‹ Prequel: Just Go With It
Sequel: I Could Never Pretend ›
Status: Completed
Nothing Is Ever Simple
Facing the Music
AMELIA
“Are you going back to your room?” Johnny asked as they returned to the hotel a few hours later. Jeff’s impromptu appearance had shaken her up a little as it had left Johnny unusually quiet and brooding.
Amelia bit her lip. She couldn’t avoid Bam forever but she had been having such a good day she did not want it to end. “I guess I’m going to have to face him eventually.” She sighed.
Reluctantly she parted with Johnny and made her way to her own hotel room. She unlocked the door anxiously, wondering what she was going to find on the other side. To her surprise, Bam was in. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, phone in hand and a frown on his face. When he saw Amelia in the doorway he jumped up.
“Amelia, babe. Where have you been? I was worried sick!” he exclaimed, his eyes shining with tears.
“I’ve been out.” She mumbled, walking slowly into the centre of the room. She was taken aback by his reaction but she was not quite ready to forgive him yet. She was still reeling from his comments during the takeover.
“Babe, I’m really sorry for yesterday. I had way too much to drink and got carried away with the guys. You need to know that I didn’t mean anything I said. You’re the only woman for me. I love you and I won’t lose you!”
Bam stepped forward so that they were face to face and Amelia stared at him silently, trying to gage how sincere he was in his apology. “What about you and Johnny?”
“What about it?”
“The fighting.” She sighed, dropping her gaze to the floor.
“I’m sorry for that too. It just upset me when I saw how close you were to him. I should have been the one comforting you and I guess it just felt like a dig at what a rubbish husband I am.” Bam sighed and flopped back down on the bed, his head in his hands.
Amelia did not know what to say as she joined him on the bed. He was right. He had been a rubbish husband, but she was not one to give up easily and she pulled his hands away from his face so that she could see the tears streaming down his cheeks.
“Bam.” She sighed gently. “I love you. I just wish you would stop making it so difficult for me. All we do is argue since the wedding. Can we make a fresh start and get things back to the way they were before?”
Bam nodded between sobs and Amelia rubbed his back to comfort him. “I want that too.” He wrapped his arms tightly around her and they sat like that for what seemed like hours until Bam’s sobbing had subsided and Amelia felt as if she could start to forgive him.
Bam pulled away and wiped his eyes. “I promise I’m going to make it up to you.” He smiled. “We’re going to have the best Christmas ever.”
Amelia smiled back. “I can’t wait.”
***
Back in Westchester, Bam was living up to his promise. It had only been a few weeks since the takeover but life in Castle Bam was starting to return to the normality the inhabitants had not seen since Brandon’s birth. The whole crew was spending much more time around Amelia and Bam was spending more time with his son. It was almost as if he was a different person since the takeover and Amelia was not complaining. They had not had a single argument and she started wondering why she had ever had any doubts about their relationship. He now kept his phone on him at all times and always told her where he was going. She was even invited out to film on several occasions.
Since returning to Westchester Amelia had kept in constant touch with Steve-O. He had proved himself as a good friend to her and now she had someone to confide in her feelings about Johnny as well as Bam. After telling Steve about Bam’s personality change, he had suggested that the fear of losing Amelia permanently had set Bam straight and made him realise he needed to alter his ways. She suspected that Steve had hit the nail on the head.
In terms of her relationship with Johnny, things seemed to have gone back to normal as well. They continued to email and ring one another and any mistakes or misunderstandings were long forgotten, or so she thought.
It was a fresh November morning and Bam had gone out with Glomb to buy supplies for a new skate ramp. Amelia suspected the others had joined them as the house was now unusually silent. Brandon was playing contentedly in his cot so Amelia decided to check her emails and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Johnny’s name appear in her inbox. The email was titled ‘memories’ and included an attachment. She clicked it open curiously and started reading.
[Hey Amelia,
I think you’ll appreciate this.
I bumped into Sean Cliver at Dickhouse yesterday and he gave me a copy of the stills from Number Two. I was flicking through them last night and they are pure gold. When I was looking at them I kept thinking about you behind the camera and I don’t know, I just thought you should see them.
Your friend PJ
xxx]
Amelia stared at the screen with a lump in her chest as she downloaded the file. She was excited to look through the stills and waited in anticipation until the computer beeped to tell her the download was complete.
There were over one hundred images; she was going to be occupied for a while. The first photo was of Chris and Johnny during ‘the magic trick’. She laughed at the sight of Johnny in his magician’s cape. He looked ridiculous. The next was a reaction shot of the other guys and Amelia spotted herself standing to the side with Jeff and Trip. She laughed out loud of a picture of her and Steve doubled over with laughter during ‘dizzy boxing’ and decided to print it out. She browsed through another twenty odd images including Dave’s bleeding backside after his encounter with the fire hose, and Ehren losing his tooth again.
Eventually she came to some behind the scenes photos that Cliver had taken when the other cameras were not rolling. These were the pictures that had the most profound effect on Amelia. There was a picture of her sitting on Bam’s lap sometime after the anaconda ball pit. She fought back a smile remembering how scared he had been just watching his friends wrestle the snakes. Things hadn’t been great between her and Bam then either but she had been happy. They had both been happy. There was another picture of Bam sneaking up behind her with a bag of flour, which made her giggle out loud. She had been so unsuspecting at the time. She flicked through a ton of other pictures of the two of them together and found it funny how much things had changed since then.
Amongst the pictures of her and Bam were just as many of her and Johnny. She hadn’t noticed at the time but in these pictures they appeared inseparable. For most of the time they had their arms around one another with goofy grins plastered across their faces. There were several pictures of him giving her piggy backs while dressed in some ridiculous hat, and one particular shot of them in the swimming pool, Amelia on his shoulders in a skimpy bikini. Amelia wasn’t sure if it was retrospect or something else but in those pictures with Johnny she seemed happier than in the ones with Bam. Her stomach knotted and she felt nauseous. Was this obvious to Johnny as well? What about Cliver and whoever else had seen the photos?
Half an hour later she came to the end of the file. The final photo in the album was a picture of the whole cast and crew during the musical finale of Jackass Number 2. Amelia was stood on the middle row in between Johnny and Jeff. Once again, she and Johnny were stood arm in arm with massive goofy grins on their faces; Johnny dressed as a cowboy and Amelia in a ridiculous dress she had been roped into wearing. She remembered how genuinely happy she had been when that photo was taken. In comparison it felt like she was just going through the motions right now, putting on a front to convince herself and everyone else that she was ok. Had she really been ok at all since Bam left her while she was pregnant? She wasn’t sure anymore and it was at that moment that Amelia realised she would give anything to have Johnny here with her now. She needed her best friend.
She clicked the new message icon on her screen and began typing from the bottom of her heart.
[Hi Johnny,
Thank you for the photos, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed, cried and grimaced so much in such a short amount of time! They really do bring back some memories. I still can’t believe you got me in that dress!
Looking at those photos reminded me of all the crazy shit you got up to and how much it made me laugh. That was the last time I can remember being truly happy. Bam pissed me off then too but it didn’t bother me so much because you were there to take my mind off it.
I don’t really know where I’m going with this email. I guess I just want to say how much I miss you. I’m sick of being tough and strong in front of everyone. Behind this wall I do actually give a shit and Bam doesn’t seem to realise that. I wish you were here right now.
I love you.]
Amelia paused and looked at the last three words she had typed and realised she sounded ridiculous.
[I need to see you.
Amelia
xxx]
“Are you going back to your room?” Johnny asked as they returned to the hotel a few hours later. Jeff’s impromptu appearance had shaken her up a little as it had left Johnny unusually quiet and brooding.
Amelia bit her lip. She couldn’t avoid Bam forever but she had been having such a good day she did not want it to end. “I guess I’m going to have to face him eventually.” She sighed.
Reluctantly she parted with Johnny and made her way to her own hotel room. She unlocked the door anxiously, wondering what she was going to find on the other side. To her surprise, Bam was in. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, phone in hand and a frown on his face. When he saw Amelia in the doorway he jumped up.
“Amelia, babe. Where have you been? I was worried sick!” he exclaimed, his eyes shining with tears.
“I’ve been out.” She mumbled, walking slowly into the centre of the room. She was taken aback by his reaction but she was not quite ready to forgive him yet. She was still reeling from his comments during the takeover.
“Babe, I’m really sorry for yesterday. I had way too much to drink and got carried away with the guys. You need to know that I didn’t mean anything I said. You’re the only woman for me. I love you and I won’t lose you!”
Bam stepped forward so that they were face to face and Amelia stared at him silently, trying to gage how sincere he was in his apology. “What about you and Johnny?”
“What about it?”
“The fighting.” She sighed, dropping her gaze to the floor.
“I’m sorry for that too. It just upset me when I saw how close you were to him. I should have been the one comforting you and I guess it just felt like a dig at what a rubbish husband I am.” Bam sighed and flopped back down on the bed, his head in his hands.
Amelia did not know what to say as she joined him on the bed. He was right. He had been a rubbish husband, but she was not one to give up easily and she pulled his hands away from his face so that she could see the tears streaming down his cheeks.
“Bam.” She sighed gently. “I love you. I just wish you would stop making it so difficult for me. All we do is argue since the wedding. Can we make a fresh start and get things back to the way they were before?”
Bam nodded between sobs and Amelia rubbed his back to comfort him. “I want that too.” He wrapped his arms tightly around her and they sat like that for what seemed like hours until Bam’s sobbing had subsided and Amelia felt as if she could start to forgive him.
Bam pulled away and wiped his eyes. “I promise I’m going to make it up to you.” He smiled. “We’re going to have the best Christmas ever.”
Amelia smiled back. “I can’t wait.”
***
Back in Westchester, Bam was living up to his promise. It had only been a few weeks since the takeover but life in Castle Bam was starting to return to the normality the inhabitants had not seen since Brandon’s birth. The whole crew was spending much more time around Amelia and Bam was spending more time with his son. It was almost as if he was a different person since the takeover and Amelia was not complaining. They had not had a single argument and she started wondering why she had ever had any doubts about their relationship. He now kept his phone on him at all times and always told her where he was going. She was even invited out to film on several occasions.
Since returning to Westchester Amelia had kept in constant touch with Steve-O. He had proved himself as a good friend to her and now she had someone to confide in her feelings about Johnny as well as Bam. After telling Steve about Bam’s personality change, he had suggested that the fear of losing Amelia permanently had set Bam straight and made him realise he needed to alter his ways. She suspected that Steve had hit the nail on the head.
In terms of her relationship with Johnny, things seemed to have gone back to normal as well. They continued to email and ring one another and any mistakes or misunderstandings were long forgotten, or so she thought.
It was a fresh November morning and Bam had gone out with Glomb to buy supplies for a new skate ramp. Amelia suspected the others had joined them as the house was now unusually silent. Brandon was playing contentedly in his cot so Amelia decided to check her emails and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Johnny’s name appear in her inbox. The email was titled ‘memories’ and included an attachment. She clicked it open curiously and started reading.
[Hey Amelia,
I think you’ll appreciate this.
I bumped into Sean Cliver at Dickhouse yesterday and he gave me a copy of the stills from Number Two. I was flicking through them last night and they are pure gold. When I was looking at them I kept thinking about you behind the camera and I don’t know, I just thought you should see them.
Your friend PJ
xxx]
Amelia stared at the screen with a lump in her chest as she downloaded the file. She was excited to look through the stills and waited in anticipation until the computer beeped to tell her the download was complete.
There were over one hundred images; she was going to be occupied for a while. The first photo was of Chris and Johnny during ‘the magic trick’. She laughed at the sight of Johnny in his magician’s cape. He looked ridiculous. The next was a reaction shot of the other guys and Amelia spotted herself standing to the side with Jeff and Trip. She laughed out loud of a picture of her and Steve doubled over with laughter during ‘dizzy boxing’ and decided to print it out. She browsed through another twenty odd images including Dave’s bleeding backside after his encounter with the fire hose, and Ehren losing his tooth again.
Eventually she came to some behind the scenes photos that Cliver had taken when the other cameras were not rolling. These were the pictures that had the most profound effect on Amelia. There was a picture of her sitting on Bam’s lap sometime after the anaconda ball pit. She fought back a smile remembering how scared he had been just watching his friends wrestle the snakes. Things hadn’t been great between her and Bam then either but she had been happy. They had both been happy. There was another picture of Bam sneaking up behind her with a bag of flour, which made her giggle out loud. She had been so unsuspecting at the time. She flicked through a ton of other pictures of the two of them together and found it funny how much things had changed since then.
Amongst the pictures of her and Bam were just as many of her and Johnny. She hadn’t noticed at the time but in these pictures they appeared inseparable. For most of the time they had their arms around one another with goofy grins plastered across their faces. There were several pictures of him giving her piggy backs while dressed in some ridiculous hat, and one particular shot of them in the swimming pool, Amelia on his shoulders in a skimpy bikini. Amelia wasn’t sure if it was retrospect or something else but in those pictures with Johnny she seemed happier than in the ones with Bam. Her stomach knotted and she felt nauseous. Was this obvious to Johnny as well? What about Cliver and whoever else had seen the photos?
Half an hour later she came to the end of the file. The final photo in the album was a picture of the whole cast and crew during the musical finale of Jackass Number 2. Amelia was stood on the middle row in between Johnny and Jeff. Once again, she and Johnny were stood arm in arm with massive goofy grins on their faces; Johnny dressed as a cowboy and Amelia in a ridiculous dress she had been roped into wearing. She remembered how genuinely happy she had been when that photo was taken. In comparison it felt like she was just going through the motions right now, putting on a front to convince herself and everyone else that she was ok. Had she really been ok at all since Bam left her while she was pregnant? She wasn’t sure anymore and it was at that moment that Amelia realised she would give anything to have Johnny here with her now. She needed her best friend.
She clicked the new message icon on her screen and began typing from the bottom of her heart.
[Hi Johnny,
Thank you for the photos, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed, cried and grimaced so much in such a short amount of time! They really do bring back some memories. I still can’t believe you got me in that dress!
Looking at those photos reminded me of all the crazy shit you got up to and how much it made me laugh. That was the last time I can remember being truly happy. Bam pissed me off then too but it didn’t bother me so much because you were there to take my mind off it.
I don’t really know where I’m going with this email. I guess I just want to say how much I miss you. I’m sick of being tough and strong in front of everyone. Behind this wall I do actually give a shit and Bam doesn’t seem to realise that. I wish you were here right now.
I love you.]
Amelia paused and looked at the last three words she had typed and realised she sounded ridiculous.
[I need to see you.
Amelia
xxx]