Pink Is the New Black

“Blaise, this is the stupidest idea you’ve ever had,” Leana tells me while fixing her hair in my bathroom, “I mean, it’s one thing to go out with your boyfriend to the bar, but to invite all of us?”

“Hey, it’s going to be fun,” I tell her, looking at my outfit in the mirror.

“You look fine, now let’s get down there,” she tells me, pulling on my arm.

I roll my eyes and allow myself to be dragged down the stairs and out the front door where everyone was hanging out. I wasn’t surprised to see that Val and Gena had shown up and were hanging out with the guys, but as soon as they saw me and Leana, they walked over, announcing that, “girls will ride with Val, and guys will ride with Matt.”

The guys didn’t seem to have a problem with this as we all piled into the two separate vehicles, Val turning to look at me in the back seat as soon as the doors were shut and the guys had pulled away, “so you and Brian kissed?”

“Leana,” I growl, leaning in between the front seats, “that was supposed to be a secret.”

“So you did kiss him,” Gena states with a smirk on her face.

“No. He kissed me, and it was once and it won’t happen again,” I mutter, rolling my eyes.

“That’s not what Zacky was saying earlier. He said that Brian was planning on getting you alone tonight,” Gena announces, looking smug at knowing something new.

“Oh sure, if he can get her away from Bryson for two minutes,” Val mutters, making the other girls laugh.

I roll my eyes and ignore them the rest of the way to the bar, jumping out as soon as Leana pulls into a spot, not waiting for them to catch up as I make my way into the local club and over to the bar.

“Can I get a Sex on the Beach,” I ask the bar tender, Josh.

He looks up and grins, “sure thing beauty; your beast is over at a table with the guys, but Brian didn’t look too happy to be hanging out with them,” he tells me, his grin growing.

“Brian’s got his panties in a twist today, but I’m getting lucky so hand over that drink so I can go find my beast,” I tell him, laughing.

After a few seconds, he hands me my drink, but waves away my money, telling me to just go, so I take my drink and walk over towards the table, sitting on Bryson’s lap as soon as I reach everyone, downing half my drink before putting it on the table. Ignoring the jealous look Brian was giving Bry, I lean over and grab one of the shots on the table, not even bothering to ask what it is before I put it to my lips and tip my head back, wincing as the burning liquid slides down my throat.

~Twenty Minutes Later~

“Jimmy, come dance with me,” I slur out, giggling as I slide off of Bryson’s lap, holding my hand out for Jimmy to take.

Everyone at the table laughs as he jumps up, grabbing my arm and pulling me out to the dance floor, immediately grinding up against me as a new song starts playing, “Jimmy! Let’s do the robot,” I suggest, giggling as he complies, doing the robot alongside me in the middle of the dance floor.

Four songs later, and I’m sweating and thirsty, so I grab Jimmy’s arm, dragging him back to the table and sitting down on someone’s lap, downing the beer sitting in front of me. I didn’t notice that the pair of arms snaked around my waist were covered in tattoo’s and I didn’t notice that my boyfriend, was sitting on the other side of the table, a look of confusion on his face as I grab another shot, downing it without even wincing.

“Uh, Blaise,” Gena mutters from beside me, her eyes wandering around the table before landing on me, “you’re kind of sitting on Brian’s lap,” she finished with a whisper.

“Oops,” I giggle, moving to stand up.

I narrow my eyes in confusion, as I don’t move at all; trying again, I put my hands on the table and push, trying to lift myself, but again, the arms around my waist, don’t budge, “I’m stuck,” I state, rather loudly, and look over at Gena, noticing the grin that she’s trying to hide behind her hand, “Brian, let her go,” she states, full out laughing as I wiggle around on his lap, stopping when I feel something press against my ass.

“Uh, Brian, let me up please,” I ask him quietly, my cheeks flushing in embarrassment as he growls at me, letting go of my waist. I stand up quickly, walking over to the bar and sitting down on one of the stools and placing my head on my arms.

“You alright there beauty,” Josh asks me, chuckling.

“You saw that, right? I made a complete fool of myself,” I grumble, looking up to see the smile on his face.

“I don’t think you’re the one making a fool of yourself,” he states, his smile suddenly fading as he looks over my shoulder.

I turn slightly to the side to see Brian and Bryson in a glaring contest, everyone around them looking awkwardly at the two of them, “oh shit. Well, I guess this night has gone to hell. Maybe I can get Jimmy and Leana to bring me home; I should just go home,” I mutter.

“Or you could go over there and tell your boyfriend it’s time to leave, you know, before he hits Brian,” Josh states, his eyes still on the table.

I nod my head in agreement and get up, walking back towards the table, still a little unsteady, but definitely a bit more sober than when I had started dancing with Jimmy, “Brys, can I talk to you?”

He looks up, his glare not even moving as he gets up from the table and walks over to me, taking my hand and pulling me towards the dance floor, “what the fuck was that about,” he growls at me, pulling my back against his front.

“I didn’t mean to sit on his lap Bry, it just happened. I’m kind of drunk right now,” I mutter, hiccupping.

He sighs and rests his chin on my shoulder and his hands on my hips as we dance completely off from the song, “Blaise, we should just go home, I don’t mean to ditch your friends, but I’m not comfortable with you being around Brian.”

“Why? Do you not trust me,” I ask him, the alcohol in my system making me slightly bolder than normal.

“Well to be honest Blaise, I don’t think I can trust you while you’re drunk,” he states, turning me around to look at him.

“Well to be honest, I think that’s bullshit,” I state, crossing my arms and glaring at him.

“You think its bullshit, after you’re the one who was grinding all over his lap, giving him a hard on in the middle of a bar in front of me,” he growls, taking a step towards me.

“Don’t think you fucking scare me Bryson,” I snap at him, “I was trying to get off his lap, so fucking sue me if my moving gave the guy a boner; I wasn’t doing it on purpose.”

“I can’t fucking believe you right now Blaise, you’ve never acted like this before, and then all of a sudden this asshole shows up and you’re acting like a bar slut!”

I think my eye twitched, but I wouldn’t know, because I was only focused on the way my hand flew through the air and connected with his cheek, making a nice loud noise, enough to draw the attention of some of the dancers closer to us.

“You hit me,” he states, as if he was in complete shock, turning back to face me with his hand on his cheek.

“I’d say sorry but I don’t like being called a slut, when I’m obviously not,” I snap at him, crossing my arms again.

“Blaise,” Jimmy calls my name, making me turn to see that he had walked up, and was looking at me cautiously, “maybe you should go home, and you guys can talk in the morning,” he suggests.

“He called me a slut, and I’m not leaving until he pisses me off to the point that I punch him, or he apologizes,” I state angrily, the alcohol certainly taking its turn to run my brain.

“You called her a slut,” Jimmy asks, his eyes narrowing as he looks over at Bryson.

Bryson shrugs his shoulders, crossing his arms and looking indifferently at Jimmy, “so what if I did? It’s got nothing to do with you,” he states.

“That’s where you’re wrong asshole,” Jimmy snaps before lunging passed me and hitting Bryson in the face.

I moved out of Jimmy’s way as he stood up, grabbing Bryson and throwing another punch while trying to duck away from any that he was throwing back, and before I knew it, Matt and Brian were joining the fight. I should have been worried, but I didn’t seem to be thinking logically, because I thought Bryson was handling himself perfectly fine against my three friends, that is until Zacky ran over and grabbed Matt, whispering something in his ear to make him back off, grabbing Jimmy in the process, who backed off equally as quickly, a glare on his face as Zacky and Johnny grabbed a hold of Brian, pulling him off.

I didn’t notice that Bryson had gotten up, his face bloodied and bruised, until Matt stood in front of me, his arms crossed, snapping, “stay the fuck away from her.”

“Matt, just, leave it be,” I mutter, as Bryson looks at me with one of the saddest looks I’ve seen in a long time. I shake my head, turning around and leaving the bar as old memories flood my mind, starting a massive headache.

“Blaise, Donny’s been in an accident, they don’t think he’ll make it. I need you to meet me at the hospital,” Danny tells me, his voice cracking.

“What? Danny what happened,” I shout, grabbing my shoes and running out the door towards my car.

“I don’t know Blaise, just hurry up,” he tells me, his voice wet with tears.

I snap my phone shut, throwing it against the passenger side door as I slam my door shut, turning the car on and throwing it in drive, speeding out of my driveway and towards the hospital, thoughts of Donny dying weighing heavily on my mind as I blast through stop signs and traffic lights.

The hospital; I hate hospitals. All white and clean and just, disgustingly depressing. But none of that mattered as I ran through the doors, half yelling at the nurse to get his room number, and as soon as I said his name, the look she gave me; I just knew something was wrong. I rushed up the stairs, around the corner and down the hall, finally finding Danny sitting in a chair, sobbing into his hands.

“Danny!”

From the look on his face, I just knew, I somehow knew it was over.

“He’s dead.”

Vomit on the pavement. Vomit on the street. I can’t stop as I kneel on the ground, my hair being held back by unseen hands as I continue to spill the alcoholic contents of my stomach onto the street. Tears streak down my cheeks, as my sobs break the silence of the night, mixing with my horrid retching as the last of the alcohol leaves my stomach, an acidy taste settling in my mouth, the cool air burning my throat as I heave it into my lungs. I cry out as another memory surfaces, making my head pound even more.

“The cops said he was speeding, that he lost control of the car and went off the road into the ditch. The car rolled and he wasn’t wearing a seat belt. Blaise, he…they couldn’t bring him back,” Danny tells me, breaking down again.

I couldn’t even comfort him, my own sobs forcing me to my knees next to him as we both wrap our arms around each other, sobbing uncontrollably and inconsolably. There would be no band. There would be nothing after this. And it’s my entire fault. As the realization hit me, I stopped crying, and leaned away from Danny, my eyes widening, “Danny, it’s my fault,” I whisper, my voice hoarse from crying.

“No, Blaise, don’t do that. Please, don’t do that,” he begs, his tears stopping as well.

“No, Danny it’s true. We got into a fight because of Brian,” I spit out, his name like acid on my tongue, “and then he left and…and…oh God Danny, I killed him!”

“Sparky, please wake up,” a man whispers.

“Donny,” I murmur, my eyes still glued shut and my mind foggy and clogged with the memories from years ago.

I hear a strangled groan, and immediately my mind rushes to thoughts of Donny, my eyes forcing themselves open, only to come face to face with Brian. Memories of the bar flood my mind, making my face hot in embarrassment, “I’m sorry…” I mutter, not really knowing what I’m apologizing for.

“Sparky, don’t be sorry, for anything. You didn’t kill him that accident wasn’t your fault and you know that. It was dark and raining, and he was speeding. That doesn’t make it your fault because you can’t control the elements. And don’t be sorry about the fight; I’m sorry. Things got out of hand, and I never should have made you stay in my lap, Bryson had every right to beat the shit out of me.”

“No, he called me a slut, that’s why Jimmy jumped on him,” I mutter, cracking a smile at the memory of Jimmy hitting Bryson.

“Well then he deserved it,” Brian states, chuckling a little bit.

“Brian, I need to tell you something, but I think I have to talk to Bryson first, it would only be fair,” I tell him softly, my eyes dropping to my lap.

“Do what you have to do Blaise,” he tells me without an inkling of annoyance in his voice.