strangetomato: (Default)
Strange Tomato ([personal profile] strangetomato) wrote2008-07-04 01:05 am

Simstorytellers Challenge 007: Dr. Gone

This takes place a little after chapter 26, but the events are all separate, so I'm going to post it now, out of order, just to get it done before the challenge is a distant memory. I really wish I knew of some easy way to include an mp3 file here, so you can hear the song, since it's not a very commonly known one. Oh well. There's a description of the song given in the text, at least. Part of the lyrics are included at the end.

CHALLENGE 007: Song Lyrics
Song: Dr. Gone by Royal Trux
Word/pic limit: 1000 word/10 pic
Expiration: July 1, 2008 (better late than never)
Warnings: language, drug use





I could tell right away that'd I'd done too much.




You can always tell, I'd imagine. It's like any near-death experience, with your whole life flashing before your eyes, except it's a lot slower. I had a good twenty minutes or so before I'd lose awareness, but I could tell right away. As soon as I'd swallowed the third pill, I knew it was too much. I was already drunk before I took them. It was way too fucking much. I didn’t have a prayer. I was done.

There were a lot of things to think about in those twenty minutes. I’ve had an eventful life. Most of it has been bad, but very eventful. I relived it all, in painful detail.

I thought about Zoe too. She's one of the only bright spots in the whole thing. Zoe, and the band: the two things that I had lost most recently.

I love Zoe.




I was thinking about her as I was losing consciousness, as I was starting to convulse and mutter random nonsense. It was like falling beneath the waves, with your ears filling with water, or so I assume, since I've never been anywhere near an ocean.

I was going to die thinking about her. It wouldn't have been such a bad way to go.




Then she was there.

She came into the room, took one look at me, and started screaming. I can't remember much else, but I remember the sound. It was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.




I knew then that she wasn't fucking Gunnar Roque. Zoe wouldn't do that to me, behind my back. Zoe had never been dishonest. I should have known. I knew that about her. I should have fucking known that, but it wasn't even just that. In that scream, I heard everything she really felt for me. I heard the awful, terrifying sound of someone who loved me and was sure that I was going to die.

I would have died, but Zoe saved me.




She came to visit me every day when I was in the hospital.

"I have the greatest idea for a new song."

"Tell me all about it, hon."




"It's going to rock hard."

"What's it about?"

“Everything. All of this. It’s going to be fucking great.”

"I can’t wait to hear it.”

“I’ll get Ripp to sing it with me. He’s been cultivating a nice raspy growl lately. I’m so proud of him.”

“Yeah, he’s not bad.”

“So he’ll open it up, and then I’ll join in, and we’ll sign it call and response, or just overlap, fighting it out, things like that. It’ll rock. The guitar will be cutthroat. You’ll add some bass, and we’ll be laughing.” Zoe listened intently as Jaxy continued. “There's going to be this fucking awesome drum solo too, and every time Gunnar hears it he's going to feel like his balls are about the size of fucking grapenuts. The solo degenerates into pure noise, and then, when you least expect it, the beat picks up again, and we’re right back in there, kicking ass.”

“Sound’s great.”




“Our new drummer is going to kick Gunnar's ass, and he or she is going to be much, much easier on the eyes too. Fuck it - it's my band - SHE is going to be easy on the eyes. We have one dirtbag with a Y chromosome already. That's enough."

"You really think we can find a drummer that isn't a dirtbag?"

"I don't really give a flying fuck if she's a dirtbag, as long as she's a monster on the drumkit. And I want someone with fuckloads of energy too. She's got to have a real fire lit under her ass, you know? I want her bouncing off the walls."

"Definitely."

"Our new drummer will make Gunnar look like a can of mashed assholes."

"Wouldn't be too hard." Zoe laughed, and then grew quiet.




"You do realize that you're supposed to become a rock star BEFORE you overdose, right hon?" she said.

"I was thinking that I'd just go through the motions and then l'd wake up and be a star one day. If you build it, they will fucking come, right?"

"Jax, that was so scary."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You need help."

"I know."

"We'll get you fixed up. If we ever want to get anywhere with the band, and we do, then you'll need to clean up. You have to deal with it, honey."

"Yeah."

“I’ll do it with you, if you want.” She reached for me, and rubbed her hand against my arm. "Hey, I've been looking for a new drummer."




"Oh, is that what you've been up to?"

"Well, what did you think I was doing? Boning Gunnar?" She laughed, because it really was ridiculous to think that.

"Yeah, right. You'd need a fucking barf bag strapped to your chin."

"I don't even want to picture it." She looked out the window. "Actually, Jax... that wasn't the only thing I was doing."

"Oh?"

"This is a really shitty time to bring it up, maybe, but I was buying you this."




It was a ring.

It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, next to Zoe herself.

I was the luckiest person on the face of the planet. Forget about the poverty, the abuse, the living on the streets, the substance abuse problem, and the fact that I'd nearly killed myself. None of that mattered. With Zoe Zimmerman proposing to me, when she could have anyone she wanted, I was doing better than most. Zoe didn't need anything from me besides my love, and I had little else to offer her anyway. She could have found someone to fully support her and take away all of her worries, but instead she chose me. She chose the hard road.

With her in my life, I could do this.




I'd make it through.




Yeah, they're trying to steal my name
But it ain't mine to give
You know they wanna tear me down
But I don't need any of that to live
I need someone to love me, just for me, just for me

...

I need a pair of new shoes, ones that last forever so I don't repeat this fever








 

[identity profile] vega-pleiades.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 04:00 am (UTC)(link)
Oh man. I cried while reading this. Poor Jaxy. What an emotional roller coaster.
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2008-07-08 04:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you. That's quite a compliment. Jaxy has had a turbulent life (most of which I don't plan to go into detail about, even though I have it all worked out), but she does have at least one thing that she can depend on.

[identity profile] dothesmustle.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 04:09 am (UTC)(link)
That was really beautiful, I teared up a bit while reading it. I'm happy for Jaxy, finally finding something to look forward to. :)

Now I REALLY want to know who the drummer will be. Jill Smith? Roxy Sharpe? HEATHER HUFFINGTON?!
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2008-07-08 04:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you. Having Zoe to help her along and support her will be very important for Jaxy. She didn't think that Zoe was interesting in the long haul with their relationship, but she always hoped that she would be.

I don't even know who Roxy Sharpe is... is that a uni student? Jill Smith as the new drummer would be an interesting twist... too bad she can't carry a tune to save her life. :P I imagine Johnny the same way.

[identity profile] dothesmustle.livejournal.com 2008-07-08 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Roxy Sharpe is a uni student, but I just realized she's in Sim State University. She lives with this red-haired guy and her "dorky" brother (Who looks a bit like Kevin Beare from the frat house).

[identity profile] music-simbol.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 04:18 am (UTC)(link)
Aw, poor Jaxy, having to go thru all this. At least now, she and Zoe are closer than ever.

In terms of music, if you look at my profile, you'll notice there's a little music player. Thru it, you should be able to go to the site to make your own, so you can put up whatever song you want that will play. :)

[identity profile] cindyanne1.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 05:20 pm (UTC)(link)
That music player is made of awesome. I've always wanted one! I can't get mine to work quite right, but I'm working on it, lol! Thank you!
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2008-07-08 04:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Jaxy will be fine. She's been through a lot already, so she's no stranger to having to overcome something like this. It's good that she can work through it and try to find a better coping mechanism now. Getting the band back will help her a lot too.

Thanks for pointing that out. I've seen a similar player on other pages, but it's nice to have options. My main issue is with getting the mp3 for the song, actually. I had a copy in that format, but iTunes converts the files to something else, it seems. I'm really ignorant about working with music files and all that, so I'm not sure if I can switch them back, or what, or if I should just try to find another mp3 copy.

[identity profile] simfulacts.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 05:23 am (UTC)(link)
;_; Oh, that was great! So touching and I'm so happy for Jaxy! Yay!
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2008-07-08 04:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks. It's nice for Jaxy to have a happy ending, of sorts, isn't it?

[identity profile] ikichi.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 06:23 am (UTC)(link)
OMG. I nearly started crying. After I nearly started screaming because I thought Jaxy wasn't going to make it. I didn't realize how much I liked her until I thought she was going to die. o_o Fantastic. For serious.

[identity profile] meetme2theriver.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 06:55 am (UTC)(link)
Aww... that was sweet. I'm glad to see Jaxy and Zoe happy together. :)

[identity profile] muslemura.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 07:21 am (UTC)(link)
*sniffle*

Very sweet and touching :)

[identity profile] redqueenofevil.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 09:05 am (UTC)(link)
Wow. Poor Jaxy- what a roller coaster. Really cool to find out what Zoe's been up to behind everything. That's love for you...

[identity profile] cappuccino86.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 12:07 pm (UTC)(link)
That was really beautiful and to be honest I never expected such a side from either of the girls. I didn't expect they'd be into marriage either but well.

This was a nice fix until the next update! :)

[identity profile] xel-squirgle-ox.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 03:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Whoah, tons of emotion here! I knew Jaxy would overdose eventually, what with the way she deals with the pain and everything. Glad to see that Zoe was there to save her. I really didn't know what to think about Zoe at first- you definitely got me thinking that she was with Gunnar! But yeah, Jaxy needs her so I'm glad they're sticking together. The pictures of her in the hospital are great; she looks terrible! Guess that's because we're so used to seeing her with all that eye makeup.

Can't wait to see who their new band member is! :D

[identity profile] cindyanne1.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh man.... that was so awesome. So sweet and awesome. I'm glad Jaxy will be finding some happiness with Zoe.

[identity profile] saunasims.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 06:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Yaaaay Zoe/Jaxy OTP! Yaaaay Zoe not sleeping with *shudder* Gunnar! Yaaaaay for Jaxy not dying! Man, you really had me thinking you were goign to off her. Excellent story! :D I also I like how Jax looks in the hospital. She really *looks* like she's had it rough.

[identity profile] pixelcurious.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 06:33 pm (UTC)(link)
That was beautiful.

[identity profile] aledstrange.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
awww can't say much else, Just beautiful <3

[identity profile] inkbottleblue.livejournal.com 2008-07-04 11:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, I'm so glad Zoe wasn't cheating on Jaxy! This was so beautifully written too. And now I shall be comparing everything bad to "a can of mashed assholes", awesome line!

[identity profile] imsothenetgirl.livejournal.com 2008-07-05 12:25 am (UTC)(link)
I'm glad Jaxy was wrong about Zoe and Gunnar. I didn't want to hate Zoe.

That was excellent! It was cool to get a glimpse into Jaxy and Zoe's relationship when Ripp's not there, much as I adore Ripp.

[identity profile] smjoshsims.livejournal.com 2008-07-05 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
Oh wow, this was amazing. I'm so glad Zoe wasn't boning Gunnar. This was really powerful, I almost did tear up. :)

[identity profile] silentsteel.livejournal.com 2008-07-05 01:56 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, Jaxy . . . I was tearing up while I read this. And so very, very glad to know Jasmine's promising her forever. Together, those two can go anywhere, deal with anything. *nods*

And even when looking exhausted and sick, Jaxy's hot.

[identity profile] nessa-seragon.livejournal.com 2008-07-07 05:06 pm (UTC)(link)
It was good to see the softer side of Jaxy & Zoe.

Jaxy & Zoe FTW!!!

[identity profile] 80sfiend.livejournal.com 2008-07-12 11:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Awwww :) Jaxy! God I love her. And they got engaged! Gah. I love it. :D

[identity profile] fireflys-locket.livejournal.com 2010-03-27 11:09 am (UTC)(link)
I was definitely quite teary through this. <3 I love the picture of Jaxy sitting up in bed. She looks physically weak but strong in resolve. Or something like that. And she looks great with that hair, too.

[identity profile] olivethegreat.livejournal.com 2011-03-14 04:16 am (UTC)(link)
Oh my goodness. They are so cute together. :)