Status: In progress (got nothin else to do am i right)
Until Further Notice
Chapter One
Tonight was the night, the album listening party at O'Callaghan's. Jared had been working with his band for almost a year now on their newest release and tonight would be the first time they all played it front to back before the release. Jared and I had always been close and I often hung around the rest of the boys too, so we all became like a chosen family.
Jared was like the older brother I had always wanted, he always knew exactly what to say when I needed it, yet he never let his love for me stop him from doing everything in his power to make me miserable. He was a bear of a man; he towered above me and never let me forget it. He was strong but had the guts of a stuffed animal. Pat, on the other hand, was like a little brother. He was soft-spoken and sweet. He had his bouts of energy that I envied him for, he was a strange sort of funny, the type where you'd never expect such raunchy jokes to come out of his mouth. But he was undeniably the kindest of the bunch. Garrett was like the cousin that first showed you punk music and smoked weed with you outside of the family function. He was someone that would have your back no matter the situation. Kennedy was like the weird uncle of the group, he was quiet and wise, but often drank his weight in gin and said things he shouldn’t have. Pat's older brother Tim, the band’s manager, was the dad of our lot. He never really partook in our shenanigan's and he always seemed to disapprove, or maybe that was because we always ended up stealing his weed.
And then there was John. I'm not sure what household category he would fit into. Though it's most likely due to my avid avoidance of him; something about him just always seemed to make me uncomfortable. He towered above me at a grand 6'2" and was lanky and lean. His skin always seemed to be peppered with new ink from the tattoo shops he frequented along their tours. He had deep evergreen eyes and tousled brown hair. He had an awkward way about him; not necessarily with the guys, but around anyone else, he seemed to stutter and shift uncomfortably like a nervous tick; maybe that’s why I was so uneasy with him. It seemed his only redeeming quality was that honeyed bourbon voice of his, and perhaps his looks if you were into that whole frontman appeal.
Their band wasn’t too bad, they had millions of fans and constantly sold-out shows in big cities like LA and New York. They had a real niche sound, a bit of Tom Petty energy mixed with the jazz of Tom Waits and some sadness of George Harrison or Willie Nelson. They had twang, rock, blues, and soul all wrapped into one. This new album was sure to be a huge hit.
The party was set to start in three hours, and, as expected, and unannounced to me, Jared had offered John my help to prepare for the party. We needed to pick up some supplies, make the appetizers, and set up the games and drink carts. The mirror was still fogged from the shower I had taken and the heat in the room was blistering, so I opted for a simple braid instead of blow-dried. I flipped on the news as I did some lazy makeup. The party wasn’t supposed to be a rager, just some close friends, so it would be safe to say casual was the way to go.
“Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio have now added themselves to the growing list of states to declare a Stay-At-Home Shelter In Place Order across the country. More are expected to join soon. The CDC warns that if you are exhibiting symptoms, stay home and not to seek medical attention unless absolutely necessary.”
The TV seemed to roar throughout the house, making the air seem stiffer than usual. There had been a virus going around but the media, as the media usually does, was sensationalizing it. I inhaled sharply and shut it off again, opting instead for some Lofi playlist on Spotify to calm my nerves.
It didn't take long to finish getting ready, I just threw on an old tee and some black jeans. It had been a while since I last hung out with John alone. My stomach already felt tight just thinking of the awkward silences. He and I just never seemed to be on the same page and stumbled over each other the entire time. He just seemed stiff and dry with me. I sometimes wondered if he resented me for joining their friend group but just played nice because well, he was nice.
I begrudgingly hopped into my car and made my way over to his house, slowly passing by each grocery store and scoping out how badly the news had made people panic. The lots were completely full and I could feel the frenzy from here. Fuck, it’s worse than I thought. I stepped on the gas and made my way to exit for the 10. It was about a 35-minute drive to his place. Not ideal, but the highway always made it better, and if timed right, the 10 wasn’t too bad traffic-wise.
I slowed the car and pulled into the driveway next to his truck. He was leaning against the fender, cigarette in one hand and his phone in the other. He had on a loose white T-shirt and leather jacket with black jeans and suspenders. If you didn’t know him well you'd think he was a real hipster douche bag type. But in all honesty, as uncomfortable as he was, he'd give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.
“Hey, John” I stepped out of my truck and swung my bag over my shoulder. His eyes lifted and a crooked grin curved onto his lips.
“Hey, Quinn.” He took one last puff from his cigarette and flicked it to the ground, digging it in with his boot. “Ready for a run around town?” He always seemed to have a slight accent buried within his voice, despite hailing from just down the road in Chandler.
“Ready as I’ll ever be, the mobs won’t be super fun to endure…” I rolled my eyes, coaxing a small chuckle from him. “I need to pick up a couple of things anyway before things get too bad you know?” I joked.
“Alright well, we better get started then.” He smiled walking around to open the passenger door for me. I smiled, nodded a thank you and we were on our way.
The store was crazy but not as bad as expected. The ride over was really the worst part of it. John made the usual boring conversation: how are you, what’s been going on, and so on. He managed to do most of it without stuttering which surprised me.
“So what exactly do we need?” I asked as we walked into the store.
“Not too much, I stopped and got liquor earlier so I’m just gonna pick up some essentials I needed and then some frozen apps and veggies for the dips and everything.” He clasped both the list and a pen in his hand, scanning it over quickly. “If you wanna run and grab whatever it was you needed, and just meet me once you’re done?” He glanced up and smiled.
“Sure works for me.”
I made quick work of picking what I needed. One more item closer to leaving. Busy places and crowds were never really my thing, especially when the world was panicking. I was patiently waiting in an aisle as someone lingered along the row I needed when my phone buzzed loudly, well, everyone's phones buzzed. I looked down expecting an amber alert but was met with something much more alarming.
-PUBLIC SAFETY ALERT-
-From The Executive Office Of The Governor: The State of Arizona's Stay At Home Order takes effect at Noon today. Nonessential travel is prohibited by law. As necessary, you may leave your home for health and safety reasons only. Order shall remain in effect until further notice.-
A commotion erupted in the store, people began yelling and pushing, grabbing many more items than they originally planned. My heart rate spiked. Get out get out get out. Mobs of people began to crowd the registers, yelling at minimum wage workers to pick up the pace. I scanned what parts of the store were within my sight path for John, I couldn’t see him anywhere. Suddenly the volume of the crowd in front of me spiked.
“What do you mean the card readers are down?! What are you gonna do to fix this?? We need to-”
Get out Get out Get out.No way this was happening. We needed to leave, now. It was only a matter of time before people started to-
A rough blow to my shoulder had me at my knees, then another knee to my head, and another, then it stopped.
Jared was like the older brother I had always wanted, he always knew exactly what to say when I needed it, yet he never let his love for me stop him from doing everything in his power to make me miserable. He was a bear of a man; he towered above me and never let me forget it. He was strong but had the guts of a stuffed animal. Pat, on the other hand, was like a little brother. He was soft-spoken and sweet. He had his bouts of energy that I envied him for, he was a strange sort of funny, the type where you'd never expect such raunchy jokes to come out of his mouth. But he was undeniably the kindest of the bunch. Garrett was like the cousin that first showed you punk music and smoked weed with you outside of the family function. He was someone that would have your back no matter the situation. Kennedy was like the weird uncle of the group, he was quiet and wise, but often drank his weight in gin and said things he shouldn’t have. Pat's older brother Tim, the band’s manager, was the dad of our lot. He never really partook in our shenanigan's and he always seemed to disapprove, or maybe that was because we always ended up stealing his weed.
And then there was John. I'm not sure what household category he would fit into. Though it's most likely due to my avid avoidance of him; something about him just always seemed to make me uncomfortable. He towered above me at a grand 6'2" and was lanky and lean. His skin always seemed to be peppered with new ink from the tattoo shops he frequented along their tours. He had deep evergreen eyes and tousled brown hair. He had an awkward way about him; not necessarily with the guys, but around anyone else, he seemed to stutter and shift uncomfortably like a nervous tick; maybe that’s why I was so uneasy with him. It seemed his only redeeming quality was that honeyed bourbon voice of his, and perhaps his looks if you were into that whole frontman appeal.
Their band wasn’t too bad, they had millions of fans and constantly sold-out shows in big cities like LA and New York. They had a real niche sound, a bit of Tom Petty energy mixed with the jazz of Tom Waits and some sadness of George Harrison or Willie Nelson. They had twang, rock, blues, and soul all wrapped into one. This new album was sure to be a huge hit.
The party was set to start in three hours, and, as expected, and unannounced to me, Jared had offered John my help to prepare for the party. We needed to pick up some supplies, make the appetizers, and set up the games and drink carts. The mirror was still fogged from the shower I had taken and the heat in the room was blistering, so I opted for a simple braid instead of blow-dried. I flipped on the news as I did some lazy makeup. The party wasn’t supposed to be a rager, just some close friends, so it would be safe to say casual was the way to go.
“Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio have now added themselves to the growing list of states to declare a Stay-At-Home Shelter In Place Order across the country. More are expected to join soon. The CDC warns that if you are exhibiting symptoms, stay home and not to seek medical attention unless absolutely necessary.”
The TV seemed to roar throughout the house, making the air seem stiffer than usual. There had been a virus going around but the media, as the media usually does, was sensationalizing it. I inhaled sharply and shut it off again, opting instead for some Lofi playlist on Spotify to calm my nerves.
It didn't take long to finish getting ready, I just threw on an old tee and some black jeans. It had been a while since I last hung out with John alone. My stomach already felt tight just thinking of the awkward silences. He and I just never seemed to be on the same page and stumbled over each other the entire time. He just seemed stiff and dry with me. I sometimes wondered if he resented me for joining their friend group but just played nice because well, he was nice.
I begrudgingly hopped into my car and made my way over to his house, slowly passing by each grocery store and scoping out how badly the news had made people panic. The lots were completely full and I could feel the frenzy from here. Fuck, it’s worse than I thought. I stepped on the gas and made my way to exit for the 10. It was about a 35-minute drive to his place. Not ideal, but the highway always made it better, and if timed right, the 10 wasn’t too bad traffic-wise.
I slowed the car and pulled into the driveway next to his truck. He was leaning against the fender, cigarette in one hand and his phone in the other. He had on a loose white T-shirt and leather jacket with black jeans and suspenders. If you didn’t know him well you'd think he was a real hipster douche bag type. But in all honesty, as uncomfortable as he was, he'd give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.
“Hey, John” I stepped out of my truck and swung my bag over my shoulder. His eyes lifted and a crooked grin curved onto his lips.
“Hey, Quinn.” He took one last puff from his cigarette and flicked it to the ground, digging it in with his boot. “Ready for a run around town?” He always seemed to have a slight accent buried within his voice, despite hailing from just down the road in Chandler.
“Ready as I’ll ever be, the mobs won’t be super fun to endure…” I rolled my eyes, coaxing a small chuckle from him. “I need to pick up a couple of things anyway before things get too bad you know?” I joked.
“Alright well, we better get started then.” He smiled walking around to open the passenger door for me. I smiled, nodded a thank you and we were on our way.
The store was crazy but not as bad as expected. The ride over was really the worst part of it. John made the usual boring conversation: how are you, what’s been going on, and so on. He managed to do most of it without stuttering which surprised me.
“So what exactly do we need?” I asked as we walked into the store.
“Not too much, I stopped and got liquor earlier so I’m just gonna pick up some essentials I needed and then some frozen apps and veggies for the dips and everything.” He clasped both the list and a pen in his hand, scanning it over quickly. “If you wanna run and grab whatever it was you needed, and just meet me once you’re done?” He glanced up and smiled.
“Sure works for me.”
I made quick work of picking what I needed. One more item closer to leaving. Busy places and crowds were never really my thing, especially when the world was panicking. I was patiently waiting in an aisle as someone lingered along the row I needed when my phone buzzed loudly, well, everyone's phones buzzed. I looked down expecting an amber alert but was met with something much more alarming.
-PUBLIC SAFETY ALERT-
-From The Executive Office Of The Governor: The State of Arizona's Stay At Home Order takes effect at Noon today. Nonessential travel is prohibited by law. As necessary, you may leave your home for health and safety reasons only. Order shall remain in effect until further notice.-
A commotion erupted in the store, people began yelling and pushing, grabbing many more items than they originally planned. My heart rate spiked. Get out get out get out. Mobs of people began to crowd the registers, yelling at minimum wage workers to pick up the pace. I scanned what parts of the store were within my sight path for John, I couldn’t see him anywhere. Suddenly the volume of the crowd in front of me spiked.
“What do you mean the card readers are down?! What are you gonna do to fix this?? We need to-”
Get out Get out Get out.No way this was happening. We needed to leave, now. It was only a matter of time before people started to-
A rough blow to my shoulder had me at my knees, then another knee to my head, and another, then it stopped.
♠ ♠ ♠
sorry for the drama lol let me know what you think!