A Dog's Life

Twelve

Sarah woke with a start, her body felt as if it was falling and as she made contact with the hard concrete she screamed.

It was a dream, but one that felt horrifically real.

“Sarah shit be careful,” The concrete ground rushed towards her face but he was quicker, pulling her arm hard towards him to stop the faceplant that was coming. “Fuck, you stay held onto me baby, okay?”

He was her hero, he come to rescue her last night from..

Last night.

Sarah groaned as more memories of the night flashed past her. From to throwing up in the flower bed to stumbling in the car park, to Zacky taking her home in his car as she stuck her head out the window of his truck to resume her puking.

“Oh god,” Her head fell back onto the pillow and she so badly wished the bed would just swallow her whole. It wasn’t her bed, it was Zack’s bed, she knew this room well but she would rather be dying of embarrassment in her own bed, allowed to suffer her hangover without his presence. She felt awful for her actions last night, and the last thing she wanted was to deal with her embarrassment while feeling like death warmed up.

She slowly sat up in the bed looking around for her bag and phone. On the bedside table was a glass of water, two pills and a note telling her to take them if he wasn’t back.

Where was he then?

She slowly twisted herself out of the bed, enjoying the cold wooden floor as she stood up and stretched. At the end of the bed Zacky had left the sweat pants, t-shirt and hoodie she’d borrowed from him before. Sarah could faintly hear music downstairs, pulling on the new clothes, she very slowly made her way downstairs presuming that was where he’d be.

Sarah hadn’t checked the time yet but guessed if he wasn’t around he might have taken the dogs out. The music sounded as if it was coming from the kitchen, and she remembered seeing a radio in there. She padded slowly down the corridor, feeling almost like an intruder.

She stopped as she got to the kitchen door, her eyes going wide in confusion.

A couple were pushed up against one of the counter, the girl could just be seen by the contrast of her bare legs against his jean clad legs. The man was covered in tattoos and had thick black hair if wasn’t for the fact he was way over 6foot and skinny, Sarah might have been concerned.

“Umm morning?” Sarah questioned starring at the couple in the kitchen. The girl quickly pulled herself away from the much taller man, stumbling back slightly and starring wide eyed at Sarah. “Is Zacky around?”

“Yo Baker you got laid?” The guy called a huge smile on his face as he looked Sarah up and down. “I can’t believe he finally-“

“Jimmy shhh,” The girl slapped his chest playfully as she turned to smile at Sarah.

“He’s just in the living room, did you want coffee? Or tea?” She added with a smile. “Zacky started buying tea, and now I think I know why,” Sarah smiled back at her, the girl seemed friendly enough and very English. “Rhian by the way, and this is Jimmy,” She added pointing to the tall man who she’d just been making out with. “You’ll get use to him,” She winked turning round to fill the kettle up.

Sarah nodded leaning against the counter and still feeling a bit queesy.

“Rhi, she doesn’t look so good,” Jimmy pointed out gazing at Sarah with a concerned look. “She’s not-“

“Go and get Zacky,” Rhian muttered giving Jimmy a good push and smiling at Sarah. “You eat?”

“Yes religiously,”

“Bacon sandwhich?”

“God yes please, do you live here?”

“No, this group just has no boundaries,” Sarah raised her eyebrows; she was starting to believe that.
“Sit down, it won’t take long!” Sarah nodded, slowly walking towards the breakfast bar and collapsing on the high stools.

“Ooo breakfast?”

“Matt it’s nearly midday,”

“Lunch then!” Sarah watched the huge tank of a man sit down next to her as if she wasn’t even around. He turned to stare at her as Rhian placed the mug in front of her.

“This is-“ Rhian paused realising she didn’t know the other girls name.

“Sarah,” Sarah replied with a small smile picking up the tea and inhaling deeply. There was something about a cup of tea that was just so comforting.

“Sarah,” Matt repeated at the girl. “She’s related to you?”

“Yes because all English people are related,” Rhian muttered, rolling her eyes and turning to turn the bacon, as Zack walked in a confused frown crossing his face.

“You’re related?”

“No!” Rhian huffed, stepping away from the oven.

“Morning beautiful,” Rhian and Matt both starred between Zack and Sarah in shock. Had Zack honestly just said that to her?

“Hey,” Sarah almost whispered back the blood rushing to her cheeks as he pressed a kiss against her temple and grabbed a coffee cup from the side.

“Feeling better?”

“Much,” She replied feeling the other two’s gaze heating up on her.

“Excellent,” Zack’s arm went around her waist. “You’re more than welcome to use the shower, make yourself at home,”

“I’m just making her a sandwich,” Rhian replied, clearly listening to the conversation. Zack’s head flicked up, gazing at Rhian in disgust.

“You’re letting a vegetarian make you a fucking bacon sandwich, Sarah seriously?” Sarah shrugged gazing over the other girl who had a smirk on her lips. “God woman, you really are hanging”

“I’ll have the food then a shower, if that’s ok?”

“Of course,” Zack kissed her again before taking a long glug of his coffee. Sarah wasn’t quite sure what to say, she could barely remember last night, and Zack was treating her like his, she hated to say it.

Like his girlfriend.

Is that what she was?

She’d drank too much last night, and Zack had come to the rescue; those were the facts she remembered.

“SO you’re coming to the BBQ right?” Rhian questioned as Matt laughed and Zacky just smiled.

“This is Rhian she likes to interfere in our lives as if she was our mother,” Matt nudges Sarah with a huge arm. “You’ll get use to her and realise she does it cause she loves and wants the best,” Rhian’s eyes narrowed at him.

“I was just asking,”

“No you were insisting Zacky invited her so you can encourage this thing they’ve got going on,” Matt replied with a satisfied smirk as Rhian glared at him, Sarah had to smile these people were instantly likeable.

“Jimmy Matt’s picking on me,” Rhian replied pouting at the extremely lankly Jimmy who just shrugged and wrapped her up in his arms.

“He’s telling it how it is,” Jimmy replied kissing her head gently. “So Sarah?” Jimmy focused in on her. “You aren’t going to take my drumsticks away from me are you?” Sarah raised her eyebrows and heard Matt mutter no to her.

“No, Why would I?” Zacky rolled his eyes and turned away as Jimmy started to explain.

“She who shall not be named use to fucking take them away when I was tapping da beats ya know what I’m saying?”

“Not really,” Sarah admitted gazing at the weird man with interested. “She who should not be named?”

“Jenny,” Rhian muttered quickly glancing at Zacky with a worried look. “She was pure evil,” Her voice fell even quieter.

“I’m in the room,” Zacky muttered.

“We know,”

“We didn’t like her though,” Rhian added. “You we like,”

“We don’t know that yet,” Jimmy told his girlfriend eyeing Sarah suspiciously. “Jenny was the devil in-“

“Stop it alright, Jenny was Jenny she wasn’t as bad as you all make out, fuck I was going to marry her! I love her!” Silence fell in the room, even Matt stopped eating to stare at the guitarist in amazement. Sarah instantly felt like the stranger in the room, she knew engagements weren’t something you forget in a second but she didn’t expect him to say that.

Was she just a rebound?

“I’m going to go get dressed properly,” Sarah suddenly whispered pushing the other half of her bacon sandwich towards Matt who looked like he could eat. “I’ll be back in a bit,”

“Loved I meant loved,” Zacky whispered watching Sarah walk out.

“Shit,” Jimmy whispered leaning over to grab the sandwich. “Did you really just say that?”

“It was a slip,” Zacky muttered back, he could feel everyone’s gaze on him. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He looked desperately round them room in hope of some kind of support.

“Let me,” Rhian’s hand fell onto his arm and she grabbed the half eaten bacon sandwich away from Matt. “She might still be hungry!”
♠ ♠ ♠
This story is all planned out, and the ending is written, just writing up the bit in between here and the end and we are done! Enjoy! xx