Chapter Eighty-One

Clarissa carefully wrapped John's chest, making sure to keep the bandages tight so that he didn't shift something up on stage. "Arms up again." She ducked away from the head of John's guitar as he lifted his arms. "Don't get me with that thing."

John chuckled, feeling her tie the bandaging off in the middle of his back. "Sorry Mom." He took his shirt from Amelia as she handed it to him, happily pulling it over his head and placing a flannel over the top of it. "Thanks Princess." He kissed her head, reaching for his boots and pulling them on.

Dominic barreled down the stairs, his bass in one hand and Allison's keyboard and synthesizer combo in the other. "Hurry up jackasses!" He shouted, flinching as he realized he'd have to put another quarter in the swear jar. "I'll put it in there after I load these in the bus."

Kaylie took the keyboard from him, helping him load stuff as John walked out the door behind them. "So, guys, I've been wanting to talk to you."

John placed his pick in his pocket, stepping onto the front lawn as they walked to the big yellow bus that they'd painted with breakfast foods. "What about?" He asked, leaning against the bus as Dominic popped the hatch on the little trailer they'd hooked to the back of it.

Kaylie handed the keyboard to Dominic, adjusting the strap on her bra on her shoulder. "About Brian."

The cousins looked at her, pausing in their task. "What about him?" Dominic asked, wondering what was on her mind.

"Do you think it'd be too soon, if I started dating him… I mean, since Sid and everything…" She looked down at her boots, scuffing them on the pavement.

John placed his hands on her shoulders, slouching down to look into her eyes. "Hey, look at me." He smiled as she lifted her head, touching her chin with his thumb. "I think Sidney Oliver Silverman, would want you to find someone else. If I knew that son of a bitch as well as I think I did, he wouldn't want you to cry over him for the rest of your life. He'd want you to find a nice guy, settle down, have a few puppies-"

"I'm not having kids." She stated, blinking a few tears back. "You know that."

John nodded, pulling her close as Dominic wrapped his arms around them both. "Alright, have a few actual puppies. The point is, I don't think he'd want you to mourn him forever. And who knows, maybe he's the one looking out for us now, maybe he sent Brian to you so that you wouldn't feel so alone."

"Yeah." Dominic smiled, lifting the girl out from his cousin's arms and tossing her into the air. "He's always looked out for us. Why wouldn't he take care of us from the afterlife?"

Kaylie giggled, hitting his chest as he caught her. "Put me down!"

John chuckled, lifting his hands up as she turned on him. "Go find Brian. You have our blessing to have another boyfriend." He threw a few play punches at her, making sure she could dodge his fists. "And put some real shorts on!"

She flipped him off, shaking her little botty in her daisy-dukes. "I've gotta get his attention somehow!"

Dominic rolled his eyes. "Not with that ass!"

"Fuck you!"

John laughed, placing his guitar in the trailer. "How about you get fucked first!"

Kaylie slammed the door, leaving the boys leaning on each other as they laughed. "Assholes." She smiled, running up to Brian's room. "Brian! I wanna tell you something!"