Page 30 of More Than Scars
Fuck you
Fuck you
You’re in Imminent Danger now
Yes, we’d written an anthem for ourselves, and yeah, we’d pretty much let it boil down to our favorite four-letter word. But those people in the bar, they were vibing it, and I actually saw Shadow’s eyes grow wide as the crowd around the bar began singing along to everyFuckandFuck you!
We’d captured the crowd with that song, and they screamed for us to come back when we finished it, bowed, and headed for the back.
One more song!
One more song!
One more song!
Holy shit, it sounded like they were banging on the bar and the tables.
“We could do Nothing Else Matters and Spit It Out,” Tibby suggested. “We’ve got those down cold.”
“Throw in Freak on a Leash,” Tony said. “I know we can crush that one.”
“Whatever you’re gonna do you better do it now before those folks out there do damage to the place, which is packed, by the way, thanks to a live stream and a thunderstorm,” Wolf said. “You’ve got a captive audience out there, so get your asses in gear and give them everything you’ve got.”
Our stage manager had spoken, which was the only encouragement we needed to get our asses back out there and keep the roof from ever landing, now that we’d blown it off the place. There were more phones pointed our way when we went back out there, and damn, did Pressley look pleased.
The moment I spotted the proud, excited look on his face, I remembered the kisses we’d shared and the way I’d wanted more and been too scared of rushing it. For almost an entire song, I played while staring at him, or trying to, since he’d only hold my gaze and then look away. Unlike the man in the corner of the bar, several seats away from where Pressley sat. I felt like I knew him,only I couldn’t recall where I’d seen his face before. He hadn’t taken his eyes off me, and damn, his stare was intense. Older than most of the guys sitting around the bar by a good ten years, he gave off this vibe like he was searching for something in the music…or in me.
Now I was the one who couldn’t look away as we played the second song.
Motion.
Memories.
There were flashes in my head of the sky spinning before the world shattered.
Holy shit.
Spinning away, I stalked over to Claude, my playing growing a bit aggressive. I don’t know what the fuck he saw on my face, but it was enough to get him to match my energy, which tripped Tony headlong into full-on swaggering mode. With Tibby and I joining him on the harmony of Freak on a Leash, we snarled out the song with a sort of messy desperation that sent the crowd, especially those in the front row trying to reach up and touch one of us, into a frenzy as they joined in too.
For a moment, it reminded me of jam sessions on the beach with my old band and our high school friends, sunsets and seagulls, and countless bottles of Seagram’s and sour puckers being passed around. I played to mourn the guy I was and celebrate the man I was becoming. Somewhere in all that playing, I realized that the guy who’d been hurled through the glass had believed that he deserved moments like this, while the man I was now understood how rare it was to earn them.
And I didn’t just mean the people singing along; I meant the opportunity the man in the corner was giving me, because I remembered where I knew him from now. He was the guy who’d hit me while in the midst of a heart attack. Not only did he look hella healthy now, but he also looked determined too, when I dared to meet his gaze again and caught him continuing to watch me. This time, I nodded instead of looking away.
When we finished our set, to continued requests for more songs and Wolf in the wings, shaking his head no and pointing to his watch, I knew it was time for us to relinquish the stage. That was fine with me, I knelt at the edge of thestage and motioned for the guy to come to the back, knowing we’d never be able to hold a conversation with other people around.
“What are you doing?” Tony hissed in my ear as I straightened up. “Dude, you did not just see the look on Pressley’s face. Not cool, seriously.”
“It’s not what you think,” I hissed back, leaning closer to speak directly in his ear so no one else could hear us. “He’s the guy that hit me. I just want to talk to him for a minute.”
“Oh, oh shit, sorry, fuck, I didn’t…” Tony stammered.
“No worries, let’s just get the fuck off the stage. I’ll make it right with Pressley after I finish speaking to him.”
“Okay,” Tony said, walking off the stage with me.
Wolf had stopped the guy just inside the doorway until I hurried over to explain that I’d invited him back. Great, now I got a second look of disappointment in less than a minute, and all I was trying to do was close the door on a chapter of my life that I needed to leave in the dust.
“Thanks,” the guy said as soon as Wolf walked away. “I wasn’t sure at first if you recognized me, then I saw you flinch and realized you absolutely did. I thought maybe I should leave at that point, but with the way people had packed the place, I didn’t think I could make it to the door without being a bigger distraction.”