"So...what story?"
"How you two met? Jake, tell it,"
"It's awful," I warn before I can stop myself.
"I bet it isn't. I mean, how bad can it be? Rocker boy meets pretty girl, sparks fly?" Andy suggests.
"With a twist," Jake adds, laughing at my slightly horrified face. "Okay, so it's rough,"
"You two have done it?" Ashley asks, his own expression emanating horror.
"NO!" everybody cries out.
"Not everbody likes it rough, Ashley," Andy remarks coldly.
"Well, well, look who's talking," Ashley fires back.
"I said not everybody, never referred to myself," Andy replies, cool, collected, and pissed off.
"Chill out you morons," Jinxx says with a yawn.
"ARGH!" Andy and Ashley both launch at Jinxx, flipping the couch (and Jake) in the process.
"OHMYGOD!" Jake yells.
"DOG PILE!" CC screams. Before he jumps on top of all of them, he grabs me, and uses me as a shield.
"WOAH!!!" I cry out myself. I end up smashing into Jake, who's trying to get out. "I'm sorry!" I yell, and Jake grabs me, pulling me out of the wreckage. He jumps the couch, and I follow him as he dashes to the other side of the room, flipping another couch, and hiding behind it. He digs into the cushion, and pulls out two Nerf guns, and a whole three batches of ammo.
"They're all setting up with the other couches, teaming up, guaranteed," Jake says. He pokes his head over the couch, and a dart flies, hitting the wall where his head would've been, had he not ducked. "THANKS FOR THE AMMO, ASSHOLE!"
"THAT'S BATMAN TO YOU," Andy screams back. A ring of darts rains down on us. I cock my gun, risk a peek above the couch, and see Ashley, firing at Jinxx and CC, who are firing. I drop back down.
"Jake, they're all fighting each other. Take them out!" I whisper yell. Jake and I pop up, blasting all of them down.
"I'VE BEEN HIT!" CC yells, rolling out from behind the couch, doing an extremely dramatic death. Jake and I pelt Jinxx and Ashley and Andy quickly.
"VICTORYYYY!" I roar.
"YEAH!" Jake cheers, standing up, and wrapping me up into a victory hug. "We did it!" he hugs, laughing into my hair.
"Yeah, we did," I say, smiling.
"Hey, and you're smiling!"
"Wow. You should smile more often," Jinxx says, appearing beside us. "Congrats on the victory," he shakes Jake's hand firmly, and then they dissolve into riotous laughter. I smile at them, and Jinxx sweeps me up into a hug. "Why wouldn't you smile," he also says into my hair.
"I believe it's story time," is how I reply.
"I met Ivy on that bridge by Noble Fish," Jake says. "I was on my way there, y'know,"
"Of course," CC says like it's totally normal.
"At four in the morning," I add.
"Okay," CC says, still acting like it's normal.
"Yeah, and I... I saw her standing on the edge of the bridge,"
"I was gonna jump," I say. They gasp, but don't say anything.
"I jumped out of my car and grabbed her, and pulled her back,"
"And I'm really pissed about that, but, I mean, oh well," I say with a shrug.
"We'll talk about that in a minute!" Ashley yells. "Jake, continue. Ivy keep your face shut,"
"So, I dragged her into my car, and to Noble Fish. We ate, and went home,"
"Yep," I say quietly. They all turn on me.
"You can't die!"
"No way, we'll keep you forever,"
"Never letting you out of my sight," Jake says.
"God, I can't believe... Jesus what would drive you?" is the last thing I hear when the conversational titters dry up.
"You wanna know what would drive me?" I ask extremely quietly.
"Yeah,"
"Mmhmm,"
"Yup,"
"Tell us,"
"Indeed,"
"Fine. I'm not human,"
"It's true, she's not," Jake adds. "Show em," my wings unfurl.
Four gasps fly around the room.
"Yep. I was driven because I'm a freak,"
"No, you're the coolest thing in the world,"
"Agreed," is chorused.
"Can you fly?" CC asks. I do a low low circle around them.
"WOAH!" Ashley yells.
"Alright... I know I'm the only one who's been singing, but I'm really thirsty,"
"UPSTAIRS!" they all yell. Everyone runs upstairs. Maybe today won't be so bad, I think as I follow them upstairs.