pChristmas break was probably a time for partying, but Pickles no longer felt like he had anything in common with the people he went to school with. Unless he felt like getting with a girl, he didn't party too much anymore. He was older than those idiots, or something. More mature? He lived on his own, he could drink and take whatever he wanted, he wasn't hurting for money, and above all, he was a god damn musician. He had nothing in common with them at all. They were just regular old jack offs. They didn't mean anything./p
pSo over break, he didn't do much but play his guitar. He started writing songs a lot, but it was kind of hard with just him on guitar. He was starting to crave playing with other people. He could play with Donny, but he was pretty sure there was no one else in this shithole town who they could play with./p
pHe had the amp on loud one afternoon when Donny came strolling in, and he was jamming away to something he'd been writing, singing along to it. He had kind of written lyrics.../p
pDonny came and leaned over the back of the couch, just listening to him for a few minutes, until Pickles finally stopped. That was as far as he'd gotten on the song./p
pDonny leaned in and kissed his cheek./p
p"You're getting good, Pickles. You're better than me, now."/p
p"Guess the student's surpassed the teacher, eh?" Pickles joked. /p
p"Fuck off, you wouldn't have gotten anywhere without me," Donny laughed. "I didn't know you could sing, though."/p
p"I guess... I didn't really, either," Pickles said with a shrug./p
p"We should start a band. You wanna be a musician, right?"/p
p"I iam/i a musician," Pickles insisted. "But... Eh, I'm just some fuckin' nobody from Tomahawk, yanno?"/p
p"You've got what it takes. I'm gonna see your name in lights, kiddo. I believe it."/p
pPickles felt good about that, but. "How the fuck am I going to find bandmates around here?" /p
pDonny sat down next to him on the couch. "Who says they gotta be around here? Get the fuck outta Tomahawk. Music won't come to you? Fuckin' go to it."/p
p"What?"/p
p"We'll go to LA, dude. That's where it's at."/p
pPickles was kind of dumbstruck for a moment. Go to LA? Him? ...Yeah. Yeah, actually... he really liked the idea of that. /p
p"I am iso/i down for that." Pickles realised he was grinning./p
p"Awesome. Then we'll go as soon as you graduate. Fuckin' sell our shit, take a bus out there, leave all this shit behind us..."/p
pPickles lowered his guitar in his lap and imagined that for a moment. Getting out of this little shithole of a town. Never having to see his parents again. Never even having to think about seeing Seth again. Getting some other guys, playing some music. Donny playing guitar with him, side by side./p
pIt would be fucking amazing./p
pHe still had like 6 more months of school, though. What a fucking painful thought./p
p"Do I ihave/i to graduate?" he complained. Donny just laughed at him, though, and ran his fingers through Pickles' hair./p
p"C'mon. You've gotten this far. Even I managed to do it, so I know you fuckin' can."/p
pPickles sighed and set his guitar aside, and then he reached for the bottle he had open on the table. /p
p"I guess," Pickles conceded. "Hey, I heard some shit today. They're raising the drinking age to 19 in July. Just when I'm about to turn 18, they pull this shit!"/p
pDonny put his arm around his shoulders roughly, and Pickles leaned into him. /p
p"You forgetting, or something? You got me, don'tcha?"/p