Burning Embers

Chapter Seven

I snuffed out the cigarette butt on the bottom of my boot and flicked it into the nearby trash can. I drew another one out from my half empty pack of Marlboros and extracted a cheap BIC to light it. I took my time taking small drags here and there and amused myself with smoke rings.

"Andy, get you’re a** into makeup now, everyone else has already gone," CC directed from the open back door.

I audibly huffed and an abnormally large cloud of smoke hung in the air for a moment as if to amplify my utter disdain for sitting still for that long. I have the worst ADD ever, I have to get up and smoke at least five times through the process of body paint and my face makeup. It’s safe to say that getting made up was the worst part of the whole experience. I mean I am already teeming with nerves by that point and just the thought of having to sit for an hour and a half completely still makes me want to run laps around the venue.

"Whatever, be there when I finish this," I grumbled waving my cigarette around to illustrate my point. I took my sweet ol' time finishing my cigarette before following Daddy CC inside.

"Holly is not amused," he announced looking at me with a crooked smile.

'Oh boo hoo. She's just mad I have clothes on today," I said even though Holly was in earshot. She huffed and busied herself with various tubes and bottles while I sidled up to the chair in front of her and dropped into it. Even though the legs on the chair were several inches longer than normal my a** was still a good foot above the seat.

She frowned almost as if trying to decide what to use first. I, with great effort, resisted telling her 'liquid foundation was a good start.' Then she picked up this goopy white looking stuff that looked like liquid latex, Misty never used, and smeared it on my face. I jerked my head back in surprise, due to the fact it was extremely cool. "What?" she snapped.

"That was cold," I muttered glaring at her before making myself available for her reach.

"Poor baby," she said rubbing it in thoroughly before grabbing something that looked to be oil based product, I wasn't familiar with any of the makeup she was using which kind of made me unsettled. Some of the bottles said Mehron and some said Paradise. I mean I was not makeup expert or anything, but it was weird that I didn’t know what she was using.

About ten minutes later, and she had me about half made up as far as the facial make up went and I proclaimed, "Smoke Break!"

"Really?" she asked rhetorically with an over dramatic sigh.

"Yes really, want to come with me?" I asked ever so charmingly.

She seemed to soften a little bit, "I don't smoke."

I smirked, "I didn't say, 'Hey Holly wanna come be a cool kid and smoke cigarettes,' did I?" I could practically see the mischievous glint in my eyes. I couldn't behave if my life depended on it.

She rolled her eyes, but let a small smile creep onto her face. "If you did then I would have to inform you that you are most certainly not a cool kid. But pass, second hand smoke is worse than actually smoking the cigarette," she said with a little bitterness and a shudder.

"Suit yourself, doll," I said patting her shoulder as I walked out of the back door.

I heard footsteps following me, but I determined they were much too heavy to come from her petite stature. The door opened and Ashley squeezed through. I almost dropped the freshly lit cigarette from my mouth when I let out an extremely exaggerated sigh. "What? Can't a man smoke in peace?" I snapped still sore at Ashley for rubbing the whole 'bet ordeal' in my face.

Ashley made a show of looking around, "Where is a man?" he asked as if he had never heard of such a thing before.

I picked up a rock and whizzed it at him and flipped him the bird. "So do you know who p***** in her cornflakes this morning?" I asked motion back towards the building.

"You," he said smirking, obviously enjoying himself.

"Me? How?" I questioned flicking the ashes from my cancer stick as it had been dubbed by my parents when they first found out I had started smoking.

"Dude, how can you not tell that she f****** hates your personality?" he asked snagging a cigarette from the open pack at my feet. I kicked at his hand in attempts to keep him away from my light.

I began pacing a little, feeling more wound up than usual, before I answered. "You think she hates my personality, that she isn’t secretly swooning her balls off in there right now?"

Ashley laughed so hard he blew out the flame from the engaged lighter. "Ah, s***," he complained and flipped the switch again, successfully lighting the bummed cigarette hanging from his mouth. "That was good, Sixx. Yeah, I totally believe she is in there imagining you and her standing at the altar." He rolled his eyes before closing them savoring the nicotine rush.

"I wouldn’t go that far, h*** maybe she's imagining what comes after the reception," I said chuckling and put out the cigarette on the wall right by Ash's neck and flicking it into the can.

"Right," Ash called sarcastically.

I yet again flipped him the bird before returning to the makeup station. As I walked up I saw Jake occupying my seat with a giggling Holly in his lap thrashing against him as he was tickling her. I felt an odd pang of jealousy and stood there with my hands folded across my chest.

"Are you ready to do your job?" I spat and shared a look with Jake it said ‘back the f*** off’.

Holly’s face fell into a frown and she climbed out of Jake's lap pulling him with her. She turned and looked at me, "Yeah, if you can even sit through it."

I rolled my eyes and sat down, bumping Jake out of the way. I sat there more concerned about what I had just watched than my attempts to woo her. I somehow managed to sit still long enough for her to finish and she applied the body paint as well in about twenty minutes.

"Time to go," I announced crabbily and hauled as many band members as I could herd towards the staged.

"Dude what crawled up your a**?" Jake asked "And what was with the whole bumping thing?"

"What's going on?" Ashley asked before I could answer, I swear I could have kissed him. He sometimes had impeccable timing.

"Nothing, c'mon lets go," I said marching onto stage without thinking.

Thankfully, they had the curtain down and I didn't blow the entrance. I honestly had no idea why I was acting so irrational, I mean it’s not like I was dating her or anything. It's not like I even acted like that around girls I was actually dating. I rarely valued what girls thought of me if it was anything but good. But that stupid girl was different.

The guys exchanged looks, but before they could discuss anything the mics when hot and the curtains began to rise. I gave the same introduction as usual not feeling like shaking it up much tonight, and then launched into the set. I somehow managed not to screw up any of the lyrics and stayed in time with the song. I pushed a little more passion into the lyrics where I got to scream and moved about the stage with more speed and energy than normal. All and all it was a pretty good show, our fans responded to my angry energy in a positive way.

I walked off the stage after three standing ovations and made my way outside for my customary meet and greet with the fans, the unofficial one. I wasn't much into it so I cut it short. I sensed that the girls (and the occasional guy) could tell that something was wrong and a few even asked what was on my mind, but I politely blew them off and headed for the bus, my sights set on a shower.

I didn't bother grabbing my clothes; I just walked into the unoccupied bathroom, stripped, and stood under the steady stream of hot water finally able to compose myself. I didn’t even bother with the makeup remover I just scrubbed the f*** out of my face and body. Feeling a little better after showering I walked out in my birthday suit to get my clothes from my duffel bag.

I head a familiar high pitched squeal, from behind me. I didn't jump up and feign modesty, as I was bent over digging in my bag butt naked in front of a girl I hardly knew. I just continued my search until I found a pair of boxers and slipped into them. Then I flipped the thin blanket back and plopped onto the bed, ducking almost too late and narrowly avoided hitting my head on the bunk above me. I propped my hands behind my head and peeked out the slits of my eyes so it appeared I was already sleeping. Holly just backed away and went to find Jake I'm sure.

I rolled over facing the wall of the bus and drifted to sleep, much earlier than normal.

Notes