Guilty Feet Have Got No Rhythm

The next day we awoke to a rather loud banging on the door, signalizing that someone wanted to get in. After a quick spat over who was going to get it (Claudia threw a shoe at me), I stumbled from my bunk and stormed to the door.

“Holly! I know you’re in there! Open the door right now!”

“I am going to smack some heads together,” I growled, stomping down the steps and practically kicked the door open. “What is so important that you had to wake me up at eight-flipping thirty in the morning?”

“You want to explain?” John hissed, pushing me backwards up the stairs and into the kitchenette.

“Explain what?” I sighed, attempting to turn away. He grabbed my upper arm and pulled me back to face him, his face set.

“I don’t know, maybe the story Alex and Zack just told me?”

“That depends, what did they tell you?” My heart was thumping like mad in my chest, almost threatening to break free from my rib cage.

“Hmm, maybe the one that goes along the lines of you cheating on Alex with Zack? I mean, how did you even meet Alex!”

“They were on summer vacation, and they met each other,” Claudia cut in, brushing past us and moving to out mini fridge.

“How come I never found this out?” John whined, dropping to sit in the kitchen’s booth.

“Gee, John, I don’t know,” Claudia sighed sarcastically. “Maybe because it’s private?”

“Lorry, why the hell would you invite her if you knew they’d be here?” John demanded, dropping his pout and turning it into one of confusion and anger. Turning towards her, I crossed my arms over my chest.

“Yeah, Claudia, why’d you bring me?”

“Because I needed her,” Claudia shrugged. “And, you owe me Holly.”

“Okay, sure, you needed her, but Claudia, couldn’t you have looked out for a fellow band mate?” John continued, tossing his hands up. “I mean, putting those two through something like this!”

“I have no sympathy for Zack,” Claudia glowered as she ripped the top off of a yogurt container. “This is my way of saying ‘screw you’!”

“Hey, if there’s anyone you should be mad at, it’s Holly! After all she’s the one that slept with him!”

We looked at him, confused, until it hit me. Crossing my arms over my chest, I glared at John. “What exactly did Zack and Alex tell you?”

“What you just told me! You cheated on Alex with Zack!”

“That asshole is making me out to be a whore!” I screeched, stomping my foot, turning on Claudia. “He’s telling everyone that I’m a whore and that I’m the cheater!”

“That asshole!” Claudia screamed, whirling around. “How dare he!”

“It takes two to tango, and when the going gets tough, someone better be going down with me or someone’s going to get a swift kick in the balls!”

“What the hell are you two talking about?” John questioned, watching as we grabbed our jackets and shoes, storming from the bus. Heading towards the bus of my favorite people, I could barely breathe from my anger.

How dare he make me out to be the bad guy? Sure, I slept with the guy, but it was in no way my fault. Zack had a huge part in it as well, as a matter of fact, he was the instigator of the actual deed. I was fairly content with just kissing the bloke, but he wanted to go all out!

Claudia took it up upon herself to approach the door, slamming her fist against it with enough force to turn her hand cherry red. I joined in seconds later, kicking and knocking as hard as I could.

“Can I help you?” a rather pissed off man snarled, wrenching the door open. Claudia shoved him aside, storming up the stairs and towards the bunks, ignoring the shirtless men that stared at us in horror.

“Zachary Merrick, you get your ass out of that bunk right this second!” She shouted, ripping curtains back with a vengeance. I was able to count Jack, Rian, two random men, and two random girls before she came across Zack’s.

He blinked sleepily up at her, his eyes red and hair sticking up in random directions. At the sight of her, however, he shot up, ultimately cracking his head against the top bunk. Alex’s head appeared above us, just as sleepy.

“Claudia, Holly, wha—”

“So you think you can just lie about what you did?” she snarled, shoving him back with her hand. “You think you can just put the entire blame on Holly?”

“Hey—!”

“Stop interrupting me, damnit! You get your ass out of bed and you tell John what you did to me!” she shouted, hands on her hips. “If you can’t man up and take responsibility for what you did, then so help me I’ll go around telling people what you did, and it won’t be half as pretty!”

Turning back around, she grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out. “Let’s go, Holly!”

Grinning as we stepped off the bus and into the bright sunshine, I quickly murmured thank you. She whirled on me, her red hair flashing and pink mouth a slash of hatred and anger.

“We are not friends,” she hissed, stepping forward. “Just because Zack is an ass, it doesn’t give you the right to call us friends! As a matter of fact, you’re in the same boat as Zack right now!”

“Claudia—”

“Go set up the tent,” she hissed as she pointed towards Merch Row.

“Don’t be like this,” I begged, trying to keep it from becoming a scene. She glared at me before letting out a bark of laughter.

“Don’t be like what? You should be kissing the ground I walk on, Holly, after what I did for you that summer, even though you slept with my boyfriend! I have every right to act like this, and you know it!” she shouted, drawing attention from those who were awake. “Let’s face it Holly, we both know that I didn’t even want to see you ever again, but unfortunately I need publicity.”

Even though I knew her words were true, they still hurt. Yes, I knew Claudia only asked me to come to help shine some light on her designs but I had also half hoped that maybe she was offering an olive branch as well.

“I thought you had…you wanted to be…” Trailing off, I struggled to swallow as shame burned across my face. Claudia once again let out the short bark of laughter, her face twisted in anger.

“Friends? Is that what you thought? You thought I had asked you as friends? God Holly, I knew you were naïve, but this is insane. Ignorant and a whore, what a great combination!”

I couldn’t help but inhale sharply, amazed at how such simple words could hurt so badly. My face burned with humiliation as I heard someone clear their throats behind us, and I bowed my head in shame so as to not see the pity and gossip in their eyes.

“Go set up the tent, Holly, the gates are going to open in three hours,” Claudia demanded once more before stalking off. Staring down at my feet, I watched them turn blurry from tears of embarrassment before I hastily brushed them off.

Turning my head slightly, I could see Alex staring at me through the bus windows, his eyes cold and menacing as his lips mouthing the word I was to branded with: whore.