The Softer Side of Unbearable

"Ow!" Bailey whined, rubbing her left arm up and down to take the edge off of the pain.

"Don't say stupid things, and I won't hit you," Spencer shrugged. He took another sip of his drink and shot his best friend a cocky smirk.

Josh laughed loudly. "You guys are so good for each other."

Bailey choked on her rum and coke. "Whoa. You've got the wrong idea. We're not together, nor will we ever be. He's my best friend, and I love him to pieces, but not in that way."

"Seriously? I would have thought that the two of you were married if I didn't know any better."

"Nope. Not even close."

"Hey, guys!" Angel, the drummer in Bailey's band, walked up and tossed her purse onto the table. "I'm Angel," she offered her hand to Josh. "It's nice to finally meet you."

He shook her hand politely. "Same to you."

Angel was a tiny little spitfire of a girl. For someone of her size, she shouldn't have been able to draw as much attention as she did. Under normal circumstances, she would have been the showman of Antagonist Theory; which was the name of the band she played in. For some odd reason, she seemed to clam up when the stage lights came on. But she was an amazing drummer, and that was her passion in life. And she didn't need to talk in order to play.

One by one, everyone else arrived at the bar. There was Jeff, the guitarist of Antagonist Theory, and Matt, Mike, and Ian, who collectively made up the remains of Josh's band, Marianas Trench. Bailey found herself having a good chat with Matt.

"So you play bass, sing, and write all the songs? You're pretty impressive, Monroe."

She laughed. "Thanks, I try. You're not so bad yourself, Webb. So how are you?"

He shrugged, and a dark shadow flickered across his eyes. "I'm alright. I've been better. I'm kind of in the midst of a bad break up. Did you know that when you've been with someone for three years, there's no such thing as a clean split? I mean really, who decided that you have to divide up your friends?"

Bailey felt a pang of sympathy for him. "Oh, I'm sorry Matt. That's rough. But the friends thing can be used to your advantage. I got Angel in one split. And look what came from my friendship with her!"

Matt smiled softly. "Let's hope that I get something that worthwhile out of all of this. Right now, I haven't found anything positive."

She reached out for something appropriate to say, but she drew a blank. Bailey was terrible with awkward, sentimental scenarios. She often wound up making it worse instead of providing any actual relief. So, instead of coming up with something comforting or sweet, she cleared her throat loudly.

"I think we need a round of shots over here!" She yelled, waving a hand in the air to get a waitress' attention.

Spencer looked over, grinning. "Starting the evening off with a bang, are we?"

Bailey ignored him. "So what are we having? Tequila? Or maybe a girly shot; anybody else up for a marijuana milkshake?"

"I want a broken down golf cart!" Angel yelled, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Who comes up with the names for these things?" Ian asked, laughing at the girls.

Bailey shrugged and continued to hail the waitress. "I guess whoever invents them. As long as you don't get the yummy ones confused with the nasty ones, you're okay."

In the end, Bailey spent a lot of time talking to Matt and Ian that night. Spencer seemed to have found a new friend in Josh, though Bailey wouldn't have really thought they would have had anything in common.

For the next little while, this seemed to be normal for Bailey. She would spend her days working with Josh, and then her nights would either be spent out with a bunch of friends or alone with Spencer. Once all the writing was done, Bailey, Angel, and Jeff began to record the new album. Much to Bailey's delight, Josh produced four tracks. She produced one of them herself. It was only a couple of months before the album had fully come together.

Bailey had known before that this album process would be totally different than the first one, but she didn't realize just how much it would affect her. Whether it was recording in five different studios and working with as many different producers, or having money and time put into their photo shoots, it often left her feeling out of place. She felt obligated to try harder and to do better, but she didn't know if she was capable of it. If she hadn't had Spencer to help her unwind, she didn't think she would have made it through.

"Guess what!" Bailey yelled as she burst into her best friend's apartment.

"Umm," Spencer's voice came from within the kitchen. "Josh asked you out?"

She walked around the corner and folded her arms across her chest as she leaned against the door frame. "He has a girlfriend. And I don't think of him like that. Do you want to hear my news or not?"

"Of course," he smiled at her over his shoulder as he continued to chop red peppers on the countertop.

"Well, the first single comes out next week-"

"You told me that awhile ago."

"Please don't interrupt me. Anyways, we've already got a spot on a cross-Canada tour. We're leaving in three weeks. Can you skip some work and come with me for part of it? Take some of your holidays. Or call in sick everyday, I don't really care which one you do."

Spencer popped a chunk of pepper into his mouth. "I've got to go to work, sorry. But I'll come see you when you play local shows. I promise. Who else is on the tour?"

"That's the best part!" She rushed across the room and stole a piece of the pepper. "We're opening for Die Mannequin and Inward Eye! You can't miss this; it's huge!"

"You mean Marianas Trench didn't make you an offer?"

"We don't really play the same kind of music. Maybe someday we'll organize something, but for now I'm really happy with this tour. Please, Spence? Will you come with me?"

"I wish I could, but-"

Bailey rested her chin on his shoulder and stuck out her bottom lip. "Don't you love me?"

His lips twitched as he fought back a smile. "Normal people have to make a living working nine to five."

"Normal people didn't spend the last six years stuffed into a van and fighting to make ends meet. You were there for that. Now it's time for you to reap the benefits of our tiny bit of success."

He sighed as he gave in. "I'll see what I can arrange. Are you staying for dinner?"

She grinned and hugged him tightly. "Do I ever turn down free food?"

I realize that it seems like I'm jumping around a lot here. That's only because I am. I wasn't given much detail for this period of my parents' life. I think I've covered the basics; by that, I mean I've introduced my father and you now know how the two of them met. His name is Matt. Now, from that first meeting, it may seem like my mom started off as being his rebound. That was my first thoughts as well. But I assure you, that isn't the case.

As you are soon to see, things didn't come together quite so easily. In fact, it took over a year for the two of them to truly find each other. And even then, nothing was simple.