

Charlie just shook her head but didn’t say anything. I took that to mean that she couldn’t drive either.

“You guys can just crash here then.” Johnny smiled at the prospect of having the three of us stay in their suite for the night.

“Don’t you have your final tomorrow though?” Aaliyah questioned. “Shouldn’t we leave tonight?”

“Shit, that’s right,” Charlie chimed in.

“Fuck you, Aaliyah. I had completely forgotten about that until now,” I said as I struggled a little to stand up.

“I guess it wasn’t such a good idea for you guys to drink after all,” Brian said with a laugh.

“Come on, Charlie.” I nudged her with my hip and almost fell over; she just stared at me. “You know if we don’t pass this final, then we don’t pass the class.”

“Give me a break, Sappy. Our final isn’t until eleven. We can just crash here and leave when they do.” Charlie nodded her head and smiled in triumph like she had already won.

“Okay then…I guess.” I shrugged my shoulders and sat back down.

I didn’t have it in me to argue with anyone at the moment.

“Umm…I hope you guys don’t mind sleeping on the sectional out here,” Matt said as everyone stood up. “Our beds are kinda full.”

“What are you talking about, Shads?” Zacky said. “Me, Johnny, and Lurch aren’t sharing beds with anyone.”

“Well, Zacky,” Matt started. “Jimbo’s passed out next to the shitter, Johnny kicks people out of his bed, and you fart in your sleep.”

Everyone in the room busted up laughing, and to my surprise, Zacky blushed.

“That was one time, dickwad.”

“That you know of,” Johnny and Brian said at the same time.

Zacky just flipped them off.

“Thanks for the thought, but it’s probably better if we sleep out here,” Aaliyah said as laughter subsided.

“Suit yourselves.” Brian shrugged his shoulders and parted to his own room with Cassidy as Johnny and Zacky walked back out of their rooms a few minutes later with blankets.

“You guys sure you don’t mind sleeping out here on the couches?” Johnny asked as he handed me the blanket in his hand; Aaliyah decided that she’d sleep in what was Jimmy’s bed, since he wouldn’t be sober enough any time soon to make his own way to it.

“Yeah, we’re sure.” Charlie laughed as she made her bed on the small end of the couch. To this day, I still don’t know why she’ll put herself on the smallest, most uncomfortable part of the couch when unnecessary.

“We’ve spent many a drunken night sleeping on couches.”

I laughed along with Charlie as the guys said their goodnights. Charlie blushed as Zacky winked at her, then we got under the covers of our makeshift beds in the now darkened room.

I was about to ask Charlie to pinch me, just so I could make sure that I wasn’t dreaming, when the alcohol I’d said at the beginning of the night I wasn’t going to drink eased my body to sleep.

I guess I was more tired than I thought.

“Ow, fuck!”

“Fucking dumbass, Johnny.”

I heard a few scattered laughs as people scampered around the room, no doubt getting ready to leave. I suddenly heard someone’s loud, deep breathing very near my face. I opened my eyes to see a pair of dark, chocolate brown ones staring right back at me; I screamed out of sheer surprise and fell off the couch.

Laughter erupted all around me as a hand was shoved in my face to help me up from my new home on the floor. I gratefully accepted the simple gesture and noticed that my savior turned out to be the reason my resting spot had been relocated in the first place.

"Thanks a lot Johnny."

I blushed as I dropped his hand and everyone continued to laugh at me.

"Come on Sappy, time to get up. Boys are going to be leaving in an hour and a half." I heard Charlie's hoarse morning voice from the other side of the couch. Aaliyah was zoned out, sitting on one of the barstools.

"Oh my god, look at your hair!" I heard Zacky exclaim and then I looked at Charlie fully. Her hair was in a huge knot in the back of her hair with pieces sticking out in every direction.

"Yo fucker, look at yours!" Charlie scowled, trying not to smile and jumped up from the couch, marching into the bathroom. Zacky touched at his hair self-consciously and everyone laughed.

I sat down on the couch and rubbed at my eyes. "It's too fucking early."

"We woke you guys up so we could hang with you all for a bit before we leave and you two go to your final." Johnny sat down next to me.

"How thoughtful." I said bitterly. It was too early to be fucking sincere. Johnny put a hand up to his heart and faked hurt. I couldn't help but crack a smile and I flipped him off. "So what the fuck does this hour and a half have in store for us?"