Fall From Grace(22)

I nodded. “Hmm.  Sounds like you’re put together all nicely.  Even though you’re standing here having a difficult time having an innocently normal conversation with someone of the opposite sex, knowing that there is no way in hell I’d ever sleep with you.  No, Shane, you’re not dysfunctional in any way.”  I pushed myself off the counter and walked out of the kitchen, done with the stupidity of our discussion.

Shane knocked the kitchen chairs against each other trying to make sure he’d get the last word in, “Hold on!” he yelped.

“Save it for someone who actually would care about what you had to say, Shane,” I called from the next room.

I locked myself in my room, inserted my iPod into its speaker dock and melted into oblivion when the first sounds of music touched my ears.  I was determined to spend this entire Sunday in bed, reliving Gabriel’s words repeatedly in my head.



Chapter 5

The force of the front door smashing into the wall, causing the entire apartment to shake, jarred me from my sleep.  I peered over at the window, dusk was settling.  The neon red numbers on my clock said it was only four in the afternoon.  Ugh!  I just wanted to sleep until next week!

I listened at the door, wanting to make sure I wouldn’t be walking out into a private spat between Lea and Conner.  When I heard Shane’s voice, I rolled my eyes.  I laughed to myself. Well, it can’t be anything serious then.

Still in my comfortable flannel pajamas, I walked into the living room.  The whole band was there, bickering between each other, while Lea and Conner tried to make sense of what was going on.  Alex the other guitarist and keyboardist of the band sat in the middle of all the commotion with both arms in casts.

Everyone stopped and looked at me when I came in.  “Are you seriously wearing teddy bear pajamas?” Alex asked me.  He raised one eyebrow, “That is incredibly adorable and sexy.”

I couldn’t help but smile and I lifted up my slippers to amuse him further.  I pointed to them, “Complete with my comfy teddy bear slippers.  What in the world is going on in here?  Why are both your arms in casts?”

Brayden threw his hands into the air.  “This loser spent the morning in the hospital after getting his ass kicked last night!”

I took a closer look at poor Alex’s face.  His bottom lip was red and swollen, there was a cut above his left eye, and reddish-purplish bruises were forming over both his cheeks and across his nose.  Ouch.

“Holy Crap!” I yelled.  “What the hell happened?”

“Seems that one of the bimbos from last night had a boyfriend.  That said boyfriend introduced himself to Alex by way of his fists and a baseball bat,” Lea said, handing out bottles of water and bowls of chips to everyone.  When did she become the model hostess?

“A baseball bat?” I asked.

Alex’s cheeks turned redder.  “Yeah.  The dude jumped out on me from the closet with the bat.  I threw my hands up to block it and he broke both of my arms.”

“Please tell me the boyfriend looks worse,” I pleaded.

Ethan’s deep laugh echoed throughout the room.  He really was the biggest guy I had ever seen here, maybe 6’ 7” and his voice matched.  His pin straight long hair was so blond it was almost white.  He reminded me of the guys in those hair bands from the 90s.  “I think maybe Alex hit him with some splatters of blood, but that’s about it!”

Everyone laughed, even Alex.  Well, no, not everyone.  Not Shane.  Shane stood leaning against the front door with his arms and legs crossed.  He had an angry expression on his face.  “Yeah, well, that’s all really funny, but who is going to play rhythm guitar this weekend, or next?  Or, how about the week after that?  Who the hell are we going to find who can play as good as Alex, and play his keyboard, sing, and learn all the f*cking songs before Friday night?”