Off Your Rocker?

by K E Osborn

  “Lia... Lia,” I hear Colt call out frantically. I look up and see him swarmed by those freaks and more security guards surrounding him. He pushes past everyone to get to me as I stand shaking. “Lia, c’mon. Come with me,” he pleads, taking my hand in his and pulling me to his side. He wraps his arm around me tightly and the security guards gather in a circle around us. Hands are fighting to get a hold of Colt and me. I’ve never heard screaming like it in all of my life, and I feel scared, really scared... actually, I’m scared for my life. This is utter madness and chaos. We rush toward the entrance of the building and the security guy opens the door and the others hold back the evil minion fans wanting to get a piece of us. Once inside, and the doors are shut locking them out, I start to feel a little relieved.

  That was ridiculous!

  How did they even know I was here? And why would they think I was Colt’s new girlfriend? The only thing I can think of is when I was getting into the Hummer and all those photographers were taking my photo. But how the hell would they know who I am?

  “Jesus Lia, what were you thinking?” Colt asks as he holds me at arm’s length and looks all over my body.

  “I… ah—”

  “Shit, you’re bleeding.” He pulls off his shirt making my jaw drop at the sight of his deeply chiselled stomach. I bite my lip as my eyes drift down to where his hips form that perfect V shape. He kneels down in front of me and places his shirt to my knee.

  “I… um—”

  “Thank God, I found you in time. The fans… they’re awesome, but they’re also raving lunatics. You can’t just walk around anymore, Lia. Haven’t you seen the Internet? You’re headline news. It’s not safe for you, especially at a concert where thousands of them are congregating. You have to think smarter than this. Promise me you won’t go out on your own again?”

  “What?”

  “Promise me, Lia.”

  “I promise,” I say even though I’m not really taking in anything he’s said after, I’m ‘headline news.' That little piece of information has me shit scared and stunned, so much so I’m riveted to the spot. I know Daddy reads the news on-line every day and if I’m headline news then he knows I’m associating with rock stars and has probably rung Joseph by now, which means he’s been filled in on our break-up.

  Yep, I’m totally screwed, no matter how I look at it.

  “Are you in pain?” he asks when he comes back up to my eye level. I shake my head, I can’t really feel anything other than my pounding heart. I’m so shocked by the events of the last fifteen minutes, that I don’t even feel like I’m functioning.

  “Lia, why did you leave? Were you going to go without even talking to me?” he questions with a hurt look in his eyes.

  “I... I—”

  “I think you’re in shock. C’mon, up you come,” he insists as he leans down and then lifts me up cradling me to his bare chest. I swallow hard as I lean in holding him around his neck. A security guard places Colt’s T-shirt back on my knee and Colt carries me down the hallway. My head’s spinning and I honestly think I might be losing the plot. He walks into his dressing room still carrying me and the rest of the band look over at us as we enter.

  “Hey man, no chicks, remember?”

  “Shut up dude, she’s just been attacked by the fans outside.”

  “Oh, shit! Lia, are you okay?” the guy that looks like Colt asks.

  “I think she’s in shock,” Colt replies while he sits me down on the lounge. They all crowd around and I try my hardest not to cry. Suddenly the emotion of what just happened hits me hard.

  Someone rushes in through the door and straight over to me. “Hey, did you call for a medic?” she asks. Colt looks at a security guard and he nods.

  “Yeah, her knee’s pretty banged up and she isn’t talking,” he says as she looks down at my knee.

  “Okay, everyone out,” the medic says. The guys laugh, but she gives them a stern look. “I’m serious, get out,” she reiterates and they stop laughing.

  “I’m not leaving her,” Colt asserts as the other guys begin to walk out of their dressing room.

  “Look I know who you are, and trust me I’m a massive fan, but I will get security to remove you if I have to,” she says sternly.

  “It’s okay,” I whisper quietly. They both look at me and then at each other. “He can stay.”

  The medic walks over and shuts the door. “Only if you’re absolutely sure honey, I need to look at your knee and the only way I can do that is to take off your jeans.”

  I don’t care; I just want Colt with me. I nod, and she frowns but then helps me stand to take off my jeans. I look at Colt who’s eyeing my legs and I think I see him swallow. He subtly rearranges his crotch and I think I see a hint of a smile cross his face until his eyes gaze across my knee. I step out of my jeans and I’m standing in a black tank top, a slightly torn yellow cardigan and a pair of black lacy boy shorts. I sit back down on the lounge and she gets out her kit and starts to dig the pieces of gravel out of my knee. It hurts and I wince at the pain. Colt walks over to the fridge and pulls out a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and returns, unscrewing the lid.

  “Here, it’ll help with the pain,” he tells me while handing it to me. Even though the thought of alcohol is turning my stomach, the pain and the anxiety I’ve just been through makes me take a giant mouthful of the amber liquid. I swallow and my mouth catches on fire, closely followed by my throat. I crinkle my face up and stick out my tongue as I clench my eyes shut.

  “That’s disgusting, how can you drink that?”

  Colt laughs. “I’m a man, it’s a man’s drink. If you can’t handle it I can get you something else,” he says with a smirk.

  It’s a man’s drink, what a crock of shit!

  “No, I’m fine, I can handle it,” I reply and take another sip of the god-awful stuff. The medic and Colt both laugh as I scrunch my face up again. He comes over and sits on the lounge next to me.

  “You worried me for a moment there,” he says as he rests his hand on my naked thigh. That surge of heat flows through my legs all the way to my core as my breathing catches.

  “Sorry,” I say, biting my lip and then looking away.

  “Don’t be sorry. I just want to know why you were leaving?” I look at the medic who’s busy bandaging my knee. He looks at her and then chuckles.

  “She won’t say anything will you?” Colt asks the medic.

  “Nope, I hear nothing and see nothing. It’s all part of the job,” she replies and continues tending to my knee.

  “Um… okay, well the Slayettes were telling me all about how, um… you… well—”

  “Spit it out, Lia.”

  I gulp and exhale, and take another mouthful of the god-awful Jack. “They were all talking about how you like spicy girls and not sweet ones, and how spicy they’ve all been with you,” I say really fast and then take another sip.

  He nods and rests back into the lounge. “Right.” He takes his hand off my thigh and I swallow the lump in my throat. I shouldn’t have told him, and now the girls will probably be angry with me for telling him too.

  Shit!

  Shut up, Lia!

  “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have—”

  “No, I’m sorry. I um… I better get ready. We’re on in an hour and I have… stuff,” he stutters out and then stands up while running his hand through his hair. He looks down at me, exhales loudly and then walks out of the room. I sit there stunned.

  What the hell was that?

  I take another sip of Jack; I think he’ll be my new best friend tonight. The medic stands and holds my jeans out to me. I smile and she nods as I take them from her.

  “Do you have any other cuts or anything?” she asks not mentioning a thing about the conversation that just passed between Colt and me. I guess that’s her job, but it surprises me. I shake my head and step into my now ripped on one knee jeans. She places her hand on my shoulder.

  “If you need anything, just call security and ask for Te
ssa,” she says. I nod my head and smile, then she picks up her stuff and walks out, leaving me in the band’s dressing room all alone. I take my new best friend, Jack with me, and walk out into the hallway. I decide I don’t feel like going back to the Slayette’s room, so I figure I’ll take a look around. I hear music playing and I follow it to the back of the stage. I notice Colt up there with a guitar wrapped around him, Dingo’s sitting at the back on the drums, Johnny’s holding another guitar but it has less strings, I think it’s a bass and I still don’t know the other guy’s name, but he has a guitar as well. I must say the sight of Colt’s bare chest with his amazing ink and a guitar wrapped around him is doing things to me. Either that or it’s my best friend Jack, who’s making me feel light headed. Either way Colt’s looking like a total rock God and for the first time I’m excited to hear him sing. He walks up to the microphone stand and fiddles around with its position and then moves in close to it.

  “Check, one two, check,” he says and the sound echoes throughout the stadium. He strums the guitar and the sound floods my ears. Wow, that’s loud, but I guess it has to be for everyone to be able to hear it over those screaming minions. Dingo clicks his drumsticks together and they all start playing. This really is rock music, and although I’d normally call myself a pop music lover, the sounds coming from Colt’s guitar are sending shivers up and down my spine. I think I might’ve converted to rock music lover, just in the first thirty seconds of this song, that I’ve never heard before.

  A thrill of excitement courses through my veins while I take a step closer to watch Colt as he edges toward the microphone. He starts to sing the opening line of the song and it’s like my heart explodes into a billion tiny dancing shards. The bass is reverberating through me making my body pulse in a way I’ve never felt before, and I love it. A big smile crosses my face as Colt’s deeply sexy voice starts to belt out the song. I bite my bottom lip as I feel an ache between my legs that I haven’t felt for years.

  Holy crap, his voice is making me horny!

  Even four years with Joseph never made me feel the way I’m feeling right now. What am I saying, Joseph never made me feel anything like this... ever. Colt really is a rock God and it’s no wonder he has so many girls on the side. Just watching him is making my blood heat into a raging inferno. I take a big gulp of Jack and exhale abruptly. I can’t believe anyone could ever have this kind of effect on me. This is a foreign feeling and I’m not entirely sure how to deal with it. Every part of me wants to run up the stairs onto the stage and rip his jeans off, and let him take me right here and now. But of course I don’t. I start to sway to the song that has completely captivated me. The song ends and I can’t help myself, I cheer out loud and clap making the band all turn around to face me. I realise I must look like a right git and I stop myself and wrap my arms around my chest. Colt looks at me and smiles.

  “Right, I think we’re good, yeah?” Colt asks as he takes his guitar off over his head and places it on the speaker at the front of the stage.

  “Yeah, sounds good guys,” the guy that looks like Colt says as he makes his way over to Dingo. I notice Colt staring at me. I’m probably not supposed to be here, so I turn to walk away, back to the Slayette’s room.

  “Lia, wait,” I hear Colt call out. I turn around to see him jogging toward the stairs. He grabs the handrails and slides down the stairs effortlessly.

  Shit, that was hot!

  I stop walking and turn to face him as he jogs across to me.

  “So, what did you think?”

  “Well, I don’t know, you’re not really that good you know? I think that maybe rock music is a little over-rated. Yeah, it was mediocre at best,” I say with a gigantic smirk.

  “Oh really? Well, guess I’ll have to amp it up a little more for the actual concert then, don’t want to be disappointing you again now do I?” he questions as he leans in closer to me. I laugh slightly and then swallow hard as he brings his hand up brushing a strand of hair behind my ear, leaving his hand lingering on my cheek. I gaze up into his luminous blue eyes and I swear I stop breathing. He leans in and places his arm around my waist pulling me to him. My heart’s pounding ferociously in my chest, so much so I’m pretty sure he must be able to hear it. He’s staring back at me and it’s like the outside world disappears. It’s just Colt and me standing here holding each other, staring deeply into each other’s eyes. He leans in closer. “How’s your head?” he asks.

  “Um... it’s okay. My friend Jack here’s helping, but man those girls know how to pull hair.”

  He chuckles and caresses my cheek. “I couldn’t stand it if they’d really hurt you,” he says leaning in a little closer. I notice his eyes shift down to my lips.

  “Why?” I ask, breathlessly.

  He leans in even closer. “Because I don’t want anyone’s hands on you, except mine,” he says leaning in so close I can feel his breath against my lips. I inadvertently lick my lips; I think he’s going to kiss me. He moves in tightening his hand around my waist. I close my eyes as I feel the electricity surging between us. I hold my breath ready and waiting for our first kiss. I part my lips slightly and just as his soft lips barely even touch mine, someone yells out making us both jump and open our eyes and look over toward the edge of the stage.

  “Hey bro.”

  I exhale, our first kiss attempt is interrupted. Colt averts his eyes back to mine as I look down at the ground. He lets out a small groan and then lets go of me.

  “What? What could you possibly want right now that’s so important Huxley?” he asks the guy that looks like him.

  “Chillax big brother. Entertainment Weekly is here with the contest winners. They need us, like now,” he explains as he looks at me and smirks.

  “Right, yeah. I forgot about that. Okay, I’ll be there in a sec.”

  “Big brother?” I ask.

  Colt smirks. “Yeah, Hux is my little bro. We started the band together, hence why we’re called Slayed. It’s a take on our surname. It’s just spelt differently.”

  “I thought as much. Guess you’d better get going then, don’t want to keep the evil minion fans waiting too long,” I joke making him chuckle.

  “So, ah... we’ll continue this later, yeah?” he asks. My heart rate spikes as he leans in, but diverts and kisses my cheek. His soft, warm lips on my skin sends tingles throughout my entire body, and that ache between my legs, well that’s a full blown raging inferno now and only Colt can be the one to extinguish the fire. He smiles at me and I nod. He shakes his head as he starts to walk off toward the stage. I stand there and cradle myself.

  Holy hell. Did that just happen, or nearly happen, as it were?

  I can’t believe we nearly kissed. The emotions flowing through me at the moment are overwhelming. Elation, fear, and guilt that maybe I’m moving on too soon and how Joseph might feel. But why should I care about him anyway? He broke up with me. He said he never loved me, so why should I feel guilty? I take another sip of Jack and turn to walk to the Slayette’s room.

  “What the hell happened to you?” Jessi asks as I walk in with my now ripped clothing and probably pretty messy hair. Everyone turns to look at me.

  “I, um... went outside and got mobbed by the evil minions,” I reply as I move to sit down on one of the red lounges.

  “Seriously?” Sia asks and I nod.

  “Shit girl, you really are off your rocker. Going out there with those… what did you call them?” she asks.

  “Evil minions,” I say and the room cracks up in hysterical laughter.

  “That’s the perfect name for them. Maybe you can be one of us after all,” another girl states while Jessi scoffs and rolls her eyes.

  “Well, you have the ripped jeans. Now all we need to do is something about that vest,” Sia says as she walks across to me. I look at her and grimace as she grabs the hem of my vest and rips it to just above my belly button.

  “What the?” I yell out as she proceeds to rip it completely so my vest is now really
short and showing off my midriff.

  “There, now with a bit of dark makeup around the eyes and get rid of that yellow monstrosity you’re wearing, add a few chains and you will look just like us. C’mon girls, it’s mission ‘let’s liven up Lia’,” Sia says as they rush over and all start fixing me up in one way or another. All except for Jessi that is, who’s too busy applying her lip-gloss to care.

  The Slayettes finish making me over and I move to check myself out in the mirror. I guess I don’t look half bad. I definitely don’t look like my usual self. I can’t help but wonder what Colt will think when he sees me. My eyes are dark, which makes the green in my irises stand out. My long brown hair is curled and messy, but in a good way and the blush and lip-gloss are darker than normal, but I like it.

  “Wow,” I say as I stare at myself.

  “I know, we create masterpieces don’t we girls?” Sia states and they all nod and agree. Except for you know who. Sia takes my arm in hers and we all walk out of the room and down to the front of the stage. We’re here before they let the crowd in, so we’re right up the front. I’m standing in the middle, right where the microphone for Colt is located. They announce over the PA system that they’re opening the doors for the minions to come in, well they say fans, but I’ll always call them minions.

  The minions all start coming in and the stadium fills quickly. There are people wearing Slayed shirts and there are girls with signs asking Colt to marry them, and to be their baby daddy and all sorts of other things that make me laugh. I can’t help the overwhelming sense of excitement I have bubbling up inside of me. I’ve never been to anything like this in my entire life and the atmosphere already is crazy good. The lights dim and the strobe lights kick in.