My Mistake, So Predictable

Tuesday: The Guitar Store

“Hailey!” Jack shrieks bounding through the door I had left open for a breeze. His lanky frame hops over to where I’m straightening guitars on the wall and he throws his arms around me; tightening them until I can barely breathe.

“Jack,” I wheeze placing my hands on his skinny chest to push him away, “can’t - breathe.” He jumps back with an apologetic smile and reaches out a hand to ruffle the top of my head, “Oops, sorry.” He says and I chuckle, “No worries, I don’t like having air to keep me alive anyway.” He sticks his tongue out playfully and snatches the stool I had currently been standing on, causing me to crash to the ground. To my annoyance, he starts to laugh, chuckling down at me from his perch on my stool.

“Why do you guys always feel the need to knock me down?” I mutter, throwing a box of acoustic strings at the back of his head while he spins on the stool. Jack catches it and whips it back, knocking down another few boxes. He grins wickedly as I yell in exasperation, “What’ya mean?”

I head over to straighten up the mess he had made, grumbling under my breath, “Alex did it to me the other day, that ass."

Jack stops his spinning and turns to me with an evil gleam in his eye. “What?” I ask, almost afraid for him to say what he was thinking.

“Did you get him back?” He asks, rubbing his hands together. Probably already plotting against his friend. Great.

Should I answer? Or shouldn’t I? I contemplate for a few seconds and then go for the safe answer.

“You scare me.” I tell him.

“Me?” He asked innocently, batting his dark eyelashes, “I’m as scary as a cute little kangaroo.”

I stare at him dumbfounded, “Jack, it could probably kick your ass.” I pause, “And then eat you for dinner.”

Jack contemplates it for a second, still spinning slowly on the stool. “Nah, I would seduce it and then it would be putty in my hands.”

“What if it was a male?” I question.

“Did you not just hear me?” Jack asks, staring at me. “I think you may need a hearing aid.”

“I changed my mind. You don’t scare me; you freak the hell out of me.” I tell him and he laughs.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, sweetie.” Jack winks, cackling manically.
I roll my eyes and head back to the counter in the front, Jack trailing on my heels like a puppy. “So what are you doing here, anyway?” I ask him after I got comfortable in my chair.

Jack had dragged over his stool and was currently trying to beat his, and I quote, “My freaking awesome high score of chair spinning that the other guys doubted me I could do but I did anyway because I’m freaking awesome.” I follow his statement with a question about his sugar intake. He just answers with a chuckle.

“Well,” Jack starts spinning once to face me and then he was off again, his lanky legs using the wall to give him momentum. “Alex.” Spin. “was busy.” Spin. “so he.” A few more spins. “asked,” spin, spin, spin, “If I could”

“Jack!” I shout, my head throbbing from the movement. “Freaking tell me before I yank you out of that chair and rip your earlobes off!”

“My earlobes?” He questions giggling insanely, stopping the spinning by slamming his foot down. The stool tips and with a shriek he topples to the ground, his head connecting with a loud smack against the side of an amplifier.

“Ow, ow, ow!” Jack yelps, pressing the palm of his hand to the back of his head.

I leap from behind the counter and to where the guy was sprawled out, lying as still as he could on the floor. I immediately drop to my knees and try to examine the cut through his fingers, “Jack, I’m gonna take your hand away, okay?” I asked, prying his fingers away as gently as I could.

“Noo.” He wails, firmly holding them in place.

“Jack, sweetie,” I insist, “I need to see how bad it is.”

He whimpers and gives in, his hand dropping away from the water falling cut. Blood oozes from the gash and down the side of his face, and then finally stopping at his chest where he is twisting his hands together nervously. I gulp, blood was never my forte.

“Is it bad?” Jack asks, staring up at the ceiling. I don’t try to catch his eye, instead I choose to grab one of the store t-shirts we keep in stock and ball it up against his head. He immediately shrinks back from the fabric and I press it there firmly again.

“Uh, I wouldn’t say it’s great.” I reply slowly, leaving him alone just long enough to grab Jack’s phone from his pocket and scroll through his contacts to find Alex.

“Damnit, Jack!” I say through clenched teeth, “Where’s Alex’s number?”

“Look under Fagskarth.” He mumbles, groaning when he shifted to look up at me. Wincing as he did so, he chuckles randomly. I stare at him curiously, my thumb paused over Alex’s name, “What?”

He laughs again and points to the opposite side of the room, “The wall has wittle bunny rabbits on it.” I turn around sharply and scan the wall, wishing desperately that the owner of the store had changed the décor and I hadn’t noticed. Just like I thought, he hadn’t. Which means-

Uh oh.

“Jack, have you ever had a concussion before?”

“A wha-?” He glares at me, “No, I am not a cannibal. Why the hell would you ask that?”
I don’t reply, I didn’t even know what to say to the crazy loon curled up on the floor so I press send and wait impatiently for Alex to pick up his phone.

“Jackie!” He shrieks before I can tell him who it really is. “I got the marshmallows and the blowtorch!” He whoops and I chuckle for a second before remembering why I was on the phone. “Uh Alex, its Hailey. I would ask what you meant about that, but quite frankly I’m afraid to.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” He sounds like he’s smiling, “So what’s up, Hails?”
“Well, Jack kind of hurt himself. I think he has a concussion and I need you to meet me at the hospital.” I say hurriedly, my eyes wandering back over to the lanky body.

“Shit, yeah.” I hear him rummaging through things and then mumbling. “Give me five minutes.”

We say bye and hang up, leaving me staring at the six foot raven haired guy sprawled out on the floor. My mind swirls, why the heck hadn’t I asked Alex to pick us up on his way?
Because how the hell am I supposed to get Jack there?