Breaking Their Hold

"Stop it," Matt scolded, shoving a tee-shirt into his suitcase.

"Stop what?" I said innocently.

He shot me a sidelong glance. "Pouting."

"I am not pouting," I mumbled.

Actually, I was. It was the first day of Christmas break, and the new guys were flying to California the next day and staying until January third. Ever since Thanksgiving, I'd been spending almost every waking second I wasn't in school or at work with them. I didn't know what I was going to do while they were gone.

"Yes, you are," Matt contradicted.

I frowned. "I just don't see why y'all have to go to California."

Matt arched an eyebrow. "Uh, we have families who want to see us, too, you know. We didn't just evolve from primordial ooze and migrate to Danville, Alabama."

"I think Zacky did," I muttered. "Minus the evolving part."

Matt chuckled. The continuing enmity between me and Zacky seemed to amuse him.

"Yo, Matt!" Footsteps sounded in the hallway, then Brian appeared in the doorway. He was closely followed by Jimmy. "Oh. Hey, Jordan," Brian said, spotting me stretched out on Matt's bed.

"Hi." I sat up and hugged my knees to my chest to make room for Brian on the bed.

Brian and I had gotten close over the last two weeks. We actually had a lot in common, the main thing being our love of classic rock. He'd been shocked to discover my expansive knowledge of all things classic rock, and that had been the beginning of our new friendship. I had learned many things about him recently. My favorite thing about him—besides his gorgeous eyes and his sense of humor—was his guitar playing skill.

"Hiya, Jimmy ," I added as he settled his tall, lanky frame into Matt's desk chair.

"Don't start," he said warningly.

"Start what?" I asked.

He glared at me, but it held no anger. "I can't take another day of that wounded puppy look. I'll give in and stay here for Christmas."

"Aww, Jimmy, you sap!" Brian teased.

"If you try to stay, we'll tie you up and put you on the plane against your will," Matt said. "You can't give in to her. She's used to getting her way. It'll be good for her to hear 'no' this one time."

"Ha ha." I flipped Matt off.

"What's up, bitches!?" Zacky crowed, sauntering through the door. His eyes landed on me, and Brian softly counted down the seconds to his smart ass comment, "Three, two, one--"

"Matt, we need to call the exterminator," Zacky said. "We seem to have a major cunt infestation."

I rolled my eyes.

"So, Jordan, are you still taking us to the airport tomorrow?" Brian inquired, trying to prevent any further fighting.

I nodded. "Yeah. But my car is a jackass-free zone, so Zack will have to walk." I smiled sweetly at Zacky.

"I wouldn't ride with you if you paid me, bitch," he snarled.

"Okay, okay." Matt held up his hands, signaling for silence on both sides. "To keep any deaths from occurring, we'll do it this way: Jimmy, Brian, and I will ride with Jordan. Zacky and Johnny can take the car."

"But I thought we weren't going to leave the car at the airport," Jimmy protested.

Matt shrugged. "Do you see any other way to do it? If you do, I'm open to ideas."

Jimmy glowered at Zacky. "No. There's no other way to do it since these two can't even co-exist peacefully for three seconds, let alone the hour drive to the airport."

"I hope nothing happens to the car," Zacky remarked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "I haven't broken in the backseat yet."

I couldn't resist. "I don't think you have to worry about that, Zack. None of the girls around here want your cock."

His eyes flashed with anger. "No, you want Brian's. But I'll be happy to shove mine in your mouth if it'll shut you the hell up."

I opened my mouth; however, Brian's hand covered it, stopping my next retort.

"One, two, thee, QUIET MOUSE!" Matt said, looking from Zacky to me. "Get it?"

Both of us nodded sullenly. Brian moved his hand.

Matt shook his head. "I swear, you two are worse than five-year-olds."

"It's sexual tension," Jimmy joked.

Immediately, Brian slapped a hand over my mouth again, and Matt quickly shoved his hand over Zacky's.

"Oops." Jimmy laughed as Zacky and I glared at him. "Was it something I said?"

"Don't egg them on," Matt growled.

Brian gave Jimmy a mildly amused look. "Dude, you're risking your own personal safety."

Jimmy lifted a shoulder carelessly. "I'm not scared. They'll kill each other before they get to me."

Zacky glanced at me and our eyes met. We both knew Jimmy was right.

"Hey, kids!" Johnny said brightly, strolling into the room. "What'd I miss?"

*****

The following morning, my alarm went off at 7:30 a.m. The guys' flight was at nine. I rolled out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom for a shower. I was singing by the time I got out.
I didn't bother with makeup. I secured my hair in a sloppy bun before putting on a white wifebeater, tight hiphuggers, and a pair of flip-flops. My cell buzzed with a text while I was searching for my keys. It was from Jaimi. "Call me when you get up."

I found my keys under the books on my nightstand and hurried out to my car. I knew the route to the guys' house by heart now. I made it in fifteen minutes.

Jimmy answered my knock on the front door. I could hear someone yelling from the back of the house. My brow furrowed and I glanced at Jimmy curiously.

"They're trying to wake Johnny up," Jimmy explained, closing the door behind me.

"Oh." I giggled.

There was suddenly a loud crash. Zacky and Brian came running down the hallway, laughing.

"I will fucking kill you, assholes!" Johnny shouted.

"Yeah, yeah," Zacky called back. "We're shaking in our shoes."

"Hi, Jordan." Brian smiled, making my knees feel a little weak. "If we can ever get the gnome up and functioning, we'll be ready to go."

I nodded.

Matt darted out of a back room, laughing. "Get the camera!" Zacky vanished into the living room and returned in seconds with a small, silver camera.

"This is so not funny!" Johnny whined, stomping down the hallway. He stepped into the brightly-lit foyer, and I inhaled sharply as I began to laugh.

His jet-black hair was a mess. He was in only a pair of boxers. And he was missing an eyebrow.

Zacky doubled over with hysterics, and it was up to Brian to gather his wits and snap a picture.

Johnny felt the place over his left eye where his eyebrow had been. "I really hate you," he said to Matt.

"I told you if you didn't get your ass in gear I was going to take something you'd miss," Matt defended himself. "You had fair warning."

"I'll get you back," Johnny vowed. "Sleep with one eye open."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Get some clothes on. We have a flight to catch."

Johnny ambled back to his bedroom, grumbling. Wiping tears of mirth from his face, Zacky followed Matt and Jimmy into the living room.

"C'mon," Brian urged. "Let's go get my stuff."

"You expect me to carry your shit?" I said, feigning irritation. "I'm already driving you to the airport. Jesus! You don't ask for much, do you?"

Brian chuckled and headed for his room. I trailed after him. Stepping inside, I looked around curiously. I'd never been in his bedroom before.

Clothes were strewn across the floor and the unmade bed. He had two electric guitars and one acoustic. His wall was decorated with four posters—one of Metallica, one of Guns 'N' Roses, a movie poster for Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains the Same, and one of the album art from Pink Floyd's The Wall.

"Wow." I crossed the room to examine the Pink Floyd poster.

"I knew you'd like that."

The hair on the back of my neck prickled, and I glanced over my shoulder. Brian was watching me.

"Where'd you get it?" I queried, returning my gaze to the poster. I suddenly felt awkward.

"At one of the tattoo parlors in Huntington," he replied. "Well, it doubles as a head shop. Matt got his Yellow Submarine poster there, too."

"I love that poster. I've been thinking about stealing it for my mom," I commented jokingly. "Of course, now I may have to steal this one, too." I gestured at the Zeppelin poster. "Mom really likes Robert Plant and after I watched that movie, I totally understand why."

Brian shook his head. "Women."

"Don't even go there," I said.

"LET'S GO, BRIAN!" Johnny hollered.

Brian hoisted a duffel bag over his shoulder, and I couldn't stop myself from watching the muscles in his biceps bulge slightly in response to its weight. I looked away quickly when he faced me.

"Here." He held out a CD case.

I took it and we joined the others in the foyer. The six of us filed outside. Zacky and Johnny went to the black car the guys were sharing; Matt, Brian, Jimmy, and I walked to my car. We somehow managed to fit everyone's stuff in my trunk, and we were off.

Zacky had to follow me because he didn't know the way to the airport, and he rode my ass the entire way. I spent more than half of the trip flipping him off in the rearview mirror. Matt and Brian rocked out to Guns 'N' Roses and Metallica, then all three of us had a nice performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, complete with crazy headbanging fit for Wayne's World.

We reached the airport and parked. Matt, Brian, and I scrambled out of my car to find Johnny hanging out of the passenger's window of their car, singing "Hell's Bells" by AC/DC at the top of his lungs. The guys all laughed. They gathered their stuff and we made our way into the airport.

"Jordan," Jimmy's voice held a hint of warning.

"What?" Even to me, my tone sounded sullen.

"We're going to California," Jimmy said. "Get over it."

"Does she honestly think we'd stay here for her?" Zacky whispered loudly to Johnny.

I glared at him, but I wasn't going to waste my final minutes with them arguing with him. "I'll miss y'all."

"We'll miss you, too," Matt said, hugging me.

"It's only for two weeks," Johnny pointed out. "We'll be back before you know it."

I sighed. "I guess."

A voice over the loudspeakers announced their flight. I was surprised to feel tears burning my eyes.

"Jordan." Brian sounded mildly alarmed. He cupped my face in his hands and met my eyes. "Don't cry."

"I'm not," I grumbled, trying to look down so he wouldn't see the tears.

Jimmy, Johnny, and Matt exchanged glances.

"We'll call you everyday," Jimmy promised.

"Twice a day," Matt added.

I gave him a weak smile. "Okay."

"Guys," Zacky snapped impatiently. "Let's go."

Brian, Jimmy, Matt, and Johnny all hugged me.

"'Bye," Matt said. "We'll see you soon."

I nodded and waved. Zacky in the lead, they vanished in the direction of the gate where their flight was boarding. Depressed, I trudged back to my car.