A Photograph of You & I

I rolled over and groaned angrily at the high pitched noise that had woken me up from the near coma I was in. It had been weeks since I'd slept so well and for it to be interrupted was very nearly a matter of international crisis by my approximation.

Reaching toward my nightstand, I grabbed for my phone which was the source of my current irritation. That noise only meant one thing, that I had a new voicemail. I was unsurprised by that fact because I'd been back in Pennsylvania for almost two weeks now and had yet to venture out to see my friends amidst the chaos of my arrival and the holidays.

I knew that Bam was aware that I was in town, there was very little that happened in this town that he didn't know about. I also knew he would give me no later than the day after Christmas before he started to harass me about spending some time with him and the crew.

Flipping the phone open, I noted the several missed calls I had from Bam and couldn't help but smirk to myself. He could be too predictable sometimes. Accessing the message, I wondered how on earth I'd managed to sleep through my phone ringing, but was awoken by the voicemail notification.

After the automated voice had stopped and a short pause, Bam's excited voice erupted in the ear piece of the phone. He had to shout over the music that was no doubt the end of his Christmas party. I chuckled, imagining the state his house must be in.

"Hey Bitch, what the fuck is up with not coming to visit us?! I hear you've been in town two weeks and not a word from you! Anyway, I'm having a New Year's party and you had better come or I'll drive over there and bring you myself. Oh, and I've got a huge surprise for you but you don't get it until then. Call me when you get this. Bye."

Groaning, I hung up the phone and stared at it, contemplating the idea of moving my flight back to London up a few days. Then I reached the conclusion that avoiding Bam and his 'surprise' was unlikely to happen. If I hopped a flight, he'd just drag me back to West Chester against my will.

It was not as though I was upset about seeing Bam or my old friends it was just that I had never been one to enjoy being the center of everyone's attention. Yet, I felt that if I went to this party...that's exactly what I would become. Bam had never allowed me to stay in the corners and shadows where I felt most comfortable.

I slipped my cell phone into my hoodie pocket and got out of bed. I wouldn't be able to get out of this one, so I might as well face the music.

I found my mother in the kitchen, where she usually was at this time. Sipping hot coffee out of "her" mug and reading the paper. She liked to keep herself up to date with everything going on with the conflict overseas. Why she would dwell on such things was beyond me. I preferred to ignore it all. Not that it would change what had happened to my father, but if I could ignore it, I figured I wouldn't be so sad about it.

"Morning Mum," I said, grabbing my own mug from the cabinet and pouring a hot cup of coffee for myself. I added the coconut milk and sugar that was left on the counter for my use and took a seat across from my mother.

"What have you got planned for today?" She asked, setting her paper down. I sipped at my coffee, wondering the same thing.

"I guess I should go see Bam and everyone. He left me a voicemail this morning." I replied after a minute of comfortable silence.

"He's called here eight times since four this morning," she answered nonchalantly. She was used to his antics by now and I knew that just because I'd gone to London it didn't stop him from checking in on my mother, or periodically testing the limits of her patience with him.

"Christ. Is that why you're up so early?" I asked, noticing it was barely six. She nodded tiredly. I shook my head, making a mental note to kick Bam's ass for waking my mother this early. He knew she needed her sleep, she hadn't been sleeping properly since Dad died.

"Do you want any breakfast?" She asked, making a move to get up from her seat.

"No, it's okay. I'm not quite hungry yet, I'll grab something when I'm out."

She nodded. "Okay sweetheart, I'm going to see if I can grab a quick nap before work today. Tell Bam there's a new 'no calling the house before seven rule' that I expect him to follow."

I chuckled. "I'll tell him, I doubt he'll listen."

"That boy..." she muttered as she kissed the top of my head.

I got up as well, quickly finishing my coffee and placing the mug in the sink. "I'm going to jump in the shower and head out, I'll likely be gone before you get up."

"Should I expect you home in a few days?"

"Knowing Bam? Probably."

An Hour Later

I waited for Bam to pick up the phone as I got in my rental car. I put the key in the ignition but didn't start the engine right away. It was freezing out to say the very least and I shivered, waiting for the car to warm up. Finally, Bam answered my call.

"AINA!" He screamed, clearly indicating that he was either still drunk or his hangover hadn't hit him quite yet.

"Hey Bammie," I replied, putting my seatbelt on. "You home?"

"Yeah, just helping Ape clean up a little."

"Did I just hear that correctly?"

"Yeah, yeah I know. What am I doing helping when I never do?" He said with a heavy tone. "I'm not that much of an ass that I trash the house all the time and leave it all to my mother."

"It's happened," I replied dryly. "Quite a lot actually. In fact...I've never seen you clean before."

"Shut up."

"That was rude, maybe I'll just have to rethink coming down to visit." It was an empty threat, Bam would never allow that to happen.

"Aina, if you don't get your ass here right now, I'm getting everyone in the Hummer and we will tie you to the roof and bring you back here." Bam threatened seriously and I tried to hide the laugh in my voice.

"Oh I'm sure. I'll be there in about fifteen." I told him, quickly hanging up before he told me not to drive like a grandma and make it there in five minutes.

It had been a while since I had seen Bam and now with this mysterious New Years surprise waiting for me, I was growing a little more than anxious. I'd missed my friend, he'd been there for me from the first day he'd met me and had never let me down. But being friends with Bam Margera also came with a warning label. He was every bit the prankster he'd built himself to be in the media and may heaven help you if you tried to defy him.

Knowing these things, this surprise could either be incredibly wonderful or deeply embarrassing. Either way, things were about to get interesting.