Come Pick Me Up

"Get your lazy ass up. We're going out."

"But it's a million degrees out there!" I groaned into my pillow.

"You haven't step foot outside since we came from airport three days ago! You need get your tan on and catch some vitamin D." Kennedy dragged me by the ankles, and off the bed. I greeted the floor with a loud thud. But the wooden floor was cold from the aircon, which made me not want to get my arse up even more. "I'll kiss you if you don't ge-"

"Alright! Alright! I'm up!" I stood up way too fast, causing my head to spin.

"Am I really that repulsive?" He pouted.

"Yeah you are, you twit." I spat at him. Kennedy, of all people, knew that I'm not the best person to be around when I feel like I would burn up in any second. I miss the cold, I miss the rain, and I miss the gloomy clothes hovering in the sky. "Just let me take a bath."

"You took one ten minutes ago!"

"Look at this!" I pointed at my pits "I'm sweating up a storm!"

"Your pits are fine. Just slab on some deodorant and wear this." He threw a set of clothes at my face and left the room. This boy was insufferable.

---

"So you're taking me out to breakfast and paying for my flapjacks." I didn't even bother swallowing before opening my mouth again. "What do you want?" 
We were in a diner called 'Denny's' which is quite a stupid name if you ask me. I mean what kind of person would name their kid 'Denny' much less a food establishment. 

"Answers."

"Okay then, shoot."

"What do you honestly think of my friends?"

"They all seem really sweet. Pat is a real energy bunny and Jared is probably my 2nd favourite ginge. But that John bloke is a real chav of some sorts. And that Garrett kid is really something." I popped a piece of flapjack in my mouth. "Next question."

"How much longer are you staying for?"

"Until everything back home blows over I guess. You know my folks." I saw him shudder. Neither of us had a good experience when it came to each other's family. My mom hated him and his dad never stuck around long enough for either of us to know if he liked me or not.

"You know you can't run away from it forever." He studied my face before talking again. "Figures it won't stop you from trying."

"You got that one right, Trotty."

"Don't you ever get tired of running?" His question really took me aback. I've never really thought of it.

"Well it gets tiring but-" I struggled with what the right words are to say. "You sort of assume that if you stop, whatever you're running from is far worse than a little sweat."

"This is coming from the girl who didn't want to get up this morning cause of a little sweat on her pits." He joked. I couldn't help but laugh along at his poor attempt to lighten the mood.

"Okay new topic. How's that lass of yours? What's her name again- oh right, Gabi! How is she? Haven't heard from her in a while. Maybe we should all hang out." 

"I don't think she'd appreciate it if I came along. Why the interest all of a sudden? You never seemed eager to talk to her before. I was under the impression you hated her."

"What are you talking about? I didn't hate her. Yeah sure she was a tad bit annoying sometimes, but hey so am I! You guys have been together since highschool, I might as well make her one of my close mates too while waiting for you to pop the question."

"Had."

"Pardon?"

"It's had. We had been together since high school." He corrected. What was he- oh no.

"Oh I'm sorry, Kennedy." I only called him by that when I was serious.

"I don't deserve that sorry, really." He explained to me how he cheated on her while they were on tour after they had gotten into a big arguement on the phone. He also told me how she found out from mutual friends. "I was planning on telling her but then when I got home, her suitecases were all packed up in her car and she was waiting for me in the living room. All she told me was that she knew and she's just waiting for me to confirm it. She already booked a room in a hotel and everything until she could find a place to stay. I offered the place to her but she said she's just going to be reminded of me and it won't make it any easier for her to move on."

"You're a legitamite arsehole, Trot. You know that?" I angrily pointed my fork at him.

"You think I don't know that? Gabi is probably the best thing that ever happened to me. It was a lot less lonely when I was with her, especially after you moved."

"Not probably, Kennedy. She is the best thing that ever happened to you. I only put up with half the shit you pull, but she loved you and seemed to do especially when you cock up. How could you?"

"I'm a fucking screw up and she loved me for the screw up I was. Even if we don't love each other anymore like we used to, I still feel guilty for doing that to her. To anyone." He looked down at his food.

I lifted up his chin and looked him dead in the eyes. "You listen to me, you little git. You better feel more than guilty. That's not enough. You have to feel like the most horrible person in the world. Everytime you wake up, you have to want to punch yourself in the bollocks and feed the children of Africa."

"I do." His chin dropped from my grip and he looked down. "And even that's still not enough."

"You're a good bloke, Kennedy." I reached across the table to squeeze his hand.

His head hung low. "Not good enough."

"You're working on it. That counts."

----

"Where are you off to."

"I've got errands to run, Adams. Not all of us can live it up care free." we both knew that couldn't be any further from my situation. "Garrett over here will take care of you for the rest of the day." He pointed at the sleeping boy on the couch. Before I could repremand him for leaving me with Garrett again, he was already out the door and unlocking his car.

I walked over to Garrett and shook him awake. "Hey you, wake up!"

"Mngaa five more minutes!"

"No. Get up! We are going out to, as Kennedy puts it, 'get your tan on'." I made air quotes while saying it. "Come on, Garrett!"

"Can't we just hang in my room again and-"

"I refuse to let you waste another one of my afternoons by dragging me into your room, blasting Ryan Adams and trying to convince me that he is the best musician in the world."

"Ok fine... We can listen to Phantom Planet."

I leaned in to him, our faces now just inches apart. "I'd rather claw my eyes out."

"Harsh." We stayed in this position in a while until I cleared my throat.

"Well come on. I'm not getting any younger!" I sang.

"Obviously not. You look like you're 30. And you're just like what, 25?" He kicked his feet off the couch and slipped on his boots.

"I'm 21 you tit. Well look who's talking. At least I don't act like a 12 year old." I crossed my arms over my chest. "And you're like what? 25?" I mocked him.

No one spoke for the next hour. Well maybe it was just a minute, but it seemed like hours.

"Sorry. I'm not usually this rude to people. It's just- I just-" Garrett's awkward and shy self seemed to be resurfacing. "I'm sorry. I was just joking. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"No harm done, mate. No need to apologize." I smiled reassuringly at him. "Honestly, I'm the real bitch here. It's just so hot, and the temperature is really messing with my head. I'm usually all smiles in the cold. And you don't need to worry about hurting my feelings, Garrett. I'm a big girl." I placed my hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Besides, you're a proper gentleman for the most part. It's nice to throw in a little insult and what not, here and there from time to time."

"I'm glad you think that." He smiled shyly. It seemed like he was thinking out loud rather than talking to me. He finally stood up from the couch and we made our way outside.

I ran over to the passenger's side and waited for Garrett to unlock the door. But he was already walking to the other direction. "Oi! Where do you think you're going?"

"Julia, the place is just less than a two minute walk." He laughed.

"Yeah, two minutes of that bloody sun burning my skin!" That made him laugh even harder.

"You know I think that my car is growing on you." He stated as a-matter-of-factly as he unlocked the doors and slid into the drivers seat.

"Yeah, like a bad fungus." I slammed the door close. He turned up the aircon and I let out an involuntary moan, much like the last time I was in this car, as the cool breeze hit my neck. "So where are talking me, mysterious man?"

"I prefer the name, dark knight."

"Alrighty then. So where are you talking me, noble steed?" I teased

"Eh. I'll take what I can get." He shrugged. "Well, we're here."

---

"How'd you do it?"

"Hm?"

"How'd you get over someone like that." I kicked my feet so that the swing would go higher. "How do you get over some one doing that to you a just like that." I snapped my fingers.

"Don't get me wrong it was hard, but you just do." His swings got slower and slower so I followed suit. "It also helps that I've got a great support team."

"But Kennedy. If my roomate ever did that I wouldn't know how to look her in the eye, much less if it happened to me." I didn't know why I was asking him all this. Our conversation went from who the best Beatle was to this. "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that. You've known me for only less than a week. I'm a tit."

"No it's fine." At this point, we both stopped swinging all together. "It feels strangley comfortable talking to you."

"Yeah, John said it usually takes time for you to warm up to people."

"He's right about that." He shook his head and laughed.

"So are you ever going to answer my question?"

"Just give me a minute." He closed his eyes. It was getting later into the afternoon and the sun was almost setting. I realized that we've been here for hours now and it's getting really late. I stood up from the swing and stood infront of Garrett.

"Hey, you don't have to tell me. Come on. Let's go home." I pulled his arms forward and walked him back to the car. He started the car up and we just sat idlely in the car.  

"It'll be a story for another day. I promise." He turned to me to look me in the eye. "I still have to figure out how it ends."