Disclaimers: �Tis fiction, Ne-vah happened, luv muchly.
The Story:
Davey woke somewhere around afternoon and dressed. He made absolute sure he was silent through the entire process. He put on no eyeliner and wore his most masculine clothes he had. . . just in case. In case he. . .
Davey shook his head slightly. No, he wasn�t expecting to find anything today. Today, he was simply going for a walk. If that walk should lead him to someplace he used to live years ago, well who�s to say what should happen next?
He slipped into his faded and battered Vans and made his way to the bedroom door. He looked back at Adam still sleeping soundlessly. He gave a brief search for any sign of waking from his friend, but the drummer�s thoughts were still even and deep in sleep. Davey paused to slip on a pair of large black glasses. He looked back down at Adam. His mouth turned upward in an adorable grin before he turned and left out the room.
I�m going to do something today, he told himself. I�m going to put some ghosts to rest. And I won�t need to have Adam hold my hand for this. I�m a grown man. So what if I sometimes. . . okay, most times, I wear make up? That doesn�t make me any less of a man, does it?
Davey put his hand on the front door. He stopped and listened, both physically and mentally. Nothing. No sound. Good. Adam was still safely asleep. By the time he finally woke, Davey would be back and he wouldn�t suspect a thing. Davey gave a self-satisfied smile and walked out of the house, closing the door with an almost silent snap.
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As soon as the front door closed, Adam relaxed and opened his eyes. Dammit, Davey! He thought, why are you doing this? It�ll only cause you more pain!
Adam sighed and sat up. He waited a few minutes to clear his head, then began looking for his clothes. He admitted to the empty room with a shrug and a smile that Davey�s earlier wake-up call was. . . well, it was the best he�d had in a while. Still, Davey could at least have stayed.
Adam shoved his feet into his shoes at the same time he heard Jade�s car pull up into the drive-way. He walked out of his bedroom and into the kitchen as Jade slammed the front door shut.
�Hi honey, glad you�re back.� Adam said, not waiting for Jade to speak. �You missed him. Just left.�
Jade nodded, seeing Adam helping himself to leftover cold pizza and snatching some himself. �Yeah, I THOUGHT that was him. Hid behind a car before I had time to get a good look. Where�s he off to?� he paused, mouth full of pizza. �He�s not leaving, is he?� he said low.
Adam shook his head, frowning. Jade watched his strong, angular jaw move slowly as he ate. �He�s going to see his folks, I guess. Tried leaving without me knowing. I pretended I was still sleeping.�
Jade continued watching Adam. He didn�t have to be a mind reader to know what his friend was thinking at this moment. �You�re worried.� he said quietly, not a question.
Adam glanced up, found Jade�s stare too penetrating and looked back at the salt and pepper shaker cows his mother gave him a year ago. He stared at these without seeing them. Instead, he saw his Davey, crying and hurt. �Yeah.� Adam whispered. �Yeah, I�m worried. Don�t tell me you�re not worried, too. He�s going to go back to his old house, thinking he�s only going to go see the outside, or see if it�s even more degraded than when he used to live there. But I know him, Jade, I know him. He. . . he�s. . .�
�Emotional?� Jade supplied. �Nostalgic? You have to admit, he is a bit. I mean, pining for you after all these years. . .� Jade gave a shrug and let Adam continue.
Adam gave a small grunt and nodded. �You�re right. He is. And I�m worried he�s not going to be satisfied with just walking by. He�s going to want to go and knock on that damn door. He�s going to want to see if his parents are still living in shit. He�s going to want to take a walk inside the house, even if new people are living there now. He�ll smile like he does and charm the pants off them and they�ll let him walk around in their house. He�ll be all right at first, surprised how much things have changed, then he�ll see something. . . I don�t know, something small. A hole in the wall still there from when Frank swung at him and missed, and he�ll remember all that shit from the past. All that shit he spent all these years trying to forget. And all that�s gonna come up and fuckin�. . . just take him over and he�ll come back, crying his eyes out. Mascara running.� he grunted and bit into the pizza.
Jade smiled faintly, but his eyes were hard as stone. �So why don�t you go after him? Stop him before he makes it worse for himself?�
Adam immediately shook his head. �You didn�t hear what he was thinking before he left. He didn�t wake me up because he wants to do it himself, alone. He doesn�t want me to know he even left. And if he DOES end up breaking down, he�ll make sure his face is dry before he steps through that door again. He�ll get totally pissed if I go stop him.�
Jade blinked several times, thinking he heard wrong. �So. . . you�re not going to do anything? You�re just going to stay here and wait for him to come back all distressed?�
Adam straightened, grabbing another pizza slice and walking toward the garage door. �I didn�t say I was going to stay here.� he gave Jade a smirk and turned to start his car.
�Whoo!� Jade laughed and hurried after him. �I�m coming, too! Wait for me!�
�Like anyone could separate you from your boyfriend?� Adam rolled his eyes, smiling.
�Hells no.� Jade said, jumping into the shotgun seat through the window with practiced ease. �Now let�s go, Kemo Sabe.�
�Sure thing, Tonto.� Adam said, then started up the engine.
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Davey saw Jade�s car coming down the street and ducked just in time behind a parked car. He peered up after the receding pink pimp-mobile and smiled even wider. He was so sneaky. . . This undercover stuff was kinda fun.
When Jade turned the corner, Davey straightened and began walking again. At first, he looked around at his surroundings, constantly making sure he was going the right way. Twice he stopped at a corner and had to think back hard in order to remember where exactly he was. Soon, however, Davey realized all he had to do was follow his feet.
His train of thought was focusing on all the recent changes happening to the area, but his feet found the right path nonetheless. They moved him steadily down the right streets, almost hurrying to find their old destination.
Some things are hard to remember, Davey thought, and some things are hard to forget.
So it was a shock when he finally found himself standing at the end of the gate of his old neighbor�s yard, just at the edge of his old yard. The first thing he saw was the old blue tarp covering the old Chevy in the front yard. Just seeing this turned his blood cold and drew every breathe out of his body in a sharp, quick gust. His hands shook and clutched desperately at the gate.
He had steeled himself for mostly nothing, not one sign of his parents still living in the same house they had tortured him in long ago. In his mind he had thought what he would do if he actually saw them, but in his heart he hoped, he. . . just, KNEW, that the crazy bitch and the angry drunk wouldn�t be there again. But the Chevy. . .
In his mind, Davey�s memories unfolded, too many to see specifically and without much detail, of Frank messing with this or that on the junker of a car, sometimes alone, sometimes with a group of his drinking buddies. But always, always, with a bottle or a can of suds. He never touched the car without a beer in his hand. It was a sort of protective talisman. He couldn�t see what was wrong with the car unless he was totally shit-faced, it seemed.
Davey�s body went into Emergency code yellow. He felt his muscles loosen and draw back in much needed oxygen. His hands, pained from holding onto the fence too hard, released but didn�t let go. His balance wasn�t so great at the moment and he was sure if he didn�t have something to hold on to, he�d end up in the weeds.
�Fucking shit.� he said in a dead, etched voice. He tore his eyes from the covered car, heart already filling with lead, and forced himself to look at the rest of the yard and house.
Sometime along the years, someone had added a new screen door, but now it hung almost as crookedly as the old one Davey remembered. The mysterious plants along the porch were gone, however, replaced with new pots of withered and bare rose bushes. The grass was no longer present. Not even weeds grew past the front gate. Instead, someone had filled one side of the yard with pea gravel. A car sat in this driveway, in the shade of the house. Thankfully, it was not Frank�s white pick-up, but a blue Ford Ranger. A much smaller truck, but Davey was glad it was there. Frank liked big trucks. The bigger and louder the better.
Davey was about to step around the fence when a hand came to rest on his shoulder. Davey turned, mind still on the past. He took in the ball cap, the dingy, dirty coveralls and the dirty face glaring at him and felt absolute terror. He gave a surprised yelp.
It�s Frank, Davey thought frantically, it�s him. He�s sneaked behind me and he�s going to hit me. He recognizes me, oh god, no. . .
Before Davey even had time to do anything else, Davey flinched back and brought both arms to shield his face. The hand on his shoulder immediately released. Davey cringed in anticipation of the blow.
�. . . Davey? DAVEY?� Hunter said again, this time putting his hand on Davey�s elbow gently, �uhm, are you okay? Didn�t mean to scare you like that. Just saw you an� thought I�d. . .� he trailed off, seeing Davey slowly bringing down both arms, eyes filled with terror.
Hunter frowned and looked at him closely. �ARE you okay?� he asked, voice softer. He looked up and down the street, even glancing briefly at the house Davey had been watching. Finally, he looked back. �Davey, what are you doing here? Are you an� Adam okay?�
Davey�s heart beat pounded in his chest hurtfully but he managed to at least make the appearance that he was under control again. He straightened his hair and took deep breathes, looking away from Hunter�s eyes. �Uh, yeah, yeah, everything�s okay. Uhm, just. . . you know, just looking in on my parents, that�s all.�
Hunter looked at the house behind him. �They live there?�
Davey kept his eyes on the ground, but at Hunter�s gesture, glanced back at the house. �Yeah, well, I think so. Haven�t actually knocked yet. Just. . .� he looked up at Hunter and smiled. �Just a little nervous, I guess.�
Hunter gave him a skeptical look. �Looks like you�re scared shitless, Davey. Maybe this isn�t something you should do by yourself. Want me to come with you? If not, I�m sure Adam would be glad to. . .�
�No.� Davey said, cutting him off. They met gazes, Hunter�s steady to Davey�s resolute. �No, Hunter, I can�t ask him to do that. He�s protected me so much already. I can do things on my own. I�m a grown man now.�
Hunter nodded, smiling faintly and holding his hands up in surrender. �Yeah, okay, okay. So you�re a grown man. Don�t need anyone to hold your hand, right? Well, friends don�t treat each other like children. They�re there for moral support, man. Just thought you�d might want someone with you in case, I don�t know, you felt a little awkward and needed something to talk about. I can help at that. I like making sure conversations keep going. Don�t like silences. Probably why I can stand Jade so much. But hey, if you don�t want, that�s cool, too. Something�s need to be done on your own. Totally understand.�
As Davey watched, Hunter took out a somewhat crushed pack of cigarettes and pulled out a bent one. He put it between his lips and lit it. He looked back up at Davey. �So, go ahead. I won�t stop you. When you�re done, I�ll be here. We can walk to Adam�s together.�
Davey looked at Hunter�s dirty face and hands. He looked over the coverall that he at first thought was Frank�s mechanic�s uniform and realized it wasn�t even the right shade of blue. There was a patch on Hunter�s right breast with his name and the logo of ACE Plumbing.
�You. . .� Davey asked slowly, trying to ignore the house behind him, �you�re a plumber?�
Hunter smiled. �Today I am. I�ve got a few jobs lined up this week. Couldn�t really decide what I wanted to do with my life so decided on a few at a time. Today, I fixed the plumbing for two places at the trailer park and one bathroom at the old folks� home just down the street. Tomorrow. . . let�s see, tomorrow is. . . yeah, tomorrow is gardening day. I�ll cut some lawns and trim some hedges. The day after that, I�ll be working at the glue factory over down town. They got me packing boxes every other two days. It�s my only steady job so far. If you want, I can talk to Gary and try and see if they got an opening. Something to do besides sing into hair brushes.� he gave another smile and shrugged.
Davey�s mouth twitched briefly. �Thanks.� Hunter saw the life slowly beginning to come back to Davey�s eyes but knew he had to do it.
�So,� Hunter nodded to the house, �you going in? Can�t stay here all day, right? Neighbors might call the cops about you stalking them.� he gave the cigarette a flick and crushed it under his Converse. Hunter then turned and walked to the van parked along the curb. Davey wondered briefly how he could possibly have missed hearing that park so close behind him.
Inside the white van with the blue lettering along the side reading �ACE Plumbing; Day or Nite, We Do It Right!�, Hunter turned on the radio to the local rock station. Davey watched him through the open passenger window as he picked up a brown bag and pulled out a sandwich and started eating.
What a peculiar man, Davey thought. I could have sworn I had him pegged down yesterday to the bone, but today. . . well, he�s different. He�s. . . not what I thought he was. Together, the three of them are so alike, but apart, they really DO have their own way of doing things, don�t they?
Not once did Hunter look up, but he knew Davey hadn�t moved. He also knew what Davey would do next. Davey gave a glance over his shoulder a this old house and shuddered slightly. No way he could do it. Not yet, anyway. No matter how much he prepared himself, he just wasn�t going to be able to do this right now. He didn�t have enough courage yet for it.
Instead, he opened the passenger door and slid in. Hunter didn�t ask, but Davey felt he had to justify his actions. �Erm, well, maybe Adam WOULD like to come with me. I mean, he used to know my father. Somewhat. Don�t think I should leave him out of it.�
Hunter finished his sandwich in record time and nodded, mouth still fill. �Um hmpf.� he nodded and started up the van. �Ood, sfinking.� He swallowed and said again, �good thinking. He gets bitchy when he�s left out of things. Come on, I�ll by you an ice cream.�
Davey buckled his seat belt. �I�m vegan, Hunter.�
Hunter nodded. �Okay, then you can eat the cone and I�ll eat the ice cream.� they smiled at each other and drove on.
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Adam and Jade crashed on the couch, too tired and worn out to do much more. They had not only driven past Davey�s old house a dozen times looking for their new singer, but also up and down any side street or back alley within a radius of ten blocks. Not one sign of Davey. Adam was so worried, not even his weariness could force him to sit still another minute.
He shot up and grabbed the phone book. �Maybe he�s at the bar. Give them a call. . .� he muttered to himself.
Jade rolled his eyes. �Tried that.� His nasal groan sounded tired, �besides, the guy doesn�t drink, dumbass. You think he�d go just to LOOK at the bottles?�
Adam slammed the phone back down and shut the book. �Well what the hell SHOULD I do, huh? Tell me, Jade. Where should I look? What should I do?�
Jade sat up and glared at Adam. �Frankly, my dear, I don�t give a damn.� He gave a grunt. �Why the hell should I know? We tried everywhere we could think of, even that beauty supply store down the street from the music store. The guy doesn�t want to be found, Adam. He doesn�t WANT to be, okay? When he�s ready, he�ll come back. He�s not in distress again, is he? Not since earlier?�
Adam shook his head. He had barely driven down the first street when he felt Davey�s panicking thoughts. Fear overtook Adam also and the car went swerving. Luckily, Jade grabbed hold of the wheel and forced them safely to the shoulder while Adam, and Davey, calmed down again.
�Well see?� Jade said, getting up from the couch and coming over to pat Adam on the shoulder. �Then that means he�s all right, doesn�t it? He�s okay. Just needs some time to himself. He�ll be all right, I mean it.�
Adam looked at his friend and nodded, suddenly feeling better. Good ol� Jade. Always making things better. . . Adam frowned. �Fuck that!� he said suddenly, pushing Jade�s hand away. �It�s not you! It�s Davey! HE�s feeling better!� he angrily turned and ran for the kitchen.
�Okay,� Jade told himself, still standing there alone, �that was seriously the weirdest shit. . .� he shook his head and sighed. He had a feeling things were going to get weirder now that the four of them were going to be in a band together. He turned and followed after Adam.
It turned out, Adam ran clear out to the back yard. There, Hunter and Davey, as well as two other guys were tossing a set of plastic horseshoes in the fading light of the setting sun.
Davey looked up and smiled, seeing both Adam and Jade. �Hey guys! �Bout time you two got back. I wanted to wait for you but the guys said-�
�Fuck �em.� the man wearing the black beanie and dark glasses finished, chuckling darkly. Between his lips was a cigarette more than half gone. He wore ripped and torn jeans and a studded leather jacket. His friend was dressed similar to him and had the beginnings of a mohawk, dyed blue.
�Tim, Lars.� Jade nodded slightly in greeting. Lars held up his beer in salutations and Tim simply nodded.
�Where the hell ya been, Addie?� Tim asked. �Had to start the game without you.�
�Been looking for Davey, actually.� Adam said quietly, looking Davey over carefully, but there were no obvious signs of distress anywhere on his friend.
Tim glanced at Davey and grinned. �Ah, you mean Chicken Boy?� Adam frowned slightly at this, but when Tim and Davey shared a smile he saw it must be some kind of inside joke. �Yeah, he�s been with us the whole time! Saw him and Hunt over by the Dairy Queen. Had to invite ourselves over for a beer or two.�
�And the rest of the brewskies in your fridge.� Lars added. �But don�t worry, we brought some more.� he patted the top of two cases sitting on the ground. Apparently he had just gone to get them.
Adam grinned despite himself. �Well then, you�re definitely welcome!�
While Jade went to join Hunter and Lars as they watched Davey toss expertly, Tim stood next to Adam. �So, I hear Wonder Boy�s gonna be your new singer.� He slid off the intimidating cop shields and put them in his pocket. Adam saw his eyes watching him carefully. �He any good?�
Adam nodded. �Yeah. . . well, I think he is. Haven�t really talked to the guys yet, but I think they�re okay with Davey. He�s. . . his singing. . .�
Tim smiled and nodded. �It�s whatchoo been lookin� for, right? That last time me an� the boys were in town, you said you was lookin� for a special sound. This it?�
Adam smiled faintly and nodded. �Yeah. I think so. Davey�s voice is like your�s, almost. And I know he can sing. I�ve heard him sing before, when we were younger. He�s got talent and he knows good music. We just have to get him ready for the stage. Not that we�re any more ready.� He shrugged, still watching Davey carefully.
Tim glanced at the game. �Younger, eh? Hunter tells me you�re childhood friends. That how he got into the group?�
Adam shook his head. �Davey just happened on one of our flyers. We recognized each other when he came to audition and. . .� he shrugged, �well, everything just sort of came together.�
Tim snapped the gum in his mouth and nodded. He looked at Adam and smiled. �Yeah, I know whatchoo mean. Things do that. Like fate or somethin�. But you remember what I tell you, right, Addie?� he poked a finger up to gesture his point, �when you get this band of yours together, give us a ring. We�ll help you get to touring, like we do. Touring�s the thing, my friend. You�ve got to get the hell out of this shit hole town. Get out, see the world. It�ll all look the same at first, but that�s all right. Just takes time. Time and distance, Addie. Remember that.�
Adam smiled. �Yeah. That�s it. Time and Distance. Time to put some distance from this place.�
�That�s the thinkin�!� Tim clapped a hand on Adam�s shoulder happily. But Adam had caught Davey�s eye. Davey nodded faintly and turned back to the game.
As he watched Hunter line up his shot, Davey whispered under his breathe. �Time to put some distance from this place, yes, but not before I find a way to see what I came to see.�
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