No Pads… No Helmets… Just Memories!

“YOU DIDN'T!” Marc laughed gripping his gut.

“MARC, I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU AS MUCH AS BREATH A WORD ABOUT IT TO ANYONE, I WILL FIND YOU, AND HURT YOU IN WAYS THAT AREN'T EVEN INVENTED YET!” I bellowed kicking the ball and aiming for his head but missing my mark.

“Does Cass know?” he laughed rolling the ball back to me.

“Are you kidding she’d have a hernia!” I laughed lining my steps up again.

“Does anyone but you, me, and Alex know?”

“Knowing Alex…” I started.

“Jack!” Marc joined in to finish my sentence in unison.

“OH GOD I'M DEAD!” I shouted throwing my hands into the air as I fell back onto my butt.

“No Jasey, it can't be all that bad what the worst that could happen, it was just an innocent kiss right?”

“yeah, it wasn't like we sucked face or anything and we basically agreed it didn't mean a thing, but the moment Rian and Cass find out I’ll never hear the end out of it and Andrea will be sure to get some kicks of having that on me.”

“I mean it can't be the biggest thing they have on you…” he noted joining me on the grass of the soccer field.

“Nahh, but I don’t know how many of them remember the time I kissed Zack.” I mumbled.

“WAIT WHAT?” He yelled.

“Oh my god, it was in the 8th grade, it was like the second time I had ever met the kid, and he had this horrible long brown lesbian haircut, we were playing spin the bottle and it was just an awkward thing for everyone!” I laughed, “we all agreed it never happened, and moved on!”

“Oh. My. God. forget them, I’M never letting you live that down!” he laughed.

“Marc you're such an ass, I fucking hate you!” I laughed giving him a playful shove.

“Oh god no, but that’s too funny!” he laughed.

“IT'S NOT FUNNY AT ALL!” I yelled, “Do you know how much shit I’m going to get for this, I was still drunk basically!”

“So beer goggles makes Jasey a slut, note. To. The. File!”

“Oh my god Marc shut up!” I laughed knowing he was kidding, “I kissed him, I’m not a slut.”

“Yeah keep shoving your tongue down every guy you see’s throat and tell me what people
Think!” he laughed getting up and backing away.

“I’m so going to get you for that Fletcher!” I yelled getting up and accepting his silent offer to race that his actions were hanging over my head.

“What would Alex say if I asked him about it?” he laughed running towards my street.

“He’d tell you the truth and say I’m the best kisser he’s come across.”

“Oh, you're so sure of that?” he laughed.

“Positive!” I yelled up to him as we neared my house.

“Why don’t we JUST ASK HIM THEN!” He bellowed running for Alex’s porch.

“MARC DON'T YOU DARE!” I laughed racing after my friend. “He’s not even home yet you boob.”

“What do you mean he’s not home yet, its 4 o’clock where did he go after school?”

“Probably had band practice.” I shrugged leaning on the railing of his porch in victory.

“Oh, you mean the band practice at your house?” he stepped closer to me, “You know the house across the street.”

“MARC DON'T YOU DARE!” I shouted a second too late as I was already being picked up and slung over his shoulder.

What was with people and just picking me up all the time, just because I’m small enough doesn't mean I can be thrown around like a sack of potatoes. Marc all but pranced across the street as I put up a slight struggle to free myself from his grasps and escape him and the boys humiliating me.

He slumped up onto my front porch as I continued to beg him into releasing me but he only continued on into the house. He stepped through the threshold hollering for Alex and Rian as he stepped towards the basement door. “MARC STOP!” I laughed, failing to sound intimidating as he made his way down the basement stairs. He turned at the base of the staircase and I heard an eruption of giggles and laughs as the two of us came into view.

“Delivery for Alexander Gaskarth.” Marc laughed popping me off of his shoulder and into someone’s lap.

As a set of lanky arms wrapped around my waist I knew it wasn't Alex, but Jack whose lap I was placed in and I looked up at the group around me.

“What are we not good enough to get invited to this little get together?” I questioned smiling as my eyes wandered around the room from Marc who stood above me to Zack, behind him Rian still at his drums just sitting on the stool, followed by Matt on the floor beside Vinny, Alex on a amp, Cass at his feet, and Andrea beside Jack and I on the futon couch.

“You didn’t answer your phone you little shitter!” Rian laughed getting up and joining Matt and Vinny on the floor.

“Do I ever?” I questioned resulting in the group exchanging glances before shrugging and mumbling variations of “Yeah, true.” seeing as though I never actually had my phone on me anyway.

“Wait I have a question.” Alex laughed shortly after the group began to talk amongst themselves, “How come Jasey was a delivery for me, but she’s on Jack’s lap?”

My eyes shot to Matt telling him not to mention our entire post school discussion. “Here take her,” Jack laughed lifting me in a bridal carry as he walked towards Alex, “Her boney ass was making my legs fall asleep!”

“MY ASS ISN'T BONEY!” I laughed sticking my tongue out at him as Alex snaked his arms around my stomach to secure me.

“Is to!” he mocked poking his tongue out before sliding back onto the couch beside Andrea.

The whole group decided on a movie and we all paraded up stairs and popped a random disk into the DVD player. Matt was in the kitchen with Cass preparing popcorn and assorted snacks while I sat in Andrea’s lap, lying with my legs stretched out over Rian and Vinny. The two were still in the kitchen when there was a knocking at the door and I blatantly ignored it thinking if it was the UPS man he could just leave whatever it was at the door for me to fetch later, when I wasn't so comfortably positioned.

“Jasey get the door will you?” Matt shouted after the knocking sounded again.

“I’m not your bitch Flyzik you get it!” I scoffed.

“It’s your house!” he hollered.

“Fair point.” I said realizing whoever it was wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon, and now knew that people were home by our shouting.

I rolled off the laps of my friends falling to the floor with a thud before getting to my feet and stumbling to the door. I was more than unhappy about having to move from my warm place as I neared the door and who ever sat behind it knocked again. “I’m coming, I’m coming!” I shouted as I sauntered the last few paces and flicked the deadbolt releasing the lock. I slowly opened the door as my eyes ran up a young boy’s body, from his white Nike sneakers, to his denim jeans, his white tee, red letter-man jacket, his embroidered name, his thick brown eyebrows, dirty blond hair, and blue eyes.

“Riley..?” I mumbled out squinting my eyes, as if it were a hallucination. The boy’s glance fell from me and to his forever shifting feet.

“Can we talk?”

Notes