Fifty-One

"Alright, alright, just go inside," Buddy demanded as he pushed his parents inside my house. I stayed on the front steps, crying my eyes out. Buddy sat next to me and said nothing for a while. I could hear his parents talking with Jeanie inside, able to make out a few words about how Devon and I just broke up. It made me cry harder.

For an hour, Buddy sat with me on the front steps. He said nothing to me, and he didn't hold me or comfort me. He stared forward and waited for me to say the first word. Jeanie popped out to hand me some tissues, and I finally calmed down. We continued to stare at the driveway.

"Want to play some video games?" he finally asked me.

^^^

"I fucking hate you!" I screamed as I slapped Buddy with a pillow, knocking him off the couch. Everyone, who was still planning at the kitchen table, laughed hysterically at us. "Why are you trying to piss me off?"

"Because it's a lot of fun," Buddy said, and stuck his tongue out at me as he plopped back onto the couch. "If I could beat it, you can, too."

"Not according to the title 'The Level That Will Make Mel Want to Slap Me with a Pillow.'"

"It's a very accurate title, but it doesn't say it's going to be impossible for you to beat," he sang, smiling cheekily at the end.

It took me ten more tries before I took a break and play some easier levels that were made by other people online. Buddy didn't mention anything about the breakup, and the more heavily invested I got in the levels, the more I forgot about the breakup as well. But it didn't take long for the depression to sink in, and I handed the controller off to Buddy.

As he played, he said, "Am I allowed to ask how bad it went?"

"It went really well, actually."

"You were a mess."

"I love him a lot."

"Did you think he was your soulmate?"

"Soulmates are fake. You know that."

"You know what I mean, though."

"Well, I didn't want to think like that during our relationship. It was always in the back of my head that we were going to eventually break up, because he was going to go to Med School, and I was going to become a rock star. That meant we'd either have to do long distance or break up."

"Why didn't you choose long distance?"

"It wasn't worth it," I admitted.

He pressed pause so he could stare at me incredulously.

"I'm not kidding. We just graduated from high school. We'd been together for eight months. We're going in two completely different directions. Going long distance would not be worth it. There would be so many problems, and it would cause, what I can only imagine as, an even worse break up.

"But this one was nice. This was one where we could admit that we loved each other and that we were doing the right thing. As much as we love each other, we were just meant to be each other's first loves and first relationships. He's prepared me for what comes next in life."

"But it still sucks right now," he stated.

"It hurts so bad," I whined. "I want to listen to Billy Joel and eat ice cream all day."

"I've got some chocolate in the freezer," Jeanie called out.

Buddy and I rolled our eyes at each other before laughing.

"I'm really happy I got to be with him while I could."

Placing his hand on my knee, he said, "I don't know much about what's going to be the best thing to say to you right now, but just know that if you ever don't want to be alone, call me, and I'll be here for you."

"Is that your way of saying "Now that you're single, does this mean we get to hang out more?"" I teased.

"You make me sound like a dick," he playfully pouted.

"I only speak the truth."

It was his turn to slap me with a pillow.

"No, but for real, I'm going to need you a lot, so thank you."

My head dropped to his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around me. "It's what friends are for."

I tried again at beating his level, and it only took another twenty times before I actually beat it. I don't think I'd ever screamed so loudly at beating one of his levels, but I had to give him kudos. It was really hard.

James texted me before Buddy and his parents left my house, telling me to come to our rehearsal space for an emergency band meeting.

"Do you think everything's okay?" he asked as he drove me to Lucy's. He insisted on coming with me, and I was glad to have him with me. I didn't need more bad news on the same day.

"I hope so." My heart sank. "You don't think this could be the end of 7 Years of Blood, do you?"

"God, I hope not," he mumbled. "You guys have an EP coming out, though, so why would now be the time to call it quits? Unless someone died."

"Buddy! I'm already freaking out here."

"I'm sorry, but it's better to expect the worst so in case it's not that bad, it'll make you feel a little better."

"That's horrible logic," I deadpanned.

"Maybe, but it sometimes works."

Buddy pulled up in front of the house, and I led him out back to the rehearsal shed. Everyone was already there, as was Petula and Amanda. Everyone stared at Buddy in confusion.

"Don't tell me you dumped Devon for him," Amanda cracked.

"No," Buddy groaned.

"We broke up today, though," I mumbled, and Petula instantly ran up to my side to give me a hug.

"Oh, Mel, I'm sorry," James frowned. "Maybe I should have waited until tomorrow to say this."

"What? More bad news?"

"No, quite the opposite."

"Well, I could use some good news, so what's up?"

James smiled widely as he held his phone in the air. "Just an hour ago, I received a call from a new band that we all know. Mel, who's your favorite upcoming band?"

"Stab Wound. Why?"

"Well, they are having their Midwest tour this summer starting next month," he smirked, and everyone perked up.

"Shut the fuck up, James," I demanded, pointing accusingly at him. "You better not be fucking with me right now."

"Nope," he proudly said. "They want us to open for them on their tour."

"But how the hell do they even know who we are?" Nate questioned. "We haven't even released our EP yet."

"No, but their drummer Josh was at our New Year's house party."

"Okay, why was he at a college party, states away from his hometown?" I asked.

"Because he's cousins with the hostess, and he saw us play," he smirked. "And he knew that when he saw us play he would want to tour with us if their first choice couldn't make it. And since that band's lead singer had a baby, we wound up being their second choice."

"Fuck yeah!" Lucy yelled and flopped onto Amanda's lap. "7 Years of Blood is going on tour!"

"When is it?" Buddy questioned.

"We leave June first."

"That's less than two weeks," he said as he looked at me.

"I'm sorry, man."

"Were you planning to go on vacation?" Lucy questioned.

"No, it's just that Buddy's leaving for college in August, so this was going to be the last summer we'd get to hang out."

"But this is ten times better than that. There will be plenty of time to hang out when I come back for winter break and holidays and all that."

"Or you can just come," Petula giggled. "I mean, Amanda and I are going to go. I'll have to leave before the tour ends to go to school, but it's not like we can't come."

"We could use someone to help be our Roadie," I smirked, nudging his shoulder.

Smiling widely, Buddy nodded quickly and agreed. This was going to be the best summer of our lives!