The One That Got Away (Synyster Gates Series: Book 1)

Summer of 1999: Part 1

My father pulled up to the Baker household in sunny Southern California in our '98 Mercedes-Benz C-Class rental. I looked out the window and admired the beautiful and colorful garden my aunt had been working on for nearly four years. As the coastal wind gently blew throughout the city of Huntington Beach, the roses in her garden swayed back and fourth looking a bit like dancing heads on green stems. It was a beautiful sight for sore eyes.

Pulling into the driveway, I noticed the front door of their house swing open. Figure after figure they began filing out of the doorway and onto their french style porch-- first my Uncle James, then my gorgeous Aunt Maria and, following not too far behind, my cousins Zina, Matthew and Zachary; all eager to see us.

Moments after my father parked the car, my brother Randall and I nearly kicked off the doors of the car and darted straight into the arms of our cousins-- our best friends. Of course, we were all rather close, but I valued my relationship with my cousin Zachary more than anyone elses'. Zachary and I shared something special. It may have been our similarity in age or simply that we just connected. Regardless, we knew absolutely everything about each other.  

"I've missed you, so much Jack." Zacky spoke into the crook of my neck, lifting me of the ground allowing me to fold my knees. "You look so mature."

"I've missed you too!" I muttered; my arms squeezing tightly around his neck.

He slowly set me back on the ground and pulled away. He held my hands, examined my entire face and allowed the smile that formed widely on his lips to diminish. For a moment, I wondered what he was looking at. Truth be told, it made me slightly uncomfortable "Damn it. I owe Matthew twenty dollars." He groaned taking his wallet and placing two Alexander Hamilton's in Matt's snow-white palm.

"Why do you owe him money?" I asked, looking between the two.

"Acne. We bet twenty bucks that your face didn't clear. Apparently, I was wrong. It did." He said with absolutely no sense of remorse as he folded his wallet shut; the chain attached jangling as it hit his thigh. "But hey!  Congrats on your graduation." 

Shocked and slightly offended by their bet, I softly smacked his stomach, "Thank you, asshole. You'll regret betting some day." 

He smirked, throwing his arm around my shoulders and pulling me under his arm, "Well, when that day comes, Jackie, I hope I don't have acne." His comment brought a smile to my face and a chuckle to my throat. This kid and his dry humor, I thought to myself. 

An hour later, my entire family and I were settled into the Baker household. While I bunked with Zina, my brother bunked with Matthew and Zacky and my parents claimed the remodeled guest bedroom for themselves. It was very crowded to say the least. 

I had just began to unpack my six suitcases when I heard a familiar voice. "This is a lot for two months." Zacky said, entering Zina's room and leaning against the doorway. "I just hope you brought your softball pants," he tossed a baseball in my direction, which I effortlessly caught, "We're going to have some batting practice. You might not be on the softball team anymore, but that doesn't mean we can't get some one-on-one games."

"Of course I did," I assured him, chucking the ball at him, "Baseball was and will always be my life, Zachary. I'm looking forward to schooling you in it."

He laughed, launching himself on Zina's purple comforter, "Okay, I think it's time to shrink your ego. We both have awards for anything that has to do with a ball and bases." I nodded in agreement, for we were both really good at sports. I began to fold my tank tops and nearly place them into an empty drawer when he loudly gasped, gathering my attention, "Oh and I can't wait for you to meet my friends!"

For a while, I was under the impression that it was just going to be Zacky and I this Summer. He had never mentioned being involved in a group of friends that actually wanted to continuously hang out with him. "Friends? I thought it was just us. You know Jackie and Zacky. The dynamic duo-- Before we head off to college of course." 

He let out a sigh and hung his head in shame, "I know but I just joined this band. Didn't I mention the guys? I decided not to go to college."  

My eyes widened just as he broke the news, more so because he wasn't interested in college. "A band? A band over college?" He nodded, "So we're not gonna spend our last summer together?! You're taking off for tour and I-"

"Of course we are Jacks! But I have a priority with the band first. I want you to come down to Matt's garage. It's so fucking awesome. There's posters, everywhere. And The Rev is always..." He went on to explain his band members and duties, but lost me once he started talking fast-- a bad habit of his under excitement. 

"Woah, slow down stud,"  I begged for composure. "First of all, Matt's parents are your parents and secondly, who the hell is the Rev?"

He took a deep breath, now realizing he had a lot of explaining to do. "Not my brother Matt. This is Matt-- Matt that I met in school. He's the lead singer of the band. He lives a couple blocks down. And The Rev is my friend Jimmy." I stood quiet still processing the fact that we were not going to be spending a lot of time together because of a foolish band. Selfish I know. "Jackie, you know I love your ass. I would love for you to meet the guys. I promise you that they make you feel at home. I'm promising you, you'll have fun! You know I don't break my promises." He pouted his lips, "Pwease Jackie?" He spoke in a baby voice.

It wasn't what I wanted-- A Summer interrupted by a bunch of punks. I planned on going to the beach with Zacky and eating at Kris' Icecream Shack after spending hours in the water. I wanted to visit Disneyland for the eighth time, and I wanted to hike to the Hollywood Sign like normal out of state tourists. But I figured; where I spent time with Zacky didn't really mattered, as long as I did. I rolled my eyes and gave in, "Alright, fine. But if I don't like your friends, I'm gone." He hissed a loud yes and proceeded to toss the ball in the air, laying himself flatly on the bed. "So what about this band?" I asked, "What's so special about them?" 

"It consists of four guys-- including myself. Right now we're working with our friend's little brother because we need a bass player, but we're not quite sure we're going to keep him yet."

I hummed, closing the drawer, "Do you get along with all of them?" Zacky had a history of rubbing people the wrong way. I would not have been surprised if he had issues with a few band members. "You know, do you piss any of them off?"

From the corner of my eye, I caught him seizing the ball and examining it with deep concentration. "Well," He whined a bit, "Jimmy is kind of I don't know. He's nice but he punks on Johnny and I a lot. I mean, don't get me wrong. He's a cool guy, but he has the habit of being a bit obnoxious." He sighed and sat up, "I'm getting used to him I guess."

"One day you're gonna grow fond of each other," I assured him, in hopes of calming his worried mind. "Hang in there Zacks."

"I know, Jacks." He shot a smile at me, taking note in the humor of our names. "I just hope you like them. They are not like you-- all classy. They don't dress in designer clothes either," He smirked as he raised a pair of my acid washed GUESS jeans. 

I pulled them from his grip and rolled them into a messy ball, "Well, it doesn't matter what they dress in-- or who for that matter. If they're cool, then I'll like them. If they're not, then I guess I don't." 

"I hope you do, Jackie," His voice drowned in desperation, "I really hope you do."