Chapter Twenty-OneChaos…
Chapter Twenty-One
Chaos…
We spent the day wandering around downtown Philly, I would have preferred to stay in bed but I knew she was too sore from our fun last night.
I’d managed to avoid being recognized most of the day with sunglasses and a baseball cap covering my hair, since the grey streak usually gave me away.
I’d woken up with it one morning when I was little and it’d stayed ever since.
I’m not sure what caused it. The court ordered shrink said I’d remember one of these days, that was almost fifteen years ago. I hoped I never did.
We got back in time for the sound check and Cynda and I walked over to the arena. Everyone else was already there, even Flame. Good thing too, since I didn’t want to have to drive to New York and kick his fuckin’ ass.
The sound check went smoothly and we were hanging around talking to the guys from Green Sky Rising when I noticed Cynda was gone. She’d been watching from backstage when I’d last seen her but now she was nowhere to be seen. I had a feeling something wasn’t right.
Opening the door to the dressing room, it was instantly obvious. It looked like an epic cat fight and if it hadn’t been Cyn and Sweets I might have just watched and picked a side to cheer on, but Sweets was doing exactly what I’d told her not too. Why the fuck couldn’t she leave Cynda alone?
“What the fuck? Stop it. Now.” Even though I yelled neither of them heard me.
It couldn’t have been going on for long—we’d just gotten off stage.
Sweets had at least twenty pounds and five inches over Cynda and she was using all of it.
Rolling around on the floor they’d knocked over two plants, spreading dirt all over the floor.
It added to the picture, dirt, blood, screaming women, yeah it was a picture I was glad no one else was seeing but me.
Sweets rolled Cynda onto her back and was straddling her, smacking her across the face and I could see blood running from the corner of her mouth.
Cyn wasn’t the only one showing signs of a beating, Sweets hair was wrecked and strands of it were on the floor, her left cheek was already showing a bruise and there were scratches on her arms.
I tried to break them up but their anger made them stronger than I expected.
I pulled Sweets, trying to get her off Cynda as she swung back and punched her in the nose.
Cyn pushed up with her knees and knocked her off.
I was able to grab her as she tried to climb onto Sweets.
Wrath must have followed me to the suite because he grabbed Sweets and held on to her.
“Enough. What the fuck is wrong with you?” Sweets might have started it but Cynda should have known better.
A cat fight in the dressing room and on a show night?
The more I thought about it the more pissed I got.
I’d told Sweets to stay away from Cynda so the first time I wasn’t around she pulled this shit? Fuckin’ A.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
Sweets pulled out of Wrath’s hold and grabbed a notebook from the table. I’d seen it before, it was Cynda’s. Sweets opened it and pushed it into my face.
“This is what’s up. She’s stealing your songs. I told you she shouldn’t fuckin’ be here. You had to think with your cock. You can’t trust her, the record company sent her. She’s a fuckin’ spy and a thief.
“Hold the fuck on.” I heard voices behind me. The rest of the band and a couple of the groupies were standing in the doorway watching. Fuck. Just what we needed, if this got out Rod was going to have our fuckin’ heads.
“Wrath, get them the fuck out of here.”
He nodded and thankfully I heard the door shut. Cynda pulled away when Sweets shoved her notebook in my face. She was standing by one of the couches looking like a total wreck. Covered in dirt, blood running from her bottom lip and nose and scratches down her arms. Not looking so angelic anymore.
Shaking my head, I looked through the notebook.
I flipped through a couple of pages and saw she had lyrics written for a song.
Then as I read the music and heard it in my head, I realized what they were.
I couldn’t even focus on what she’d written I was so fuckin’ pissed off.
Wrath was reading over my shoulder as I slammed the notebook shut.
I couldn’t read anymore. What the fuck? It was the song I’d written the other night, when I’d thought everyone was sleeping. She’d been spying on me.
Sweets had a look of ‘I told you so’ on her face but I was over her too. “Get out, tonight after the show you’re gone, do you hear me?”
“What? You can’t do…”
“I can do what I want. I asked you to leave her alone and you couldn’t. You told me last night I’d be sorry. Well you’re right, I’m fuckin’ sorry now. I’m done. I don’t want to see you before the show.”
Sweets grabbed a napkin and wiped the blood from her nose, charging out of the suite and slamming the door behind her.
Wrath tried to interrupt, but I didn’t want to hear it. I was about to go ballistic and I needed to get out of there, but first I had to deal with Cynda. So much for thinking we might have a chance, she was nothing but a fuckin’ thief and she’d freakin’ played me.
“Wrath, get the fuck out of here, I need to talk to Cynda alone.”
“Don’t do anything stupid, bro. You’re pissed, let it pass first.”
I was over it. “Get out, Wrath, you don’t want to fuckin’ be here.”
“Fine.” He walked out closing the door behind him.
I was so pissed I was vibrating. She’s lucky I’m not the violent type. I wanted to trash the rest of the room I was so furious. She didn’t move, standing there looking scared and defiant at the same time, almost daring me to do something.
I tossed her notebook on the table not wanting to touch the proof of her betrayal. “What the fuck? Was this your plan all along? To fuckin’ steal our songs?”
“No. Trent, please. How can you…”
“Don’t you ever call me Trent,” I knew my voice sounded cold, but I couldn’t help it. She’d screwed with my trust and I couldn’t stand to even look at her. “You have no right. Just answer the question, was this the fuckin’ plan?”
“Whatever. After last night how can you accuse me of any of this?”
“Lady, you have no idea how many times people have tried to rip off our fuckin’ shit, you’re not the first.”
“Why would I do that? I’m here to write songs for your album, why would I steal anything? I don’t need your songs, I have plenty of my own.”
“Right, I’m sure you do. That’s why you’re working for a record company writing for other bands? If you’re not stealing it, why do you have this? It’s not theirs, I haven’t submitted it, hell, I haven’t fucking finished writing it yet.”
“You know what, it doesn’t freakin’ matter. You are an asshole, just like all the other rock stars in this world. I was stupid to ever come here.”
She picked up the notebook and stormed by me, slamming the door behind her. I stood in silence, our words echoing in my head. Was I wrong? She didn’t act at all guilty, but why would she have my song?
Fuck it. I poured a glass of scotch, and was on my third by the time Wrath found me.
“Shit, Chaos. What the fuck are you doing? We go on in three hours and you’re drunk?”
“I’m friggin’ fine.”
“Sure you are. You’re an asshole. You tell Sweets to get lost, so what are we going to do for backup singers for the rest of the tour?”
“I don’t know. Wait, why do we need them?”
“See you don’t fuckin’ think when you’re like this. Did you actually think Candy would stay if you told Sweets to leave?”
“Fuck.” I hadn’t thought about it. My head pounded, and massaging my neck only made it worse.
“Yeah, exactly. Now it sinks in, and you weren’t even drunk when you did it, so what’s your fucking excuse?”
I didn’t have one. I let my anger get the better of me. Every freakin’ time I was sorry later, but they’d pushed me too far.
“I don’t know what you said to Cynda, but she’s gone.”
“What do you mean gone?” The room started spinning, between the scotch and lack of sleep, I was toasted, and nothing was making any sense. “How could she leave?”
“What the fuck do you think I mean? She’s fucking gone. Packed, cab called, gone.”
“Goddamn it. I wasn’t done with her.”
“Oh I’d say you were, asshole. Did you even give her a chance to explain?”
Sighing, I shook my head and then grabbed it. The spinning was worse now. Fuck. “I need rest.”
“Nope you need coffee, a lot of it. Start drinking. You’d better be sober for tonight. You wouldn’t put up with this shit from anyone else.”
He was right. I’d fucked up huge. Trust was so fucking hard for me. Holding my head between my legs and hoping not to hurl, I tried to think about what I’d said to Cynda. Why’d she have my song? Why didn’t you let her explain, asshole?
Wrath put a mug of coffee in my hand and I took a drink.
It helped a little but I had a long way to go.
The day had started so great but it sure went to fuck in a hurry.
He kept bringing me coffee, and after three or four more mugs I went to find Joe.
He’d spent a lot of time with Cynda, if he was back at the bus maybe he’d know what she’d been doing.