Cranked - Prologue and Ch. 01

I pulled up to the high school just as people started leaving. I saw Jamie walking out of the school with some of her friends. They all waved to me when I called out to her. Jamie ran over and hopped in my car.

"Hey, is it true you beat the shit out of someone?" Jamie asked me.

"Hey, where'd you learn to talk like that?" I asked her.

"Um, you? Duh," she answered, smirking at me.

"See you tomorrow, Jamie!" some of her friends shouted. I looked out the window at them, and a few feet behind them I saw someone familiar walking with another high schooler.

"Huh... Jamie, do you know her?" I asked, subtly pointing at a girl with a sort of mohawk that was down on the left side of her face, blue with white highlights and tips.

"Yeah, that's Claire Fletcher," she said. "I think she's the sister of the guy you beat up. She gives me shit sometimes."

"No, not her," I said. "The woman behind her, with the blue hair."

"Oh," Jamie said. "She just started picking Claire up this year with her brother, she moved from Detroit. I think she's dating the guy you beat up."

"Are you kidding me? She's dating him?" I asked her, failing at hiding my annoyance.

"I mean, I think so," she said. "Why do you got your panties in such a twist? Do you know her or something?

"Huh? No, of course not. I just thought she looked familiar," I laughed. I looked back at Lola, trying to make sure it wasn't just a coincidence. She looked in my direction, and I thought it looked like she recognized me too. "Okay let's get you home." I frantically looked away from her and hit the gas.

"You're acting kinda weird, Johnny. Are you alright?" Jamie asked me.

"Yeah, I just... I gotta start seeing a therapist, I think," i deflected. "I blacked out and beat that asshole up today. Don't tell mom, though, alright?"

"I knew it was true. Good job, Johnny," she said, smirking.

"Not a good job, Jamie," I corrected her. "I knocked him unconscious, my hand's still bloody. I... I fucked up big time." I started thinking about Lola, and her dating him, the guy I beat the shit out of. "Is this really happening?" I thought to myself, heading for home.

When I got pulled up to the house, I almost didn't want to go inside. Everything was just gnawing at my head now.

"Johnny, you good bro? Come on," Jamie said, punching my arm. As soon as I walked inside, my mom threw whatever magazine she was reading at me.

"What the hell did you do today, Johnny?!" Mom shouted. "Dropping out of school and then beating a kid half to death? What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"Mom, it's not what it sounds like, okay?" I tried explaining. "It was an accident, I didn't mean to beat him that much. And dropping out, I just had to. My band, Cranked, we're good mom. We can make it, I know we can."

"Oh my God, your little rock band? That's what you think is more important than school?" mom argued.

"Mom, you need to trust me. We're good, we really are. I promise, we'll make it. Just trust me," I told her.

"Trust you? Do you know any other parents who would let their kids do this?" she asked me.

"Well... No," I answered.

"So why should I be okay with this?" she shot back.

"Because... Because you believe in me, Mom," I said. "Don't you believe in me?"

"Johnny... Of course, I do. I just don't want you to abandon us too," she said.

"Mom, I need to talk to you about that actually... Why did Dad leave?" I asked. "It was a song that set me off today, and I know it's got something to do with Dad leaving and the burn on my wrist. What happened?"

"No... No, we're not going to talk about that," she said. "That man is dead to me and this family. Understood?"

"I know, but I need to know... My therapist needs to know," I told her.

"I said no! He's gone, it doesn't matter anymore! Now do not argue with me!" she shouted. I was starting to hear the song playing.

"M-mom, I... I really need to know what happened," I told her.

"Well then you're just gonna have to remember on your own," Mom said, going up to her room.

"Bitch..." I sighed. "Hey, any party this weekend?" I texted Daniel.

"Yeah, I'll pick you up bro," he replied after a few minutes. When I got the text letting me know we'd be hanging out soon, the song slowly faded away.

"I gotta figure this shit out," I told myself.

When the weekend came, I was just ready to get away from my mom. I just couldn't understand why she wouldn't tell me about what happened between my dad and I. I threw on my ripped jeans, red and white Converse high tops, a white v-neck, and a jacket I made from a denim vest and leather sleeves. As soon as Daniel pulled up, I burst out of the house so fast I almost thought I broke the screen door.

"Hey, there's the rock star we all know and love," Ezra shouted from the back seat of Daniel's truck. I flipped Ezra both of my middle fingers and chuckled.

"So where's this party at?" I asked, getting in the front seat.

"Well here's the thing..." Daniel said, locking the doors. "It's a high school party. I saw this post getting shared on Facebook, this high schooler's parents are out of town and he's hiring a band to play at his party. So, we already packed up all our instruments in the back. We got our first paying gig of the school year, man."

"For real? A paying gig? How much?" I asked him.

"We're each getting a hundred and fifty bucks," he said.

"Damn, that's not too bad. So what songs are we playing?" I asked him.

"I'd say we each choose four, do a twelve song set," Daniel said. "We'll figure out when we get there, keep it spontaneous. That sound good with you guys?"

"No complaints from me, babe," Ezra said with a smirk.

"Yeah, let's fuckin' do it," I told him, already planning my songs. I figured I'd keep it old school.

"So, Johnny, how you holding up after that incident at the school?" Daniel asked me.

"I'm alright, Danny," I told him. "I just got a little...shook up. I'm good now."

"We heard about the therapist... If you need man, we're both here for you. Seriously, if you need to talk, do not hesitate," Ezra said to me. It was the first time he said something without pretending to flirt. I must have really scared everyone with what I did to Evan.

"Thanks, man," I told him.

"We're not just a band, man... We're a family, the three of us," he replied, giving my shoulder a light squeeze, as we pulled up to the house.

Our set of songs seemed to be agreeing with the partiers. Even though it was a junior who was throwing it, there were quite a few kids from the college there too.

"Alright people, Cranked's very talented guitarist is gonna pick our last song now. What'll it be, Johnny?" Daniel spoke into the microphone.

"Let's do a classic one," I said. "We're gonna do 'Ever Fallen In Love' by The Buzzcocks. Ezra, count us off." Ezra clapped his drumsticks together four times, then I strummed the fast chords on my guitar. Some of the rowdier people watching us started throwing empty soda and beer cans at us as Daniel started singing. I knocked one back at a guy with the neck of my guitar, hitting him in the head. It was so hot, sweat was running down my cheeks and my t shirt was pressed against my skin. Still, we were having the best show of our lives so far. Everyone was partying and having a good time, and we were just enjoying the music. I looked around the crowd of people while we continued the song, and saw her again; Lola, with some of her friends. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't help but lock eyes with her. She pointed at me and whispered to her friends, and I started to get really nervous.

"Fuck... I hope she doesn't know about what happened between me and Evan," I thought to myself. The three of them worked their way to the front of the crowd. There she was, right in front of me. After nearly a whole year of thinking about her, she was just a few feet away, looking up at me. I tried to fight it, but I smiled at her as we finished the song.

"Thanks everyone, we were Cranked. We hope you enjoyed," Daniel spoke into the microphone as the room filled with applause.

After we packed our instruments back up, we went back into the party and got our money from the host.

"So, you guys wanna stay and hang out for a bit?" the guy asked us.

"Yeah, if that's cool with you," Daniel said.

"You kidding me? You probably just made me the coolest guy in the school. Make yourselves at home," he said. I could see Lola looking at me a few feet behind him. When she noticed I saw her, she looked back to her friend.

"I'm gonna go have a smoke," I told the guys, walking outside and sitting on the porch. I lit up a blunt and put it against my lips, taking a long hit.

"Fuck... What are you doin' Johnny?" I asked myself quietly. I took another hit from the blunt and laid down on the porch, looking up at the moon in the sky.

"Mind if I steal a hit from that?" I heard a girl ask me.

"Yeah, knock yourself..." I said, looking over to see Lola sitting down next to me. "...Out..." I continued, handing her the blunt and sitting up.

"I thought it was you I saw at the school the other day," she said. "Who were you picking up, you got a little secret I should know about?" she asked, winking at me.

"No. God no, it was my sister Jamie," I told her. "How come you didn't try to look me up when you moved here? I... I'm sorry, that was stupid."

"I did..." she answered shyly. "I looked through the phone books, asked around town, I did a lot of stalking of people who turned out to not be you. I never did learn your last name. How come you beat up Evan the other day?"

"I... I don't know, honestly," I answered. "I mean, I kind of do. See, we weren't the best of friends in school. He's always verbally abused me and the guys. He actually cut Daniel once. He kept pushing me and calling me a loser, and this song... I don't wanna get too into it right now. I'm sorry, though. I really didn't mean for it to happen."

"I know what you mean about how he wouldn't stop treating you like that," she told me. "I'm sure he asked for it... I know he did."

"I had no idea you and him were a thing," I replied. "I would've just walked away if I had known. I'd never want to hurt you," I told her.

"Really?" she asked me. I turned and looked at her, noticing her eyes were big and a little watery.

"Of course," I answered. She started to lean towards me, so I just put an arm around her so her head was leaned up against my shoulder.

"What's wrong?" she asked me.

"I... I just don't know if we should do that..." I told her.

About ten minutes later, we snuck inside one of the empty bedrooms upstairs. I locked the door and turned to look at her.

"What happened to not thinking we should do this again?" she asked me, smirking.

"What was it you said to me when we first met?" I asked. "Oh yeah... Don't talk..." I slid my jacket off while her eyes were intently focused on me. We walked towards each other slowly, until we were about a foot apart. Even though we were both wanting to kiss each other, I pulled her into a long hug. It had been so long since I'd seen her, I just wanted her close to me for a moment. I heard the song 'How Soon Is Now?' by The Smiths start playing from downstairs through the vents. I started thinking about what we had done in Detroit and how I hadn't stopped thinking about her all this time and then about her and Evan. I looked away from her, down at my feet, and felt a tear start running down my face.

"Johnny...? Hey, look at me," she said, tilting my head up a bit so she could see me. I tried to look away from her, but she was a lot stronger than I would have expected. She pulled my face rather forcefully until we locked eyes. "What's wrong?"

I walked over to the bed and sat down, looking at her watching me, her eyes wide and curious. I sat there, looking at her and mouthing different words because I didn't know what to say.

"I... I know it's wrong, since you're with Evan," I told her. "But I haven't been able to get you out of my head since Detroit... I've really missed you."

"What are you saying...?" she asked shyly. Despite another tear running down my face, I smiled at her.

"That night was the most intense and amazing night I've ever had," I answered. "I think... I think I might've..." I looked down and wiped my eyes. She walked over and lifted my chin so that I was looking in her eyes.

"It's okay, Johnny, I like you too," she said. "This can just stay between us for now, until I can leave Evan. I've been trying to leave him for a while... It's just hard."

"Are you sure it's okay...?" I asked her, trying to look away despite her still holding my head.

"You tell me," she said softly, kissing my lips and grabbing my hair. We pulled away after a few seconds and looked into each other's eyes.

"Okay Lola... Come here," I pulled her into my lips again, as she slowly sat in my lap, wrapping her legs around my waist. We kept giving each other short and sweet kisses, staying as close to each other as possible. After giving her a long kiss on the lips, I started kissing her cheek and down to her neck. I heard her gasp and I started biting her neck. Her hands dug into my shoulders a little as she let out a soft moan. After making out in the bed for a long time, we heard a knock at the door.

"Hey, I don't know who's in there but the party's over now. Thanks for coming, but you gotta clear out now," someone said.

"Do you need a ride home?" I asked Lola.

"I told my parents I was staying at a friend's house tonight. But...maybe I could hang out with you tonight?" Lola responded.

"I... I don't know, Lola. I'd love to, but my mom and sister..." I said nervously.

"If anyone sees, you can just tell them some guys were harassing me and you didn't want me to try and get home alone," she said. "I've missed you for so long, I just want to be with you tonight..."

"Well... How can I say no to you?" I smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Maybe we shouldn't leave here together though... How about I leave out the door and you climb out the window?" she suggested.

"I like that, sounds dangerous," I said, picking up my jacket and opening the window.

"I'll meet you outside, danger boy," she said with a wink and chuckle, as I climbed down the siding of the house.

"Johnny, where've you been man?" Daniel asked me as I walked to his truck.

"Oh you know, just hanging around the house," I told him.

"We lost you for a whole hour, we were about to call the police," Ezra said.

"For real?" I asked him.

"Nah, I didn't even realize you weren't around at first," he laughed.

"Well, I hope you weren't too worried," I chuckled. "Hey, so some guys were giving this girl some trouble. You mind if she rides with us to my place, then I'll drop her off at her house?"

"Yeah, we can give her a ride," Daniel said as Lola walked over to us. "Oh hey, I remember you... Detroit, right? Who was it giving her trouble?"

"Just some drunk assholes," Lola said, getting in the back seat with me. "And yeah, good seeing you guys again."

When we pulled up to my house, Ezra was blasting some Sonic Youth song from his phone connected to the auxiliary port in Daniel's truck.

"It was good seeing you, Lola. Get home safe, alright?" Daniel said to her.

"Yeah, pleasure hanging with you, girl. Take care of her, Johnny," Ezra said.

"I plan to, don't worry," I said. I couldn't quite tell, but I could've sworn Ezra winked at me.

"It was cool seeing you guys," Lola told them.

"God, would you turn that down man? You're gonna wake up the neighborhood," Daniel said to Ezra.

"So be it, it's rock and roll. Oww!" Ezra shouted, turning the song up louder as they drove off.

"Alright, let's be quiet okay?" I said to Lola, unlocking the front door to my house.

"I plan to, don't worry," Lola replied, mocking me for what I said to Ezra.

"Someone's a little sassy," I said quietly, walking inside.

"Only to you," she whispered, following me into the house. I slowly shut the door and locked it, before leading her to my room.

"You have a lot of band posters," Lola said, walking around my bedroom.

"Heh, yeah I guess I do," I replied, taking my jacket and shoes off.

"What's this one?" she asked, pointing to a poster of a young white guy singing into a microphone with a long cut across his chest.

"That is my favorite poster," I told her. "It's Darby Crash from The Germs. They were such an incredible band, one of the first hardcore punk bands in America." I went on about the band and their story for about five minutes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ramble so much."

"Don't be, it's cute," she said as she turned and looked at me with a big smile. I wrapped my arms around her waist as she slid hers around my neck. She laid her head on my chest while we swayed together for a while.

"So you really missed me?" she asked me.

"Of course. You were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen and kissed," I said to her.

"You're too sweet... I think you're the best guy I've ever kissed, too," she told me.

"You really mean that?" I asked her shyly.

"I definitely do," she said. "None of the boys I've been with knew what they were doing. But you... You're a real man, Johnny. You know exactly what to do to me," she said quietly, biting her lip.

"Well, I don't know about that..." I replied, my cheeks turning redder than roses.

"Let's test it out then..." Lola said, pushing me against my wall. "What are you gonna do now?" Without speaking a word, I grabbed her hips and spun us around, pinning her against the wall in return. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open, as if she didn't expect that to happen. "I told you, you know exactly what you're doing."

"I guess I do..." I replied, leaning in to kiss her. Once she closed her eyes, I decided to kiss her forehead instead.

"Hey, that's not very nice," she said to me in a cute, pouty voice.

"You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?" I asked her, smirking. She slowly pulled off her clothes, and I was able to see her large, natural breasts for the first time. I pulled off my shirt then pulled her in for a long French kiss. I grabbed her boobs roughly, biting her lip and pulling a little.

"Oh fuck," she moaned, scratching down my back. I started kissing her neck, sucking and leaving a trail of faint hickies. I kissed between her breasts and held them close, briefly smothering myself. I kissed each of them, lightly biting her nipples.

"How's that feel?" I asked her.

"You're such a fucking tease..." she said softly.

"A tease?" I asked, looking her dead in the eyes and raising an eyebrow. I turned her around and spanked her ass hard. I sat down on my bed and pulled her close to me, then quickly pulled her pants down. I kissed her stomach and slowly kissed down towards her crotch. I grabbed her waist and laid myself down, helping her position herself over my face.

"You're sure this is okay?" she asked me.

"Sit," I said bluntly. She lowered herself down on my face and I slid my tongue between the lips of her slit, swirling it around her clit. "Fuck, you're tasty." I gripped her thighs and started licking faster and more intensely. She started rocking her hips back and forth, grinding herself against my face.

"Ohh, right there," she moaned as I started slipping my tongue as deep into her wet hole as I could. I let her ride my face for what felt like a blissful eternity. After she came a couple of times, she helped me pull off my jeans and boxers. Without hesitation, she slid herself down on my hard cock that was already leaking precum. "That feels so good, you're a perfect fit." She started riding me slowly, leaning down and letting her breasts sway with each thrust. I held her hips as she started riding me faster, bouncing up and down my shaft.

"Ohh fuck, I'm gonna... Fuck..." I moaned as quietly as I could. She kept riding me even faster until I just couldn't hold back anymore, exploding my warm cum deep inside of her. "Fuck... Oh fuck. I'm sorry, I didn't think to pull out."