That Old Feeling

"John, if you're scrawny ass isn't out bed in ten minutes I'm gonna forcibly remove you, ya lazy bitch. We're all leaving for the bar, including you whether you're dressed or not." Eric Halvorsen yells on the other side of John's closed bedroom door.

The aforementioned sleeping man grumbles and sleepily sits up in his tangled sheets. He looks at the clock and sighs. John really didn't want to go out tonight. Honestly, it is the last thing on his mind at the moment.

He runs a hand through his hair then again drinking and listening to a little rock and roll never hurt anybody. John grabs a crumpled pair of jeans off his floor and stands to slide them on. He yawns scratching at his side looking around for any loose t-shirts.

Finally his eyes land on his Tom Petty shirt. He smirks, "Good and reliable." Which is saying more than the women in his life.

Halvo bursts through the door and stops when he sees John lacing his boots. He grins stupidly, "Good you're up. Nice to see you're still as ugly as ever. Here pre-game, son."

He tosses John the bottle of beer in his hand and John pops the top smiling, "Fuck you. Thanks, though."

Eric shrugs, "No problem. Now lets go!"

John drinks from the bottle of bud light and follows his friend into the living room of their apartment where most of his friends are gathering ready to leave for a night on the town. They shout hello's and greetings.

He gulps down the remaining contents then slips over to his group of friends. Halvo slings his arm around his shoulders and John hooks his arm around his waist, "I thought we were getting out of here."

Halvo laughs, "I thought you'd never ask. You're driving." He tosses John the keys and John shakes his head. The group of friends clamor into Tim's SUV, the only vehicle that wil hold their entire crew. Eric rides shotgun while John drives. Everybody else crams themselves into the remaining seats.

John flips on the radio and immediately switches to the CD resting in the player. Johnny Cash fills the car and soon they're all singing along. John pulls into the bar's parking lot and shuts off the car. His eyes flash to the rearview mirror and that's his first sight of the small-framed red head. He didn't know how he didn't see her before. She gives him a small smile.

They all climb out and head for the entrance; being noisy and rowdy like the twenty-something kids they are. John slaps Eric on the shoulder, "Who's the red head?"

Eric looks confused for a moment, "Ohh yeah, while you were being recluse "recovering" from your break-up with Crystal. We added that little spit-fire to our group. Name's Katie." John rolls his eyes on the use of finger quotations.

John nods and murmurs to himself, "Katie."

The group sloppily seats themselves at a table ordering rounds of shots and a pack of beer. John quickly shot back the whiskey and follows with a sip of his beer. After each beer, John loosens up more and more.

However, the entire time he was laughing and joking with Halvo and trading stories with Tim, his eyes wander to the red head sitting across from him giggling with Ashley and whispering to Heather.

Just like clockwork, at midnight, the DJ quit spinning watered-down top 40 hits and Neil Young begins playing over the speakers. This is what John lived for that old feeling of rock and roll. Eric's awful singing voice breaks through over the noise and John laughs loudly at his drunken friend.

At the end of the table, Jared slides over to Tessa and pulls her onto the dance floor. Tim follows with Ashley, both of them giggling like middle schoolers as they slow dance to Heart of Gold. Eric leans over, "Ask Katie to dance, dude"

John shakes his head, "Nah man, I don't even know her."

Eric's eyes widen, "Just do it. You've only been drooling over for the past two hours."

John matches the expression and whispers, "No."

The two girls across from them laugh at the two boys bickering back and forth with each other. Heather sips from her Screwdriver and Katie sips from her beer. Heather nudges her friend, "So, John's quite the looker, huh?"

Katie shrugs knowing there is no denying the sandy haired boy is attractive in the most awkwardly of handsome ways. She smirks, "I guess."

Heather smirks, "Please, save your naive bullshit for somebody else. The way you were eye-fucking him in the car, you so want to jump his bones."

Katie laughs at her friend's crassness that she had albeit gotten used to over the last few months, "Why don't you go ask Halvo to dance, hmm?"

Heather narrows her eyes and stands from her chair, "I think I will."

Unceremoniously she walks over to the boys' side of the table and pulls Eric out of his seat and onto the dance floor. John grins at his friend and takes a sip from his drink as he watches his friend grind with a girl to a song that is clearly meant for slow dancing.

A small laugh across the table refocuses his attention to the girl across from him. He remembers Eric's words in his mind and just rolls with it. He clears his throat and Katie looks at him, "H-hi, I'm John."

Wow! Could you be any smoother, O'Callaghan? Katie nods, "I know."

John awkwardly nods, "Ohh, right."

It's quiet and John continues to yell at himself for being a complete bumbling fool. Katie smiles smally and John shrugs, "So do you wanna, I don't know, you don't have to. But uhh wanna dance?"

Katie smiles widely, "I'd love to dance."

John leads her onto the dance floor where usually he only found himself after the help of liquid courage. Halvo lets out a whoop and makes inappropriate gestures behind Katie's back. He flips him off and pulls the red head closer to him by her hips.

The song switches to Tom Waits. Katie nods to the music, "I love this song."

John feels light on his feet. This being the closest he's been to the opposite sex in months besides his mother of course, but she didn't really count. That old feeling of being comfortable with a girl in his bones once again. John spins Katie in a circle and she laughs loudly.

He pulls her close once more and she rests her hands on the back of his neck playing with the hairs on the back of his neck. Ashley and Tim waltz their way over to the pair. Tim wiggles his eyebrows and John shakes his head.

John leans downs to talk to Katie, "How in the hell did you get mixed up with these cats?"

She laughs and smirks, "Misfortune."

He laughs and she giggles at his flushed cheeks from the alcohol setting in, "Actually I'm studying elementary education like Ashley at ASU."

John nods, "Cool, cool."

Eric's annoying voice sounds over Bob Dylan's voice, "Just kiss! Be a man and kiss her, John."

John throws his hands up at his friend and Katie buries her face in his shirt. She looks up at him, "I'd hate to disappoint them, y'know?"

His eyes widen and his mouth opens to speak but no words come out. The girl has left him speechless. She hooks her fingers in his belt loops and raises an eyebrow. John cups her cheek and while he still has the courage he connects their lips.

That old feeling.

Katie is first to pull away, "Well, that was nice." John nods and pulls her in for another kiss. She smiles into the kiss but continues with it even still.

Their friends cheer from beside them and Katie rests her head on his chest and tells him, "I guess anything can happen when you're listening to rock and roll, huh?"

John grins, "Well if that happens every time I listen to rock and roll. I won't ever stop listening to rock and roll."

She smiles shyly and John smirks and lays in her an unexpected dramatic dip. She clings to John until he pulls her up right and she laughs loudly. That old feeling of crushing on a boy fluttering inside her.

The DJ calls last song and him and his friends groan. John leans down to Katie mustering up courage from the high he's feeling from their kisses, "Do you wanna maybe go out sometime?"

Katie smiles up at the green-eyed boy, "I think I'd like that."

Closing time arrives and John and his friends stumble out of the bar. He laces fingers with Katie. A constant set of words running through his mind. That old feeling of a song. A little rock. A little roll.

John throws his free hand up and sings, "Is anybody listening?!"

Halvo groans, "NO!"

John laughs and shouts, "Don't stop listening to rock and roll!"

His friends laugh at their friend's outburst but throw the words back at him just as loud. The anthem for basically their lives, "Don't stop listening to rock and roll!"

John pulls Katie closer to him and she smiles up at him through the early morning Arizona air. That old feeling was back for the both of them. Deep in their bones. Now they're with one another waiting for the sun to shine.