No Pads… No Helmets… Just Memories!

Alex tapped his pencil to the side of his tatted notebook as he mumbled incomplete lyrics to himself as I adjusted my head against his shoulder. We were wasting away the after school hours in the school's lecture hall. Jack sat on the floor, a school guitar in his lap as he fiddled around and tuned the instrument over and over again. They only had three more songs left till they would bring their album to Emerald to get it in the works and Alex was in business mode. After school the boys snuck Zack in through the back door in order to use the school's auditorium to focus. Only Andrea, Cass, Matt, Vinny and I decided to tag along, but honestly I was beginning to grow bored.

"We're gonna make this worth our while." He mumbled with a sigh as he tilted his head to rest it against the top of mine. And this was how it went. Cass and Rian canoodling in the first row in front of Jack as they poked one another and giggled admirably. Vinny and Matt had been beside them, playing some hand game they referred to as 'hand tennis' for the past half hour or so. The seemingly painful game which consisted of them just slapping the back of the others hand as hard as they could till one made a sound of pain and in which lost. Zack was pacing back and forth behind Jack as he tapped away at the keys on his phone. Seeming not at all interested in the silence engulfing the rest of us whilst Andrea sat beside Alex and me. I was sideways in my seat, my knees crooked over the dirty wooden armrest between two maroon auditorium seats, my dirty converse perched in Andrea's lap as she mindlessly fiddled her tanned fingers around my aged gray laces. My head resting back on Alex's bicep, the singer occasionally looking up and running his fingers through the ends of my hair that draped over his arm.

I sighed again as I wiggled my head off his arm and arched my back to place my head over his writing, gaining his attention. His tired eyes falling on me as he pulled a smile to match. I looked up at him as my big eyes ran over his face, my hand lifting to softly caress his cheek. "I know you're bored..." He sighed in response as I puffed a pout.

"Everyone's bored..." I told him with a cheeky grin as he rolled his eyes. The singer leaning down to kiss me softly.

Pulling away, he sighed once again, "I told you this would be boring."

"Yeah but none of us expected it to be just us and our breathing!" Andrea rolled as Alex laughed a lighthearted laugh and pulled back, allowing both of us to sit up straight once again. My feet getting pulled from Dre's lap and going to the floor with a sigh as I rested my head on Alex's shoulder once again. Said boy sighing loudly as he wiggled to sling the arm over my two shoulders.

"Well I told you guys!" He defended as Matt and Vinny looked up, turning in their seats to engage in the forming conversation. "I mean, there’s not much to do while I'm writing!"

"Take a break!" Vinny offered as he held up a hand in a general gesture.

"I can't."

"You take breaks when Jasey is around and you write!" Matt poked his tongue out at Alex as the younger stifled a laugh.

"Matt, you do realize we would not be doing the same things Jasey and I do when breaks are taken, right?" Alex laughed as Jack slid his guitar from his lap to the floor, plopping into the seat between Vinny, and Cass & Rian who still seemed more invested in one another then us.

"Do I hear discussion of an org-"

"JACK NO!" Andrea whined in disgust as she threw something from the floor at the laughing guitarist. One who smirked at our auburn haired friend as he wiggled his eyebrows under his floppy hair.

"Don't act like you don't want me!"

Andrea gagged. "Jack, not in a million years!" Andrea pointed as Jack rolled his eyes.

"Jasey said that about Alex and look at them now!" He pointed as Andrea raised a fine drawn brow and glanced at me. My head leaned on Alex as I looked up from fiddling with the hand that draped over my shoulder.

"That’s different!" Andrea argued as Jack sent her a challenging look causing the girl to groan and roll her eyes once again. "Jasey is a liar!"

"AM NOT!" I jumped in, face crumpled as everyone began to laugh. "WHAT'S SO FUNNY?"

"Jase, you denied liking Alex up to the minute he asked you out!" Jack laughed as I grumbled incoherent words and crossed my arms over my chest. Andrea opened her mouth again as her words were replaced with the ringing of phone.

"-What mom?" Zack snapped slightly as we all shifted to look at the built bass player as he stopped his pacing for a moment to answer the call.

"What do you think that’s about?" Vinny asked quietly as he crossed his arms over the back of his seat.

"Probably prom..." Alex shrugged as he snatched my left hand back in his. "Again." The singer tangling his fingers in mine as he rested his head to mine and took a deep breath. A soft silence settled over the group as we all allowed Zack to talk with ease into his phone. But I was too wrapped up smiling gently at my hand as Alex fiddled with my fingers, humming a seemingly familiar tune in my ear before he cleared his throat. "I can't wait till our prom..." He whispered gently in my ear.

A blush budding on my cheeks as I kept my head down, eyes on our hands. "A whole year is a long time..." I muttered quietly.

Alex's smile pressed his dimple to the top of my head where his cheek sat. "I waited three years..." He whispered as I blushed a deeper shade of red. "I think I can handle one more." I felt his lips press gently to my head as I sighed. These were the moments I enjoyed the most, the littlest ones.

"Why does his mom want him to go so bad?" Andrea questioned as she sat forward in her seat. Breaking my mind from Alex for the moment.

"His mom was one of those pageant women, like manners and good posture and all that shit!" Jack started as he shifted on his heals facing us in the second row. "His older sister Sam was put into pageants and those things and his mom can't STAND that he just doesn't care!" Jack finished with a shrug as Andrea nodded.

"Mom, I told you to call the tux place and cancel-"

"He never really was into anything that was forced on him." Matt shrugged as we all looked back at the rambling teen. "So basically anything his mother likes, he avoids like the plague."

Andrea laughs as he nods her head muttering. "So I see..."

"Yeah, apparently his moms super agitated that he's trying to bail with the show at Tammy's party..." Alex slurred now quietly. "She's been giving him a hard time about it."

"Mom!" Zack whisper shouted. "I told you I can't go to the prom because of that other gig." He stubbornly explained. The timing perfect as Alex waved a hand towards Zack in a 'and there you have it!' Sort of motion. "Yeah mom unless I get another gig at prom, I'm not going!" He sarcastically snipped as I shot up right in my seat Alex's arm falling from my body as Zack snapped his cell phone shut with a roll of the eyes. The realization was hitting me like a freight train as he traipsed over towards us, muttering "How dumb..."

"NO!" I shouted, a smile on my face as everyone’s eyes slipped to me. My outburst even turning Rian and Cass in my direction. Noses skewed with eyebrows cocked in confusion. "ZACK THAT’S A BRILLIANT IDEA!?"

The bass player glancing at me as though I had four heads as he sat down in the seat the row before me, facing me as his knees sunk into the cushioned seat. "Uh... What is?"

"PROM!" Again, everyone now turned to me again like I was a nut job gone wild. I let out a puff and rolled my eyes, how could I not have seen it before, it's genius. "You guys can play AT Zack's prom!" I explained as they all took on a similar wide-eyed expression like me. "Zack goes to prom to please his mom but doesn't have to do all the stupid shit for it and everyone else gets out of Tammy's party-"

"AND WE GET TO GO TO PROM!" You could have predicted it'd be Cass to interject with that statement as Rian instantly grinned at my friend.

"Jasey..." Matt put in as he grinned at me. His tone soft as his eyes as he looked to me. "That’s fucking genius!"

"WHY DID I NOT THINK OF THAT?" Cass boomed with a hardy laugh as we all began to giggle in excitement.

"Rian, grab your keys!" I demanded as I got to my feet. My brother flinching upright in his seat as he looked at me with a confused expression, his brows furrowed as he fished his keys from his pocket none the less. "Zack's school, let’s go!"

My twin shot to his feet now realizing what I was getting at as I threw my school bag over my back and started side stepping over Andrea and out into the main isle. Rian hot on my trail as he tripped after me and soon the two of us where skipping down the hall towards his car. "I can't believe no one thought of this before!" Rian exclaimed when we pooled out into the hall. I grinned at him and ran towards the familiar silver car.

"I don't know how I didn't see it!" I agreed as Rian popped the lock and let us both slip into our respectable seats. His bag going into the back seat while mine went between my feet. "When did Zack say his prom was?" I questioned as I tapped my fingers on the door. Rian blowing out a breath as he thought, putting the car in gear and quickly pulling out of the lot.

"April... Twentieth, I think?"

I began to laugh as Rian shot me a quick look. A look telling me he didn't quite understand the humor in that fact. I swallowed my laughter quickly. "His prom is on 4/20!?" I exclaimed as Rian quickly caught onto what I was saying. "What high school does that?"

"Either a stupid one, or one with an amazing sense of humor!" He chuckled as drove through town in the direction of Zack's school. I didn't exactly know where I was going with showing up at Zack's school. I mean, I wasn't expecting to stroll in an say 'Hello, I don't actually go here, but my friend who does zero extra-circular activities and probably doesn't make honor roll does, and I was wondering if you would let him and his three friends who also don’t attend this school be the music for the prom!' No. That didn't seem all too promising.

I was going out on a limb with this. What were the odds that they didn't already have someone to do music? Someone with more experience. Or someone who had a much better grip on what they were doing. But then, it was also almost a guarantee that the boys would play for much cheaper than any party DJ. My train of thought was shattered by my butt vibrating. Well, my phone from my back pocket realistically. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the feeling seeing as I hardly ever kept track of my phone and was quick to flip it open to see a text from Alex. The message reading: 'Ur a fucking genius! Maybe i wont have to wait a whole year after all ;)'

I blushed profusely as I read his text. Flipping a quick glance to Rian to see him minding the road and absentmindedly tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel. I looked back down before typing out a message reading, 'who said it will work, and besides, who said i would even go with you!? ;)' He replied almost instantly.

'I say so. To both. I will take u to prom and u will have fun and u will look sexy as hell!'

I laughed audibly at his message, gaining a slightly odd look from Rian as we continued to tool through town. 'Thats how you are going to ask me to prom? Demanding me over text? Come on Lex... Youre gonna have to do better then that! :)' I replied.

"Almost their!" Rian grinned with excitement in his voice as I shared a smile with my brother. I was going to pick up small chat when my phone buzzed again in my hand. But all the text read was, 'ok fine'. My brows furrowed as I frowned at the text. Not really sure what that was supposed to mean. But as I opened a new message, Rian's car screeched to a halt. "You ready?" Rian asked.

"You kidding?" I grinned as we tossed our seat belts off at the same time and leaped from the car. I couldn't help but notice how different Towson high was then Dulaney as I scampered up the concrete steps. It didn't seem like a school where kids would run around the halls and rave about football games and constantly sport the school's colors. It looked more like a uniform and pressed dress shirts kind of school, a school I couldn't truly picture Zack of all people attending. The elderly lady behind the front desk didn't even smile sweetly like the one I was used to greeting every day, she seemed... bitter as she forced a grin and flashed her gray smile.

"Hello dear, how may I help you?" She greeted as I stepped up and placed my hands flat on the counter, Rian approaching behind me to speak on behalf of the band.

"Hello, uhm, I'm Jasey Dawson, this is my twin brother Rian, we are friends of Zachary Merrick." I began with a sweet tone as she nodded at me. "And we would like to introduce an idea on behalf of the prom!"

Notes