The Only Thing I Want

“What the hell is wrong with you, Chloe!” her best friend, Khadija, let out.

Chloe was settled outside in the sun, soaking up as much as she could from the great weather that morning, a coffee resting between her legs, and her Iphone in her hand with Facetime covering her screen.

“I had to go!” Chloe insisted. “I freaked out, and couldn’t deal with that crap!”

“But have you talked after that?” Khadija cocked her defined eyebrows at her friend, the answer soon written all over Chloe’s face. “Girl! You can’t leave him hanging!”

“I haven’t left him hanging. It’s over. He made that very clear.” Chloe pointed out.

“Does Ivan knows?” she asked.

“That I was kicked out of Nate's apartment? Hell no!” Chloe frowned. “I could never tell him. Not when things have been working out so good for him.”

“Baby, he’s your brother. He’d want to know how things are going with you, regardless of how he’s life’s going right now.” Khadija told her.

“Yeah, but that will have to wait, because now we’re on the road, practically living on top of each other on this really tiny bus, so I’m not gonna start something ugly now.”

“As long as you tell him before he finds out himself,” Khadija sighed. “You know I only tell you this because I love you.”

“And I love you too, babe, but I have to deal with this shit on my own.” Chloe insisted.

Just as her friend was about to open her mouth and respond, someone snatched Chloe’s phone from her, dragging the earplugs out of her ears as well.

“Fuck! She looks good!” Jimmy announced, studying the sight of the dark brunette from Chloe’s phone, meanwhile Brian only shook his head.

“Hand it over!” Chloe demanded. “I’m talking to someone!”

“Yeah, and right now that won’t be on Facetime!” Jimmy sniggered, hanging up on Chloe’s call and throwing the phone back to her. “Come on, Moody Jr! We wanna get to know you!” he announced, plumping down beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“Well, then I can assure you that interrupting my private space is not the way to get to know me.” Chloe said to the drummer.

“Maybe you are related to your brother after all.” Brian sniggered from next to Jimmy, a new cigarette between his lips.

“And who are you?” Chloe cocked her eyebrows at him.

“The one you spied on at the gas station,” Brian pointed out. “Brian Haner.”

“Or as like to call him, Synyster Gates!” Jimmy added.

“I wasn’t spying!” Chloe objected. “You guys weren’t exactly quiet.”

“Darling, Rachel and Brian are hardly quiet.”

“Shut up, Rev,” Brian nudged his friend. “So, what brings you here?”

“To the tour, you mean?” Chloe asked.

“Oh, you’re touring with us? I thought you were just joining the ride to Warped Tour!” he dropped ironically again, which made Chloe narrow her gaze at him.

“Yeah, I don’t have anything else to do but to stalk my brother’s friends.” she joined his level of sarcasm, making him chuckle at her.

“Funny too. Definitely related to Moody,” he concluded. “But seriously, what brings you here?”

“I wanted to see something new.” Chloe shrugged.

“Baby, you’re from fucking California! You don’t have to see something new!” Jimmy told her.

“But I don’t live in Cali anymore!” Chloe pointed out.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Jimmy suddenly jumped from his seat, an awful grimace on his face. “Why would you wanna live anywhere else?”

“Because I got bored, and besides, I wanted to see something else!” Chloe said to the two of them, who only seemed more offended by her explanation. “My boyfriend moved to Philadelphia, so I joined him.” she shrugged.

“So, you moved to a boring ass place because your boyfriend did so? What happened about being an independent woman and all that shit?” Jimmy asked.

“I was independent enough to make that decision!” Chloe argued.

“But then you realized that Philadelphia fucking sucks because it’s not Cali, so now you’re on the road with a bunch of guys from the right place, right?” Brian wrapped up a conclusion.

“I guess you won’t accept any other explanation, so let’s just go with it.” Chloe chuckled.

“What did you do in Philadelphia anyway? I mean, except for banging your boyfriend.” Jimmy asked.

“I study.” Chloe replied. “I’m a law student.”

“A law student?” Brian’s eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline by her confession. “A fucking law student?”

“Are you disappointed, Gates?” Chloe wiggled her eyebrows at him, already embracing his stage name as though she had known him for decades.

“I just didn’t think Ivan could be related to people with academic plans.” he announced.

“Oh, please! Our dad’s an engineer who travels to Norway all the time, you know, that fucking tiny oil country where people get everything for free?”

“We’ve been there, sweetheart.” Jimmy said to her.

“But what happened with Ivan, then?” Brian asked jokingly.

Oh, he just gained the same bad coping mechanism as our bipolar mother, so instead of going to school, he drank himself to oblivious all the time. It was the best fucking time of my life, Chloe thought to herself.

“He wanted something different. Most people in our family play instruments.” she informed.

“You too?” Jimmy asked.

“A little.” Chloe responded almost shyly.

“Bullshit!” Chris shook his head. “She’s a great musician!” the man announced as he crossed the tiny space between the tour buses.

“What do you play?” Brian asked, lightening a cigarette.

“A little guitar,” Chloe shrugged. “I’m not a musician, really!”

“What the hell, Greening? When did you become so shy?” Jason chuckled, as he too had joined them outside. “She’s great! Her voice is dope!”

“Yeah! Why the fuck haven’t we replaced Moody yet?” Chris asked.

“Because I’ve turned down the offer. Every time.” Chloe reminded him.

“You gotta play something for us!” Jimmy said.

“Oh, no. That won’t happen!” Chloe reassured the guys.

“That’s not an option, sweetheart.” Brian told her, his dark eyes holding unto her gaze for a brief moment.

“In fact, sweetheart, it is."