The Boy I Knew

That Familiar Voice

I walked in through the back door of the bar. It's already loud in this place. My ears are greeted with the loud chatter of people, and music blaring. I walk through the back room, out to the front, and behind the bar where I see Brandy frantically making drinks and working her ass off.

"Hey girl I'm so sorry, I overslept." I said to Brandy
as I started taking orders at the same time.

"No you're fine, it just started getting busy. Here can you-" She turned around to hand me a drink to give to someone when she looked at my appearance and stopped.

"Holy shit Camille you look horrible" she said wide eyed as she handed me the drink and pointed to who it went to.

"Gee, thanks B" I said rolling my eyes as I turned around and slid the beer down the bar to who it needed to go to. She grabbed my arm and turned our backs to the bar. She got close to me so I could hear her over the loud environment.

"So you overslept huh?" She questioned.

"Um, yeah. Why?" I looked at her funny as she had a small grin on her face.

"You had a PJ dream again, didn't you?" She asked, knowing exactly what happened. This would occur a little more often than I wanted it to.

"Oh my god Brandy, why do you always think that. I just overslept, leave me alone." I lied, returning the grin, knowing I'd been caught in a lie. Brandy and I have been friends since high school, so she knows the whole PJ saga. And she can read my expressions like a book. She chuckled and shook her head.

"Camille when are you gonna quit thinking about that douchebag? It's been YEARS, he was a high school flame, let him go!" She asked with a smile on her face as she continued to work.

"I don't think about him!" I said raising my hands and dropping them to my sides just as quick with a thud.

"The dreams just happen, I swear. If I could make them stop I would, trust me. I'm over him. They just keep coming." I was over him, however, he was my first love. I feel like your first love never really leaves your mind. He was a big part of my young life.

"Also, you guys were so young. It's been 17 years, he's a movie star now. You probably wouldn't even know him anymore. People change." Brandy said looking me in the eye. She turns towards me and puts both hands on my shoulders.

"Camille, sweetheart, I love you. But you gotta get over this asshole."

She said as she looks over at a guy sitting at the bar, staring at us, smiling. He was blonde, well built, appeared to be maybe around the same age as us, and was actually not bad looking.

"And that's how you do it." She said nodding her head towards the guy and smiling back at him. I look at him and force a smile. He waves us over.

"What can I get you, hun?" Brandy asks the man, smiling.

"Whatever you ladies want to drink" He said with a sly smile, placing some money down on the bar. I walk away to keep serving people. Pretty soon Brandy comes up to me with a shot, and nudges my arm with it.

"Here, courtesy of hottie over there." She laughed as she handed me the shot, she had one too. This happened quite a bit. We never argued. We clinked our glasses together and took the shots. I looked at the guy and winked.

"Thanks handsome!" I shouted over to him. He nodded at me and winked back.

We continued to work. The crowd was still steady. We got a little break in the crowd coming up for drinks. We leaned up against the bar and talked. One of the TV's was on Comedy Central, and started playing the first Jackass movie. I rolled my eyes and groaned.

"Oh my god!" I yelled rolling my eyes and turning around to find the TV remote on the back counter.

"See Brandy? See! This!"

I yelled pointing at the TV. Brandy glanced at it then looked at me, laughing but covering her smile up with her hand.

"THIS is why I keep having dreams about him!" I said changing the channel and putting the remote back.

"The dude is HUGE. He's EVERYWHERE. TV, magazines, radio, like how the fuck can I just escape him and act like he never exists, when I turn the TV on at night and see this motherfucker absolutely destroying his body on his stupid ass show!" I ranted comedically. Brandy just kept laughing, not hiding it now.

"Hi I'm Johnny Knoxville, Welcome to Jackass!" I say in a mocking tone. Someone comes up for a drink. I turned around to the back to grab their beer.

"Like what a fucking tool." I said continuing to rant, my back still to the bar.

"Like who the fuck is Johnny Knoxville anyway. Fucking stupid." I said grabbing a mug and pouring this person's beer. Brandy suddenly quit laughing.

"Holy shit" I heard her say under her breath. And then, I heard a voice....

"Jameson on the rocks"

I stopped dead in my tracks. I knew that drink. I knew that voice. There's no way.

"PJ" I whispered to myself. I turned around fast. There he was. In a red flannel button up shirt, Ray Bans, jeans, and chucks. His hair was messy. His shirt was buttoned halfway so his chest was showing, and the sleeves were rolled up just under his elbow. PJ, or should I say Johnny Knoxville, was standing there, right in front of me. And let me tell you, he looked better than ever. I just stood there with the other customers beer in my hand. My mouth dropped wide open, I was frozen. His face lit up with a sweet half-smile.

"Oh my god, Camille Decker. Lookin beautiful as ever." He said as his smile grew.

"PJ Clapp" Is all I could say.

"Um....Yeahhhh I'll just take this." Brandy said, grabbing the customer's beer from my hand and walking away to give it to them. She's not a big fan of PJ's after what happened between us. They always bickered back and forth in high school anyways. She always thought he was up to no good, but I never saw it. We stood there, staring at each other silently for about 10 seconds. I was just talking mad shit about him, now here he is.

The boy I knew, was standing right in front of me. And all I could think was, here we go....