Disclaimer: This show would probably just be ending if I owned it, so I do not own I'm In The Band

When I saw Tripp open the door to Bleed, Iron Weasel's original lead guitarist, standing there, something weird happened.

I completely forgot about the band's failure with Bowling Ball Pong, and I fell into this state that only lasted a couple of seconds. I saw, heard, and felt a blur of memories that flew past me of something that I have long forgotten. I didn't have a good glimpse of any of them because they were there for half a second and then it was gone.

When Burger, the bass guitarist, slammed the door, telling Bleed to go away, I woke up from that state. I glance at Ash, I can easily tell that we all, except for Tripp, felt the same about Bleed.

"Bleed?" Tripp, the lead guitarist of the band, asked excitedly. "As in Iron Weasel's original lead guitarist?!"

He opened the door once more and Bleed was in the middle of saying something like 'Bleed is in the hou-' in his British accent, not as fine as my own, before I slammed the door shut and looked at the lead guitarist.

"Kid, we hate Bleed; he only cares about himself." I tell him, I hate that he has the allusion that he is amazing and an awesome guitarist. I thought that once myself.

He says that I do the same thing, but I explain to him that I care about myself and that Bleed cares about himself. I mean it is very distinct in how different those supposed-similarities are, and that that fact was disgusting. I wish he knew how Bleed was really like.

I walk away from the door, which was probably a mistake because Tripp said "He's my idol." And Tripp opened the door again. Bleed was asking where was the love for him before Ash closed the door in his face.

"We had to kick him out of the band because he was a two-faced backstabber!" Ash exclaimed to Tripp.

Ash and Burger explained to the kid what happened on that night, while I just stood back and

remembered.

It was the tenth night in a row we were playing a gig at this club. For the past nine days, Bleed kept telling us that the club couldn't pay us so we just went to our hotel for the night.

It was the tenth night where he betrayed us.

"Bad news guys, the club can't pay us." He told to us after he talked to the manager.

The drummer, Ash, and the bass guitarist, Burger, 'awww'ed in disappointment, while I asked him 'What?' in the same tone.

"That's ten nights in a row, we're going broke!" I told him.

He put a hand on my shoulder and said "I know times are tough for all of us."

Suddenly, there was the sound of a helicopter flying above us and Bleed pointed out that there was his helicopter.

A ladder from said helicopter came down and Bleed went to it and held on to one of the steps as it flew higher and higher away from us.

Us three just stood there and waved goodbye at him, because we were oblivious to a lot of obvious events back in the day.

It hit us a few seconds later that he was leaving the band.

My mind was prepared to zoom forward to the part that really hit and hurt me on that same night, before present-day Burger and Ash were done telling the same story.

"Come on, that was a long time ago. I'm sure he's changed!" Tripp told us, not even convinced by our story to stop him from letting Bleed in. He leaned towards the door knob to open the door again when I stopped him.

I told him that nobody changes, like a zebra doesn't change his stripes or a leopard doesn't changes his spots or Burger not changing his underwear, which he agreed to himself.

Tripp ignored it and opened the door to nothing. At that same time, the door that connects the living room and the kitchen opened and guess who was there?

Bleed.

"Back door was open!" He exclaimed.

Me, Burger, and Ash walked up to Bleed and I said to him as I was walking "Whatever it is that you want from us Bleed, you can't take it. Because we don't have money or fame or girls or anything." It hurt a little bit despite the fact that it was true. Burger seemed to concur even though I didn't say it.

"I don't want anything from you lads, I just wanted to congratulate you on your comeback!" He told us, but we turned away from him, our backs facing him after that with our arms crossed. "Since I'm not wanted here," he started to walk to the main entrance to the home, "I guess I'll just get going." Us three turned away from him as he walked to the main door to leave.

I am praying that Tripp doesn't talk to him and convince him to stay.

"Wait Bleed, don't go." He started.

Damn it. He's going to convince Bleed to stay.

"You're the reason I became a guitarist."

Bleed says: "Oh Tripp, the honor's all mine." He then said that he saw Tripp on his website and thought he could really shred.

Tripp turns to us and says, in a pitch higher than his unless voice: "Bleed thinks I can shred."

I just roll my eyes. If he understood Bleed, he would clearly see through his trap. I can feel my other band members behind me do the same.

"Stay and jam with us. What do you say guys?" Tripp asks us.

Us three turn to him for a second or two to say that we disagree.

"Okay, well you guys jam with me, I'll jam with Bleed, but since we're all so busy we'll do it at the same time."

We fell for it; Ash said that he was totally falling for this trick of Tripp's. I didn't realize it until he said it.

"Brilliant!" Bleed exclaimed. "I'll go get my guitar." He then took off to get it.

After he left, I said to the kid that we play only one song and then Bleed is out.

Little did I realize that Izzy, Tripp's best friend, came in through the kitchen door, and she basically freaked out and ran to Tripp, excited that, through her eyes, the hottest rocker alive was actually here.

Tripp was then talking to her that she shouldn't act like a crazy fan, despite her crush on him. The thought of someone having a crush on Bleed just made me sick.

She said that she won't do that since she was waiting her whole life to meet him. And then he came in and she screamed.

She then literally jumped on his back, making him drop his guitar case.

So, after a minute or two, the band was finally able to pry Izzy off his back and run to the garage to jam, locking the doors after we got in.

So, we decided to perform a song that Iron Weasel used to perform back when we were beginning to get our way to the top, but one that both of the lead guitarists knew and practiced.

We settled on one that was from the second album that was not as popular as some of our other hits.

After performing the four minute song, Bleed was shredding on his guitar for a good ten seconds before he finally stopped.

After that, he said he was sorry about it and that he was a little bit rusty.

Tripp said that it rocked.

Bleed then says, not even thanking the kid. "It does feel good to play again." He glances at the door on the right side of the garage. "Are you sure that door's locked?"

Izzy is standing trying to open it, and pointing to the knob, as if asking us to open it. I would gladly if Tripp wasn't here. She walked away and then Bleed said: "I suppose it's nice to have a fan. My solo career's not going very well."

And then he said out loud "Light bulb!" as the result of him getting an idea. I used to like that about him when he was part of the band, but I just found it annoying.

"What if I open for you guys at you're next gig?" he asks excitedly.

Tripp said that would be awesome, non-verbally saying that we should do it.

"No way!" I said out loud. "He's just trying to latch onto Iron Weasel's success. Even though there's not much success. "I had to admit. Burger, once again, agreed despite it was hard to hear out loud.

"It's alright lads," Bleed says as he is beginning to put his guitar away. "I'll just go home. I don't have far to go." He looks at us after he puts his guitar in its case. "I live in my car."

I don't even feel guilty about that.

At that point, the conversation starts to be a little bit of a blur for me for only thirty seconds. I am trying to repress memories and emotions.

I don't want to remember those.

I don't want them to come back.

I don't want to feel those feelings.

I don't want them to come back.

I don't want him to come back.

I snap out my trance when I hear, from Tripp, that Bleed can stay at his house for the night.

Oh hell no. Hell. No.

"How pathetic." I start, walking towards Bleed. Burger and Ash don't follow me. They know that this should be my battle. "A grown man having sunk so low he's got to stay in a kid's house."

"You guys have been living in my house for months-"
"I hardly see the connection." I say, in a serious tone, to Tripp, turning my head to look at him.

After that, Bleed goes to get his stuff to stay for the night so Tripp can take him to the guest room (really Iron Weasel's room) so he can leave it by the bunk bed.

Once Bleed is set up, the band is ready to get dinner. But Tripp takes me to the guest bedroom because he says wants to talk to me. Even though he didn't tell me, I know he wants to talk to me about Bleed.