This Love Drives Me Into Madness, chapter 13

-January 5, 2006-

*Briana's P.O.V.*


"Mr.Elliot," I poked my head into his office, "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Make it quick," he muttered, looking down at the pile of paperwork in front of him.

I stepped inside and shut the door carefully, now sitting down in a chair by his desk.

My stomach was trembling and my breaths were heavy and long. I was more nervous than I thought I'd be.

Mr.Elliot glanced up at me, "So, what do you want?"

"I have some bad news... "

"What kind of bad news?" he asked in a stern voice.

"I'm... quitting," I mumbled.

"What?"

"I'm quitting," I repeated.

"WHY?"

"Because, I have another job offer that pays more and I'll be noticed, along with my friends," I explained calmly.

"What category of business will you be working in?" Mr.Elliot inquired.

"Music," I stated.

"Whatever," he looked back down at the papers, "Just don't come crawling back to me when this job of your's fails."

"Oh, don't worry," I stood up from my seat, "I won't."

And that is how it's done.

I walked out of Mr.Elliot's office, proudly.


*Erin's P.O.V.*


Knock knock

I got up from my spot on the couch and went over to the door.

"Hey, Mike... ?" I said after opening the door, "Briana isn't home... "

"She's exactly who I wanted to talk to you about," he stepped inside.

"What happened? What did she do?" my eyes got wide.

"She didn't do anything," Mike stated, "Wait a second... you don't know?"

"Know what?" I quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Know that she's with--"

"Hey guys," came Briana's voice as she walked inside with a smile.

"You did it!" I exclaimed, "You quit! You quit! You quit!" I began jumping up and down.

"Anyway... " Mike cut in, "You don't know that she's with--"

"Mike, can I talk to you for a second in private?" Bri asked.

"One secon--"

"Now," she dragged him outside and slammed the door.

I just shrugged it off and went back over to the couch.


*Briana's P.O.V.*


"What do you think you're doing?" I muttered through clenched teeth.

"What do you think you're doing not telling your best friend about you and Ian?!"

"Shh!" I shushed him, "I'm not going to tell Erin. I don't want to tell her or the band will be threatened to break up. I know how it goes."

"If you know, then why would you take the risk, anyway?" Mike questioned menacingly.

I didn't know what to say to that. I had no idea why I'd take such a risk. And to top it all off, I barely knew Ian.

I hesitated for a minute before doing something I knew that I would regret later. I brought up my hand and smacked the side of his face.

"Ow, fuck," Mike winced in pain while he grasped his cheek.

I gasped and stepped backwards as I realized that I had just inflicted pain on another person.

"Oh, God," I said, a little above a whisper, "I'm so fucking sorry." I ran back into the house.

"What's wrong?" I heard Erin ask as I sprinted passed her and into my room.

I slammed the door behind me, locked it, and quickly went over to my stereo. I put in my Nimrod CD and turned to track number eight: Platypus (I Hate You). I raised the volume as loud as it could could go.

I, then, ran over to my bed and slammed my face right into the pillow, screaming.

"BRIANA?!" Erin hollared through the door, "ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

I didn't answer.

"BRIANA!"

"WHAT?!" I snapped.

"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!" she commanded.

"NO!" I yelled.

"BRIANA! YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF! DON'T MAKE ME COME IN THERE AND WHOOP YOUR ASS!" Erin threatened.

"BITE ME!" I cried out.

"I'M NOT STICKING MY FACE DOWN THERE!"

"GOOD!" I retorted.

"BRIANA FUCKING STEWART! TURN DOWN THE GOD DAMN MUSIC AND TALK TO ME!"

I gasped at what she said. No one uses the Lord's name in vein around me.

I shot up from my bed and turned off my stereo. Walking to the door, I opened it about half-way to come face-to-face with Erin.

She looked down at her shoes and sighed, "Look, if you don't wanna talk, that's fine with me. But, atleast meet me and Ian in the garage in an hour. Larry's comin' over to check out our band. We might have a chance, Bri." She walked away.

**

"So, you guys write your own songs?" Larry inquired as he sat down in a chair by the opened garage door.

"Yeah," I answered, plugging my guitar into an amp beside me. Ian did the same with his bass. Erin just sat on her stool, becoming very interested in her shoes.

"Alright. Lemme see whatcha got," he said, leaning backwards.

"Okay, um, guys, let's play Emo Boy," I told Erin and Ian. They nodded. "Um, Erin wrote this one by the way... "

"Cool. Start whenever you're ready," Larry stated.

"One... two... three... " the drum beats came in nice and slow. Ian followed and so did I.

"I thought you loved me. Why did you leave? Why did you have to cry? You see... " Erin sang lightly into the microphone beside her. "Those scars on your wrists are coming back in sight. What did you do? Do you want to throw away your only life?"

I strummed my Strotocaster lightly after Erin stopped singing. After a minute, we began to sing together, "Your blue, piercing eyes are glazed over with tears. You've been like this for so many years. You turn up the music so no one can hear your screams. You cry in the dark so no one can see your face. Don't hide it. Don't be ashamed. I'll be your crying shoulder. I'll be your seeing eyes. So don't apologize, emo boy."

"What a calming, slow ballad you've got there," Larry commented, "Do you have any faster tunes?"

"Yeah, yeah," I replied, "Guys, Rebel Part Two."

They nodded in unison.

"We all wrote this together," I stated, now beginning the chords to the song. "Hope is one thing, but truth is another! I curse out you lovers from another mother! You call me a slut. I call you a whore! You tell me to die so I fuck on your door!... "

**

"Wow," Larry started, "You guys are awesome! A little bit on the morbid side, but great none the less."

"Thanks," we all said in unison.

"Okay, now, why don't we have some fun? Can you guys play... Longview by Green Day?"

"Yeah," Erin answered as she stood up from her drumset and walked over to her bass that sat in the corner. It was black with a silver flame at the base. She grabbed it and walked over to Ian. "Bri will take care of the drums," Erin muttered to him. "You play her guitar."

"Alright," he replied, setting down his bass and walking over to be. I handed my guitar over to him and sat down at Erin's drumset. Snatching her drumsticks, I practiced a little bit to get used to playing again.

"Okay, I'm ready," I stated a couple minutes later.

"Alright," Erin said.

I began to hit the side drums at a medium speed, now waiting for Erin to start playing. Which is what she just began to do.

"I sit around and watch the tube but nothing's on... " Ian sang, "I change the channels for an hour or two... Twiddle my thumbs just for a bit. I'm sick of all the same old shit. In a house with unlocked doors and I'm fucking lazy! Bite my lip and close my eyes! Take me away to paradise! I'm so damn bored, I'm going blind! And I smell like shit... "

**

"Damn... you guys are amazing! You write your own songs and play the already written ones perfectly!" Larry commented. "How would you like to be part of Lookout Records?"

"Y-you mean we're signed?!" I retorted.

"Heck yes you are," he answered.

"BOO FUCKIN' YEAH!" Erin hollared.

"Omigosh... " I whispered to myself in excitement.

"WHOO!" Ian exclaimed, throwing his fist in the air.

"Now, just meet me at the studio tomorrow around noon," Larry explained, "We'll chat about what's gonna be done. You guys just might become as great as Green Day, The Ramones, and The Clash."

"Awesommmme... " Erin smiled.

"Oh yes. It's very awesommmme," he stated, "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye," we said in unison as Larry left.

"I've gotta go call someone," Erin blurted out before running into the house.

*Erin's P.O.V.*

"Hello?" a man greeted in a groggy voice.

"Tre, you won't believe what just happened!" I retorted.

"What happened?" he inquired.

"I can't tell you yet," I said, "Meet me at the park in twenty minutes." I hung up the phone.

**

I stumbled out of my car after pulling into the parking lot. I was so excited. We had just gotten signed! What would you expect?

I spotted Tre leaning back against an Oak tree, smoking a cigarrette. I never like smokers. My parents and my grandmother, whom I'd used to live with, smoked. Pretty much, everyone in my family did. I learned to deal with it. It was their choice to do something so retarded. But, then of course, I used to cut. That was really retarded. I think you get the point now.

Tre finished up his ciggy and flicked it off to the side. I kept walking towards him, once in awhile looking down at my feet. That was a habit of mine: looking down while walking. Mom and dad always bugged me about it, saying how it made me seem like I had no confidence. I had confidence... just very little of it. Especially at school.

Music. That's where all of that little confidence I had was put toward. And thanks to that, I am where I am today.

Tre saw me walking towards him, so he began to step slowly over to me. I looked back down as I felt a smile creep upon my face.

"Why are you so happy?" he asked when we were face-to-face.

I bit my bottom lip and laughed, "Larry Livermoore heard us play."

Tre got wide-eyed, "What happened?"

I shook my head and sighed, "W-we-we... got signed!"

"OH MY FUCKING GOD!" he exclaimed, "THAT'S GREAT!" He pulled me into a hug.

"I know," I chuckled. "Gosh... we're all so happy. And we're gonna stay that way... all through this music career... "