Beautiful

""I've called four times. She's not picking up." Blake said as she looked over at Caleb with questioning eyes.
"Josh isn't either." was his answer.
"I don't get it," Chris added, "Blane hasn't missed a meeting since ninth grade, and Josh usually calls." He scratched his head, "hey, you don't think they're... "
"No." Blake said sharply, he started toward the door, "I'm goin over there."
"We're coming with you." Chris and Caleb said in unison, their chairs falling and hitting the floor as they got up.
Billie pulled up just as they walked out the door. "Where are you guys goin?"
"We'll be right back." Chris answered for them. Billie glanced around the parking lot, not wanting to be left alone, he followed them, "Mind if I tag along?"
"As long as you stay out of the way." Blake said coldly.
Billie shrugged it off as they all climbed into Blake's car. Blake was in a bad mood already, and the last thing Billie wanted was a fight.

---o---
Blake could hear the notes of the piano before he even got to the porch. He paused for a moment with his hand on the doorknob, letting the music overwhelm him.
"Come on man." Chris said, softly placing a hand on Blake's shoulder.
He didn't want to go inside, he knew what it meant when she played the piano and that was something he didn't want to face.
The sound hit him and nearly knocked him over as he crossed the threshold into Kacie's front room. It filled his ears and froze him to the spot. There she was, sitting at Kacie's baby grand. Her eyes closed, tears streaking her face.
The music was slow and deep, and stabbed holes in the silence, rather than grace its presence. When it was over, she sat there, unmoving; she whispered "I'm sorry." and disappeared.
He followed her into the living room, "Blane?"
She was shaking, "Blane."
He watched as she picked up a familiar leather jacket off the couch and leave into the kitchen. He was getting tired of this chasing thing they always did. She was at the kitchen counter, the jacket over her shoulders.
"Whose is that?"
"As if you would care."
"Don't give me that shit, Blane. Whose is it?"
"Someone's." she replied, simply, swirling a spoon in her mug that he suspected had tea in it. He decided to let the coat issue go for the time being, he had no control over the matter.
"Blane, why didn't you show up today?"
She didn't answer.
"It's not because of me, is it?" he ran a troubled hand through his hair, "Blane, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did last night. I felt horrible about it, but you wouldn't talk to me. That's why I asked Josh to...” he stopped in realization.
"Josh... It’s his jacket isn't it?"
She just looked at him.
"Blane!"
"What?!" she yelled at him.
He kicked the wall, "I don't believe this."
"What, Blake? Since when do I belong to you?!"
"I never said that."
"You sure as hell thought it!"
"Since when do you fucking read minds?!"
He regretted yelling at her the moment the words left his lips. Never in all the years of their friendship had they fought like this. He felt like he was losing her, and it scared the hell out of him.

---o---
Billie and the twins were sitting on the floor of the front room of Kacie's house. They were playing a card game that was in dire need of alcohol, and conversation. Since the other two had gone into the kitchen, there was almost complete silence.
All of a sudden, there was a slam and Blane came storming out of the kitchen, Blake hot on her heels.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
She turned on her heel to face him. The look in her eyes had such a force that it almost knocked him over.
"You know exactly what it means, Blake!" her eyes flared again, "you move from girl to girl without missing a beat, and the sad part is, you don't even realize what you're doing. You fucking itemize these girls. You have absolutely no regard for their feelings whatsoever, and the ironic thing is you think they're the ones that are shallow." She let out an angry laugh, "have you ever taken the time to even learn anything but their name, if that much at all?! All your little supermodel girlfriends and I bet you can't remember why you even dated them in the first place." She scoffed, "well I do; it's all about looks to you, isn't it?"

"Well, I went for you, didn't I?!"
Before he had a chance to realize what he had said, she picked up the nearest heavy object and hurled it at him. He ducked and it shattered against the wall behind him.
"You son of a bitch!" she screamed.
"Blane, I didn't mean-" another vase flew by him, it barely missed his head.
"Didn't mean what, Blake? Didn't mean to hurt me? Cause it sure as hell sounded like you did!"
"I didn't mean it to come out like that."
"No," she said coldly, "you meant every word of it, you just didn't mean for it to slip out, right, Blake? I mean after all, no one could ever want someone as fucked up as me."
"Blane... "
"No, Blake, you've lost your right to ever say anything to me again." There were tears in her eyes again, she was choking on her words as she spoke, trying her hardest not to look at him, "just get out."
"Blane... "
I said get out."

He left without another word.

---o---
Blake stepped out into the thick Miami heat.
The flight was only about a couple of hours long, but it seemed like it was twice as long without Blane. It killed him to see them together, but she was happy and Josh was a good guy and as long as he didn't hurt her, he would survive.
He followed everyone into the van that was set up to take them to the hotel. He struggled to find a seat that didn't earn him certain looks. This wasn't going to be easy without her.

---o---
The hotel room was huge. Twice the size of the ones they had stayed in, in Oakland.
"Wow." She whispered to herself as she dropped her bags by the door. She had been up all night the night before and sleep was the first thing on her mind.
She kicked of her shoes and crawled into the plush hotel bed, nestling deep into the fluffy white comforter. The sheets had the smell of fresh linen and they were still warm from the dryer.
Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, there was a knock on the door. She let out a frustrated groan as she kicked off the covers and placed her feet on the cold floor. Another knock ripped at the silence, "Blane?" she heard a muffled voice inquire on the other side of the door.
"I'm coming!" she snapped.
She flung the door open to see a pretty beat looking Mike standing in front of her.
"Oh," she said tiredly, "it's you."
"Yeah," he said, swaying a little, "Billie told me to come around and tell all of you to get some rest before tonight, we're going partying." he smiled weakly.
She let out an exasperated sigh, "Was already there."
"Oh," he said sheepishly, "sorry."
He swayed again, nearly falling this time, she caught him in his stumble, "You ok?" she asked.
"Yeah, I just need sleep."
She wasn't convinced, but she decided not to press the issue. Mike's business was Mike's business.
"Ok." She said as he started off down the hall.

---o---
" Hey Mike," Billie said as he came upon his band mate in the hall, "Adie was supposed to meet me here at the hotel, but I forgot the room number and I wanna surprise her. Do you... "
Mike pointed to the end of the hall, "471."
"Thanks man."
Mike just grunted and kept walking.

---o---
Blane's head barely even touched the pillow when, again, a knock sounded itself at the door.
Damn it!" she cursed as she got out of bed. She crossed the room a second time, but before she could fully open the door, the person on the other side pushed past and pulled her into a deep, intimate kiss.
When she managed to wrestle herself free, she saw two sparkling green eyes staring back at her.

---o---
"Blane, I'm sorry. I thought you were..." he stammered nervously, but she was gone, out the door and down the hall without a word. Leaving him to stand there and run a hand through his hair in confusion.

---o---
Mike didn't want to answer the phone but if he didn't, Billie would think there was something wrong, and that was the last thing he needed.
He sighed heavily at the ID Joe that flashed across the screen.
"Yeah?"
"Mike, you gave me the wrong room number."
"Look Billie, I'm sorry, but-"
"No, you don't understand. You gave me Blane's room number and I thought it was Adie's"
"Bill-"
"Mike!" he was yelling now, "do you not comprehend what I'm saying?! She opened the door and-"
"I don't fucking have time for this, Billie! Call Adie and get the damn room number!" he yelled into the phone.
There was silence on the other end.
"Mike?"
"Yeah?"
"What's wrong?"
He didn't answer; he flipped the phone shut and threw it against the wall. Why did Billie need to know anything?
He leaned back against the bed and pulled a small bag of pills out of his pocket.

---o---
Adrienne laughed when he told her.
"Did you slip her the tongue too, Billie?" she giggled.
"I thought she was you!" he said defensively. She let out another fitful giggle.
"It's not funny!" he insisted, childishly, his face sank into a serious frown, "You didn't see the look on her face."
Adrienne sighed, "She's a teenage girl, shell get over it." Adrienne assured, then she grinned slightly, "but don't expect her to not confront you about it."
"And you know this how?"
She raised an eyebrow at him, "I was fifteen once, you know."
He grinned slightly, and for a moment, they just sat there, grinning at each other in silence.
"I need to talk to Mike." He said randomly, and then he left before another sound could be made.

---o---
The bassist was lying on the floor of his hotel room, curled into the fetal position when Billie found him. "Shit!.. Tre!" he yelled.
Tre came running across the hall and stopped dead in the doorway.
"Holy fuck, Billie, the pills!" he yelled pointing to the bag on the floor, "Fucking call 911, he's OD-ing!"
Tre tried to comfort a violently shaking Mike, as Billie frantically tried to explain the situation to the operator.
"Hang in there Mike, they're on their way," he looked desperately over at Billie who was faced the opposite direction.
No Dammit! We need a fucking ambulance NOW!!..... This IS a life or death situation!"