Bob moaned a few incoherent words before opening his eyes. He usually wasn't so easy to wake up. He took one look at Timber and rolled over onto his side so he didn't have to face her. "What?" he whined.
"You guys are leaving today Bob! In about an hour! It's six a.m.! You should be up!" she said with a bit too much energy as she sat beside him.
"Six a.m.?" he asked. "Let me sleep!!!"
"Wake up!" she said, swatting his backside.
"Damn girl, does morning breath not stop you?" Bob asked, highly irritable.
"Nope!" she said, yanking the covers off of him to exposed his mostly naked body, with the exception of a pair of boxer shorts with tiny cows on them.
"Just go away!!!" he whined, grabbing for his covers but not finding them within his reach.
"You're the only one still in bed Bobby!" Timber said. "Your dad told me to come get your ass up! So GET UP!!! And get into the bathroom, do what you have to do, get dressed, get breakfast... yadda, yadda, yadda! Get UP!!!"
"Fine! I'm up!" he lied, without opening his eyes. "Now go away for a second. I haveta scratch."
"Scratch my ass... well, not literally of course... you're just trying to get me out of here so you can go back to sleep." she pointed out.
Bob popped one eye open. "Why don't you just take my place? You can learn to play drums in the plane."
"I already know how to play the drums." she reminded him. "You were teaching me like, two weeks ago."
"Fine, whatever." he said, giving in and sitting up. "But I seriously do have to scratch."
* * *
Scott ran his brush through his shower wet hair and stared blankly at his reflection in his full length mirror. He had only a towel wrapped around his waist and little droplets of water still ran down his shoulders from his dripping wet hair.
He studied his face. His eyes were still red rimmed from crying the night before. After he had begun to sob hysterically in front of his father, he had run up to his bedroom and locked himself inside, sure his father hated him. He cried himself to sleep.
Scott was ashamed to shed tears. He was a boy. Boy's don't cry. Boys weren't allowed to cry, yet he had broken the unwritten rule. It wasn't so much the physical pain of his father's blow, but more the emotional pain of knowing that his father, his own flesh and blood, had been capable of hurting him. But early that morning, his father had come into his room and talked to him in his sleep as he usually did when he and Scott got into an argument.
Frank gently ran his hand up and down on his eldest son's back. "Scott..." he began through a sigh.
Scott was awake and listening, but he didn't want to face his father just then.
"I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am." Frank said. "I know that you know deep down that I would never, ever do anything to hurt you Scott. I love you so much..." his father choked on a sob.
Scott too felt tears begin to run down his cheeks.
"God..." Frank continued. "I really screwed up this time." he cried, continuing to stroke Scott's arm affectionately. "I just hope you'll find a way to forgive me." He leaned down and kissed Scott gently on the head, then just sat. He had to have sat there for hours before he finally got up and left...
Scott felt tears welling up in his eyes again as he stared at his reflection. His cheekbone was bruised.
A soft knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. He scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his wrists. "Come in." he mumbled.
The door opened and Clint peeked his head inside. "Hey Scott." he said, entering all the way and shutting the door. "Angela's downstairs waiting for you."
"Okay." Scott said shortly, turning away from his brother so Clint wouldn't see his tearstained face.
"I heard about last night Scott." Clint said softly, carefully sitting down on the bed. His head was pounding, one of the symptoms of hangover.
"Yeah." Scott mumbled, while busying himself looking for the boxers he hadn't packed.
"That sucks." Clint added. "But Dad's really sorry."
"Whatever." Scott replied shortly, pulling his boxers up.
Clint was silent for a moment, knowing his brother didn't want to talk about it. "Man, how do you get rid of a hangover?" he finally asked.
"How come everyone thinks I'm the fucking family drunk?" Scott shouted. "How the hell am I supposed to know?"
Clint pressed on his temples and squeezed his eyes shut. "God Scott! Don't yell like that!" he scolded.
"Take two Advil with warm water." Scott said.
* * *
"That's the last of the bags." Dave announced, shutting the trunk of his father's SUV.
"You're so strong Dave." Jeanine commented with a smile.
"Well... Dad put most of them in." Dave pointed out.
"But still... you're such a man." she said, linking her arm in his as they headed for the house.
Dave decided to shrug her comment off. She had been acting strange for a long time now.
"Hey you guys!" Timber greeted when they walked inside.
"Hey Tim. Is Bob up yet?" Dave asked, going to the refrigerator for some juice.
"Yep. He's in the shower." she replied.
"Good. That boy just never wants to get out of bed." he laughed, taking out the pitcher. "Do you guys want some?" he asked.
"No thanks." Timber declined.
"What kind?" Jeanine asked, wanting to get as close to Dave as she possibly could.
"Just the regular, orange." Dave replied, shaking the pitcher slightly as he went to the cupboard to get glasses.
"Sure." Jeanine replied, leaning against the counter in a seductive way.
"Morning." Clint grumbled, walking slowly into the room. He was wearing a pair of dark aviator sunglasses.
"Whatsamatta Clint?" Timber asked playfully.
"Hangover." he replied, then muttered something about never touching alcohol for as long as he lived.
"At least you don't look as shitty as Scott usually does." Timber commented. "Where's is Scottland anyway?" she asked, using her nickname for him.
"He's upstairs in his room with Angela. He refused to come down until we have to leave." Dave replied, pouring juice for him and Jeanine.
"Why? Scott's usually Mr. Social Butterfly." Timber said, taking the Advil down from the counter when Clint couldn't find it.
"Who knows with Scott." Clint stated, dismissing the entire conversation altogether.
"Good point." Timber laughed.
"Goooood morning folks!" Frank said cheerfully, entering the room with bounce in his step. "Are my boys ready for departure?"
A few incoherent mumbles came from his two sons.
"Where's the spirit this morning guys?" Frank asked, taking another sip of his fifth mug of coffee.
"Still in bed." Dave replied.
"Where we should be." Clint added.
"You have no cause to complain young man." Frank said with a grin.
Clint made a face at his father.
"There you are Clint!" Kelly exclaimed, following Bob into the room.
"Hey." was all Clint said.
Bob walked over to where Dave was having his orange juice and took the glass from his brother's hands, gulping down the rest. "Ahhh." he sighed, feeling refreshed.
"I already drank out of that." Dave informed him.
"So did I." Bob said with a shrug as he poured himself more orange juice.
Scott walked into the room holding hands with Angela. He paused when he saw his father, then chose to ignore his presence.
"Good morning Scott." Frank said pleasantly.
Scott muttered some choice words under his breath, earning a nudge from Angela.
"You guys want some juice?" Dave offered, waving the pitcher for them to see.
"Sure." Angela replied.
"Yeah, me too, sure." Scott said, standing at the counter.
Dave hummed an unknown tune to himself as he poured juice for his friend and brother.
Frank checked his watch, as he had been doing every few minutes. "We gotta get going guys if we're going to get to the airport by eight-thirty." he announced.
Sheila walked briskly into the room. "We have to get going boys." she informed them.
Clint had fallen asleep with his head on the table.
"Are we packed up?" Frank asked, directing his question mostly to Dave.
"Yeah." Dave replied.
"Then let's boogie." his father said, heading for the door.
Scott put his and Angela's empty juice glasses in the sink. He slid his hand into hers as everyone filed out of the house to the driveway.
* * *
"... so kiss me, and smile for me, tell me that you'll wait for me. Hold me like you'll never let me go..." Scott sang softly to his girlfriend as he cradled her in her arms. "I'm leaving, on a jet plane... I don't know when I'll be back again..."
"Two months." Angela reminded him, her accented voice muffled by his chest.
Scott chuckled lightly, turning his face down to hers and kissing her gently on the lips. She smiled when they parted.
"I'm going to miss that." he told her. "I'm going to miss everything about you."
Angela kissed him again, using her tongue. She knew she'd have to savor everything until the last moment. She never wanted to forget his kiss... not in a million years.
* * *
"You can't go!" Kelly sobbed into the front of Clint shirt.
Clint sighed. He and Kelly had been on the rocks for a while and he wasn't sure why she was suddenly acting as if her life-supply of oxygen was being cut off. Nevertheless, he patted her head softly as she cried.
"I'll be back soon Kelly, and I'll call and e-mail, and... all that stuff." he said lamely, his mind clouded with a dense fog from the hangover he was experiencing.
Kelly pulled back form him, her face streaked with her running dark-brown mascara. "Okay Clint." she said angrily.
"What?" he asked.
"Why are you being so cold?" she nearly screamed, breaking into sobs.
"Why are you being so pissy all the time?" Clint demanded, in no mood for her antics.
Kelly glared at him for a moment. She couldn't even begin to fathom why he was acting like such a jerk. "Goodbye Clinton." she snapped, turning on her heels and leaving.
Clint stood there, baffled. He didn't understand what had just happened.
"Don't worry buddy, she gets like that." Timber said, laying a hand on Clint's shoulder.
"Just how many times does a girl get PMS in one month?" he asked.
"Normal girls? Once. Kelly? We haven't yet figured that out." Timber laughed.
Clint heaved a great sigh. "All I wanted to do was to end on good terms, but I don't see that happening so I guess I'll have to just settle for what I've got." he grumbled.
"Hey there, keep a stiff upper lip Clint." Timber said with a grin. "Don't worry about Kelly. I think she's been acting like such a bitch-major these past few weeks because she's so afraid to loose you."
"Yeah right." Clint said with a grin of his own.
"I'm serious!!!" Timber laughed. "So you just enjoy your trip buddy."
Clint wrinkled his nose. "I will." he said.
Timber grinned. "Do I get a hug?" she asked.
Clint smiled. "Of course you do!" he giggled, wrapping her in his arms. He gave her a playful, yet forceful kiss on the cheek, making a loud smacking noise.
Timber giggled. Clint could be so strange sometimes.
* * *
"I'll keep in touch, I promise." Dave whispered to Jeanine as he held her tight.
"Mmmmhmmm." she murmured into his chest, inhaling his scent. He smelled so good...
"It'll be like we were never even apart." he continued, moving his hand in a circle on her back.
"Yeah." she whispered, closing her eyes and savoring his scent...
"You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye to me where you?" Angela asked, approaching.
Dave let go of Jeanine and heaved a sigh, gazing carefully at Angela. It was as if he was falling for her all over again.
"Are we still strangers?" Angie asked with a smile as she extended her arms to hug him.
"Of course not." he laughed nervously, enveloping her to his chest.
They stood together, hugging, he didn't want to let go, but she pulled away, kissing him gently on the cheek.
* * *
"So I guess this is it Kid." Bob said, jamming his hands into his pockets.
"Yeah." Timber said, sighing. "I guess so."
"But, keep your nose clean kid." he added, nudging her on the chin playfully with his fist.
Timber pulled a pocket-size pack of Kleenex out of her back pocket. "I always keep these handy." she joked, knowing he didn't mean literally.
Bob laughed. "You are straaaaaaaange!" he said, shaking his head.
"Come on you guys! We have to get going!" Frank called, getting into the front seat.
Bob pouted.
"Enjoy your trip." Timber offered. "Don't find anyone to replace me."
Bob grinned, pulling her in for a hug. "I could never replace you, best buddy." he said playfully.
"I know, I know." Timber mumbled with fake arrogance, hugging him around the shoulders and his arms were wrapped around her waist.
"I'll talk to you as often as I can. I'll be back in two months." he reminded her.
"Yeah..." she said with another sigh.
"So this is like so long, as opposed to goodbye." he added, not wanting to have to walk away. He knew she would be deeply missed.
"See ya latta, alligata..." she supplied, her feet planted where she stood.
"Come on Bob!" Frank called out the window.
Bob rolled his eyes. "Okay, I really have to go." he said, hugging her once more, then running to the Expedition.
"See ya!" Timber called, waving.
And just like that, they were gone.
* * *
Clint leaned his head against the window, the effects of all the alcohol he had consumed the previous night still fogging his head up. He sat in the last seat next to Scott who was staring blankly out the window like he had just learned he had two weeks to live.
Scott stared out at the passing scenery. It all meant nothing to him. The only thing he wanted to see was his girlfriend. He missed her already.
Though he missed her, she was pretty far down on his list of thoughts. Top of the list was tour. Touring meant concerts; concerts meant girls; nothing good would come out of that. But Scott had been mentally preparing himself for this day since he and Angela had started going out. He knew he had it in him to overlook the girls and stay faithful... even if it meant masturbating twelve times a day.
"I have to pee!" Bob whined from the middle row on seats where he sat with his head on Dave's shoulder.
"So go." Clint muttered, not in the mood for noise.
"I have to pee Dad." Bob said again, sitting up and peeking between the front two seats where his parents were sitting.
"We'll be at the airport in a few minutes." Frank promised.
"But I have to go!!!" Bob whined.
"I'm sure you can hold it Bob." his father assured him. "You're a big boy, I mean, you stopped wetting the bed a few weeks ago." he teased.
Everyone else laughed except Bob and Scott.
"I never wet the bed, that was Dave and Clint." Bob reminded his father. "Mostly Clint."
Clint turned crimson red. "I did not."
"Yes you did." Frank, Dave, and Bob said in unison.
Clint sat back and pouted.
"Pull over." Scott said from the back seat.
He had been gazing at the passing trees a little too closely and knew his breakfast would be popping back up to greet him.
"What's the matter?" Frank asked, concerned.
"PULL OVER!!!" Scott barked, feeling his stomach swell.
Frank tried to switch lanes so he could pull off the road, but was a little too late.
Scott snatched for the nearest holding object, which happened to be the bucket hat Clint was wearing. He filled it with the contents of his stomach.
"Sick!" Bob exclaimed, abhorring dramatically. "Scott just hocked up breakfast! And I do NOT like to see pop-tarts twice."
"Gross!!!" Dave laughed. "Crack a window!!!"
"MY HAT!!!" Clint shrieked. "That's my hat! That was a forty dollar hat from Club Monaco! It's new!!!" he informed them, tearing the sunglasses from his face as if they wear deceiving his eyes.
"Well it ain't so new anymore!" Bob said with a grin.
Scott shot them a glare before ducking his head again as vomit erupted from his mouth.
* * *
"Can I borrow a tank top? I'm really hot." Jeanine said, directing her question to Timber.
The girls had retired to Timber's bedroom after the guys had left. It was still early.
"Sure, you know where they are." Timber said, sitting cross-legged on her bed.
Jeanine opened the top drawer, displaying a neatly folded row of her friend's under garments. "You switched your drawers." she commented, opening the bottom one. "What's all this?" she asked, pulling out a pair of Bob's boxers.
"That's Bob's drawer." she told them.
"What's Bob's drawer doing in your room?" Jeanine asked.
"I have one in his room too, we were bored one day so we decided to put some of the necessities in each others room. So when he sleeps over, he has his own toothbrush and stuff... you know." Timber rambled on, laying back onto her pillows. She was going through her calm phase which would only last for a few minutes anyhow...
"Sleep over?!" Jeanine exclaimed. "When?!"
Timber furrowed her brow in not only confusion, but annoyance as well. "What? You guys sleep over all the time."
"Yeah, but none of us have a penis!" Jeanine shrieked.
"Well... I noticed a bulge in Kelly's pants the other day..." Timber trailed off.
"Shut up!" Kelly whined in her sleep. She was laying on Timber's bed with her eyes closed.
"No, no, no!" Jeanine exclaimed. "Don't try to change the subject! When did he sleep over?"
"A few times." Timber replied, busying herself with one of her stuffed animals.
"Where did you guys sleep?!"
"Uh... gee, I don't know. Maybe my BED!!!" Timber said sarcastically. "And there was the time we slept in the basement."
"Do your parents know?" Jeanine continued to interrogate.
"Yeah... duh." Timber replied nonchalantly.
"What about his parents?"
"They don't seem to mind. I slept over there a few times."
"In his bed?"
"No, in his ass. Yes in his bed." Timber replied, rolling her eyes.
"And they don't care."
"No! I already said that. Why would they?"
"Maybe because that's how babies are made!" Jeanine exclaimed.
"Bob and I are friends Jen. Friends have sleepovers sometimes. It's really nothing."
"When did you start sleeping over at each other's houses? And I don't count the time they all slept here that one time you had the party."
"Well... we fell asleep one time watching a movie and Mr. Moffatt woke us up at like three in the morning. I was going to go home, but he said that I could just spend the night."
"In Bob's bed with him?" Jeanine asked skeptically, seeming to forget all about the tank-top she had requested. She eagerly wrung Bob's boxers in her hands.
"Those aren't washed Jen, just so you know." Timber stated.
Jeanine threw them back in the drawer then shut it. "Sick." she said with a smirk. "Well go on! So he said you could sleep in Bob's bed with him?"
"No, he didn't really specify where I should sleep. Bob and I just went up to his room and got into bed with our shoes still on; we were so tired."
"Lame. Very, very lame." Jeanine dismissed the situation. "You've been having slumber parties with some guy for who knows how long, he has a drawer in your room... you've only been friends for like a month!!!"
"It's not some random guy Jen! It's Bob! And I don't see why you're making a mountain out of a mole hill. We're buddies. And Clint slept with us once too." she added with a grin.
"And you slept in the middle?" Jeanine asked, her hands on her hips.
"Yeah, actually."
"When were you going to tell us that you're bedtime pals with Bob and Clint?"
"Shut up! It's so trivial that I can't even begin to explain it to you! Scott and I have slept together too! They really only think of me as like... one of the guys, not like some girl."
"You and Scott slept together?" Angela asked from where she sat at Timber's desk.
"Yeah... well not like that!" Timber laughed. "The day your guys started going out. We went up to the lookout and got wasted. We ended up passing out on the ground and he let me drive home, that was awesome. I'm a pretty good driver actually..."
"Don't change the subject!" Jeanine scolded. "Do you and Bob ever... do stuff?"
"God no!" Timber exclaimed. "No, no, no, and hmmm, let me think... NO!"
"So I take it you don't like him." Angela commented, going back to the computer.
"Not like that. I mean, he's not ugly or anything, I just don't think of him like that."
"You've known him for a month and you guys are already having sleepovers!!!" Jeanine shrieked.
"Bob kinda grows on you. It really does seem like it's been longer doesn't it?" Timber asked, gazing up at her ceiling in deep thought.
"It does." Kelly commented, opening her eyes. "That's why I miss my Clint so much." she whimpered, sitting up and starting to cry.
"Don't be sad Kelly, they'll be back." Angela coaxed, wrapping her friend in her arms.
"Suck it up soldier." Timber said, knudging her friend playfully with her foot. "You treat the guy like shit and now you want to play nice? It doesn't work that way."
"Why are you being so mean?" Kelly whined.
"Because I feel for him. He thinks you hate him!"
"He's going to forget about me!" Kelly wailed, her voice sounding nasal.
"No he's not Kelly! You're his girlfriend." Jeanine pointed out.
"But things aren't going too good. I think he's looking for another girl." she whispered.
"Shut up! He's not!" Timber scolded.
The room fell silent; all except Kelly's hushed sobs.
"I miss them already." she whimpered into Angela's shoulder.
* * *
"Now boarding flight 543 to Cologne, Germany." a female voice said over the PA system.
"That's us guys." Frank said clapping his hands together. He was still wired from all the coffee he had had that morning.
Dave yawned gracefully, heaving his backpack onto his shoulder.
"I don’t want to go anymore." Bob moaned. He had been drifting off to sleep.
"My hat." Clint whimpered.
"Upsie Daisy boys, let's go." Sheila said, patting Bob on the shoulder.
"You can dye your hair brown and take my place Sheil..." he said, hopefully.
Sheila chuckled. "No Bob, I could never pull it off." she assured him.
"Then Clint could wear a wig and you could take his place. He looks like a girl anyway."
"Shut up!" Clint exclaimed, shouldering his own backpack.
"Let's go boys, boarding time." Frank said, trying to hurry them along.
"Then sleep time Bob." Dave promised.
Bob groaned loudly as he stretched out his arms, standing up. "Goodbye Calgary, Goodbye home!"
Goodbye Angela... Scott thought to himself as he wandered from his family.
* * *