A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are half-cracked.  ~Author Unknown

~ 8 ~ 

Because He’s Kevin   

“Why are we doing this again?” I asked Brian as we made our way up the never ending trail to this campsite where supposedly Nick and Kevin were waiting for us.

“Because Kevin thought it was a good idea to bond with nature.”

“And we didn’t veto him because?”

Brian turned around and stopped walking, “Because he’s Kevin.”

I know that shouldn’t have been a valid argument but believe it or not, to us it was. It wasn’t the first time the answer ‘because he’s Kevin’ has been used. There have been many many MANY situations in which Kevin made all the big decisions whether we agreed with them or not. So, after Brian said that, I just kind of shrugged. “Okay, but if I get a hole in these shoes he’s paying for a new pair.”

“I told you to wear sneakers you doofus!” Brian laughed at me. Apparently flip flop sandals aren’t the most practical of shoes when it comes to little adventures such as this one.

“I love these. They have baby skulls on the bottom, see?” I picked up my foot to show Rok my skulls but he didn’t seem very impressed.

“Did you bring any other shoes?” He asked me as he once again turned around and continued to walk.

“I might have brought another pair of sandals.”

“You do realize that my cousin is going to have us probably hiking all over the place, right?”

“What? Why would he do that?”

“Because he’s Kevin!”

“Damn him! Maybe I can buy a pair of sneakers or something.”

Once again Rok turned around to face me. I think he was getting tired, but knowing how stubborn Brian was he’d never admit it. “And who would you buy these sneakers from? A gopher? Maybe a bear?”

“I think my feet are too small for a bear. Maybe like a moose or something.”

“A moose?”

“Yeah.”

He laughed and shook his head, “Sometimes I worry about you Bone.”

“Only sometimes?”

Brian sat down on his huge ass backpack. “Looks like you might need a rest.” See? I knew he was getting tired, using me as an excuse to sit and relax a few minutes.

I sat down on a boulder and started to unbuckle one of my sandals, “I think I may have the Grand Canyon in this shoe!” I said as I dumped out a few pebbles.

“I don’t think it’s that much farther now.” He said as he watched me empty all the rocks from my shoes and boy there were a lot of them! Pebbles came friggin out of there like there was some kind of avalanche, my poor feet.

“This was kind of random, don’t you think?” I asked as I began to rub at my poor hurting feet.

“What was?”

“Kevin inviting us up here for the weekend.”

“I just think he knew we had the time off and figured we’d have nothing better to do.”

“Do you think he was afraid he’d kill Carter if he was left alone with him for 4 days?”

Brian laughed at me but I thought it was a pretty valid question considering some of the knock down drag out fights those two have had in the past. “Their relationship has changed over the years. I’m sure they are getting along just fine.”

I nodded. As much as I hate having to admit this, Nick has grown up in the last two years or so. I was kind of jealous when I heard Nick was invited out to Kevin’s place. The two of us have always had a weird ‘Kevin likes me more than you,’ competition going on. Sometimes I won, especially after I sobered myself up, but most times he won. When he was little he liked to throw it up in my face, “Hey AJ…Kevin wanted to play a game of basketball with me.” Or “Hey AJ, Kevin invited me back to his bus to watch a football game.” Whatever dude, I stole your Frick so it’s all good.

“Why are you smiling?” I glanced over at Brian. He looked amused once again.

“Huh?”

“You have a smile on your face.”

“No reason…oh dude, guess who called me out of the blue yesterday.”

“Who?”

“Kaci.”

“Really? How did that go?” Brian’s eyes got really wide when I said her name. He was never a fan of our little relationship even though he never admitted it to me. He was quick to let everyone else know he thought it was wrong of me to date someone so young. Age is just a state of mind as far as I’m concerned though and since her mother didn’t mind then why would I?

I never understood why everyone got so bent out of shape when we started dating. I mean some of the names I was called was just ridiculous. It’s not like she was a child. She was a teenager, old enough to make up her mind and it’s not like I forced her into anything. She’s the one that pursued me. It took me a long time before I acted on it, believe me. The relationship wasn’t something I just jumped into. I did a lot of hardcore thinking about it before we went on our first date.

Brian and Kevin were the only ones in the group that seemed to really disapprove of the relationship. Nick and Howie felt like as long as I was happy, so were they. My mother liked Kaci as well. The fans, now that is a different story. I got so much crap from our fans when I started to date Kaci. I am still baffled by it, was it jealousy? Did any of these people think they would have had a shot with me if I hadn’t started dating her? Or was it really the age difference they had a problem with?

In the end it was too much for her to deal with. She broke up with me because of all the horrible things our fans were saying about her. I can’t really blame her and I have to say I lost respect for a lot of my fans after that. Tell me my voice sounds horrible, or that you have a problem with the last album but when it comes to me and my personal life, just stay out of it!

“She acted as if no time had gone by at all and that we had just spoken the day before.”

“When was the last time you spoke with her?”

“It’s been almost a year I think. I saw her and Aaron at a party together.”

Yeah, and then she starts dating Nick’s little brother…awkward much? Nothing like trying to disprove you are a child molester when your youngest band mate’s younger brother starts dating your ex.

“What did she want?”

“She just wanted to call and see how things were I guess.”

“Is she still dating Aaron?”

“I have no clue and I could care less.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you could care less.” He gave me one of his sarcastic smiles. I really could care less though. After we broke up I admit I was devastated. I wasn’t expecting it because she seemed to be taking all the pressure well. Out of the blue she texts me and tells me that we need to talk and that was that. Less then a month later she was with Aaron… stupid punk ass kid.

I almost had a drink after that…almost. I came this close to losing all I had worked for. It was this guy right here sitting across from me that helped me to see she wasn’t worth it. I had the common sense to go see Brian right before I opened that can of beer. He talked me through my crisis and helped me to see that I was better than that can of beer. In the end we opened it and dumped it in the toilet.

“Enough about me… how are things with you?” I asked, finally putting my sandals back on but not ready to get my ass moving quite yet.

He shrugged at me, “Good I guess. I have nothing going on really.”

“How’s the fam?”

“You just saw them Bone.”

“I know, but still…” I love Brian’s family but I have said this many times before so we won’t go there again.

“They’re good. Baylee didn’t understand why I was going on a camping trip without him.”

“You should have brought him along.”

“I thought about it but then decided against it.”

“I’m sure no one would have minded.”

“I have no idea what to expect up there, so it’s best to just leave him home.”

“When you say things like that, you scare me Rok. What do you think is happening up there? Nick doing a naked tribal dance?”

Brian laughed at me and then got up. Damn…I guess it’s time to move again. “Let’s hope not. I’m not sure I’m ready to see that.”

“Right, like we haven’t seen that already.” I stood up and gave my feet one final shake. You know, I have to make more room in there for the next boulder colony to move in.

“Rok, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”

“Wow, I can’t believe you’re actually asking for permission. Since when does that happen?”

“Because it’s about the wife.”

“For the last time Boner, I’m not telling you her bra size!”

I laughed at him, “No, not about her boobs this time, I promise.”

“Then what about?”

“The fans and all the pressure they put on a relationship. You know the fans hated Kaci and that’s one of the reasons we broke up. I was just wondering how your wife deals with it. I mean I know how she deals with fans, I have seen her with fans a gazillion times but what about the ones who don’t like her?”

It’s no big secret that Leighanne is not very popular with many fans out there. I’m not sure why honestly. I mean she can be moody sometimes and a little bitchy but isn’t that all girls? Hell I know a fair share of guys, myself included, who are the bitchiest bitches of them all.

He slowed his pace slightly so that instead of me following him, we were right beside each other. I’m telling you, he was getting tired of all the walking as well. “She doesn’t really talk about it all that much. She just says things like they are so ungrateful after all the things we do for them like the charity events. They’ll go home from those things and then say she was horrible. I’m sure it hurts. I know it bothers me, but what can you do? It goes with the territory I guess.”

“It’s hard for them, you know, the ladies in our lives.”

“Yup, but if they love us, they know. I mean it’s annoying sure but at the end of the day those fans are the ones that have given us pretty much everything we have and no matter how hard you try, not everyone is going to like you. That is a valuable lesson in life my young, friend.”

“Yes, oh thank you wise one.”

“Anytime.”

We made our way up a steep incline where we were able to see the first sign of life. “I hope that is their tent!”

“I doubt it. Kevin would never set up his tent this close to the main trek.”

“And why wouldn’t he do that?”

Brian looked over at me and smiled. We both laughed and said it at the same time, “Because he’s Kevin.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” He started, “I wouldn’t set up camp this close either.”

“How is this close to anything?”

“When you think about it AJ, the closer you set up to this main path, the more people you have a chance to run into as they pass by. That can suck the fun right out of the experience, especially if you’re recognized.”

“If it was up to me, I would have set up right under the main sign.”

“I know. That is why we are glad it wasn’t up to you.”

“I’m sure Nick would have been glad.”

“Probably, but think of it this way, it’s a long hike but then everything else is pretty much close once we get there. If we camped right here, it would have been a short hike but to get to everything else would have been a chore.”

“This was NOT a short hike.”

“You crack me up AJ.”

“Thanks…I’ll be here all week folks, well for at least the next two days as long as I’m not eaten by a bear or anything fun like that.”

“If you get eaten by a bear, I’ll laugh my ass off!”

“Did you hear that? The Christian singer wants me to be eaten by a bear! Very nice Rok…I’m so disappointed in you.”

He laughed at me while we continued our never ending excursion into the deep woods. I wish I had those Gellin’ like Magellin’ things for my shoes, but then you wouldn’t be able to see those cool skulls!