Never Cover up What We Did With a Dress

Chesney Martin.

After I called a car repairs man I went back to sit with Demi on the ground.

"So?" She asked, waiting for the verdict.

"We should be at the concert in about half an hour." I replied. "The repairs guy said if he can't fix the car properly in time he'll drive us there."

"Seriously? Just for a concert?"

"No. I said we were going to a wedding."

"Aren't we?" Demi asked. I laughed.

The car repairs guy arrived within the following ten minutes, and it took him exactly twelve minutes and thirteen seconds to locate the problem, and fully fix it.

"This is an old car," he said, "it just over heated. The engine gave out. If you girls didn't stop it would have most likely caught on fire. It's all good now, though, I've given the car more water to cool it down and the wiring has been checked and re-connected. I suggest you don't drive it too much for the next few days. Anymore problems, take it to a mechanic." He gave us his card.

"Thank you so much." I said, Demi repeated after me.

"That's okay ladies! Now get going to that wedding." He said. "Good luck."

With one last tilt of his hat our night in shining Armour disappeared into the fast moving jumble of cars to our left. I smiled at Demi and got into the front seat to drive. She stood at the passenger door with out touching it. She stared at the handle, then at the hood, then back at the handle, then into the window at me. She repeated this cycle about three times before I opened the door for her. She still didn't move.

"What are you doing? It's okay, just get in."

"What if it explodes? Can't we get a bus or something?"

"Didn't you hear him? It won't. And we can't get a bus, you'll miss meeting Manson." I said, smiling widely.

"Well I am not getting in." She said stubbornly. "I am not going to die for the sake of your love life."

I rolled my eyes and reached over to her. My hand grasped the handle of her bag and I threw it in the back next to mine. I then turned on the car with a very shaky turn of the key. The engine started with a soft purr. Everything seemed fine.

"Are you coming or not?" I asked again.

"Not." Demi replied, turning her head away from the car dismissively.

"Okay then. I'll probably see you later. Good luck with trying to get a bus on the highway." With one final look in her direction I closed the passenger door and started to very slowly drive off, hoping that she would run after me. She did.

"What the fuck? If we die it's your fault." She said, her voice wobbling as she sat in the passenger seat.

"Stop being a drama queen. What's the next exit we have to take?"

"Two up from here. Twilight Road. I expect you'll drive so much better than me." Demi said sarcastically. I just rolled my eyes again and put on my indicator to get out into the traffic.

When I joined the cue of cars speeding along the motorway Demi turned on the radio and immediately we heard Marilyn Manson's voice. He was being interviewed.

"I am Dean Long and I am here at Hard Rock with rock icon Marilyn Manson who will be playing here tonight. Marilyn, pleasure to see you again. When was it last? Two years ago?"

"Umm. Yeah something like that... I'm not keeping track of you, sorry."

"Oh, well I am keeping track of you."

"That's your job." Marilyn said.

"Yes it is. I hear you're getting married soon..."

"Is that a question?"

"It's more of a dot dot dot."

"Well... Yes I am. And don't bother about being invited, because you're not."

"Oh. Well I didn't expect to be..."

"No, I am not being mean to you, I'm just not inviting anyone."

"Well, okay. Should we get to the music? You have a new single out, The Beautiful People. What was it about? When did you start writing it?"

Before we could hear Marilyn's response I turned off the radio. I tried to blink back tears that had slowly grouped behind my eyelids.

"He's getting married." I finally chocked out. "Great."

Demi didn't say anything. She just looked at me sadly and stared out the windshield. I could tell she was trying to stay quiet to keep the situation under control.

"This is so stupid Demi. We should have never come. I want to go home. It's not safe of us to do this anyway. The car could go any second. I'm turning around."

"No! For fucks' sake Chesney. This is it. We've come all this way, okay? You've convinced me to still go when I haven't want to and now it's my turn to do the same to you. I bought these tickets and I am not wasting them. You love him. You want to see him. We're going. That's it."

I did the same as Demi did earlier and pressed my foot harder on the gas. I became dangerously close to the car in front of us. Demi sat there and turned on the radio again. This time we heard Marilyn's voice differently. It was accompanied by music and he was singing his new single. I let her keep it on.

"We're going, that's that." She said hardly. I could tell I couldn't persuade her otherwise so I continued driving like a lunatic.

"Fuck! We missed the exit again!" Demi cried. "That's it. Let's stop putting our emotions into driving. It's not safe or sensible."

"Since when have you cared about being a safe driver?" I laughed. "I think we've missed way too many exits. I'll just get off at the next one and then get back onto the highway so we're retracing our steps. Okay?"

"Okay. But we aren't going home. We're getting off at the concert."

________________________________________________________________

Marilyn Manson.

"Today I am dirty
I want to be pretty
Tomorrow, I know I'm just dirt

Today I am dirty
I want to be pretty
Tomorrow, I know I'm just dirt

Fear the nobodies
Wanna be Somebodies
We're dead,
We know just who we are

We are the nobodies
Wanna be Somebodies
We're dead,
We know just who we are..."

"That's great Marilyn. But the lighting isn't going off at the cue it's meant to. Can you do it again from the top?" Tony, my manager called at me from the seating in front of the stage.

I was rehearsing for the show tonight. Usually I hate rehearsing because I don't like everything going perfectly to plan. The best concerts are usually the ones where something goes differently.

"Okay. Well... I think we've done enough for now." I replied, jumping childishly off the stage and making my way back to my room.

"Alright then." Tony said with a hint of annoyance. "What are you planning on doing now?" He began to follow me.

"I'm hungry. Can we go get same Macca's now?" I asked, opening the door to my room with a key card and getting changed into my white suit that I wore in the video of my older single Personal Jesus.

"Yeah, alright. Remember tomorrow we have a show with Sharon Osbourne so don't be too late out tonight after you preform, alright?"

"Whatever. Come on." I walked out the front with Tony following me, on his phone calling a car to come and take us out. While I waited for two minutes out the front of Hard Rock with Tony, I noticed an old white BMW speed past with someone driving who looked impeccably like Chesney Martin. My jaw dropped open and my heart sped up. I touched my new chrome teeth worriedly. Why was I doing this to myself? I was getting married in a few months.

The car pulled up in front of us and we got in.

________________________________________________________________

Chesney Martin.

"Fuck! Fuck! Oh my God! Did you see that! He was fucking there!" I screamed over and over. Demi just sat there, her head facing the back of the car, trying to realise what she just saw.

"Marilyn fucking Manson was standing there!" She finally muttered. Then she repeated it in a scream.

"I know!"

"Let's go back there!" She said.

"No, we can't." I replied. "Didn't you see? He was getting into a car. And anyway I am too hungry."

"Me too. Let's stop at Macca's."

"But I'm vegetarian, Demi."

"Yeah, so? Get a salad or something."

"Okay."

We pulled into the McDonalds positioned a few corners from Hard Rock. I stopped the car and opened the door. Demi followed. We made our way across the car park, dodging burger wrappers, drink cups and chip packets. Demi pushed open the door to the restaurant and I followed her inside. The cue was so long I almost walked back to the car to search for a Subway or something. But just as I was about to suggest my idea to Demi, everyone in the restaurant turned toward the door. I wasn't about to copy everyone else until I felt a timid tap on my right shoulder.

I turned around and suddenly saw what... who... everyone else was staring at.