The Bands Break Up

Part 3

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

By Nick Maro

Light began to penetrate the haze of darkness that surrounded her. Stormer slowly began to open her eyes. She found herself on her floor with Pizzazz and the man who claimed to be her brother standing over her. Both shared a concerned look on their faces. Pizzazz removed the ice bag that was on Stormer's forehead. She sat up slowly, only vaguely hearing the concerned advice that Pizzazz was giving her.

Stormer looked around. She was still near the front door, but on the floor. The stinging frozen sensation finally registered where the ice was. There was a small bump from where she hit her head. "How-how long was I out?" she finally managed.

"Going on two hours now, Mary." Pizzazz handed her close friend a glass of orange juice. "Drink this. It'll help you get your energy back." She sat next to Stormer and motioned to Craig. "Mary, this really is your brother. We've been talking while you were unconscious. It seems that shortly after he vanished from home, he got amnesia. He's slowly remembering things."

Craig knelt beside his sister. "I wish I could tell you what happened to me, Mary. Since I can't, I want to make a new start with you and mom. I don't remember my life with you guys. Just that this is where I'm from. But when I saw you on television, I knew you were my sister. Memories of where I was from came back to me in small parts. I want to tell you about where I grew up. Nome, Alaska. Well, not in the city. But with a small Inuit tribe just outside of the town."

Stormer ran a hand through her matted hair and winced when she hit the bump on her head. "ow. I need to call mom. She needs to—" Stormer looked up at her brother. "Goddammit you couldn't have chosen a worse time to do this! I can't deal with this shit now. Just leave Craig. Just get out of my sight for now. I just can't deal with this." She looked at Craig then at Pizzazz. She stood up and left the room on unsteady legs.

Pizzazz grabbed Craig's arm when he started to follow. "Just let her go. She's having a rough time as it is. Don't go making it any harder for her. I'll give Vanessa a call and have her get in touch with you." She led him back to the front door and stopped him before he could leave. "Listen, she didn't mean that. Your disappearing had a major psychological impact on her. But you can't just come back and expect her to welcome you back with open arms. Give her time and it will help her in the long run."

"Yeah, I should've thought this through better. Thanks, Phyllis. I can tell Mary has some caring friends. Tell my mom that I'm staying at the Days Inn downtown in room three twenty two." Craig waved to Pizzazz as he turned around and walked off. Pizzazz shut the door behind him.

Pizzazz walked with a sense of purpose to Stormer's room. She tried the door handle only to find that it was locked. "Mary! Open the door! I wanna talk to you."

"Go the hell away, Phyllis. I just want to be alone for a change."

"Mary, just let me in. I told Craig to go away and that your mom will be in touch with him soon. I can't but help to think that his showing up was just bad timing." Pizzazz paced in front of the shut door for a few minutes. "I'm going to call your mom then I'm going home. I need a long hot bath." Pizzazz went into the kitchen and called Vanessa Phillips on her cell phone. She didn't give any information other than to call someone at the hotel. She hung up and checked on Stormer a last time. She didn't answer Pizzazz knocked again. She left Stormer to be by herself shortly afterward.

The band on stage sang with a passion that made it clear that they played to be heard, not paid. It was something rare that neither Roxy nor David had seen in a while. The audience was infected with the adrenaline inducing beats and thunderous waves the band drove forward.

David studied the band and mentally took notes about what they were doing. He also noted how the audience reacted. Later he would have to call his sister and tell her what he had observed. He turned when Roxy tugged at his shirt sleeve and motioned for him to follow her. David made his way slowly through the crowd, following the bassist of the Misfits.

Stopping at the bar, Roxy ordered two beers. She handed one to David and sipped the foam from hers. "Y'know, this is exactly how the Misfits should be playing. I mean shit; this is how I feel about our music." Roxy yelled over the sound. "Just forget the whole getting paid aspect and just play music to just play. I know Sheila feels the same as I do. It's not about fame and fortune. It's about giving the audience an auditory orgasm in their ears."

"An auditory orgasm?" David chuckled as he almost choked on his beer. "I think you've had enough there." He looked around the audience again. "When did Sheila say that she was supposed to meet us here and where? I've been scanning the audience and I haven't seen her yet."

"She said that she'd either find us here or just meet us at home after the show. I've been looking around and I haven't seen anything yet either." Roxy sighed and sipped her beer again. "After this song let's go. Tonight is probably the last night we'll have to ourselves until after the anniversary party." She wrapped her arm around his waist. "I want it to be nice. Besides, Sheila is a big girl. She'll understand." She gave David a quick kiss on the lips and smiled.

"That's fine with me." David took another sip of the beer and made a disgusted face. He smirked when Roxy giggled at him. He just laughed and smiled. "I never did like beer that much." Roxy took the unfinished beer from him and kissed him deeply. They stayed like that until the song finished. David paid the bartender their tab and they left the club into the late summer air of Philadelphia.

Roxy led David through the small park as they walked. She told him stories about her time growing up in the city. David listened as he looked around, taking every detail in. They came upon a group of teenagers who were skating and bike riding after dark in the park. One of them recognized Roxy and ran up excited.

"Excuse me," he said politely, "but are you Roxy from the Misfits?"

"Why yes I am." Roxy smiled sweetly at him. "You've heard of us?"

The teens all laughed at some private joke. "Well, of course I have. You're a hometown hero to us. You're kind of an inspiration to us that we can make it if we try. Also, I'm a fan of Brit Rox, your tag team." He added shyly.

David nudged Roxy and whispered softly to her. "I'll be back. We've been followed ever since we left the club. I'm just going to check this out." Before Roxy could answer, David was gone. He had disappeared into the shadows already. He had moved toward one of the statues in the park and made it look like he was going to study it. He then stayed in the shadows and made his way toward the person who was watching them moments earlier.

The man who was following David and Roxy saw that David had vanished near the statue. He started to walk away when he saw David walk from one shadow to another. The man quickened his pace as David got closer, and then went into a full run. David gave chase quickly. Following the man, David thought he had recognized the way the man had moved. The mysterious man ran across the street, David started to follow when he saw the semi coming his way. David stopped, letting the man get away.

Walking at a quicker pace, David headed back to the park where Roxy was giving the teens guitar playing tips and telling stories of her wrestling days. She smiled when he approached and then gave a concerned look when she saw the confused look he wore. David shook his head and she nodded. Roxy then told the teens that she had to go and thanked them for listening. They thanked her for spending time with them. Roxy immediately led David back to her car. They talked on the way back to her home about had happened.

Opening the side door to her house, Roxy was greeting by the familiar accent and laugh of her best friend. David shut the door as he followed her in the house. Roxy ran up the short staircase and into the kitchen. She tackled Jetta and gave her a tight hug. "I can't believe I missed seeing your pale and pasty face, Limey."

Jetta giggled and hugged Roxy tightly. She grinned and waved to David. "I missed you too, Colony." She went up to David and hugged him as well. "I missed you too, Davey. I hate havin' all of this damn down time. I just want Mary to get better so we can go on tour."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Roxy leaned against the kitchen table. "The band at the bar tonight reminded me what our music should be and mean." David nodded in agreement with Roxy.

"Um, Roxy dear, can I have a word with you up in your room?" Catherine asked quietly. "Theres something that you should know and I don't want you to find out the hard way." Roxy gave her mother a confused look and followed her up the stairs.

David and Jetta exchanged shrugs and went into the living room. Jetta slowly flopped back on the couch and patted a spot next to her for David. "Have a seat. I won't bite." David sat next to her and she leaned against his shoulder, holding back a yawn. "I'm sorry I didn't make it to the club. It's this damn jet lag. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize for the shit I gave you and Rox when you started datin'. I just didn't want you to come between us as friends."

"Don't worry about it. If you didn't give us shit, I'm sure my sister would've." David tousled her hair playfully. "The last thing I want to do is come between any friendships due to my romantic interests. Besides, I think that's impossible with Roxy and yourself. She talks about your time wrestling and playing with bands all the time." David and Jetta turned their heads when they heard Roxy yell in frustration on the second level.

Roxy ran down the stairs and past her two friends into the kitchen. Jetta and David followed her with concern showing on their faces. Roxy opened a bottle of beer and drained the bottle. She looked at Jetta with tears pouring down her face. "I can't believe they invited him. I can't believe they invited that fucking asshole!"

David looked at Jetta. "What's she talking about?"

Roxy grabbed another beer and opened it as she walked out the back door. Jetta looked at David with concern in her eyes. "It's best that she tell you." David paused for a moment and then went out the back door to follow Roxy.

"Hey! Roxy wait up. Tell me what's going on here."

Roxy turned around and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Sit down and hold me. I'll tell you everything." David sat on the bench and pulled Roxy close to his chest. She took another drink of her beer and sighed. "My father had this pupil of his that lived with us. He stayed in the room you're in now. He became like a son to my father. I wasn't very close to him at all. He liked me, but I didn't like him in return. He was a nice guy; I just wasn't attracted to him.

"Anyway, we were coming back from practice one day. We would walk together and sometimes chat, but not always. We were talking about the practice we had that day when he shoved me down an alleyway. Basically he attacked me and tried to rape me." Roxy took another long drink from her beer. "I kneed him in the balls and got away. I ran all the way home and locked myself in my room. My parents didn't believe that he could do something like that. But they still asked him to leave. He did."

David held his girlfriend without saying anything. He just held her and let her cry on his shoulder. They stayed like that for several hours until Jetta came out and brought them inside. That night, the three friends stayed up and talked until morning.

Pizzazz sat staring at her computer screen for what seemed to be hours. She shifted her gaze slightly out the window at Starlight Music, more specifically at her sister's office window. The blinds were shut but the lights were on. Pizzazz didn't know if Jerrica was in the office or if it was just a cleaning lady. The ringing of the phone caused her to jump slightly. She picked up the phone and spoke in a semi-professional voice. "Misfits Music, the very bored Phyllis Gabor speaking."

The voice on the other end let out a slight giggle. "Hey Phyllis, its Kyoko. I was bored as well and wanted to see if you were free tonight. I'm starting to go stir crazy here trying to get a hold of your no good brother. Where is he anyway?"

"Oh, he's out in Philadelphia with Roxy." Pizzazz explained. "Her parents are having some anniversary thingy and she took him with. He should be back within a week or so. So what did you have in mind to do tonight?"

"No idea. But I figured we could maybe hit a few clubs or just stay in." Pizzazz could almost see Kyoko shrug on the other end. "I just want to get out of the house and hang out with some friends. Hey, what are Mary and Kimber up to? Maybe we can have a girl's night out or something."

Pizzazz sighed heavily at the thought of the fight she had with Jerrica over Kimber. Then at how she and Stormer fought the day before. "Actually, I do need someone to talk to. So come on by my place tonight and we can have a few beers and talk. I've had a hell of a week and no one really to talk with." Kyoko agreed and hung up the phone. Pizzazz set the phone down on the base when it rang again almost immediately. She smirked to herself and answered the phone. "Did you forget the address or something, Kyoko?"

The voice on the other end sounded a bit confused and startled. "Oh. I'm sorry. I must have the wrong number. I was trying to get a hold of a Phyllis Gabor at Misfits Music. Again, I'm sorry."

"No, no." Pizzazz said quickly. "You've got the right number. I thought it was my friend calling back. What can I do for you?"

"We met yesterday afternoon. This is Craig Phillips. I was wondering if we could meet up someplace to chat. I talked to my mother yesterday. It was a nice conversation and all. Mary still doesn't want to have anything to do with me." Craig let out a loud sigh. "I just need to talk is all. So can we meet up for dinner or something? You can bring your friend with. It'll be nice to meet new people."

"Sure thing, meet me at the Egg Drop Inn around seven. I'll buy you dinner and we can talk." She let out a light giggle. "I was actually meeting up with my friend so I could have someone to talk to." Craig let out an amused laugh and agreed on the time. Pizzazz hung up the phone and turned off the lights. Before leaving the office, she took on last look out her window at Jerrica's. She could've sworn that she saw someone watching her from her sister's window. She shut the door after shaking her head.

Kyoko followed Pizzazz into the restaurant. She looked around and gave Pizzazz an amused glance. "Okay, I'm confused here. The restaurant has the name of a Chinese restaurant, but it's a pizza place? Ah well, we were just going to order pizza tonight anyway." Kyoko looked around again, but this time for Craig. "Um, I don't see him. But you did only just give me a vague description."

"I don't see him either. Let's take a quick look around." Pizzazz led the Japanese woman through the rows of tables. She finally saw him across one of the rooms and waved to him. "Craig. Good to see you again. This is my brother's best friend Kyoko Bayushi. How long have you been here?"

Craig quickly shook Kyoko's hand and sat back down. The two women sat opposite of him. He slid them both a menu. "Not too long, maybe ten minutes or less. I should've told you that I was reserving a table under Craig Phillips. Sorry bout that. I held off of ordering until you showed up. I really appreciate you meeting me like this, Phyllis. Mary still refuses to talk to me. I talked to my mother briefly yesterday. We're both wary about meeting. That's why I asked you to meet me."

Pizzazz nodded as she looked over the menu. "Before we get into anything let's just order. How about the family size with sausage and something else?"

"Pineapple." Craig and Pizzazz both gave Kyoko a strange look. She just shrugged. "What? It's good. Will you both just trust me on this? David loves it."

"How about all sausage and half pineapple? That way if we don't like it, not all of the pizza is lost." Pizzazz and Kyoko agreed with Craig. Pizzazz waved their waitress over and ordered their food and drinks. Craig handed the waitress their menus after ordering.

"Now," Pizzazz started, "What did you want me to do, Craig?"

Craig took a drink of the water on the table and cleared his throat. "I was hoping you could be there when I meet up with my mother. I know that you and she are close, so it will hopefully make it more comfortable for her, as well as me. I'm just hoping that this will convince Mary to at least talk to me." He thanked the waitress as she brought the drinks and glasses.

Pouring everyone a glass of beer; Pizzazz thought about Craig's idea. "That doesn't sound too painful. Sure, I'll do it. Nessie is like a mother to me as it is." While waiting for the pizza to arrive they made small talk. Out of the corner of her eye, Pizzazz spotted someone that she knew. She excused herself and made her way to the table. "So, have you been forbidden from talking to me as well or what?"

Aja looked up and laughed. "Hey Phyllis! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here with Kyoko and someone you'd never believe." Pizzazz waited for Aja to give her an expecting look. "Craig Phillips. Mary's older, long thought dead brother. He showed up at the Nessie's place yesterday out of the blue." She looked at the guy sitting across from Aja. "Ah geez, I didn't know you were on a date. I'll let you be."

Aja laughed softly and looked at Jeff who was turning a light shade of red. "It's not a date. Besides you know Jeff. Rather, you know him as Turbo. He's helping me try to figure out whose out to get me." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "It's been a friggin' nightmare." Aja stood and excused herself to Jeff. She followed Pizzazz to her table. Pizzazz introduced her to Craig. After a few minutes of talking the pizza arrived. Aja left the table and Pizzazz followed her again. "Y'know Phyllis, Jerrica is upset about the fight that you two had. Maybe one of you should apologize."

Pizzazz rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Yeah, I know. We're both hot-tempered. Anyway, I better get back to Kyoko and Craig. I'll talk to you later." Pizzazz gave Aja a tight hug and sat back down with her friends. She looked at the pineapple side of the pizza suspiciously. "So, ah, Craig, how is it?" Craig nodded and Pizzazz cautiously took a piece for herself and bit into it. She turned her head and smiled at Kyoko, letting her know that she enjoyed it. The three friends were later joined by Aja and Jeff. They talked while they shared their pizzas.

The knock on the door brought Stormer out of her thoughts. She turned to see Vanessa open the door a crack. "I'm going to meet with your brother now, Mary. Are you sure you don't want to go with?" She smiled warmly at her daughter.

"Just go, mom. I don't want to see him again. He's just making my life worse." Stormer turned away and continued staring out her window until her mother shut the door. The world around her faded back to the room inside of her mind as she shut her eyes. She smiled wickedly at the Princess who was chained to the chair. Frenzy let out an evil giggle. "You know my little darling Princess, I just might go and see brother dear. You can't deny that he helped create who I am."

The Princess struggled against her chains as she watched Frenzy. "Why are you doing this? What do you think this will help accomplish? Yes, Craig leaving didn't help us in many ways. But he's our brother and he's come back. That has to mean something."

Frenzy pulled her arm back and slapped the Princess across the face. "He abandoned us! He left us alone when he said that he would always be there. He lied! I want him to hurt like how we did. I want him to suffer."

"You know, you don't have the guts to do anything to him. You're afraid of him. That's the real reason why you don't want to see Craig. You're afraid!"

"Shut up! I'll show you that I'm not afraid." The room around Frenzy faded away and she was in Stormer's body again. She put on her shoes and grabbed her car keys. She got in the car and drove to the Gabor Estate. Stormer pulled into the spot she usually parked in and got out. She was greeted by Pizzazz and her mother.

Pizzazz hugged Stormer. "I'm so glad you decided to show up. Craig is in the living room waiting for you both. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you, Mary." Pizzazz went into the living room and told Craig to go into the kitchen. She stayed behind as Craig got up and left.

Stormer paced the kitchen slowly until Craig entered. Vanessa stood up and choked back her tears. Stormer ran at Craig ready to yell at him when the kitchen began to fade from her eyes. She collapsed and Frenzy found herself in the room in Stormer's mind. She looked up from the floor where she was laying. The Princess was free of her chains and standing over her. Frenzy snarled and flung her arm forward causing it to stretch. The Princess dodged the arm with ease.

"I've had it with you trying to hurt everyone we love and care about. I'm standing up for our self and standing up against you." The Princess began walking around Frenzy as a golden glow began to shine through the cracks around the room's door. "We've kept you locked up too long, yes, but no more. I'm not afraid of you anymore, Frenzy. Fear is what fueled you. No more. We accept you. We will be whole again."

"What are you talking about? What is this we stuff?"

The room door exploded, letting the golden light flow into the room. A golden, shimmering form entered and took the Princess' hand. The Princess smiled and was absorbed into the golden figure. When it spoke, it spoke with two voices that sounded the same. "We are Mary Phillips. You are a part of Mary Phillips whether you accept it or not. We are stronger than you, dear Frenzy. You now will be joined as a part of the whole."

The form reached out took Frenzy's hand. At first Frenzy struggled and resisted. Slowly she stopped and smiled up at the figure. "Can you ever forgive me? I didn't know it could be like this."

"Of course, you are a part of us." The figure pulled Frenzy into a deep embrace. She disappeared fully into the golden form as the room faded. The golden form grew brighter as Frenzy was brought into itself. It was then Stormer opened her eyes and saw the world in a whole new light. She felt whole.

TO BE CONCLUDED IN "THAT DAY + THAT MOMENT"

PART 4 OF THE BANDS BREAK UP