Feed the Fire

The next day at the arena Sabrina was not feeling good at all. The stress was finally getting to her she had decided. She couldn't keep anything down at all but would just throw it backup. She decided she needed to be alone so she kicked everyone out of the dressing room. She knew it wasn't entirely fair, but she had to be alone in her misery.

Beth and the others invaded Green Day's dressing room and quickly made themselves at home there. Beth was lounging on a couch and quietly sipping on a cherry Pepsi, while watching Mike, Billie, and Adie engrossed a conversation across the room. Beth reflected back over the tour so far. This was the beginning of the second week and things were just as weird as they were the first day. Beth had made SURE that Mike went to Sabrina to talk to her about that incident. She smiled as she thought about how she told him to do it. It was almost like drawing a line in the sand and telling Mike to cross it. She thought about what happened after the little 'discussion' and a slight smile came across her face as she looked at man.

He glanced up from his conversation and caught the look in her eyes and smiled himself. He could almost tell what she was thinking about. The noise of the door opening drew her face to the sound and upon seeing who came into the room; Mike saw the look in her eyes change. It was like watching a lioness defending her turf against another lioness and he could almost imagine her sharpening her claws.

When Tre and Jill came into the room all eyes were on the two women. Beth just continued to sit in the only available couch and all that was left were a few scattered chairs here and there. "Frank..." Jill said as she nudged him to say something to the woman on the couch.

"Ummm Beth, mind if we sit down there?" he asked.

"Yes, I DO mind," Beth said making no move to give the people space.

The conversation in the room stopped while Mike and Billie stood up in case they had to intervene. Beth cleared her throat and started to sing a familiar tune... "I ain't saying' she's a golddigger, but she ain't messin' with no broke-broke... "

"Frank, are you going to let her speak to me like that?" Jill said interrupting Beth's tune.

"I'm only singing, sugar buns. No need to get paranoid," Beth said, "It's called warming up my vocals before a show. I do it in intervals as not to strain my voice. It's what us people here with jobs do; as compared to 'I ain't sayin' she's a golddigger'... since some of us DO MORE than just shout 'yea, yea, yea, yea, yea', in between songs," as she turned her last words to Tre.

Tre sighed, he because he knew what Beth was like and how she regarded Jill. "Beth please, this is our dressing room. Why don't you go back to Sab's room?" he pleaded.

Beth just smiled evilly and ignored the drummer's request. "Frank; are you going to let her treat YOU like that?" Beth retorted, "Besides Sab isn't feeling good, so she kicked everyone out for a bit so she could be sick in peace."

"What do you mean 'sick in peace'?" Tre asked with concern in his voice. That moved Jill to begin whispering furiously in the drummer's ear.

Beth watched in mild amusement at Jill henpecking at Tre, "Panties twisting much, spanky buns?"

"Do you have a problem with me?" Jill stormed as she stood in front of Beth. "Because if you do you need to speak up," the woman kicked at Beth's foot which was idly hanging over the side of the couch.

"Don't... touch... me... " Beth growled in a low tone.

"Excuse me? I can't hear you. You think that your kind can learn to speak up once in a while," Jill huffed.

Beth shot a look to Mike that said 'this bitch can't be THAT stupid'. Mike shrugged his shoulders slightly at Beth who turned her attention back to Jill. "And what exactly is my 'kind,' because I'm gravely curious."

"You groupie types..."

"Groupie," Beth repeated. "Explain to me with detail, how I'm a groupie."

"Well, you hang out here with the guys all the time. You are always around... I mean don't you have a home of your own or something?"

"Not while I'm touring, no, I don't have a home. And the reason for that, child; is that I work on this tour. I'm a part of Sabrina's band. I rehearse and perform with her every night. What do you do here?"

Jill just stared at the woman, "I'm HERE with Frank, and I belong here more than YOU do. This is Frank's dressing room, so you shouldn't be HERE if you're part of that woman's band," Jill sniped out.

"Last I knew, this was Green Day's dressing room, and I don't see Billie or Mike or any of the other guys for that matter, telling me to leave," Beth said quietly back. "And besides that, who is going make me leave this room? Your spineless one balled wonder?" she said jerking her head toward the man in question.

"Frank; are you going to let her TALK to YOU like that? You are the star here, not her... She's just a nobody," Jill said to Tre.

Beth once again just looked at the stupidity of the woman who kept trying to start something. Tre looked toward Mike and Billie with a pleading look on his face. His friends both looked back at him and didn't move to help.

"Well if you aren't going to do anything; I WILL," Jill sputtered as she bent over to grab Beth's arm to move her from the couch.

Beth looked at Jill with murder in her eyes. As she started to lunge up at the younger woman, Mike finally spurred into action and ran over to get between the women. "Come on Beth; let's see if Sab is feeling any better."

"Lemme me first just..."

"No Beth; come on..."

Beth ignored the tall man and lunged toward Jill anyway. In one swoop of his arms, Mike plucked Beth almost in mid lunge and tossed her over his shoulder and walked out of the room with her spitting and sputtering. "Fucking jailbait," Beth yelled back to the younger woman.

Mike stopped and turned toward Tre, "Tre, I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this so Beth won't get arrested," he said and turned to move out of the room.

"Fucking jailbait? Look whose talking there little girl," Jill retorted.

"Honey, I was already in high school before you were out of elementary. So who's the jail bait now, sister?" Beth said with an evil grin on her face before Mike took her out of the room.

They walked down the hallway as Mike tried every door until he found an open one. He pushed the door and walked into the empty room and place Beth on her feet, turned and stood in front of the door.

"Dammit Mike; lemme out of here, she needs a good spanking," Beth said as she glared at the man barring her way from leaving the room.

"As fetching as that sounds, No Beth; I'm not letting you out till you cool off."

"Asshole... " she muttered.

"Some say..." he replied with a grin. "Just shush Beth."

Beth glared at him again and turned around to walk over to the countertop and with one graceful movement jumped up to sit on it while swinging her legs. "Make me shut up."

Mike looked at her long and hard and moved over to where she was sitting. "Just how old ARE you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," she retorted.

"Yes actually I would; I know nothing about you, so an age would be nice."

"You aren't getting it out of me cop-per," she said in an old time movie gangster accent with a slight smile gracing her lips.

"Ve have vays of making you talk," Mike replied in a fake German accent.

She looked at him with raised eyebrow, "Oh?" Mike just nodded and didn't say a word to her. The tables were now reversed and he was in control, and not her. "What ways?" she asked again.

"Vays," he said as he leaned in to claim her lips with his own. When he pulled away from her lips, a little mew of protest was heard. Mike smiled at the sound, "Are you ready to talk?"

"You still ain't gettin' nothin' from me cop-per," came the reply.

So again Mike leaned in but instead of kissing her lips, he lightly lapped the base of her throat and kissed his way up her neck to her tender ear. He found his way back to her mouth and lightly bit her full lower lip. He moved again to kiss her as he whispered, "You are how old?"

"Sixteen," she muttered, but Mike saw through the obvious lie.

"Liar; how old are you?" he asked again as he made his way back down her neck.

Her head rocked back at the feel of his lips and moaned "31, I just turned 31 less than a month ago," she squeaked out.

He stopped to a whine of protest from her and cupped her face with his hands, "What do you mean you JUST turned 31?" he asked.

"I didn't say anything. It was Jakob's day...and no child should have to share his birthday..." she trailed off.

He looked at her intently as he thought about what she said. "You know Beth; you are too good to be true sometimes."

She smiled at his kind words, "Well that's what's wrong with me and why I can't seem to get a good man," she joked back nervously.

"Sometimes things are right in front of you; all you have to do is see them," he replied looking into her eyes. She smiled as he leaned back in to kiss her yet again.

Later after Sabrina and her group came off stage from their set. A bunch of balloons were waiting for them when they entered the dressing room. Beth stopped cold as one of the balloons caught her eye. She quickly went over and grabbed it to pull it out from the bunch. Quickly her eyes scanned it before she popped it.

"What was that for? Didn't like that color?" Sabrina chuckled at the younger woman's actions.

"Yea... the color, that's it," was Beth's half assed response. She went over and grabbed a towel and wiped off her face a little as the image of the balloon danced through her thoughts. A balloon that had a message written on it with a black sharpie; 'Happy belated birthday because you didn't say anything' floated in her mind's eye.