Chapter 5-Survivor's Guilt
December 1987
It was the day before Christmas Eve and Jem was standing in the cemetery with Riot, attending the last of the funerals for the former inhabitants of Starlight Mansion. Minx and Rapture were there, as were friends such as film director Howard Sands, the Countess Danielle du Voison, Video, and Lindsay Pierce-to name just a few. Stormer was also there, as Kimber had been a good friend of hers. She was standing next to her brother Craig, who had been Aja's boyfriend.
Jem leaned on her crutches and felt Riot's arm tighten a little bit around her shoulders as the tears continued to fall down her cheeks. Yesterday the eight Starlight Girls had been buried in two ceremonies. A few of the "graduates" such as Ashley and Deirdre were attending today. She could see Ba Nee O'Carolan with her father.
She leaned into Riot's chest as the caskets were lowered into the ground. He laid his cheek on the top of her head and gently rubbed her back. Standing nearby were Raya's parents and brother, and Mr. and Mrs. Alonso clung to each other and sobbed. Jem was thankful that the media had been forbidden in the cemetery during the graveside service; she had had quite enough of them peppering her with questions when she was trying to mourn and work through her grief. It was as if they'd forgotten what it was to be human, to have emotions, to grieve.
After the ceremony, Riot guided Jem back to the limousine they'd been riding in, Minx and Rapture right behind them. Jem had decided to have the repast at Starlight Mansion, as a way of saying good-bye to her loved ones, as well as to the mansion, since she was going to be putting the mansion up for sale in a couple of weeks, after everything was cleared out.
That evening, at Riot's condo, Jem put on her pajamas and climbed into the twin bed she'd been sleeping in for the past several days. It didn't feel right, leaving everyone in the cold ground out in the cemetery. She kept wishing that this was all just a nightmare, that it would all go away, but everything was too real and vivid, and actually made too much sense; in dreams things didn't make sense lots of times.
"I shouldn't be here," she whispered as once again the tears started up. "I should be with them. I'm alive and they're dead, and I couldn't help them."
There was a knock at the door. "Come in," she called.
Riot came into the room and sat down on the other twin bed. She noticed that he looked troubled. Even though he hadn't known the Starlight Girls that well, and had often tangled with Aja a little, he wasn't as heartless as some had made him out to be. "Are you all right?" he asked.
"I'll never be all right again," Jem replied. "Why did I live and everyone else die?"
"It's one of those things," he said. "Jem…I'm glad you're alive and that you weren't hurt too badly-it could have been a lot worse." He came over to her bed and sat down on the edge of it. "When I first saw it on the news…when they were reporting that your plane had crashed…I was afraid that you were dead. It's bad enough that the others are gone…Jem, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I don't want to lose you." He took her hand and gently kissed the back of it. "I love you."
That was the first time he'd ever said it like that. "I love you too," she found herself saying, and it was true. She did care for him, and he was showing that he cared for her.
He smiled down at her, then bent forward and kissed her forehead. "Try to sleep. You've had a difficult day," he said as he got up.
On Friday Riot was getting ready for the party that was to be at Stingers Sound. "I'd like you to go with me, Jem," he said. "I know what you've been through this last week."
"I'm not sure I'm feeling up to it," Jem replied as she sat on the couch, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. "I don't feel like facing the Misfits or Eric."
"They won't be there. In fact I hear they're having a party at the Gabor mansion. Pizzazz invited me and I turned her down flat." He sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "It's up to you, Jem. I would just like a date to my party and you're the only woman who's worthy to fill that role."
"How can I go out and have fun when I've just buried my sister and friends?" Jem asked.
He gently turned her head so he was looking right into her eyes. "Do you think they would want you to mope around feeling sorry for yourself?" he asked in a firm but gentle tone. "Nothing's going to bring them back. You've been sitting around here and not doing anything since you got here. You won't talk to anyone except me…and that's because I live here."
"Do you really want me to go with you?" she asked.
"Yes. I think I've made that pretty clear. I won't force you." He stood up. "I think you need to get out of the house, though. I've invited some of your friends, they may want to see you."
"I'll go," Jem finally said. Gathering up her crutches, she hobbled into the guest room to go change.
I hope I'm not pushing her too far too soon, Riot thought as he watched her go into the room. But he could see her sliding into self-pity, needing someone to take her hand and help pull her out. He knew that she felt guilty that she had lived and everyone else had died. He wondered how he could help her feel better about the fact that she was alive.
Before long, Jem came out wearing her red dress with the white polka dots. Her pink hair was pulled to one side and secured with a matching bow. It was one of his favorite outfits on her. "I won't be able to dance with you," she reminded him.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "And you look beautiful. Let's go."
Jem felt a bit uneasy as she and Riot emerged from the elevator and stepped onto the rooftop garden at Stingers Sound. She remembered another time she'd been here, with the Holograms, helping the Stingers celebrate their success. Shana had said that Riot just wanted to gloat.
To her surprise, she saw Riot's parents there, dressed more or less formally. The last time Riot's father was here, he'd punched Riot in the jaw. Riot's mother had been in the hospital and his father had been blaming Riot for that. That whole episode had brought Riot and Jem closer together, as well as Riot and his father. Now things had come full-circle.
"I'm glad you could make it," Riot said to his parents as he gave his mother a hug and shook his father's hand.
"They're really not bad people once you get to know them," Robert Llewellyn said. "I've heard so much about musicians tearing up things, trashing hotel rooms…."
"That is actually what the Misfits do, and they're likely tearing up the Gabor mansion as we speak," Riot said. "And I actually hesitate to call the noise they make 'music.'"
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Llewellyn," Jem said as she shook their hands.
"How are you holding up, dear?" asked Mildred Llewellyn.
Jem sighed and gave a small smile. "I'm here."
"After some coaxing," Riot said as he gently squeezed Jem's bare shoulder.
"So she's staying with you, Son?" Robert asked.
"In the guest room," Riot replied. "I don't want her alone while she's still healing."
Jem knew where that conversation could go. "Rory has been every bit the gentleman," she said. "I plan to get my own place as soon as I sell everything. If you'll excuse me…I need to sit down."
"All right. There's a bench over there," Riot said, understanding that standing on crutches could be a pain.
"That girl has a good head on her shoulders…I think she's right for you," she could hear Robert telling Riot as she hobbled over to the bench.
"That's one thing you and I agree on, Dad."
Riot mingled with his guests for the next few hours and turned down requests from women for slow dances, explaining that Jem was his date. He was gratified to see Jem talking with her friends. They apparently understood that it was a bit hard for Jem to get around, so they sat next to her and talked. Minx was on the prowl, of course, looking for available men. Rapture, surprisingly, wasn't pulling any New Age scams; in fact, her newest ambition was to be a magician, better than Astral, who was another friend of Jem's. Here Riot had thought that nearly drowning in a Chinese water-torture cell would have put her off from it. She was practicing some magic tricks with some of the guests.
He noticed Jem sitting at one of the tables, drinking some wine. He knew that she seldom if ever had anything alcoholic; she was something of a teetotaler. Muttering a curse under his breath, he went and sat next to her. "How many have you had?" he asked carefully.
"I dunno," she slurred.
There was his answer right there: too many. "Jem…let's get you home," he said. Before you make a spectacle of yourself, he added silently.
He picked up her crutches and handed them to her, glad that she was still coordinated enough to use them. He explained to people that Jem was tired and needed to get home.
Riot didn't know with whom to be angry as he drove them back to his condo. I should have been watching her more carefully…she's been depressed, he thought. At the same time he was annoyed with her for doing something so careless. But he'd assumed that she wouldn't touch the stuff. He'd never known her to drink anywhere near to excess.
"Riot…are you mad at me?" Jem asked in a little-girl voice once they were in the living room.
"I don't know who I'm mad at," he confessed with a sigh.
Jem dropped her crutches. Putting her weight on her good foot, she reached up and kissed him. Figuring that this was her way of apologizing, he returned the kiss.
Then he felt her undoing the belt of his military coat outfit. His body was telling him to go for it and take her to his bed; his head was ordering him to get her into her own bed and have her sleep it off.
"Jem-no," he said as he broke off the kiss.
"Don't you want me?" she asked plaintively.
"I don't want you to have regrets," he replied as he lifted her into his arms. He didn't want to take advantage of her; he wanted things to happen when the time was right, and now was definitely not the time.
He carried her into the guest room and laid her down on her bed. At first he thought about getting her into a nightgown-but that could lead down a road he didn't want to go down just yet, so he simply took her shoes off her feet and laid them down on the floor.
"There's no room on this bed," she said.
"Jem…you're not thinking clearly," he told her as he covered her with the blankets. "I want you to get some sleep and see how you feel in the morning." He had a good idea as to how she'd feel in the morning.
Riot went into his own room and changed into pajamas. He knew fully well that Jem wanted to wait until marriage for that kind of thing. That had been the alcohol talking just now; not Jem. He didn't want her to feel guilty. And what if she became pregnant? There was a saying about sex taking the least amount of time and causing the greatest amount of trouble.
How do I help her, when she's going to act out of character? Riot asked himself as he lay there and stared up at the ceiling.
Riot awakened to what could best be described as a wretching sound, which told him that Jem was going to be having a rather rough day today. Getting up out of bed, he went into the kitchen and poured a cup of fruit juice for Jem and got out a sleeve of crackers and a bottle of ibuprofen capsules.
She hadn't even bothered to close the door while changing into a nightshirt, he noticed as he approached the guest room and saw her lying there, looking miserable. Then again, she wouldn't have been visible from the kitchen.
He laid the items down on the nightstand. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he sat down on the other bed.
"My head is pounding," she murmured. "What happened?"
"You drank too much," he replied simply.
"Why didn't you stop me?"
"I didn't expect you to drink anything, really," he said, not willing that she should shift the blame to him. "You took me by surprise. I got you back here before you could drink any more."
"Did you-do anything with me?" she asked.
"No," he replied. "I just brought you in here and laid you down on the bed. Nothing-untoward-happened. Here, I brought you something that'll help you feel better."
Jem sat up slowly and leaned up against the headboard. "Thanks, Riot," she said. She looked at him. "Did I really have a lot to drink?"
"I'm afraid so. I never expected that kind of thing from you. Luckily, no one at the party seemed to catch on that you were drunk. I might have saved your reputation." He took the pill bottle and shook out a couple into his hand. "These will help get rid of that headache," he said as he put them into her hand.
She swallowed the pills with some juice. "I just remember…feeling like it was washing my problems away," she said.
"But look how you're feeling now. Even worse, I bet," he lectured.
"You're right," she sighed as she reached for a cracker. "And the Holograms and the Starlight Girls are still gone." She looked at him. "Have you ever done this-get drunk, then hung over?"
"Actually-no," he said with a slight grin. "But I know people who have. Sometimes you learn from others' mistakes. I was never as wild as you might think I am. That's just an image." He bent over and kissed her forehead. "I'm going to get dressed. You should just rest today, sleep it all off."
"What are you going to do today?"
"Probably have Minx and Rapture over, to go over some music," he shrugged. "I don't have anything planned for today."
By early afternoon, Jem thought she felt well enough to get up and get a shower. She did so, using a special boot to cover her cast, then put on a miniskirt and a pink top. Fortunately she was able to shower and dress by herself, though it took a little bit longer. She hobbled into the guest room, where she sat down at the vanity and combed out her long pink hair.
She went into the living room, where the Stingers were sitting around. "Feeling not so tired?" Riot asked.
"I'm okay," Jem replied.
"So what would you like to do today, anything in mind?" he asked her.
"I need to start clearing out the mansion," she said as she sat down next to Riot on the couch. "I want to get the rest of my clothes out. The girls' clothes I want to give to charity…and the Holograms' clothes…I don't know."
"You could auction them off," Minx suggested.
"And make money off their deaths," Jem frowned.
"That's what you do when you cash in on life insurance," Rapture pointed out. "If you don't want the clothes, it's okay to sell them. Give them to an auction or something. Sell them and give money to charity."
Jem blinked. "That's actually a good idea, Rapture. I could auction off their clothes and give the money to the families of the other people on that plane."
"Who'd have thought Rapture would have come up with such an idea?" Minx commented.
"I just know it's something Jem would do," Rapture shrugged.
"Jem has a good heart," said Riot as he put his arm around her shoulders.
"Sometimes I wish I would have died in that plane crash too," Jem said sadly as she looked down at her cast.
"We're glad you're here," said Minx. "You make Riot happy."
"Has it ever occurred to you, Jem, that had you died, I would have been feeling exactly as you're feeling right now?" Riot asked pointedly.
Jem looked at him. He was right. Suddenly she saw herself as he was seeing her-only caring about how she felt, and not really caring about the feelings of the other people who had been affected by the tragedy.
"No one's blaming you for living when the others died," Rapture added. "It's life. Stuff like that happens. You have to just move on."
"It's only been a week since they died," Jem said miserably.
"No one's saying you shouldn't mourn. We're just saying feeling sorry for yourself won't help," said Riot. "I didn't sit around feeling sorry for myself when my father threw me out-at least, not for very long. I earned my way back to Europe and we made a name for ourselves…and then I met you."
"If we sat around feeling sorry for ourselves we likely would have died out in the streets in Europe," Rapture added.
Jem realized that they were right. She couldn't sit around feeling sorry for herself. She had to do something.
"If you want to go to Starlight Mansion and start clearing things out, let's go," said Riot. "We'll have room for your clothes."
"I think I'm just going to sell all the furniture and everything," said Jem as she got up and reached for her crutches.
"Just open up the mansion and have a moving sale," Minx suggested. "You have some nice things…they'll be gone in no time."
"I have a storage facility for that computer you know about," said Jem. "By the way, the name of that computer is Synergy. My father built her. The software is still in the mansion, I want to keep it here so Eric Raymond can't get his hands on it."
"Tech-Rat was wanting to get his hands on it," said Minx.
"Who is Tech-Rat?" Jem asked.
"He's an electronics genius on Eric's payroll," Rapture explained. "He doesn't mind engaging in a little sabotage for a little cash."
"So Eric not only has thugs, he has hackers as well. Nice," said Jem.
Tears came to Jem's eyes as she hobbled into the mansion on her crutches. She looked all around, at the furniture, at the girls' things. The mansion had been cleaned up after the funeral luncheon.
"Is there an attic or some other storage space in here?" Riot asked.
"Yes, there's an attic, there's a ladder that folds down," Jem replied as she led him into the den and pointed up to the ceiling. "I think I want to save my parents' things and maybe a few things of Kimber's. Definitely my father's diary."
Riot opened the ceiling panel and unfolded the ladder. "You just sit right there," he said. "I'll start bringing things down and you can go through them."
The first thing he brought down-carefully-was a trunk that Jem knew was full of her mother's old things. She leaned forward and opened it. There was a lot of sheet music; her mother had been a singer and songwriter. Kimber had written the songs for the Holograms; no doubt she'd gotten that talent from their mother. There were also pictures. There was one of Emmet and Jacqui on their wedding day in 1964, a year before their elder daughter's birth. Jem hugged it to her chest and let the tears fall.
Riot stood in front of her as he put down a box. "Jem…if this is upsetting to you…maybe we should do this another time," he said sympathetically.
"No…I need to do this…putting it off won't do any good," she said. She handed him the picture. "These were my parents."
Riot took the picture and looked at it. "They were a good-looking couple," he said. "You definitely take after your mother."
"She died when I was twelve, going on thirteen," Jem recalled. "I never told you this…but that night she got on the plane…I got mad at her for being away so much. I refused to kiss her good-bye." Jem burst into tears.
Riot gently put the picture down, sat down next to her, and hugged her. "I think she knew you loved her. The fact that you wanted her at home, instead of going away…I'm sure she knew," he assured her.
"When I get married and have children, I want to stay at home with them," Jem said.
"That's perfectly fine," said Riot. "My mother never regretted being a housewife."
"I know my mother enjoyed her career…but I keep thinking, she could have put it off a few more years, until Kimber and I were grown," said Jem. "Am I selfish to think that way?"
"I don't think so," said Riot.
"I'm just sitting here getting depressed all over again," Jem said as she opened up the box to see what was in it. "I released her album posthumously…I felt it was the only thing I could do to repay my mother for the way I behaved."
"Have you thought about-I don't know-having a memorial concert?" Riot suggested.
Jem looked up. "I was thinking about it."
"You can sit down to sing, you know," said Riot. "The Stingers could play and you could sing."
"I have the perfect song for it. It's something Kimber wrote-well, all our songs are something Kimber wrote. But it's something she wrote for Father's Day last year."
Minx came into the room. "I'm ordering pizza for delivery. What do you guys want on it?"
"Who's paying for it?" Riot asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I am. Besides, if the driver is cute…."
Jem and the Stingers worked until about ten o'clock that night, gathering some clothes for her to take back to Riot's condo, and taking things to the storage facility. The metal box containing Synergy's software was put into the closet in the guest room.
"That's all for what I want to keep," Jem said as she and the Stingers sat in the kitchen eating Chinese take-out. "We can spend this coming week organizing things for the moving sale Minx suggested, and giving the girls' clothes to charity."
"And get some rehearsal time in," Rapture added.
"Eric is against this whole idea of a memorial concert but I made sure we had creative control in our contract," Riot said. "There's not a thing he can do about it. I think once our contract is up we'll strike out on our own. Or I can just buy out Eric Raymond. He has a subsidiary company, I'll just let him have that."
"And kick out the Misfits," Rapture added. "I can't stand the cacophony they put out."
Jem cracked a smile. "Talk about poetic justice," she said.
"What do you mean?" asked Minx.
"Eric built that company for the Misfits to begin with."
The Stingers all laughed.
Saturday night, January 2, 1988, was the night of the memorial concert. "Two weeks," Jem murmured as she did her make-up backstage. "I can't believe it's been two weeks now."
"Time heals all wounds," Rapture said philosophically.
"I'm feeling a little better," said Jem. "I still miss them terribly." She sighed. "And Monday we're having the moving sale. Next week I'll put the mansion up on the market."
"Between selling the mansion and selling Starlight Music, you should have plenty to live on," said Rapture. "Do you have any buyers for the company?"
"Plenty of offers," said Jem. "I expect to have it sold by the end of the week. I just have to consult with an attorney to make sure everything is on the up-and-up."
"It's time to go," Riot said.
Jem went out onto the stage without her crutches, supported by Riot. The audience cheered when Jem, along with the Stingers, took their places. Jem sat down on a stool that was waiting for her. Large posters of the Holograms were in the background, as well as pictures of the girls, Mrs. Bailey, and Sean Harrison.
"This is my farewell to my sister, my friends, and my girls," Jem said into the microphone that Riot had handed her. "I'll always miss them."
Minx played her keyboard for a few bars, then Jem began to sing:
Seasons come, seasons go,
But you're always there in my heart
Raindrops fall, breezes blow,
But you're always there in my heart
Photos fade, youth has gone,
But you're always there in my heart
Time goes by, life goes on,
But you're always there in my heart
You're a part of me, as I am of you
I can't leave you behind
You're a part of me and whatever I do,
You're always on my mind
Through the years, joy and tears,
You're always there in my heart
Always near, ever dear,
You're always there in my heart
Always there in my heart…
The song was met with thunderous applause. People in the audience were waving lighters that had been lit. Others had large pictures of the Holograms that they were waving.
After the applause had died down some, Jem started another song:
I feel a loss and it's got me kinda shook
I keep on searching but it's nowhere I look
Something is missing
Something is missing in my life
Won't somebody tell me where it's gone
Something is missing in my life
Somebody tell me where I've gone wrong with my life
I move around, keep going day and night
Looking for answers but they're nowhere in sight
Something is missing
On the bus or walking down the street
I feel lonely, lost and incomplete
Something is missing in my life
Won't somebody tell me where it's gone
Something is missing in my life
Somebody tell me where I've gone wrong with my life
Something is missing in my life
In my life
Something is missing in my life
Something is missing
Something is missing in my life
Something is missing
Jem sang a few more songs in addition to these. She allowed the tears to roll down her cheeks as she sang; after all, this was her farewell to her loved ones.
When it was over, Riot came and gently guided her off the stage. Once they reached their dressing room backstage, Jem sat down on the couch and cried. Riot sat next to her and comforted her, as he usually did.
"You did very well, Jem," he whispered.
"It was my final concert," she said. "I'm done with a musical career. I want to do something else in life, I just don't know what yet."
"I know you want a husband and a family," he said.
"Yes, I want that," she said, wondering what he was getting at. She knew it wasn't going to happen with Rio. There was no way. Was Riot suggesting…?
"What else were you wanting to do?" he asked.
"I don't know, really," she said. "I'll have plenty of money to live on."
Riot held her for a while as they sat in that dressing room. He was wanting to ask her to marry him, but he wasn't sure about the timing. She had been staying with him-though in a different room-for the past couple of weeks. That temptation was there. Having the woman of his dreams so close, yet so far away-it was like torture. If he suggested she stay somewhere else, she might take that as rejection.
He had already bought an engagement ring; he'd gotten it before the plane crash. He was absolutely sure that he wanted Jem as his wife. He'd been this sure for the past couple of months.
"Jem…what if I were to be your husband-and father of your children?" he asked.
Her head popped up. She looked at him. "Riot…are you asking me…?"
"I'm asking you to be my wife," he said, cutting right to the chase. "I was wanting to ask you when you and the Holograms got back from London."
"The answer-is yes," Jem said as she hugged him.
Riot reached into an inner pocket of the jacket he was wearing and brought out a diamond ring. "I know the timing is all wrong," he said apologetically as he gently lifted her left hand and slid the ring onto her finger.
"It's all right," she said.
"Jem…I just ask that you stay with Minx and Rapture for a while-until we get married," he requested. "You have no idea what you do to me. I know you want to wait until we're married before we-do anything."
"I take it that's a compliment," Jem said as she kissed him lightly on his lips.
"Remember that secret I said I wanted to tell you?"
Jem nodded. "What were you wanting to tell me?"
He rolled his eyes and chuckled a bit nervously. "I-I've never-been with-any woman before," he finally said.
"Seriously?" she asked, her eyes widening.
"Well…I just wanted to save something that special for the woman I'm destined to be with," he explained. "I know that's not how a man usually thinks…but it's how I think. I've had groupies coming on to me, wanting me to just have a one-night stand with them…but Jem, who knows where they've been and who they've been with, and who knows if I'd wind up paying child support down the line? I just ignored them. Funny thing is it made them want me all the more."
"Riot…I'm actually glad," she said. "I think it makes it even more special."
"It's probably not very common for a man to be almost twenty-four and-inexperienced," Riot commented.
"You're not a common man," Jem said.
"That is true," Riot agreed.
"I'll stay with Minx and Rapture," said Jem. "To tell you the truth, I feel that temptation too."
"I never told you this…but you tried to seduce me last week, when you were drunk."
Her eyes widened. "I did?"
"I just put you to bed. I didn't want to take advantage of you and have you hating yourself-and me," he explained. "So when do you want to get married?"
"How about the first anniversary of our meeting-April 16?" she asked. "I know, I met you as Jerrica that night."
"It sounds fine," he replied. "Has it been not quite a year?"
"If you're wondering…I'm over Rio," she said. "I've had time to think things over. Yes, he has his good points…but his actions…there's no way. Even if he came here right now and got down on his knees and begged me to take him back, I would flat-out say no."
"Your ankle should be healed by April," Riot pointed out. "Again, I apologize for the timing."
"I was actually hoping you'd ask me at some point," Jem said. "Kimber would've been happy, I know that."
Minx and Rapture came into the dressing room. "Riot, what does Jem have on her finger, hmmm…?" asked Minx.
"You finally popped the question! It's about time!" said Rapture. "I didn't expect it to happen right now, though."
"Jem and I are getting married in April," said Riot. "And she's agreed to stay with you two until we're married."
Riot was in his office at Stingers Sound that Monday, looking out over the busy Los Angeles streets. Jem was going to be holding the moving sale today, and she had a bunch of her friends, including Minx and Rapture, helping her out.
The door to his office banged open and Eric Raymond came storming in. "What's your complaint this time, Eric? Pizzazz not paying you enough attention?"
"More like you're paying too much attention to Jem. What's this I hear about you going to marry her?"
Riot turned his chair so he was facing Eric. "Jem is no longer in the music industry. She's no threat to you or your business. I suggest you let me do with my life what I will."
"You know she used to have a thing for me years ago?" Eric said as he sat down on the edge of Riot's desk.
Riot laughed. "She told me all about that. And that she regrets it." Deep down, though, Riot was indignant. Why was Eric so bent on keeping him away from Jem?
"What'd you do, get her pregnant?"
"Hardly," said Riot. What was this guy's angle, anyway?
"Jem has caused me nothing but trouble the past few years," Eric growled as he stood up and placed his hands, palms down, on Riot's desk. "I know what she'll do. She'll lure you away from this company."
"Admit it, Eric, the Stingers are keeping this ship afloat. You just don't want to lose income," said Riot. "Maybe if you signed on halfway decent bands and kept the Misfits on a leash, you wouldn't be so dependent on us. What if I just bought your half and you can just run Can't Dance Records?"
"Oh, no, you don't," said Eric. "I know exactly what you'd do."
"And what would I do?"
"Get rid of the Misfits."
"You read my mind."
"Won't happen. I won't sell my half. And if I were you, I'd drop Jem like a bad habit."
Eric stormed out and slammed the door.
Riot had a bad feeling about this. Eric truly hated Jem, and he'd been about ready to party when the news came about the deaths of the Holograms.
It was time to get off this ship and just let it sink.
Author's Note: Obviously I didn't write those songs, those were in a few of the Jem episodes. But they sure fit this story!