Johnny's anger sat with him. It put its arms around him and hugged him like a long-lost friend. When he gets mad at someone, and he's silent, that's a very good thing. Because if he speaks his mind, then watch out. But he has a limit and when he reaches it, that's a very bad thing.
Not everyone gets the same version of Johnny Lawrence. One person might tell you he's an amazing, wonderful being full of life and fun. So much so that his eyes sparkle and dance with a smile as bright as the sun. And he is. Another person might say he's a cold-hearted asshole. He's the best of both worlds and chooses to act accordingly.
His wife's brother has almost met his anger threshold. When she got into the car and began telling him about her idiot brother, who apparently is dying to meet his foot and fist, he almost could not believe it. Almost. Except, The Skunk loves to bother Ava and annoy him.
He was in the middle of thinking about how he could rip The Skunk's face off, when Ava said, "Seriously though Johnny, I've been having a lot of bad days lately. A lot." She closed her eyes and rested her head on the headrest. "I honestly thought I was going to faint when I saw those pictures. And the worst part is, he made copies. I don't know what I'm going to do." Really she does not. "I'm just going to have to give him all the things he wants." It totally sucks too.
Gripping the steering wheel tight, he told her "No you're not giving him anything. But I will be giving him a quick kick to mid-section and black eye." What is it with assholes trying to get into his business? First, that Twerp Ali's dating, now this one.
She placed her hand on his leg. "No Johnny. Don't do that. It would be stooping to his level. There has to be a way around this." But what is it?
The rest of the ride to Sandcastle Cove, and Sid's house, was quiet. Johnny simmered in his anger and Ava tried to think of a plan. Once they got to the beach house and went inside, the plan kind of blew up into their faces. On the answering machine was a message for The Lawrence's.
Which was weird to hear... The Lawrence's... because the name connotates a sense of wisdom and maturity. Drunkenly getting married at a Vegas chapel, signing the marriage license in purple ink, then buying a house without your parent's knowledge is not wise or mature. However, if wisdom and maturity mean a certain badass boy being a strong man having his shit together (which no one but Ava knows about), then that's sexy as hell. Or if wisdom and maturity are responding in the right way to situations, sacrificing your selfishness for your spouse, and taking care of business together, then The Lawrence's are on the right track.
Pressing play, Johnny leaned on the sofa to listen, while Ava sat. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence. This is Meredith, your realtor, calling you. I wanted to let you know our offer of a hundred and twenty thousand was accepted by the sellers. So now all we need is a clean inspection and you could be moving into your new house as early as this coming Wednesday. The inspector will be taking a look on this Saturday afternoon. I will let you know what he says after I've read his report. I'm at the office all day today. Fingers crossed. If you have any questions just give me a call."
Shock. That's what's going through him right now. Looking at his wife, he can see she is too. He came to sit down beside her. "Wow." He ran a hand over his face and blinked back a few happy tears. Nothing has ever been this easy, at least for him. The other shoe has to drop, right?
Ava did cry and Johnny held her. This is the best news. Once her tears were finished, she stated "This is the best news possible. The inspection will surely pass since it's an up-to-date house. We are about to be homeowners. We're newlyweds and first-time homebuyers all within a stretch of a month give or take. My mind is blown." A few more tears leaked out.
He absolutely agrees with that. "Babe it's incredible. Part of me, though, doesn't want to get my hopes up. Life has a way of handing me a giant turd at the last minute possible. But really, I can't help but be excited." His head turned to look at her. "I've said it before and hopefully, you won't get tired of hearing it. I get to spend the rest of my life loving you, and we get to live in a really nice house, in a really nice location together. I get to have a home with you, a family with you."
Moving to sit on his lap, she threw her arms around his neck. She knows what this means to him. It means a lot to her too. "Hun I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing you say that. I'm glad I get to do this with you. Only you."
Rubbing her back with his hands, a thought came to him. "If we move in on Wednesday, then we have to tell your parents and mine. We need to tell them after we close on the house. That would also negate your idiot brother's scheme too."
Oh, that. A long sigh of worry left her mouth. Telling their parents will have to be handled with care. They don't want to burn bridges, especially when they start having kids. Their kids will want to spend time with their grandparents. "Whatever we say to them has to be with love and as a united front. We have to work on what we're going to say together."
He knows. Thinking about the look of disappointment on his mother's face made his heart sad. Closing his eyes to block it out, he relaxed into the comforting nape massage his wife is giving him. "I think we need to tell our friends too. We're going to need all the support we can get."
Nodding with a blank stare, Ava asked "What do we tell them? Do we show them our pictures?"
The pictures. Even he hasn't seen them yet. Opening his eyes, he fixed them on her. "Babe, can you bring them over here? I want to see them." He saw her expression turn sour. "Are they that bad?"
How does she put this? "They're not the greatest pictures of us, not by a long shot. But I'll get them and you can see for yourself." She hopped up and walked to the kitchen, where she had dropped off her purse on a chair at the counter. Taking the Manila envelope out, she took it to Johnny and handed it to him.
Nerves ran through his body, even though his fingers are itching to have a look. Opening the envelope, he handled the photos with care. With a raised eyebrow and a look at his wife, he viewed them. What he saw made him howl with laughter. His hot wife has gigantic hair and looks way too happy for her own good. He does too. They both look stoned out of their minds, yet perfectly sober at the same time. Hard liquor will do that to a person.
There's no denying the love between them, though. In almost every picture their eyes are locked onto each other and shine with love. There are huge smiles on their faces too. It's all rather comical and sweet at the same time. He knows they married out of love, but if others (namely their parents) saw these they would one hundred percent see it as a drunken debacle.
Do they dare to share them with their friends? Hmm... he could see Tommy and Dutch mocking him for the rest of his life. But if you can't share deep dark secrets with your true friends, like hilarious drunken wedding photos, then what can you share?
"I see no harm in letting them see these," he handed the photos back to his wife. "Besides once every one, meaning our friends and families know, then we'll be getting stranger looks than we would if it were just the pictures."
Looking at the evidence in her hands, she can see his point. Their teachers, principal, and students at school will ostracize them for sure. Their marriage will have them seen permanently on display like they're some exotic animal at the zoo. Except these pictures make them look like they actually belong there. But she said "Alright then" regardless of how she felt.
She set the pictures aside and rested her head on the back of the sofa. Before she knew it, they both had fallen asleep for an afternoon nap. When they woke up their heads were resting on each other and their feet were still propped up on the coffee table. Their necks ached from the lousy position. They both twisted and rolled their necks trying to fix the problem.
Once their necks were nearly normal, save for a dull ache in hers and a shoulder pinch in his, they stood up and stretched. Then without warning, Johnny scooped her up and carried her upstairs. Where they finished their nap and had a little afternoon fun before their friends arrived.
At five everyone began showing up. First were Bobby and Rachel, who are now so obviously a thing. Rach and Ava began talking about dinner saying how they're both tired of pizza when Tommy and Jimmy entered. Dawn was the next one to show followed lastly by Dutch. When he entered the house, he remarked "So holding out on us eh? You've had this perfectly good beach house here, for who knows how long, and just now showing it to us. It's a crying shame letting a perfectly good place like this go to waste. Think of all the fun we've missed." He had brought beer with him and put it on the coffee table. Everybody grabbed one, save for Ava and Rachel.
Once everyone got comfortable, they discussed putting on a movie. But Johnny and Ava decided to go on and get the drama over with. "So we have something to share with you all," Johnny started.
Tommy laughed "What? That you're engaged? None of us would be surprised at that. The only way we'd be surprised is if the two of you ran off and got married. Now that would be a huge shocker."
Ava and Johnny looked at each other and smiled. "Well about that," Johnny began but Tommy cut him off.
"Wait. You're not married, are you? I only said it in joking," he stated getting worked up.
Jimmy took one look at his friend and girlfriend and said "Plot twist. Whoa!"
And then the phone rang. It was Meredith calling. Ava answered it and began a series of "Oh wow. That's great. I can't believe it. Monday at one is perfect. Thank you. We look forward to it." Then she hung up the phone, turned to Johnny, and announced "The inspection passed. We got it and we close Monday at one." She walked over to her husband and embraced him.
Tommy wants answers. "What are you talking about? What inspection passed and what are you closing on?" He threw his hands up in the air. "What kind of sketchy shit is going on here?"
The couple sat back down on the sofa. Johnny began, "So look, here's the deal. After the tournament, Ava and I wound up in Vegas." He saw their faces as realization set in, even the girls began to understand. "I was upset and not thinking straight. None of us were." He pointed his finger around the room at his guys. "We wound up at the resort bar, where I drank way too much hard whiskey, and she had just enough beer to get tipsy and well..."
Ava took over, "We found ourselves in a chapel where we got married. So yeah, we're married. Have been for weeks now. And that phone call was our realtor letting us know we got the house, we made an offer for, and can close on it Monday at one. Then we'll officially have a place of our own."
Shock overtook everyone. Jimmy, the most practical of the group, stood up and began to pace. He threw his hands up in the air same as Tommy had. "Wait a minute. Wait a minute." He turned to the newlyweds. "What you're saying is you're really and truly married? But where are your rings?"
Knowing his friend won't believe it without evidence, Johnny pulled his ring out from around his neck. He keeps on a simple, small, gold chain, which he took off and put his ring on his finger. Ava stood up and went to her purse. She returned with the ring box, which she opened and put on both her wedding band and the "engagement" ring Johnny gave her. Then mouths dropped.
Pointing at the ring on Ava's finger, Jimmy remarked "That's your grandmother's ring Man." He resumed pacing and talking. "This is real then."
Also practical and realistic, Bobby needed answers too. "You say you got married in Vegas. But the two of you were drunk. Besides your rings do you have any other proof?"
Ava looked at her husband, who said "Yep." She got back up and went to retrieve the pictures. Once she had them, she sat back down and handed them over to Johnny. "We have these and our marriage license." He gave the photos over to Bobby, who immediately began looking at them.
Seeing his friend's eyes bulge out upon viewing them, he let out a chuckle. Bobby turned to them both but spoke to Ava first. "That's some really huge hair." Then he spoke to Johnny, "And you Man. You look totally drunk but in love. But seriously you let an Elvis impersonator marry you? I mean come on!" He passed the photos on to his girlfriend and the rest of the room.
Once everyone had viewed the pictures and had a really good laugh (Tommy and Dutch), conversation set in. They all wanted to know different things, starting with Rachel. "Was there even a marriage proposal?"
Not being able to help it, Ava laughed to which Johnny cut his eyes at her. Dutch caught on to this. He pointed at Ava"You're laughing." Then he pointed to Johnny, "But you look like my grandma Polly when I do something stupid. You obviously did something stupid Man. So how did you propose and don't give us some fake story."
Staring at Ava with still narrowed eyes, Johnny muttered "This is all your fault. Your dumb laughing." She sat in his lap and kissed his neck in the hopes of making him feel better. "Well go ahead and tell them," he grumbled.
Seeing Johnny this upset made Tommy know "This is going to be good. I can hardly wait." The narrowed eyes turned on him and made Tommy a little uncomfortable.
Ava launched into the story. "After the bartender suggested the chapel I drunkenly confessed it would be perfect. Then Johnny did too. He began his eloquent marriage proposal of  You're the first, my last, my everything. And the answer to all my dreams. You're my sun, my moon, my guiding star. My kind of wonderful, that's what you are. I know there's only, only one like you. There's no way, they could have made two. You're all I'm living for. Your love I'll keep for evermore. You're the first, you're the last, my everything. Ava, you're the first, you're the last, you're my everything!"
She looked around the room at the stunned faces and stated "He basically asked me to marry him using the song lyrics of You're The First, You're The Last, You're My Everything." She burst out laughing.
Then it happened. Three of the Cobras shared the same thought. Dutch, Bobby, and Jimmy all spoke one at the time with disgust on their faces. "What", "The", "Hell?"Â Slowly, very slowly, everyone in the room (minus Johnny) began howling with laughter. None more so than Tommy. He looked at Johnny and declared, "Thanks, Man. I was in need of a laugh. I just never took you for a Barry White kind of guy."
Johnny was not amused. "Quiet!" He took his black headband off and began fiddling with it. The room grew still. "Assholes! For the record, I am not a Barry White guy. I hate stupid love songs like that. Barf. I must have heard it in the elevator or something. I don't know." He looked at each of the room's occupants, who are not buying that at all. "The truth is I'm glad we got married. I was going to propose after graduation anyway. This just speeds things up, but here we are."
After running his fingers through the black cloth, he told them "We shared this with you in the hopes you'd support us. We may not have much support when the truth comes out. After we close on our house we're telling our folks. Can we count on you to have our backs?"
The guys nodded and Bobby spoke "Of course Man. You know we support you. You're our brother."
Half laughing, Dutch grinned. "I've got your back like osteoporosis when we're older."
The girls nodded too. Dawn spoke for both she and Rachel. "You're secret is safe with us. It's true, unlike the other fake friends from before."
Then it was on to talk of dinner and a movie. Plus everyone wants to see this house they're buying. So on the way to dinner at Shakey's, in town, they swung by their new house. On the way, Ava told her husband. "I've got your back too." He put one hand on the wheel and the other on her hand. Smiling to himself he knew at the end of the day all you really need is someone who loves you and always has your back.