Flashes of Emotion

I don’t know why I agreed to go with Matt. The whole concept of having to go out was ridiculous but I knew that it he wasn’t going to let it go so I went. I left my hair down in its wild state that it tends to be in. The car ride there was a bit quiet and I just watched the streetlights pass by. Every once and a while I’d look at Matt from the corner of my eye as he drove.

In my head I should have drove my car so I didn’t feel obligated to stay as long. Matt parked the car and we exited the vehicle heading towards the bar. Smoking outside was Brian and Zacky along with Johnny. All of them seemed surprised to see me and I felt like I was the fifth wheel by just being there.

“Well this isn’t wonderfully awkward at all,” I say somewhat sardonically.
“Could be worse,” Zacky smiles at me. It was a bit quiet for a moment after the awkward laughter.

“Ro?” I heard someone say from the left of me.

“Hmm?” I reply turning around only to see a very familiar face.
“Holy shit what happened to your face?”
“Got in a fight with a bear.”
“I think you lost,” he states.
“You haven’t seen the bear,” I smile.
“Ian what the fuck are you doing we’ve got to- Ro!” Allan exclaims engulfing me in a hug and swung me around in the air happily. I let out a genuine smile holding on tight not wanting to let go or fall.

“Oy son don’t hog my favorite yankie woman! I need her bloody attention too,” I heard a British accent say before I was engulfed by another pair of arms that stole me from Allan. I let out a squeak when Daniel lifted me up in his arms bridal style. Terrified of being dropped I latched my arms around him.

“Aw are you afraid of heights love?” he smiles.
“Fuck no I’m just hoping your scrawny redcoat ass doesn’t drop me, put me down fool,” I ramble.
“Put the pretty woman down right this instant Daniel Oliver Evans!”
“Aw don’t be such a twat Hannah, I’m not going to drop Ro,” Daniel replies with a cheeky smile.

It was like in slow motion as Daniel pretended to drop me; the very thing happened the asshole dropped me. Before I knew it my ass collided with concrete.

“No Daniel please do drop me on my ass, I enjoy bruising my coccyx and sitting on what possibly could be dried up vomit from some drunken frat boy, its what the American Dream is all about,” I mutter just leaning back with my hands behind me.

“Oh shit Ro! I’m so sorry,” Daniel exclaims.
“Back off wanker! I’ll help her up,” Hannah says pushing Daniel away rather roughly and helped me off the floor.
“Um thanks,” I respond as I noticed her hands were placed around my waist and her face was strangely close to mine.
“You have the loveliest eyes, I have ever seen.”

“Oi, Hannah, Ro isn’t a lezzy.”
“Not when I’m done with her,” Hannah winks at me.
“Sounds like you are ready for a challenge,” I comment with a raised eyebrow.
“Dude Dan shut it let it happen Ro may actually be up to this,” Allan states dreamily.
“The fuck she is, Ro is into old guys who happen to be her friend’s dads and her college professor,” another person responds.
“That was one time, Michael,” I counter giving him a look.
“I think you mean one person and that person being Mike’s dad, which went on for a few weeks,” Ian states pointedly.
“He still asks me about you, always saying shit like ‘That Ambrose is a real catch why’d you have to scare her away from me, blah, blah, blah,’” Mike groans.
“See I’m nice I value our friendship more than my sexual needs,” I reply.
“Ugh! Please do not talk about you having sex with my dad its fucking wrong!”
“From the sounds of it, he was fucking right,” Hannah comments with a cheeky smile.

“Ha, this girl is funny,” I laugh.
“Glad you think so darling,” she replies with a wink. I laughed some more turning my head somewhat to see Matt and the others staring curiously.

“Oh shit, um this is Matt, Zack, Johnny, and Brian.”
“Uh good to meet you, but we have to go play in the bar,” Ian mutters looking at his cell phone for the time.
“Fuck we do, Ro you better stay for the whole set,” Mike states.
“Why?” I counter giving him a look.
“Because you slept with my dad, you owe me.”
“I feel as though I shouldn’t be punished for good taste besides without your dad I wouldn’t have met you lot,” I state pointedly.
“She’s got a point Mike,” Daniel responds.
“Shut it Redcoat,” Mike counters shooting Daniel a dirty look.
“You are quite the snippy one tonight,” I comment looking at Mike.
“Fuck off,” he retorts walking off.

“Him and Ashley broke up,” Ian states answering the question I never asked.
“And your point being?”
“You really are unsympathetic,” he replies shaking his head at me.
“I’m not unsympathetic, I just have a different view on that girl than the rest of you,” I counter.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning I’d call her a cunt but well its not nearly harsh enough. I’m guessing she was cheating on him am I right?”
“Yeah how’d you know?”
“Not important. You guys go get on stage, I’ll get some pretty girl to sleep with Mike in the meantime,” I reply with a smile.

“You think you can do that?” Hannah questions tauntingly.
“Don’t underestimate Ro, she’s far too likeable to be turned down, even by straight women, it’s like they cannot deny that smile,” Daniel says gesturing to the smile that graced my face.
“I can see that, she is quite lovely to look at especially with that smile and those tits.”

“Yup you two are definitely related,” I laugh.
“I love how you aren’t awkward about my sexuality,” Hannah smiles.
“Its not a big deal to me.”
“Yeah Ro prides herself in being accepting of a kinds of people.”
“Well we’re heading to play,” Ian states.
“Good luck.”

The guys walked off with Hannah who saw a girl she thought was attractive. I chuckled lightly to myself then turned to the other guys.

“Well you weren’t kidding about lesbians loving you,” Zacky comments with a smile.
“It’s such a strange yet entertaining thing,” I say with a grin.
“Come on I’ll buy ya a drink, my little chick magnet,” he replies holding his arm out for me to loop my arm with. I let out a chuckle and locked arms with him. The others followed behind us and we got to the bar with a few stares.

I ordered a glass of whiskey and got a few surprised looks from the guys.

“What? Its whiskey not unicorn blood,” I state taking a drink from the glass letting the liquid burn as it slid down my trachea.
“Impressive to see a girl drink whiskey that’s all,” Johnny comments.
“I know what’s good that’s all.”
“She drinks dark beer too,” Zacky adds.
“You guys need to get out more, I know for a fact I’m not the only girl to like whiskey or dark beer,” I counter.
“The trick is to see if you can hold your liquor,” Brian adds.
“I know how to hold my liquor fairly well, I just don’t abuse my power to do so.”
“When’s the last time you’ve been wasted?” Johnny asks.
“Wasted is such a trivial word Johnny, what is your definition of wasted?” I reply frivolously.
“Woke up in some strange place with no pants wasted,” he answers.
“I know this is weird but I don’t do dumb shit when I’m drunk, I mean if I drink rum I get a little belligerent and challenge people to drink more but I am really conscious sadly. My mind is too strong willed for alcohol to consume it,” I laugh.
“You’re full of it.”
“If by it you mean awesomeness, then yes, yes I am full of it,” I reply with a smile.

The guys chuckled and the band began to play. Their band name was Sunny and the Malcontent. I always enjoyed their music because they were so charismatic and had fun playing chaotic electronics blended with sick bass and guitar lines. Some songs were new and others I knew. Each one I moved my body to whilst trading stories with Matt and the others.

Allan was the lead singer and after a couple songs he stopped to talk to the entertained audience.

“Tonight is a very special night, a night where our good friend is present. She’s pretty rad, and was the one to put us on her radio show back in Arizona. I think she should come up here for our last song of the night.”
“I think she should too,” Daniel states with a cheeky smile.

“I mean we did make this song with her anyways its only appropriate for our dear audience to hear it sung properly,” Allan adds. The audience cheered whilst I felt my heart race and the color leave my face as I prayed that they wouldn’t say my name.

“Problem is she won’t come up unless you all yell her name,” Ian says.
“Ro get your yanky ass up here,” Daniel continues. Then the audience began chanting my name and I felt like crawling under a rock and dying. Matt and the other guys stared at me expectantly whilst I tried to hide behind Matt’s bulky frame.

“This is so fucking embarrassing,” I mutter.
“Chicken,” Mike eggs on.
“Fuck off, I’m going up there,” I retort downing my drink.

This was going to be a train wreck, I do not perform in front of crowds and I probably was going to bomb. It didn’t help that Matt or the others were there. Oh lord whiskey give me courage.