Chapter 35: I Feel A Sin Coming On
note: Thanks for all the reviews!
note: Okay, links-o-plenty for this chapter on my profile page under this story's area under chapter 35, including:
Outfits for Mike, Alice, and Bella
Songs performed
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BPOV
Mike and I stared at eachother, with mischief radiating from our eyes.
"Do not move from this spot. No one can see us until we get onstage." Alice put up a threatening finger to let us know she meant business.
"Uh, Alice, we are going to play a set in a sports bar full of horny, young, drunkards. We aren't blushing brides who can't be seen by their grooms before a wedding." Mike chuckled--we had quickly become an Alice baiting tag-team over the last couple of hours of Alice-induced hair styling, makeup-ing, and wardrobing.
I fought with her for over an hour on what NOT to wear. She had sewn an awesome little getup for herself that was reminiscent of the dress she made for me the last time I performed. It was red and black striped, strapless, thigh high, with matching unattached sleeves--some hot black boots finished her ensemble. She wanted me to wear something similar, but I wanted to go for comfort; and most importantly, something with straps. If I was going to be singing and playing and sweating for more than one song, I didn't want to worry about keeping the "girls" in place. I had decided on a purple and black plaid Folter skirt and a white tank top matched with my retro Doc Martens.
"Clothing should not speak, Bella! Leave the smart asseyness for your mouth, not your clothes." Alice was scolding me for the actual tank top of choice, which had the saying, "I feel a sin coming on" printed on it.
"But it's funny, Alice. It's making fun of the fact I'm wearing a cliched Catholic School girl skirt! It's giving my regulation rocker girl outfit a healthy dose of irony!" She eventually relented-but only after I allowed her to dye the tips of my front layered bangs purple to match my skirt. She then dyed some red streaks into hers.
"What the hell is it with you and color coordinating, Alice? The next thing I know, you are going to try to spray paint our guitars to match as well the way chicks dye their prom shoes."
Alice's eyes narrowed on me for a second. "That can be done?"
Mike met us at our dorm room two hours before showtime so that Alice could get the top of his hair peaking just right. She then used some coverup on some blemishes she couldn't abide by on his face. Our makeup came next. She went for smokey and sexy; in contrast, I asked for shimmery and defined. Unlike a normal person, Alice was a Cullen; therefore, she could do mounds of smokey eye makeup and perform for an hour straight without so much as breaking a sweat. I, on the other hand, was a Swan. And unlike my graceful animal namesake, I start sweating Whitney Houston style once I have a couple songs underneath my belt. So, tonight? It was all about waterproof, shimmery makeup that wouldn't end up making me look like melting raccoon face three songs into the set.
Alice then insisted we change into our outfits at the sports bar...not really understanding that there was no "backstage dressing room" --just a break room complete with a showercurtain partition by the lockers for "privacy." After we took turns behind the shower curtain, Alice was ready to retouch our hair and makeup.
"Alice, I don't know, but instead of putting so much time into our appearance, shouldn't we practice instead," Mike asked at one point. Alice raised a hand dismissively.
"Mike if we don't know it by now, an extra hour of practice isn't going to help. But do you know what an hour with Alice can do for your looks? For Bella's looks?" There was no irony in her voice, which only made us laugh louder.
"Alice, if you refer to yourself in the third person again, I swear I'm going to put on a tank top with an even longer phrase on it," I threatened.
Alice shot me back a death glare: "I'm just trying to save you from yourself, Bella dear. If I don't put a stop to this insistence of talking through your clothing, what's next, huh? A minivan smothered in "My child is an honor student" bumperstickers fifteen years down the road?" She quickly scurried us to a backstage section where we could look out into the audience in relative anonymity.
Alice was strangely calm as she peeked out at the assembly before the stage. In contrast, I felt like throwing up.
"Seamus and Emmett just walked in with half the population of Samoa!" She turned back at me and squealed."I told you they were going to bring the Polynesian contigent!" Although Alice and Seamus had a good heart to heart earlier this week, things weren't completely back to normal. They were still having an awkward transition phase that was heading back to strictly friends-although they already had an "oopsie" moment a couple nights back when they ended up kissing. She cited his lips as the only excuse for the mix-up; I've given those puckers a look-see myself before, so I understood the simple reasoning. They were inviting. Alice wasn't sure if he should come tonight, simply because things still were somewhat awkward. But he had told Alice he wouldn't miss the show for the world, and wanted to support her.
"Do you see Edward and Jas?" Alice nodded with less enthusiasm.
"Front and center." She wouldn't admit it, but she wasn't sure how Jasper would react to her. If at all, knowing how he works at times.
"Do you see the girl Mike is going home with tonight after he talks about putting scratches all down her back?"Mike pushed me with his shoulders teasingly. Alice looked out into the crowd.
"Uh, I see plenty just ripe for the picking." She turned back around and eyed Mike up and down. "Mike, I have to say, I'm amazing. You had alot of great raw material to work with, but you are so outbecksing Beckham right now I can't even see straight."
Laurent sauntered into the back where we were with Niles and Julian, the other guy who was going to help us out on guitar. They had been setting up and were finally through. He was in his regulation outfit-leather pants, no shirt, and a 10 pack if that's possible. Anyone else daring to wear such a getup would get a mocking laugh out of me. But Laurent? Strangely, he not only pulled it off, but made it look amazing. Alice leaned into me:
"He reminds me of that hot vampire Lestat from that Aaliyah movie "Queen of the Damned."
I laughed. "Yeah, he's like King of the Damned."
"King of the Hot Damned..." Alice said as she shook her head in his direction and smiled slyly.
"So, how are my favorite Jezebels doing," Laurent teased. We had a total gender war over what to call our band. Mike and Laurent weren't happy with the decidedly feminine take we had for all our name suggestions. Alice kept spilling out names so girly, they made the "Power Puff Girls" sound butch. What they didn't understand though it was a clever ploy by Alice and I to get our way. She was playing the Macolm X to my Martin Luther King--by having Alice play the radical card with super froofy names, I could swoop in as the more moderate alternative for the boys to compromise with. The ending result? A name that was a secret tribute to my favorite flyer pasting go-to man: "The Jezebels."
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JPOV
The crowd had steadily streamed in for an hour now--the show was to begin soon. I motioned around to see where Seamus and his crew were. They were hovering over near the bar. Seamus caught my stare and acknowledged me with a slight head raising. I looked back at Edward, acting like I didn't see him.
"Why do you look like you need an airbag, Edward."
He shrugged. "I get nervous for her."
"She probably isn't half as nervous as you look," I mused.
Edward shook his head slowly. "She gets very nervous. She's really shy, she just hides it well with bravado." He looked around constantly, checking the crowd out. He made a face towards the door as James came in with a large group of friends.
"Cullen! Be my witness! Confirm my patron intake of 31!" Lately, James had been laying off the teasing with Edward in general, no longer calling him P. Diddy or Eddie. He had been acting so civil lately, we both found it jarring. James began tapping each person's head to help Edward keep the numbers straight. Edward acknowledged the head count, but little else from James.
I was looking around for Alice-she was nowhere to be seen. Edward assumed she was helping out in the back, but I was hoping she'd stay by us during the set. A lot of idiots turned out for the show tonight.
"Lauren's staring at you," Edward mumbled. His head tilted slightly to his left and I casually peered in that direction. Our eyes met breifly before she looked away. Lauren hastily looked back my way again a moment later, and then pretended to finally see me. She waved, and I gave her a nod back. Edward was laughing.
"Tanya's right behind her," I murmurred, wiping that smirk quickly of his face. "And she's sharpshooting with a tank top that probably belongs to her 4 year old niece." It was my turn to laugh as he looked back to see her as his posture deflated.
"Shit. Just what I need." Tanya had come by our place the other day leaving Edward a note that she hoped they could "catch up." And tonight, with the smile she was directing straight towards Edward, she seemed to be thinking now was as a good a time as any. Edward stared straight ahead.
"Listen, Jasper. The last thing I want is for Bella seeing Tanya acting weird around me. She's going to be nervous enough as it is onstage--she doesn't need to be distracted on top of it. So, buffer me right now, okay?"
"Well, I better get ready to buff, because she's coming this way with her girlfriends."
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BPOV
"Do we want to introduce ourselves or anything?" Ever the hostess with the mostest, Alice wanted to make sure we were following protocol before heading out onto the stage.
Laurent simply shrugged his shoulders while I shook my head. "Let's just get out there and start playing. I'm going to let my shitty guitar playing speak for itself, " I joked.
I peeked out finally into the assembled crowd. It was funny to see the different factions outside too. Laurent's friends were easy to peg-they looked completely unnatural inside a sports bar and could be mistaken for extras in the next Anne Rice movie. Seamus and Emmett's group were congregating to the right near the bar(and by no coincidence, Rosalie); James and his friends from his kick boxing studio were to the far left of the stage; the KD girls were right behind them, including a girl Edward introduced to me earlier in the week by the name of Sarah. She was very funny and sweet; when she saw me peeking outward, she gave me a wink.
And then there was Edward, front and center, with Jasper flanked by him. And...and...
"Who the hell is that?" Alice interrupted. She gave me an incredulous look as three girls surrounded our two boys.
"Tanya. Your brother's last paramour before we met." Tanya had just given Edward and Jasper a hug and was talking excitedly to them at the moment. Edward was being civil yet somewhat distant as he looked away, and I could tell Jasper was picking up the slack for him. It was a classic wingman move that went undetected by Tanya. I smiled, but not too widely. I was having a weird dejavu moment from a month back when I was peering out from backstage right before I went on to sing and saw a less welcomed sight.
I stared at Edward for a quick second-he was so good beautiful. Even in a sea of attractive people, he stood out singularly. I suddenly asked myself why he couldn't have a slight bump on the nose, or maybe less hypnotizing hair, or a zit or two even--anything to make him a little less scrumptious to every female with a pulse within 10 miles of him. As Tanya jiggled as she giggled from something Jasper had said, I was seriously wishing I hadn't taken out those damn gel pads in my push bra before leaving the house.
"You are thinking of that night at Suede, huh?" Alice asked me softly. I nodded.
"And wishing I had huge bullet boobs right now to slap Tanya away from Edward."
Alice wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "Well, Edward obviously prefers the boobs you have, silly Bella. And just between you and me.." she looked around dramatically,"...we are kind of the cutest girls in the world right now with our outfits and matching guitars. Emphasis on world, Bella. So, like this room? Pfff...we command it easily."
I laughed as I looked into her serene eyes and cocksure smile. It was unbelievable. "You aren't even nervous, are you?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Bella, if you haven't noticed yet, I'm a bit...theatrical. I'm more excited than anything. How could I not be with my hair matching my outfit?" If there was one thing I loved about Alice, it was her ability to mock herself.
I started giggling, even though another wave of nausea ran over me.
"Bella, let's just have fun, okay? Let's go out there and be the most fun and irresistible girls ever made. Let's drive Jasper and Edward crazy, as well as pick up a few or even several new admirers along the way." She winked at me.
"Deal," I said with laugh.
"And don't forget this crowd isn't exactly Carnegie Hall in terms of expectations. Just accept that we are going to play some songs totally shitty and we'll forget our lyrics. And it won't even matter. You know why, Bella?"
I waited for her answer.
"Cause we will be laughing as we mess up together."
I gave her a big hug and a peck on the cheek. "I don't know how I pulled it off, but I got the best roommate and friend a girl could ask for."
A moose call broke up our happy moment. We both looked in the direction it came from--James waved at us and then gave us a thumbs up with an overager smile as he watched us embrace eachother.
I rolled my eyes and flipped him off--which only made his smile that much more eager.
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EPOV
Mike came onto the stage(did Alice get a hold of him and his hair?),followed by Laurent. They began to settle down on their place onstage as Bella walked out slowly. She looked gorgeous up there. Her short skirt and thin, white wifebeater would be my ideal outfit for her-if we were alone in her dorm room. But in a sports bar with a bunch of horny drunk guys, the snickers and muffled comments about her were going to drive me nuts. I quickly got distracted from my caveman boyfriend tendencies however as she faced forward. Her wife beater betrayed the fact she was wearing a black bra underneath. From the way the wife beater clinged to the material below, I could tell it was a lace bra. I could even make out a faint floral print on the bra if I scrunched one eye slightly...
"What are you doing? You're using your eye like a periscope that's focusing in on Bella's boobs."
I was about to retort something clever his way; but at that moment, Bella bent over to pick up her guitar. Whistles were heard left and right in reaction to that small move. I wanted to hit all the idiots whistling at her, but I loved how a shy blush colored her face in that moment. She positioned her guitar and was saying something to Laurent before she looked out into the crowd. Her eyes locked onto mine and we shared a quick moment. I gave her a wink and an expression that I hoped conveyed that I knew she was going to kick ass tonight. She looked back with a slightly worried smile before winking back shyly. She was irresistible when she allowed her true emotions to show through like that.
"What the hell?" Jasper's outburts kicked me out of my thoughts. "What. The. Hell?"
I looked over at him and followed his gaze-up to the stage where Alice was walking out, looking like the full fledged rocker herself. She got her share of whistles as well as she bent over to get her bass guitar. But instead of blushing, she threw back a wry smile.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Jasper blurted it out.
"I didn't know she was in the band." I thought for a moment. "I should have known something was up though, she's been taking lessons with Laurent all the time lately and has gone to every band practice they've had..."
"What the hell is she wearing?" Jasper's face was completely disapproving.
"It's called a dress, Jasper. Wearing a dress as a girl is common. You can google it."
Jasper glared back at me. "Sure, play the "evolved" one--until Laurent leans in to talk to Bella and you jump upstage to pee a border of Edward essence around her personal space."
I ignored him and focused on Bella as she was getting ready. Jasper just didn't understand. As much as I wanted to play the stewing boyfriend tonight just from hearing guys' reactions to Bella before she even started singing, I couldn't. I had two motivations that would keep me in check tonight. I wanted Bella's performance to go off without a hitch so this could be her job from now on. She could work less, make more, sleep more, and of course I could have more time with her. But this was my time to make up for that first night she performed and I had failed her so miserably. I was going to be nothing but supportive for her, with my full attention on her tonight. I wasn't going to make the same mistake again.
They were ready to begin. Bella was front and center, Laurent was to her left, Alice was to her right, and two other guys were more in the background. Bella signaled back at Mike; and after raising his hands up for a second dramatically, he banged down loudly, beginning the first song. As he began drumming, Alice and Bella gave eachother a mishievous look while moving to the beat.
An easily recognizable guitar riff started, and I knew right away what song it was: "My Sharona." Laurent and Bella were playing now, and Alice started in with the bassline.
Bella focused straight on me as she began singing:
Ew, my little pretty one, pretty one.
When you gonna give me some time, Sharona?
Ew, you make my motor run, my motor run...
Everytime she purred out "ew," her eyes closed slightly and her lips pouted my way. It wasn't her fault-I bet half the crowd was doing the same thing. But the driving beat on the song was making her reflexively grind against her guitar while she sang to me. The biggest, dumbest grin fell over my face as I watched her.
Jasper broke me out of my haze. "Shit, Alice is tearing up the bassline." I stared at him quickly-his face was in complete shock. I nodded back at him, not at all surprised-I may have been the more accomplished musician between the two of us, but she had natural abilities that I could never touch. My accomplishment came from application, where if she had applied 1/10 of what I had, she would far surpass me. Bella's eyes bored into me once again as she tore into the chorus:
Never gonna stop, give it up, such a dirty mind
I always get it up with a touch of the younger kind
My-ee ey-ee by-ee ahee ah woo!
Ma ma ma my Eduardo.
I cracked up as she winked at me. Metaphorical whizzing never seemed so silly-and hot.
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JPOV (a/n: song playing during this part: Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl")
The first song came and went, so did the second, where Laurent warbled on and on with some song I didn't know. And yet I still couldn't get over the fact Alice was up there. Playing. Kicking ass playing. Edward and I had figured that she could have only started playing the bass guitar in the last couple weeks. Edward has always said she was like a musical freak of genius. It always annoyed him she never did anything with it, instead spending her days with dance and cheerleading. But apparently she applied it in spades as of late. I couldn't mock Edward with his territorial ways at this point either; I was about to smack every guy who was so much as oogling her upstage.
Laurent shook me out of my thoughts. He was moving over to Alice's mic stand. Laurent had a habit of scooting up and sharing the mic stand with either Bella or Alice. Interesting he never did that with the old, pudgy dude in the back who was singing at times too. He stopped right in front of Alice now and began singing straight to her--was he flexing his nipple rings at her?
now you dont need that money
when you look like that, do ya honey.
Laurent was so close into her face, I was about to pelt him with something to get him to back up. But if it was any more possible, he got even closer to her lips while singing the lyrics:
Big black boots,
short brown hair,
she's so sweet
with her get back stare.
While he sang each line, he emphasized the fact Alice had big black boots on as well as short brown hair. Like we were stupid and couldn't figure out he was talking about Alice. Before I could think it over, my hand put the pelting plan in action. I took a big ice cube out of the glass of Coke I was cradling and wound my arm up like I was a professional baseball player before letting it loose into the air. It hit Laurent on the side of the head, momentarily distracting him-he missed a couple words in the process. I couldn't help but laugh, but I knew I was being an ass. Or as Alice put it, a dumb ass...or as I would put it, a jealous dumb ass... Edward stared at me in shock.
"What the hell was that for?"
"Get back to me when he sings a song to Bella like that later. Cause you know he will."
That shut him up quickly.
A hand suddenly came to rest on my shoulder. I turned around, to find myself staring--up--at Seamus.
"Jasper, we need to talk. Now. Outside."
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RPOV
I watched Alice-as she watched Seamus escort Jasper outside. Both guys looked pissed. Now I was pissed-because I couldn't take a break at the moment and watch big boy Seamus kick some ass. I laughed at the thought and decided to be nosey and see what was up. Emmett had come in earlier with a huge group of his friends. He hovered nearby the bar, was stealing glances my way, but kept his distance for the most part. He was acting shy almost, and I wasn't sure why.
"Emmett...Emmett!" He turned around, and shined a bright smile my way. I motioned him over.
"What was with Seamus and Jasper right now?"
Emmett rolled his eyes and laughed. "Nothing really. Seamus needs to mind his business."
That didn't help much. I gave him a look like I wanted him to elaborate. He leaned in closer towards my ear to whisper.
"Seamus and Alice dated casually. Sometimes Seamus forgets about the "casual" part though. And sometimes he likes being the knight in shining armor too much." He nodded in the direction they just came from. "He's getting into Alice's business right now, even though I told him he shouldn't. But what are you going to do..."He shrugged his shoulders and stopped momentarily, acknowledging our closeness with a curious look. I backed up slightly.
"So, the Knight In Shining Armor deal must run in the water in New Zealand," I said with a smirk. "My landlord replaced my water heater yesterday."
Emmett let a triumphant smile out. "Choice! I'm glad I could help out."
"So, are you going to tell me how you got him to change it after only talking to him for two minutes?"
Emmett smiled shyly and shook his head.
I eyed him suspiciously. "Did you threaten him with bodily harm?"
He cracked up. "What do you take me for, Rose? A brute?"
I gave him another look like I wanted him to spill the beans. A mischievous smile played across his face. He leaned in again.
"Okay. I may have told him I was Mormon and might have mentioned that I may drop his name and address to the local missionaries if it seemed like he was having trouble with some basic concepts like being honest and ethical in regards to you. And I may have mentioned that the missionaries would be more than happy to spend all day talking to him if needed and that they would be even more than happy to check up on him daily as well. I know I always loved it when a member gave me a lead as a missionary for a potential contact and convert." He flashed me a wicked smile.
My jaw dropped open, ready for the laughter to spill out. He looked at me innocently.
"What? It wasn't a threat to mention I'd sic the missionaries on him. It was an invitation for him to grow spiritually." His lips were shaking now, trying to hold in his chuckles. He stared at me for a moment longer and then promptly sat straight up and away from me.
He was acting differently tonight. It was like he was stopping himself from speaking more than he wanted to-he was being very cautious. It was making me act differently in response. I was trying very hard to hold my tongue from saying something sarcastic or rude. I was even filtering swear words tonight at the bar, just in case he overheard me. I thought one slip would probably scare him away for good from talking to me for some reason. And the reality was, he was nice to talk to, and different from most guys. I glanced back over his shoulder, noticing about 10 of his friends smiling back at me with knowing grins.
"Hey Blondie, are you on break or what," Some Abercrombie wearing ass on the other side of the bar yelled out at me sarcastically. I was about to lay into him when Emmett's friends turned around to all face the heckler. One of them stepped forward with a raised eyebrow.
"Who you calling Blondie, bro?"
Abercrombie took one look at the Polynesian contingent and shut his mouth. I glanced back at Emmett. "Yep, Knight-In-Shining-Armor definitely runs in the public water system in New Zealand."
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BPOV
We had gotten through four songs without too huge of an incident, Thank God--and Thank Niles and Julian. I sang one, Laurent sang two, Alice had just finished up singing Paramore's "CrushCrush." I let out a huge "oopsie" chord on my guitar at one point; but when I glanced over at Alice reflexively, she just laughed in my face. Alice and Edward posessed certain qualities that I responded to forcefully. For some reason, in their presence, I felt like I could do anything without fear. They made me lighten up considerably, since I had a tendency to be very hard on myself. The Cullen kids-my anti-drug.
Laurent gave me the go ahead to do my dedication, and I had to tow the line just so so that it was funny but not flirty.
"This next song is for a particular person out there who promised to bring in 30 people for the show tonight in exchange for a song dedication."
"31, Bella! I brought in 31!" James was waving his hands around, making his presence known.
"Now, Alice and I were trying to find just the right song for this gang sign throwing, girl tracking, polygamy aspiring frat guy. And it became apparent very quickly that only one song would do."
Niles gave a cue for the tracks to start playing. He thought it was genius for us to pad our set with Alice rapping songs--with overlaid tracks and just Laurent and Mike givng a little accompaniment to it, the rap songs were like one step away from karaoke work wise for us while still being a crowd pleaser.
The Egyptian strains of the sample started thumping through the room and everyone recognized it right away. Hands went up, Laurent began snickering while looking over at me, and I started in on the first verse with as much Jigga gusto as posible:
You know I... thug 'em, f& 'em, love 'em, leave 'em
Cause I don't f&en need 'em
A good deal of the crowd obviously knew James because laughter rang out while I began the lyrics to Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin.'" It was a song that was tailormade for James and his charmingly lecherous ways. I saw James' friends cracking up and raising their arms to him, some of them mouthing along with me.
Sh&t, I part's wit nothin
Y'all be frontin'
Me give my heart to a woman
Not for nothin' never happen'
I'll be forever mackin'
James was jumping around with his arms up throwing gang signs, to the point that I almost flubbed my lines because I wanted to laugh. I shot a reassuring look down at Edward, who simply shook his head in gentle annoyance. He gave me a quick wink though to let me know he was fine.
We doin' big pimpin, we spendin' Gs (Check 'em out now )
Big pimpin'
On B.L.A.P.'s...
Alice took over the second verse and worked the stage like a pro. She was even throwing in a booty pop and drop here and there as she moved around. I couldn't believe Jasper and Seamus weren't here to see her. They had miss her first song as well. But I had a quick vision of them rolling around on the ground in traffic on the highway as they fought for the love of my dear roommate, which only made me giggle. Alice bent over the stage at some point, and began to throw the mic in different people's directions to have them finish the verse lines. It was a total hit-people were clamoring to finish the sentences for her. She knew how to work a crowd like no one else.
Then I saw him. James was still throwing up gang signs and smiling with his friends when they were looking at him. But when he caught my attention, he put his arms to his side and gave me an intense look. It jarred me-I had no idea what the intensity entailed. He slowly shook his head at me, like he was painfully saddened and disappointed. I raised an eyebrow, hoping he'd understand it as an inquiry to his gestures.
He simply looked back and mouthed, "You too, Bella?"
Did he actually mean it in a "E tu, Brutus" sort of way, as if I had betrayed him? My mind was racing, trying to make sense of his emotions and words--while Edward watched my expressions do a 180 degree turn.
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JPOV
I only made it outside a couple of feet before Seamus let in.
"What is wrong with you?" He stood in a defensive stance, his voice low and angry. I was almost 6'2", but he still had a couple of inches on me. It was an inappropriate thing to wonder at the time, but I couldn't help it: How the hell did him and Alice manage to kiss with the height difference? Unless they weren't standing but lying down...shit, never mind, I didn't want to think about it...
I just glared at him, not even feeling obligated to answer him.
"Why are you such an arrogant, entitled ass with Alice? Of all the nights to act out, when she's onstage, and you pull yet another one of your stunts." He started pacing back and forth in front of me. I kept staring at him with a look of boredom.
"I've been an ass myself, I'll admit it. We were both treating Alice like a toy to fight over in front of her parents the other night. But at least I'm trying to make it up to her. You just go on as arrogantly as ever tonight, acting like you own her while keeping her at arm's length. " He shook his head.
That was it, I wasn't going to take any more from some guy who has only known her a month.
"Seamus, I have to hand it to you. You've charmed everyone from Alice to Carlisle with your stories of serving God and being kidnapped by rebel forces and saving the entire country of Indonesia from Malaria. But I don't want to hear you act like some self righteous prick about Alice and her welfare when I know you have some girlfriend in the background yourself, right?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly, nostrils flaring a tad. I got him right where I wanted him.
"I'm sure your girlfriend would love to know how you've been carrying on like a big shoulder to cry on for some sweet, sheltered and most importantly, HOT little 18 year old girl who you are giving kissing lessons to simultaneously. See any conflict of interest there, Seamus? With wanting to be seen as the total good guy who's just looking out for Alice? At least I own what I am--you act like you are some angel, when you've had an angle the whole time yourself."
His hands clenched into fists for a second before letting go.
"I already said I've been an ass myself, Jasper. But tonight, I am just looking out for Alice. If I wasn't, I'd let you fall on your face like you already are so she can see for herself you aren't worth the trouble. But instead, I'm trying to give you a heads up about how you are coming off in front of her--in front of everybody. THAT'S looking out for Alice."
"Don't play the protective card with me, Seamus. I've had that position for over a decade now with Alice. You've know her how long--a couple weeks? And you think you can step in now and tell me how things should be handled when it comes to her? Come back to me in a ten years and maybe I'll listen to you."
Seamus laughed out loud. "Sure thing. I'm sure 10 years from now you'll still be handling things like a pussy, yelling at guys that she doesn't like waffle cones or else throwing ice cubes at them when they get too close."
His words made me feel rage like I've never felt before--before I could even breathe, my fist was lashing upward towards his face. I made contact with his jaw. He reacted to it--but not as much as I wanted him to. He was still standing and let out another mocking laugh my way, even though I could tell he was in pain.
"That's the spirit, Jasper. Not bad for a La Crosse player." I went in with a fist to hit him again, but he caught my arm and punched me back in the stomach.
I doubled over and fell on one knee, trying to regain my breath as Seamus bent over me.
"Okay, now I am acting like an ass. I didn't call you out here to fight. I just wanted to you to listen. Alice has told me alot about you and her. I know how much she cares about you. I know she was nervous for you to see her tonight, because she cares so much what you think of her. And to see you scowling at her and then throwing ice cubes at her bandmate...it's not right what you are doing to her. You're upsetting her up there."
"I wasn't scowling at her," I said unevenly, still trying to catch my breath.
"Yes, you were. Like a jealous boyfriend who doesn't want anyone looking at her. Or as Alice puts it, a jealous boyfriend without the benefits."
I looked up at him. "Alice told you that?"
Seamus let out a smirk. "That and more information about you two than I ever wanted to know." I let out a small laugh as he helped me up to my feet.
"Let's get back inside before Alice sends a search party. And go in smiling so she isn't worried we were doing exactly what we were doing out here." I nodded begrudgingly.
--
Seamus put an arm around me like we were the best of friends as we got back into Alice's point of view. She peered in our direction as she continued to play, looking at us with concern. I let out a laugh as if Seamus had said something funny and he turned to me as she watched.
"I still think you can be an arrogant ass who doesn't deserve her," Seamus said through a clenched teeth smile.
"I couldn't agree more," I said sincerely. "But that doesn't mean I won't take her up on her offer if she still wants me."
"About time," Seamus muttered as he walked away, holding his jaw.
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a/n: Seamus does not technically have a girlfriend-Jasper is mistaken in that sense. He has a Mormon gf who went on a church mission for a year and a half. They broke up for now, but if all goes well, they plan to resume their relationship when she gets back. Technically he doesn't have a girlfriend; but he certainly has long term goals with this other girl though.
a/n:Yes, Seamus is Mormon. But even Mormons can throw some swear words out when they get mad enough...lol
a/n: The next chapter will continue with the show. I was planning on writing it all in one chapter, but it's way too long, what I still need to cover.