| Mark�s eyes narrowed, and Charlie looked over her shoulder at Scottie. She gently placed a hand on Mark�s chest, holding him in place. Scottie cleared his throat. �Look, Tremonti,� he started, his voice low and quiet. �This is my fault.� �No shit,� Mark interjected. Charlie sent him a look. �I don�t know what I was thinking,� Scottie continued. �And I�m sorry. To both of you.� Charlie nodded, her face solemn. Mark made no gesture, only glaring. Scottie forced a small smile and exited the room with a slight limp. Charlie turned to Mark, who avoided her eyes. She sighed, picking up the washrag again, gently dabbing at another cut on his neck. �The bleeding�s pretty much stopped,� she said, her voice barely above a whisper. �Don�t lie to me, Charlie,� Mark said, pulling away from her touch. Her eyes narrowed and she slowly shook her head. She threw the washrag at him and stormed out of the room, running up the stairs, and slamming the door to her room. She burst into a flood of tears, collapsing onto the bed. *** Mark woke with the sun, slowly rising from the bed, groaning with each movement. �That�s the last time I get in a fight,� he said to himself, gently working his sore limbs. He stood and dressed quickly, grabbing his room key before heading down the hall to Charlie�s room. He quietly knocked, and smiled when she opened the door. She blocked the entrance, standing in front of the four-inch opening she made in the door. Her eyes were dark, her face angry. His smile fell, and he cleared his throat. �Can I come in?� he asked quietly. She opened the door and walked away, leaving him standing in the hallway. He sighed, entering the room and sitting next to her, suppressing all but one groan his soreness produced. She shook her head at the noise, her expression unchanging. He gently lifted her chin with a finger, leaning down to kiss her. Their lips barely touched, and she pulled away, standing to walk to the window. He sighed again, walking to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He kissed her neck gently. She closed her eyes, feeling his lips and breath on her skin. He pressed his forehead against the nape of her neck, closing his eyes. �I�m sorry,� he whispered. A smile found its way to her face. She leaned her head back against his. �Me too,� she said. He turned her around to face him, pulling her close to him again. �You didn�t do anything,� he said. �I just assumed---� He trailed off, and she nodded against his chest. He kissed her forehead. �It just hurt so bad that I didn�t know what I was saying. The last thing I wanted was to hurt you.� �I know,� she said, lifting her head to look at him. *** Scottie boarded the bus, his sunglasses covering the black eye Mark had given him the night before. His face was swollen and bruised, and he was extremely sore. Mark�s eyes narrowed when he saw Scottie, but he turned his head to look out the window. Scottie noticed, and his stomach fell. He sighed to himself as he slowly lowered himself onto the couch across from Mark and Charlie. Soon, they were on the way to the next venue. *** �Mark, will you go find Scottie and tell him we�re about to start sound check?� Mark sent Dave a look, and Dave rolled his eyes. �Never mind,� he said. �I�ll do it.� Dave turned and exited the room, obviously unhappy. �Mark,� Stapp started. �I don�t want to hear it, Scott,� Mark returned, standing. �You�re going to hear it,� Scott insisted, pushing Mark back onto the couch. Mark sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. �You and Scottie have been in really bitchy moods ever since the whole Charlie thing a few months ago.� Mark�s eyes darkened, focusing on the ground. �Look at me, Tremonti.� Mark looked up, surprised at the force in Stapp�s voice. �Ya�ll are being babies about this whole thing. Just get over it. He�s apologized several times. Just let it go.� Mark sighed, shaking his head. Stapp sat next to him. �I know how you feel, man,� he said gently. �But you can�t keep this up. You and Scottie are tearing the band apart fighting like this. You know the shows haven�t been as good. The fans aren�t happy, and neither are you. We�ve already lost one member. Don�t let this come between us, okay?� Mark nodded, getting up to find Scottie. Just as he stood, Scottie appeared in the doorway. Mark stopped, and Stapp stood, clearing his throat. �I�ll let you guys talk.� He left the room, and Mark shoved his hands in his pockets. Scottie�s eyes dropped, focusing on the carpet. �Look, Scott, about this whole thing,� Mark started. �I know, man,� Scottie said. �Let�s just forget about this whole thing, okay?� Scottie nodded, and Mark reached out, pulling Scottie into a big, manly hug. �Aww�.� They pulled back, turning around to face the door. They smiled. Charlie and Stapp were leaning up against the doorframe, bright smiles lighting their faces. �Talk about a Kodak moment,� Charlie said, her eyes twinkling. Mark rolled his eyes, the laughter surfacing, Scottie joining in. |
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