The day she broke his heart in to pieces, he promised himself to never give her the chance to hurt him ever again. He never wanted to see her or have anything to do with her.
He banned her from coming to the Fast Lane. He made sure to stay clear of any place Scandal was playing. He avoided her like the plague. He tried so hard to put her out of his thoughts. The day they broke up, flashed in his mind and opened old scars in his heart.
He was reminded of all those questions he wanted to ask but couldn't, because he ran away from her like a hurt little boy. Including the most important one, that he was never brave enough to ask. "Did she ever really love him at all?" He still wondered.
"Why are you always looking at me like you're so pissed off?" She asked, as he was staring a hole right through her.
"Maybe it's just the way I feel, everytime I look at you."
"You can't hate me forever. It's been almost a year Johnny! That was the past and you need to get over it!"
"Don't tell me what to do! I don't need your damn advice! Keep that shit for your current boyfriend! Oh yeah I forgot, you can't keep one!" He laughed.
"How the hell do you know what I have? Unless you've been asking around about me?"
"Don't flatter yourself. I don't give a shit who you're with! Let's get started so we can finish up and I can get the hell out of here!"
"Okay. I've been working on a song. But it's raw. I can't get it out of my head and on paper the way I want to."
The drummer and a guitarist Harold found to temporarily sit in, started playing along with her.
She started to sing a little of it. But as soon as he heard the first line, it was already ticking him off. But when she sang out, "I remember the good times baby and the bad times too, looking right at him. He couldn't believe it, "she must be trying to piss me off!" He thought. And then she belted out, "goodbye to you" and he just lost it.
"Stop!" He yelled. "Just fucking stop!"
"What is it Johnny?" She asked like she didn't know.
"I don't want to hear that shit!"
"It's just a song!"
"Do you think I'm a dumbass? The only thing you can come up with is a damn break up song?"
"Well I have another one." She replied.
"Wait a minute I'll be back." John walked off toward the bathroom.
Richie had been watching them and walked over to her. "Hey darlin, how have you been?" He asked smiling at her.
"I'm doing good Richie. Is he always this hard to work with?"
"Everyday of his life." He laughed. "But I didn't break his heart."
"Is that what he told you?"
"He doesn't like to talk about it. You know how he is. You can't shut him up when he's happy. But when he's not he's in his own little world."
"He's still punishing me. I was young and dumb and just looking for a good time. I didn't know he changed the rules of the game. He's the one that taught them to me."
"I think he fell for you before he realized it. And that changed everything."
"Richie I know he slept with other girls behind my back. I heard the stories."
"If he did, he wasn't in love with any of them, like he was with you."
John went to the bathroom to splash a little water on his face. "I've got to get through this night." He mumbled looking at himself in the mirror.
He stood there a few minutes and then he walked back to the stage and picked up his guitar and slid his red glove on.
The band started playing and John joined in on guitar and Patty sang a different song. That he luckily didn't feel she was singing about him.
When she was finished, he looked at her.
"Your voice has gotten stronger. You sound really good." He told her, hating to admit it. She could always sing, but something in her voice sounded better.
John talked to the rest of the band a few minutes and then they played along as he started singing one of the songs he wrote. Patty stood in awe watching him take command of the stage.
He was damn good and there was no denying it. She always loved watching him perform. He loved it and it showed.
When he was finished, she walked over to him smiling. "Wow Johnny! Your voice is deeper, it sounds so awesome."
"Thanks." He quickly looked away from her and thought, "damn she's beautiful when she smiles."
They practiced a few covers and that was it. Practice number one was down in the books, luckily with no bloodshed.
John helped them pack up all the equipment quickly.
"You want to get a beer Johnny?" Patty asked hoping they could at least be civil to each other.
"No I've got to go."
"What's your hurry?" She asked watching him throw stuff in a bag.
"I'm going to see my girl."
"Oh so you really are seeing somebody?"
"Yeah, Ashley. She's gorgeous, smart, and best of all, all mine. I've got to go call her." He jumped down off the stage to use the payphone.
Patty watched him walking away. She remembered when she used to love for him to call her. And how he couldn't wait for her to call him. "Damn things are different now." She thought as she watched him dialing the payphone.
"Hello."
"Hey Baby."
"Hey John."
"What are you doing?"
"I just got out of the shower and was drying off. You caught me naked as a jaybird." She giggled.
"Okay, I have a nice visual of that in my head. And I might be getting a little hard right now." He laughed.
"Oh you are huh? Well I don't know if I'm interested."
"Oh I'll make you interested."
"I have mace you know, and I'm not afraid to use it."
"To see you naked again, I'll risk a little mace in my eyes. Hell I'd face a firing squad." He laughed.
"Well damn, that's some determination!" She laughed and so did he.
Patty was watching him and noticed how happy he seemed. She wondered if he was ever that happy with her.
"We just finished up. Can I come over? I really want to taste you. I mean see you." He chuckled.
"Oh you're in a mood."
"Yep the same mood you always put me in, horny." He was trying to use a sexy deeper voice.
"Well I don't let just anybody in my bed you know. You have to have certain qualifications!" She giggled.
"Oh I have them and as fast as I can get over there I'm going to show them all to you." He chuckled.
"John, here is your glove you left on the stage." Patty smiled handing it to him.
He muffled the phone. "Thanks, I forgot it." John slid on his glove.
"John who is that?" Ashley asked. Hearing he was trying to muffle the phone.
"Oh it was Patty bringing me something I left on stage."
Just the mention of this girl pissed Ashley off.
Patty turned around and looked back. "Well I'm leaving, good night Johnny."
"Good night baby." John's eyes got huge. "Oh fuck! Did I just call Patty baby?" He thought. "Maybe Ash didn't hear it. Oh please oh please God, I hope she didn't hear it."
Patty walked to the door smiling. She mouthed to herself, "baby."
He just decided to act like nothing happened. "Ashley, are you there?"
A very cold voice replied. "Yes I'm here!"
"What's wrong baby?"
"Don't you dare call me that! Not after you just called that bitch baby!"
"Ash, I'm so damn sorry! I didn't mean to say it I swear! I was on the phone with you and I wasn't paying any attention to her and it just came out! Please don't be mad! Can I still come by? Please!"
"Hell no! I'm going to call up Bret and call him baby and then I'm going to bed!"
"Oh hell you better not!" John yelled and he heard click as she slammed her phone down in his ear.
Richie had ordered a beer and was listening to all this drama.
"Fuck!" John yelled and slammed the payphone down.
Richie was grinning. "I heard some of that. One practice and Patty is baby now huh?"
"Fuck no! See that bitch is already ruining my fucking life! Ash told me, she just got out of the shower and was still naked, while she was talking to me and I was going over there. I slipped up thinking about that and called that bitch baby by accident and now Ashley is pissed!"
"Remember I asked you how you were going to juggle all your women? Now we know, not very well!" He laughed.
"Oh fuck you Richie! This shit ain't funny!"
"Look, call her back. If she's really pissed she won't answer. If she's just mad and wanting you to apologize, she will."
"Okay." He dialed, sure she wouldn't answer.
"Hello!" She hollered.
"Ashley, I'm sorry but I was thinking about you being naked and talking to you and baby just slipped out. She knows I would never call her baby! I love you! Please Ashley, I'm sorry!...................Ash?"
"What?" She mumbled.
"Can I come over? I want to just tell you I'm sorry in person. Then I'll leave! You can shoot me with the damn mace, if I don't! Please Ashley, you know I love you!"
Richie snickered sitting on a stool, listening to John begging over the phone. This was the part of a relationship he sure as hell didn't miss.
"Okay thanks. I'll be there in a few minutes! Bye Ash, I love you." He hung up.
"See I told you. She just wants you to beg for her forgiveness, but she's not that pissed or she wouldn't have picked up." Richie patted him on the shoulder.
"We'll see. I'll get down on my damn knees if it will get me in her damn front door." He grinned. "I've got to go." John turned to leave.
"Good luck Casanova!" Richie laughed.
And John turned around and shot him the finger.
He walked out to his car and changed his shirt to one he had in his car.
He pulled up at Ashley's. He sat there a minute thinking of what he wanted to say.
He got out and knocked. She finally answered the door.
"Yeah." She snapped, as she pulled the door open and saw him standing there with sad ocean blue eyes she couldn't ever say no to.
"Hey thanks for opening the door. You didn't call Bret, did you?"
"Of course not." She emphasized.
"I'm sorry for being a real dumbass. But you look beautiful."
"Don't be nice to me, I'm mad at you."
"I love you. Are you going to let me in? You don't have that mace do you?" He smiled.
"I haven't decided if I'm going to use it on you or not."
"Oh damn please don't. But if you still want to, at least let me get a running start. I've got more painting to do in the morning." He chuckled. "What smells so good?"
"I was baking a cake for you, but you made me mad and I didn't put the frosting on it."
"Well let me in, I want to try it. I'm starving."
They walked in the kitchen and he spotted it on the counter. "I love chocolate, it's my favorite.
She got out a plate and some forks and cut him a piece. "Here you go."
"Thanks." He took a bite. "It's good. Why aren't you eating any?"
"I'm not that hungry."
"Come on Ash, eat some."
"Okay."
They each ate a piece and went to the living room.
"I can tell you are still mad at me. It's not what you think. I never called her baby. I only call you that."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I never wanted to call anybody baby before I met you. So see there was no way I called her baby. But you fried my brain saying you were naked while I was talking to you and I just got mixed up. I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?" He looked at her and tilted his head with a devilish little grin on his face.
"I can't stay mad at you." She smiled back at him.
"Good now come here, I've been missing you all day. He pulled her in for a hug and leaned down and began to kiss her soft and slowly. Caressing her body. Then he pulled back a little. When is your Dad coming home?"
"Any minute now."
"Okay, well maybe I better go. But I could come back when he goes to bed and stay a while."
"Okay."
"Just call me, when he's asleep. I love you."
"I love you too."
He went out the door and walked home.
As soon as John entered his front door, he heard. "Johnny is that you?"
"Yeah it's me."
"I washed a bunch of your dirty clothes I found in the Mustang. Do you have any in the other car?" Asked Carol.
"Yeah, there's some from today."
"Okay, I'll get them. You know it's starting to look like a car lot around here with all these vehicles." She laughed. "How did you like your first day working at the club?"
"It was okay, but I have to help out with the band for Harold and Patty's in it?"
"Really? That Tommy kid isn't in it is he."
"No he's not even in her band anymore, they broke up a little while after we split."
"Well that serves her right. To cheat on a handsome hard working boy like you."
"That's one of the things I like about Ashley, Ma. I know her feelings for me are real. I wish you would change your mind about her. I love her."
"I just think you are too young and busy trying to start your music career to get all involved with a girl that might break your heart, just like Patty."
"She's nothing like Patty! They are total opposites! Forget it, I'm going upstairs."
"Are you in for the night?"
"No I'm going back out later."
"Okay lock the door when you leave and please be careful."
"I will."
John ran up to his room. He turned his radio on. He flipped the dial to 103.5 and WAPP had just started playing Foreigner's Head Games. He loved this song. He turned it up, he picked up his guitar, and danced around his room playing along and singing along with it.
He really got into it. Now he wanted to use it for one of the covers to play at the club. When it went off he sat in his chair at his desk. A cheesy love song came on, that he knew well. Air Supply's I'm All Out Of Love. Normally he would have flipped the dial, but this time he couldn't. She had been on his mind so much lately, and this was her favorite song. "Damn it Patty." He thought as the words rang in his ears. He had listened to it with her so many times. She loved it and it made her so happy. And he always loved to see her happy.
He sat there listening to the words, as a floodgate of memories was opened up. He reached in his desk and pulled out an old ratty old Rolling Stone magazine. He still had it because of an interview he liked with Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. Tucked inside the back cover, where he had stuck it months ago, he pulled out the first photo ever taken of him and Patty together.
He sat there looking at the photo. Remembering how crazy he was about her. How he would have done anything for her. They were supposed to make it big. Get a record deal and get the hell out of this town together. "How did it all go so wrong?" He wondered.
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