Iris

Jimmy.

"Earth to Jimmy!" I jumped in my seat, nearly face planting onto the ground. Maybe teetering on the edge of the couch was not my best idea. I turned to grin at the rest of my friends who were in the room. Sometimes it paid when Matt was so obsessed with XBOX that he had two consoles, the two televisions right next to each other. Four of us were able to play in the same game online, in the same room, just having to be fair and switch back and forth with each other. We were full grown men, we could share sometimes. Though, currently, all of my friends were glaring daggers at me instead of playing.

"What the hell was that?!" The hazel eyed man next to me shouted, which clearly wasn't necessary. His eyes were burning with flames of anger. Matt definitely got a bit too into this game. But I guess since everyone else was glaring too, this was important. "You made us lose the match with that whacked out, space cadet move."

"What?" I turned to the screen just in time to see me get shot in the head, not a single move from my own character as I did so. I chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Sorry guys."

"I vote short shit on," the green eyed man on the other side of me announced grumpily. I handed the controller to the shorter man on the floor without a fight. He, in turn, signed out of my profile and into his own. Once he was set we waited. Two other players had left, so the game was making us wait for new people to take their place.

"What is up with you today, man?" The same short man asked, leaning his head back against the edge of the couch next to me to send me a confused look with the complement of a raised eyebrow. The final man, who sat on the other side of the green eyed one, groaned loudly.

"Don't encourage him."

"What are you talking about Brian?" Matt grumbled, looking up from playing with his weapon upgrades to look at the four of us. I couldn't stop the wide smile that was spreading across my face. Everyone but Brian gave me a puzzled stare.

"Don't you guys know what today is?"

"Jimmy, if you're trying to trick us into thinking it's your birthday again like last year, it's not going to work. Its the sixteenth of February," my friend spoke, his emerald eyes rolling at me.

"What do you mean 'like last year'? It didn't work then either, Zack," Brian scoffed at him. Zack ignored him, staring at me intently.

"So then why is the sixteenth so important?" he asked instead, his mind still wheeling to figure out why I looked so excited. It wasn't my birthday, Halloween, or Christmas so all the normal ideas were gone. That's why my suspense was so much fun. Especially since because of their focus on me, Matt had backed out of the game to the lobby but I could tell that my lack of communication was excruciating when he could be killing virtual people.

"Its not."

"Then why are we having this conversation?!" Matt shouted, his eye twitching. Ahhh, I guess I should end the suspense so Matt doesn't have a stroke.

"Because its the seventeenth that's important! It's Iris's birthday and it ends the contract," I announced with a wide grin. The room fell dead silent, everyone but Brian had a look of shock. Matt had dropped his controller on the ground, Zack had to grip the couch to not fall off, and Johnny's eyes were so wide I thought they might pop out of his sockets.

"You mean the daughter you haven't seen in twelve years and three hundred and sixty-four days?" Johnny inquired. Like there was any other Iris we all knew about.

"Well I still get photos of her on her birthday and Christmas. So its not like I haven't seen her," I defended.

"But she doesn't even know you exist as her father so I can't quite count it as seeing her Jim," Zack butted in.

"Close enough," I spoke, shrugging my shoulders. "But it doesn't matter. I'm seeing her soon enough so you can't say shit. Her adoptive parents are supposed to be contacting me today."

"The parents you've never met?" Johnny teased. I pushed him over with my foot.

"How do you know that she'll want to see you, Jim?" I turned to Brian with a frown on my face. He noticed the sour look I gave him at once and shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that, Jimmy. I meant that she's known only those parents for the past fifteen years of her life, how do you expect her to react to the fact they're not her real parents? I just don't want you to get disappointed if she's not ready for that realization."

"I know. I'm prepared for that. If she doesn't want to see me, I'll just leave alone. I've lived this long without her, I'm prepared to keep going if I have to," I explain with a soft smile. The guys all gave me worried looks. "Don't do that, I'm serious. If Iris wants to stay with her other family, I'm fine. It's whatever makes Iris happy. And if not knowing me is what makes her happy, I'll abide by her wishes."

It was silent in the room for a moment, no one quite sure what to say. So I was slightly shocked when a hand was placed onto my shoulder. I turned to follow the arm up to very defined muscles before reaching a face. Matt gave me a dimpled smile, his hazel eyes lighting up his face. "We're here for you no matter what Jimbo."

"Thanks Matt." I looked around the room at my other three friends who were smiling and nodding in agreement. I felt like such a hormonal teen on how I teared up. I laughed awkwardly, rubbing at my eyes with my knuckles. "Thanks guys."

"Don't get all sissy on us. You couldn't get rid of us, dude," Zacky chuckled, lightly punching my arm.

"I guess I can deal with that. I mean, we had to deal with Johnny for all these years."

"Hey, without me you wouldn't have a badass bassist," Johnny argued with a smug look on his face. I rolled my eyes as Zack pushed him over with his foot, all of us laughing in the process. If any one of us had not decided to stay with each other, no matter how annoying we were, we wouldn't have the life we were all happy with. We wouldn't have the band, the fans, and most importantly, we wouldn't have each other. And I honestly don't know what I would do without them.

I glanced at the clock that was mounted on the wall. Two thirty-eight. I frowned, climbing to my feet. "Sorry guys, its - "

"Almost time. We got it, we got it," Zack sighed, shaking his head at me, probably in disbelief that I still say the same thing every time I left. Soon enough I had given everyone a hug and gotten a 'good luck' of some kind before slipping into my leather jacket draped over the couch and leaving Matt's home. I revved the engine of my Charger to life before I left the driveway, heading toward the downtown of Huntington Beach, California.

Within ten minutes I was turning into the deserted parking lot. I climbed out, placing sunglasses in front of my eyes to help dim the bright California sunlight. Well I guess it was the same sunlight anywhere in the world, but it felt like this intensity of bright and warm light can only come from the lovely state of California. I slowly followed the shoe beaten path, the only thing absent of half dead grass. It was frustrating to me, really, that they would let this place look so dark and depressing. Shouldn't they try to make this place look nice?

I felt my anger fade as soon as I saw the familiar tree. It was a weeping willow and was quite possibly my most favorite kind of tree. It was actually the only one in the whole area and it made me happy to know that it was just where I headed every week. I sat down cross-legged in my normal spot, placing my pack of smokes and my phone into my lap. The phone was the odd piece of the equation. I usually had it away and on silent but like I said, I was expecting an important call today. I think the person I was visiting wouldn't mind.

I placed a cigarette between my lips before lighting it up with my zippo, slipping off my sunglasses as I breathed out a thin line of smoke. The sunlight filtered through the long leaves of the willow tree, putting random rays across my body and the stone in front of me. I traced the words affectionately, smiling softly. Leana Silver-Sullivan. Beloved wife, daughter, and friend. She lives on in the daughter she just barely met, Iris.

"I’m just on time honey. Sorry I'm not going to be here tomorrow, but its Iris's birthday. I'm supposed to be meeting her. Can you believe it baby? I'm going to finally see Iris," I whispered, almost breathlessly. Leana and I were barely about to turn sixteen when she was got pregnant. Sadly Leana passed away from birth complications. The doctor assured me time and time again it was nothing we could have done to stop it. It didn't make it hurt any less. Knowing I was unable to properly take care of my child without her mother, I had to give her away. But I was promised I'd see her again. And tomorrow was the time to finally get my part of the deal.

"Things are going so great baby. We're supposed to starting to work on a new album and we're done with touring for a while so I can visit Mom and Dad more. Of course I'll visit Kathy and Joe too. I'll tell them you said hi." My parents and Leana's are probably what got me through the years. Without them I probably would have died when I was younger. I know people say 'sixteen is too young to love someone' but it's been growing for nearly thirteen years now. I did care for Leana for the two years we were dating but over the years, I just haven't been able to find someone quite like her. I still love her now, and nothing will change that.

"I've been thinking about what you look like by now, all grown up. I know you preferred the platinum blond. By now you would grow it to mid-back with light brown streaks with your famous curls. And those braces would be gone with your bright, shining teeth shown in every smile. You'd be a bit taller, but still shorter than Johnny. Sorry, I don't see you growing much taller than that. You'd still look absolutely gorgeous though, that'll never change. Not even when we're old farts," I chuckled, the imagine of her burned in my mind. I always saw her with that teenage happiness and excitement for the world. She had still had it those last moments on the hospital bed in my arms.

I was silent for a few minutes, smoking the rest of my cigarette. I tossed it off the short hill, letting it tumble down the grassy area until I heard it 'ploop' into the small pond. No fishes or ducks lived in it so I was safe to disuse it as I pleased. I stared back at the weathered stone, noticing the flowers I had brought last week were beginning to wilt. It didn't help being under a willow on top of a hill. Water rarely reached the flowers to hopefully keep it alive even a measly day longer. People told me it wasn't possible anyways but who cared what people said? Just as I opened my mouth, my phone began to ring.

I could feel my heart skip a beat and I grabbed my phone faster than I had ever thought I could move. The name 'Jocelynn' popped up on the caller ID. I quickly answered the phone, pressing the speaker to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hello Jimmy, its Jocelynn. I'm assuming you know what this is about?"

"I know what I'm hoping its about," I joked, chucking. She laughed softly too.

"Well you'll be happy to know that this is exactly what you're hoping for. When will you be able to come?"

I looked at the tombstone one last time and grinned wider, if that was even possible. "Whenever you want me to."