Sound Effects and Overdramatics

I woke up slowly, light filtering through the window, casting a hazy glow around the room. I moved to sit up and my whole body screamed in protest.

Next to me, Brian still slept, his arms, back and chest covered in scratches and hickeys. His chest moved slowly as he breathed deeply, his sleep undisturbed.

After we started last night, we didn't stop until sheer exhaustion took over. We desecrated the kitchen, left a mess of the living room couch, and finished in the bed, most of the blankets and pillows knocked to the floor. We were making up for the last two weeks, trying to forget everything between us.

The drama never fucking ended.

Before I found Brian at the bar, I'd dropped off some boxes when I came to see if he was here. I struggled to stand and my legs shook as I walked the few feet to the box closest to me. I hadn't even bothered taping it, so I ripped the flaps open and pulled out a tank top and some pajama shorts.

Getting down the stairs was a real struggle. I identified several hickeys and bruises of my own and couldn't remember when or where they all happened.

So much for makeup sex.

The back door opened while I made coffee and danced around to the happy little tune I was muttering under my breath.

"Well, hello there." An unfamiliar voice greeted. I jumped and turned.

"Oh shit. You're Benji Madden."

"That I am. And you're definitely not Michelle."

"'Fraid not. You looking for Brian?"

"Brian, huh? Not Syn?"

"Fuck, I think he'd shoot me if I called him that. I've been dating him for three and a half months."

"Is that right?"

"Well, consistently dating. We met a couple years ago." I grabbed tow mugs out of the dishwasher and offered him one, pouring coffee into both.

"You must've made quite the impression. Last time I saw him, he was planning a wedding."

"Something like that. Hard to believe he didn't tell you about me. I mean, you guys jam together right?"

"Not so much lately. We've all been busy. You're a fan, I take it?"

"I've been to a couple shows. My brother's the real fan. But, he also has it bad for Joel." I shrugged off the comment and drank, trying to fight off the worry that bubbled up.

"I'll be sure to tell him." Benji said with a laugh. "So, what's the name of the girl who stole Brian Haner from Michelle?"

"Depends on who you ask, but usually Beth."

"Mystery. I like it."

"You have some yourself. Why are you breaking and entering?"

It was easy to talk to Benji. I'd never met him, but I'd listened to his music for the last decade. Talking to him strangely felt like talking to Kai. I could tell him anything and he wouldn't bat an eye.

"Just wanted to catch up with Gates. Now I have more of a reason to come around more." He said it with a wink and lifted the mug to his mouth. I took the flattery graciously and lit a cigarette.

"Laurel?" Brian called a couple minutes later. Benji smirked, another piece of the mystery solved.

"Kitchen." I hollered. I straightened up and refilled my mug, trying to put distance between me and Benji. I fell into the comfortable conversation easily, and got a bit closer to him than I probably should have. I didn't need Brian coming in and seeing something that wasn't there.

"Benji, hey man. What's up?" He looked from Benji, to me, and back again.

"Just hangin' out. Beth was just telling me about her brother. How he dragged her to Warped a while back."

"You never told me that." He commented.

I shrugged handed him a cup of coffee. When I kissed him him, I let my lips linger just a bit longer than necessary. Brian dragged it on even longer and when I could finally pull away without making it weird, tension had filled up the room.

Benji drummed his knuckles on the counter and dug around in his pocket until he found a piece of paper. I watched him grab a pen and write something down, sliding it across to me.

His number, which I wouldn't have needed unless he wanted to talk to me without Brian around.

I felt Brian tense behind me. I could already feel the argument coming.

"Have your brother give me a call. Maybe we can all hang out. Let him fawn over Joel close up."

"Yeah, sure."

"Gates, catch ya later." He fist bumped Brian and bolted out the door.

As soon as it clicked shut, he set his mug down. "Laurel, what the hell?"

I turned and dumped Benji's untouched mug in the sink, shaking my head.

"What the hell was going on down here while I was upstairs?"

I leaned against the sink, arms folded, and stared him down. "Benji's your friend. So, you tell me what you think was going on."

"Don't do this to me, Laurel."

"What am I doing, Brian? I was making coffee. He walked straight in. We were talking. I told him Jason has a hard on for Joel."

"You really expect me to believe Benji gave you his number to pass along to Jason, knowing you could just ask me for it?"

"Take that up with him. Before today, I didn't really give any thought to meeting him. Funny, now that I think about it. Finn always told me I was with you just so I could fuck my way through my favorite bands. Maybe you should call him up in prison and swap notes."

I moved away from the sink, walking by him without looking at him.

"Christ, Beth. Through all our shit, I never thought I'd hear you compare me to your husband."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before making assumptions. I'm going to take a shower."

While I was under the spray, all the good thoughts and feelings I'd had when I woke up barely an hour ago had disappeared. Now, thoughts of Finn battled with worry over my brother.

The three months I was forced to spend in Chicago with him came back crystal clear. He'd hardly laid a hand on me, but his insulting and accusatory remarks never stopped. *Slut* and *whore* were part of his daily vocabulary, constantly telling me that I was just a money hungry bitch and that I was no better than a groupie trying to get backstage.

I closed my eyes against the onslaught of memories. There was a lot I hadn't dealt with. After Finn was put in jail, and then I got the call saying his sentence had been extended, I figured that was the end of it.

I never thought I would have to deal with the same accusations from Brian.

God, I needed a therapist.

I heard the door open. I stood up from the floor and quickly ran shampoo through my hair.

"Are you okay?"

"Maybe when Jason comes home he can fuck that extra aggression out of you. I don't have energy right now." I bit out.

"Laurel," he said a little too gently. Through the frosted glass I watched him sit down on the toilet. I shut the water off and slid it open.

"Jason's not coming home."

"Maybe not right now, but soon, right?"

"The police just called. They found a body in a motel room, pumped full of heroin. They told me it was Jason. They want us to come identify the body."

I collapsed against the shower wall. Dripping wet and naked, I felt like I had been ripped in half. I didn't want to believe him, but a part of me knew he was right. He wouldn't tell me Jason was dead just to hurt me, no matter how bad we were fighting.

He had to help me out of the shower. I walked slowly into the bedroom, my head spinning. When he asked me which clothes I wanted, I just shrugged. I put on a sports bra and an old t-shirt. He managed to find my favorite pair of jeans. On autopilot, I put them on, but couldn't get my hands to stop shaking long enough to get them buttoned.

He didn't say anything about helping me. He guided me down the stairs and out to the Jeep. I kept hold of his hand as we drove through the city. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to keep myself together.

At the police station, I stopped at the doors. With memories of Finn fresh in my mind, I couldn't bring myself to walk inside. I started shaking again and sat down on the bench a few feet away.

"Baby?" Brian asked. I shook my head.

"I can't go in there. I can't..." I swallowed down a sob. "I can't talk to them about his drug abuse or his prostitution. I don't wanna sit and listen to a cop speculate about my brother. He was a good person. He didn't hurt anybody. I'm not gonna listen to a cop talk down about him just because he was an addict."

"I'll go in. I'll talk to them. Just stay here. I'll call Zack."

He was dialing before I could protest. Ten minutes later, Zack was rolling up and Brian was leaving me with a kiss. When I pulled my attention away from his disappearing form, Zack was holding out a joint.

Grateful, I took it and inhaled deeply. "Met Benji today." I commented, to keep him from asking how I was doing.

"Ah."

I passed the joint. "What?"

"Benji thinks he's God's gift to women. He sees you, not Michelle, and thinks you're free game. He's a smooth talker."

"Nothing happened."

"Does Brian believe that?"

"No."

"Just like you didn't believe anything happened between him and Michelle that night."

"Hey. the police station is right there. You sure you don't want me to go inside and talk to an officer?"

"Up to you. I'm just trying to help you out here. Benji's cool to hang with, but if he doesn't know it's serious, he'll keep trying."

"It's not like I invited him in, Z. He walked in. Am I not allowed to be excited about meeting other people in my favorite bands?"

He shrugged. "I didn't say that."

Before I could answer, Brian came out of the station. My head jerked in his direction. He was pale, and he immediately pulled me off the bench and into a crushing hug. He didn't have to say anything.

My entire world crumbled around me.