Give Me A Shot To Remember

“I still can’t believe that they got me a guitar.” I thought as we all gathered in the car.

Poor Wichita, she has to stay tied up and in her cage because Zacky doesn’t want her to have an accident.

Zacky was between me and Gena while Michelle was driving and Val in the passenger seat. Zacky put his arm around my waist and dug his head in my hair/ shoulder. He breathed in the aroma that my hair gave off and stated, “I love the way your hair smells Becka.” I looked over him to make sure Gena wasn’t looking, no need for her to get angry for Zacky and I being us. “It smells like…like…mangos, strawberries, and-” he sniffed again and I giggled. “Peaches,” he somehow made “peaches” dance after saying it.

“Only you would notice shit like that, Zacky!”

Zacky lifted his head and flipped Michelle off. He went back to his position.

“Becka, can you answer a question for me? Please answer.”

“Zacky, you can ask me anything, you should know that!” I smiled but managed to look serious at the same time. “I’ll try and answer it.”

He took in a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. “Why’d you leave for so long Beck?”

I stared at the headrest in front of me. Since when did he start to call me Beck? It’s been years since him or the guys called me that.

Zacky stared at me and was waiting for an answer. “Zack, not now, I just got back and…and…I just can’t now, okay?”

“Okay.” He sighed.

“Zachary Baker you better get your foot out of your ass!” Val screamed with her hands in his face.

He perked up and looked at her confused.

She sighed. “Pay attention, I’ve been calling your dumb ass!”

He rolled his eyes. “What is it?”

“Don’t let her see where we are a going!”

He winked at her and then put a blindfold on my eyes. I sighed and simply said, “Why do I get blindfolded a lot? I’ll tell you why, you guys have no lives and just plan things for us to do!”

“Just so you know I’m rolling my eyes, Becka!” called Michelle.

A couple minutes later the car came to a stop and the engine was off. Val and Michelle squealed and everyone got out except for me.

“Hello? I’m blindfolded here and can’t see where I’m going!”

Just then my door opened and someone helped me get up and took my blindfold off. I stared at a smiling Johnny.

I looked around to see we were at a park. “This is the big surprise?!”

“No,” Matt walked over and turned me around. He pointed to a group of three groups and each group was dressed alike. “That is.”

I arched an eyebrow. “What is this?”

“Since we know you aren’t open with us or active we decided to take you to a…game of some sort.” Johnny was now next to me.

“What kind?”

“Okay. We are one group and the guys plus your dad are another. We have to dress alike so we know we are one team,” Val smiled at me as she said this. Such a beautiful smile she has.

“How are they dressed alike?” I screamed.

Lacey sighed and said, “They all have band tees on and jeans!”

I looked and sure enough they did. Zacky had Misfits, Matt had Metallica, Jimmy and Brian had Pinkly Smooth, Johnny had a Disturbed shirt on, and (he came out of nowhere!) my dad had on an Avenged shirt.

“Hey pumpkin!” my daddy kissed my forehead.

I smiled. “Anyway, remind me exactly which game are we playing??”

“We have to do group things and a referee decides which group wins. We do scavenger hunts, toss the egg, how well you know each other, and which group can run the fastest.” By the time Michelle was finished she was out of breath.

“This sounds really stupid…but whatever. You’re all stupid so it fits,” I said.

“Are you in the game?” asked some dude in a black and white stripped shirt. I’m guessing he’s the ref.

“Yep,” said Gena, she was next to Zacky, who had his arm around her waist.

“We’re going to start in about three minutes,” the ref called as he walked away back to the other teams.

“Let’s go!” Jimmy was off; running like a horse!

“Are we almost done?” I asked. I was sweaty and tired. We just won the ‘How fast can your team run?’ and I was tired.

“Just the “How Well Do You Know Your Teammates?” and we’re done,” Gena answered in between breaths.

“We have to listen as the ref reads personal questions about one teammate from the team and the teammate who isn’t the one he’s talking about has to answer it. Whoever gets the most points wins. I think he picks who answers it cause he had us fill out the paper with personal things not a lot of people know and sign our names on it, remember?” asked Lacey.

I remembered this.

“Okay we are starting everyone!” called the ref.

This all guys team went first.

“Nat, you’re up. Remember, no helping your partners! Okay. Nat, who in your team LOVES
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and with Doritos in them?” asked the ref.

Nat walked up in front of the group, he was wearing all blue and so was his team. He was a scrawny, ugly little redneck. “Mark?”

“That’s correct!”

Nat gave high-fives to his friends and they all cheered.

“Team Avenged you’re up. Matt you are answering the question.”

Matt stepped forward and crossed his arms.

“Who likes to get drunk when you party? Especially that is.”

Matt simply stated, “Jimmy.”

The ref nodded and the guys passed high-fives around.

I rolled my eyes. “That was an easy one!”

Michelle shrugged.

“Michelle, you’re up.” The ref pointed to our group as Michelle walked forward.

“Who does hair in your team?”

“Gena does.”

“Yep, that’s correct.”

“Whew! That was a hard one!” I yelled sarcastically.

We all laughed.

The last group was next; they were in all pink and white. The chicks were sorta pretty, I guess, and they were either blonde or gingers.

“Marta,” the ref moved his finger for her to come forward. She did and he asked, “Who dated your brother for a whole three years then broke up with him?”

Marta was a blonde; the kind you think is just a retard. “Umm, well they ALL dated him but
Sandra was the only one who broke up with him so I pick her!”

“Correct.”

She screamed and jumped around, like I said dumb blonde.

After four more easy ass questions the ref went to more personal ones and the guys were up. (When I say personal I mean it! With the blonde and gingers he asked, “Who got their period at the age of 17?” and the poor girl turned as red as an apple!)

“Brian, who here slept with your sister and dated her?”

I froze up; I know Zacky wouldn’t put this down so I guess one of the guys put it for Zacky! I saw Brian turn red as a tomato, like I said he doesn’t like to talk about it or be reminded about it. The guys all froze as well; they know how he gets with that subject. Gena and Lacey looked interested by this question; they looked at me and then Brian several times.

“Zacky,” his jaw was tightened and he said it with his teeth clenched.

I looked over at Gena and she seemed a little angry mixed with jealously. I looked at Zacky and he had his head down, like he didn’t want to look at Gena. I bet he didn’t tell her about this. Just then, he looked at me and just stared at me.

I went to Leana. “Who the hell put that question in there?!?!”

Leana shrugged. “I have no idea. But that was a retarded ass question! We all know he hates that subject and that Gena has, well had, no clue about it!” she seemed upset, she was going to get to the bottom of this, I just know it.

“Ladies, your turn, two more questions and we’re done. Becka-”

I walked forward with my head down.

“Who here cheated on her spouse and they broke up and got back together even though this has happened three times now?”

Who the hell put these questions down?! What a dumb ass! I swear!

“Gena,” I said looking at Zacky. He felt like a retard when he found out the third time, I
remember him calling me but I wouldn’t answer until I got the voicemail and he sounded so sad and depressed. He was so angry at her, she had another chance and she blew it! Another reason why it’s hard for me to be okay with them, to be honest I was shocked and disappointed when I heard they were back together. I kept my mouth shut though; if that’s what Zee wants then I give him my blessings! Gena seems changed and too sweet, from what I heard about her she was a bitch and rude.

Zacky looked pissed; he hated that subject, just as much as Brian hated the fact that Zack and I had sex in our child home in Huntington.

I sat down and looked over at Gena who looked ashamed.

“That’s correct!”

I heard Michelle ask Leana, “Who the fuck is putting these damn questions down?!?!”

Sam, on the pink and white group, went up next.

“Who had a baby when she was thirteen and gave it up for adoption?”

Sam said, “Kimmie did.”

Kimmie, I assume, was the ginger with the flushed face.

“Yep and that concludes this round and the whole game. The team who won this round is “Avenged”! Every answer was correct. Blue Boys got 3 out of 5correct, Pink Chixs got 2 out of 5, and you ladies-” he pointed at us and looked at his clipboard. “-got 4 out of 5 correct. But the team who one the most is Blue Boys!”

They all cheered and got their tiny little trophy.

We all walked back in silence to the cars. The same people in the cars as when we got here, my dad climbed into his car and honked the horn as he drove away. We all closed our car doors and Jimmy, Leana, Lacey, Brian, Matt, and Johnny led the way in Brian’s big eight seated car; like a minivan but not.

As soon as we got out of the parking lot Zacky asked in an angry but calm tone, “Who the hell put those damn questions down!”

“We don’t know,” Val said calmly.

“So, you and Becka slept together, huh Zacky?” Gena asked.

“Uhh…”

“Did you just forget to leave that little detail out Zachary?” No one calls him Zackary unless they’re PISSED at him.

“I didn’t think it was necessary and there was no need for you to hate Becka or feel weird with us hanging with each other because of that!” They were screaming now and I felt uncomfortable. I hope they don’t drag me into this!

”Still Zack, I think you should’ve told me this! It would have been kinda nice to know and not just find out!”

Zacky rolled his eyes. “We won’t do that shit again! Ask Becka! I’m with you and not her!”

Oh god. Don’t ask. Don’t ask!

“Becka, if you don’t mind I would like to hear your side of this interesting story.”

I sighed but kept my eyes on my hands. “Gena listen, Zacky and I did that when we were 16
and, trust me, it will never happen again! I swear! I didn’t mention it 1) cause I thought he told you and 2) Brian hates that subject. I mean, we did do it and dated for a while but I broke up with him because it was just a little awkward for me and everyone! Plus, Zacky and I are literally brother and sister! I love him to death but I won’t try anything on him and he won’t try anything on me either. So don’t worry. We got over each other and both moved on.

“You may not know this, but I met Zacky before Brian did and it’s cause of me that they met! I was hanging with Zack and Brian was like, “Who the hell is this? What are you doing to my sister?!” and he had Zacky by the shirt and I had to explain to him that he like just moved here and I was just talking to him. Brian eventually let Zacky down and they started to talk and click. Afterwards Zacky met Jimmy in a Successful Failure concert and he and Matt met in guitar class and started to write songs in the class, and the only way they passed was to perform the songs!

“I already knew Matt and Jimmy before Brian and Matt, Zacky, and Jimmy started to hang out a lot and I loved them all. They loved me and I loved them, I knew them and they knew me, we hung out without Brian all the time, and we had classes together, well when we did go to school we hung. Then Johnny started to come to their practices and he and I hung out sometimes and we all loved each other; we were each other and still are. We just have this thing. Like, we just love being with each other and will always be together.” I was out of breath. I looked up to see Gena looking relieved and understanding. Zacky was just nodding his head, had he been doing that the whole time?

Gena sighed. “Wow. If you don’t mind me asking, I would like to know the story.”

“Do you want to tell it?” asked Zack.

I nodded my head. “Sure.” Back to many ages ago and bring back thoughts I haven’t thought about in a long time.