Sick Little Games 2 [The Sequel]

I Told You Guys [2]

April 22, 2016

"Shut up!" Jack shouts with excitement. "It's finally happening?!"

"Brian, it took you long enough!" I say into the phone.

Brian's voice laughs through the speakerphone, "Tour starts August 12th, guys."

"Okay, okay. I gotta call Mark, I'll talk to you later, Southall." Jack hangs up on our tour manager and looks at me. He looks like he's about to cry. "I can not believe this is happening." 

"Hug me, brotha!!" I shout and he smiles, hugging me tight. "I literally started making music because of Blink 182 and now we get to tour with them? This is insane, Maddy. A dream come true." I just giggle and rub his back. It's always cute to see Jack get excited about the things that he cares about. He pulls away and just looks at me. "It's going to be awesome." He says. "I know." I tell him, kissing his nose, "Call Mark."

He nods and picks up his phone, scrolling through his contacts. I get up off the couch and decide to give him some space on the phone. "Bella," I call out. "You wanna go outside?" Just then, a little wrinkly dog comes limping into the room. I squat down so I'm close to her. She wags her tail and tries to lick my face, but I'm focused on the new bump formed on her paw. She already has a benign tumor on her left leg, but this one on her right paw is new, which worries me. I want to tell Jack, but I already hear him talking to Mark, so I decide it can wait. "Come on, girl, you can go potty and I'll see when Dr. Ruiz has an opening."

I pet her head and stand up, walking to the back door. It took her a little while, but she's finally old enough to go outside on her own, without running away. I let the fur ball follow me to the backyard, as I pull out my phone and call our vet's office. Bella pees as I make an appointment for this Monday at 11. They tell me not to walk her or let her run around too much, because of the limp, and I thank them. I take a seat in the lounge chair and watch her roll around in the grass.

After a few minutes of Bella laying in the grass, chewing on her bone, Jack walks out. He shoves his phone in my face, and I'm greeted by the wonderful Mark Hoppus' face on FaceTime. "Hey Mads!" 

"Hey, Mark!" I laugh, taking Jack's phone out of his hand. "You ready to finally tour together?"

"I'm so fucking excited to play Tidal Waves live!" He shouts. I agree with him, and then Jack plops himself down on my lap. "Jack!!" I try to push him off, but there's no use. He lays his head on my chest, and looks at Mark on his screen. "Can we kiss on stage?" He asks Mark.

"That's not the only thing we'll be doing." Mark winks.

"Gross." I say, still trying to wiggle out from underneath Jack. He doesn't move. Mark's wife tells him it's time for him to take their son to the dentist. We say goodbye and Jack slides his phone in his pocket, and looks at me. "Please. Move." I say. "Almost. Out. Of. Air."

He laughs and stands up, and I catch my breath. "That was funny when you were a skinny little teenager, Barakat. Now you're a 27 year old man, and you suffocate me when you do that." 

"You calling me fat?" He looks down at me, pretending to be offended. I give him a'did-you-really-just-ask-me-that?'  look.  He pulls his shirt up a little and pushes his tummy out all the way, and rubs it like he's pregnant, "It's not my fault I have cravings! Blame little Kevin McCallister!!" 

"As if that's what we'd actually name our child." I say. 

"I'm not having kids with you if we can't name our son Kevin McCallister."

"So you're telling me, his first name will be 'Kevin McCallister'?"

"Yes."

"Divorce me, now." I say. "Please."