Shiny Celebrity Skin

I moved so fast that I must have already had a plan fully formed in my subconscious. I was on my feet and bolting from the room before Matt had even hung up his phone. I yanked open the front door, vaguely aware that I was a mess.

I hadn't brushed my hair at all, and it was falling out of the messy ponytail that I'd thrown it in that morning. Why would I have bothered to look good for a day spent on airplanes and at home?

I barelled down the stairs, nearly knocking over a preteen boy struggling with a large cardboard box. I knew that Matt was probably following me, but I didn't pause long enough to find out for sure. When I reached the lobby, it was deserted. I knew that Shannon was probably waiting by the intercom, hoping that Matt would buzz her in.

I pushed my way out through the door, then I stopped short to avoid crashing into her. She smiled at me pleasantly, and there was a bright glimmer in her green eyes. I ground my teeth.

"Oh, Becky, you're back from Edmonton!" She spoke as though the two of us were old friends.

I tried to keep as calm as possible, knowing that Matt wouldn't want me to lose it completely. I took a moment to breathe deeply before I spoke through my teeth. "What are you doing here, Shannon?"

"What do you mean?" She asked innocently. "I'm here to see Matt."

"He doesn't want to see you. I assumed that he made that perfectly clear when he broke up with you."

She laughed airily. "Oh, that? That was just a big misunderstanding. We're okay now."

"No, you're not," I argued. "And nothing you do will change that. I don't want to be mean, and I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you don't leave him alone."

"Oh, Becky, you're being dramatic."

My jaw was clenched so hard that I was certain I was going to break a tooth. "I'm serious. I don't want to see you around here ever again. I'll make sure he gets a restraining order, if that's what it takes."

Shannon laughed again, but I could see that the glimmer in her eyes had vanished. "Don't be silly. That's not going to happen. Why would he want a restraining order?"

"Get out of here, Shannon," I warned. "You know that you have no reason to come around anymore. If you know what's good for you, you won't come here again. I can make your life very difficult. You have to deal with me at work every day, and I can find out where you live in about thirty seconds. Don't make me turn threats into reality."

All niceties were wiped clean from her expression. Her gaze hardened, and her lips flattened into a thin line. She folded her arms across he chest. "There's no need to get nasty. I just find it sad that Matt has to use you as a bodyguard. I didn't think he was so weak that he couldn't confront me himself. It's kind of a turn-off, you know. Maybe I don't even want him anymore. Personally, I like guys that have enough guts to say what they mean, and don't have to hide behind another girl."

My fingrs curled into fists. I could feel my nails piercing the flesh of my palms. My nostrils flared as I fought to keep myself under control. "Matt didn't ask me to do this. I'm here all on my own. I'd die to protect him. So don't think for one second that I would have a problem tearing your throat out. The only thing that's stopping me from doing it now is that someone would see it. And I can't make sure you're really dead if I'm trapped in a jail cell. Besides, I promised Matt that I wouldn't get caught."

"Tell Matt that when he finally has the courage to talk to me like an adult, I'll be waiting."

"Don't hold your breath."

She spun on her heel so abruptly that she almost hit me in the face with her blonde ponytail. The outer door swung shut slowly behind her, and I watched, fuming, as she marched down the sidewalk. When I finally felt that she was far enough, I headed back inside. Unfortunately, my keys were back in the apartment. I'd locked myself out. I knew that Matt had to be somewhere nearby. I rapped my knuckles loudly against the glass door in front of me. Matt appeared at the foot of the stairs, glancing curiously behind me. I waved him over, and he hurried to let me inside.

"How'd it go?" His eyes were still focused over my head.

"I spoke my piece. If she chooses to come back, it's at her own risk."

"I don't see any blood on the walls, so it's safe to say it went better than I expected. The way you took off," he paused, looking down at me. "I really thought you were going to kill her."

"I knew you didn't want that. I tried to be good. For you."

"Well you know I appreciate it."

Without another word, he took my right hand in both of his and gently rubbed it. Eventually, my fingers loosened. I stretched them carefully, wincing as pain radiated from the base of my palm. Matt made a strage noise in his throat as he surveyed the damage I'd done to myself. I looked down, wondering what it was that he saw.

"Oh," I said softly, seeing the small, bleeding crescent marks where my nails had bit through my skin. "I should go clean that up."

"Beck," Matt whispered, still staring at my hand. "If it was that bad, you should have just hit her."

I laughed loudly. I flexed my fingers again and smiled at Matt. "I told her that I couldn't make sure she was dead if I was behind bars."

Matt joined in my laughter. He put an arm around my shoulders and steered me toward the stairs. "Someday, you really are going to get arrested."

"Yes, I probably will. But hey, I hear they have colour TV. And I think that I could pull off an orange jumpsuit."

"Just don't drop the soap."

I paused, looking up at him as we ascended the stairs. "You know that girls aren't in the same prison as guys, right? The soap rule doesn't really apply."

"I'm just trying to watch out for you. Maybe we can learn how to carve a shank from a toothbrush, just so you're prepared."

"Now there's a pleasant thought."

We entered the apartment in silence. I went straight to the kitchen and ran my hands under warm water. I scrubbed the congealed blood from my palms. I couldn't help but be a bit impressed with myself. Not only had I managed to cut myself with my own fingernails, but I had held myself back from attacking Shannon. I felt almost a little bit proud.

"Hey Beck!" Matt called from the living room. "Doing better?"

"Yeah, I'm good," I called back, drying my hands on a dish towel.

"Can you hold a pair of drum sticks?"

I rushed over to him, grinning from ear to ear. I could see that he was on the phone. I nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, let's go!"

"Alright, Ian, we'll be there in fifteen. She seems pretty excited. Put some beer in the fridge."

He hung up the phone, and I bounced around the room like a small child. Matt grabbed me by the wrist as I rushed past him.

"Slow down. You're going to break something."

"I haven't gone for a drum lesson in weeks! Yay!"

I grabbed my jacket and threw it on. I had my shoes laced up and I was waiting by the door while Matt took his time. He kept glancing in my direction and chuckling at me. Finally, he grabbed his keys and followed me down the stairs.

"I had no idea that you loved Ian this much."

"Oh, come on, Matt. You never come and watch me play. Plus, I want to get out of here. She doesn't know where Ian lives, does she?"

He shook his head. "She doesn't have a clue."

"Perfect."

It turned out that Mike was over at Ian's place, too. I didn't get to play the drums much, but we all sat around drinking together instead. It was strange not to have Josh there, since the rest of the band were all present. I sipped from my beer, which was slowly warming in my hand.

"Becky, play me a song," Matt said suddenly. "You always ask me to play you stuff on the guitar. I want to hear what you've got."

I set the bottle down on the table, grinning widely. "Yeah, let's go!"

Mike and Ian followed us down the hall. I took my seat behind the drum kit and picked up a pair of sticks. I paused to stretch my arms, which earned a light chuckle from Matt.

"You're not running a marathon, you know."

"I'm just loosening up," I smiled. "Ready?"

He nodded, and I took a deep breath. I started in with a heavy drum beat. I could feel Matt smiling as he recognized the sounds of Alive Again, but I didn't pause to look at him. I was able to escape into another world when I was playing the drums. I often lost track of time, and every other worldly matter disappeared.

Ian looked proud when the last crash of cymbals faded away. "You didn't have that one mastered last time you were here. I'm glad you tried it today. It was dead on."

"Yeah, you're awesome!" Mike congratulated me.

"Have you ever thought about starting a band?"

I looked up at Matt, certain that he was joking. To my surprise, he seemed to be sincere. I shook my head. "No, I couldn't do that. I would faint every time I stepped on stage."

"The drummer is at the back, though," Matt persisted. "Hardly anyone pays attention to them."

"I resent that," Ian glared at him.

I laughed. "No, really, I could never be in a band. It's not even worth the effort. I just do this for fun."

The three men exchanged a look, then Matt shrugged. "Fine. Stay a waitress forever."

I rolled my eyes and put down the drum sticks. I walked past them and headed back to the kitchen, reaching for my beer. When they rejoined me, they were all smiling. I finished off my drink and eyed them warily.

"What?"

Matt grinned. "Nothing. It's just... well, some things never change."

"What do you mean?"

"You always were afraid to let people see what you were capable of."

I put my hands on my hips defiantly. "I'll have you know, Webb, that I stood on a chair and serenaded you in front of an entire cafeteria. That's not fear, last time I checked."

Ian and Mike both laughed loudly.

"What? Did that really happen?" Ian asked, his shoulders still shaking with laughter.

"Yes," I replied.

"Yeah, but you sang off-key to make the whole thing more embarassing for me," Matt said.

"So? The point is, I did it."

"And you enjoyed it, didn't you? Just like when you joined the choir?"

I frowned. "What's your edge here?"

"I just think you could pull it off, that's all."

"I'm okay with you guys living in the limelight. I'd rather be backstage."

Matt grabbed me another beer from Ian's refrigerator. "Okay, fine. maybe that's for the best. After all, if you were off on tour, you would never be able to fight off my crazy exes."