Part 14
I never had a father. He left my mum and my brother months before I was even born. He was lucky, I guess. He didn't have to watch us grow up into GaGa rejects...he left for bigger and brighter things, like being a fifthassistant to some queen. I don't know. I never really paid any attention to what my mother said about him...just that she despised him so much.
There's abig agedifference between Gaz and I. And I've always looked up to him not just as my big brother, but my best friend as well. We had been best friends up until that day. The day he decided to rebel and hear "words".
And here I was again with my brother...acting like a defenseless little child clinging for a sense of security and comfort from a loud storm. I did feel defenseless, but I wasn't that much of a little kid. But that was just my current mentality. I just couldn't believe that I was near death again, and that the guy wanted to take advantage of me. At least Scaramouche got in the way and saved me from the perv. She didn't have to, but she stepped in anyway. I guess whatever grudge we had between each other was over now. It wasn't worth it.
I stared down at my sheet music and started to sing a part of the song again:
"Can I have everyone's attention please?
If you're not like this and that, you're gonna have to leave
I came from the mountain
The crust of creation
My whole situation-made from clay to stone
And now I'm telling everybody
I don't want to be
Anything other than what I've been trying to be lately
All I have to do
Is think of me and I have peace of mind..."
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I placed the side of my head on Layne's shoulder and held his hand in the dark like a little kid. My palm was sweating, and I kept waiting for him to push it away angrily. But he didn't. Somehow, he understood my pain...of being attacked and nearly killed. I had been attacked by a spy, Layne had probably been beaten up once or many times by the GaGa kids, so he understood deeply. He even cared...everyone else did. It's what made the Heartbreak stronger.
I felt Layne's hand on the back of my head as he used his fingers to massage it gently. I told him to be careful since it still hurt from the pain, and he promised. He was the second guy to say that he "promised". My brother was the first when I was little, when he promised never to leave me but did. Layne was the second to promise not to rub too hard on the bump of my head.
"I won't," he replied as he gently touched the back of my neck and kissed my forehead.
My mind was lost. I wanted to sing and practice, but I didn't have the strength. I wanted to be close to someone who cared. He was it. I didn't know what to think anymore until Layne stated...
"I wanna marry you."
I looked over at Layne in confusion and asked, "Why?"
"So I can protect you, that's why," he answered lightly.
"What about-"
"You wouldn't need to always hang around your brother. Maybe for his permission to marry I guess. And he's got Scaramouche now, y'know?"
I kept my head down on his shoulder as he continued to talk.
"It's not as if you're betraying him or leaving. We're still in the same area. But...I love you. I wanna protect you, Jimi."
He then handed me some sort of bracelet that looked plain but it glistened under the lights.
"I wanted to give this to you the last time, but I never had the chance. So…will you accept my proposal? Please?"
I gazed at him and replied, "Yes."
(To be continued…)
