don't follow - layne staley

chapter 6

"Perfect, let continue shall we?" Jerry smiled, then it twisted into an evil smirk, "Layne, do you have any Queens?" 

"Fuck off! You saw my cards," He accused, throwing his cards down in defeat.

"Nuh uh," Jerry shook his head, annoying Layne with each shake.

"Fine," He sighed, "I really like chocolate pudding," admitting like it was the worst thing in the world.

As they finished the game, laughing and admitting their embarrassing stories or unique skills they had, Jerry pulled out alcohol from their fridge. He turned back to the two, bottles in hands. They both made an alerting clinking sound, the colourless liquid bobbing around in it's glass container. The colourless liquid that her mom enjoyed to a significant extent. 

"Oh, I don't know if I should, my voice gets all messy if I drink too much," Ivy warned, her eyes flickering between Jerry and the alcohol.

"Come on Ivy! It'll be fine," Jerry pleaded, his loud voice dominating the room. She hesitated, her mouth open to say something, but she was unable to make up her mind.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Layne interrupted,  giving her a reassuring look. Almost to tell her: 'I've been there too'.

"I'll just have a small glass then," Ivy gave in to Jerry's persuasive pleas. She grinned at them both, her smile exploding with an infectious happiness.

He poured vodka and coke into a glass and handed it to Ivy, she watched him intently- knowing that if she knew any of her friends doing this she would scorn them. She felt oddly safe with Jerry and Layne, but she never wanted to regret that feeling. 

"Here you go, madam," Jerry handed her the mixture in a cold glass, then handed Layne one. "To being fucking shitty broke musicians in Seattle!" He cheered, lighting another spliff.

"You don't want to see Jerry drunk, Ivy," Layne joked, warning her of his antics. His laugh was something she yearned to hear again. It was slightly childish, but warming, she just wanted to bathe in it. 

"Oh fuck I forgot to tell you Ivy, you sold out that bar," Jerry mentioned, watching her smile split into a grin. He ruffled up her hair; his way of telling her he's proud.

"You're joking! No way! How could you forget to tell me? That's insane," She freaked out, her shocked face flowering into pure joy. Her pupils swell with euphoria as they turn their attention from Jerry to Layne.

"Ivy, you're going to be a rockstar," Layne said, teasing her- yet almost being completely serious. She chuckled, amazed with the power she has. If this is the audience she has gained in only 2 months; imagine 2 years. It scared her a little, was she ready to be thrown into stardom?
The haunting uncertainty of it all frightened her. She downed the rest of her drink to stop thinking about it.

"We should all be rockstars together,"

"Fuck yeah," Jerry agreed, finishing his drink in one quick swing. Layne copied, then opened a window to free them of the hotboxed cage they were stuck in. 

~~~

Collapsed into drunken giggles and tired yawns after drinking their whole alcohol stash, the moonlight began to spill through the window. The two of them held their positions for a second, waiting for each other to catch their breaths- each breath became less dramatic than the previous. Pushing herself up, whisking her stray hairs from her face, she noticed Jerry has not budged since from when he collapsed.

"Do you reckon he's asleep?" She turned to Layne.

"For sure, he always passes out like that if he's totally shitfaced," Layne told her as he got up. "I'll get you something to sleep in," He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he followed into the darkness.