Dazey Records

I barely had a spare moment to myself over the next few weeks. Since The Maine's acoustic performance, word was getting out around town about the store and Nick's part in it, which would help business out whenever he decided to come keep me company. Unfortunately it was our only time together so I couldn't tell him about John with other ears eavesdropping on our conversation.

My downtime was spent building up the store's online presence, quickly gaining more fans on Facebook and opening an online store for those out of town. I had asked Nick to play an acoustic set on Memorial Day Eve and I was rushing to prepare the store for the event. Nick had been hyping it up online and there was set to be about 150 people attending according to the Facebook event profile I had created. I was beginning to neglect everyone without noticing.

"Daisy, I've barely seen you these last few weeks," Nick complained as he walked into the store to set up for his performance.

I looked up from the computer. "What do you mean you've barely seen me? You've been in here like every second day."

"I don't count that because we don't actually get to hang out because we're serving customers half the time. When was the last time you saw anyone outside of the store?"

I couldn't even remember and I just sighed in acceptance. "Fine, I'm sorry for being a lousy friend."

Nick chuckled. "It's okay, I know you've been busy with the store. But I'm having a party tonight to celebrate everyone being together before tours and summer and stuff and because tomorrow is Memorial Day you have no excuse to not be there."

All I really wanted to do was curl up in bed and just crash, but I also really wanted to see everyone before the busy period set in and I'd be left in Arizona by myself to run the store. "Alright, I'm in. What do you want me to bring?"

"Just bring yourself. I'll get you some beers and you can crash in my bed if you want to."

We set up the space for Nick to perform in and let the girls flock in. There weren't quite as many people than there was for The Maine, but I didn't have an extra helping hand at the register so I still felt swamped.

Nick gave me a wave as he left me to the few dozen girls still browsing the store and I waved him off so he could go set up for his party.

I ended up having to stay open longer than my normal trading hours so I wasn't shoving the girls out the door and by the time I was all packed to go home it was dark out and I needed the flashlight from my phone to be able to get my key in the door.

My phone started ringing as I pushed the door open, Nick's contact name illuminating the screen.

"Daze! Where are you?" he shouted down the phone, obviously a few drinks in. I could hear people talking loudly in the background so I assumed the party was already in full swing.

"I just got home, I had to stay open late. I'm gonna take a quick shower and head straight in," I answered, flicking on the lights so I could find my way to the shower.

"Alright Dazeyyyy, see you then!" he responded cheerfully before hanging up.

I settled on a simple outfit of a tank top and jeans and quickly swiped on some makeup and ran my fingers through my hair before jumping back in the car and heading back towards Nick's.

As I got out of the car I could hear everyone in the backyard and the light of the fire pit that I could imagine them all sitting around. I made a pit stop by Nick's room to drop my bag in and I turned to see Halvo stumbling in through the back door. I froze as his eyes locked on me.

"Hey! Record store girl, how're ya going?" he asked loudly.

"Uh, good, thanks," I choked out, my heart racing. I wasn't expecting him to be back from LA already, and if he was back, then it meant John was too.

"I'm going to go grab you a beer," he pointed at me and I was unable to move. He returned moments later with a bottle of Miller Lite and placed it in my hand.

"Thanks," I mumbled, taking a swig. I was going to need a drink or several to deal with the inevitable shit fight that was going to happen.

I wandered out into the backyard, trying to keep a low profile as I made my way over to Nick, who was standing by a cooler that was presumably full of beer.

His eyes lit up as he noticed me. "Daisy! How ya doing girl?" he asked, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

"Nick, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked him. He began to pull me away from the group towards the light of the bonfire.

"I'd get you a beer but it appears you already have one," he started babbling and I looked towards the fire, the light highlighting the laughing face of John O'Callaghan. I knew I would have to act quickly before he noticed me.

"There's something I need to tell you Nick," I started.

Nick chose the wrong moment to reply. "What's wrong, Daisy?"

Jared, who had obviously heard my name, turned and raised his beer.

"Hey Daisy!" he shouted over the top of everyone, drawing many sets of eyes to me, including the hazel pair I was so fond of.

I looked towards John, my scared stare meeting his disbelieving gaze.

"Daisy Marlbrook?"

Those two words were enough to silence the group around the fire. Nick's hand began pulling me back towards the house and I heard a pair of footsteps following behind me.

"Daisy, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot-" Nick started. I stopped him, staring at him wide-eyed.

"You knew?" I asked him, my voice raising.

"Wait you knew?" I heard John's husky voice join our conversation.

"Fuck. Uh, I'm sorry. Daisy, wait," Nick said as I started to walk away.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me you knew!" I shouted at him.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me!" he retaliated.

"Nick, I've been trying to tell you the last few weeks! I didn't even know that you knew John until he was in my store," I snapped at him, my voice raising.

"Nick, you saw the photo when we were cleaning my shit, why the hell didn't you tell me then?" John asked, his anger at the same level as mine.

"Fuck, I knew how cut up you were about it and I didn't want you to flip on me when I told you. Look, I'm sorry, alright? Can we just go outside and forget about it?" he asked, his eyes pleading.

I shook my head, walking towards his room to get my bag. "I'm going home. I'm not in the mood anymore."

"Daisy, you can't drive like this."

"I've had half a beer, if that, I'm fine."

"I'm going too," John announced.

"Come on man, don't be like this," Nick begged, following us to the door.

"Fuck you," John spat at him as I reefed the door open and he slammed it behind him.

I angrily unlocked my car and looked as John pulled at his short hair with his hands.

"Fuck, I can't drive," he muttered, looking towards the end of the street, probably contemplating how long it would take him to walk home.

I sighed. "Just get in the car."

He got in the passenger seat of my car, feeling like a reversal to our high school days. I drove fast so I could be free of the awkward silence that had filled my car and I pulled up in his driveway sooner than I had expected, parking behind the white truck that I used to ride in.

"Daisy," John started.

"Don't. Just, don't."

"We need to talk."

"Not tonight. I don't have the energy. Please, John," my voice cracked on the last sentence as my anger turned to frustration.

He opened the door and mumbled a 'good night' before I quickly reversed from his driveway and sped off home.

I pulled up in front of my apartment block and rested my head on my folded arms, starting to sob as the weight of the night hit me. I had lost the one friend I had and now I was going to have to deal with John.

I dragged myself inside and stripped off my jeans and tank, throwing on an old shirt and curling up in my bed, not looking forward to dealing with all of it the next day.

* * * * *

I didn't wake up until around midday on Memorial day and I planned on lying in bed all day, ignoring everyone, until I remembered the huge amount of stock I needed to have out ready in the store. I sighed as I pulled myself upright and threw on the first clothes I could see, tying my hair into a messy bun before driving down to the store and parking outside.

I was loading new stock into the computer system when I heard the door open. Heart racing, I turned towards the intruder, finding John standing in the doorway.

"Can we talk now?"

I put down the vinyl record I was holding. "Only if you make yourself useful around here. And lock the door behind you."

He turned the lock and walked hesitantly toward the counter, his gaze never leaving me.

He was silent for a few minutes as I kept working before he finally spoke up. "Why didn't you tell me?"

There were a million ways I could interpret the question, but I knew which one he was talking about.

"I couldn't risk my dad finding out. By the time we reached Boston my phone was dead and mom bought me a new one, so I lost everything."

"If I'd have known it was going to happen I would never have let you leave my car that afternoon, I would have taken you to my house. I'm so sorry I didn't know about your parents."

"We hid it pretty well until mom and I left, I guess."

We worked silently for a few minutes, neither of us brave enough to start up a new conversation.

"I missed you. Every single day," John said softly. My breath caught in my throat as I remembered how I would cry myself to sleep because I missed John, even my friendship with Nick couldn't mask the pain.

"Me too." I felt a tear run down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away, but he had already noticed it. Before I knew it, John had pulled me into a tight hug, holding me close against him like he used to. We stood like this for several minutes, remembering how it used to feel. I had to pull away first, needing to get this stock done as quickly as possible.

"Okay, let's power through this so I can go back home to my bed."

We worked mostly in silence, John asking the occasional question about how to do something.

"So, how did you meet Nick?" There was a slight edge to his voice and I couldn't decide whether it was from last night or about something else.

"I stumbled into him on my first day at my new high school. Like I literally walked into him. I thought he was going to yell at me but I guess once he saw how scared I looked he thought better. He's been my best friend ever since."

John nodded, processing the information, but looking like he was biting his tongue.

I sighed. "And no, we've never dated. We've kissed once, but we were both drunk and we both agreed we had no feelings for each other."

I knew John would be a little more satisfied with this answer. "Still doesn't mean he's not a dick for not telling me you were here."

"I'm feeling ya."

We made it through the stockpile within an hour, talking about John's memories from tours, some including Nick, and my plans for the store.

"Whenever we're home we'll come and play, there's nothing worse than seeing a record store close down from lack of sales."

I'd always had that thought in the back of my mind, stressing me out whenever it came to the surface. "Yeah, I'm hoping it'll last for as long as I need it."

John gave me a half-smile. "We'll always support you if you need it, Daisy. You know that."

I nodded, returning the smile. "I know. Thanks John. For helping me today and for understanding."

"I'm just glad to have you back."

* * * * *

Nick didn't show up to the store for the next week and while I was mad at him, I was glad he was giving me some space. The quieter days gave me more time to think about what John meant. 'I'm just glad to have you back'? There were about a million ways I could interpret that and they all seemed to flood into my head at the same time when John walked into the store on Friday afternoon. Sales were starting to pick up as more and more kids came home from college and finished high school for the summer.

"How have you been?" he asked casually as I finished ringing up a sale.

"It's starting to get busier as the weather gets warmer which is good, but it's also making me a little worried what it's going to be like once summer is over."

"I wasn't talking about the store."

I was trying to avoid talking about myself because honestly, all I had been doing with myself this week was thinking about John and what the hell he meant.

"Yeah, fine, I'm good," I lied though my teeth, hoping John believe me.

"Have you talked to Nick?" he pressed. I let out a sigh.

"No, but I think I probably should soon. It's nearly been a week and while I'm glad he's giving me space to cool down, I kinda miss having him around. He used to keep me company during the day."

John frowned slightly. "Well, he's heading overseas for a few short tours tomorrow and then doing a US tour with us, so if you want to talk to him you'd better do it tonight or else you'll be waiting a while."

"Shit, that was this week? How did I forget?"

"Well if you weren't talking to Nick it wouldn't be coming up in conversation."

"I'll have to drop around before I go home then. How have you been?"

He smirked. "I've been pretty good. Actually, I've come to inform you that tomorrow you have the day off and I'm taking you out."

"Uh, newsflash John, the store is open tomorrow and since Nick is going away I won't have anyone to cover for me."

"I know, and that is why Garrett, Pat and Jared have all offered to come in and work for you, for free."

"Why do all three of them need to be in?"

"Well, we figured that once people know they're going to be working there, business may get a little crazy. Besides, I wouldn't trust Garrett or Pat to run a store alone, Jared need to be their adult."

I hesitated. "Fine. Tell them to come in half an hour early so I can take them through opening, serving and closing."

John smiled. "Alright. See you tomorrow, Daisy."

I finished the day and packed up quickly so I could catch Nick at home. His car wasn't in his driveway and all the lights were off.

I knocked on the door, waiting to hear him yelling down the hallway, but it was silent.

I knocked again. "Nick?" Still no answer.

My heart sank as I got back in my car to go home. I decided to send him a quick message, in case he had just gone out to get some food.

Hey Nick, I just stopped by your place but you weren't home. I need to talk to you. Call me when you get this message please. Daze xx

By the time I forced myself to go to bed at midnight, I still hadn't heard from him.