We Won't Back Down

Chapter Twenty-Two

Max Green

“What do ya think Green?” Came Craig’s voice from the doorway of my room. The band had gathered at my house after school in order to get some practice in before work. But since Lex had recently been appointed to head assistant manager, she kind of let the power go to her head and insisted on calling us in early.
“Huh what?” I said closing my bass case and throwing it over my shoulder. I turned around to look at him and made my way to the doorway, practically forcing him out of my room as I shut the door behind me.
“Dude, were you listening to anything I was just saying?” Craig complained and I sighed. Ever since the Elwell sisters left, none of us had been the same. Everyone was more cranky and depressed. Craig became super angsty and I just became filled with frustration all the time. It wasn’t looking good for either of us.
“I’m sorry dude. I haven’t been myself lately.” I stated and he followed me outside.
“It’s alright man, I get it. You miss her. We all miss them. But duuuude… you’ve gotta snap out of it.” He said and I just sighed and rolled my eyes in an inconspicuous fashion. I know, so emo right? Get over yourself.
“I have not a clue what you are talking about Mabbitt.” I replied as we had progressed to the sidewalk, joining the rest of the guys. Craig stopped abruptly and got this weird far away stare going on. I don’t know what that was about. Maybe he was surprised I called him by his last name. I didn’t normally because Athena usually took care of that line of harassment. But since she had gone, it was up to me to give him shit. He snapped out of it quickly, though he was forced to jog after us to catch up.
“Come on man, don’t beat around the bush. You’ve been off ever since you came back from your date with Sheila at your ‘old spot’. Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about.” Craig nagged and I refused to look him in the eye. A bee whizzed past my face and I flinched slightly. It must have buzzed around monte’s head because he screeched and took off like a bat out of hell for several miles.
I sighed and turned around to face the guys. Normally I didn’t like talking about my feelings, especially not when it came to discussing her. She was like my own personal brand of poison. The only difference was that this poison was enough to destroy me internally, but it enjoyed making me suffer to the point where it never killed me. It just liked to watch to me self-destruct from the psychology of its demoralization.
“All right! Look guys, you want to know what’s wrong with me?” I questioned, walking backwards to face them.
“Dude, we’ve been dying to know for weeks.” Craig answered, shifting his eyes over to the other guys… who consisted of Robert and the bee that had taken Monte’s place for a split second before flying off.
“Well… It’s Sheila.” I stated, my gaze falling to ground and turned away unable to face them once again. For some reason, I had this problem with pride. I was afraid of being seen as weak or a punk ass bitch. Most of my life I had been ripped to shreds by countless bullies. I vowed a long time ago to never let my weakness, or a touch of emotion slip through my rough image. But somehow, Sheila had always had a very good act for getting under my skin.
“I knew it! What happened this time?” Craig asked and I shook my head. He knew I had problems talking about this shit. “Dude, you know you can talk to us man. Don’t be a bitch.” Came his oh so soothing words.
“She’s just… being difficult.” I replied as I felt every muscle in my body tense from opening up. I wasn’t used to this kind of thing anymore. I mean yeah sure, the guys had always been there for me. But it had been a long time since I had shared my feeling about a girl with them.
“Keep talking man.” Craig responded with his sympathetic charm. Now I could see why he drove Athena so mad, being that he could frustrate the shit out of you with his combination of charm and asshole tendencies. I admired her for being able to last his harassment so long without kicking the shit out of him.
“Well, she’s just… I don’t know, being a stuck up bitch I guess.” I replied, without looking up.
“Mhm, go on.” This time it was Robert who had spoken up. We had made it to the shop already, seeing as my house is literally a few blocks away. We went in through the side door and Lex was standing at the counter chatting with Monte, who had flown ahead by several minutes. I was going to have to pick on him for that later.
“Monte Money! You bad boy.” Lex giggled with Monte whispering something close to her ear and I swear I almost hurled.
“Ahem!” Craig cleared his throat and they jumped apart. Those two had gotten unprofessionally close in the last few weeks.
“Oh guys! Hey, um… you’re here. Okay, um… we need to stock products and clean instruments. I’m thinking tag team it? You three stock, Monte and I will…clean?” Lex seemed a little high strung over something.
“Couldn’t give two shits.” I replied and she clapped her hands together and grabbed a small spray bottle, a bar of wax, and a smooth cleaning rag and headed to the guitar section and Monte followed her. I sighed and set my bass down behind the counter next to Craig’s guitar. We were going to have to make practice up at his house after work since my mom needs sleep and his dad works nights.
Robert, Craig, and I each grabbed a box of products and took it out on the floor to begin restocking. Robert had made his way to the cooler and pursued to cover the beverages, Craig was stocking guitar straps, and I was stocking picks.
“So Max, continue.” Craig pelted me with a wad of box tap he had just removed from the stock. I glared and him and paused before going on, attempting to gather my thoughts.
“Sheila… I don’t’ know. It’s just like ever since I took her out to our old spot, she hasn’t talked to me. It’s like she’s avoiding me.” I just opened the tab to a heaping can of whiny ass bitch, and I could see it on Robert’s face as he forcefully shoved one strawberry daiquiri Sobe into the slot on the cooler shelf after the other. Something was eating him.
“Why the hell would she be avoiding you. Unless you did something… What did you do Max?” Craig paused as if to imagine the worst thing possible.
“I don’t fucking know! She just stopped talking to me. She flat out refuses to answer my calls and doesn’t have the damn courtesy to return any of my texts or messages online. I guess I just don’t understand why. I wish I knew what I did…” I trailed off and continued stringing cases of guitar pics on the metal racks.
Before I knew what happened, Robert slammed the cooler shut and trudged over to me and shoved me roughly. I didn’t understand what for until he went off on me.
“You know what dude, fuck you! You don’t know what you fuckin’ did wrong; I’m going to be the asshole who tells you. First of all, she probably hates your goddamn guts. You know why? Guess!” he raised his voice, scolding me like I was a child who needed guidance.
“No man, get off!” I said flustered, and pushed his hand off my collarbone that was wrapped up in my shirt.
“She probably heard your punk ass saying she was just another ‘scratch in the bedpost’. Girls don’t typically like it when guys are being dickheads to them! So either watch what you fucking say about the value of person or take the damn silence and buck up cupcake!” Robert finished his rant and kicked my box of picks before turning and storming out of the front room.
I looked at Craig who had stopped stocking with his mouth agape. I could just feel all of the anger and frustration that had been building up inside swelling. What made it worse is that Robert was probably right. It would make a lot of sense. I hadn’t thought she had heard me say that, but thinking about it now, it was pretty douchebag level low of me to say, seeing as none of it was true. I had feelings for Sheila, and not just physical. I mean yeah she was extremely attractive, but I was in love her. I was in love with her everything, and I would NEVER use her like that.
All of my mixed feelings became too much for me to keep under control to the point where I balled up my fist and punched the wall next to me, leaving a hole in the firm sheetrock paneling. Craig jumped and dropped the guitar strap he was holding as Lex came walking through from the other room to the counter.
“That’s coming out of your paycheck.” She said nonchalantly, without question.