For You I'd Count the Salt Under the Sea.

I shivered. I opened my eyes and realised I was still on the couch. ‘7:27am’ the watch on my wrist proudly displayed. I groaned, looking outside the window and seeing the early morning sky. The dull blue looked sad, lonely without the morning sun. I walked to my room, hearing Ghosttown softly snoring, and grabbed some clothes (Skinny jeans, black t-shirt and Underoath hoodie) and changed in the bathroom. After I got decent, I woke Bodie enough to tell him I was going to get him breakfast, then grabbed my keys and wallet and walked down the road to the local grocery. Thank god for the people who are forced to get up at 8am on Saturdays.
“What constitutes as a healthy breakfast nowadays?” I asked to no one in particular. Bacon, toast, cereal... That would be fine, right? Whatever. Bodie will eat whatever the hell I give him.
As I walked back towards my apartment building, I thought of what I had missed at that party. Maybe awesome drinking games, potentially house demolishing dancing, possibly heaps of girls all over Vic...
I rolled my eyes, pushing the thought away, wondering what was on television instead. My mind started to wander though, a habit it has formed, letting me think I have everything I want, until I realise it is not reality.

“Hey, Anara” Vic smiled, standing at my front door, “Sorry about that girl from last night. She seems to think I like her...”
“Why are you standing outside my house at eight thirty in the morning? And you don’t like her then?”, I inquired.
“God, no,” Vic smiled.

I smiled like an idiot, hoping to see messy brown hair with skinny jeans at my door. But of course, why on Earth would that imaginary scene come true?
I think I’m mentally unhinged.
I yawned, unlocked the door and started to make some bacon. Bodie got up eventually and ate most of it.
“Fatty” I poked my tongue out at him.
“Cantankerous whore” he poked his tongue back. I was going to hit him but he yelled out “It’s my word of the day. What other sentence is appropriate!?”
I had to give him credit for that well thought out excuse.
“So where to today?”
“That gig you said you would drive me to. Home first though, need to change”
“Who’s playing anyway?” I asked, pouring myself some orange juice, then cringing at the mix of the OJ and my toothpaste. Bodie laughed at my face.
He shrugged, “I don’t know. I’m only going because the girl I like invited me”
“BODIE! Are you telling me you’ve got me taking you to gigs to chase tail!?” I playfully whacked him.
“Possibly, but maybe someone you know will be there” he suggested.
“Yer, yer. I know. Hide the cool godmother behind the wall. I won’t interrupt your make out session. But you’re totally washing the dishes” I smiled, hopping off the kitchen counter and dropping myself onto the couch. I flicked through the television channels until Bodie sat down with me and then we decided on old Hey Arnold! episodes from my DVD collection to waste time away until the gig.



I decided to change tops for the gig, exchanging my black shirt and hoodie for a Chiodos band shirt and navy slouchy cardigan. I threw on some black Vans and yelled out for Bodie to hurry up. We drove over to his house, and he sped upstairs to change, while I sauntered into the kitchen to talk to his mother.
“Hi Kerry. Oh my, are those brownies?” I smiled excitedly.
“Hello Nora, and yes they are. Give them a minute to cool. Where are you taking my son tonight?” she smiled, pouring a glass of milk for me. Brownies and milk. I love this woman.
“He wanted a lift to a gig, but I’m not going to leave him alone there. Especially since there are probably loads of hot guys there for me,” I laughed, shoving half a brownie into my face. “I told him I would be around. And I think Jimmy and Lisa from work will probably be around there anyway. I’ll drop him home after it, probably around 11pm or so,” I shrugged.
She nodded and then told me how her week was after I inquired, inviting me to dinner next week. But then she switched topics.
“Bodie told me something about a boy last night? When you went to pick him up?” Kerry waggled her eyebrows at me.
“Lower those eyebrows, Kerry! I refuse to divulge!” I joked, but she threatened to take away the brownies so I told her everything.
“He just came into work and invited me to a party at his place, nothing much. He’s pretty cute though. But your son keeps... How do you put this nicely?... Ruining everything!” Kerry and I laughed together, just as Bodie walked up and took the brownie out of my hand.
“Time to go” he smiled, kissing his mother on the cheek and dragging me off the chair.
“See you later, Kerry. I’ll let you know about dinner next week”



As soon as we walked into the venue, chattering and yelling and screaming burst through the doors. Bodie hugged me, thanking me for dropping him off, and ran off to find his friends. I walked over to the bar that the venue had tucked away into the corner, and asked for a can of Coke.
“Nora!” I spun around at the sound of my name and saw Jimmy smiling at me, arms wide open. I crashed into them.
“Thank god you are here, boy. Thought I’d be lonely” I smiled as he stole a sip of my can.
“Lisa can’t make it though, she wanted to. I was talking to a few people before and they said there is a really good band playing later, four-piece called Pierce the Veil? Apparently very good” Jimmy said excitedly. Local gigs were the shiet.

The night was awesome, and heaps of talented bands played, but I was eager to hear the four-piece that Jimmy was talking about.
“Ooh, they’re on soon” Jimmy smiled. It was a shame he wasn’t the moshing type. But I wouldn’t leave him, so I just went back to the bar to get another Coke.
“Hey guys, thanks for coming out. We’re Pierce the Veil!”
As soon as I heard that voice, I spun around as fast as I could, nearly spilling my drink in the process.
“Nora, weren’t those the guys you served the other night?”

Vic, Tony, Jaime and Mike. On stage.

“Yer, Jimmy. That’s them”.