Chapter 29
Brittany had been frantically trying to text and call Steph to find out where'd she'd gotten to, as she and the girls hurriedly walked the streets.
She'd also sent a text to Simon and Alvin updating them with what Steph had told them about the balcony incident; just so they were all on the same page.
Steph wasn't answering anything, however.
Eventually after about 10 minutes, they got a text from her saying she was back at the RVs.
Walking up to the RVs, the Chipettes could hear doors banging and Steph cursing aloud every now and then.
They apologised to a few people who were looking out at the RVs and knocked on the door, letting themselves in.
Brittany stepped in first, "Stephi?"
Steph didn't look at them, instead kept searching through the cupboard doors.
Her cheeks were red and her eyes looked a little puffy, and she'd long since kicked her shoes off; they were thrown into the corner of the lounge.
"Wanna know what I've learnt tonight?" Steph asked aloud, still searching, a tone of anger in her voice.
The girls looked at one another and shrugged, as Jeanette asked nervously, "Um, no, what?"
Steph slammed her hands hard onto the bench, "One: Guys are %$# ing dickheads sometimes!"
The girls looked at each other as Steph continued, "Two: Walking in heels under the influence and pissed off is not good, I almost rolled my damn ankle!"
She bent down and searched the lower cupboards, "And three: There's no %$# ing hard liquor in this damn RV!" she screamed out before opening the final cupboard and sighing in relief, "Oh finally!" and pulled out a bottle of scotch.
Steph staggered over to the booth and slid in, opening the bottle and lifting it to her lips.
The girls quickly stepped in and slid into the booth with her; Eleanor reaching over and lowering the bottle, "Steph, we love you. Don't just drink this all away"
Steph frowned at her.
She looked around at each of the girls before breaking down in tears, cursing herself for being upset, "No!" she started, "I'm not upset, I'm %$ ing furious!" she looked down at her hands; they were shaking.
Brittany wrapped her arm around Steph comfortingly, "Stephi...what happened?"
Steph shook her head, "I don't know...I just...I don't know" she wiped a tear away as Jeanette went to find a box of tissues, returning shortly.
Steph looked up and smiled at her, taking a tissue and dabbing her eyes, "Thanks" she let out an exasperated sigh, "Ok so I know Alex has probably been a little jealous of Bruno, why? I dunno"
Eleanor shrugged lightly, "Maybe cause the way you acted around him, could've been mistaken for flirting?"
Steph looked at her, tilting her head, "Huh?"
Jeanette helped out, "Well, to you, you were just being you, like we know that"
Steph nodded as Brittany added, "Yeah, but see, well, you act like that around Alvin, say, and Alex wouldn't think anything of it"
"Yeah" Eleanor agreed, "But Alvin has a girlfriend, Bruno doesn't..." she trailed off there as Steph, looking puzzled, worked out the rest, "What, so you're saying Alex felt threatened or something?"
The girls nodded, "It's possible" Jeanette said, tapping the table lightly, "And maybe he felt he had to protect you, as well as himself in the relationship"
Steph shook her head madly, "Noooo, no way, I don't need protecting, why the hell would he think that?"
Brittany held her hand out, palm up, "Yeah we know you're a little Miss Independent, but guys still like to feel like your knight in shining armour type, and wanna protect you as well as love and respect you"
Eleanor nodded, "Makes 'em feel all manly too and shows you how much they love you" she gave a little giggle.
Steph looked between the three of them, "And punching another guy in the head is how he shows me he loves me? That's completely %$# ed up logic right there" she wasn't convinced and lifted the bottle again, taking a swig before almost gagging, "Sh*t that's good scotch" she coughed a little and shook her head.
Brittany frowned at Jeanette, concerned, as Eleanor tried to pry the bottle from Steph, "Look, Steph...what happened, happened...but what does that mean?"
Jeanette leant on the table, "Yeah, what's gonna happen with you and Alex? This isn't it for you guys is it?"
Steph slumped back on the booth and pulled all her hair to one side, playing with a few strands, "I don't know...I thought he was the first decent guy I'd been with...but then he pulls this sh*t" she closed her eyes as Brittany pressed, "But you love him right?"
Steph opened her eyes and gave a laugh, "What the hell do I know about love? Come on you've seen my track record, I don't have a freakin' clue what that's supposed to look like." she closed her eyes again and sighed.
They were silent for a while before Jeanette broke the silence, smiling a little, "It looks like what you and Alex have"
Steph opened her eyes and looked at Jeanette, "Have or had?"
Eleanor shook her head, "You guys still have it...you've just hit a...major speed bump"
Steph played with her hair again as Eleanor continued, "Look at Alvin and Brittany, all the sh*t they've been through over the years"
Brittany frowned and pouted, but eventually nodded in agreement, "Yeah ok...yeah see, Alvin and me have been through some crazy sh*t...and we always seem to work it out...do you want to work things out with Alex?"
Steph put her head in her hands, "Eventually, I guess...but right now I just wanna smack 'im in the head!" she growled and slumped back into the booth, "I didn't even get to exploit the fact it's my birthday for free drinks"
The girls looked at one another as Steph dropped her head onto the table, hoping the guys had talked some sense into Alex and Bruno.
Simon and Theodore managed to find Alex pretty quickly.
He was sitting in the gutter outside a closed down store, his hands gripping at his head, and looking down at his feet.
Simon looked at Theodore and nodded, as they approached Alex they could see the bruises and cuts formed on his face, blood had seeped and dried through his shirt.
Alex looked up and almost jumped a little; he'd knew the others might have come after him, but it was still a surprise when he did see Simon and Theodore.
They sat down either side of him, Simon starting the conversation, "So here's where you got to then?"
Alex didn't answer.
Theodore looked pleadingly at Simon, who coughed to clear his throat, "Look, Alex, what happened back there in the club-"
"Is what's made me lose Steph, yeah I know" Alex muttered, and leant on his knees.
Theodore shook his head, "Well, maybe not...I mean, yeah she's a little mad"
Alex's head snapped up, "A little? She %$# ing hates me!"
Simon, always the rational thinker, corrected him, "Hate is a pretty strong word"
Alex looked at him, eyes wide, "Did you see the way she looked at me? In her eyes?" he closed his eyes and lowered his head, "I'll never forget that look"
Simon took a breath in, "Look, Alex, I'll admit what happened was probably not your smartest move, but I mean, what brought it all on?" Simon knew the answer but he wanted to hear Alex's side.
Alex just shook his head again, balling his fists up, "He was making out with Steph...he had his hands, all over her" he gritted his teeth and then dropped his hands down.
Simon nodded, "Yeah, that's what you saw"
Alex looked between Theodore and Simon, "What? You weren't even there, how can you say what I saw and what I didn't?"
Theodore spoke softly, "No we weren't, but we heard from Steph what happened" well actually it was from Brittany, who'd heard it from Steph, but telling Alex that would've lost the credibility.
Alex raised an eyebrow, "Oh yeah?"
Simon nodded, "Yeah, Steph said she was leaning over the railing and slipped, Bruno caught her and pulled her back to safety...what you saw was her thanking him"
"By making out?" Alex's voice rose.
Theodore shook his head, "No, by giving him a hug and kiss, on the cheek" he looked at Alex, letting the new information sink in.
Alex looked out over the road and though a moment.
Finally it clicked, and he shook his head, "Oh %$# ...what have I done?" he stretched his legs out in front of him, "But, but Bruno-"
"Hasn't done anything, really, to pass judgement on him" Simon quickly added.
Alex looked at him, drawing his legs back up, as Simon continued, "Look, I'll admit it seems he and Steph have some kind of connection going on, but what that is exactly, I don't know" he sighed, "It may even be nothing"
Alex wrung his hands a little and looked back and forth between Simon and Theodore, "So you think I've been too hard on Bruno then?"
Simon looked over at Theodore who shrugged a little, "Well, I think you kinda had a right to be a little suspicious"
Simon shook his head at Theodore, thinking, "No Theodore, don't sow doubt in Alex's mind – you'll just feed the fire"
Theodore continued, "I mean, Bruno and Steph have sorta clicked since she first picked him up"
Simon put his head in his hand.
Alex nodded as Theodore continued, throwing his curve ball, "But you haven't exactly been that friendly towards Bruno either, I mean, have you tried to get to know him?"
Simon snapped his head up.
Alex looked at Theodore and sighed, "Guess I just wanted to look after Steph...but in the end took that too far huh?"
Theodore smiled a little, "We all wanna look after Steph"
Simon laughed a little, "Gosh knows she needs it sometimes" Alex looked quickly at him, making Simon stop laughing and cough a little, "*Ahem* but she's pretty head strong at looking after herself too...maybe when she says there's nothing going on, then there's nothing going on, and you probably should've listened to her"
Alex tilted his head back and rolled his head a little, "%$# I'm an idiot"
Alvin, meanwhile had searched everywhere for Bruno.
He'd looked in all the dodgy back alleys, (and been offered numerous illegal substances and services) and in all the surrounding streets.
He was about to give up and head back to the RVs, hoping to enlist the help of the girls to find him, when he spotted a lone figure on a bench in the park.
Alvin sighed relief and made his way over.
Bruno was sitting on the top of the bench with his feet on the seat and his head in his hands.
Alvin stood before him and spoke calmly, "Hey"
Slowly, Bruno looked up, before lowering his head again.
Alvin asked, "Mind if I join you?"
Bruno still said nothing; to which Alvin took as an open invitation and sat up the same way as Bruno on the bench.
They sat in silence for a while before Alvin broke it, "Look, Bruno, I'll level with ya, I'm not really good with this sh*t, but I want you to know, I'm, well we're all here for you man" he reached out and patted him manly on the back, but Bruno flinched, making Alvin stop abruptly and bring his hand back.
Bruno looked up; it was clear he'd been crying...or at least been teary.
Without bothering to wipe his tears, he sniffled and looked at Alvin, "I'm, I'm sorry you had to witness that...all of you"
Alvin shrugged, "Natural reaction when someone lays one to your head"
Bruno gave a weak smile, before his face fell, "But...sh*t, Steph's reaction...her eyes...the way she spoke..."
He went silent again.
Alvin coughed to clear his throat, "You, uh, don't have anything going on for Steph do you?"
Bruno looked at him with an expression pained as if to say, "What you too?"
Alvin quickly retracted his question, "Uh, never mind, just wanting to see where you're at..."
Bruno sighed, "She reminds me of my mama"
Alvin was confused, "Come again?"
"Steph" Bruno started, "She reminds me of my mama...just how she was willing to give me a go, take me in or whatever, you know, when everyone else runs a mile from me, won't give me a chance cause they think I'm gonna, I dunno, kill 'em or some sh*t. I dunno what it is, but she just has a heart that I've longed to be reconnected with since my mama..." his voice trailed off as he felt the tears fall down his cheeks and lowered his head.
Now Alvin, at this moment felt completely awkward; crying girls was one thing, but crying guys? That was a new experience, and one he'd have to overcome instantly.
So he just kept talking to fill the void, "Steph's a pretty cool chick, hell she's been there for all us a number of times, I reckon she'd easily take a bullet for any of us"
Bruno wiped his eyes and nodded, "And she could stop my anger boiling over...no one but my mama has been able to do that" he looked at Alvin, "See? See why she means so much?"
He looked deep into Alvin's eyes, making Alvin slightly uncomfortable, but it was then, like Bruno was transferring his past over to Alvin, and he could feel the hurt and the very pain Bruno had seemingly been wrestling with since his mother's death.
Bruno looked up at the sky, "I'm not in love with her, she's just a friend in my eyes, and I never, ever meant to come between her and Alex, that's the last thing I wanted" he gave an awkward laugh, "I just wanted to get to Vegas"
Alvin smiled a little, "And we're still gonna take you there"
Bruno frowned again, "Alex is gonna kill me...or if he tries, I'll kill him...which I don't want either scenario"
Alvin shook his head, "Man, after Steph's rant, I'm pretty sure Alex feels like sh*t too...I really don't think he planned to take things that outta control...maybe if you just talked to him?...tell him what you told me?"
Bruno sighed, and clenched and unclenched his fists; they were still throbbing from the fight.
He turned to Alvin, "Reckon he'd listen though?"
Alvin shrugged and smiled a little, "We'll just duct tape him to a chair til he does listen" he raised an eyebrow.
Bruno gave a small sideways smile and took a deep breath, "Even if Alex does listen, even if we become 'mates' or whatever" he looked at Alvin, "How will I explain all this to Steph?"
Alvin took a deep breath also, "Just start talking" he gave Bruno a brief pat on the shoulder.
They looked out beyond the park and sat in silence before Alvin asked, "So...how'd it happen?...Your mama?"
Bruno lowered his head and closed his eyes, and spoke softly, "She was amazing...the kindest hearted woman ever..." his voice rose and his fists clenched hard, "But she married this %$# ing asshole who treated her like dirt, no, no less than dirt" he frowned and looked at Alvin, "Whatever's less than dirt, less than scum, less than sh*t, that's where this dickhead put my mama; that's how much he thought of her"
Alvin, intrigued, pressed on, "Why'd she stay with him then?"
Bruno shrugged dramatically, "%$# knows? Guess she loved him" he looked to the stars, "I still remember the day I tried to stick up for her against that pig and got whacked so hard, I fell to the ground, my head smacking the kitchen floor. She simply scooped me up and took me into the bathroom, fixing me up. She looked at me with these sad sorry eyes and wiped my face telling me, 'Bruno, no matter how angry you may get, no matter what happens in life, violence will never solve it'. I was five years old"
Alvin nodded slowly as Bruno continued, looking back at his hands; his foot tapping involuntarily on the bench, "She died a couple of months later; stress on her heart caused it to fail and she couldn't be revived. I'd been at school and wasn't told until I got home later that day" he shook his head, "What kind of selfish bastard doesn't even tell his kid his mama's just died?" he gave a gruff laugh, "The man who was supposed to be my father, that's who"
He took a deep breath and sat a little straighter, "Since then, I've learnt to fend for myself by any means possible, which has lead me to become a bit of an anti social riff raff stereotype" he laughed a little, "My anger has gotten me into some deep sh*t over the years, no more than my latest"
"The fight?" Alvin asked
Bruno looked at him and shook his head a little, "Ok, before that then, no I got expelled from school"
Alvin whistled, "What'cha do?"
Bruno smiled, "Oh just beat up on the principal's kid"
Alvin gave a smile too, "Lemme guess, the epitome of teacher's pet?"
Bruno nodded, "Yeah, I dubbed him as the 'Untouchable' cause of the way he paraded round the school like he owned it and sh*t. He treated everyone at the school as his minions who needed to do whatever he wanted and please his every beck and call...well that was until the day he pissed me off. His name's Jason, and I dunno exactly what he said, but I know he just rubbed me the wrong way...that and I was already semi-pissed off already that day" he smiled, thinking back, "So words were exchanged and I thought, '%$# this guy needs to be brought off his pedestal'. So I emptied a bottle of hot sauce into his milk, rammed the carton in his face, picked up my lunch tray and Jerry Springered it over his head, knocking him to the ground, where I continued to beat the living sh*t outta him til I was pulled off him and dragged kicking and screaming to the principal. Who in turn had called the cops and had me 'escorted' from the school grounds immediately"
Alvin let out a laugh, "That's actually pretty hilarious"
Bruno smiled, "I know right? I got thanked by a few other social outcasts for my little revolt against the 'Prince' but yeah, ultimately, I got expelled...which later made me think of what my mama would say" a downcast expression fell over his face, "Which then made me do a total 180...I was on such a high from what I did to Jason, then I came crashing down thinking about how disappointed mama would have been at my actions"
He shook his head, "I thought of what she'd say, how she'd look" he looked over at Alvin, "And she would've looked the way Steph did tonight"
He put his head in his hands as Alvin sat there, clasping his hands, unsure what to say next.
The girls had managed to calm Steph down at least, sort of; albeit it meant allowing her to nurse the bottle of scotch.
Steph sat there swirling the scotch in the bottle, "So what should I do now?"
Brittany was leaning against the bench top, sending a text to Alvin and Simon for a status report.
Jeanette sipped on her lemonade, "Well, what do you want to do?"
Steph sighed and looked into the bottle, "I wanna find the rewind button"
Eleanor smiled and patted her on the arm, "We all wanna find the rewind button when stuff like this happens"
Steph rolled her eyes and slid out of the booth, "I want to find those two, scream at both of them til I pass out and then sleep for hours" she picked up the bottle and skulled about another quarter of the bottle, pulling a face as it burnt down the back of her throat, slamming the bottle on the table.
She held her hand to her head as Brittany ducked in to stabilise her, "Maybe you should skip the yelling and just go to bed?"
Steph frowned at her, "But it's my birthday it's too early to go to bed" she pouted, before yawning.
Eleanor smiled and shook her head a little, "Come on Steph, a good night's rest is what you need" she glanced at the microwave clock, "Besides it nearly 2am"
Steph whined, "%$ # it, my birthday's over"
"Come on" Brittany smiled, taking her by the arm.
Steph yawned again and nodded sleepily, letting Brittany lead her to bed.
After talking it out and sitting in silence, Simon and Theodore had managed to convince Alex to at least try and talk to Bruno.
They were heading back to the RVs, as Simon sent a message to Alvin:
The eagle is in flight. Si
Alvin texted back quickly:
Simon, wat da %$# r u on about? Wat eagle? & y's it flyin?
Simon frowned a little and rolled his eyes, texting back:
We're on our way bak 2 RVs wiv Alex. Idiot.
Simon jumped a little as his phone rang, and he answered it, listening to a very fed up Alvin on the other end, "Why didn't you just say that then Simon? Seriously, it's %$# ing late, my mind switched off hours ago"
Simon sighed, "OK, well did you find Bruno?"
Alvin nodded, looking back at the bench where Bruno still sat and turned back to the phone, "Yeah...he's not doing too well though, he feels like sh*t"
Simon looked ahead at Alex, walking beside Theodore, "Yeah well so does Alex, so they're in the same boat"
Alvin shook his head, "Nah, Si, Bruno's been floating round on a raft, a boat's a step up"
Simon frowned, "Now I'm confused"
Alvin just sighed heavily, "We're on our way back...we gotta get these guys talking"
Simon nodded, "Yeah definitely...ok well we'll see you when you get back then"
He hung up and jogged to catch up with Theodore and Alex.
Alvin turned and walked back to Bruno, "Ready to get movin'?"
Bruno sighed and stool on the bench, jumping down, "Let's get this over and done with"
Alvin held his fist out, as Bruno crowned it and together they made their way back to the site.
Alex sat on a tree stump, shaking his head, his foot tapping on the dirt floor.
Simon and Theodore stood next to him, like security.
Alex looked up and saw Bruno and Alvin walking towards them and he stood quickly, "I can't do this"
Simon and Theodore grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him back down, "Yes you can Alex, you have to" Simon reassured him, "Or else this road trip is going to become frightfully awkward"
Alex nodded and sat watching as Bruno and Alvin got closer.
His mind was racing between different emotions and pathways.
He was still mad at Bruno, but now he had no idea why...or the reason he did have was now conflicted.
He was also still majorly pissed off at himself for multiple reasons; starting the fight, ruining Steph's birthday, causing a scene, not listening to or trusting Steph as much as he should have.
Bruno stood a few steps from Alex, his hands in his pockets.
Alex looked up.
They both looked like hell; cuts, bruises, and all sorts of hurt – Alex had managed to cop a black eye even.
Alex sighed and gestured to a spot next to him for Bruno to sit down.
Bruno looked at the spot and back at Alex, before Alvin stepped closer and nudged Bruno forward, "Go on"
Bruno looked back at Alvin, who, with arms folded, shrugged, and sat on a stump next to Alex.
They sat in silence for a while, neither wanting to make the first move.
Finally Alex sighed and looked at the ground, "First off, You have a hell've a kick, man"
Bruno nodded, "Kick boxing"
Alex nodded back.
Another silence.
Alvin rolled his eyes; he was tired, and drained and wasn't in the mood to watch two guys perform a stop and start conversation, "Can you two hurry up and sort ya sh*t out?" he yawned, "I'm wiped"
Simon frowned at Alvin, and shook his head at him.
Alvin looked at Simon and shrugged.
Bruno coughed and clasped his hands, running his fingers over his knuckles, "Look Alex, I don't what you thought you saw, but it's not what you think"
Alex nodded a little as Bruno continued, "Steph was about to fall over the edge of the balcony, I grabbed her wherever I could to balance her back"
Alex looked over at him as Bruno blinked, "Oh, um, under the arm and back of the thigh" he patted the spots he'd grabbed Steph on his own body to reinforce his story, "Then, she gave me hug and a kiss on the cheek...that's all"
Alex folded his arms and leant on his knees, "I'm sorry Bruno...sorry, I just snapped" he stood and paced a little, "Look, Steph means a hell of a lot to me, she's unlike any other girl I've been with and I guess when I saw the way she acted round you...it kinda pissed me off that she'd do that, right in front of me...but I didn't wanna be frustrated at her...so I took it out on you"
Bruno nodded, understandingly, "But isn't that just her?"
Alex stopped and turned his head towards Bruno, "Yeah...yeah that's her" he looked at Simon, "Taming the beast within huh?"
Simon shrugged and leant against a tree.
Alex scuffed his foot in the dirt, "I guess I did the one thing you're probably sick of people doing to you, and placed judgement on you before I even got to know you"
Bruno nodded again, "Bang on Alex" he sighed, "I'm not a bad kid, just made out that way. When people put a label on you, sometimes you play it up, just for the sake of it, cause you can and sh*t...but truth be told, I'm just a guy with a %$# ed up past and a temper like nothin' else" he shrugged a little as Alex smirked a little, tenderly touching his eye, "You've got some power behind them fists, I'll say that"
Bruno gave a small smile, before standing up too, "Look, Alex, I'm not after trying to hook up with Steph, despite what things may look like" he looked at Alvin who closed his eyes and nodded, and took a deep breath in, "Steph reminds me of my mama"
Alex looked confused, (as did Simon and Theodore) as they both took a seat again, Bruno explaining the story of his late mother.
After it all, and Alex and Bruno later chatting about other things, Simon looked at his watch and yawned, "So you guys are done now? All sorted?"
Alex and Bruno looked at one another and smiled a little.
However both knew behind those smiles, they'd view each other with just a little bit of caution.
But for now, they could at least agree to show some understanding and tolerance for one another, given how they each felt about Steph.
Bruno held his hand out, as Alex shook it.
Alvin sighed and stretched, "What time is it Simon?"
Simon checked his watch again, "It's almost 3am"
Alvin groaned, "%$# , really?...I'm going to bed"
The other guys nodded, as Bruno asked, "Should we apologise to Steph? Or leave it til the morning?"
Alex looked over at the RV, "Well...maybe we should do it now..."
They walked over and Alex knocked on the door.
Brittany came to the door and opened it quietly, whispering, "Oh hey guys, um, you've sorted everything out?"
Alex and Bruno nodded as Alvin pushed past, "Outta my way, I need bed"
Brittany pointed to the over cab bed, "We're up here tonight"
Alvin shook his head and took his shirt off, "Whatever" and climbed up the ladder.
Alex tried peering into the RV, "Um, we just wanted to apologise to Steph, she still up?"
Brittany shook her head, "Uh, well she went to bed about an hour ago...she may be awake, but I'm guessing she'll be asleep by now"
Bruno asked, "Think you could wake her up?"
Brittany folded her arms and leant on the door frame, "Are you serious?"
The guys nodded, Alex adding, "We both feel like sh*t and wanna apologise"
Brittany sighed, "Ooo-kaaay...but if she gets all sh*tty at you, and starts yelling and screaming, YOU have to deal with it" she glanced over to a very tired looking Simon and Theodore and motioned towards 'Einstein', "Jeanette and Ellie headed back already"
Simon and Theodore nodded and quietly left over to the other RV.
They guys nodded as Brittany left and headed down to the back room.
Bruno looked at Alex, "Maybe we should wait til morning?"
Alex shook his head, "Nah I gotta do this now or I'll never get to sleep...I'll be up worrying about all this sh*t"
Bruno nodded, "Fair enough then"
They waited outside and could hear Brittany murmuring to Steph in the back room.
Suddenly they heard Steph yell out, "You woke me up for what?" followed by Steph groaning out loud, "Well tell them to piss off I'm not in the mood now!"
Another murmur from Brittany followed by a, "I don't give a sh*t about their conscience right now, I can feel the %$# in' hangover starting already!"
Alex and Bruno looked at one another as Alvin called out, "You guys asked for this remember" he smirked a little and threw his jeans to the floor.
They could all hear stumbling and stomping as Steph came to the door, clearly unimpressed, under the influence and tired.
She ran her fingers through her tangle of hair and leant on the door frame, wearing only her cheeky black panties and a singlet, with no bra.
"You boys have some %$# ing nerve" she muttered, stifling a yawn.
Bruno gave Alex a nudge forward, as Alex cleared his throat, "Look, Steph, we're both really sorry for what happened tonight...um, last night"
Steph rolled her eyes as Alex continued, "But we've sorted things out now"
Bruno adding, "We just wanted to make sure you were ok before we headed to bed"
Steph yawned and looked at them both, frowning, "You wanted to make sure I was ok? Gee how %$# ing sweet" she said with a hint of sarcasm, "Fine apology accepted"
Alex and Bruno looked at each other and gave a small smile, ready to head into the RV.
But Steph blocked the doorway, "Uh-uh, don't think you're off the hook completely, you guys can camp it out here"
She turned into the RV, only to emerge hurling two tents and sleeping bags outside, "I'm still very pissed off...and just a little drunk... at the both of you for %$# ing my birthday up and now for waking me up and I don't want either of you sleeping in here tonight"
Alex tried to reason with her, "Steph, come on, it's, like, 3am"
Steph shrugged, "Deal with it...should've thought of that before you made a scene" she smiled curtly and headed back to the bedroom.
Brittany came back to the door and gave a small smile, "At least she's sorta talking to you both again. Maybe you can see if you can bunk over at 'Einstein'?"
Bruno picked up the sleeping bag, looking at Alex, "Look I'm used to roughin' it, I'll sleep out here if you wanna take a bed in 'Einstein'?"
By now Alex was so wrecked from the events that'd unfolded, he couldn't be bothered to either argue or negotiate.
Instead he just nodded and trudged over to 'Einstein'.
Brittany looked at Bruno, "Thanks...you sure you'll be ok?"
Bruno unrolled the sleeping bag, "I'll be fine, it's not a bad night out" looking at the sky.
Brittany smiled a little and shook her head, "That's not what I meant Bruno"
He looked down at his feet and sighed, "I think we've come to an understanding of one another, if anything...we're not gonna be best buddies, that's for sure, but I dunno...I think it'll be ok...so long as nothing else happens to flare each other up"
Brittany nodded, "OK then, well...I'd let you stay in here...but I don't want Steph losing it in the morning"
Bruno laughed a little, "It's no problem, really, but thanks anyway"
Brittany smiled, "Like Steph said, you're part of the family now" and she closed the door, leaving Bruno to sort out his own sleeping arrangements.
The following morning at about 10:30am, Brittany quietly climbed down the ladder so as to not wake Alvin, who was snoring next to her and put her dressing gown on.
She padded down to the back room and knocked lightly on the door, "Steph?"
The door opened slightly.
Brittany tilted her head and pushed the door open a little more, poking her head in, "Steph? You awake?"
She looked at the mess of blankets and sheets on the bed.
But Steph wasn't there.
Brittany gasped and looked around the room, picking up Steph's phone, before hurrying to Alvin, "Alvin, Alvin wake up!"
He stirred and groaned, rolling over.
Brittany sighed angrily and picked up her pillow, smacking it down on his head, "OW! %$# off Britt!" he leant up on his elbows, glaring at her, "My head's a little fuzzy, what gives?"
Brittany clutched her pillow and bit her bottom lip, "I can't find Steph"
Alvin looked blankly at her and ran his hand down his face, "Huh?"
Brittany frowned at him and pointed to the back room, "I went to wake Steph up, or see if she was awake, and she's not there"
Alvin yawned, "Maybe she needed to pee?" and settled his head back down.
Brittany poked him in the arm, "Nah-uh, she'd have used the bathroom here and that door is wide open" she held Steph's phone up, "And she left this"
Alvin slowly sat up and squinted at the phone in Brittany's hand, "Maybe she went for a walk?"
Brittany put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot, "She's not a freakin' cat Alvin"
Alvin shrugged and rubbed his eyes, "Well, I dunno...maybe she's over with Alex?"
Brittany nodded, heading to the back room to get dressed, "OK, I'll head over there"
Alvin waved his hand in the air and dropped his head back on his pillow.
Stepping outside, it was another warm day.
Brittany tip-toed over to Bruno and noticed her was still asleep.
She tried wake him, crouching down next to him and poking gently, "Bruno? Bruno? Hey, wake up Bruno"
Bruno stirred and sleepily opened one eye before jumping back a little as Brittany stood up over him, "Sorry, sorry to wake you"
Bruno shook his head and sat up, rubbing his eyes, "Um, it's fine" he cleared his throat, "What's up?"
Brittany looked around, "You haven't seen Steph have you?"
Bruno looked confused at her, "No, why?"
Sighing, Brittany replied, "I went in to wake her this morning and she's not there, and she's left her phone and no note"
Bruno frowned, "Haven't seen or heard from her since last night" he reached over and shook his shirt out, putting it on and slipping out of the sleeping bag, "She hasn't gone over to the others?"
Brittany shook her head, "Haven't checked yet"
Bruno gathered the sleeping bag and threw it into the RV, making Alvin sit up at the noise before falling back asleep.
Brittany and Bruno walked over to 'Einstein' and knocked on the door.
Eleanor answered with a smile, which later dropped when she saw the looks on Brittany and Bruno's faces, "What's up?"
Brittany started to explain, "I went to wake Steph up this morning and she's not there. She's left her phone and no note...I was hoping she'd be here?"
Eleanor shook her head, "No Steph's not here either"
At this point, Alex came to the door, "Why, where's Steph got to?"
Bruno shrugged, "We're not sure, we were hoping she'd be here"
Alex shook his head and turned to pull his shirt on and stepped out of the RV, "Well we gotta go find her"
Bruno nodded, "She couldn't have gotten far on foot. I'd say she'll be somewhere in town"
Simon came to the door, already dressed, with Jeanette, "We'll help too"
Alex smiled, "OK, if we go in pairs, and split up we'll cover more ground to find her"
"Find who?" a husky voice asked, stepping from around the RV.
They all turned and looked at Steph, sipping a very large coffee and wearing dark sunglasses.
Alex took a step forward and hugged her, sighing, "Sh*t we didn't know where you were"
Steph, who'd made no attempt to hug back, gave a small smile and held her coffee up, "I needed a caffeine boost and an aspirin" she held her head and shook it gently, "I have a killer hangover"
Brittany flicked her on the forehead, "OW! %$# , Brittany! I just said I have a killer hangover!" Steph whined.
Brittany folded her arms, "You had us all worried"
Steph rolled her eyes, which couldn't really be seen from under her sunglasses, but she did, and started towards the tree stumps, "Geez I thought turning 18 meant I can do what I want...sorry I didn't report in or anything" and sat down on the largest.
The others rolled their eyes and stepped outside to join her.
Steph sat sipping her coffee and nursing her head as the others came to sit next to her.
Jeanette eventually asking, "So you're ok then?"
Steph looked up and lowered her sunglasses a little, squinting at the bright light of daytime, "I'd be better if my head didn't feel like it had a jackhammer in it"
Alex asked cautiously, "But, last night, you're ok?"
Steph looked at him and pushed her sunnies back up, "No more belting the sh*t outta each other?"
Both Alex and Bruno shook their head, "Uh-uh, we're good"
She gave a little smile, "You're lucky I'm the forgiving type then" she pulled on Alex's pant leg til he sat next to her and kissed him on the cheek.
Simon scratched his head, "Well I'm glad we're all on a better understanding of one another then...but I'm guessing we're not going to be driving much today"
Brittany nodded, "Yeah I think Alvin's a little hung over too"
Simon sighed and nodded, "Well that's two drivers out, so we're defiantly not driving today...what'll we do then?"
Eleanor clapped excitedly, "Let's go to the Wild West town!"
Steph gripped at her head, "Ahh, shhh, Ellie, not so loud" and sipped her coffee.
Eleanor giggled, "Sorry Steph, but serves you right for polishing off about half a bottle of scotch"
Alex looked at her, "Seriously?"
Steph shrugged, "Why'd you let me then?"
Brittany folded her arms and pointed at her, "We tried to take it from you, but you were so pissed off, there was no way you'd let it go"
Steph leant back on the stump, "I need a drink when I get cranky"
Jeanette nodded, "And drink you did"
Steph smiled and looked up, "Where's Alvie boy?"
Brittany nodded back at the RV, "Sleeping probably"
Steph smiled and stood up, "This is gonna hurt, but it's gonna be so worth it" and walked over to the RV, carefully slipping in through the door, so as to not let the light in and she screamed out, throwing the door open, spilling light throughout the RV, "WAKE UP ALVIE!"
Alvin sat up in a flash, smacking his head on the roof.
He quickly gripped at his head and blocked the sun from his eyes, "%$# ING HELL!"
Steph laughed then held her own head, "Owee...oh so worth it"
Alvin glared at her from over the bed, "What the hell?"
Steph smiled up at him, "Morning sunshine"
He rubbed his head, "My head hurts...both inside and out"
Steph laughed a little, "Mine too, so shut up and get your ass dressed and get down here"
Alvin rolled his eyes and flopped back on the bed as Steph exited the RV, "And he's awake"
She finished the rest of her coffee and threw the cup in a nearby bin, "So we're off to play cowboys then?"
Eleanor nodded, "Yeah, well, kinda, it's this old western type town where you dress up and play in character"
Alvin came out with his shirt over his shoulder, doing his fly up as Brittany added, "Sounds kinda lame Ellie"
Eleanor frowned, "Well do you have any other suggestions of what to do then?"
Brittany looked down at the ground as Eleanor smiled, "See, you got nothing, Britt"
Alvin leant his head against Brittany and hugged her round the waist, "What are we doing?"
Simon filled in the gaps, "We're not driving today considering you and Steph are a little worse for wear"
Alvin shook his head, "I'll be alright later...just gimme an hour or so...and a greasy hamburger"
Steph nodded, "Yeah a big greasy bacon burger, mmm"
Alvin smiled as Theodore licked his lips, "Breakfast sounds good" he looked at his watch, "Or an early lunch?"
Simon nodded, "OK well we'll walk into the main strip, grab something to eat and then" he turned to Eleanor, "How far is this place?"
Eleanor thought a moment, "I think it's only a few miles out, not too far"
Simon looked at Alex, "You up to drive?"
Alex nodded, "Can do"
They all agreed a brunch was what was needed to wake them all up and get them started for the day, and then they'd head out to the western town.
They pulled up outside the western town and piled out of the RVs.
Bruno laughed, "This is like straight out of a Hollywood film set"
Theodore smiled, "This is going to be so much fun"
They followed the signs past a saloon into the sheriff's office.
The place had a few tourists wandering but the majority of personnel were comprised of the workers and extras who made up the bulk of city folk.
Brittany turned to Eleanor, "Ellie, this place is lame as"
Eleanor rolled her eyes and ignored her whinging sister and approached the front desk.
After a few minutes, and a questionnaire they had to fill out about themselves and each other's personalities, they were all assigned different roles and given a scenario to play out.
Alvin was impressed being named the Sherriff, while Alex was made his deputy.
Theodore got labelled as the barman at the saloon, with Jeanette being a barmaid.
Simon was put as the piano man (after Theodore had spotted the piano and admitted to Simon knowing how to play) and Eleanor and Brittany were chorus girls.
Bruno got made the bad guy, mostly by default and the fact they needed someone to play the bad guy and Steph got the role as the call girl.
She came out of the dressing rooms in a skanky ruffled get up with a garter and beads, her breasts pushed up and almost out of the corset top, "Thanks guys for making me the town whore" she stomped out.
Alvin whistled as the others laughed, "But you play it so well"
She flipped her finger at them all and joined the group as they were told of the scenario.
Basically the saloon would be the main point for the action, where the Chorus girls would be singing as the piano man plays, the call girls are hanging from the top balcony to try and drum business, the barman and barmaid would be serving drinks.
Then the bad guys would enter the bar, demanding something, and they'd call out for the Sheriff and deputy to come and save the day, ending in a shoot out on the main drag.
The place would also be filled with the extras, who knew what to do and the other tourists were made as townsfolk too; some made as call girls, a few chorus girls and a few guys were assigned to Bruno's posse of bad folk while the rest were made as general townsfolk.
The guy in charge told them the basic outline of the scene and instructed them of some cues to look for and make and a few simple lines to say to get the scene moving, but allowed them some improvisation privileges.
They were all hurried to their starting markers and waited for the call to action.
Steph looked over the balcony, and called down, "Um, I have a bad relationship with balconies! Do I really need to drape myself over it?" she looked over at the other call girls getting into character.
The guy in charge wasn't listening and simply gave her a thumbs up.
Steph rolled her eyes, "Fine, screw you man" and decided to wander the top floor, poking her head into empty rooms, which were storing souvenirs and such.
She found one room that had a lounge and pulling the beads from around her neck off, decided to sit down on the lounge and wait til this whole scene had passed.
The guy in charge called for everyone to take their positions.
Simon looked at the piano and noticed it had a docking station hooked up to it, the piano was totally automatic.
He sat there unimpressed, thinking, "So I just pretend to play?" he stood and looked at the MP3 player hooked up to the piano and saw it was cued to play a stereotypical saloon tune. He sighed as Brittany and Eleanor looked over at him, "What's wrong?"
Simon looked up at them, "This thing is automatic; I don't have to actually play anything...kind of a letdown"
Eleanor looked and saw the MP3 player and smiled.
She made a quick dash out the back of the saloon to the dressing rooms and came back with Brittany's iPod, handing it to Simon, "Use this instead"
Simon looked at her, "I can't just change the music"
Eleanor shrugged, "Why not?"
Simon smiled, "Well maybe we can find somewhere to make things a little more interesting".
Brittany jumped off the stage and scrolled through finding Pink's 'Trouble' and handed the iPod back to Simon, "Just put this in at the right time, if it looks like it's going nowhere"
She climbed back onto the stage as the other chorus girls looked at Brittany and Eleanor, "Just follow our lead girls" they smiled and got into position.
Theodore happily cleaned a glass and the bar top, while Jeanette stood balancing two glasses on her tray and crossed her fingers hoping she wouldn't drop it.
Alvin and Alex were outside leaning against the sheriff door, wasting time until they were called and Bruno and his band of misfits were positioned just outside awaiting their cue. The guy in charge called action as the saloon began buzzing with activity
Bruno turned to his mob of about six other teens, "Ok, so we need to go in demanding something, what should it be?"
A red headed teen put his hand up, "Beer!"
While another shouted out, "Babes!"
Bruno shook his head; how the hell did these guys end up as part of his gang, "What about demanding money? That's easy enough"
The others smiled and nodded at him, "Yeah that sounds great" and then they added, "And then we go for the babes and the beer!"
Bruno rolled his eyes, "Yeah whatever"
He brought his group up the steps of the saloon and looked over to Alvin and Alex, now leaning on the railing.
Alvin tipped his hat and called out, "See you in there soon"
Bruno smiled and nodded to his misfits, grabbed the toy pistols from his holsters and made ready to make an entrance.
He pushed the swinging doors open and stepped in, yelling in a menacing voice, "This here's a stick up, give us all your money!"
The extras began squealing and yelling all afraid as the two teens called out, "And your beer and babes!"
Bruno rolled his eyes and lowered his pistols a little, "You two are the worst bad guys ever"
They charged in, throwing a few tables over and creating uproar.
Brittany and Eleanor looked at the rest of their chorus girls screaming and cowering in the corner of the stage, "Why do chorus girls just scream? I want in on the action"
Eleanor laughed, "Yeah me too, let's stick up to these bad fellows and show them what we're made of"
They jumped off the stage and picked up chairs, threatening to hit people over the head with them.
Simon looked at them, "Um, what are you girls doing? You're not in character"
Brittany shrugged and pushed a chair into one of the townsfolk, "Being a chorus girl sucks, you just end up screaming"
Eleanor laughed and tripped another extra, "We're making the scene interesting"
Simon smiled and whistled at Theodore and Jeanette to come out from behind the bar, "Come on, we've got a bar to defend!" he quickly changed the MP3 player for the iPod and hit play, turning the volume up so 'Trouble' pumped out.
Theodore and Jeanette looked at one another and jumped over the bar laughing.
Theodore used his dish cloth to whip people as Jeanette pushed a few people with her tray.
The misfits were busily pushing things over and creating a general chaotic mess, as Bruno headed up the stairs after noticing he couldn't see Steph.
Bruno looked around and pushed past some of the other call girls, calling out, "Steph? Where'd you go? You're missing all the action down there"
He found her slumped on a lounge, eating from a packet of chips she'd found in the room.
Looking up she smiled, "Oh so your bit's on now huh?"
Bruno nodded, scratching his head with one of the pistols, "How come you're not out there?"
Steph shrugged, "I got bored...then I found chips and a lounge" she patted a spot next to her, "Wanna join me?"
Bruno laughed at her and folded his arms, "I'm kinda in the middle of a money heist at the moment"
Steph shrugged and adjusted her corset, "Have fun out there"
Bruno nodded and was about to leave when Steph motioned for him to come back, "Hey Bruno?"
He turned back, "Hey what?"
Steph tried to stand up, but ended up falling back into the lounge, laughing.
Bruno smiled and went over to give her a hand, helping her to her feet, "What's up?" he tried hard not to glance at her cleavage pushed up from the corset.
She smiled, noticing what he was trying not to do, "Look if you must" she laughed as he caught a quick glance, smiling, "But that's not what I wanted to ask you"
Bruno raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"
She sighed, "Bruno...I just wanna know something..." she closed her eyes and lowered her head.
She went silent as Bruno, looking over his shoulder asked, "Wanna know what?"
Then without warning, Steph wrapped her arms round his neck and kissed him passionately on the lips.
Needless to say, Bruno was thrown off guard and stepped back.
Pulling off from him, she smiled and tilted her head, "Hmm...sorry, it's been bugging me all night what it'd be like to do that"
Bruno looked at her, eyes wide, very confused.
Steph shrugged, and walked out to the balcony, "Thought you were in the middle of a heist?"
Bruno was unable to speak, but managed to mutter out, "Alex is going to-"
"Oh Alex doesn't have to know, geez, I'm just experimenting here, it was one kiss" she rolled her eyes and looked over the balcony railing, "Yeah, you're little misfits suck at heists, they're all getting themselves captured down there" she grabbed Bruno by the arm and pulled him towards the stairs, "Off you go then"
Bruno stumbled down the stairs, unsure what the hell just happened up there, what to make of it and what to do next.
The guy in charge watched it all unravelling before him, but couldn't seem to regain control.
He quickly called for someone to call Alvin and Alex in.
Alvin and Alex were now sitting on the deck of the sheriff's office, looking very bored.
They'd tried to peek into the saloon when they heard the music play, but were shooed away and told to wait for their cue.
"You're up, come on, they need you in there!" the stagehand called.
Alvin helped Alex up and straightened his hat, "Let's bust 'em"
Alex laughed and nodded, following Alvin as he pushed the swinging doors open.
He didn't however step in far enough and had them swing back in his face.
He stumbled back outside, bumping into Alex, holding his nose, "Ah %$# !"
Alex doubled over laughing, "Nice entrance Sheriff"
Alvin punched him in her arm, and tried again, this time, he kept walking into the saloon announcing, "What's the-"
He stopped abruptly and looked out at the scene unfolding before him and Alex, "Sh*t what the hell happened here?"
The extras were all running around; some were confused as to how they should respond to the scene, while others were taking the role in their stride.
Brittany and Eleanor had their band of chorus girls cornering three of the misfits, while Simon and Theodore had another on a chair and were in the middle of trying him to it, Jeanette was trying his hands with a dish rag, while the rest of the misfits were cowering on the stage, wanting the scene to stop.
Alvin looked at Alex and shrugged, "Ya leave a saloon for 5 minutes and this is what happens when you get back"
He looked over at the guy in charge, who was close to pulling all his hair out.
Alvin noticed Bruno standing in the middle of the stairs, looking out at the scene and then over to Alvin and Alex shrugging and yelling out, "I just wanted the money!"
Alvin laughed and reached for the pistol in his holster, "Let's hope this does something" he held it in the air, closing his eyes and pulled the trigger as a loud crack pierced the room.
Everyone stopped and looked at him.
He opened his eyes and smiled, looking out at everyone, "Right, so, um, what's going on then?"
Brittany put her hands on her hips, "Oh nice for you to finally make it then?"
Alvin twirled the pistol and reset it back in the holster, "All in good timing babe" he addressed the room, "Well thanks for doing all the hard work, but, uh, we'll take it from here" he motioned for Alex to help usher all the misfits, and Bruno outside.
Once outside, the guy in charge, clearly exhausted and unimpressed by the amount of improvisation in the saloon scene gave strict instructions on how the next scene was to be played out.
Alvin twirled his pistol a few times, showing off as the guy explained how the shoot out works, "Now we've rigged a few effects to happen, so you need to time this right and go in the right order"
He explained that Bruno would take the first shot, followed by Alvin, then Alex, then Bruno would fire two shots, followed by Alvin shooting another two, Bruno would shoot one more finishing with Alvin taking the final shot.
Alvin whined, "Pretty short shoot out"
The guy in charge rubbed his temples and shook his head, calling for everyone to take their positions.
Everyone else was left to cram on the deck of the saloon.
Steph and Eleanor were at the back of the crowd; Eleanor trying to jump up to see, "I can't see a damn thing from back here"
Steph smiled and grabbed her hand, "Well let's find a different vantage point then" and took her back inside the saloon, heading up the stairs.
Reaching the balcony Steph headed towards the front of the saloon, "We should be able to see from up here"
They opened a window and sat in the sill, their legs dangling over onto the roof.
Eleanor smiled, "Ahh, much better" as Steph smiled and they looked down to the main drag.
Alvin and Bruno stood back to back, pistols ready and awaited the call to action.
Alvin laughed, "Wanna %$# this scene up too?"
Bruno smirked, "I'm listening"
Alvin smiled, "Lemme go first"
On action, they took a few steps in the opposite direction towards their appointed markers, however Alvin turned early and shot the pistol, making it crack out a blank.
Bruno aimed his in the air and fired as a barrel of water near the sheriff's office sprung a leak, the first of many rigged effects.
Alex laughed and did an army roll into the scene, crossing his pistols over his body and shooting one in either direction, followed quickly by Alvin who threw his pistol in the air and laughed when a horseshoe fell from its post above a doorway.
Bruno laughed and closed his eyes, aiming straight in front of him and watched as a window behind him shattered.
Alvin was now doubled over in laughter and missed his cue, as another rigged effect went off.
Everyone on the saloon deck was in hysterics over the antics, and Steph and Eleanor were laughing as they came back down to rejoin the others, while the guy in charge was ready to blow a gasket.
Eventually the shoot out scene came to an end and they all headed into the dressing rooms to get changed, giving the guy in charge some time to rant on his own.
Upon exiting they were thanked by some of the extras, who were enjoying the fact that someone had broken the mould of what usually happened at this place.
Steph rubbed her breasts, "Corsets are sh*t"
Brittany laughed, "They weren't that bad Steph"
Steph held her breasts up, "Are yours this big?" Brittany giggled and shook her head, "No, so shut up then" she let them fall and bounce back.
Alex laughed and wrapped his arm round her shoulder, "You did look kinda hot though"
Steph smiled, "Don't think I'd ever wear one of them for you though"
He laughed and kissed her shoulder, as Bruno looked on, still feeling totally confused from the moment upstairs.
He really wanted to ask Steph what that random kiss meant, if it meant anything and why she'd done it.
He looked over again and felt that feeling in his stomach and cursed himself, "No, no, no, don't go there Bruno...don't even think about it" he glanced at Steph, laughing, and thought, "Off limits, that's out of bounds"
Walking back to the RVs, Alvin asked, "So what now?"
Theodore gripped at his stomach, "Well all that action had made me kinda hungry"
Alvin rolled his eyes, "Apart from food, what else can we do?"
Brittany suggested going swimming, "There's gotta be a pool somewhere round here"
Jeanette nodded, "A swim would be great, it's getting a little warm"
Alvin smiled, "Pool it is"
Eleanor shrugged, "But what do we do after that?"
Bruno coughed and everyone turned, "What about booking into a hotel that's got a pool, and maybe a games room, or a gym or whatever?"
Brittany's eyes lit up, "And a spa! Oh I like Bruno's idea, let's do that"
Simon nodded and adjusted his glasses, "Well, I have to admit, spending the night in a hotel room rather than an RV, would be kinda nice"
Jeanette smiled, "And we can use their Laundromats"
The others looked blankly at her as she blushed, "Well we can...our dirty clothes are staring to pile up"
Alvin sniffed his shirt, "Yeah that may not be such a bad idea"
Brittany wrinkled her nose and took a step away from him.
Alex laughed, "OK, so swanky hotel with all the trimmings then?"
They all nodded and headed in the RVs back into the city to see where they could find.
