Rocks Painted Gold

Forest trudged down the grubby back streets of Huntington Beach, California. He was dead tired, didn’t even know how he was still awake and walking, and he just wanted to get home and fall asleep. But, as Forest had come to learn, just going home and falling asleep wasn’t an option, especially when it was only six at night.

“Isn’t that Kylie?” Shadow asked, he had been walking next to Forest, happy and as energetic as ever.

Forest barely lifted his head up to look down the block. Sure enough, Kylie was down the block, playing her guitar and singing trying to earn a few bucks.

“Spare some change stranger?” Kylie asked, a smile on her lips as Forest stopped in front of the bench she was perched on.

“Would if I could, I’ll sit though,” he said, sighing contently as all his body weight was taken off his feet finally.

“You look like you should be dead.” She said, strumming a few notes on her ratty old acoustic.

“I feel like I should be dead.” he muttered, laying his arm over his face to block out the sun. He heard a few people walk past and Kylie sighed.

“You’re really harshing my ‘I’m a poor girl that needs money’ mellow.” Kylie stated, gathering the money she had earned before she packed her guitar back into it’s case.

“How am I doing that?” Forest asked, humor on his lips. He stared at Kylie waiting for her answer.

She looked like she did on any other day, dirty blonde hair pulled back and tied at the base of her neck, brown eyes that stared back at him as she thought of an answer, and torn up clothes that he had no idea the origins of.

“You just show up here, in those clean clothes of yours. You make it look like you’re with me.”

“Well excuse me for not walking down the street covered in dirt.” he stated, rolling his eyes, but not able to cover the smile on his lips.

“Aww little Forest can smile.”

“Yeah whatever, wanna come over and shower or something?” Forest asked.

“You always take care of homeless people like this?”

“Just cute ones.”

“Yeah right Forest. You know you like me.” Kylie teased as Forest took her guitar from her and started towards his apartment.

Forest just smiled and shrugged before Kylie looped her arm through his. He glanced back to see Shadow shake his head and follow behind them with his hands shoved in his pockets.

Hazel walked down the street, an ice cream cone in her hand, and her friend Taylor beside her.

“Oh my gosh Hazel, I still can’t believe your dad is Zacky Vengeance.” Taylor gushed as Hazel got off the phone with her dad.

“It’s really no big deal Taylor, he’s just a guy like anyone else in the world.”

“Sure, every guy is a sexy guitarist in a sexy band.” Taylor stated sarcastically.

“Taylor! That’s my dad and uncles you’re talking about!” Hazel yelled, disgust making her voice louder then it should have been.

“I know right! You’re so lucky!” Taylor squealed, bouncing up and down slightly.

Hazel rolled her eyes, she was sick of always talking about Avenged Sevenfold with her friends, and hearing them tell her how lucky she was to have them as her father and uncles. She knew she was lucky to have them, but there were also hard times that she went through and it didn’t matter that they were famous then.

“So are we stopping by your house to pick up the car?” Taylor asked, nudging Hazel's arm with her elbow and wiggling her eyebrows. Hazel shrugged, not wanting to hang out anymore.

“You know what Taylor? I’m not feeling to well, maybe we should end the day here and pick it up tomorrow or something.”

“You just don’t want me to see your dad.” Taylor said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You’re right, I don’t, because I don’t want you drooling over my father like everyone else. I thought you were different, but you’re obviously not.” Hazel turned then and stomped down the street.

“Forest!” Kylie called from the bathroom.

“What?” Forest asked. He was sprawled out on the couch watching the news, more murders and people with no money, oh yay.

“Um…..can I borrow some money and go to the store real quick?” she asked.

“What for?” He didn’t have to yell anymore since the shower turned off and the bathroom door was just a few feet away.

“I need some things.” she said urgently from behind the white door.

“Just tell me what you need.” Forest groaned, leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling, letting his eyes wander to the stain on the ceiling from water damage.

“Five bucks its girly shit.” Shadow stated from the window sill where he always sat.

Forest glanced at him before the bathroom door opened a crack and he looked at Kylie’s face peeking out at him. Her cheeks were bright red and Forest knew Shadow was about to be right.

“Tampons.” she stated, looking down at the floor.

“Told you!” Shadow yelled, Forest being the only one that heard him.

“Well...get dressed and I’ll go with you. It’s late.” Forest said, standing from the couch and grabbing his wallet.

“Are you sure? I can go…”

“It’s late Kylie. Last time you left here alone you nearly died.” Forest winced as he thought back to that time.

“Thank you Forest.” she said quietly, smiling as she shut the door again.

He sighed and scratched his head before walking over and grabbing his jacket from the small card table that was up against the wall nearest the kitchen.

“She must really like you if she’ll let you go with her to buy tampons.” Shadow said as he continued to read some book. Forest still didn’t know how he got some of the things he had.

“Shut up Shadow.” he mumbled as Kylie walked out of the bathroom. She looked better then before, decked out in a pair of his pajama pants and a t-shirt of his.

“Thanks for the clothes too. Mine are all crappy.” She blushed and ran a hand through her hair that she had left down for once.

“No problem, you should get some new ones some time.” He handed her a hoodie of his and realized all the clothes she was wearing were his except her shoes and whatever she had underneath.

“Hey! Still here!” Shadow yelled from across the room.

A blush crept across his cheeks as Shadow caught him thinking about Kylie.

“Ready to go Forest?” Kylie asked, cocking her head to the side and looking at him.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, lets go.” Forest said, opening the door and letting her go out first.

He turned back towards the apartment and mouthed ‘fuck you’ to Shadow while flipping him off. Shadow laughed and rolled his eyes as Forest let the door swing shut, knowing Shadow would be in the elevator with him in a couple of seconds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ten minutes later Forest and Kylie stood in the middle of Safeway, searching for the aisle Kylie needed. They found it a minute later, next to the candy aisle. Forest pointed this out and they both laughed, earning weird looks from the few people around them.

“Sorry you have to be here with me.” Kylie said, staring at all the boxes in front of her.

They had been standing there a few minutes and Forest didn’t know why she was taking so long.

“Just pick one.”

“Well I don’t want to spend all your money! And I don’t want those crappy sports ones or those stupid ones.” she said, kicking a box near the bottom of the shelf.

Forest raised his eyebrows and pulled his phone from his pocket, seeing that it was nearly ten at night by now. He flicked Kylie’s shoulder and waited until she turned, her thumb on her lips as she chewed on her thumbnail.

“I’ll be right back, I just need to grab something.” Kylie nodded and turned back to the shelf.

Forest raised his eyebrow and made his way out of the aisle before turning into the one right next to it.

“Ready to go?” Forest asked, finding Kylie in the same aisle, but grabbing a box.

She turned quickly, looking at his face and then down at the bag in his hands.

“Candy fetish?” she asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

“Nah, just thought I’d get a big bag.” he shrugged and Kylie smiled.

“Thank you.”

“Quit thanking me for everything.” Forest said heading for the front of the store.

“Then stop doing things that no one else would ever do for me!” Kylie exclaimed as she ran to catch up with him.

“Then stop hanging around and I will.”

“Fine, I will.” she turned and headed for the other end of registers.

Forest took a large step and grabbed her sleeve before pulling her back to him.

“You wouldn’t dare, besides, you’re staying at my place tonight.”

“I could always leave.”

“And go where?” They stood there a moment as she thought it over, then a smile graced her pink lips and she shrugged.

“Fair enough.”

Forest laughed and shook his head before heading towards the only open register in the store. He didn’t have many friends, but the ones he did, he kept close.