Wow, it's been-what? A month since the last update? Sorry about that...the last month and a half have been insanely busy. But I'm out of school in a week so, yay! Also, good for you readers, meaning this will wrap up very soon. Thanks for all the reviews and faves and such!
Chapter 13: Anything Goes
"Whatcha reading?"
Derek glanced up from the paper to see Ash hovering behind him. He hastily folded it in half and shuffled it under the other sections. "Nothing."
"Ooh, comics," said Ash, leaning his head over Derek's shoulder. "Let me read them when you're done."
"I'm not reading the strips, Ash." Derek snapped. When the drummer frowned at him, he felt a bit sorry for being abrupt and sighed. "Here."
Ash took the comic section and sat next to Derek, smiling. "Man, little Billy's dot goes everywhere today!"
Derek rolled his eyes and glanced down at the disorganized mess of papers in his hands. They still had a couple hours before the gig and the sheer amount of time left had Derek feeling antsy. Bleed wanted to be alone, the kid was hiding out in his room and the general atmosphere of the house was a little tense. He wanted to pass the time by going over the classified ads for an apartment but it was difficult. He kept reading the same few lines over and over for five minutes before Ash walked in. Bleed could do it for them, Derek decided as he carelessly folded the paper and dropped it back on the table.
It was odd how reluctant he felt about his sudden decision to move. He wasn't entirely happy with living in a little house in the suburbs in the beginning(although it certainly beat living in the van). But gradually, he sort of liked this new arraignment. It was…fun.
/It'll be fun living with Bleed again, too…/ Derek thought as he studied a crossword puzzle that was staring at him from the back of the paper in Ash's hands. But, he wanted Ash and Burger (six letter word for an American fast-food staple) with him too. The two were something akin to security (eight letter word for haven) blankets for him. After being constantly together for seven years in close quarters, he had to admit it would feel rather strange and lonely (six letter word for isolation) without them. But then the kid would be by himself and that would gnaw at him.
But the kid had friends outside of the band. Plus a mom, so he wouldn't be so lonesome. And maybe Beth would let Tripp stay the weekends with them or something. He was certain Bleed and Tripp could tolerate (eight letter word for accept) each other two days out of the week.
Derek was somewhat satisfied and mentally thanked the crossword puzzle for its help.
Bleed ransacked his duffle bags, feeling mildly annoyed. He was certain the last of his money was merely hiding in the crevices of his stuff but it was avoiding him. While he was somewhat sure that he could pull of the last part of his plan without the help of the almighty dollar, resorting to 'Plan B: Operation Run Headfirst Into a Wall' wasn't an appealing choice.
Frustrated, he flung the now-inside out bag aside and began rifling through his band mates things. A small stroke of luck turned up two crumpled tens under Ash's mattress (there was also a diary and Bleed made a mental note to flip through it later). He pocketed the twenty dollars and sat back on the floor, leaning against the bunk. Hopefully tonight would be the last time he was sleeping on the dusty floor. Sudden, light taps on the door roused Bleed from his thoughts and he heard Derek's voice. "Are you ready to go?"
"Not yet, I'm-uh. Wow…I don't think I've seen this outfit before." Bleed blinked and sat up a bit straighter as Derek walked into the room. With the tight leather ensemble and shiny gold coat, and his hair and makeup done up, the Brit was, in his humble opinion, a knock-out. He grabbed the hem of the gold duster and played with it distractedly. "You look great."
"I know." Derek smirked and went to the small mirror on the dresser to reapply his eyeliner. He saw Bleed moving up behind him in the mirror, then felt hands slide onto his hips. "Can't you wait until tonight?"
"Tonight? Does that mean we're…?" Bleed rocked on the balls of his feet, the visible part of his face in the mirror expressing barely-concealed eagerness. At Derek's nod, he grinned and backed off slightly. "Then yes, I can."
"I got reservations at a hotel near the club," said Derek casually as he began brushing out his hair. He turned to face Bleed, amused at the wide-eye stare he was getting. "I thought you could use some cheering up."
"It's working," replied Bleed, recovering from his suprise. He took the back of Derek's neck and squeezed affectionately. "Let's skip tonight's gig and go straight to the hotel."
"I don't feel that sorry for you." Derek joked. He inhaled sharply and arched his back slightly when Bleed slid his hand up his shirt and ran his calloused fingers over the bare skin. "Stop tempting me!"
"So, it's working?" Bleed asked as he kissed the side of Derek's neck. He was a bit disappointed when Derek squirmed away but didn't pursue further. "Aw…"
Tripp thumped his head against the tiled wall for the umpteenth time. His forehead was getting a little sore by now, plus, some soap got into his eye. Things were getting a lot more complicated now. Who would've thought a guy like Bleed could do the victim-act so well?
The remains of soap sitting on his face was beginning to get filmy and weird. Tripp sighed and rolled up his sleeves to rinse his face. He was dreading tonight's gig. Bleed obviously had another plan and so far, they all seemed to be working. Tripp's brain worked overtime, trying to discern what trap he'd be walking into as he distractedly ran some gel through his damp hair.
It probably wasn't an all-ages gig, thought Tripp irritated as he blasted the hair dryer on. Then he'd have to go home by himself, like before, while Bleed sucked up to the guys. A part of him nervously wondered if Bleed had something more terrible in mind. Like finally hauling off and knocking the tar out of him or FedEx-ing him to a foreign country. At this point, he had to anticipate anything and everything.
Tripp turned off the dryer and unplugged it to put it away. He grabbed a comb and glanced at his reflection, only to blink and double take. His hair looked like a porcupine. If Ash had a younger brother, he would be it. Tripp gingerly touched the messy spikes feeling the stiffness and scowled. Determinedly, he ran the comb through the mess only for it to get stuck. "What the heck?"
He grabbed the his bottle of gel and inspected it. It was his usual brand, nothing out of the ordinary. He popped open the cap and squirted a small amount into his hand. It didn't smell like gel but the scent was still familiar. Tripp frowned as the substance quickly dried on his palm and his eyes widen in realization. Elmer's glue. "Oh, come on!"
"Where's the kid?"
Ash shrugged and explained that Tripp said to go on without him. Something about his hair. Bleed bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Sure it was a petty move, but it was funny and made him feel better. The troubled look on Derek's face managed to sober his merriment and he reached over to rub the singer's back. "Don't look so down."
"Sorry. I was just thinking…" Derek sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He gave Bleed a slight smile before he turned his attention to backing the van out of the driveway. "It'll be fine. The kid will catch up."
"I'm sure he will." Bleed replied soothingly. Inwardly, he felt a bit exasperated. /He better be in a good mood after the show…/
It was unusually subdued in the van for the most part, but thankfully, the mood picked up as they pulled up in the back lot of the venue.
The same security guy from last night was standing at the backstage door, arms crossed and that same grumpy expression on his face. Bleed hung back and let the others pass him by. "I need a quick smoke, okay?"
"What, I thought you quit!" Derek spun around and frowned at Bleed.
"It's a work in progress," insisted Bleed as he ushered Derek up the stairs to the door. He shoved his guitar into Derek's hands and waved. "I'll meet you inside in a few minutes, okay? Bye-"
The singer gave him a dirty look before the door closed on him and Bleed sighed. It was fine if Derek was annoyed for the moment. Tonight, the kid would be out of the picture, the original members of Iron Weasel would play an awesome gig and afterwards, an entire night to have Derek to himself. Perfect.
"Hey." Bleed casually sidled up next to the security guard and leaned against the wall. "Nice night, eh?" The large man merely raised an eyebrow at him. "So, you make a lot of money with his gig? Like more or less than a mall cop?"
"Don't you have a show?" The bouncer grumbled, looking annoyed. "If you wanna call a bunch of dudes jumping around in spandex and screaming a show…"
"Yeah, spandex went out after the eighties. Not that a big guy like you could wear spandex-"
"You got something you want? Or are you just making small talk for kicks?"
"Yeah, actually." Bleed reached into his pocket and pulled out the cash he filched from Ash earlier. "Want to make some easy money?"
The bouncer blinked and his posture relaxed a bit. "Depends. What do you want?"
"I want you to hit me. Like give me a black eye or something visible like that."
"…Are you insane?" A look of suspicion cross the man's broad face when Bleed shrugged. "What's the catch?"
"No catch. I just need a bruise here and there." When he received a stony silence, he huffed in annoyance. "I'm trying to pull a joke on my friends alright? You can't tell me you don't want some quick cash with your pay."
"…Alright, fine." Big, meaty arms flexed as the man cracked his knuckles. "If it'll get you to shut up."
Bleed couldn't help his flinch when his collar was grabbed and threw his arms up in reflex. "Waitwaitwait! I'm not ready!" He was dropped and he paced a little. "Gotta shake it out, hold on…"
"Hurry up, man. I don't have all night." He pulled his fist back when Bleed nodded.
"No, hold on!" Bleed jerked back skittishly and bounced on his feet nervously. "Let me get my bearings-" A large fist slammed into his eye in a split second and he found himself flat on his back, feeling dazed. "I wasn't ready!"
"You were never going to be ready." The bouncer seemed to be in a better mood as he plucked the bills from Bleed's hand and counted it out. "Thanks for the money. Best twenty dollars I ever made."
Bleed gingerly touched his throbbing eye, wincing. He sat up, feeling a bit dazed and called after the bouncer. "Hold on. One more thing…"
Stay tune for another update very soon. Probably by Monday at the latest.
