Chapter Twenty-Five: A Home Wrecker with a Heart of Gold
Hey - I had to bump this chapter up to Twenty-five. There's a chapter before this now that wasn't up when this chapter was originally posted - READ IT!
Chapter Twenty Four: A Home Wrecker With a Heart of Gold
"'You'll have fun, it'll be fun, c'mon, Mark, you've got to come!' Yeah, this is real fun." Mark muttered to himself, sitting in a corner of some dark, smelly, smoky bar and watching Roger fiddle around with the settings on his amp. Really, he knew that this was a big night for Roger - it was the first gig he was going to play with the guys in his new band. And he knew that the only reason Roger had asked him to come to a gig alone at a place where he would definitely be bored and uncomfortable was because Roger was nervous and wanted someone he knew out in the crowd. This knowledge, however, didn't stop Mark from complaining to himself when Roger couldn't see or hear.
"They're supposed to be really good!" a girl's voice says from the table next to him. Mark blinks and looks over. The girl who was sitting there couldn't be much younger than him, with a wide smile and curly blonde hair.
"What?"
"The next band." She explained with a laugh. "The Well Hungarians. They're supposed to be really good. I haven't heard them since they got the new front man. He's pretty sexy, if he plays half as good as he looks we'll be in business!"
"They're good." Mark replied with a bit of a smile, shaking his head. Roger hadn't even played yet and already he had a groupie. She brightened considerably on hearing that.
"Really? I thought this was their first show, where did you hear them?" She asked, turning around in her chair. Mark took a good look at her and wished for a moment that he was Roger, if only so this girl would be that interested in him.
"In rehearsals." Mark explained with a shrug. The girl stared at him in shock. "The front man's my roommate." He explained quickly, so she wouldn't get any ideas. What kind of ideas, Mark wasn't quite sure, but he wanted to prevent them. Of course, judging by the look on the girl's face, Mark realized pretty quickly that all he'd done was cause those ideas.
"You're his roommate, really?" she squealed a little and got up to move to his table. Mark sighed mentally and resolved never to disclose that information again. "I'm Maureen, by the way. Maureen Johnson." She offered her hand, and Mark shook it.
"Mark Cohen. Nice to meet you."
"So, first off, what's his name? What's he like? Is he better than Joey? How'd you meet him?" Mark laughed a little and held his hands up.
"Woah, okay, slow down and ask one at a time?" he suggested. Maureen grinned at him.
"Whoops, sorry." She giggled a little. "First question: What's his name?"
Well that one was easy enough, thankfully. "Roger Davis."
"And how is he compared to Joey?"
"I'm not entirely sure who Joey is, actually." Mark admitted with a sheepish grin. "So I can't really compare..."
"The last front man. Back when they were still called 'Fire Escape'." Maureen explained, as if that would clear things up. Mark just shook his head. "You never saw them?" She asks, surprised.
"I don't really do this whole... concert club bar... thing." Mark shrugged. "I'm here for moral support, mainly." Maureen frowned.
"Moral sup... Oh!" A look of understanding dawned on her face. "Oh, alright, I understand." She grinned knowingly, and Mark smacked his forehead lightly.
"No, no, not like that." He shook his head, wincing slightly. "We're just straight. I'm his best friend; we've known each other since high school."
"Oh." Maureen giggled, looking a little sheepish. "Sorry, I just thought..."
"Yeah, no, I mean... it's okay." Mark shifted uncomfortably. "It's not like I'm not used to it. There were the worst rumors at school..."
"So are either of you gay? Or just really close coming off as gay?"
Well, this blonde didn't seem to have any reservations about asking personal questions, that was for sure. Mark flushed and shook his head. "Neither of us are. Well. I guess Roger might - his answer to anything about his sexuality is 'I'm a fucking rock star'. Which I assume has an emphasis on the 'fucking', given how many one-night-stands he's had since I got here." Mark rolled his eyes and shook his head fondly.
"So he's sort of a slut?"
"He's... very fond of sex and not so fond of romantic relationships, apparently."
"He's a slut. Like me." Maureen laughed brightly, wrinkling her nose in amusement. Mark found himself grinning back, despite himself.
"Yeah, okay, he's kind of a slut." Mark agreed reluctantly, laughing. "But don't tell him I told you that - he'd hide my glasses for a week."
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me, baby." There was a small cheer that sprung up from the crowd around the stage at that moment as the band came out and Roger grinned out. "Oh, it's starting!" Maureen bounced to her feet and grinned expectantly. "Well, are you coming or not?" she asked.
"Oh, I was just going to stay here..." Mark started. Maureen scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Like hell you are - I thought you were here for moral support!" She exclaimed and grabbed his hand as the band started their first song. "Come on, it'll be fun!" she laughed, pulling him to his feet.
"Why does everyone keep telling me that tonight?" Mark asked, not that anyone could hear him, and let Maureen drag him into the crowd on the small dance floor.
# # #
"So do you want to meet him?" Mark asked Maureen after the band had finished. She smiled at him and licked her lips. Mark shivered a little.
"Yes." She said. "But not tonight." Mark blinked, surprised.
"Not tonight, why not?" he asked. Maureen laughed.
"Because I'm going to wait until we've hung out at a few concerts first, so I'm not just another groupie." She flashed a wide smile, a smile that could probably get her anything she wanted. Mark envied Roger so much for attracting her attention - if he couldn't have Roger, couldn't he at least have a pretty girl that was fun and funny and that he was attracted to? But no, of course, she had to have her sights set on Roger. Ah, well, that was the way of things, the way things had been for the past year. Girl sees Mark, talks to Mark, sees Roger, screws Roger, leaves. Mark had actually gotten rather used to it.
"Well, I'll see you at the next one, then." Mark said with a shy smile. Maureen tilted her head with a little smirk, her curls bouncing in a way that should not have been sexy but was.
"I thought you said you weren't into these concert club bar things." She commented. Mark blushed brightly at that - he'd been caught in a dual desire to see Roger on stage and see Maureen again. Maureen just laughed, though. "I'll see you at the next one. You be there, or else."
"Or else what?" Mark asked, raising his eyebrows. Maureen glanced over his shoulder and smirked before leaning in to kiss him firmly.
"Or else you won't be able to hope for that again." She answered with a triumphant grin before turning and waltzing out. Mark's eyes were glued on her ass, which was very well-defined by her tight jeans.
"Hey, baby boy's getting some action!" Roger crowed from a few feet behind him. Mark blushed brighter, if at all possible. Of course, she'd put that on for Roger's benefit - that must've been who she was looking at over his shoulder.
"Shut up, Roger."
"A blonde, too! She was hot, what's her name and number?"
"Do you think about anything but sex?"
"Yes. I also think about music and alcohol and food."
"Which are you thinking about now?"
"Sex and alcohol."
"Roger, you're twenty. You can't have alcohol."
"You just watch me."
"If you get us arrested, my hand to God, I will hurt you."
"Man, you just sounded like your mother."
"...Fuck off."
Chapter Twenty Four: A Home Wrecker With a Heart of Gold
"'You'll have fun, it'll be fun, c'mon, Mark, you've got to come!' Yeah, this is real fun." Mark muttered to himself, sitting in a corner of some dark, smelly, smoky bar and watching Roger fiddle around with the settings on his amp. Really, he knew that this was a big night for Roger - it was the first gig he was going to play with the guys in his new band. And he knew that the only reason Roger had asked him to come to a gig alone at a place where he would definitely be bored and uncomfortable was because Roger was nervous and wanted someone he knew out in the crowd. This knowledge, however, didn't stop Mark from complaining to himself when Roger couldn't see or hear.
"They're supposed to be really good!" a girl's voice says from the table next to him. Mark blinks and looks over. The girl who was sitting there couldn't be much younger than him, with a wide smile and curly blonde hair.
"What?"
"The next band." She explained with a laugh. "The Well Hungarians. They're supposed to be really good. I haven't heard them since they got the new front man. He's pretty sexy, if he plays half as good as he looks we'll be in business!"
"They're good." Mark replied with a bit of a smile, shaking his head. Roger hadn't even played yet and already he had a groupie. She brightened considerably on hearing that.
"Really? I thought this was their first show, where did you hear them?" She asked, turning around in her chair. Mark took a good look at her and wished for a moment that he was Roger, if only so this girl would be that interested in him.
"In rehearsals." Mark explained with a shrug. The girl stared at him in shock. "The front man's my roommate." He explained quickly, so she wouldn't get any ideas. What kind of ideas, Mark wasn't quite sure, but he wanted to prevent them. Of course, judging by the look on the girl's face, Mark realized pretty quickly that all he'd done was cause those ideas.
"You're his roommate, really?" she squealed a little and got up to move to his table. Mark sighed mentally and resolved never to disclose that information again. "I'm Maureen, by the way. Maureen Johnson." She offered her hand, and Mark shook it.
"Mark Cohen. Nice to meet you."
"So, first off, what's his name? What's he like? Is he better than Joey? How'd you meet him?" Mark laughed a little and held his hands up.
"Woah, okay, slow down and ask one at a time?" he suggested. Maureen grinned at him.
"Whoops, sorry." She giggled a little. "First question: What's his name?"
Well that one was easy enough, thankfully. "Roger Davis."
"And how is he compared to Joey?"
"I'm not entirely sure who Joey is, actually." Mark admitted with a sheepish grin. "So I can't really compare..."
"The last front man. Back when they were still called 'Fire Escape'." Maureen explained, as if that would clear things up. Mark just shook his head. "You never saw them?" She asks, surprised.
"I don't really do this whole... concert club bar... thing." Mark shrugged. "I'm here for moral support, mainly." Maureen frowned.
"Moral sup... Oh!" A look of understanding dawned on her face. "Oh, alright, I understand." She grinned knowingly, and Mark smacked his forehead lightly.
"No, no, not like that." He shook his head, wincing slightly. "We're just straight. I'm his best friend; we've known each other since high school."
"Oh." Maureen giggled, looking a little sheepish. "Sorry, I just thought..."
"Yeah, no, I mean... it's okay." Mark shifted uncomfortably. "It's not like I'm not used to it. There were the worst rumors at school..."
"So are either of you gay? Or just really close coming off as gay?"
Well, this blonde didn't seem to have any reservations about asking personal questions, that was for sure. Mark flushed and shook his head. "Neither of us are. Well. I guess Roger might - his answer to anything about his sexuality is 'I'm a fucking rock star'. Which I assume has an emphasis on the 'fucking', given how many one-night-stands he's had since I got here." Mark rolled his eyes and shook his head fondly.
"So he's sort of a slut?"
"He's... very fond of sex and not so fond of romantic relationships, apparently."
"He's a slut. Like me." Maureen laughed brightly, wrinkling her nose in amusement. Mark found himself grinning back, despite himself.
"Yeah, okay, he's kind of a slut." Mark agreed reluctantly, laughing. "But don't tell him I told you that - he'd hide my glasses for a week."
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me, baby." There was a small cheer that sprung up from the crowd around the stage at that moment as the band came out and Roger grinned out. "Oh, it's starting!" Maureen bounced to her feet and grinned expectantly. "Well, are you coming or not?" she asked.
"Oh, I was just going to stay here..." Mark started. Maureen scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Like hell you are - I thought you were here for moral support!" She exclaimed and grabbed his hand as the band started their first song. "Come on, it'll be fun!" she laughed, pulling him to his feet.
"Why does everyone keep telling me that tonight?" Mark asked, not that anyone could hear him, and let Maureen drag him into the crowd on the small dance floor.
# # #
"So do you want to meet him?" Mark asked Maureen after the band had finished. She smiled at him and licked her lips. Mark shivered a little.
"Yes." She said. "But not tonight." Mark blinked, surprised.
"Not tonight, why not?" he asked. Maureen laughed.
"Because I'm going to wait until we've hung out at a few concerts first, so I'm not just another groupie." She flashed a wide smile, a smile that could probably get her anything she wanted. Mark envied Roger so much for attracting her attention - if he couldn't have Roger, couldn't he at least have a pretty girl that was fun and funny and that he was attracted to? But no, of course, she had to have her sights set on Roger. Ah, well, that was the way of things, the way things had been for the past year. Girl sees Mark, talks to Mark, sees Roger, screws Roger, leaves. Mark had actually gotten rather used to it.
"Well, I'll see you at the next one, then." Mark said with a shy smile. Maureen tilted her head with a little smirk, her curls bouncing in a way that should not have been sexy but was.
"I thought you said you weren't into these concert club bar things." She commented. Mark blushed brightly at that - he'd been caught in a dual desire to see Roger on stage and see Maureen again. Maureen just laughed, though. "I'll see you at the next one. You be there, or else."
"Or else what?" Mark asked, raising his eyebrows. Maureen glanced over his shoulder and smirked before leaning in to kiss him firmly.
"Or else you won't be able to hope for that again." She answered with a triumphant grin before turning and waltzing out. Mark's eyes were glued on her ass, which was very well-defined by her tight jeans.
"Hey, baby boy's getting some action!" Roger crowed from a few feet behind him. Mark blushed brighter, if at all possible. Of course, she'd put that on for Roger's benefit - that must've been who she was looking at over his shoulder.
"Shut up, Roger."
"A blonde, too! She was hot, what's her name and number?"
"Do you think about anything but sex?"
"Yes. I also think about music and alcohol and food."
"Which are you thinking about now?"
"Sex and alcohol."
"Roger, you're twenty. You can't have alcohol."
"You just watch me."
"If you get us arrested, my hand to God, I will hurt you."
"Man, you just sounded like your mother."
"...Fuck off."