Clash Of The Rockbands
Let Go
Melrose’s POV
It was safe to say that the bus had turned into a war zone.
Even James and I had caught the angry mood. We began to fight over the littlest, stupidest things in the world. I don’t mean just a heated conversation either; I mean full-out yelling arguments that made us ignore each other for the rest of the day. One day, we even had an argument about where he’d put his toothpaste in the bathroom. Yeah, it got pretty bad.
Johnny and Kim appeared to be the only people not affected by all the hatred and anger permeating the air of the bus. As the rest of the two bands warred, they sat in the middle of it all, still madly in love. Kim still perched herself in Johnny’s lap almost constantly; they still kissed and hugged. I think it helped that they were married and had made that commitment to each other. As for the rest of us, we could break up at anytime without any problems. Well, almost no problems. The whole broken-heart thing was still present.
But we only had one more concert left. After that, we’d return to Huntington Beach, and everything would go back to normal...kind of. Six of the people in the two bands would be single, which wasn’t the way it was when we left for this damned tour. If James and I kept arguing and fighting like we were, it would soon be eight of the ten people in the two bands who would be single.
**********
“Melrose, it’s not really all that hard,” James commented as I struggled to memorize one of the songs The Better Halves would reveal for the first time in the last concert. It was a really new song, and I hadn’t had much chance to play it. The last concert would be the next day, so I had a limited amount of time to learn it, but I knew I could.
“Shut up,” I hurled back at him, not even pausing in playing.
“I could memorize that thing in five minutes.” he continued from where he sat cross-legged beside my drum set. I stopped playing and glared down at him—for once, I was taller than him.
“Shut...up,” I repeated, a little more viciously. I went back to playing.
“But I’m just a better drummer, so that makes sense,” James added. I twisted my torso and chucked my drumstick at him, giving him zero time to prepare.
It bounced off of his chest and clattered down onto the floor, where it rolled away. I glared at him, raising my other drumstick like I was going to throw it at him too. James just rubbed his chest where the last one had made contact, scowling at me.
“Shut! Up!” I snapped, rising swiftly to my feet to retrieve my drumstick. As I walked past him, he grabbed my ankle, stopping all my forward momentum. I threw my other drumstick down at him, and it ricocheted off of his shoulder. He scowled up at me, and I glared back down at him.
“Ouch,” he growled.
“Let go,” I snarled back.
“If you apologize,” he replied. I shook my head, attempting to drag my ankle from his grasp. He just squeezed it tighter, causing slight discomfort in that area. “Say you’re sorry.”
“No,” I snapped, shaking my head again. He squeezed tighter, causing actual pain. “Let go!”
“Not until you apologize,” he said.
“Well, then we’ll be here all day because I’m not apologizing.”
“Fine then,” James replied. He shifted into what must have been a more comfortable position. “I have the whole day. You still have to memorize that song.”
I glared down at him, thinking quickly. He was right. I needed to memorize that song. And if I was trapped standing here all day, that wouldn’t help me in the slightest. I wouldn’t apologize, but I needed to figure out a way to get away from him.
“I’m still not apologizing,” I informed him doggedly. James just shrugged, now wrapping his other hand around my ankle.
“So be it,” he replied calmly, looking up at me. I wished I had another drumstick. I would throw it right at his face, and pray that it hit his eye.
Suddenly, I attempted to step back, pulling on my ankle at the same time. I only succeeded in losing my balance and falling down. I sat up, still trying to pull my ankle out of his hands. James calmly pulled me closer before hugging the whole lower half of my leg to his chest.
I definitely wasn’t going anywhere now.
“Let me go,” I snapped, attempting to kick him in the side of the head with the foot he held. He just shook his head. I glared into his ice blue eyes, trying to send thoughts of releasing me into his brain.
It didn’t work.
I leaned forward and attempted to pry his arms away from my leg using my bare hands. Like that would ever work in a billion years. He was easily way stronger than me. James smirked at my futile attempts at getting free. Getting angrier, I slammed my free foot towards his stomach. He released my captured leg with one arm and grabbed my free one with his hand. He wrapped his arm around it, so now he held both of my legs.
“Son of a bitch!” I cried in exasperation. James just laughed. “It isn’t funny!”
“To me, it is,” he replied. I scooted slightly closer to him, just so I wouldn’t have to lean forward to try to get my legs free.
Out of nowhere, James released both my legs and wrapped his hand around the nape of my neck. He dragged my lips against his. I froze at the sudden kiss, but I didn’t melt into his arms like I usually would’ve done.
His kiss didn’t enthrall me anymore. My heart didn’t pitter-patter at the feel of his smooth lips against mine. My thoughts remained gloriously unscrambled, and my breathing remained normal. I didn’t react to his kisses anymore.
That’s when I knew we would break up, too.
I think James knew it too. He pulled away rather abruptly, and I could see a tiny flicker of sadness in his light blue eyes. We stared at each other for a minute or so; I wasn’t even aware of the fact that my legs still rested in his lap. We both realized then that no matter what we did, our relationship wouldn’t work out any longer. We’d just argue more and more, and our relationship wouldn’t really be a relationship, but a constant yelling match.
I pulled my legs out of his lap and rose to my feet. I calmly retrieved my drumsticks before settling back down at my drum set. Without another word, James rose to his feet as well and left the room.
He’d let me go...in a way I wasn’t sure I wanted to be let go.
It was safe to say that the bus had turned into a war zone.
Even James and I had caught the angry mood. We began to fight over the littlest, stupidest things in the world. I don’t mean just a heated conversation either; I mean full-out yelling arguments that made us ignore each other for the rest of the day. One day, we even had an argument about where he’d put his toothpaste in the bathroom. Yeah, it got pretty bad.
Johnny and Kim appeared to be the only people not affected by all the hatred and anger permeating the air of the bus. As the rest of the two bands warred, they sat in the middle of it all, still madly in love. Kim still perched herself in Johnny’s lap almost constantly; they still kissed and hugged. I think it helped that they were married and had made that commitment to each other. As for the rest of us, we could break up at anytime without any problems. Well, almost no problems. The whole broken-heart thing was still present.
But we only had one more concert left. After that, we’d return to Huntington Beach, and everything would go back to normal...kind of. Six of the people in the two bands would be single, which wasn’t the way it was when we left for this damned tour. If James and I kept arguing and fighting like we were, it would soon be eight of the ten people in the two bands who would be single.
**********
“Melrose, it’s not really all that hard,” James commented as I struggled to memorize one of the songs The Better Halves would reveal for the first time in the last concert. It was a really new song, and I hadn’t had much chance to play it. The last concert would be the next day, so I had a limited amount of time to learn it, but I knew I could.
“Shut up,” I hurled back at him, not even pausing in playing.
“I could memorize that thing in five minutes.” he continued from where he sat cross-legged beside my drum set. I stopped playing and glared down at him—for once, I was taller than him.
“Shut...up,” I repeated, a little more viciously. I went back to playing.
“But I’m just a better drummer, so that makes sense,” James added. I twisted my torso and chucked my drumstick at him, giving him zero time to prepare.
It bounced off of his chest and clattered down onto the floor, where it rolled away. I glared at him, raising my other drumstick like I was going to throw it at him too. James just rubbed his chest where the last one had made contact, scowling at me.
“Shut! Up!” I snapped, rising swiftly to my feet to retrieve my drumstick. As I walked past him, he grabbed my ankle, stopping all my forward momentum. I threw my other drumstick down at him, and it ricocheted off of his shoulder. He scowled up at me, and I glared back down at him.
“Ouch,” he growled.
“Let go,” I snarled back.
“If you apologize,” he replied. I shook my head, attempting to drag my ankle from his grasp. He just squeezed it tighter, causing slight discomfort in that area. “Say you’re sorry.”
“No,” I snapped, shaking my head again. He squeezed tighter, causing actual pain. “Let go!”
“Not until you apologize,” he said.
“Well, then we’ll be here all day because I’m not apologizing.”
“Fine then,” James replied. He shifted into what must have been a more comfortable position. “I have the whole day. You still have to memorize that song.”
I glared down at him, thinking quickly. He was right. I needed to memorize that song. And if I was trapped standing here all day, that wouldn’t help me in the slightest. I wouldn’t apologize, but I needed to figure out a way to get away from him.
“I’m still not apologizing,” I informed him doggedly. James just shrugged, now wrapping his other hand around my ankle.
“So be it,” he replied calmly, looking up at me. I wished I had another drumstick. I would throw it right at his face, and pray that it hit his eye.
Suddenly, I attempted to step back, pulling on my ankle at the same time. I only succeeded in losing my balance and falling down. I sat up, still trying to pull my ankle out of his hands. James calmly pulled me closer before hugging the whole lower half of my leg to his chest.
I definitely wasn’t going anywhere now.
“Let me go,” I snapped, attempting to kick him in the side of the head with the foot he held. He just shook his head. I glared into his ice blue eyes, trying to send thoughts of releasing me into his brain.
It didn’t work.
I leaned forward and attempted to pry his arms away from my leg using my bare hands. Like that would ever work in a billion years. He was easily way stronger than me. James smirked at my futile attempts at getting free. Getting angrier, I slammed my free foot towards his stomach. He released my captured leg with one arm and grabbed my free one with his hand. He wrapped his arm around it, so now he held both of my legs.
“Son of a bitch!” I cried in exasperation. James just laughed. “It isn’t funny!”
“To me, it is,” he replied. I scooted slightly closer to him, just so I wouldn’t have to lean forward to try to get my legs free.
Out of nowhere, James released both my legs and wrapped his hand around the nape of my neck. He dragged my lips against his. I froze at the sudden kiss, but I didn’t melt into his arms like I usually would’ve done.
His kiss didn’t enthrall me anymore. My heart didn’t pitter-patter at the feel of his smooth lips against mine. My thoughts remained gloriously unscrambled, and my breathing remained normal. I didn’t react to his kisses anymore.
That’s when I knew we would break up, too.
I think James knew it too. He pulled away rather abruptly, and I could see a tiny flicker of sadness in his light blue eyes. We stared at each other for a minute or so; I wasn’t even aware of the fact that my legs still rested in his lap. We both realized then that no matter what we did, our relationship wouldn’t work out any longer. We’d just argue more and more, and our relationship wouldn’t really be a relationship, but a constant yelling match.
I pulled my legs out of his lap and rose to my feet. I calmly retrieved my drumsticks before settling back down at my drum set. Without another word, James rose to his feet as well and left the room.
He’d let me go...in a way I wasn’t sure I wanted to be let go.
♠ ♠ ♠
I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Bunny-on-Drugs! I know you begged me not to break them up...but I wrote this story a while ago, and I can't change it. I'm sorry!So, everyone's broken up now, save for Kim and Johnny (and you can breathe easy about them. They aren't getting a divorce, I promise.)
Comments? You have GOT to have them.