“Oh man, that was just comedy gold right there,” Ozzy said. “Hulk going all smash on him was expected, but Loki lying there, wheezing and groaning when it was over, was the icing on the cake.”
Johnny let out a long, gasping sound, high pitched and breathless, mimicking the pained tone in Loki’s voice when he’d lay there amidst the rubble from the floor Hulk had destroyed with his body.
These guys were all movie buffs. They set aside one day a week to hang out together with movies on and whatever songs they were polishing, no internet, no playing games on their phones, just watching, chatting, snacking, and occasionally hitting on thatahamoment that helped fine-tune an already amazingpiece of music.
I finished my punch before the cake, stood to get a refill, and decided to step out onto the balcony to hit my vape and let my head clear a little, because damn, Johnny hadn’t been kidding when he’d warned me to sip it. Everything was always mellow around the edges when the fresh air hit my face, but when I turned to close the sliding glass door behind me, Rebel stood there, waving a blue vape in my direction.
Guess it was smoke break time for more than just me.
“What flavor is that?” I asked when I caught a whiff of something sweet and fruity clinging to his vape smoke.
“Blue Razz,” he replied. “Strawberry slush tragically started tasting like burnt ass this morning and was relegated to the trash can.”
"Ugh, every time one does that, it’s a reminder of why I gave up cigs.”
“Right? That’s why I always stock up. There is nothing worse than sucking on a burnt-ass vape just to have nicotine until you get to the vape shop.”
“I grabbed three when we stopped for gas.”
“Good thinking.”
We smoked in silence, watching kites flutter above a nearby field, the sky the perfect shade of blue to serve as a backdrop for all those brilliant colors.
“This,” Rebel said.
But when he didn’t say anything more, I turned away from the view to look at him. “This what?”
“The other night when we were texting, you asked what my biggest motivation was. I never got around to answering you, so I’m answering now,” he said.
"This, as in hotel balconies, vapes, or the kites flying in the park?” I asked, completely confused.
“All of it. Everything. Every new place and experience. I love waking up in my bed at home and lying there listening to the waves roll in, but there’s nothing like waking up somewhere I’ve never been before. That’s my motivation.”
“That’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted,” I admitted. “Getting a taste of it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t sayyesfast enough when Ozzy called.”
“Shocked another band didn’t snap you up first,” he replied. “I know it was selfish of me, but I hoped they wouldn’t.”
“Several bands reached out after Rocktoberfest,” I admitted, “but none was the right fit.”
“Thank the metal gods for that.”
“Sounds like you missed me.”
“You know I did,” he grumbled and took another drag. “You’re easy to talk to.”
“Funny, but I’ve never seen you have a hard time talking to anyone.”
“Meh. Small talk is easy, mostly; you just let people talk about themselves, smile, nod, and say something snarky at just the right moment so everyone laughs and doesn’t notice when you slink away.”
Wow. Okay. I’d never noticed that about him, just that there were always people pressed in around him or peering at him with adoring eyes. I thought he ate that shit up, but it seemed like I was wrong. The bored indifference in his voice was nothing like the excitement I’d heard when he’d talked about how much he loved waking up somewhere new.
“I’d love to have a kite right now,” he muttered.
“Never flown one.”
“Seriously?”
“Yup.”