Six Feet Under the Stars

"We have to start this friendship off right."

He was grinning much too widely. It seemed like our fresh friendship was the highlight of his day. He was having a little too much enjoyment out of this, like a little kid finding a new friend to skip rocks with.

Secretly though, I loved his reaction.

I eyed Alex curiously, trying not to look too worried. "Are we going to have to spit and shake hands or something?"

"Do you want to?"

"Not really."

Appreciating the honesty, that answer made him laugh for a good while. He held his stomach while he chuckled and several people glanced over at him with expressions ranging from curiosity to anger.

When he finally calmed down, Alex said, "Well, I was thinking more along the lines of getting to know each other."

"Well, I have to work; this is my job."

"Looks like things are pretty relaxed now." Alex smirked.

Glancing around at the other roadies, I noticed they were all talking amongst themselves after completing the bulk of the labor. However, I couldn't find Dorian anywhere so I figured he was still fuming in the tour bus, being the grouch he was more and more these days.

I sighed, "You can't get to know someone; it just happens."

Playfully, Alex disagreed, "There's always a start to it. Harmless personal questions and all that."

Shuddering at the thought, I replied, "I'm not good at sharing."

"How'd you make it through kindergarten?" He asked, sincerely.

Surprisingly, a genuine laugh escaped from me, "I'm still wondering that myself actually. I had to sit on the sidewalk for a week because I wouldn't share my crayons."

Alex started to move around, "Somehow it doesn't surprise me that you were an angry child."

"Misunderstood." I corrected, my lips curving upward.

"Shit, if we were ever in the same class we would have raised hell."

"You were bad too?"

He nodded, "Stuck glue to the teacher's desk chair once."

The image of a young Alex with a bottle of Elmer's, painting the chair fabric like Pablo Picasso floated through my brain.

Laughing, I asked, "And then what happened?"

"And then I got some glitter from a craft we did..."

"Oh, God."

"... And the rest is history! She sparkled for the whole year." Alex turned around with his hands in the air. "Anyway, look where we are."

I was looking. Well, looking at him. Despite the underlying annoyance I felt towards him, I had to admit Alex was charming. The way he carried his body and the way his words flowed, gave him an aura of confidence that was alluring.

Dragging my eyes from his face, and my thoughts from dangereous ground, I focused on the surroundings. The beautiful scenery included a smelly trash can with a fly buzzing at its top and a plain brick wall weathered with age.

"Really lovely." I said, dryly.

"That's not the point." He laughed.

"What is then?"

I was a little confused how the sketchy surroundings fit into what we had been discussing, before and after, the school flash backs. Scrutinzing the place, I turned around trying to find a deeper meaning, or at least an interesting landmark as a reason for being here.

"If you keep making the face, Mel, it'll stay like that."

"Mel?" I questioned, eyebrows raised.

"I have a whole list of nicknames: Mell Bell, Melly, Mellow."

I waved my hand somewhat frantically. "I think you should stop while you're ahead."

"What would you want me to call you?"

"Melanie. Just Melanie." I scrunched my nose, "I hate nicknames."

"I heard Dorian call you Mel earlier."

"He knows I hate it, but still calls me it." I sighed, leaning against the coarse bricks. "Not much I can do about that. He thinks it's funny, I guess, seeing me pissed."

"It is." I gave Alex a look, and he added, "Just a little."

Alex stood next to me, and looked off in the same direction I was. I was focused on the crowd of familiar faces now farther away by the three buses. They looked happy to be milling around each other like ants mingling around their dirt-pile homes.

Minutes of silence passed between the two of us, and I was surprised that Alex didn't break them. He seemed to sense the peace floating around each of us, and didn't mind foregoing conversation for a little hile. A bit later, Alex's voice softly rippled the quiet.

"Tell him to stop."

"Hmm?" I turned towards Alex, a little confused.

"Dorian." He explained. "Tell him to stop calling you Mel."

It seemed like our other conversation from minutes passed was so far away, and it took a few seconds to pull it back into memory.

I laughed, mostly without humor. "He's a stubborn kind of guy. He doesn't listen to anything, and likes getting his way. Telling him something he's doing is wrong is not a good idea. I don't want to go down that road."

I shiver ran up my spine; the purple bruises covered by my sweater already marked the potholes of that road. I wasn't about to go down that lane again.

Having Alex's eyes on me had me frazzled; those eyes seemed to see too much, too deep. I quickly changed to another, safer subject.

"So you brought me over here because...?"

"Because I wanted to take you away." Alex's smile was shockingly sweet. "I knew I could."

I figured Alex was taking physically; him leading me away from the tour buses to talk as I unconsciously followed him, too involved in the conversation to pay attention to my feet. But somehow I couldn't help thinking of the emotional side.

There was once a time where I believed in a way out, that someone would come and pull me out of the hell hole that had become my life. Those hopeful days were long gone to me now, like wishing for a forgotten summer in the dead of winter. The idea was fruitless.

"Alex, there's a lot more to it than that." I told him, wishing I was wrong but all the while knowing I wasn't.

"I have to disagree with you on that. You just worry too much, Melanie."

"You don't worry enough; you're reckless."

His answering grin was devious, full of secret promises, "Well, what are friends for?"