Rock All Night

27




He was dressed in jeans, boots, a black t-shirt that hugged his chest, and his customary sunglasses.

My heart leapt. I was so happy to see him that my whole body buzzed with anticipation –

But a second after my heart jumped in my chest, it seized with fear.

Our previous encounter last night in my room – temporarily forgotten because of Riley’s antics – reared up in my memory like some monstrous shadow.

Derek seemed to have no such qualms, though. He just ambled over to the table, sat down between Riley and Ryan, and reached for a plate.

He didn’t even look at me.

It was like a punch to the gut.

“I’m assuming that chick out in the hallway was yours, Riley,” he said as he piled on eggs and bacon.

“Whose else would it be?” she snorted. “Nobody else in here gets any p-ssy.”

“Jesus, Riley,” Ryan groaned, “I’m eating.”

“See? He’s too much of a p-ssy to even talk about p-ssy. And don’t even get me started on Mary Jane over there.”

She was obviously referring to Killian. He ignored her and kept strumming his chords with one hand and eating toast with the other.

Riley flopped her head towards Derek and grinned. “Broke another one in last night.”

“Just a second ago you were groaning about her being straight,” Ryan reminded her.

She just flipped him off. Apparently that was her preferred method of communication.

“Stick with the lesbians, Riley,” Derek said in a bored voice, like this was an all-too-common topic of conversation. “Or real switch hitters. Bi-curious does not equal bisexual.”

“Don’t I know it,” she groaned. “But straight girls are so… I dunno. Guess I like the challenge.”

“You must not like getting reciprocation.”

“F*ck off,” Riley grinned again – and then the grin turned evil as she looked at me. “Hey, what’s this I hear about you and Blondie not doin’ it?”

Derek looked up at me for the first time, though I couldn’t tell anything because the sunglasses shielded his eyes.

“You heard right,” he said neutrally, and gave me a half-smile before returning to his breakfast.

“Why do you keep hittin’ on her if she doesn’t put out?” Riley taunted.

“I dunno. Guess I like the challenge.”

That wasn’t what you said last night, I thought.

But I had sense enough not to say it out loud.

“Guess you must not like reciprocation,” Riley joked.

“Mm,” he said, bobbing his head like You got me as he chewed a mouthful of eggs.

At that point, Miles strode into the room.

“Alright, gents and rabid animals,” he said with a pointed look at Riley. She flipped him off, as usual. “The bus will be here at 3 o’clock. You will be ready by 3 o’clock, or I will kick your ass all the way from here down to the lobby. Show’s in Irvine. With the abominable state of Los Angeles traffic, that’s two hours at least. Do whatever you want before 3 o’clock, and do whatever you want on the bus, but you will be on the bus at 3:05 or you will NOT enjoy the consequences.”


“Are we staying in Irvine?” Ryan asked.

“No, we’re continuing on down to San Diego for tomorrow night’s show.”

“After-party on the bus,” Derek grinned, and looked at me as he said it.

I glowered at him, then looked at Miles and raised my hand.

“This isn’t primary school,” Miles said tersely. “What?”

“I’m going on the bus, right?”

“If you’re on it by 3:05, yes. If not, sod off.”

Riley raised her hand, obviously mocking me.

“What,” Miles snapped.

Riley slowly folded down all her fingers except the middle one, grinning as she did it.

“F*ck off, you little slag,” Miles growled. “Three o’clock. No exceptions.”

Then he walked away.

Ryan looked around the table. “I had some ideas I wanted to work on before tonight.”

“Fine by me,” Killian agreed.

Derek just nodded.

“F*ck no, I gotta get some sleep,” Riley yawned.

“No, you gotta get a shower,” Derek said. “You stink.”

“F*ck you.”

“No thanks.”

“Ha! You’d be lucky to get it, seein’ as Blondie’s not puttin’ out.”

“Okay,” Derek said simply, like That’s it. He stood up, slipped behind Riley’s chair, and got her in a full nelson headlock. His arms looped under hers and over her shoulders, and his hands locked behind her head. He pulled her backwards off the chair, tipping it over backwards. It clattered on the floor as he dragged her to her feet.

She immediately started screaming like a tomcat in a back alley fight, kicking and clawing and flailing and spitting.

“LET GO OF ME, YOU STUPID COCKSUCKING SON OF A BITCH!”

“I’m throwing her in the shower,” Derek announced calmly to the group. “Be back in five.”

“Thank you,” Ryan said.

“No problem.”

“I’M GONNA KILL ALL ‘A YOU F*ckIN’ MOTHERF*ckERS – ”

“Bye, luv,” Killian waved at her.

“F*ck YOU, YOU LIMEY F*ck – LET GO OF ME, YOU GODDAMN ASSHOLE!”

Derek dragged her back into her bedroom, kicking and screaming all the way.

A little shaken, I looked over at Ryan. “Is that… normal?”

“At least once a week,” Ryan said, completely blasé about the whole thing. “Or whenever she needs a bath. More orange juice?”

I let him fill up my glass again, and gradually went back to eating my breakfast.