An incessant knocking on the door to my room startles me awake and I quickly pull the pillow over my head in hopes of drowning out the noise.

Hello…. Hungover, sleeping man here. If I didn’t answer the first time you knocked, common sense would tell you that I’m probably not going to, no matter how many times you knock.

The longer I ignore the knocking, the louder and more frequent it seems to get. With my luck, it’s probably Jc coming to bitch me out about the bands schedule, or god only knows what.

I finally crawl out of bed and that’s when it hits me. Every single inch of my body hurts like hell. I take a step forward and wince as pain surges through each of my limbs.

I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that today’s gonna be an extra shitty day. I slowly but surely make it to the door and as soon as I open it, my suspicion is confirmed.

“Well… you look about as shitty as I expected.” She mutters as she breezes past me into the room.

“Hey… that’s no way to treat the hungover guy. And what the hell are you doing here? You have interviews and shit.”

“Had. It’s almost three.” She sighs and rolls her eyes. “I came by this morning to check on you, but apparently you were still in some sort of coma.”

Check on me?

Why does she suddenly care if I have too much to drink? Hell, I could be on my god damn death bed and she probably wouldn’t give two shits.

“Umm… alright. You checked. I’m still alive. We cool?”

“You haven’t looked in a mirror yet, have you?”

“That’d be a no. I was sleeping till some lunatic started banging on the door.” I crack, but it doesn’t get so much as a smile.

“Well then, ya might wanna take a look. You’re a fucking mess.”

I groan and shuffle into the bathroom, mentally preparing myself for the worst. All the tell-tale hangover signs are there. Bloodshot eyes, dark circles, the little bit of hair I do have is sticking up in a thousand different directions.

Unfortunately, it’s all hidden under a black eye, a lot of dirt and dried blood. I look down and immediately recognize my clothes from yesterday still on my body, also caked in blood.

Fuckin awesome wake up call, huh?

I vaguely remember fighting with Lucas. I just didn’t realize it got that out of hand. And, I’m not entirely sure what it was about.

Although, I’ve got a funny feeling the reason is sitting on the couch.

She steps into the bathroom a few minutes later, armed with a first aid kit. She grabs a towel and runs it under the faucet before wiping the dirt and blood off of my face.

“So….. What happened?”

“Well…” She begins, a frown firmly in place. “Everything was fine for awhile. Benny and Trace put on a nice little straight guy love fest for each other. Then you got up to sing, and the shit kinda hit the fan after that.”

“Oh… Lucas alright?”

“Yeah. His knuckles are a little bruised and swollen. So, he’ll survive. You, on the other hand, look like you joined fight club.”

“Great.” I mutter and roll my eyes as she cleans and bandages the cuts and scrapes on my face. “So, like… what the fuck started it?”

“You sang some shitty little song and dedicated it to me. Lucas did the knight in shining armor thing and defended my honor or whatever.” She smirks. “You boys, I swear.”

“What song?”

“Does it really matter Justin? It really wasn’t one of your finer moments and I don’t feel like reliving it. I just wanted to make sure you’re alright. And, I should probably warn you.”

“Warn me? Fuck… is Lucas ready for round two or something? Cause I really don’t think my face can take it.”

“I’d steer clear of him for a couple days. But, you’re kind of on everybody else’s shit list too.”

Great.

That’s exactly what I fuckin need. I’m the one who’s in charge around here and now there’s a pretty good chance that nobody’s gonna listen to me. Fucking awesome.

“If it makes you feel any better, they’re all pissed at each other too. It’s like… the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s or something. It’s your side, and Lucas’s side, and…”

“You’re stuck in the middle.” I finish for her and shake my head. “Shit Madison… I’m sorry.”

“No point in apologizing, really. I knew some dumb shit would happen with all of us together. Besides, in a couple days it’ll blow over and nobody’s even gonna care anymore.” She shrugs and turns to put everything back in the first aid kit, looking everywhere but at me.

I grab her hands to get her attention, but she still keeps her vision focused on the floor.

“That’s not the point. If I wasn’t being a prick, none of that would have happened. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine Justin.”

Ok. I am really starting to get frustrated here.

I’m trying to do the right thing and it’s like she refuses to let it happen.

“God damnit… why do you always do that?”

“I’m not doing anything!”

“Yeah, you are. Any time I fuck up big, you blow it off. But when it’s some dumb little shit, you won’t let it go. I said I was sorry and I fucking mean it, so can you at least accept my apology?”

“And everybody says I’m the drama queen.” She mutters and rolls her eyes. “You’re forgiven, ok? I was really pissed last night, but you were trashed, so… whatever.”

Is it just me, or is hell freezing over? Cause this girl is being entirely too nice to me and it doesn’t make any damn sense. Especially after what I did last night. I’m not complaining or anything, but I mean… she should be ready to claw my fuckin eyes out. Instead, she’s making sure I’m ok, cleaning me up and even forgiving me.

I’ve gotta be dreaming or some shit, cause this just ain’t normal.

“Alright, well… if you’re ok… I’m gonna go.”

“Yeah… yeah… thanks.” I nod as she gathers her things and heads for the door. “Hey Madison…” I call out just as she reaches for the doorknob.

“Yeah? You need something?”

“I was just… I wanted… why did you do this?”

“I felt bad.” She shrugs. “Believe it or not Justin, I’m not a heartless wench. I figured you’d be feeling pretty shitty and I knew there was no way anybody else would check up on you. So, here I am.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She nods and shoots me an awkward smile before stepping out into the hallway.

Shit.

I am in a world of fucking trouble.

It never fails man. That girl always gets to me, and usually in the simplest way possible.

Unfortunately for me, there’s quite a few obstacles standing in my way and unless I figure out how to eliminate em, I’m never gonna get her back.

But on the bright side… at least I finally know what I want, and it’s her. It’s always been her and I’ve got a feeling it always will be.

*************************

“So Madison, this is your big comeback, right?”

“Well…umm… no. Not really.” She smiles politely as the DJ shoots her a skeptical look. “I don’t really feel like I ever retired or anything. To me, this is just a different route, you know? I was on my own for so long, and I kind of always wanted to be in a band. So yeah… definitely not a comeback. Just another project.”

“Does that mean you’ll go back to your solo material?”

“We’ll see.” She shrugs, and the guy finally lets up on her to harass Lucas.

I probably should have figured any interview they’d give would turn out like this. The one’s in Chicago were the absolute worst. Which, I kind of expected since it’s her hometown. But, I thought when we got to New York, it’d be different.

Guess that’s what I get for thinking.

I mean, I guess it’s only natural that people are reacting this way. It’s not everyday that some huge star just drops off of the face of the earth, then shows up a few months later in a band.

So, yeah.. It sucks. But on the other hand, it’s getting them a lot of attention and the single’s already in heavy rotation. So, all in all… this seems to be starting out fairly well.

“What are you doing you fuckin creeper?” Trace slaps my arm as he comes to stand beside me.

“Just watching.” I shrug. “Why? What’s up?”

“Your girlfriend called. About a hundred god damn times. I stopped answering. Here’s your phone.” He tosses me the small device and I groan when I see at least a dozen missed calls, all from Keri.

I don’t even what to think about what life ending crisis she has going on right now.

“Why don’t you just fuckin end it, ya puss.” Trace shakes his head. “Like, seriously man. Everybody hates that broad, and you are so obviously still hung up on Madison. Put the poor girl out of her misery already.”

“Number one… I am not ‘hung up’ on Madison. Secondly… if I dump Keri, I gotta do it in person, and I also have to drop her from the label. So yeah…”

“Lucky for you, you have this kick ass assistant who has already drawn up a release contract.” He grins and hands me a folder. “Honestly dude… sometimes, I don’t even know how you wipe your ass without me.”

I open the folder and quickly browse through it, a little surprised at the detail. I mean, yeah… Trace usually does some pretty damn good work, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything this huge from him.

He’s got this thing outlined perfectly. Statistics from her album sales, airplay, performances. It’s all here, along with a detailed explanation as to why we’re dropping her.

Color me impressed.

“So… I was thinking, once we’re back in LA, bring her in, and do the deed.” He shrugs. “You can thank me later.”

“No… this is great. Thanks.” I nod slowly. “I’m just… not entirely sure why you did it.”

“You were dragging your feet, and it needed to be done.”

Ok, he’s totally got me there.

I’ve been dragging my feet on this Keri shit in a big way, and I’m not entirely sure why. I mean, I know a big part of it was the fact that I honestly thought I’d never have Madison back in my life, in any way, shape, or form. So, keeping Keri around kinda helped keep my mind off of Madison.

But, with her back, I guess there’s really no point in letting this Keri shit keep going. Which I probably should have realized a long ass time ago, but I never said I was a genius.

“Guess I’ll go call her.” I shrug.

“Bout time you grew some balls. Granted, over the phone is a little cold, but bitch kinda has it coming.”

“Right.” I roll my eyes and head down the hallway in search of an empty room.

I scroll through my contacts and take a deep breath before hitting the call button. Before I can so much as say hello, she starts in on me.

“Where the hell are you? I’ve called god knows how many times! And just so you know, I don’t appreciate Trace treating me like shit. Just because he doesn’t like me doesn’t give him the right to-”

“Keri… can you shut up for two fucking seconds? Jesus Christ.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and let out a long sigh. “Look… we need to talk.”

She’s dead silent, and I’m not so sure if that’s a good or bad thing, but I continue anyway.

“Look… umm… this… thing, just isn’t working.”

“Of course it’s not! You’re on the other side of the country following your ex-girlfriend around like some lost puppy!”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with Madison. So just stop right fucking there. This isn’t working because I just flat out don’t fucking care. I’m not so sure I ever did. And yeah… I know it wasn’t right. But give me a fucking break… you had to know I didn’t give a shit.” The words seem to just fall out of my mouth and even though I probably should, I don’t regret them in the least.

“Justin… what… what are you trying to say?”

“We’re done. I’m sorry I let it go on this long, but you’re just as guilty as I am. You thought I was some kind of fucking trophy. So really, why keep dragging it out? It’s not gonna go anywhere.”

“Justin… I love you.” She mutters and if I’m not mistaken, it sounds like she’s crying.

“No you don’t.” I frown. Ok, maybe I was a little too harsh. “And I don’t love you. I’m not happy, you’re not happy. This is fucking pointless.”

“It’s her, isn’t it? You’re still in love with her.”

“Honestly? Yeah, I am. But that isn’t the point. She’s with somebody else, and how I feel about her doesn’t matter. Look… let’s just… end it here, and go on with our lives, alright?”

“Well, riddle me this..” She sniffles and for a split second, I feel like absolute shit. “How are we supposed to work together after this?”

“Well… Keri…” I say as gently as humanly possible. “We both know your album was pretty much a failure. And, the band looks like they’re going to do really well. So…” I exhale and shut my eyes. “I’ve got your release statement already drawn up. We’ll go over it when I’m back in town. You’ll be free to sign with whoever you want.”

“Great.” She mutters, now on the verge of sobbing. “Thanks Justin. Thank you for making me feel like what the whole damn world thinks I am… a temporary replacement for Madison Fox, and a shitty one at that. I honestly thought you believed in me, and now I know the truth. So fine… you want her… go get her.”

“Keri… this isn’t about her! Can’t you fucking listen?”

The only response I get is the sound of a dial tone and I can’t help but roll my eyes.

Ok, yeah… I could have handled that a thousand times better, but… I actually got it all off my chest. I finally told her the things I’ve been dying to say for over a year now, and it felt really fucking good.

I shove my phone in my pocket before turning to head out of the room. I skid to a halt when I spot the figure leaning against the door frame.

Fuck.

“Umm… Hi Madison.” I muster up the most enthusiastic greeting I can and smile. “So.. Uhh… how much of that did you hear?”

“Enough.” She nods slowly before crossing the room to stand in front of me. “But, I think the big question here is, how much of it did you actually mean?”

“Every. Single. Word.”

Before I have time to even think about what I’m doing, my mouth is on hers, and rather than pull away like I expect her to, she slides her arms around my neck and leans into me.

Well… guess that’s one obstacle out of the way.