A/N: Poor Jude! I'm mean… just to warn you all: Rape is headed your way. Not in this chapter, but the next. So if forced sex turns you on, keep your eyes on my story. ;-) The school I mention exists.
Dedication: x-Eternity's Shadow-x is a phenomenal author, and person. Her stories were the reason I began writing this story in the first place. You've been there for me throughout every chapter, and even before I began writing. For making me strive to become a better writer, x-Eternity's Shadow-x, this one's for you. And also because you dedicated your most recent chapter to me, it seems only fair. And she also let me use the song featured in this chapter, entitled You Died Today. So like… thanks!
Jonesy held a silver platter littered with cheese and crackers above his head while he moved through what little space there was. Hands grabbed greedily at the tray, soon emptying the surface. Jonesy sighed and threw the platter down onto a nearby table. He heard a loud pounding on the door. He stepped through the bodies to swing it open. Nikki stood in the entrance.
"Hey J… uh… J-Jonesy. What's up?" She asked, staring down his shirtless torso.
Jonesy grinned. "Not much. Come on in."
He moved out of the way and outstretched his arm welcomingly; pointing it towards a crowd of girls giddily chatting about what college frat boys they wanted to fuck. Nikki stepped into the house, keeping an eye on Jonesy's chest from out of the corner of her eye. Jonesy noticed and grinned. He stepped over to have a conversation, leaving the door open to later guests.
"So Nikki, nice shirt." He began.
She chuckled. "Thanks. It'll keep the preppy bitches away. Thank god."
They both chuckled. Jonesy rubbed the back of his neck and stared down at the floor. Nikki shuffled her feet across the hardwood. Jonesy cleared his throat.
"So, notice anything different about me?" He asked.
"You're wearing my favourite boxers." Nikki grinned.
Jonesy smiled. "I remember how much they turned you on."
"Oh shut up J." Nikki said as she hit him in the arm lightly.
Jonesy put his mouth beside Nikki's ear. "So, about that make out room?"
Nikki pushed him away playfully. "I'll think about it."
Jonesy purred. "I graduated high school. What more could you ask for than a mature, college male as myself?"
Nikki laughed. "One who can keep his jeans up."
Jonesy looked down, puzzled. His jeans were a little too loose and they had fallen to just above his knees. He squealed in fear and pulled them up quickly. He looked around and saw several eyes upon him after squealing like a little girl. He cleared his throat and glared at the onlookers. They turned back to their original activities. Jonesy looked at Nikki, who was struggling not to laugh. It failed, and her roars of laughter echoed throughout the house. The crowd's attention turned to her, but with a quick, death-like glare they went back to their activities quickly. Jonesy stared at the floor in embarrassment until Nikki calmed down.
"I'm sorry Jonesy but… it was really funny." She breathed as she wiped a tear from her eye.
Jonesy said nothing as he turned to head upstairs and change his baggy pants. Nikki wandered through the mass of beings and stopped when she saw a pile of Oreo cookies. She grinned and picked up the entire tray. A scrawny guy glared at her.
"They're for everybody!" He yelled.
"Bite me." She snorted, carrying the tray to a less populated area, and ignoring the threats of the scrawny dude.
Jen moved frantically, trying desperately to stop the uncoordinated from breaking her parent's things.
"No, let go!"
"Move away from the table!"
"Watch out for that lamp!"
"Get off the carpet! You are wearing shoes!"
"Aahhh! The vase!"
"Don't THROW that!"
"You're a real big idiot!"
"UUUUUGHH!"
Jen was attracting quite a crowd, but not a good one. Football players played keep-away with a wine glass, snickering evilly as Jen jumped from player to player in an attempt to get the glass back in one piece. Nikki had heard the commotion and entered with a mouth full of Oreos.
"Hey boo jackashes! Put duh damn gwass down befowe I wip aww bouw ebbin' bawws obb!" (Hey you jackasses! Put the damn glass down before I rip all your effin' balls off!)
She rolled up her sleeve and glared angrily. The smallest member of the team was holding the glass, so he set it down quickly and scooted to the kitchen. The rest of the team scattered, most went to talk to cheerleaders. Jen smiled and nodded in thanks. Nikki did the same and went back to the mountain of Oreos, chasing away the people that were picking at it.
Jonesy was having a difficult time choosing what to wear. He stood in his silkies again, staring hard at his pant drawer. He decided that a random choice was best, so Jonesy closed his eyes, and stuck his hand in. He dug for a few seconds and pulled out a pair of jean cargo shorts. He shrugged and slipped them on, making sure they fit before rushing back downstairs.
Wyatt pulled up to the house in his '98 Impala. His parents bought it for him as an early graduation gift. It was a really good way to get closer to the guys; all three of them loved tinkering with the engine. He got out and slammed the door shut, leaving the car parked on the street. He noticed the open door and stepped in, looking around for the host. Wyatt's eyes came upon Jen first, so he went over to talk.
"Hey Jen." He called.
"Wyatt! Hey! You're playing tonight right?" Jen asked.
Wyatt nodded. "Dunno what though. I have this new song, but I'm not sure if it's ready."
"I'm sure you'll do great, no matter what you play." Jen replied happily.
Wyatt smiled. "Thanks Jen. Oh, there's J. Gotta bounce; he needs to help me set up. Later."
"Bye. Good luck!" Jen called.
Wyatt waved in reply as he walked up to Jonesy, who was unlocking the door to the basement. Wyatt tapped him on the shoulder and he turned. He smiled as he saw his friend.
"Hey Wy-Dogg. You ready to perform?" Jonesy asked.
"Not yet, you gotta help, remember?" Wyatt answered.
"Oh yeah. I'll be there in a minute, just let me check on the drunken monkeys." Jonesy said. Wyatt didn't notice the shift in his eyes.
Wyatt laughed. "Sure, I'll get started."
Wyatt turned away and walked towards the living room. Jonesy opened the door and slipped in quickly, shutting and locking the door behind him. He trotted down the stairs and was greeted with a beer being thrown at him. He caught it and popped the tab.
"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!"
Jonesy grinned and held the can up to his lips. "3…2…1…GO!"
He tipped his head back, along with the can. The rowdy crowd cheered as most of the beer made it down his throat. What didn't slopped on his bare chest and dripped down his stomach. He threw the can down 8 seconds later and held his hands up in the air in triumph. They all cheered and he was thrown another. Jonesy caught it, but looked at the silver bullet with doubt.
"I dunno, I think one chug-a-lug is enough for me."
The gang slurred disagreements at him. Jonesy shrugged.
"One more couldn't hurt I guess…" He murmured to himself before popping the tab.
Wyatt tapped his foot impatiently. "Where the hell is Jonesy?"
He groaned and set up the rest of his equipment himself. "Last time I rely on J…"
Wyatt stepped onto the makeshift stage and tapped the microphone several times. "Testing… testing… 1 2 3…"
The crowd's ears perked as they heard Wyatt's amplified voice. They turned to face the dark-skinned musician and began cheering wildly. Wyatt held up his hand to signal silence. The crowd did not follow.
"Shut up!" He yelled into the mic.
The onlookers stiffened and went silent, staring at Wyatt stupidly. Wyatt cleared his throat and unzipped his guitar case. He pulled out the acoustic and wrapped the mahogany strap around his shoulder and let the guitar rest in front of him.
"What's up grads of Ross Shepard?" He yelled into the microphone.
The crowd roared and threw their fists into the air, chanting the word Thunderbirds.
"You having a good time tonight?" Wyatt asked.
The word yeah was scattered amongst the crowd.
"Well Wy-Dogg is here to make it an awesome time! Who's ready to rock?"
The audience roared in reply. Wyatt began to strum his guitar strings lightly. He tweaked the tuning pegs and strummed again. He brought his closed hand up to his mouth and cleared his throat.
"This is a new song; just finished it a couple of days ago. It's called You Died Today."
Wyatt plucked the strings of his instrument in a melodic rock fashion. His voice echoed throughout the quiet house and into the empty street.
I hear the bells ringing in the distance
Their echoes are screaming at me
They're fading into the distance plains
They won't ever be heard again
And so I sit here waiting in vain
I can still feel the pain
There's a long line of people in black
Watching the casket roll by
There's spirits whispering your name
Wondering how you're so vain.
Some things could never be forgotten
Like the dysfunction you left behind
But I believe the people in black
Could easily forget your name
Jonesy heard Wyatt from the basement and gasped. He was supposed to help him set up. Jonesy smacked his forehead and kept his hand on his head, resting his elbow on his thigh. Stone was amongst the "drunken monkeys" and placed a hand on Jonesy's shoulder.
"Joneserrry, what'sa matturrr? You look like hic like you'rrrre mother got her snake taken away by thur amboolan…" A sudden upchucking interrupted Stone's slurred words.
Jonesy covered his eyes and groaned disgustingly as the chunky mass of brown and yellow splattered on the wooden floor. Stone wiped his mouth and stumbled out of the room. Jonesy shook his head and went to get some paper towels from upstairs. He climbed up the staircase and opened the door. He forgot to lock it behind him.
I'm sitting here all alone
Trying to forget
All the memories that are still here
Those are eating my insides
There are some in this life
Whose hate is so strong
They've lost all their chances of holding on
When their time has come
They'll scream for all
The people they've hurt along the way
But they shouldn't be surprised
Or even try to cry
Because all the ones they've cried out for
Are trying to ignore.
There's a long line of people in black
Watching the casket roll by
There's spirits whispering your name
Wondering how you're so vain.
Some things could never be forgotten
Like the dysfunction you left behind
But I believe the people in black
Could easily forget your name
Stone made his way up the stairs and turned into the crowd. His blurry eyes fell upon the purple-headed woman he had dated a little while ago. He grinned stupidly and went up to her. Nikki turned to face him.
"Can I help you?" She asked coldly
"Yesh, I need to get something out of the bathroom but it's shtuck. Can you help, puhweeze?" He asked, leaning his head on Nikki's shoulder.
Nikki cocked an eyebrow as she pushed him off. "What is it?"
"A mop. I made a mess…" He whispered sadly.
"No, I'm not helping you. Fuck off." She demanded loudly.
Stone's brow lowered threateningly. "Come with me or I'll fucking kill you."
The music was too loud for the nearby ears to hear the threat. Nikki cringed and her chocolate eyes widened in fear. Stone grabbed her wrist and pulled her violently. Nikki tried to resist, but Stone's grip was far too strong. Nikki was also weak with fear, so dragging her was much easier. He pulled her down into the booze basement.
As the casket continues to roll
The tombstones continue to break
Because even the strongest of demons
Can shatter under your weight.
You've always continued to hate
Not caring about your fate
But now I guess the world is laughing
At the expense
Of your drowning…
There's a long line of people in black
Watching the casket roll by
There's spirits whispering your name
Wondering how you're so vain.
Some things could never be forgotten
Like the dysfunction you left behind
But I believe the people in black
Could easily forget your name…
The partygoers roared. Wyatt beamed and threw his guitar pick out into the crowd. A tan-skinned lady, who grinned giddily when she got it, caught the pick and cheered loudly. He put his hands up into the air and made the peace sign.
"Surf, surf, surf, surf!" The crowd chanted.
Wyatt did not hesitate at all to throw himself off of the stage and into the many hands on the crowd. They carried his body around the living room, through the kitchen and back out to the stage. He climbed back on and got his guitar ready for another tune.
Stone had dragged Nikki into the bathroom in the basement. He threw her against the wall roughly and locked the door behind him. Nikki's lip quivered as tears of fear and anger rolled down her cheeks. Stone pressed Nikki into the wall and pressed his body against hers.
"You're my bitch."
A/N: -grins- I'm evil… R&R please.