Booze, Boys, and Buses

When I woke up I just lay there in bed trying to think of yesterday’s awesome. I got out of bed and walked over to the door. I opened it and walked out into the hallway.

“No no no!” Jimmy yelled, whizzing past me.

Johnny was chasing after him with what looked like tongs. I was knocked back to the wall and in doing so, I hit my head.

“Ow! Hey watch it you guys, this isn’t your house you know.” I scolded, following them down the stairs.

“Sorry ma.” Johnny said, giving my side a squeeze with the tongs.

“Uh huh.” I replied, rolling my eyes.

“Morning.” Matt said, walking over to me.

He put a hand on my hip and kissed my forehead. Ok, so I was still a little bit confused. When had I ever agreed to being his girlfriend of any sort? Here he was, kissing me up and making me blush. As usual.

“Hi.” I murmured, walking toward the kitchen.

I opened the fridge and sighed. The only things in there were beer and treats.

“Matt, it looks to me like you’ve lacked the feminine touch for far too long. Come on Kacie we’re going grocery shopping. I don’t know what Zack’s fridge looks like, but it can’t be much better than that.” I said, going upstairs.

“Hey there is nothing wrong with my fridge!” Matt yelled up after me.

I ignored him and walked into my room.

“So when are we leaving?” Kacie asked.

I jumped, not knowing she was there. “We’re leaving in just a few minutes, let me get dressed and put on my makeup.” I said, opening my drawers.

I pulled out a pair of pants and a plain blue tee-shirt. I tossed my shoulder-length brown hair up into a messy bun and then ran into the bathroom. I tossed on some eyeliner and cover up and then it was out into the hallway. Kacie followed me and we went down the stairs. I stopped in front of Matt and held out my hand.

“Here, I’ll only let you go on one condition. You are going to buy some nice clothes. And um, maybe a little something for the bedroom?” He suggested, raising an eyebrow.

“Haha, yeah, in your dreams.” I said.

“That probably is in his dreams.” Zacky added, but soon turning quiet due to the death glare he received from Matt.

“Here, take my card, and here’s the keys to the hummer. You’re not coming back until that is full do you understand?” He said, pointing at me.

“Yes ma’am, now put the finger away. Christ, you’re acting like my mother.” I said, pushing down his finger.

“Ok, have fun girls!” All of the guys said as we left.

“Hey do you think Leana, Michelle and Lacey would want to come? We could pick them up on the way.” I said.

“No, they’re having a girl’s day. It’ll be a while before you get invited on one of those haha, it’s kind of, girlfriends only.” Johnny explained.

“Oh, I see.” I said, being slightly offended, but that didn’t matter.

I waved goodbye and got into the hummer. I started it and then sighed at the sight of the gas light flashing. Honestly, what would he do without me right now. I pulled out of the driveway. Kacie turned on the GPS navigation system and punched in something. Soon it was giving us directions to a gas station nearby.

“Thanks.” I murmured.

“Yeah don’t sweat it.” She replied, as I took a left turn when the GPS voice told me to.

“So Matt kissed me last night.” I said to her, biting my lip.

She gasped and covered her mouth. “Did he? Oh that is so great!”

“Is it? I don’t know what to think of it. I feel like he’s just assuming that we’re together or something. And what if what Val said was true. What if he really is just using me?” I asked, taking a right.

“I don’t know how guys operate, but let me tell you something about girls. When a guy breaks up with them, they don’t want to see any girl with them at all. Even if it’s the girl’s fault, they would rather not see him happy at all, so they will do and say anything, to make him miserable.” Kacie thoroughly explained to me.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“I’m dead sure. I strongly believe that Matt is genuinely in love with you.” She said sincerely.

“Ok.” I said, taking a final turn into a gas station.

I got out and instantly wished that I had worn shorts. It was so hot outside. I started pumping the gas and once I finished, got back into the hummer and turned on the a/c. It was so much different here than it was in Maine. In Maine, November fourth would pretty chilly with a slight chance of snow. In southern California, it was hot with a huge chance of sunny skies. I wish it was like this up in Maine. If things kept up like this with Matt and I however, I don’t think I’d be moving back to Maine. I’d decided that the best way to go would be the Mall and then the grocery store. That way the food wouldn’t get too warm sitting in the hummer. Kacie and I drove in silence all the way to the Mall. I got out of the hummer and took the keys out of the ignition. I locked the doors and then walked inside. My first stop was Hot Topic. I absolutely loved that store. I was looking around and couldn’t help but over hear some girls talking.

“Oh my god, I hope Matt Shadows takes his shirt off at the next concert that they have.” I heard one of them say.

“You know I heard that he and Val broke up.” The other one said.

“Where did you hear that?”

“They mentioned something about him having girl problems on Steven’s Untitled Rock Show last night, but it wasn’t anything major. I also hear that he’s looking at some different skank now. But I don’t know her name.”

My fists were clenched. Kacie put a hand on my shoulder. I relaxed and turned to face the girls. They were at least fifteen. I knew how they felt. I had been in their position once too.

“He and Val did break up.” I said to them, feeling a little relief in that sentence.

“They did? How do you know for sure?” The first one that had spoken asked me, putting a hand on her hip.

“Because I’m the new skank that he’s dating now.” I said, placing a hand on my hip to mock her.

“Yeah right, that is such a fake lie.”

“You’re right, it is. I would just lie about something like that.” I said, turning back to looking at clothes.

“You’re just so…not pretty. Not quite what I would see Matt Shadows dating.” The other one said.

“Cass stay calm.” Kacie said as she noticed my body tense at the girls words.

Kacie shooed them off and the left. We continued shopping. The grand total for clothing that day was a new bra, a few pairs of Levi’s, a Level 27 hoodie, a few low-cut PacSun tee-shirts, and some red and black lingerie. I’m talking courset, with a red strip leading to my chest with black ribbon lacing it up in the front, and boy-cut underwear, black with a red bow on the front. Kacie laughed at me when I bought it, but I just explained that it was for Matt when the time came. She still just laughed and shook her head. When we went grocery shopping I made sure that I bought plenty of healthy stuff, considering that it looked as if Matt hadn’t touched a healthy food in months. I called Matt to see what was going on while I was on the way back to the house. It was starting to get a little dark out.

“What sort of no good have you and the guys been up to all day?” I asked, smiling.

“Nothing, seriously. We drank some beer and played some video games. But that was it.” He said.

“I somehow doubt that.” I said, pulling onto a different road.

“Well, I’ll talk to you when you get home.” Matt said, hanging up the phone.

I hung up as well. Home. He had called it home. Kacie took the phone out of my hand. I had only just realized that I was holding in mid air. That happened to me every time I was thinking about something. I couldn’t think and function all at the same time.

“Having some problems with multi-tasking?” Kacie asked with a chuckle.

“Yeah just a bit.” I said as we pulled onto the road that Matt lived on.

* * *

“Did you have a good time?” Matt asked me as I began putting groceries away.

We had already shooed Kacie and Zack out of the house quite a while ago. Now Matt was helping me with the groceries.

“Yeah I did.” I said, putting some cucumbers where they went.

“Buy any sexy lingerie?” Matt asked, while widening his eyes at the sight of whole grain bread.

“Nope.” I lied. I took the bread from him. “And don’t stare at the bread that way. It’s good for you.”

I put it in the bread box he had sitting on the counter.

“Yeah, but it’s whole grain.” The way he said it you would’ve thought I was trying to feed him throw up.

“Dry up.” I said, putting away some cerial.

“No no no! What is that?” He asked, pointing at the cerial.

“Matt, calm down, it’s Mini-Wheats.” I said, putting them in the cupboard up above my head. “You need to start eating healthier. Frozen pizza and beer are not good for you.”

“What are you my mother?” He asked.

“No, but do you want to go through a fat phase?” I asked. “I think all of you have already been through one, besides Jimmy. But anyhow. Do you?”

“No.” He said, looking down.

“Alright then, just trust me on this.” I said, putting away other groceries. “Do me a favor and bring these up to the bathroom?” I said, handing him a bag.

He looked inside and started taking things out.

“Deodorant, toothpaste, why do I have to take care of your tampons?” Matt asked.

I grumbled and grabbed them from him.

“Never fucking mind, I’ll just take care of it by myself.” I said, picking it up and taking the bag upstairs.

I wasn’t really mad, but he didn’t need to know that. Whatever I could do to keep him chasing and wanting more, I was going to do it. I turned around after putting all the things away and came face to face with Matt. He just stared at me. Then he put a strand of hair behind my ear.

“You’re cute when you’re mad.” He said, smiling.

“That shouldn’t give you a reason to piss me off!” I said, shoving him.

He hardly budged and I set my face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.

“You stress me out. I’m going to have grey hair before I’m thirty.” I said, with a groan.

“Yeah, but you’re still going for it.” He said with a laugh.

I walked out of the bathroom. And then he called me back, so I stopped.

“I have a bet for you.” He said, I knew a smirk was forming on his lips.

I turned around. “What would that be?” I asked.

“If it snows in Maine tomorrow, you have to stay the night with me tomorrow night. If not, then I have to do whatever you say for an entire day.” He said, beginning to walk out the door.

“No sex!” I yelled after him.

He peeked his head back into the bathroom. He sighed, “Fine.”

I walked out of the bathroom as well and downstairs. He needed a good dinner for once. I pulled a steak out of the freezer and opened it up.

“I love steak.” He said from behind me.

I jumped and turned around. “Well, that’s good to know.”

I turned back around and went searching for a pan. I was instructed by Matt to go to the bottom cupboards. I found a good sized pan and put it on the stove. I grabbed an onion and some butter. I started cutting up the onion and Matt actually started tearing up. I laughed and all he did was give me the finger and he left. I rolled my eyes and threw the onion on the pan. Once it was time, I tossed the steak on the pan and began cooking it. Matt found his way back into the kitchen when the aroma of the steak found its way to the living room.

“That smells awesome.” He said, sitting down at the island table.

“Well, I’m sure it tastes three times as good.” I said, pretending to be all high and mighty.

“Now who has the huge ego?” Matt asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“I was kidding.”

I continued cooking the steak and then I started making some peas and rice to go with it. Once it was done, I told Matt to go to the dining room. Once he left, I set up the plate in a nice manner and then brought them both in to the dining room. He had lit both of the candles on the dining table. This was going to be a little more romantic that what I had intended. But I wasn’t complaining. I liked romance.

“Here you go.” I said putting the food down on the table.

I sat on the opposite side of the table. Matt started eating his steak.

“Shit man, this is good.” He said, smiling.

“Well good, because for as long as I’m here, this is the cooking that you’re getting.” I said, taking a bite out of my steak.

He was right, it was good. “Well if I have my way, you’ll be here for quite a while.” He said.

My face flushed, and I started pushing my peas around on my plate. I guess I would stay longer if I could too.