Forget Last Summer

Brody stepped off the plane already annoyed with being in BWI and wanting to already go back to Florida. At least in Florida there is no Alex Gaskarth. She wanted to stay in the Sunshine State, Brody Wilson begged her mother and wouldn’t let up but it was no use. Anya soon-to-be-Harris wouldn’t let her almost 18 year old daughter stay at home as she eloped in Vegas then run off to Cancun from June to August. Brody was stuck going to stupid Maryland, with stupid Alex Gaskarth still being friends with her cousin Zack.

Walking through BWI was different than it was the year before. One, she wasn’t really dressed in clothing she cared for and her hair was a bleach blonde mess on top of her head. She had people staring at her, she would glare at them and they’d look away embarrassed. She went to the same convenience shop from last year, pulled out the cash she had and her fake ID, grabbing an energy drink wishing it was lace with vodka. She walked up to the clerk, asked for a pack of Marlboro Menthols, paid then went on her merry way to the baggage claim. She hadn’t even reached into her pocket to turn her phone on, she slightly hoped she would be left here and able to back home. Logic aside, Brody just did not want to be in Maryland.

This year there was no Zack Merrick waiting for her at baggage claim and no hot pink suitcase with Brode on it. No, Brody Wilson definitely is completely different than the person she was last year. She didn’t feel happy to get out of Florida, she wasn’t excited to see her cousin and Aunt and Uncle. She dreaded seeing who was picking her up and she dreaded the three months that she was stuck in this state for. She hoped to be able to get away, maybe to the beach, for a few days but her mind went to last summer and her heart twisted.

She remembered that stupid week she went to the beach, her skin crawled with the memory of Alex’s hands running up and down her skin and she could still remember how his lips felt on hers. She shook away the memories when the conveyor belt began to move and she noticed the dark red suitcase with the scarf tied to it. She grabbed it and walked away from the conveyor belt. Brody walked through the airport and past the place where she last saw Alex Gaskarth. She wanted to burn the spot. She heard her name being called, turning around she was face to face with a girl whose hair seemed to have less colors in it than she had remembered. A smile came to the blonde girl’s lip as she watched Acey stare at her with a smirk.

“Brody Marie Wilson, you nut! You didn’t answer my texts!” Acey slapped Brody’s shoulder playfully and Brody shrugged, fishing out the cellular device from her pocket, turning it on. “Anyways, let’s get out of here. I hate this place.” If Brody didn’t pay attention, her first thought would have went to Hospitals, the way Acey shuddered and stared at the airport with so much loathing in her eyes.

“So why isn’t Zack here?” Brody asked, her voice dull and bored, her suitcase started making a weird noise as it rolled across the asphalt. It was almost like it knew that Brody didn’t want to be there.

“He’s still on tour; I thought he told you this?” Acey gave the girl a small smile, confused on why she isn’t the Brody she knows. The Brody she knows would have pounced on her the second Acey showed her face, she would have been talking her ear off and asking when they’ll go shopping.

“I forgot,” Brody stopped walking to look at her phone that went off multiple times. Most of them were from Acey, saying that she was here but couldn’t meet her unless she went to the parking lot. One of them from Zack asking if she landed okay and if she’d call him when she got home; the last text message from a familiar number but she deleted it without reading. They got to Zack’s car that Brody knew Acey borrowed, lit up a cigarette after putting her bag in the trunk.

“Mm, menthols, so what changed your habit? You used to preach to me how amazing reds were.” Acey ran a hand over the recently shaved section in her hair. It was a drunken memory but she loved it all the same. Brody noticed her undercut and smirked.

“It was just better when you got high, that’s all Acey. So what made you shave the side of your head?” Brody smirked as the other girl ran her hand through her hair again.

“I was drunk, on my birthday, and decided—fuck it, I’m going to shave my head—and so I shaved it, dyed it all brown except for this huge chunk of blonde and I don’t know I love it.” Acey pulled out of her parking spot, Brody watched the airport disappear behind them. Brody smiled to herself, it was typical of Acey to do such impulsive things while intoxicated. “So tell me, what’s up buttercup?”

Brody stared out the window, watched the ash on her cigarette form and thought about the right way to answer without hurting the other girl’s feelings. She thought about the last year she’s spent in Florida. The friends she’s lost and barely gained, the drugs she got into and experienced, the way she’s gone from being that happy bubbly brunette from last summer to a white-blonde angry girl. Every fiber of her being blamed it on her recklessness of last summer.

“He broke me.” She whispered and shook her head, dismissing all thought that it was Alex Gaskarth’s fault that she fell for him and got her stupid heart broken.

“Brody, Alex didn’t break you, you broke him.” Acey didn’t get the two teens, not one bit. At first they would flirt and hook up. It didn’t worry anyone. Then they would fight or ignore each other, force themselves on other people at parties to make the other jealous. Then the next minute they acted like they were so in love again. Acey could only be slightly reminded of Spike and Buffy in their relationship. She’s told this theory to Zack, who only laughed at her for even liking Buffy. “God Buffy, you’re so damn oblivious,” Acey mumbled and Brody tossed her done cigarette before lighting another.

“Did you call me Buffy? And I bet Alex is perfectly fine, Acey. He still has you guys as friends right? He didn’t become a loner after telling his best friends that he-he—never mind. Acey I don’t feel like fighting.” Acey dropped the conversation with her cigarette out the window, she tried to think of what else to talk about, but seeing as Brody didn’t jump to starting a new one, she stopped.

“Do you want to come to my house? I don’t see the point of going to Zack’s yet; we can have a girl’s night? I’ll call up Roxie and we could go shopping.” Brody was half tempted to decline the offer the older girl had announced but the idea of shopping and hanging out with people her age sounded nice. It gave her a chance to finally hang out with girls again. Brody hasn’t even had a girl’s night since November. She forgot what it was like to hang out with a girl, ever since Jolie dropped her for no good reason.

“Uh, sure, that sounds good.” Brody wished her voice didn’t come out so flat but she didn’t feel like actually caring about the whole Maryland situation. Acey smiled to her before taking another exit towards Lutherville-Timonium instead of Towson. The drive was longer than expected and each girl had at least two cigarettes, unsure of what to talk about.

“I was thinking one of these days we’ll take a trip to Fells Point and find some Jeffrey Campbell’s, what do you think?” Acey spoke up, the thought of getting a certain wedged bootie made her smile to herself and Brody definitely perked up after that.

“There are stores that sell JC’s? Holy shit, we have to go!” For a moment Brody actually seemed excited to be in Maryland, just for the moment before her phone began to ring. Somewhere in a different state Alex Gaskarth sat in the silver mini-van that belonged to Rian Dawson’s mother, a sidekick attached to his ear waiting for Brody Wilson to answer. Brody watched the name flash on the screen as she pressed the decline button. Sighing she put her phone in her pocket and he yelled in frustration, punching the dashboard. He knows she’s in Maryland, the one state where he truly wants to be.

“Was that Alex?” Acey asked as she pulled into her driveway, turned off the car and looked at her friend. Brody didn’t answer which only made Acey sigh and close her eyes. “You shouldn’t avoid him; he’s only going to get more annoying.” She sighed again before continuing, “come on, I’ll call Roxie and we can order pizza.” Brody half smiled as she got out of the car, got her suitcase from the trunk and followed Acey into the Miller household. Acey told Brody just to go to her room, the basement, as she called Roxie and Papa Johns. Brody walked down the carpeted stairs to Acey’s room, where once she stepped on the landing she could see a bed, two couches, a large TV and a recliner. Brody smiled at how Acey the room is, with the pink fuzzy rug next to the bed, the various band posters, pictures of her and her friends and the tall glass bong sitting right next to her bed. Brody set her suitcase behind the darker couch before slipping off her Vans and sat down on the couch. The table between the couches and the TV was littered with empty beer cans, ashes, an ashtray and a half empty bottle of Absolute Vodka.

Brody got up off the couch, opened the alcohol bottle and took a swig. It burned and when she breathed out it felt like fire. Just the way she liked it. She opened the energy drink she set in her suitcase, found a plastic cup on top of the mini fridge and mixed the Vodka and energy drink. Acey came downstairs, a phone in hand and walked to Brody.

“Roxie wants to know if you want beer and a bottle or two bottles?” Acey went to her mini fridge, and looked inside still seeing a few cans of Coca-Cola and some food. The only alcohol she had left was the vodka that Brody already got into. Acey pulled out a Coke can, set it down before grabbing a cup and stared at the vodka bottle. “Are you going to answer me or is my vodka too good?” Acey looked back up to Brody, noticing her tip-toing to the bong, she looked back at Acey confused.

“Uh two bottles, we can do more damage and how the fuck did you know?” Brody picked up the bong, waved it a bit to Acey who shook her head but laughed.

“We’ll smoke when Roxie gets here and the label was facing the fridge and now it’s not. You’re really not good at being sneaky.” Putting a straw in her cup Acey drank her soda while texting Roxie back. Brody pouted, putting the bong back down and finished her cup. She poured herself some more vodka and the rest of her energy drink and took one of Acey’s straws.

“Does Alex still drink beer through a straw?” She asked absentmindedly, she didn’t think about the subject of her question, just the memory and Acey caught on. She stared at the other girl with a raised eyebrow. She just couldn’t really understand her.

“Uh, sometimes, when he’s being dumb,” the two girls stopped talking a bit after that, Brody turned off her phone and Acey sat on her bed texting Zack. He complained about how lucky she was that she gets to drink and he asked why Brody hasn’t called him. Acey didn’t really know what to tell him. She omitted the few times Brody talked about Alex and Zack omitted Alex’s freak out in the van after trying to call Brody. Although they’re all friends, they don’t know what had happened Brody’s last day in Maryland last summer. They don’t understand why Alex barely said goodbye at the airport and why Brody stopped talking to them after November.

Only time will tell, baby. Zack told her and Acey smiled, agreeing with him and then Roxie started walking downstairs with two pizzas in her hand, a bag with a bottle of Jack Daniels and Patron. Roxie smiled at the two girls before setting everything on the table.

“Do you want to eat first then go shopping and come back and get silly?” Roxie asked the plan she thought of on the way over and both girls nodded, they didn’t really have their own plan for the rest of the day. “But first, Acey your bong.” Brody instantly jumped up from her spot on the couch to get the bong as Acey slowly moved over to get it.

“Someone’s excited.” Acey mumbled, going into the drawer next to the bed and pulled out a grinder and a baggy of weed. She tossed the two items to Roxie, who caught them and kneeled down next to the table and began to break up the weed. Acey also grabbed a blunt wrap from the drawer and set it next to Roxie as she moved to sit on the couch. “Roll a blunt too for shopping. I was thinking Towson Mall and I’m gonna need to be high there or I’ll buy everything.” Roxie nodded as she filled the bowl of the bong with weed and handed the bong to Acey. Acey grabbed a lighter from the lighter bowl and began to smoke.

“So do you two do this often? Just chill and smoke and shop?” Last summer they didn’t smoke much, not until August when Acey found a decent dealer and turned Roxie to smoking. The most they did was go to parties, smoke there and drink; but only at parties. Now it’s a change, smoking and drinking at houses. So much has changed in the year.

“Yeah thanks to you,” Roxie laughed taking the bong from Acey, took a deep hit before quickly going back to rolling her blunt. “The shopping thing, while high, is something new for us.” Brody nodded, taking her hit from the bong. She smiled at the sound of the bubbles and the thick off white smoke filling the chamber as she inhaled. She pulled the bowl up and inhaled all the smoke from the bong. She held her breath until it hurt and exhaled, the two other girls looked at her and giggled.

“Holy fuck that was a big hit,” Acey and Brody said at the same time before the three of them started giggling their asses off. Acey got the bong again and hit it as Roxie finished the blunt. The three girls finished the bong before getting ready to go to the mall. Brody fixed her messy pony tail and make up before sliding her vans back on. Acey put on a pair of floral Dr. Marten’s instead of the flats she wore earlier. She changed her top to a tank top instead of a t-shirt but kept her tight black skinny jeans on. Roxie borrowed Acey’s Vans since her own flip flops were bothering her. The girls left Acey’s house, got back into Zack’s car and Acey pulled out of her driveway. Roxie sat in the passenger’s seat and put in a recent All Time Low EP called The Party Scene the boys had given them before it was issued out and instantly the two girls jammed on. Brody sat in the back, unaware that the singer of the band is the very boy she’s trying ignore and hate. Acey skipped to the fifth song as she sat at a red light, Roxie lit up the blunt discretely and Brody rolled down her window while lighting a cigarette.

The lyrics stuck out to Brody but she didn’t listen closely for the actual meaning and she gladly hit the blunt Roxie passed. She licked her lips after exhaling, they have the smallest hint of grape and she smiled at her favorite blunt flavor. She took another hit and sent it back up to Acey once they stopped at another red light. They were the only ones at the intersection6 so thankfully Acey was able to hit it. She drove once the light turned green and hit the blunt again, passing it to Roxie and changing the song again to the 9th track. Brody started to like the song until she heard the line “don’t treat this like a secret,” towards the end of the song and her jaw set.

She pulled out her phone in a hurry, whispered for it to turn on faster and took the blunt from Roxie. She quickly inhaled before opening her texts and typed along the keyboard furiously to text Alex Gaskarth. You wrote a fucking song about me. It wasn’t a question more of an accusation. Once she heard that specific line she knew she was listening to Alex’s voice and the rest of her Maryland “friends”, All Time Low. This pissed her off. The song is so about how she never even wanted anyone to know about them hooking up at first. She was everything she was against, everything she hated. At first she was so disgusted with herself for kissing him but eventually he won her over and she fell and she fell hard.

They eventually finished the blunt before they got to Towson Mall and as they exited the car to walk across the parking lot, the three girls lit cigarettes. “Is the 9th song written about me?” The two girls turned to look at her with their brows furrowed and slightly tilted their heads as if it ask “what are you talking about?” Brody sighed, frustrated before explaining. “The 9th track of the CD you were playing, the one with the don’t treat this like a secret line?” The two girls looked at each other before saying ‘oh’ at the same time.

“You mean Noel.” Acey started before her face contorted in confusion. “I don’t even know who it’s about, honestly, I don’t think you should worry about that. It could just be Alex bragging.” She tossed her cigarette when she was finished and Roxie nodded in agreement. Brody looked at them skeptically but blew it off when her phone rang.

Why should I even tell you? Brody growled at the text message before sending back a feisty fuck you and stuffed her phone in her bag. The walked into the mall and straight to H&M. Brody felt content to be shopping and spending the loads of money her mom gave to her on a special credit card. She started to get lost in all the cute clothes, shoes and accessories that once the other girls wanted to go she forgot to buy anything. They then went off to Wet Seal and the same thing would keep happening. Brody giggled to herself at how right Acey was, it is a lot better to go to a mall high. Brody didn’t want to buy anything until she found floral boots like Acey’s and said she simply had to get them because she loves Acey’s. It was a must buy for the blond girl so she got her size, put them on and then bought them and wore them out.

Eventually they went back outside to smoke cigarettes, while fishing for her cigarettes Brody noticed her phone blinking. The device showed her that she had four text messages and two missed calls, she sighed and looked at the text messages first. Three were from Zack all asking her to call his house. Oops. Then the other text message from Alex, she didn’t read it but instead called her Aunt and Uncle, explaining that she did a quick decision hang out and sleep over with Acey. They were fine with it, got worried and that leftovers would be waiting for her when she got back. Brody smoked her cigarette a bit before opening the text messages from Alex.

Feisty! Fine, I’ll give you three reasons to state why that song would be about you and I’ll tell you if you’re right or not. Brody felt like screaming. Alex Gaskarth is impossible. She didn’t bother responding and shoved her phone back in her purse, snuffed out her cigarette and walked back into the mall with Acey and Roxie.

“So who did you call?” Roxie asked and Brody shook her head.

“I just didn’t tell my aunt and uncle that I wasn’t coming to their house right away, that’s all. So Roxie, tell me, how’s your relationship with Rian going?” Brody tried to change the subject from her to anything else and Roxie fell for it, she simply gushed at the mention of Rian’s name. Roxie began talking about how she missed Rian and Acey chimed in with her missing Zack. They just began talking about how they hate the touring but love how far the band is getting. Brody just smiled and nodded along. She would never get the full satisfaction of just seeing them go from nothing to everything—which the band would surely get big enough to have everything, even Brody knew that.