Animal in Me

All of us are sitting in the greenroom before the show. Tommy is off snorting cocaine off a groupie’s tits with Vince and Nikki. Mick is sitting off the side of the room drinking vodka. This leaves me and Doc alone.

“You going to miss this?” Doc asks me.

“I’m sure whatever band I follow next will do the same douchebag thing.” I chuckle before taking a sip of my Jack and Coke.

“I’m not talking about them snorting something off some farmer’s daughters tits,” he laughs. “I’m talking about the boys. Are you going to miss them?”

“Honestly?” I ask, earning a nod from their manager. “I’m going to miss them a lot more than I thought I would.”

“Really?”

“The first day I met them, I thought they were a bunch of pigs and they were going to make my life a living hell.” I admit aloud for the firs time. “But these last couple weeks, I’ve grown attached to them. Tommy is like an annoying brother. Mick is like an annoyed older brother. Vinnie is still a fucking pig. And Nikki…” A smile appears on my lips. “Nikki has somehow weaseled his way into my heart. I’m pretty sure it’s a bad thing and I will regret it almost immediately.”

“Oh you will regret it.” Doc laughs. “Wholeheartedly.”

“I have no idea what it is about him…”

“You haven’t slept with him yet, right?”

“No.” I reply. “What I feel for him has nothing to do with sex or even the fact he’s a rockstar. There is something underneath this cocky persona. Something I want to find out.”

**

“So Summers, when were you going to share with the class that you have your nipples pierced?” Vince smirks at me the next afternoon on the tour bus. I roll my eyes at him as I slap Tommy upside the head since he was sitting right next to me.

“What the fuck, dude?” Tommy whines as he rubs his head. “How did you know I blabbed?”

“Because Nikki wouldn’t be that stupid to tell Vince something like that.” I reply. “You’re that stupid.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“And you’re not going to defend yourself?” I chuckle. “Didn’t I ask you not to tell Vince I showed you and Nikki my boobs?”

“Nikki saw them too!” Vince whines. “Now you have to show me.”

“I don’t have to do anything, Vincent.” I counter. “I especially don’t have to show you my boobs. And besides, I only have one pierced not both.”

“Are you at least going to share the story of why you have them pierced?” Mick asks, only half interested.

“I was drunk.” I laugh. “Or maybe I was tripping on acid….I’m pretty sure I was drunk.”

“There is no way you did acid.” Vince states. “You’re a fucking saint.”

“Every saint has a past.” I shrug. “And just because I’m not snorting snow every night with you guys doesn’t mean I’ve never done it. I’m just trying to be professional.”

“So are you saying that if you weren’t following us for a story, you’d be doing stupid shit with us?” Nikki asks, a smirk appearing on his lips.

“Not all the stupid shit you do, but yea.”

“Then prove it.”

“How?”

“You’re last night with us, let down your hair and truly party with us.” Nikki responds. “No holds bar. Do whatever you want to do and couldn’t do with us because you had to be a good girl.”

“You’d like that wouldn’t you?” I smirk at him.

“More than you can possibly imagine.”

**

I sit on the side of the stage, dancing around to Take Me to the Top earning a side glare from Doc and a smirk from Nikki. I can feel him watching from all the way from the stage. Knowing that he’s watching me is probably why I continue on dancing. And that’s probably why Doc is glaring at me.

“You’re playing with fire, Aria.” He tells me. “And you will get burned.”

“I only have a couple more days with these boys.” I tell him. “I’m going to spend it how I want. Besides, what are the odds I’ll ever see them again after I head back to L.A?”

“Do you really think Nikki is going to let you just walk away from him that easily?” He asks. “You’re a challenge. Nikki doesn’t back away from challenges.”

I remain silent as I rock out and watch Nikki work that stage. There is something about this man that drives me insane in both a good way and a bad way. This man will be my undoing. I can see this now...