Loverboy

Jake

Lying outstretched on my sofa I casually leant across to the coffee table, picking up the lighter that was carelessly lying there as I lit the spliff that was placed between my chapped lips. Inhaling the smoke as soon as it was lit, I rested my head against the headrest and let myself slip into a dream world.

Taking drugs was never my thing, in fact at first I was anti-drugs. My dad killed himself from drug use and I swore I’d never do the same; however life throws you curveballs and peer pressure comes along, before you know it you’re stuck in a wrong crowd with the lifestyle they lead being the one you have to follow. My lifestyle just so happened to be drugs, lots of them.

None of the others in the group knew, well only West and Blaine, West found me doing cocaine once and he and me have been doing it together ever since. Blaine is just desperate to follow in my footsteps, to be honest though I don’t want him to get as fucked up as me. I don’t want any of them to get as fucked up as me on these drugs; however both West and Blaine didn’t know the full extent of my drug abuse. If I had it my way, they’re never going to find out.

--

The next day I awoke with a headache and felt slightly disorientated, after my spliff last night I managed to go out and score some heroin and after that I don’t even remember what happened, all that I remember is I had a good time…I guess.

Rubbing my eyes forcefully with the pads of my fingers I tried to rid the heavy feeling of bricks falling on my head, away. However it failed none the less as my phone began vibrating violently on the kitchen island, groaning to myself as I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration, sighing I flipped my legs over the sofa that I had laid on the night previous and stumbled over at a slow pace to retrieve it. Unknown.

“Hello? Who is this?”

“Jake?”

Confused my bushy dark brown eyebrows arched downwards as I pulled the phone away from my ear slightly, I didn’t recognize the voice. How did they know my name, had I done something stupid? The panic boiled up in my blood and coursed through my veins, my brain in a frantic flurry to recall last night’s events, I know I had to have left the flat to get the heroin. Heroin was my treat to myself every now and then, so to speak.

“Depends on who’s asking?”

“It’s Josh mate, from the warehouse? We asked you guys to come on tour with us!?”

The man down the other end of the line grew more desperate and confused with each sentence that was spilled from his lips. Jake rubbed the side of his temple in hope of a recollection, a recollection which soon hit him fast.

“Oh shit Josh! How’re you mate? Sorry about that was well away, what can I do for you?”

“Ah don’t worry about it mate, I was just calling to go over some of the tour plans and stuff”

“Ah sweet, hit me with them”

Sitting down on the bar stool from where I had picked up my mobile from, I pulled a scrap piece of paper, probably a bill or red letter and started writing down what he had to tell me.

“Right so tour starts in exactly a week, bit short notice but we needed to fill the last spot, it’s a 16 date tour but with days off and stuff it works out to be about 21 days. You need to bring all your equipment any you’re short of you’ll have to borrow, just let us know. You’ll need a sound tech and if you got merch bring it along by all means. We’re all meeting at half 6 in the morning in exactly a week outside mine, all the tour buses will be there. Oh yeah you get your own tour bus too and urm yeah try not to be late. I’ll text you my address over later, that cool?”

My mouth hung low as I processed all of Josh’s words, we got our own fucking tour bus! Josh and I said our goodbye’s before we hung up and I threw my phone onto one of the cushions before pacing the room a little. I couldn’t really comprehend that this was all happening; I also knew that if I wanted to get my act together and prove to people that this band we had created was worth something. I had to quit the drugs at least throughout the tour anyway.

However as I continued to quicken my pace across the laminate flooring in my flat, I psyched myself into quitting the drugs for a little while, but one crucial factor had completely slipped my mind. We needed a crew.

--

Half an hour later I seemingly found myself kicking around loose pieces of concrete from her doorstep, I couldn’t even register in my mind why I was standing outside her door. Well I had a motive but I could do that over the phone, but I didn’t. Instead I averted my dark hazel eyes up towards the pristine white oak door and rasped my fist against it sharply.

“Can I help…Oh hey Jake, what can I do for you?”

Her purple hair flew around her face as she whipped her attention from something important in the kitchen, to me standing by the door. A tiny smile apparent on her balm coated lips, in my mind I now understood why I was in front of her, I needed to see her.

“Hey Katelyn, I was wondering if I could come in for a moment I need to run something past you?”

Nervously I scratched the back of my neck before ruffling my already messy dark hair further, Katelyn raised her eyebrow questioningly but stepped aside nonetheless and let me in; her scent of vanilla invading my nostrils as I passed her stepping over the doorway, walking into the lounge and sitting down on the sofa as Katelyn shut the door behind her and followed me in.

“So what do you want to talk to me about?”

Playing around with the hem of my vest top I stole my gaze down to the ink that lay etched across my knuckles, after a few moments I shifted my gaze up to vibrant purple haired girl before me, sitting down on the sofa opposite, legs tucked underneath her bum as she awaited my explanation.

“Well I was urm, I was wondering if maybe you…”

Alright I was stuttering and stumbling around her, but that’s the effect she had on me. Over the past couple of weeks as a friendship group we’d all hung around more together, and so in the process me and Katelyn had got to know each other more and in turn I had developed a slight attraction towards her.

“Spit it out Jake”

Katelyn laughed as she pulled the sleeves of her sweatshirt down her arms further, shifting in her seat slightly.

“Well basically you know we got this tour right in a week? Josh rang me this morning to finalize things and well, we need a crew. I know you did a course with sound and lighting in college and were wondering if you would come with us on tour and be sound and light tech. Charlie is coming as photographer obviously, Scarlet we are thinking of getting as merch and press and Millie as design. Please Katelyn I really need you”

Katelyn looked at me sympathetically, breathing in heavily as if I had laid a huge burden down on her shoulders. She sighed before looking directly at me, her purple hair sweeping over her forehead and her grey eyes glassing over slowly.

“I really want to Jake trust me I do, but I have Mum and Becca to think of. Plus it was only sound mainly I did, I did very little lighting, not enough to know how to stage all the big venues they’ll be playing at. I’m sorry Jake I just can’t right now, I’m so sorry you’ll have to find someone else”

My chest sank as well as my heart; we needed Katelyn as much as we hated to admit it. The whole band needed everyone if we were to pull this off, us three, Blaine, West and I couldn’t do this on our own – it would a disaster from start to finish.

“Please Katelyn!”

I was literally begging and I hardly beg ever, for anything. Moving from my seat opposite Katelyn I crossed the room and took the vacant space beside her, grabbing her hands in mine whilst squeezing them gently to show how vital she would be to this tour. I was determined not to leave hers until she had agreed; I didn’t care how long it took either.

“Jake listen I really wish I could, I would love to do something like that as I didn’t get to go to University to do it. However it’s impossible and unattainable…I can’t”

I was about to retaliate and state my argument back before I was interrupted by a distant voice, it echoed from the kitchen, shouting out Katelyn’s name. Soon I realized from Katelyn’s call to say she was coming, that it was her mother. Her mother was in the kitchen and I hadn’t even realized, I thought we were alone.

“Mum no, I’m not leaving you!”

Katelyn’s response was loud and held conviction behind it; I knew then that Katelyn was devoted to staying here, like she was bound to stay here for some reason. No matter how much persuasion I put into my arguments, Katelyn wouldn’t budge.

Muffled sounds here and there filled my ears from behind the kitchen walls; they weren’t thin enough to eavesdrop. However something about this situation told me eavesdropping would not be appropriate.

“You’re so stubborn Katelyn Rose. I’ll just have to do it for you”

The next thing I knew I heard the scrape of a wooden chair against the flooring, muffled protests and more importantly approaching footfalls. In the archway that separated the kitchen from the lounge area appeared a very frail and very pale woman no older than at least 40. She smiled at me gently; however it seemed almost as if it took a huge deal of energy just for her to do that.

“Hello Jake? I’m Elizabeth, Katelyn’s mum. Just to let you know Katelyn will come on tour with you, she’s just stubborn, you will promise me to look after her though right?”

“I promise”

“Good then that’s sorted, I’ll leave you two alone”

Elizabeth stepped away from the doorframe to reveal Katelyn sheltering behind her, her head hung low so no expression on her face could be seen or shown. Standing up from the sofa I clapped my hands together in triumph before walking over to Katelyn and grabbing her hands, she flinched at the sudden contact and snapped her head up towards me.

“Let’s go get packing then yeah?”

“I guess so”

She smiled half heartedly before I dragged her upstairs and into her room, or what I assumed was her bedroom. When we were in her bedroom she dragged her suitcase down from the top of her wardrobe as I began searching through her clothes, she just nodded or shook her head to articles of clothes before I threw them in the suitcase. Katelyn would then pick them out, fold them neatly and then place them back in the suitcase after me, smiling and giggling at my enthusiastic state.

“Jake stop, you’re going to hurt yourself at this rate!”

Katelyn giggled and I turned to see the batman t-shirt I’d just thrown her way had in fact landed across her face, she pulled the fabric away before smiling again and this time just throwing it in the suitcase. Laughing back I apologized for my hyper activeness before practically jumping over towards her. Placing my hands on her shoulders and rolling on the balls of my feet contently I spoke to Katelyn.

“Katelyn were going to be supporting one of the, in my opinion, biggest bands in Britain and travelling everywhere! It’s going to be awesome just us lot out on the road, I’m glad you decided to come”

“I had no choice”

She laughed before we both hugged each other out of excitement, I felt the heat pumping through my veins and I stepped back to part, I took one look into Katelyn’s grey eyes before I did the next thing that popped into my head. I kissed her.

At first it was innocent and sweet, she wasn’t responding much to the kiss either. However I grabbed her hips bringing her closer to me which seemed to spur her on, her fingers tangled themselves in my hair.

Taking that as a positive sign I bit down lightly on her lip tugging it slightly, she moaned in response and that was when my tongue slipped in and fought with hers. After a couple of minutes however Katelyn pulled away her grey eyes wild and her purple hair in a slight mess after my hands had been through it.

“Urgh what the hell was that for?”

She questioned breathlessly, smirking I pulled her closer to me once more.

“I have no idea…but I liked it”