"So..."
Mercy glanced sharply at Shane, who appeared to be doing little more than twiddling his thumbs as she searched through her briefcase.
"Don't you have anything productive to do?"she asked.
"Not really. I'm not exactly sure what this meeting is for."he explained, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. "I'm not really a meeting kinda guy."
"Obviously."
"What is it you wanted us to talk about?"
"The tour, Mr. Helms. The tour."
"Well thank you Queen of the Land of Obvious. I meant are there any particular things we are meant to discuss or is this just some sad attempt for you to get a glimpse of my sexy physique?" She glared at him and he had to hold back a chuckle. "Just a joke."
"This isn't the time for joking, Mr. Helms..."
"Shane."
"What?"
"Call me Shane."
"Oh...well then this isn't the time for joking Shane. This is important."Mercy stated. He nodded.
"I know that. I'm just trying to lighten the mood a little bit."he told her, going back to twiddling his thumbs and looking up at the ceiling.
"I'm sorry if you don't take your clients careers as seriously as I do. I just mine to do w-"Shane cut her off.
"Excuse me?"
"What?"
"Is that what you think? That I don't care about my clients careers?"he asked, sitting up straight and putting his elbows on the table, staring at her.
"It's become rather apparent, yes."
"Where do you come off? Where the hell do you come off? What right do you have to insult me or how much I care about them? You don't even fucking know me."He glared at her, having already stood up from the table and began pacing back and forth.
"I'm sorry if you weren't away of how un-professional you are."she said.
"Those people are my best friends. You understand that? I have a good relationship with all of them. Storme is like a little sister to me, to all four of us. We're like a family. We don't have to be stiffs like you to get our job done."he grumbled.
"It's no wonder they don't have a fanbase, with a manager like you. They aren't even a real band."Mercy muttered under her breath. Shane stepped forward and slammed his fists down onto the table.
"Look. They are new to this buisness. That's why they aren't headlining this tour. But do you realise how much shit they have been through? Did you know they've been a band since before they were all fifteen? They aren't just some prepackaged, Lou Pearlman, Making The Band pop sensation. They are talented and they are all amazing people. How dare you insult them. You can attack me all you want but don't you ever let me hear you insulting my friends."
With that Shane stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Mercy stared dumbfounded after him.
~*~*~*~
Shane stomped down the hallway and into the Coldfire dressing room, slamming the door shut. He sat down stiffly on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest and an angry expression plastered on his face. Storme looked over at him, as did the others, before she stood up and walked over to the couch, plopping down beside him, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Wassmatta Shaney Baby?"she asked, a small smile on her face. He glanced over at her and sighed.
"If I ever have to go to one of those meetings again I'll kill myself."he grumbled. She raised an eyebrow.
"That bad?"
"Worse."
"Awww...poor thing."she said, hugging him. "What did she say?"
"She's so...so...tactless. Like she doesn't even realise when she's making a comment that she shouldn't."he said, leaning over against her. She patted him on the head with a giggle.
"Like what?"
"She said you guys weren't a real band, just because you won that contest."Shane explained. Her jaw dropped as the rest of the group turned sharply towards them.
"What do you mean, she said we're not a real band?"Christian asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Just that. She's evil I tell you."
"She can't be that bad, Shane. Unless she's like...Satan or something."Edge said.
"Well then she must be because she is that bad and worse."Shane said, sliding down in his seat.
"So then she insulted us and that's what pissed you off?"Matt asked. Shane nodded. "Well then the bitch must die."
"Matthew, language."Storme said, laughing when he rolled his eyes at her. "Let's not get overdramatic about this. We'll just need to work things out with her, prove ourselves to her. Then she won't have anything bad to say about us."
"She also said I was un-professional."he said, using finger quotes. The group looked at him and then burst out laughing. "What?"
"How is that anything but the truth?"Christian asked between laughs.
"Well I never said it wasn't true. But it stung a little bit. Ya know?"
The rest of them just kept laughing.
Mercy glanced sharply at Shane, who appeared to be doing little more than twiddling his thumbs as she searched through her briefcase.
"Don't you have anything productive to do?"she asked.
"Not really. I'm not exactly sure what this meeting is for."he explained, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. "I'm not really a meeting kinda guy."
"Obviously."
"What is it you wanted us to talk about?"
"The tour, Mr. Helms. The tour."
"Well thank you Queen of the Land of Obvious. I meant are there any particular things we are meant to discuss or is this just some sad attempt for you to get a glimpse of my sexy physique?" She glared at him and he had to hold back a chuckle. "Just a joke."
"This isn't the time for joking, Mr. Helms..."
"Shane."
"What?"
"Call me Shane."
"Oh...well then this isn't the time for joking Shane. This is important."Mercy stated. He nodded.
"I know that. I'm just trying to lighten the mood a little bit."he told her, going back to twiddling his thumbs and looking up at the ceiling.
"I'm sorry if you don't take your clients careers as seriously as I do. I just mine to do w-"Shane cut her off.
"Excuse me?"
"What?"
"Is that what you think? That I don't care about my clients careers?"he asked, sitting up straight and putting his elbows on the table, staring at her.
"It's become rather apparent, yes."
"Where do you come off? Where the hell do you come off? What right do you have to insult me or how much I care about them? You don't even fucking know me."He glared at her, having already stood up from the table and began pacing back and forth.
"I'm sorry if you weren't away of how un-professional you are."she said.
"Those people are my best friends. You understand that? I have a good relationship with all of them. Storme is like a little sister to me, to all four of us. We're like a family. We don't have to be stiffs like you to get our job done."he grumbled.
"It's no wonder they don't have a fanbase, with a manager like you. They aren't even a real band."Mercy muttered under her breath. Shane stepped forward and slammed his fists down onto the table.
"Look. They are new to this buisness. That's why they aren't headlining this tour. But do you realise how much shit they have been through? Did you know they've been a band since before they were all fifteen? They aren't just some prepackaged, Lou Pearlman, Making The Band pop sensation. They are talented and they are all amazing people. How dare you insult them. You can attack me all you want but don't you ever let me hear you insulting my friends."
With that Shane stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Mercy stared dumbfounded after him.
~*~*~*~
Shane stomped down the hallway and into the Coldfire dressing room, slamming the door shut. He sat down stiffly on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest and an angry expression plastered on his face. Storme looked over at him, as did the others, before she stood up and walked over to the couch, plopping down beside him, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Wassmatta Shaney Baby?"she asked, a small smile on her face. He glanced over at her and sighed.
"If I ever have to go to one of those meetings again I'll kill myself."he grumbled. She raised an eyebrow.
"That bad?"
"Worse."
"Awww...poor thing."she said, hugging him. "What did she say?"
"She's so...so...tactless. Like she doesn't even realise when she's making a comment that she shouldn't."he said, leaning over against her. She patted him on the head with a giggle.
"Like what?"
"She said you guys weren't a real band, just because you won that contest."Shane explained. Her jaw dropped as the rest of the group turned sharply towards them.
"What do you mean, she said we're not a real band?"Christian asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Just that. She's evil I tell you."
"She can't be that bad, Shane. Unless she's like...Satan or something."Edge said.
"Well then she must be because she is that bad and worse."Shane said, sliding down in his seat.
"So then she insulted us and that's what pissed you off?"Matt asked. Shane nodded. "Well then the bitch must die."
"Matthew, language."Storme said, laughing when he rolled his eyes at her. "Let's not get overdramatic about this. We'll just need to work things out with her, prove ourselves to her. Then she won't have anything bad to say about us."
"She also said I was un-professional."he said, using finger quotes. The group looked at him and then burst out laughing. "What?"
"How is that anything but the truth?"Christian asked between laughs.
"Well I never said it wasn't true. But it stung a little bit. Ya know?"
The rest of them just kept laughing.