Avery looked at his phone again, no texts, no missed calls, nothing. It had been nearly two weeks since Brian had left for the tour. Avery knew that he was busy but Brian promised to call or text him as often as he could. Was this his way of blowing Avery off or was his schedule just to full to allow him even a few minutes to send a message?
Avery flopped back on his bed and sighed. Maybe he was over thinking things. Brian Mueller was famous, rich, and a total sex God. He had both men and women throwing themselves at him constantly. He was probably mobbed whenever he went out in public so how could Avery honestly expect that he would make time in his busy life for some little no body that he met singing covers in a night club. But, then again, he did promise to call.
"That's it, enough Moping around!" Avery pushed himself up and sat on the edge of the bed. He glanced at his phone again then tossed it carelessly to the side.
Avery walked across the room to the window, opened the blinds, and looked out into the empty street. It was one am on a Friday night and he was stuck at home waiting by the phone. His life never used to be this boring, or pathetic, not when he and Mikey were still together, but so much had changed in the past couple of weeks. Trash was the same, going home with a different girl every night, drinking and living as if he didn't have a care in the world, but Rick had seemed a little off the last few days. Things weren't great between he and Tonya. He didn't really say much about it but Avery could tell that he was upset. Rick really liked her, maybe even loved her, but it was obvious that Tonya didn't feel the same way. She was more in love with the idea of dating a big time rock star but the band wasn't rising to fame as quickly as she would have liked, and now that Mikey was gone, real success seemed even further out of reach. Without his connections, Avery didn't know what they were going to do. The glamour and novelty had worn off where Tonya was concerned and she was looking for bigger and brighter stars to follow around. Rick was the exact opposite though. Fame and money didn't really matter a lot to him. He was looking for something more solid, something permanent. Avery didn't think it would be long till Rick was ready to settle down, maybe even quit the band when he found the right girl. Unfortunately, the type of girls that their band usually brought in weren't exactly the marrying type.
"It's a shame," Avery thought out loud. "Rick is so kind, sensitive, and caring. He'd make some girl really happy if she'd just give him half the chance."
He leaned his head against the window and wrapped his arms around his chest as he frowned. "I'd make Brian happy..." He said softly. "I know we'd be really happy together."
Rick was standing against the wall next to the ping pong table nursing a beer when Mikey walked in. The vibe in the room instantly became tense and uneasy.
"Yo, Mikey..." Trash forced a halfhearted smile. "Dude, what are you doing here?"
"Angie invited me." Mikey told him. "What, now I'm not allowed to hang out with my friends?"
Trash shrugged, "It ain't that, it's just...don't you think it's a little soon?"
Mikey looked around the room, "Is Avery here?" He asked.
"Well, no..."
"Then what's the problem?"
"I guess..."
"The problem is that you're not wanted here." Both Mikey and trashed turned to see Rick standing beside them. He was glaring at Mikey, his expression dark and dangerous. "You've fucked things up pretty good for us Mike, you hurt Avery, and you've jeopardized the band. So, what on God's green earth made you think you'd be welcome here?"
Mikey narrowed his eyes. "Just because I left you losers don't mean I'm going to dump my other friends. If you have a problem with me being at the same social functions as you guys then maybe you should consider moving on."
Rick grinned as he shook his head. "You think I'm going to let you push me around and control me the same way you try to control everyone else, Mike? You use people and you toss them aside. Sooner or later everyone else is going to see through you too, and when that happens, you are going to be sad and alone."
"Spare me your lectures man, you think with me gone you're little band is going to survive? Hell no, I built that group up myself, any success we had was because of me and people I know. Without me you'll be lucky to score a gig playing for a little girls sweet sixteen party."
"Alright guys come on, enough."
"Angie..." Mikey said as the girl walked over to them. "Angie babe, I'm sorry." He kissed her on the cheek and smiled. "Rick's just got a case of PMS, it's all good though."
Angie smiled. "Good, now you boys kiss and make up. This is a party, no sad faces."
"I need some air..." Rick pushed past them and headed for the balcony, grabbing a fresh beer on his way.
"Someone needs to get laid." Mikey laughed. He put his arm around Angie's shoulders and the two disappeared into the crowd.
***
Rick leaned over the rail and stared at the nicely manicured yard below him. Angie lived in a pretty decent neighborhood, better than anything he was used to. His parents had a nice house in a quaint suburban neighborhood, but they weren't rich. That's why they pushed him so hard in developing his musical talents. They wanted something better for him than what they could provide and they knew that his ability to make music was his one shot at being somebody important and successful. When they died though, that dream died with them. After being shuffled around between different foster families and group homes Rick got a job working at a loading dock and was able to move out and be on his own. He rented a trailer in a mobile home park for a few months but it was all he could do to keep up with the bills and still have food to eat. He dropped out of school to work full time and swore he'd never play music again. That was five years ago, though it seemed like a life time ago. He knew he'd never make it big, or be able to afford an apartment like Angie's, but he was happy with the way his life turned out, for the most part. He liked being in a band, his band mates were like his family, and it felt good to sit behind a piano again, lately though, he's felt like his heart just wasn't it anymore. He hated to think that maybe Mikey was right and the band wouldn't survive. If Desire disbanded, what would happen to him? What would happen to Avery? Would they still be friends?
"Hey bud, you doing alright?" Rick turned around to see Trash standing behind him.
"I'm fine..."
"Yeah, you look it." Trash lit a smoke then walked over and leaned against the railing. Rick turned away, scowling, as he stared off at nothing in particular. "Are you still bummed about Tonya?" Trash asked.
"She has nothing to do with it." Rick sneered.
"Then what is it? Rick, man, talk to me; if something's eaten you..."
"It's nothing!" Rick glared at Trash suddenly.
"If it were nothing you wouldn't be out here sulking like this and drinking yourself stupid! Man, this ain't like you; I'm worried."
