never there Chapter 10: tequila, Parliaments, and Elton John, a lords of dogtown fanfic

Chapter 10!

Hopefully, you've stuck with me.

Disclaimer: None is mine. You know that, though. Also, I did not write the song Tiny Dancer, duh.

"Is she asleep?"

"Yeah, he gave her some painkillers, she should be out for a while…"

"Let me see her."

"I really think you should wait."

"Get your hand off of me."

"Fine, but I'm warning you man…"

"Oh my God…"

"It was worse, so much worse. If you would have seen her before, you would think it's an improvement."

"That asshole, that fucking bastard, how could he do that?"

"Look, dude, lets talk about this outside okay? Wait for her to wake up…"

Halfway between dreams and sleep, their voices penetrated my ears. But I rolled over and fell back into my sleep.

A violent throbbing in my temples caused me to detangle myself from the comfortable sheets and comforter, and drag myself to the bathroom. I felt my throat begin to clog, and being very experienced with drunkenness and its side effects, knew I was about to hurl my insides out. My knees dropped to the side of the toilet, and vomit fiercely poured from my mouth. My back clenched into a semi-circle every time I heaved. Finally, when only blood would come up, I stood.

My dark hair cascaded down, still deeply matted by blood; the blue streaks appeared to be a deep purple shade that was barely visible. The swelling of my nose had gone down sufficiently, although still black and blue; my skin had returned to its natural olive color. But still, I had the hollow look in my eyes, one I hadn't seen before. It frightened me, and I turned away from the mirror, telling myself I was imagining it.

I exited the bathroom, coming face to face with a concerned looking Stacy.

"How much did you just throw up?"

"A hell of a lot."

"I knew my dad gave you too many. Feel better?"

"I guess."

"Do you need to sleep or something? Are you hungry?"

"Jesus, Stace, I just got hit. No big deal. Relax, okay? But food would be nice."

He led me into the kitchen and bustled around for a second, then presenting me with a huge bowl of cereal. I mumbled a quiet thanks, and began shoving my face with the sweetened breakfast food. He speculated me with a confused expression that lasted all throughout my cereal. Finally, when I finished, I stared back at him.

"What?" I snapped.

"It's nothing," he sighed, picking up the empty bowl and setting it in the sink.

"Stacy, what is it?"

"I just thought… nevermind."

"What?" I asked, more forcefully.

"I just thought, you'd be more angry, or something…" he said quickly and quietly. Then seeing the look on my face, he tried to cover it up. "Not that your violent, or anything like that, you know, just… Oh by the way, Jay stopped by. But then he went back to your place…"

Worry bubbled inside of me, and seemed to spread into every inch of my body and mind. What if Ted hurt him? I couldn't return to that piece of shit that was titled a house.

"I need to take a shower," I stated, striding, once again, into the now very familiar bathroom. I twisted the faucet all the way to the little red H, hoping the scalding water would burn my skin. Waiting for the water to heat, my desire for pot, or something stronger kicked in. I was not in the mood for acid; and I never really liked cocaine. I knew many people who snorted heroin, and had always been extremely curious, but wanted a drug I was accustomed to. If I took a short shower, I could try and sneak out of Stacy's house to score something, anything. With that pleasant thought in mind, I hurriedly entered the boiling shower, relishing every drop that scorched my skin.

I closed the front door quietly, my feet landing lightly on the sidewalk, as I pulled the hood of a huge black sweatshirt over my damp hair. Despite the suns burning rays, I had donned Stacy's sweatshirt and white tank top, with my bloody cutoffs. The dream of acquiring drugs had vanished when I realized I was broke. So I made my way to the nearest corner store intending to pick up a pack of smokes and maybe some tequila, being my favorite liquor. I pulled the door open, and glided in. Locking eyes with the pudgy man at the counter, I gave him a coy smile, and he attempted to smooth out his balding hair. Of course, the shadow from the hood disguised my bruised nose.

"Need any help, hun?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh, you know, I'm just looking," I replied, in my most mysterious and sexy voice. I then spun and walked down one of the aisles. In the shining freezer doors, I noticed him turn away from me, to straighten his uniform. I hurriedly opened one of the doors, behind which was a wide selection of liquor. I grabbed one of the smaller, rounder bottles of tequila quickly, and shoved it down my shirt. I chanced a glance at the man, who was now inspecting his teeth in a handheld mirror. I moved silently to the shelf with cigarettes and grabbed my favorite brand, Parliaments, which I placed in the pocket of the sweatshirt.

Still, he had his back facing me. When I passed him, I flashed one of my perfected 'come hither' smiles, and was out. I strutted down to corner opposite the little store, and plopped myself down. I whipped out the Parliaments, and threw one in between my lips, only to realize, I had forgotten a lighter.

"Shit…" I murmured quietly. I observed the ground around me, as though hoping for one to fall from the sky.

"Need a light?" My head flew upwards, and my eyes fell upon the gleaming smile of Tony.

"Thank God," I sighed as he sat lightly next to me.

"Can I bum one off you?" he questioned, as he lit my cigarette and I inhaled.

"Sure," I responded, letting out a puff of smoke and handing him the pack. With my free hand I reached down my shirt pulling out the cold, circular bottle. Two Fingers Tequila, and under that there was the word 'Silver' etched upon the dark bottle.

"Sweet," I said aloud. Tony made a face at me as though he believed me to be insane. "No, no," I laughed. "I'm just glad it's not the brown tequila I took; I hate that shit."

He nodded soundlessly, taking a drag from his cigarette. I screwed off the cap, and took a swig of the burning liquid, making a face. I motioned the bottle to him, and he accepted, taking his own shot.

"So, no 'What happened?' or 'Why does your face look like shit?'" I inquired, while he handed me the bottle.

"I already heard, sorry man."

"Yeah…" I trailed off, staring at the street and smoking. Our cycle continued wordlessly, each of us becoming more besotted with each shot, and our throats growing blistered with each cigarette.

"Ah, chica, I feel bad you were hurt," Tony slurred, laughing. The sky had turned a pale pink color, and the darkness was seen, overtaking the light. We had begun walking, drunkenly, down the street, trying to remember where exactly Red Dog's house was. A girl with shiny, flaming red hair walked past us.

"Hey, hey, Red! Ah, don't be like that Red!" Tony yelled out to the girl, to my amusement. He then locked me with a ferocious gaze. "Does Red Dog have a sister? If he does she can tell us where he lives! And she lives! Where they live, where there's a party!"

"Tony, no… no, I don't think so… when the hell did my shorts get so fucking dirty? I need a cigarette," I reached into my pocket and flicked out one.

"Light me bitch!" I yelled to Tony, who snickered, and flipped on the lighter. I watched the flame for a second before leaning in, and setting my smoke to life.

"Where's the bottle?" I questioned. He shoved it at me. I flung the container upside down, draining the remainders. "Empty!" I shrieked, disappointed.

"Damn you!"

"Hey, watch this man," I giggled, childishly. We had approached a clothing store with glass windows that displayed mannequins wearing bellbottoms and clogs. I dropped my cigarette and hurled the bottle at the window; there was a loud crash as the glass shattered into a million pieces and fell to the cement. In an odd way, I found the sight beautiful, but could not take any more time to absorb it, for the owner was angrily marching to the front of the store. We sprinted down a corner, into a street, through an alley, and ended up in a neighborhood.

"What the fuck Kimber?" Tony breathed, clutching a stitch in his side. I grinned devilishly. Down the line of houses, there was one that stood out. I could hear Jimi Hendrix's song Purple Haze blasting from the home.

"Dude, that has to be it! Come on!"

With every step, the music became louder, and we got closer. As we reached the doorway, Blanca, Tony's possessive girlfriend sprinted towards him. She was speaking in furious, fluent Spanish, so I staggered into the house, leaving Tony behind. It was crowded, hot, and reeked of the smell of pot. I inhaled deeply. I went further into the house, heading into the kitchen for a beer.

There was a keg sitting in the corner of the kitchen, with plastic clear cups beside it. In my haste to get to the keg, I tripped over my own foot and headed straight down. An arm flew out from behind me, seizing my waist and saving me from falling. It pulled me back to my feet, and spun me around.

"Jay!" I said excitedly. "Do you have a lighter?" I asked, forgetting all about my desire for a beer.

"'Course," he smiled. I fumbled in the pocket for a second, and pulled out the second to last cigarette.

"You want the other?" I offered.

"Yeah," I handed him the last one, and threw the box onto the floor. He took the cigarette from me, placed them in his mouth, and lit both. He then proceeded to remove one and deposited it into my mouth.

"Thanks," I said.

"Your nose looks better, are you oka-?"

"Fuck this sweatshirt man!" I cut him off. "Hold this," I transferred the cigarette to his hand, and ripped off the black sweatshirt viciously. I snatched my cigarette back and said in a calmer tone, "What were you saying?"

"Well, you aren't mad at me or anything, right?"

"No, why would I be?" I replied, not really paying attention. I glanced around the party again, and saw Kathy watching us. He opened his mouth to speak but I interrupted.

"Will you take me on a walk? I can't do this right now," I spoke clearly.

He raised his eyebrows. It was highly unlikely for me to leave a party, especially after just arriving. "Yeah, sure," he answered, blowing white rings of smoke around my face.

I fiddled with the stereo.

"God, I hate the radio! They never play good shit," I moaned. We had taken Stacy's car for a spin, because I was too incredibly drunk to walk straight. I leaned back, giving up on the music, and leaving it to rest on some stupid pop station. I looked out the window; we were passing P.O.P.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Jay pulled into the parking lot, and I leapt out of the car before it had come to a full stop. He dashed around the vehicle to meet me on the other side, and our lips met. He tasted like weed, and beer, but there was a hint of something sweet I couldn't place. Our hands were roaming everywhere, thoroughly enjoying the moment we had alone. Then a familiar noise reached my ears.

Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, Seamstress for the band

Pretty eyed, Pirate smile, You'll marry a music man

Ballerina, you must have seen her, dancing in the sand

And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand

I broke away from his soft lips with a mischievous look upon my face. In a swift movement, I leaned into the car, and turned the volume knob as loud as it would go. The parking lot at P.O.P. was directly on the beach, so I ran out into the deep sand and began dancing. To my delight, he followed me, laughing. When he reached me, he hoisted me onto his hips, and swung me slowly in a circle. Then, he allowed me to slide down his body, and connect with his tantalizing lips, his hands still tight around me.

Jesus freaks, out in the street

Handing tickets out for God

Turning back, she just laughs

The boulevard is not that bad

I backed away and started dancing, holding his hands on my revolving hips. His topaz eyes were gleaming in the moonlight as I sang the lyrics.

Piano man, he makes his stand

In the auditorium

Looking on, she sings the songs

The words she knows, the tune she hums

He pulled me closer, and kissed me passionately. Once again, out of my drunken foolishness, I disconnected, and took his hands in mine. I then proceeded to sprint to the shoreline, release him, strip off my white shirt and shorts, and throw my shoes into the sand. Standing there in only my blue bra and bright red underwear, I skipped into the freezing salt water.

But, oh, how it feels so real

Lying here, with no one near

Only you, and you can hear me

When I say softly, slowly

I frolicked in the icy, dark ocean, the waves crashing against my almost naked body. With each wave that hit, I would be knocked onto my knees in the sand. On the third time, I looked up to see Jay beside me, his shirt off. His face appeared to be glowing even brighter than the moon.

Hold me closer tiny dancer

Count the headlights on the highway

Lay me down in sheets of linen

You had a busy day today

Throughout the repeat of the chorus we danced together, with each step getting closer and closer to each other.

Blue jean baby, L.A, lady, seamstress for the band

Pretty eyed, Pirate smile, You'll marry a music man

Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand

And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand

He dragged me into him, and kissed me with more fire than I had ever been touched with. Our bodies were sliding effortlessly together, with the slick feel of water in between us. His hands ran through my long hair, and his lips and tongue caressed mine softer, and yet harder than I could have imagined. It was too much to bear; I wanted him badly. I hitched myself onto his tanned hips, and from my elevated height, got even closer than I would have thought possible, our lips never ceasing. Playing with his golden hair, the music was still heard clearly over the waves.

But, oh, how it feels so real

Lying here, no one near

Only you, and you can hear me

When I say softly, slowly

Our passion continued as the melody faded into nothing; and the waves crashed upon our bodies. I could feel his notorious grin playing on his lips, and smell the sweet sandalwood-smoke scent of him. The moon and stars glimmered overhead like they were observing us. The wind whipped across our skin, making it sting, and yet we didn't notice. For the first time, I felt connected to another human, something I had never felt, and I was determined not to let it go.

Hold me closer tiny dancer

Count the headlights on the highway

Lay me down in sheets of linen

You had a busy day today

Hold me closer tiny dancer

Count the headlights on the highway

Lay me down in sheets of linen

You had a busy day today…

A tanned, perfectly cut arm was holding me loosely. I was lying in soft sheets that smelled of sweet wood and pot smoke. I turned onto my other side and felt warm breath upon my face. At this, my eyes opened heavily. Jay's face was no more than three inches from my own. Before I had time to register this thought, my head began to pound violently against my skull and vomit rose into my throat. I freed myself from the sheets and Jay, stumbled into the hallway, and shut myself in the bathroom, kneeling by the toilet.

When I had finished, I brushed my teeth quickly and washed my face, which had been damp with sweat. It was then I realized I was wearing my bra and underwear. 'What the fuck happened last night?' I remembered stealing the tequila and drinking with Tony, and then… did we make it to Red Dogs? How had I ended up in Jay's house? I didn't recall going there. And where the hell were my clothes? For some reason Tiny Dancer by Elton John seemed to ring a bell… Why?

Head still pounding, whether it was from the hangover, my confused thoughts, or a combination of the two, I didn't know; I headed back into Jay's bedroom, where he was sleeping peacefully.

Despite my utter befuddlement, I had to admire him. His mouth hanging slightly agape, surrounded by his oh-so-soft lips; his bronze skin and long, dirty blond hair, which appeared to be golden in the sunlight that was peeking in through his window, fanned out around his face. His shirt also seemed to have found it's way off of his body, and his lean, honeyed muscles were moving up and down slowly with his intake and exhale of breath. Oh, he was gorgeous.

Bending down, I picked up a large black shirt, whose sleeves had been cut off, and the slit plummeted down to where my hips were. Sliding on the shirt, I crawled back into the warm bed.

I sat next to him, trying to summon last night's events, with no luck. Finally, after ten minutes of silent thought that brought me nowhere, I gazed back at Jay, only to find him staring right back at me.

"Morning," he said sleepily, propping himself up and kissing my neck gently. He breathed into my ear, "I like you in that shirt," chuckling he lay back down, dragging me next to him. I curled up against him, and rested my head on his bare chest. He played with my dark hair for a while, and I inhaled his sweet scent, never wanting to move. Finally, I opened my mouth, unable to stand the terrible pangs in my forehead.

"I have the worst headache."

"You need something?"

"Yeah," I breathed. Neither of us moved for another ten minutes, him still curling my hair around his fingers. Slowly, I maneuvered my way out of his comfortable bed and into the kitchen.

I toyed with the bottles of pills on the counter, knowing they would do nothing for this hangover. Peering into the Adams fridge, I found a carton of orange juice. After pouring myself a huge glass I wandered back into Jay's room. He stared at me in a dazed way when I entered.

"Do you have some pot? I could really do with a bowl," I asked, gulping some more juice.

"Course," he pointed to the little table next to his bed. I pulled the drawer open, finding a plastic bag full of weed, and his sea-foam, blue-green pipe. Next to them lied a neon green lighter, and a skateboarding magazine. I handed him the orange juice as I began to prepare the smoke session.

When I had finished loading the bowl, I took a gigantic hit and passed it to him. In the sunlight of his window, we watched our smoke swirl and curl, until we were happily high: the perfect hangover cure. I grinned dopily at him, and he returned it.

"So, your nose looks much better."

"I can barely feel it now."

"I went over there yesterday," he told me, looking away. I was too high to work up any emotion.

"And?" I said sharply.

"I got your shit," he gestured at a black bag in the corner of his room. "It's all your clothes, and your favorite feather pillow."

A smile, truer and bigger than I had produced in a while, formed on my face. "The one I stole when I was like, twelve? No you didn't! I love that pillow!" I scampered off the bed, ripping open the bag. A white pillow was jammed inside, on top of all my clothes (which wasn't many). A small shriek of glee emitted from myself. I yanked out the soft, feather pillow and leapt back into the bed, swinging it under me.

"Ah…" I sighed. It was like lying on a cloud. "How did you do it? Ted's a monster, and my mom can be a major bitch…" I trailed off, studying his face for signs of a bruise or gash.

"Well, I was pretty pissed, you know. And he tried to stop me, but I got to him eventually," he smirked maliciously. "Your mom was crying a lot, and I didn't even see Alex," he said softly, as he began stroking my head. I desired to know what exactly he had said or done, but I knew if I pushed the matter, he would never tell me. An annoying characteristic he possessed.

"Oh," I said lamely. He was eyeing as though he was going to tell me, but no sooner had that thought passed, when his face morphed into his famous half smile.

"You wanna go eat?" he asked.

I groaned. "Not at all, the thought of food makes me want to hurl more, but whatever… One question."

"What?"

"Um… what the hell happened last night?" I mumbled quickly.

"Are you serious?" he laughed dryly. "You don't remember anything?"

"Uh… tequila, Parliaments, and Elton John. You care to fill in the gaps?"

I stared into the depths of my plastic water cup, wondering if I drowned in it, would the headache go away? The bright sunlight of the outdoor burger joint we had chosen was blinding, so I was wearing dark sunglasses. Sid, Tony, and Stacy met us there, and the food they had ordered was nauseating me. All of them were reliving last night.

"Dude, and then she went all in!"

"No shit? Who won that round?"

"I fucking did, man! You shoulda seen it, she was so hot."

"Yeah, Jayboy, where the hell did you run off to?"

Jay shifted in his seat slightly. I hadn't noticed they even realized we departed the party. "Ah, Kimber was smashed, so we left," he lied easily. Actually, it wasn't much of a lie, just not the whole truth.

"Did you get some?" Sid asked, jokingly. I knew he wanted a real answer though. Stacy's eyes suddenly became very interested in a pigeon and Tony scrutinized us, thoroughly enjoying the topic. Jay grinned, and glanced at me, begging for me to play along. But I was not in the mood for it, like I normally was, and glared through the tented lenses at him. I swept a piece of brown hair out of my face and said dully,

"Of course, I just can't resist," I then proceeded to take a long drag off my cigarette as the guys laughed. "Look. I was so plastered, I couldn't have fucked anything, alright?" I said with a slight smirk as the guy's laughter died down.

"You coulda done me, chica," Tony snapped, with a chuckle. We all laughed with him, causing my head to pound harder.

"Ugh," I sighed, placing my hand on my forehead.

"Front side, back side. Front side, back side, over the light!" Tony laughed, as he smashed a chip in a bowl. I couldn't work up the energy to laugh again. No sooner had he done this, Skip pulled up, honking. He stormed out of the car and slammed the door.

"Where ya been, huh?" he growled in his drunken voice. We all became silent and averted our eyes. We had skipped the practice today, due to the party last night.

"What, ya just forget about practice, or what?" Still, no one replied. I could see the ends of Jay and Tony's mouths curling up. "You think I like sitting on my ass waiting for you clowns, huh?" Tony could no longer restrain his laughter. "What you think this is funny? Is it funny, is it funny? Hahaha."

Skip grabbed Tony's burger and smacked it across his face. "How's this? That funny? Yeah?"

Everyone burst out in fits of laughter. Even I forgot about my headache and joined in.

"Hey! I'm serious man!" Skip clasped the back of Jay's neck and shook him roughly. "You guys need to keep pushing man!" He forcefully pointed a burger at us, then turned and walked back to his car, biting into the burger.

"He took my burger," Tony moaned. Jay, Sid, and I chortled.

"Hey, you think we should bring him to the pool tomorrow?" Stacy suggested.

"He's gotta run the shop," Tony replied.

"Dude," Jay choked out, "You just got patty slapped."

Once again my laughter caused pangs in my head, but I didn't care at the moment.

Almost a pointless chapter, but I liked it. I thought it was sorta cute.

I have a little assignment for you guys… will you tell me who:

1. Is portrayed best.

2. Is portrayed totally far off.

That's all. Oh! And review! I won't upload until I get three reviews!

Love you all.

Lette.