Repented

by Sophie Monroe

  I relished the feeling of keeping eye contact with her as we both went over the edge one last time for the night. It was closing in at four in the morning, and there was no way she was leaving tonight. I didn’t want her to. After pulling out and properly disposing of the future generation of Bailey’s, I climbed into bed and pulled her close to me.

  “I’d take a Nerf bullet for you,” I whispered into her hair.

  She giggled and snuggled closer. “Ditto.”

  “Night Peyton, thanks for tonight.”

  She laced her slender fingers with mine. “Night, Zach.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  SMALL BUMP

  KEVIN

  I had no idea how long I’d been asleep for, but it wasn’t nearly long enough. I kept hearing bumps and noises, though too unconscious to get up or care where they were coming from. It kept me from getting the sleep I desired. Standing up, the towel fell off as I stretched. Walking over to my backpack, I pulled out a fresh pair of boxers and pulled them on. First thing I needed to do was go make coffee. A lot of coffee.

  Making my way down the stairs, I rounded the corner and saw a small figure standing next to the sink with her back facing toward me. Even from here it looked like she was sans clothes. I cleared my throat wondering who this strange blonde was, and hoping that it wasn’t some crazy stalker that managed to get in. Startled, she dropped the cup she was holding into the sink causing a loud clatter, followed by a gasp. She turned to face me and sure enough she was completely naked and sexy as hell. I only allowed myself a second to admire her before meeting her eyes. Huge green eyes that looked like emeralds in her heart shaped face.

  “Can I help you?” I asked.

  “Fuck. Shit. Fuck.” She practically stuttered.

  “Again, can I help you?”

  “I’m Peyton. I’m a friend of Zach’s. And I’m terribly sorry and embarrassed. I thought we were alone. I’m just going to go back in there.” She pointed toward the downstairs bedroom. “I guess that’s your phone that’s been going off all morning. I thought it was Zach’s. It woke me up. It was um, nice meeting you. Bye.”

  She did her best to cover herself with her hands as she quickly retreated. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about making coffee since she already did that. Grabbing a mug from the cabinet, I filled it with coffee and added some sugar substitute. It burned my throat on the way down but tasted amazing. I grabbed my phone from the charger and sat down at the breakfast bar to see who the hell was blowing up my phone. I had several emails, a few texts, and a couple missed calls. I started with the texts.

  810-444-7212

  Kevin, it’s Bri. I got an estimate. I’ll email it to you shortly.

  810-444-7212

  Kevin, did you give me a bogus #?

  810-444-7212

  I should have known this was going to happen… If this really is you, I emailed you the estimate.

  Opening my email, there were a few things from Jake and one from her. I clicked on it.

  Kevin,

  Here’s the estimate from the body shop. Are you sure you don’t want to go through insurance? It’s a lot.

  Let me know, Bri.

  I opened the PDF file attached, and sure enough it was over $7,200 for a small fender bender. Great.

  Starting a reply to her email.

  Bri,

  Yes, it’s really me. I had a long drive and pretty much crashed as soon as I got here. Let me know if you’d like me to send payment directly to the body shop or if you’d like me to send it to you. I’ll take care of it later today. Sorry again about hitting your car. Hope you have a better day.

  Kevin

  I quickly glanced over the emails from Jake. It was basically just studio schedules. A couple rough songs he was working on with GT that he wanted my feedback on. Refilling my coffee, I headed back upstairs and grabbed my headphones to listen to the demos Jake sent. I had to admit that Guilty Tendencies had a distinct sound that was going to make them take off.

  Jake always had an ear for new talent anyway. He would be listening to these new bands for years before they ever signed a deal, or anyone knew who they were. That was just another driving force behind him wanting to start Ripped Legging Records. He wanted to give a chance to some bands that would otherwise never see the light of day.

  A knock at my door startled me. Zach stood there, with a now clothed blonde.

  "Hey man, I didn't know you were due back already. I'm sorry we would have kept it down a little more if we knew you were trying to sleep."

  Zach had a presence about him. His shaggy black hair, deep blue eyes and both arms full of tattooed sleeves screamed rock star. "No biggie, man. It didn't stop me from sleeping."

  "Glad to hear. So were you listening to the demos just now?"

  "Actually, I was. They sound good. I guess Jake has us all set for studio time later today to help finalize the EP."

  "At one. And they're working on nailing down the last of the tour dates. It's going to be epic!" He grinned. "Oh, this is my friend Peyton, by the way. She told me about the little run in you had this morning."

  Her face flamed red. All I remember was a nice pair of tits and those eyes. "Nice to meet you, Peyton."

  "Well, I'm going to go walk her out. I'll see you in a bit."

  Lying back on the pillows, I let out a deep sigh of relief. I made it back in one piece without having a mental breakdown. I grabbed my phone and sent a quick text to Kennedy.

  Made it back to Smithville. Sooooooo damn tired. Hope you're settling in okay. Wish I could have stayed to help!

  Her reply was almost instant.

  I'm soooooo glad you're safe, lol. We're managing just fine. Wish you could have stayed too. We're going to pick out paint samples today. Skylar's excited to do his room. He wants some Battlescars posters. Know where I can find some :P

  Hahaha! I'll mail you some. I have a whole bunch of lanyards from tours I'll send him too. I'll be around if you need anything else. Have fun painting.

  Knowing they were settling in helped put me at ease to move on with the day. Next, I called Jake.

  "My man, you're back!"

  I laughed. "What gave it away?"

  "Um, I don't know maybe the Bertha of a bus sitting in front of my house. Nice parking job, by the way. Let's just say you'll be happy to know I'm hiring a professional to haul us around. I'd like to see my kids grow up."

  When we were first starting out, we had this piece of crap van we carted all our gear around in. I even had to get a CDL to drive the stupid thing. "Don't hate. I managed to get it here in one piece."

  "I'm not even going to ask about the black paint that's rubbed off on the corner then."

  "That's a story for another day," I sighed. "Studio at one?"

  "Be there or be square."

  "See you then."

  I hung up and decided to toss some stuff in the washing machine and work on getting settled. There wasn't any use dwelling on things any further. I helped Kennedy the best I could for now, and things with Bryn were what they were for the time being. Closure would come eventually.

  I emailed my accountant and asked him to get a check ready to mail out to Bri, so when she got back to me it would be taken care of. The sense of peace I got from being back here was overwhelming, despite everything that transpired recently.

  After throwing on some clothes, I decided to head over to Granny Jean's knowing that was most likely where Derek would be since his dad was settling in there too. Besides, she was always good for some comedic relief. I grabbed my keys and headed out the front door to my blacked out 4Runner and headed out the gate.

  The normal sprawling green was starting to turn show hints to red, orange and yellows. Even though it was only the end of August, fall was coming. It was my favorite season. After stopping and picking up a pack of Lucky Strikes and twenty dollars in scratch offs, I pulled into Granny's driveway.

  I didn't bother knocking because she always yelled when you did. Instead, I opened
the door and announced my arrival.

  "In the kitchen dammit," she hollered.

  After rounding the corner, there she stood all five-feet of her with her white puff of hair.

  "If it isn't one of my favorite un-biological grandsons," she opened her arms for a hug.

  "I brought you a present." I handed her the bag, and her face perked up.

  "What do you think you know me or something," she laughed.

  "You can never have enough of either. I thought Derek would be here."

  "They're down at the Sheriff's office filling out the parole paperwork and that nonsense."

  I looked around her kitchen. It was a scene out of the 80's. Yellow wallpaper and countertops, off white cabinets with wood trim. There was no sense in offering to have it refinished; she'd bite your head off and tell you she'd be dead soon and to save your money. There was a good chance she would try and outlive all of us just out spite. Taking a seat at the table, she poured me a cup of coffee and lit up before joining me.

  "So I've heard all about what went down and if I can be blunt as if I know any other way to be, I never cared for Bryn. She was so stuffy. You deserve someone that wants to swing on chandeliers for you. Life is too short to be anything but happy. If you're lucky enough to find true love then grab it and hold onto it because it's rare, but I don't think she was it for you."

  "Doesn't mean it doesn't suck, but I think you may be right. I think I need just to focus on me for a while."

  "Ain't nothing wrong with that. Chuck it in the fuck it bucket and move on."

  I couldn't help but laugh, Granny always had a way with words. Usually minced with profanity. After going into detail about everything that happened since we left, including my little fender bender, I felt better. Before long, Derek and Joss were back with Derek, Sr.

  Though never meeting him before now, he looked like an older version of Derek. Except, it looked like prison aged him because he looked a lot older than the early fifties he most likely was. It was easy to see Derek, Sr. was just as taken with Joss as his son was. It probably had something to do with the fact that he most likely wouldn't be sitting here if it weren't for her and her determination.

  One o'clock rolled around quickly; both bands sat in the studio as Jake started the meeting. He was going over sponsorship info, tour dates, venues, etc. It was going to be a month-long tour, hitting as many big cities as we could.

  "I don't need to explain how much I personally have invested in this venture, as well as these guys." He gestured to Blake, Derek and myself. "I don't care if you have a drink or two after the show, but there will be no getting shit faced and missing bus call. What you do on your own time is one thing, but the second it starts affecting the band or the tour it will be my problem. Not one of you is irreplaceable. It will do you good to remember that. This is all for your benefit, and you'll be learning from the mistakes that we made in the beginning. As time goes on, we'll be opening the roster for more bands, and I'll expect you to give them the same speech. As for this EP, it's epic as fuck, and I am beyond fucking proud of you guys. Lynch is finishing the mastering on it, and it will be set for manufacturing within the week. Then in two weeks time, we'll be hitting the road."

  It was borderline entertaining to watch Jake be all business-like, but he meant business and hopefully these guys knew that.

  CHAPTER TEN

  I WILL NOT BOW

  A week had passed in a blink. With tour quickly approaching, we had spent most of our time between rehearsing and recording new tracks. The Battlescars boys were bonding with the GT guys. Yeah, we were technically men, but deep down we'd always be boys.

  Zach Bailey was the lead singer. His charisma, good looks and rocker style were nothing compared to his larger than life, yet very cocky personality. Austin Hughes was their lead guitarist. He was around my height and Jake joked that we could pass for brothers. It was only because we were both blue eyed.. Other than that, I didn't see a resemblance. Out of all of them, he was the one I clicked with most. He was in the process of getting a divorce. They were married for six years and though I didn't know the details, I could certainly sympathize.

  Then there was Joel and Mason Lane. They were brothers. Joel was the other guitar player, and Mason was the bassist. They were olive skinned, dark haired, with almost black eyes and complete goofballs. It was almost hard to be serious around them because they could turn anything into a joke or laughing matter. They were both incredible musicians, and Joel had amazing backup vocals on top of it.

  Lastly, there was Tyler Knox. Tyler was part of the reason that the idea of originally signing GT was a bit awkward. Apparently, something went down between him, his long-term girlfriend, Kelsey, and Derek. Though the details are vague and sketchy, if I used my imagination it would give me nightmares. I could only try and envision about what actually went down. But hey, whatever floats your boat.

  After spending almost ten consecutive hours between control boards and tracking, we wrapped up for the day. I asked Austin, Joel, and Mason if they wanted to grab a beer. Everyone else had families or girlfriends to tend to, and after today I felt like I deserved to treat myself. It was warmer than usual, and we could go to Pop's Pub. It was this run down, shithole of a bar that served mostly locals by Pop himself. Even though I usually didn't drink when I went there, the atmosphere was something I could appreciate. Good music and good company. There wasn't much that could make it better.

  They didn't need any coaxing, and we piled into my 4Runner, heading down to the bar by the river. From the outside, it looked like a dilapidated shack. The inside wasn't much better. A small white sign hung above the door, deeming it was Pop's Bar. The sign on the front door was my favorite. It was when I was officially sold on this place.

  Welcome to Pop's Bar

  FREE BEER, TOPLESS BARTENDERS, FALSE ADVERTISING

  WE DO, HOWEVER, HAVE BEER AS COLD AS YOUR EX'S HEART

  BUY ONE BEER FOR THE PRICE OF TWO AND RECEIVE THE SECOND ABSOLUTELY FREE!

  ON A SERIOUS NOTE:

  We (I, Pop) reserve the right to refuse the right to serve you, especially if I don't like you

  We (I, Pop) only take cash

  We (I, Pop) decide when the bar closes

  We (I, Pop) encourage generous tipping

  PLEASE NO TEXTING YOUR EX AFTER 2AM

  SORRY NO WI-FI, GET DRUNK AND TALK TO EACH OTHER

  Leave your problems at the door, I don't want to hear about them. I will, however, help you drown them. Then I will call you a cab after you pay your tab.

  Next to the sign, was a stack of cards with a smaller sign saying, "hiding from your wife? Take one.

  POP'S HIDING FROM YOUR WIFE PHONE RATES:

  $1- NOPE HE'S NOT HERE

  $2- JUST MISSED HIM

  $3- JUST HAD ONE AND LEFT

  $4- HASN'T BEEN IN ALL DAY

  $5- NEVER HEARD OF HIM

  Essentially, Pop's was a man cave. The wood floors were original, unlevel and had notches in the wood. The tables didn't match, nor did the chairs. Antler chandeliers hung and dimly lit the space. A makeshift stage sat at the far end of the bar. The walls were wood paneled and outdated, but there was no sense in updating it, and frankly it added to the charm.

  The bar sat front and center covered with license plates from all over, old tin signs and pinup photos from the 50's. Pop was a sixty-something, robust man with a hearty laugh and exceptional sense of humor when it suited him. He was a Vietnam vet and had some of the best stories.

  About a year ago, Blake and I had stumbled across this place out of boredom. At first, neither of us were quite sure what to make of it, but since then it's become a place we frequent when we have the time. Even though I usually only drank club soda and Pop's would accuse me of losing my manhood, I still kept coming back.

  I opened the door and led the guys inside. Their expressions were Kodak worthy. It was a mix of horror, disgust, and curiosity. As soon as he saw me, Pop's face lit up.

  "Well,
well, well, look what the cat dragged in. Where's this mysterious Mrs.'?"

  Walking to the bar and taking a seat that wobbled, I ordered a beer and prepared to go over the story. Well, most of it anyway. I ordered for the guys as well, since this wasn't the place where you got to pick what you wanted to drink. You drank what Pop's served you. He usually had a few regular kinds on tap, but he'd started getting some local IPA's as well. Those were my favorite.

  "There is no longer a Mrs.'. Long story short, some stuff came out at the speak now or forever hold your piece bit. Everyone lost their cool, turns out it was nothing. She bailed, and now I'm back on the market." Picking up the glass, I took a long swig of the beer.

  "Women," was all he muttered under his breath. Taking a dish rag, he wiped down the bar and checked on few other patrons.

  Joel and Mason turned to me, "Dude, where's all the chicks?"

  Pop's cleared his throat to add his two cents. "Think of this as a man-cave sanctuary. Women are usually too terrified to come inside. It's almost like a safe house. Men come here to get away from the women."

  "But what about getting laid?" Mason asked.

  Pop's shook his head. "Just drink your damn beer, son."

  Austin was sitting directly next me. He understood.

  "Just think in less than two weeks you're going to have more girls hanging on you than you can handle. It gets old quick, trust me." I took another swig and thought about having another, but opted to switch to club soda.

  The few patrons came and went, as we sat there and shot the shit for about an hour. Suddenly a look crossing Pop's face caused my head to turn. That could only mean one thing. It was a woman. No, not just any woman, it was Bryn.

  Motherfuck. Not here. Of all the places in the world, she had to show up here. Sucking in a calming breath, I had to admit I was pretty shocked to see her. She looked completely out of place, and she was.