The Way She Wears My Clothes
5-
I watched We Are The In Crowd from side stage. I had Jordan’s hat on my head, enjoying the smiles that Tay would give me every time she would glance over at me and see it. As they ended their set and left the stage, Tay left last. She stopped beside me, her skin glistening with sweat. The stage will do that to you. But unlike me, and most musicians, she still looked good.
“Looking good, Barakat,” she said with a sassy wink. I smiled and she nudged me, heading off. She disappeared into her dressing room and then Alex appeared out of the door to the crowd. I stared at him incredulously.
“GASKARTH!” I barked. He turned and grinned at me.
“Yeeeeees, Jacky?” he swayed towards me like he was half-cocked and by the dazed look in his brown eyes, he just might’ve been.
“Alex, are you drunk right now?”
“I might be!” he giggled. I grabbed him by the ear and dragged the singer back to our dressing room. Luckily for us, Cass had left to get ready for the Hey Monday set so there wasn’t any softcore porn happening on our couch. I’m not sure Alex’s alcohol-ridden brain could have handled it.
“I found him!” I said, pushing him into a chair.
“Why don’t you sound relieved? What’d you do, Alex?” Rian asked.
“I kinda had a few drinks.”
“A few!” I spat, whacking him upside the head. He whined and held the spot like a child.
“Alex, you’re so stupid! What’d you do that for?” Rian groaned.
“Alex? Alex is in here?” Flyzik asked, popping in from the hall. Rian nodded. I scratched at my head absently as Flyzik marched in, took one look at Alex swaying in the chair and sighed. “I hate you sometimes, Gaskarth.”
“I know,” Alex sang lightly, swaying back and forth like a tree in a strong wind.
“Can you perform tonight without making an ass out of yourself?” Flyzik asked.
“Alex always makes an ass out of himself. Being drunk would make no difference,” Rian reminded. Matt nodded.
“Point taken. But seriously, Lex, are you good to perform?”
“Absolute-elly, Mr. J. Flyzik!” Alex giggled. I ran a hand through my hair.
“I hate you, Alex. It’s the first goddamn show,” I groaned, sitting on the coffee table before him. “Why’d you get drunk?”
He leaned in and whispered, or at least he thought he was whispering, “Sierra makes me nervous.”
“Oh, Lex,” I sighed. “You had to get drunk for that?”
“I didn’t want to make a fool out of myself in front of her.”
“You’re definitely going to now!” I replied.
“But! At least I won’t be sober enough to remember it in the morning. Foolproof plan!”
“Sierra certainly will remember it, man.”
He frowned and stared at his hand. He sniffled.
“Oh, no. Oh, no, no. Please don’t cry, Lex. Please. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
I hugged my best friend who immediately stopped sniffling. Alex was so emotionally unstable when he drank that one thing could make him cry. It was both wholly humoring and strangely depressing. He gets this dejected, puppy dog face on, where his eyes get all wide and his lower lips juts out and his chin shakes. Next comes the sniffling and the cuddling, if you’re with him. After that was the tiny sobs, and the blubbering about whatever he was upset about. And when that stage was done, Alex normally curled into a ball and expected to be taken care of, which he was. He always was. But most of the time, just a hug and a few comforting words stopped his alcohol-induced pity party right in his tracks.
“I’m sorry, Jack,” Alex whispered.
“Don’t be. You’re fine. Let’s just get some coffee in you, alright? Coffee and something to eat?”
Alex nodded into my shoulder.
“That’s a good boy. Come on.”
I lead him to the table full of food and he picked out what he wanted. I put them on a paper plate and started a cup of coffee from the one-cup-at-a-time machine. Alex went and sat down, eating as he went. I leaned against the wall. I was ready for this night to be over with.
After brewing Alex a cup of severely strong coffee and making sure none of the food he ate made him sick, I laid down for a couple of minutes, just to keep myself from getting sick myself.
“Where’d you get the hat?” Zack finally asked.
“It’s Jordan’s,” I yawned. “Eckes, I mean.”
“Ah. And why do you have it?”
“Because, Tay’s playing keep away with it so she hid it in plain sight.”
“On top of your head.”
“On top of my head,” I said just as Flyzik came back in.
“Showtime, boys!”
And then we were on stage and nothing that had happened that day mattered. We were on stage and everything was alright. That’s what mattered, the fact that we were up there and our kids were out in the crowd, singing along. It was beautiful, just as it had always been. And I prayed that this would never end anytime soon.
“Looking good, Barakat,” she said with a sassy wink. I smiled and she nudged me, heading off. She disappeared into her dressing room and then Alex appeared out of the door to the crowd. I stared at him incredulously.
“GASKARTH!” I barked. He turned and grinned at me.
“Yeeeeees, Jacky?” he swayed towards me like he was half-cocked and by the dazed look in his brown eyes, he just might’ve been.
“Alex, are you drunk right now?”
“I might be!” he giggled. I grabbed him by the ear and dragged the singer back to our dressing room. Luckily for us, Cass had left to get ready for the Hey Monday set so there wasn’t any softcore porn happening on our couch. I’m not sure Alex’s alcohol-ridden brain could have handled it.
“I found him!” I said, pushing him into a chair.
“Why don’t you sound relieved? What’d you do, Alex?” Rian asked.
“I kinda had a few drinks.”
“A few!” I spat, whacking him upside the head. He whined and held the spot like a child.
“Alex, you’re so stupid! What’d you do that for?” Rian groaned.
“Alex? Alex is in here?” Flyzik asked, popping in from the hall. Rian nodded. I scratched at my head absently as Flyzik marched in, took one look at Alex swaying in the chair and sighed. “I hate you sometimes, Gaskarth.”
“I know,” Alex sang lightly, swaying back and forth like a tree in a strong wind.
“Can you perform tonight without making an ass out of yourself?” Flyzik asked.
“Alex always makes an ass out of himself. Being drunk would make no difference,” Rian reminded. Matt nodded.
“Point taken. But seriously, Lex, are you good to perform?”
“Absolute-elly, Mr. J. Flyzik!” Alex giggled. I ran a hand through my hair.
“I hate you, Alex. It’s the first goddamn show,” I groaned, sitting on the coffee table before him. “Why’d you get drunk?”
He leaned in and whispered, or at least he thought he was whispering, “Sierra makes me nervous.”
“Oh, Lex,” I sighed. “You had to get drunk for that?”
“I didn’t want to make a fool out of myself in front of her.”
“You’re definitely going to now!” I replied.
“But! At least I won’t be sober enough to remember it in the morning. Foolproof plan!”
“Sierra certainly will remember it, man.”
He frowned and stared at his hand. He sniffled.
“Oh, no. Oh, no, no. Please don’t cry, Lex. Please. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
I hugged my best friend who immediately stopped sniffling. Alex was so emotionally unstable when he drank that one thing could make him cry. It was both wholly humoring and strangely depressing. He gets this dejected, puppy dog face on, where his eyes get all wide and his lower lips juts out and his chin shakes. Next comes the sniffling and the cuddling, if you’re with him. After that was the tiny sobs, and the blubbering about whatever he was upset about. And when that stage was done, Alex normally curled into a ball and expected to be taken care of, which he was. He always was. But most of the time, just a hug and a few comforting words stopped his alcohol-induced pity party right in his tracks.
“I’m sorry, Jack,” Alex whispered.
“Don’t be. You’re fine. Let’s just get some coffee in you, alright? Coffee and something to eat?”
Alex nodded into my shoulder.
“That’s a good boy. Come on.”
I lead him to the table full of food and he picked out what he wanted. I put them on a paper plate and started a cup of coffee from the one-cup-at-a-time machine. Alex went and sat down, eating as he went. I leaned against the wall. I was ready for this night to be over with.
After brewing Alex a cup of severely strong coffee and making sure none of the food he ate made him sick, I laid down for a couple of minutes, just to keep myself from getting sick myself.
“Where’d you get the hat?” Zack finally asked.
“It’s Jordan’s,” I yawned. “Eckes, I mean.”
“Ah. And why do you have it?”
“Because, Tay’s playing keep away with it so she hid it in plain sight.”
“On top of your head.”
“On top of my head,” I said just as Flyzik came back in.
“Showtime, boys!”
And then we were on stage and nothing that had happened that day mattered. We were on stage and everything was alright. That’s what mattered, the fact that we were up there and our kids were out in the crowd, singing along. It was beautiful, just as it had always been. And I prayed that this would never end anytime soon.