Gasoline

by Bella Jeanisse

  Dominic stood in the narrow hallway unsure what to do with himself. Then he recalled wanting to sleep. He tossed his boots into the closet and got into bed. The continued noise from the bathroom, made him jealous. Noelle was set against them being together. He settled down and closed his eyes.

  She was nothing like Claire, yet she reminded him of her. Maybe it was how she comforted him or maybe how she made him feel… Content. It really didn’t matter what it was. That meant she was better for him that Gina. He relaxed while “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin played somewhere in the background. His mind wandered in time, memories floating before his eyes.

  ”Hey, you must be new here.” Dominic smiled at the gorgeous brunette that sat in the empty seat in front of him. He gave her his best smile. “I’m Dominic.” She was the first attractive girl he had seen in the chemistry class.

  She smiled back, but shyly. “Claire.” Her hair moved around her shoulders as she adjusted in her seat to face him. “Nice to meet you.”

  He put out his hand, trying to think of a good line to make her interested. “My band is playing tonight. Wanna come by and check us out?”

  “What kind of band?” She looked uninterested.

  He tried to come up with something Tommy would. Tommy had an easy time getting ladies. “Heavy metal, mostly, but we have a few softer songs.” Not much softer.

  “I’m not into that type of music.” She started to turn away.

  Dominic was panicking He had not been that interested in a woman in a long while. Especially not one that was way out of his league. “How about we go do something you like after. Compromise?”

  “Sounds good.” Her face lit up.

  He lost the ability to speak. “Um, uh… Um… Uh.”

  “You said that already.” Claire laughed softly. “Do I make you nervous?”

  His head nodded of its own accord. “Kinda.”

  “Don’t worry.” She put her hand over his. “I won’t bite.” She winked. “Unless you like that sort of thing.”

  His dick immediately stood up, and he thought, she’s going to be the end of me. “We’ll see.” With a wink, he scrawled his phone number on a sheet of notebook paper. Then he added the name of the bar they were playing at.

  She took the paper and read it. “What’s the name of your band?”

  “Gasoline.”

  Her face screwed up a bit. “Gasoline? Isn’t that an odd name for a band?”

  “You should hear some of the names out there. There’s one called Whiskey Sour we played with once.”

  “Dominic… Dominic…”

  Claire’s image faded. Someone was calling his name. He blinked his eyes a few times, then opened the curtain.

  Jon’s mug came into view. “Hey, we need you.” Jon shook him when he didn’t move fast enough. “Seriously. Mike P. just electrocuted himself!”

  “Shit!” Dominic jumped down, banging his head on the upper bunk. “Oh, fuck.” He rubbed his forehead. “Where is he?”

  Jon had Dominic’s bag in his hand. “Inside! Come on!”

  After Dominic had shoes on, they ran into the building and straight to the front of house area. Mike P. was unconscious, but breathing. He did a vital check and looked for a burn mark. He found one on his index finger, then more odd-looking ones on his forearm.

  “What happened?” Dominic was still looking him over.

  Crazy Mike paced nearby. “I told him ‘Don’t try it,’ and he thought I said ‘Try it.’ Someone spilled water all over the floor there.” He pointed to the ground near the sound tables where a puddle surrounded a few power strips. “I walked away to get someone from building maintenance. He started plugging things in, and boom! I guess he didn’t see it.”

  Dominic nodded. “Relax. He’s OK, just got a good shock.”

  “Hey…” Mike P. whispered. “What… What happened?”

  Dominic held his shoulders down when he tried to get up. “Don’t move.” He looked up. “You guys called 911, right?”

  Jon nodded. “I did. I heard him scream. That musta hurt, dude.”

  Mike P. groaned. “Yeah, just a little bit.”

  Minutes later, paramedics rushed to them. Dominic relayed what happened, and what he had done. Then he stepped back and let them do their jobs.

  “Good time for T.J. to learn,” Jon said to no one in particular. Then he bellowed, “T.J., get your ass over here.”

  Dominic didn’t stick around. He wasn’t in the mood for being around anyone. Maybe actual sleep would get him out of the funk. By the time he got back to the bus, he was almost dead on his feet. He stowed his bag in a closet in the back room, then climbed back into his bunk.

  His eyes started to close right away. For some reason, Claire came to mind again. He drifted off seeing her beautiful face.

  Suddenly, he was driving. The car was not his metallic grey Jaguar XKR-S, or his forest green Jeep Grand Cherokee. From what he could see, it was his old Honda Civic. That was confusing. That car was long gone. Why was everything so fuzzy? Then he turned to his right.

  Claire? How did she get here? She was talking but he couldn’t hear her. He leaned towards her and, then she started screaming. Something jolted the car and he heard crying. Annabeth? He couldn’t move. Couldn’t get to them. Everything went dark, but he could still hear them.

  “Annabeth! Claire!”

  Tommy woke up to Dominic’s cries. His eyes opened wide. “Shit!” He threw his boxers on, jumped down from his bunk and found several people coming down the hall including Crystal. Not paying them any mind, he threw open Dominic’s curtain. “Dom!” he shouted as he shook Dominic. “Wake up, man! It’s a dream.”

  Dominic’s lids flipped open. He frantically grabbed at nothing. “Tom, help me. I gotta get to them.”

  Quietly, Tommy replied, “Dom, stop. It’s not real. They’re gone.” He pulled his best friend close, almost hugging him. “Calm down. It was a dream.”

  “Claire…” Dominic’s voice faded, realizing it was just a nightmare. He wished he could remember more from that night, but it never came back. “Tom… I…”

  Tommy looked around. Six people surrounded them. “Let’s go talk.” He tugged Dominic from the bunk and led him to the bathroom. “I’m sorry.” He held back his usual hatred of brotherly affection and hugged his friend. “It still haunts you, man?”

  “Yeah, sometimes.” Dominic put his arms around Tommy, not caring who consoled him. He couldn’t be alone after a dream like that. “It’s been a while, though.”

  A knock on the door startled them both. “Anything I can do, Dominic?” Crystal asked.

  “I got him.” Tommy looked at the door for a few seconds. “You were shouting their names. There’s gonna be questions.” He pulled back and met Dominic’s eyes. “Maybe it’s time to talk about it.”

  Dominic shook his head. “I can’t. You know that.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  They stayed in there until Dominic calmed. “I’m OK.” He gently pushed Tommy back. “I’m going back to bed.”

  Tommy patted him on the back. “I’ll tell everyone you need time to yourself.” After Dominic was gone, Tommy looked in the mirror. He felt like a crappy friend. Dominic need more than his pathetic attempts at comfort.

  Dominic walked slowly back to his bunk. The hall was clear except for Crystal.

  “You OK?” she asked.

  He looked down, not wanting her to see his tears. Then he almost fell back when she hugged him tightly.

  “What is it?”

  Eyes closed, he let her hold him.

  “Who’s Claire?”

  He shook his head.

  “Sorry. I’ll mind my business.” She felt bad he was so troubled. The trembling was so unlike him. She felt a tear run down her neck. “I’m here if you need to talk.”

  Dominic slowly pulled away. He couldn’t meet her eyes as he stepped back.

  “Tommy, Dominic—we need you inside!” T.J. shouted from the front of the bus. �
�Anyone seen Dean?”

  Tommy exited the bathroom. “Fuck, really? He’s missing again?” He quickly dressed, stalked off the bus, then pulled out his phone. He called Jake from Wicked End. “Hey, where’d you leave Dean?”

  Jake was in his bunk. The call had woken him. “Huh?”

  “Dean! You know, the singer of my band?”

  “Who is this?” Jake glanced at the phone’s display. “Oh shit. Sorry, Tommy.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “What’d you need?”

  Tommy groaned. If Jake was still asleep, that meant they were up all night long. “When’d you last see Dean?”

  “Um…” Jake tried to think straight. “I think I left him… Uh… Wait, he crashed on the couch in the back.”

  Rolling his eyes, Tommy started jogging to Wicked End’s bus. “Can you see if he’s still there?”

  “Yeah.” Jake rolled out of bed and quietly walked to the back room. He passed Mackenzie who was coming from the bathroom. “You seen Dean?”

  She froze, eyes wide. “Uh…”

  “Never mind.” Jake opened the back door. “Get up, Dean!”

  Tommy heard it all as he hurried across the property. “He’s still there?”

  “Yeah. We partied really hard. I had to carry him back.” Jake waited until Dean sat up, then turned back to confront Mackenzie about her weird reaction. She was gone. “He’s up.”

  Mackenzie ran from the bus just as Tommy arrived. She crashed into him, and he grabbed her. “Where you running to?” He gave her a sexy smile. She was cute.

  “Nowhere.” She looked back at the bus and pulled away from him.

  He shrugged and boarded the bus. “Dean, get your ass up! We got a show to do.”

  Dean dragged himself past the bunks. “I feel like shit.”

  “You look like shit,” Tommy countered. “What the fuck, man? You knew we had the acoustic set to do.”

  With droopy eyes, Dean met Tommy’s angry gaze. “Sorry. Guess I forgot.”

  “Let’s go. Coffee better do you some good.” Tommy looked Dean over. “And you better do something about your hair.”

  Dean felt his head. “It always looks like this.”

  “Yeah. I forgot you like looking like a douche.” Tommy chuckled and pulled Dean outside.

  Chapter Eight

  Dominic walked into Demonfire Monday morning, with a lot on his mind. He hoped that playing his favorite guitar would help him decide how to end it with Gina. When he got home the night before, she called and hinted at them moving in together. That was something he could not do, not ever again. Besides, she was not what he truly wanted.

  It didn’t matter what he wanted, though. Noelle let him know how she felt. Well, or didn’t feel, by not responding to one text. He must have sent her 50 of them since they parted in Michigan. All ignored. Although he didn’t want to be alone, he couldn’t pretend with Gina anymore. What he didn’t know was a way to break up with her without hurting her. Noelle said he was “stringing her along.” That was true. He had no real feelings for her, other than lust sometimes.

  Tommy and Sam were already there. Dominic avoided them and headed for Jon’s office. The last thing he needed was Tommy butting into his life again. He got at least one lecture a week about how messed up their relationship was. Tommy insisted she brought him down, and that he would be happier without her. He was starting to agree. Dominic could never let on that Tommy had been right all along.

  “What’s wrong?” Jon asked as soon as he saw the tired look on Dominic’s face.

  With a sigh, Dominic replied, “Didn’t sleep.”

  “After all these years, Dom? Let it go.” Jon wished he could make him see he needed to stop punishing himself.

  Dominic’s eyes opened wide. “I can’t. They were…” He took a few deep breaths, fighting the old memories.

  “You having nightmares again?” Jon knew it was a problem any time he started to get close to the girl he was seeing. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t move on, as he had. Losing Josie was a living nightmare. He understood to a point.

  “I’m gonna end it with her,” Dominic blurted out.

  Jon shook away the memories and looked at him. “Dude, just give her what she wants.” Jon stood up. “She’s stuck around for a year. She doesn’t bother you about being faithful on the road, or the girls she sees go after you. This one gets it.”

  “She wants to move in,” Dominic admitted. “The time she slept over last month, I freaked out in the morning. I thought she was Claire.” He looked up at his friend who was next to him at that point. “I can’t do this, man.”

  Jon put a hand on his shoulder. “Does she know?”

  “No.”

  “You need to tell her. Then maybe she’ll back off.”

  Dominic had not told any girl he dated about Claire. It was also not something that was on the Internet about him, thankfully. He liked keeping that part of him private. It made it easier to deal with, although he never really dealt with the loss. Gina was not going to be the first. He didn’t feel connected to her. She just kept him from being alone. Jon did not know as much as Tommy did.

  “Where’s my coffee?” Dean shouted from somewhere in the building.

  Dominic rolled his eyes. “The prima donna’s here. Why do we have to have two self-centered guys in the band? At least me and you try to act our age.”

  “Tommy’s mellowed some since Crystal dropped him for Giovanni again last month.” Jon grinned. “She’s the only girl I’ve seen say no to him.”

  “Yet he still pursues her.” Dom rolled his eyes. “Did you see him hanging on her in Michigan? And you shoulda seen him the day after Giovanni hit her. He was like a wild animal ready to pounce. I wonder how long it took him to wear her down. He can be relentless.”

  Tommy poked his head into the room. “Who?”

  Jon and Dominic turned and both replied, “You.”

  “What’d I do now?” He hated when they talked about him behind his back. He knew neither of them agreed with his lifestyle. At least Dean got it. They were a lot alike, minus the sadistic side Dean had. “That girl from last night was asking for it, literally!”

  Dominic rolled his eyes. They had gone out to dinner when they got back in town. “Do you even remember her name?”

  “Uh…” Tommy thought hard, but he rarely recalled names. Sometimes he didn’t even ask for them. “Why does that matter?”

  Jon laughed. “But you know Triple Threat’s bassist’s name, right?” He was trying to get a rise out of Tommy, so he would tell them he did have a thing for her. “Can’t forget her.” His tone dripped of sarcasm.

  “Obviously, I know her name.” Tommy was getting annoyed. He was tired of the questions. Why did they care why he fucked her so many times, anyhow? “Crystal’s a friend now.”

  He couldn’t hide the smile forming. The morning after staying at her and Giovanni’s place played through his mind. He could see her swallowing his load while he held her head down. Then he thought about what happened after Rosario left. Giovanni was a bit angry and fucked Crystal so hard, she begged him to stop. The image was so fucking hot. He fucked her ass right after and came so intensely he had to hold onto her so he didn’t collapse. He could still hear her moans.

  “What is it about her?” Jon understood how she moved during sex felt incredible, but he never had the urge to fuck her again. He did it once and got her out of his system. He was sure his bandmates had no clue he had done that, though.

  Tommy leaned against the wall. “It’s hard to explain.” He closed his eyes trying to focus. “She’s a fan, but she doesn’t act like a groupie. She played hard to get for a while.” He cringed, realizing he should have kept that to himself, but it was too late. “I love a challenge, I guess, and the way she grips my dick…” He said too much, and he knew it. She had trusted him to keep it to himself.

  Dominic exhaled loudly. He knew they fucked around a lot while she stayed there. The hickeys on her neck the last two weeks mad
e it obvious. He was glad she pushed him away at first. Tommy needed to hear ‘no’ sometimes. He was sure Crystal did change Tommy, though. He no longer went for the easy prey every time.

  Jon looked up at Dean in the doorway and his eyes opened wide. The other two men caught the look quickly. Dean had a big mouth. If he heard details about what went on between Tommy and Crystal, he would go to Chad and Giovanni with that information in a heartbeat and exaggerate it as well. Jon knew that, even off the cocaine, Dean was an addict. He found many replacements for drugs, including ruining lives.

  Dean tilted his head at the quiet trio. “What’re you guys up to?” He tossed his hair. “Looks like you’re plotting against me again.” He hated their constant interventions.

  “Are you using?” Dominic asked, seeing a strange look on his face. Dean had been acting off for a few months, but not so much that it he had obviously reverted. In Michigan, he had the feeling Dean was hiding something, but he had no proof.

  Dean huffed, “No!” He looked away for a few seconds, hoping they didn’t catch the glint in his eyes. “Why can’t you guys ever believe me?”

  Jon put a hand on the wall. “Because you’ve been to rehab like 10 times. Next time’ll be your last.” He glared at Dean and saw something familiar in his eyes. Maybe I’m seeing things?

  Dominic watched Dean’s eyes flare, then the fire faded. He hated forcing Dean to face himself. It was just something they had to do sometimes. “If you say you’re still clean, then I believe you. Just don’t give me a reason not to.”

  Dean had found what he thought would be an outlet to control his urges—a side project, Raining Black. The problem was that two of the other band members were addicts as well and not on the wagon. He had easy access to a lot of stuff that worked just as well as cocaine. He wondered if he should just keep to the Adderall to be safe. He didn’t want to die of an overdose or something. Although he crashed eventually, it made him feel almost invincible. He wanted more of it. Maybe a higher dose wouldn’t make me crash?

  The other members of Raining Black did not always appreciate his attitude. Imagine if they saw him on Adderall? He smiled at the thought. They couldn’t do a thing though, since he made the band. Their only album had a hit single, “Make it or Break It.” Because it was a part-time gig for him, Raining Black wasn’t a priority. He gave Gasoline more of his time.