Andy

Car rides bore the crap out of me.

Sorry to be blunt, but they do. After watching half of the first season of Breaking Bad with Andy on his tiny phone screen, I was clawing at the windows, begging my parents every fifteen minutes to get out in stretch.

We’d been on the road for an hour and a half, but mind you, I’ve never been in a car this long before, bizarre as that sounds. I felt like a cat in a kennel, in the dark cargo hold of an airplane, listening to the agonized cries of the other animals aboard, about to drive myself crazy.

Andy took it upon himself to tell me pointless little stories, like the time his Dad took him fishing and his shoe floated away, or the time he almost was bitten by a snapping turtle, on the same stretch of river, just a different day. He recited the stories with great detail, using his hands to describe things while I sat there, listening to him.

Boredom wasn’t the only threat. I was all achy and cramped up in the little backseat of the Toyota. I hadn’t slept in a very comfortable position the night before, so all these lovely little things were coming together to make me miserable.

“Utah border!” My Dad shouted abruptly, pointing seventeen yards up the stretch of cracked, sun bleached asphalt, to a wooden sign with a waving bear, in curly red font, it said ‘leaving so soon?’

I almost snorted and flipped off the bear just for something to do. And rant to him that I’d spent the better part of sixteen years in Utah and he considered it ‘leaving soon’.

I sighed, marking up my irritable behavior as a mixture of stress and anxiety. Everything just annoyed me. The songs that played on the radio, the way the sun lit up my window, illuminating all the streaks left behind by a squeegee last time my Dad had it washed.

I glanced back down at Andy’s screen, which he held intently, watching the characters, Walter White and Jesse Pinkman try to cook meth in an RV in the middle of the desert somewhere in New Mexico.

I did enjoy the show, and had seen it before, but at that moment, I couldn’t get into it, I was bored, but everything that offered entertainment was boring. A terrible situation.

“Can we stop soon?” I whined again, crossing my arms pre-tantrum style. I know I’m being immature and annoying, but you know, we’ve all done it before. Where you act absolutely immature and absurd just to get attention.

“Yes, Ash.” My Dad replied for the third time in the last fifteen minutes, through gritted teeth.

“You’re extremely impatient.” Andy chuckled, “Remind me to never take you anywhere in a car.”

I scowled at him and sighed.

“Anyways,” He cleared his throat, but it never changed how low and deep his voice sounded. It sounded like it belonged to him, because if you just looked at him, you’d expect his voice to be of a slightly higher pitch. Not this deep damn tone he always had, unless he was obnoxiously singing Disney songs in a high voice, which mind you, he did. “I have things planned. We’re hanging out later.”

“I’m visiting my Grandmother tomorrow, and traveling tonight... Where are you going?” I whispered.

“Well, then on Wednesday.” He suggested. The way he spoke, made it clear, at least once during the week, we were sneaking out somewhere.

“Visiting Mickey and his daughter, Eva.” I replied almost silently. It was a wonder he could hear me at all.

“Thursday.” He stated in finalism.

“I guess we’re going Thursday, then...” I mumbled, shaking my head.

“You say something, Ash?”

My Dad’s hazel brown eyes caught mine in the rearview mirror. I shook my head. “No.”

I shot a quick glare at Andy, and he raised his hands in defense, reaching for his Kerrang collection again. I snagged the issue out of his hands and flipped it open, absently reading through articles about All Time Low and Pierce The Veil, just for something to do.

~~~

“Finally!” I wailed excitedly, pushing open my door before my Dad had even put the car in park. I jumped out onto the asphalt, spreading my arms, standing in the parking lot of a Maverick store, just off our beaten trail. People using the Redbox machines turned to stare at me in confusion and concern.

Andy stood on the sidewalk, scratching his neck, looking uncomfortable watching me stand in the middle of the parking lot, yelling like a freak.

“Maybe you should move so that car can park.” He pointed behind me, where a beaten up minivan sat, half curved into the parking spot. I scowled at the driver and reluctantly got out of the way.

“You’re a real joy kill.” I muttered, shoving his arm.

“You’re violent.” He commented cheerfully, following me inside.

“I’m irritated.” I corrected him.

“Well... You shove me a lot for an irritated person.” He said innocently with a shrug. I almost shoved him again, but people were looking, and a few looked pretty concerned for my mental health.

“Today is May first.” Andy suddenly stated in a fond tone, and I followed his gaze to the calander behind the counter, where a burly woman with tattoos, piercings and neon pink hair stood, scowling at us, well, me. I flinched away, going to stand out of line sight behind a chip rack to speak to Andy in private.

“So?”

“It’s almost been a month.” He replied almost cheerfully. “Hang on, I’d like to have a normal conversation.”

A teenage girl who’d been standing in line behind her parents to be checked out looked at me, but just slightly to my left, and the undeniable look of interest took over her expression.

“You’re visible, aren’t you?” I muttered in a flat, unamused tone. He chuckled, and waved at the girl, she looked awe stricken.

“What if my parents see you? What then? They know what you look like.” I put my hands on my hips, impatiently watching him, waiting for him to reply. “They’re more occupied with buying the whole rack of dehydrated fruit and nuts, if you haven’t noticed.” He pointed to the far end of the store, where sure enough, my parents, like health freaks, were comparing two different bags of healthy snacks. I groaned.

“Anyways, it’s nice for me to streeetttccchhh every now and again.” He wasn’t even talking to me. He stretched out his long, pale, inked arms, winking and nodding at the girl that didn’t look any older than thirteen.

“You’re a sicko.” I muttered, shaking my head, looking away in embarrassment, hoping it’d make me look less like I was actually with him, rather than just standing here on my own.

He ignored me and continued to mess with the girl’s head, visually flirting with her through a series of nods and winks, before her parents turned around and saw the prominent bright pink blush gracing her cheeks, and looked to see Andy. Her father, who I might add, looked like a burly pack of muscles straight out of the Army, glared at Andy with cold blue eyes. Andy smiled sheepishly in return, holding up his hands in defense as he backed out of view.

“He would have kicked your ass.” I told him, going to grab a bottle of Pepsi from the fridge, adding it into my impressive collection of snacks for the road. Andy tossed in an assortment of other things, then smiled michieviously, taking everything from his arms.

“What else do you want?”

“What do you mean?...” I narrowed my eyes at him, I had to look up a ways, since he was built like a skinny giant. His grin just kept growing.

“No! We’re not shop lifting!” I hissed under my breath.

“Fine.” He groaned in exasperation. “You’re not, I am.” He dropped my items back into my arms, and as though he turned into a bat and flew away, he was invisible.

“Andy!” I hissed after him, but there was no trace. I groaned, and went to regroup with my parents, who had finally, or were getting close to, making a decision.

I tapped the toe of my converse against the store tile impatiently, when I heard the crinkle of a chip bag, looking to my right, Andy stood their proudly, holding one of his steals. Happily licking his fingers clean of orange Cheeto dust.

“You disgust me.” I sighed, shaking my head.

He licked his thumb, and smeared it across my cheek. It took everything, everything, not to cry out and strangle him right then. I had to stand there, acting perfectly normal, while this jackass in makeup smeared his spit covered, Cheeto dust matted finger across my face, leaving behind a slimy orange trail.

“Do I?” He wondered innocently.

I grabbed a napkin out of the breakfast foods area and scrubbed it off, but I could see feel where it had been.

“Great thing about being a ghost is, everything about me is like unicorns and rainbows.” He claimed cheerfully. I glared at him out of the corner of my eye.

“My spit does not actually consist of germs, if that makes you happy.”

“I’m not sure how that makes this any better.” I sighed, shaking my head, tossing the napkin in a nearby trashcan. “If anything, it only makes me want to link you to a lost race of mythical creatures like big foot and the chupacabra.”

My insult knocked him down a few pegs, and I walked away to find my parents while he tried to muster up something else to say. Finally he sighed heavily, smacking his hands against his legs in defeat. “I’ve got nothing.”

My parents were discussing further travel plans while they stood in line. And Andy took it upon himself to pull out his pack of cigarettes and cooly light one up in the middle of the store. He blew smoke rings at the burly cashier woman, who looked about as irritable as a bear freshly out of hibernation. Her every breath was an exasperated grunt, and her glare was far from friendly.

“So I was thinking... And I’ve looked into it. The Berkeley Community College dorms are seven blocks from the hotel you’re staying in. And... If you don’t mind, there’s someone I want to visit.”

“You are going to be visible, right?” I whispered back, “So I don’t have to pull out an oujia board and pretend to summon you?”

He laughed, “That’d be a great ice breaker.”

“And a great way to get me thrown into a mental asylum...” I grumbled.

“True.” He agreed thoughtfully.

I took my items once they'd been rung up, and stood aside, shoving a muffin in a plastic wrapper in Andy's face with a proud grin. “I paid for my food!”

He didn’t look at me, instead, he nudged me and pointed. I turned, and this guy was watching me carefully, his confused expression slightly amused. Oh God... He had to be good looking, too.... Dammit.

The guy had the looks of Kellin Quinn, and was super tall, dressed kinda like Andy, with a black v-neck tee and skinny jeans. He was the first to look away, when my flustered, embarrassed face, frozen in horror, scared him off. I heaved an embarrassed sigh, and pinched his arm.

“Come on...” I grumbled, stalking out the door, almost excited to get back in the car, and as far from here as possible. Chances were, Andy wouldn’t let me live this down, ever... He’d bring it up all the time... The way I brought up his obsession with Batman.

Notes

More of a filler piece. But it's underway. The next few weeks are going to be hectic with work and school. (I'm homeschooled, and live on a farm, so the schedule is pretty thrown together this time of year because of planting etc.) So I'll try to update everyday, if not, every other day. Thanks for all the amazing support!
Also, there's this art show coming up soon (I live in Wyoming, so the theme is unfortunately, usually western, but not mandatory) In the past, I've shown Walking Dead, Paramore, Tomb Raider, Uncharted, Evanescence etc. fanart. Well I've been working on this new Andy drawing, from his gothing Sixx era, and my mom thought he was a woman hahaha but when I told her he was a guy, she slowly accepted it, and reminded me she grew up in the hairband era. Greatest conversation ever hahaha anyways, she thinks it'd be a cool one to take so I might. :D

Also, an unintentional mistake I made and didn't realize until yesterday haha, Jinxx's actual last name is Ferguson... Which is the same name I gave his perverted pedophile bandmate, Carl... Oops.

Shoutouts~
- Allie_BVB
- Jess_BVBARMY2639
- BVB_Rebel_Love_Song
- anathema
- blackveilkitty

I love posting here so much more than Mibba hahaha the feedback and support here is crazy. You have to beg, and plead, just for someone to tell you if they liked it or not over there haha. I'm beyond happy, like blissfully happy when I read your guys' comments. Thank you so much for the support, I'm glad you like it!