Been To Hell

**Skip a week**

I walked into Undead Soldiers, a plan set out in my head, I was gonna get drunk, someone was gonna bring me back home and I would have the courage to tell Aaron how I really felt. I guess that my major flaw was the fact that I knew it WASN’T going to happen.

It’s been a week since Jorel went to jail for beating the complete shit out of Aaron, he got out the next morning though, and it’s been a week since Aaron proposed to Amy.

She’d even had the nerve to ask me to be her maid of honor.

~Flashback~

“Andy, can I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure Amy, what do you want?” I spat at her.
“Chill Andy, I’m not gonna have a go at you. In fact it’s a good thing that I wanna talk to you about.”
“What is it?”
“Andy, you’re my best friend and you’ve been there for me throughout these past months and you stuck up for me when no one else would. I was just wondering if you wanted to be my maid of honor.”

My mouth hung open in shock. She’s got to be kidding.

“No. I don’t want to be your maid of honor.”
“Oh, is it because there’s so much responsibility, cause I could take that away and give it to another bridesmaid…”
“NO! It’s because you’re getting married to the man that I love Amy! You don’t quite get how much pain I’m in, watching you walk around, happier than ever, with that ring on our finger.”
“Andy does this mean that you don’t wanna be my friend anymore?”
“We stopped being friends the moment he got down on one knee.”
“Fine.” She snapped at me. “You’re not gonna even be invited then.”
“I don’t care.”

~End flashback~

“Hey Andy!”

I looked up to see an old friend of mine, Scarlett Franklin, sitting at the bar.

“Scarlett!”

I ran over and gave her a hug, giving her my best attempt at a smile. She looked me over, taking in the changes, then her eyes landed on my own eyes and she gasped. She’d just seen the emptiness in them, even when I smiled.

“Andy, what happened to you?”
“Well, it’s a long story.”
“Hey, I’ve got all night girl and plus I wanna catch up with you. You were one of my best friends in high school I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too Scarlett. Well, if you want to know what happened here it goes…”

“…and so that’s why I came here tonight but I know for a fact that there isn’t enough alcohol in the world to give me THAT much courage.”
“Oh Andy, you want me to fuck up his tattoo next time he comes in?”

I laughed and put an arm around her shoulder.

“No Scarlett, that’s fine but you can muck up the bitch’s tattoos any time.”
“I see your game Decker.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes I do.”
“Oh God Scarlett, I’ve missed you.”

I gave her a big hug and then made sure that we swapped numbers, so that we could reach each other again.

“So, how is Johnny?”

I immediately stiffened. I remembered why the two of us lost contact. Johnny had broken her heart and it was early on Christmas morning when we saw each other for the last time, the guilt and pain I felt over that day had been branded into my memory so hard that I was surprised that I’d EVER forgotten it.

~Flashback~

♪Think back think back to the summertime…♪My phone sang at me.

I reached over and felt around on my bedside table until I found the damn thing before answering it.

“Hello?”
“Andy?” Scarlett’s sobbing voice could be heard on the other end of the line.

I was immediately wide awake and getting dressed.

“Scarlett. What’s wrong?”
“Johnny and I broke up. He called me a whore and a slut and…”
“Oh Scarlett, where are you?”
“I’m at mine.”
“Okay, I’m on my way, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

I stumbled out of my room and tiptoed down the stairs as quietly as possible, if my foster parents found out that I was sneaking out then I’d be grounded… again.

I slipped on a pair of sneakers and left the house, rushing over to my car and turning the key in the ignition.

As soon as I arrived at Scarlett’s house I could tell that she was REALLY hurt just by the fact that the light in her room was still on. Like me, Scarlett had never known her parents and had grown up on her grandparents’ ranch with her younger brother and sister.

I got out of the car and rushed up to the front door. Scarlett’s grandmother let me in and handed me two tubs of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream to take up to Scarlett’s room.

“Scarlett?”

I knocked on her bedroom door and she opened it quickly, ushering me in.

“Hey Andy.”
“Oh Scarlett.”

I set the ice cream on her desk and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, squeezing her tightly.

“Andy, Andy, let me ask you something.”
“What?”

I stepped back a bit and she was frowning at me.

“Andy, you’ve known Johnny a LOT longer than you’ve known me and he’s your brother’s best friend…”
“Scarlett what are you getting at?”
“I want you to choose. Between me and Johnny.”

I stepped back even further and thought it over in my head for a second before letting my selfish side give in. The next three words that left my mouth probably inflicted more damage than I could ever have dreamed of.

“I choose Johnny.”

With that I turned my back to her and left, going home.”

~End flashback~

“He’s doing good. Oh, Scarlett, I’m so sorry, I was young and stupid, I was being selfish and I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
“Oh, Andy, you were forgiven the moment I saw you today, I understand, I made stupid mistakes when I was young too.”
“So we’re good?”
“We’re good. Tell him I said hi by the way.”
“I definitely will. Hey, any chance that your tattoo shop is hiring?”
“I do believe we are and we just can’t seem to find a good tattoo artist to save our lives. You know one?”

She smiled, knowing full well that it was my profession.

“You want me to start tomorrow?”
“You’re hired Andy, yes, I’ll see you tomorrow at seven-thirty sharp.”
“See you then Scarlett.”