Live Today (Live Today #1)

by Savana Jade

  “Gabriel Gonzales.” He says. “But people call me Gabe.” As he extends his hand to Will, they smile and shake hands.

  The next day, I meet up with Gabe at In-N-Out. After my meeting with Miguel, Will and I stayed to jam with Gabe for the rest of the night. Will showed him a few tricks up his sleeve, and Gabe in return showed us how he does things in a different way. He is exactly what we needed for our band. I know all decisions are to go through Jenna first, but this kid has sick skills, and I have no doubt that she will say yes as soon as she hears him play. I sit in the corner with a shaky leg as I wait for him.

  “Hey” he says as he sits down across from me, scaring the shit out of me and causing me to jump in my seat. He laughs at my reaction to him and then continues “Sorry, I forgot to set my alarm.”

  I shake my head, grinning back at him. “No problem man. I got here early anyways.” I say. “So.”

  “So.” He answers in response. He looks like he’s nervous about something.

  “Will and I were talking last night after you left.” I say looking out the window watching the cars pass by. “You got some sick skills you know that?”

  Seeming a bit more relaxed at my comment, he sits back, and follows my gaze before answering. “Thanks. I’ve been playing since I was ten. My parents finally gave in and bought me my first guitar and six months’ worth of lessons for my birthday. I took advantage of each lesson. My teacher said she never had such an eager student.” He says using his fingers as quotations chuckling at his own memory. I smile in return as I remember when Jenna and I sat down in front of the computer and when I taught myself and then taught her.

  Leaning down onto the table, I make my offer. “How would you like to be a part of our band? We aren’t that big yet, but our calendar is completely full for the next three months.”

  He smiles wildly. “No way! Really?” He begins running his hand through his hair.

  “Yeah really, I would like you to come over now and meet my sister. She, um, sort of has the final say, but I know that the moment she hears you, there is no doubt she will agree. Practice starts in about an hour and I’d like to get things set up to see how you do with the others.”

  “I can’t believe this.” He says excitedly, “My dad said I would never get anywhere out here. I always knew he was wrong.”

  “Gabe my man, like I said you have definitely got skill. Anyone in their right mind would know that once they heard you play.” I stand “C’mon, let’s go meet the band. You can follow me.” He stands but suddenly his grin fades. “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  “Uh, think I can catch a ride with you? I walked here. I don’t have a car.” Gabe answers nervously.

  I grin in return, “No problem.” I say as I drape my arm around his shoulder pulling him with me towards my truck. “Just so you know, we split our earnings equally. You’ll have a new car in no time.”

  I knew Gabe would fit in with the rest of the guys. He was easy going and eager to learn. What I didn’t realize is the look on Jenna and Gabe’s faces when they met. My blood pressure rose immediately when I looked at Jenna and saw her jaw drop. There was no way in hell I would allow my little sister to get involved with anyone, especially someone in a band let alone this one. I mean, he is a good looking guy and seems like he is one of those kids from the “right side of the tracks”, but still. As it was, it still pissed me off when Matty would flirt with her. I know he only did it to get a rise out of me. Matt didn’t see anything more in Jenna than her as a sister. She would just roll her eyes and push him away. But the way she looks at Gabe and him at her, I might as well begin to write wedding songs. Fuck this. This is not happening!

  Smacking him on the back of the head as we stand in the kitchen looking down at Jenna I say “Don’t even think about it. That’s my sister you fuck.” Immediately I look down to Jenna who has got those damn googly eyes going a hundred miles a minute. “God Jems, put your tongue back in your mouth will you?” I shake my head and begin to push Gabe out, but he wasn’t budging.

  “Fuck off Brennan. What do you want anyways?” Jenna asks.

  “Meet our newest band member, Gabe.”

  That was probably my biggest mistake ever. There is positively something between them. I know without a doubt that those two have got it for each other. I think every time I see them glancing in each other’s direction, I grow a new gray hair. I will be an old man in no time flat if they keep this up.

  Six months ago

  “Brennan.” Jenna knocks on my door. “Brennan wake up!” The door opens and closes. I open my eyes. My heart is racing sitting straight up on my bed. Immediately, I run my hands through my sweaty hair. She stares straight at me with confusion in her eyes. “Jesus Bren. Are you ok?” she asks as she sits down at the foot of the bed. “I could hear you from my room.”

  I take a few cleansing breaths before I answer her. “I’m alright sis.”

  “Want to talk about it?” She asks concerned. God, I love her so much. Hell, yeah I want to talk about it. But how can I? I’ve had the same nightmare for the past four years. It all begins when I was nine and I wake up to see dad sitting at the kitchen table just staring out the window towards the driveway.

  “Dad?” I ask. He just stares. I look around for mom. She’s not here again this morning. “Dad, where’s mom?” I ask. I notice his hands begin to shake as he crumbles a paper in his hands. Suddenly, he stands and walks out without saying a word.

  Then my dream suddenly takes me to seven years ago. I am the one sitting in the kitchen now. I sit quietly as I wait for Will to show up so we can go to the beach. Suddenly, I hear dad walk into the kitchen. I never did say anything to him, because he has been pissing me off lately. He either did not come home, or when he did, he is so shit faced, I thank God Jenna’s not around to see it. But today, something is different, way different. He has that look on his face. A sudden fear hits my chest when I look at his face as he crosses the kitchen, grabs his keys and leaves. That’s it. No more parents. How could they do this to me?

  “No, I’m serious Jems, I’m alright. Sorry, it was just a nightmare. I’m sorry if I scared you.” I try to smile to hide the anger I keep inside me.

  She scoots closer to me, wrapping her arms around me. “I know you are not alright Bren. I can hear you, you know?” she says softly. “But I won’t push you. I’m sorry.” She ends with a whisper.

  I tighten my hold on her. “It’s not your fault Jems. Never be sorry for what they did.” I squeeze my eyes shut as I remember having this argument with her a few months after dad left us. She blames herself for them leaving us. It’s not our fault. It’s theirs. “I promise you sis, no one will ever leave us again. It’s you and me against the world kid.”

  “And me too.” Will says as he takes a bite out of a Granny Smith apple leaning against the door frame. Shrugging he says “What? It’s true.”

  Jenna laughs extending her arm for him. He makes over to the bed, sits on the opposite side of her and she pulls him into a hug. “I love you guys.” She says.

  Will looks over to me; he knows I’ve had a nightmare again. But he decides not to say anything but nod and give me a reassuring smile. And without a hitch, we both say in unison. “Love you too Jems.”

  Later that night, Will and I are chilling on the couch watching a rerun of the X-Games. We had a double date since Jenna had plans to go out with a friend. But about an hour into the date, Will and I made eye contact and that was the end of the date. He said he had a headache, and didn’t feel well, and since we met the girls there, we paid for their dinner and left.

  “What a bunch of boring chicks.” He said. I smiled, mine wasn’t too bad, but she wore more makeup than my taste. I prefer the more natural look. So we ended up lying on the couch watching TV. It was nice actually to just be able to relax for once. The band has been doing well, and we were always busy, but to be able to do what we wanted to do, was priceless.

  Matt was out with Willow and Gabe was upstairs in
his room tuning his guitar. It’s about midnight when my phone rings, its Jenna by sound of the ringtone. Picking up the phone, I swipe to answer.

  “Hey sis.”

  “Brennan!” she says frantically. The hairs on my arm immediately stand up straight as I sit up immediately.

  “Jenna. What’s wrong?” I yell, the music in the background is loud and I don’t know if she can hear me.

  “Brennan! Help!” She’s shouting in the phone. “I’m at the Underground!”

  “Fuck!” I say as Gabe makes his way downstairs, with confusion on his face. Will immediately stands up his hands clenched in fists at his side.

  “Brennan, what the fuck is going on?”

  “I don’t know.” I yell “Damn it. Jenna! Answer me!” I think I’m going to be sick to my stomach. “JENNA!” I yell as I look over to Gabe. “Get the keys!” He turns and runs to get the keys as Will and I make our way outside to the SUV.

  “I’ll drive!” Will says when Gabe runs outside with the keys in his hand. “Don’t let her hang up Bren.” Gabe tosses the keys to Will and gets in the back seat.

  “Jenna?” I ask when all I hear is music. “JENNA!”

  “Brennan?” I hear her slur. Fuck she’s using. “My Drink!”

  “Jenna baby, we’re on our way. Can you go outside?” Silence, “Fuck! JENNA!”

  “Bren.” She says again, I can tell she’s scared out of her mind. “Bren. Ecstasy.” She says slowly as if she’s trying to make sure she gets it out. “Someone. Gave. Me.” She’s breathing deeply; I can tell she’s trying to stay with me. “Ecstasy.”

  “Fuck. Jenna, Go outside if you can sis. Do you hear me?” I try to plead with her, and then I tell the guys what’s going on. “Some fucker gave her Ecstasy. And who the hell knows what she’s had to drink or smoke. I don’t know how long it will take to kick in either.”

  “Shit” Gabe says as he pounds his fist on the seat. “Hurry up Will.” He says as he tries to control his own anger. I know Gabe and Jenna have strong feelings for each other. And recently, shit’s been getting worse, and I have no doubt they would be together right now if I would let them. But after that first day of meeting her, I threatened to take his right testicle if he ever laid a finger on her. But, right now, at this very moment, I’m grateful to have Gabriel Gonzales here with me.

  “I’m fucking going as fast as I can man.” Will says with a shaky voice. “Bren. Where the hell am I going anyways?” he asks as he makes his way out of the neighborhood.

  “The Underground! The one on Vine.” I yell. Then focus on the sounds coming from the phone at my ear. “Jems, you there?” I ask. All I hear is music. “Jenna?”

  “Here” She says softly. “Brennan. I’m sleepy. Bren, Is Gabe there?” she asks. What?

  “He is, he’s right here sis.” I say trying to keep my anger down. I hand him the phone. “Keep her talking or so help me...”

  He looks at me with as much shock as I feel. Putting the phone to his ear, he begins to talk. “Jenna?” I can tell he is holding his breath. “Yeah baby I’m here.” He lets out with a heavy sigh. “Can you make it outside angel? I know your scared Jenna. No, No. Don’t be sorry baby. We’re on our way.” He looks over to Will, his eyes begin to glossed over as he talks to her, it’s only a matter of time that the tears begin to fall.

  Will, Hurry the fuck up! Is all I can chant to myself.

  “Yes angel, Will’s here too. He’s driving us to you. Jenna?” his head snaps to me. “Jenna?” She must have gone silent again. “I’m right here darlin’. Are you outside?” Closing his eyes, taking a deep breath of relief he nods. “Good. Stay there babe. Do not leave his sight ok?” His mouth turns up with a small smile then he turns to look out the window. “You too angel. I do too.” What the actual fuck?

  “Jenna? Can I talk to him?” He looks back at me. “She’s with the bouncer. I told her to stay… Hello? Hi, yeah, listen, we’re about fifteen minutes away. Some fucker put ecstasy in her drink. Yeah. She called once she found out about it. Uh huh. FUCK! Okay, keep her with you, please? Yeah, my names Gabe. Thanks.” He hangs up before squeezing the phone tightly in his hand. “FUCK”. He says as he pounds his seat. Will begins to pick up speed.

  “What? What the fuck happened?” I ask.

  “She’s passed out. The bouncer has her, he said she looks bad and to hurry. He won’t call the cops cos the club will close so he’s gonna watch her.” He looks back at me “Any idea what she’s on?”

  I shake my head as I run my hands through my hair. “Probably speed! I don’t fucking know! She’s jumps from one to another. God Damn It Jenna!”

  Minutes later, Will turns the corner. Before he comes to a stop, Gabe and I have the doors open and are running towards The Underground. “Jenna!” I yell out as I hear Gabe swear. He gets to her first, sliding on his knees as he reaches her body lying on the ground. The bouncer looks up to me, and points to the ground. “Gabe?” he asks me. I nod in reply.

  “Is she ok?” I ask. What the fuck kind of question is that? Of course she isn’t. I kneel down on the other side of Gabe. “Jenna?” I shake her. “Jenna, wake up babe?” She looks lifeless. “Let’s get her home.” I tell Gabe. He nods. We both reach down to pick her up. I give him a look to back off.

  Unexpectedly she opens her eyes. With heavy lids, she looks over to me with a half-smile. Closes her eyes again and then opens them again this time, looking at Gabe. Slowly she reaches her hand up to his chest then around his neck. “Hey” she says with a loving smile before passing out again. He takes that as a sign that she wants him, so he bends down, and lifts her into his arms. Her head rests on his shoulder as he stands and she automatically wraps her arms completely around his neck before falling limp again.

  He walks in front of me to the truck careful not to drop her. As we make it to Will, I open the back door for him to get in. I take her in my arms as he gets in then holds his hands out again. Jenna groans. I kiss her gently on the forehead before I hand her over to him once again. He pulls her onto his lap, holding her tightly. He begins to kiss her face and whispers to her.

  I get in the passenger side of the car, “Get her to the Hospital. I don’t want to take her home.” I yell out to Will. Looking back at them, I see a tear fall from Gabe’s eye as he leans down and kisses her forehead. The car gets quiet as we make our way to the 101 freeway. I can’t keep my legs from shaking.

  “She will be okay bro.” Will says with uncertain confidence as he looks in my direction. “We will get her there…..”

  All of a sudden Gabe yells. “WILL!”

  ~~~

  Gabe, Matt and I sit in the hallway of the hospital. We refused to leave Jenna’s side, but right now, she’s getting a CT scan to make sure there is nothing wrong. Will is still in surgery. His room is across the hall from Jenna’s. Will’s parents are in the waiting room waiting to hear from his son’s condition. I’ve got my head in my hands with my elbows resting on my shaky knees. I can’t keep my eyes off the blood stains on my shoes. All I can remember is Gabe yelling before I see a set of headlights.

  We got hit by a drunk driver. He was not even fucking looking at us. His light was red. He said he didn’t even know we were there because he was leaning down reaching for his bottle of Jack that fell onto the floorboard of the car. Instead of pressing the break to slow at the red light, he planted his foot on the gas pedal. We ended up rolling three times before landing upside down.

  Will was unconscious, blood was everywhere from the broken glass. Gabe and I were able to pull ourselves out of the SUV with only a few scrapes and bruises. Thank God, he had a death grip on Jenna or she would have flown out of the car. Once we laid Jenna down and made sure she was still breathing, we ran to get Will.

  “No! Don’t move him.” He said as he took his phone and called 911.

  I was torn between staying with Will or with Jenna. Jenna was also unconscious but we had no clue if it was because of the drugs or the accident. “They are on their way.”
Gabe says crying. “I will stay with Jenna. You go and stay with Will.” I nod and run to the car. I try to talk to Will, but he never responds.

  “Will. C’mon man, wake up.” I feel like my chest has been crushed into a million of pieces. “C’mon man. Come back to me.” I plead. Tears are flowing freely now as I look at my best friend lying lifeless in the car.

  The double doors come flying open drawing me out of my memory. Immediately, we stand up as the bed is pushed our way. It’s Jenna. She’s still unconscious. Her doctor is following. “Mr. Munson?” He asks.

  “Yes, I am Brennan Munson, I’m her brother. How is she?” I ask as Matt places a supportive hand on my shoulder. Gabe follows Jenna into her room.

  “Your sister has suffered a severe concussion. We were able to wake her; however her blood levels are so high with cocaine and ecstasy, that she only stayed awake for a few minutes. Her scans came back normal. However, I am recommending she stay here with us until her levels are back to normal so we can assess her fully.” He says. “You’re lucky she’s still alive son.”

  Extending my hand in gratitude, I say “Thank you so much doctor. She is all I have left.” He takes my hand and nods. “How, how is Will?”

  He looks down at his feet before responding. “I am only authorized to notify family,” He looks into my eyes with sorrow. “Being that you were involved in the accident as well, I feel you should know. William has internal damages. He went into cardiac arrest while we tried repairing his injuries. We were however able to bring him back. He is in grave condition son. I suggest you say your goodbyes as soon as he comes back. It’s just a matter of time. I am deeply sorry.” He releases my hand and excuses himself before walking to the waiting room to break the news to his family. Immediately I fall to my knees.

  A week later

  I’m standing in front of the full length mirror in Will’s room. I stare at the man staring back at me as I attempt to button up the white long sleeved shirt that I have to wear today. The house has been quiet since we came home from the hospital. Hardly a word has been spoken since we listened to Will’s last words.