Dance With Me in This Rain

"That's it. I can't take this anymore!" Bill sighed, stepping firmly on the brakes in one quick motion. The car stopped precipitously on the side of the road, flinging me forward and I nearly hit my head on the front glass window.
I gasped shockingly, looking at Bill. Thank God for seat belts.
He had his head down. "Are you going to tell me what happened or not?"
Great.
I wiped a few tears with my sleeve. "Bill, please. I just wanna get to the hotel."
"What happened? Is it Tom? Did he hurt you? Did you two fight?" He began questioning impatiently.
I sniffed. "I don't want to talk about it. Please, just get me to the hotel."
"Why won't you tell me?!" He exclaimed. "Belle, I'm your best friend. You know that you can tell me anything. And I mean anything."
This conversation was making my nerves react. My insides were losing control. I needed a punching bag. I knew it wouldn't take long for me to break down in the car.
"Please, just tell me," Bill pleaded in desperation, which made my stomach churn.
I didn't like seeing him that way. I didn't want to be the one who made his angelic face look like that. Ever.
"Bill, I'm serious. Unless you want to see me have a meltdown in this car, you'll take me back to the hotel as fast as possible," I said calmly, though tears continued streaming down my cheeks incessantly.
Bill exhaled, hitting his hands on the wheel in anger.
"Go ahead! Have a meltdown! I don't care if you do! Just tell me what the fuck is happening!"
My eyes widened. Bill had never yelled like that. At me, anyways.
"Bill, for the love of all that is holy, just take me to the hotel!" I buried my head in my hands. "Please, that's all I'm asking for! That's all I've been asking for!"
"So you're not going to tell me?" He said angrily, tightening his jaw. "You're not going to tell your own best friend what the hell is going on with you?"
My breathing suddenly became rapid. Fury was now getting the best of me.
Screw. This.
I released my face from my hands and began unbuckling my seat belt.
Bill's face dropped. "What are you doing?"
I ignored him, as I flung the seat belt off me and opened the door of the car, which I hastily jumped out of.
"Bella!"
I slammed the car door, and began walking fastly ahead.
"Bella!"
I heard his car coming after me. "Oh, come on! Are you kidding me?!" He yelled at me from the passenger window. He had his eyes on me and at the road at the same time. "Bella!"
I wiped a few more tears with my sleeve as I continued walking.
I was breaking into dramatic mode. But that's what happens when anger invades and takes total control. I lose it completely. There's no better explanation.
"What the hell? Why are you doing this?!" He called.
"You don't wanna take me back, so I'll just walk," I blurted angrily, staring forward.
"Oh God," Bill said to himself. "Bella, get back in the car."
"No."
"Bella, please," He pressed. "Do you seriously want me to get out and chase you down?"
I snorted. "Don't bother."
He sighed frustratingly and abruptly hit the brakes. Next thing I knew, he was in front of me, blocking my way with his arms.
"Come on," He urged, taking hold of my wrist. "Get in the car."
I tightened my jaw and glared blackly at him.
He did the same.
And we just kind of stood there staring each other down for the longest minute in history.
"Fine!" I snapped, finally giving in.
I can't run. I don't even know the way back. I need Bill. And his car.
I entered the car grudgingly, shutting the door with a bit more force than intended.
Once Bill was in the driver's seat, he started the engine and began driving. I crossed my arms.
Discreetly, I peeked over only to see him shaking his head angrily.
"I don't understand why you're doing this," He murmured so low I almost didn't understand.
I stared out the window, not saying anything.
"You're acting so strange. I seriously don't get you right now," He continued, but his voice didn't sound mad. Merely confused.
"I told you that you can tell me anything. And I know this involves my brother. You-"
I exhaled loudly, interrupting him mid sentence. "I saw him making out with another girl!" I exclaimed. "He was with some other girl!"
Bill's mouth gaped open and his dark brown eyes were so wide, I thought they'd fall out of their sockets.
"T-Tom?" He spluttered.
"Yes. Tom. Your brother."
Bill's face puckered. Clearly, this had taken him aback.
"A-Are you sure...?" He trailed off.
I scoffed, looking at him in disbelief. "Am I sure?! Of course I am! He was sucking face with some bleach blonde whore!"
Bill's hand flew up to his forehead, rubbing it nervously.
I breathed unsteadily through my nose, looking out the window again.
"I-I don't know why he'd do that," Bill stammered, not blinking. "I really don't."
"The idiot was drunk," I sniffled, shaking my head. "He was fucking drunk."
Bill's lips hardened into a straight line. A rusty old Volkswagen Beetle behind us suddenly honked in fury, as it sidetracked our car and sped on ahead of us.
Bill was totally losing concentration on his driving.
"Bill, the wheel!" I exclaimed, as the car swerved. He sat straight in his seat, clutching the wheel in his hands.
"Sorry," He mumbled.
We stayed in silence for at least ten minutes. My stomach was sick and I was feeling the urge to retch.
Finally, after a few more torturous minutes, we arrived at the hotel. I jumped out of the car quickly and walked ahead of Bill, who was trying his best to catch up with me.
He still had a shocked expression on his face. Even he couldn't believe what his brother had done.
Once I reached my room, I power walked directly toward the closet, thrusting the doors open.
Bill watched as I threw all my clothes on the bed hastily.
"What are you doing?" He asked cautiously.
"What does it look like?" I zipped my suitcase open and began throwing all my belongings in there. I didn't care how sloppy I was being.
"You're leaving?"
"Yep."
Bill shook his head. "Look, I know you're angry..."
"Really, you do?" I answered wryly, stuffing more clothes in the suitcase.
"I actually thought he passed this fase, you know? Like, yeah he drinks, but ever since he's been with you, it was different."
I didn't answer.
Bill sighed. "I thought hard about this in the car. And, Bells, I know my brother...and I know how drunk he can get..." He said slowly, which made me pause and look him straight in the eyes.
"What are you saying? That just because he was drunk, he didn't know what he was doing?"
Bill made an unsure face.
I scowled. "You're defending him?"
"No, I'm not defending him. What he did was stupid. I'm saying that there was too much alcohol in his system. And think about it. Why would he kiss some random girl on purpose? He loves you!"
I huffed, going back to stuffing my suitcase.
"He does and you know it," Bill continued, walking up to me. "He wouldn't hurt you like this intentionally."
"I don't care, Bill." I sniffed. "I'm not staying here anymore. I have to leave."
"No you don't."
"I'm going back to my old life. My normal life," I croaked, checking the closet to see if I'd forgotten anything. "Who was I kidding? I wasn't doing anything here. I have my job back home. I have the kids at the school. This just....wasn't for me."
Bill's face saddened. "What do you mean?"
I bit my bottom lip. "I can't be the girlfriend of a rockstar."
"Who says?"
"Bill, please." I shook my head. "I just can't. I'll never get used to this life. And you know, the sad part is that I knew something like this would happen. I just knew my life would get screwed one way or another."
He sneered. "You couldn't have imagined this."
"No, not this. But to tell you the truth, I thought of a lot of things. I actually thought the fans were going to be the main problem." I sighed. "I didn't know it would be Tom making out with another girl right in front of me. So there's my slap in the face."
Bill shook his head, placing a hand on my back.
"Don't leave," He said quietly. "We'll work this out."
I swallowed the huge lump in my throat. "There's nothing to work out. And it has nothing to do with you, Bill. You're not your brother," I answered as calm as I could. "You're nothing like him. You don't do this kind of stuff."
Bill sighed, sitting on the edge of my bed and staring down at his hands. He became silent.
Then, out of nowhere, the door busts open, startling me half to death. My head snapped up automatically.
"Bella?!" Clara squeaked; her eyes bulging wide. Once she saw me, she ran up to me, taking me by the shoulders as if the world was coming to an end.
"Bella, I know what happened and I came as fast as I could," She sputtered, shaking me.
"H-How'd you get here?" I questioned.
"Andreas. He told me what happened and-" She paused mid-sentence, looking around the room and my stuffed suitcase on the bed. She narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Leaving," I answered monotonously.
Her jaw fell in disbelief, as she took a step back. "What?!"
I sighed.
"Are you crazy?! You're leaving Germany?!"
"Oh, I'm crazy?" I snapped. "My boyfriend makes out with another girl and I'm crazy for wanting to leave?!"
Clara breathed out, becoming speechless for a few seconds.
"Bella..." She started.
"Guys?" Andreas suddenly stormed in the room, followed by Gustav, who looked a thousand times sober than he did back at the club. Andreas saw me and stopped, as did Gustav.
I stared at all of them in confusion, putting my hands on my face. "Why are you all here?"
"Because we thought you were gonna do something stupid," Clara answered quickly, biting her lip. She looked scared for some reason.
"Like what? Commit murder?" I asked indignantly, knitting my eyebrows.
"Er...something along those lines?"
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not doing anything stupid. I'm leaving."
"And that's not stupid?" Gustav exclaimed.
"You're going back to New York?" Andreas inquired with a furrow of his eyebrows, joining the conversation.
"Yes," I answered, closing my suitcase. I was getting sick of people questioning my decision to leave. Why couldn't they just take my side? Or at least understand?
"Bells, you can't!" Clara cried.
"I can and I will. Gustav didn't kiss another girl in front of you so you don't know how it feels."
She sighed sadly, and Gustav had his head down.
"Bella, Tom fucked up, we all know that! And I'm not defending him, if that's what you're thinking. But just think for a minute. Think of the others you'd be leaving! Bill, Georg, Gustav...me!"
I shook my head. "You know I'm not doing this to hurt any of you. I'm leaving because I can't take any more of this. After what Tom did, do you seriously think I can still stay here? Looking at his face without any resentment at all?!"
Clara looked at Gustav and Andreas. "I-I don't know what else to say." Then she sat next to silent Bill on the bed.
"I'm really sorry," Andreas stated hesitantly, rubbing the back of his neck. "After you ran out, Tom went a little crazy. He tried following you at one point, but then he fell on his drunken ass. Georg stayed behind and tried calming him down while I drove Clara over here."
"Great, so he won't be here in time to see me leave." I tightened my jaw. "That works out perfectly."
"Are you really set on leaving?" Gustav asked, pursing his lips. "We'll talk to Tom and-"
"Gustav, you don't have to talk to him. This isn't about you guys!" I exclaimed. "It's not. None of you are supposed to be involved in this, so please, please, just stay out of it. And I mean that in the nicest way possible."
Everybody's head lowered.
Shit. I felt bad. Of course I did. I was the one causing all the stupid drama. But whose fault was it? Yeah, Tom's. And the bleach blonde whore with the red dress.
I closed my eyes for an instant.
Leaving wasn't a bad thing. It's not like I would never see my friends again. Staying in Germany was just one long vacation that just happened to end in the worst way possible.
I ran a nervous hand through my hair. "I-I need a ride to the airport."
Bill dug his face in his hands, clearly not wanting to be a volunteer. Gustav and Clara looked at me.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked lamentably.
I nodded firmly. "Yeah."
Gustav walked up to me, placing an arm around my shoulder. "I'll take you."
I smiled crookedly at him. "Thanks, Gustav."
Clara sighed sadly. "Well, I'm going with you guys."
"You are?" I asked, surprised.
"Of course," She answered. "You'd do the same for me, wouldn't you?"
"You know I would."
She cracked a small smile. "Alright, you got everything? Your clothes? Your shoes? Your passport?"
"Yeah, it's all in here," I said, taking my suitcase.
"I'll miss you. Even though I just met you today," Andreas said with a small smile. "Tom's my friend but I can honestly say that he screwed up big."
I placed some hair behind my ear and came up to him. I embraced him in a small, friendly hug, which he returned. Suddenly, it was weird seeing him all gloomy.
I looked over at Bill, who's face was hidden behind his hands. I took a hesitant step near him, hoping he'd look up at me, but he didn't. His head remained down.
I breathed slowly. "Bill?"
"What?" He answered crossly.
"I'm sorry." It was pretty much all I could say to him.
He didn't answer.
I swallowed. "It's not like this is the last time we see each other."
He shrugged and his eyes refused to meet mine.
I shook my head and looked over at Clara, who gave me a sympathetic stare.
It was no use. Bill probably hated me for this.
"Bye Bill," I uttered, before turning my back on him.
"Gustav and I will be back soon, okay, Bill?" Clara called, but he didn't answer.
I gave Andreas another side-hug before stepping out of the hotel room, followed by Clara and Gustav. Andreas had to stay behind for Bill. Even though we didn't know each other well, I knew Andreas understood what I was doing. Maybe he could even knock some sense into Bill.
As I walked in between Gustav and Clara, whose arm was linked with mine, I kept thinking about my job at the coffee house. Was I going to get fired for being out of the country for so long?
I hoped not. If I did, then it'd be the cherry on top of a fantastic two months.
"Bella, wait!" I heard my name being called out of nowhere. I came to a hault and turned my head. Clara and Gustav did the same.
Bill was running up to me, and before I could even think, his long arms were wrapped around my frame, nearly knocking me down on the ground.
I saw Andreas leaning in the doorway with a crooked smile on his face. Clara stood closely next to Gustav staring at us in awe.
"B-Bill?" I stammered, rubbing his back.
"I'll miss you," His muffled voice said into my neck.
I took a breath. "I'll miss you, too. But you'll come to New York again, won't you?"
"Yeah, of course. After the tour's over, New York will be the first place I go to. Even if I have to go alone."
"Of course you won't go alone," Gustav blurted. "We'll all go, Bells."
I smiled at them. Bill's arms were tightly locked around me, barely leaving space for me to breathe.
"Tell Georg I'll miss him, okay?"
Bill nodded. "Okay. We'll be there sooner than you think. Before you know it, we'll be there trashing your apartment again while your sleeping. And then scare the hell out of you when you wake up."
I laughed weakly. "Sure thing. Bye Billy. I'll call you."
"You better," Was his response before he let go of me.
"You don't want to go with us to the airport?" Clara asked him.
He pursed his lips. "I should stay here for when my brother gets back. Knowing him, he'll probably tear the place down when he finds out she's gone. I'm the only one who can calm him down in these sorts of situations."
I sniffed again. Don't start crying. Don't start crying.
"Come on, Bella. If you wanna get to New York as fast as possible, we have to leave now," Clara said, touching my arm. I nodded at her.
"Love you, Billy," I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He returned one on mine.
"Bye Andreas," I called, waving at him. He waved back. "Tschüss, American girl."
Once the elevators arrived, Gustav, Clara and I got in.
I waved to Bill one last time, and he mimicked, before the metal doors shut and us three were sent down.
I stayed silent, while Clara rubbed my back in circular motions. The elevator song playing in the background seemed like it was fading away from my ears.
A sharp pain hit my head.
It's sad, but you'll pull through.
Be strong. Just be strong.
"You okay?" Clara asked softly, leaning her head on mine.
I nodded. "Y-Yeah."
"You wanna turn back? Now's your chance," Gustav stated. I took a deep breath as the wide metal doors dinged open into the lobby.
I bit my lip, and shook my head fiercely.
I wasn't going to turn back.
"No."
Clara sighed and linked arms with me again. "Come on. Let's go, then."

____

"Flight number 106, now boarding, flight number 106, now boarding," the robotic female voice on the intercom spoke, making my ears twitch.
"That's me," I said, looking down at the flimsy piece of paper in my hand, that was my ticket. I breathed fast, and stood up from the stone cold bench. Clara and Gustav mimicked my actions, as they scrambled to their feet next to me.
"I'll see you when the tour's over, okay? Could you tell Dina to keep saving my spot at the school? I'd hate to not see the kids anymore," Clara mused.
I smiled wearily, and nodded. "Yeah, sure."
She smiled back. "Seriously, this will all go by so fast. I mean, their tour will be over in like, a month. That's nothing," She consoled.
"I know," I answered with a nod. "I'll call you, alright?"
She opened her arms, embracing me in a tight bear hug. "I'll call you, too."
"Hey, what about me? Don't I get a hug?" Gustav joked, pouting his lower lip. Clara and I laughed.
"He always manages to lighten our spirits, doesn't he?" She said, patting his head.
"Of course you get a hug, Gusti," I replied, throwing my arms around him. "Thanks for the ride. I owe you."
"No problemo," He answered with a small laugh. "Tom will probably tear my head in pieces for doing this.........." He suddenly trailed off, seeing the look of grief on my face. He quickly recovered. "But then again, screw Tom, right?" He half-smiled.
I laughed weakly, and patted his back before letting go.
"Last call for flight number 106," the robotic voice sounded off again.
"Yeah, we get it, lady," Clara mumbled, rolling her eyes. "I hate intercoms. They always rush you."
I laughed halfheartedly.
"Love you both," I said, grabbing my bags firmly.
"Love you, too," They answered, waving at me.
I walked quickly towards the gate, handing my ticket to the lady. I turned around one more time, seeing Clara waving frantically at me, and accidentally hitting Gustav in the face.
I covered my mouth and laughed, waving back. Then I stepped into the gate, clutching my bags tighter as I headed for the aircraft in anxiety.