THE BIG DEAL: PART 15
Hey guys, long time no see!
Dev, Dev, Dev… All Cherry could think about was Dev. It made her sick- not because she believed he was a bad guy like the others did, but because she couldn’t believe them- her own friends. Maybe he was just a charmer, but she couldn’t tell. At least with Sweet she knew she was doomed, and she loved him anyway. Dev was just a guessing game.
She’d hoped having the MCB’s tour close would calm her down; touring often made her hostile. This time, she was love sick- and it hadn’t ended with the tour. Clockwork was still on tour for a while yet, so it had been some time since she’d seen Dev in person. On his behalf, though, rehearsal was interrupted by the delivery of a bouquet of pink flowers for Miss Cherry Magic, love Dev.
“You’re gonna get in a mess with him, Cherry-berry,” Sweet told her for what felt like the hundredth time, as he squished the stub that remained of his cigarette into the ash tray.
I wouldn’t have to, if you’d treat me like he does, Cherry thought as she lifted the bouquet to her nose. They smelled wonderful. She’d never gotten flowers before.
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” Cherry put the flowers inside her trombone case for the time being, frustrated. Why did she have to sneak around? She’d abandoned the child she once was- but they still heard its voice. She hated it more than anything. She was twenty-one now, not the teary-eyed blonde nightmare shooting coke she was and she never would be again. The fact that she wanted to be with Dev rather than someone in the band- not like she had anyone to be with- made matters worse.
Dev had never hurt her in any way, never hurt her feelings or made her feel bad. Cherry wasn’t used to that. She was used to Sweet’s jokes hurting her feelings when it had been the least of his intentions, Olivia’s never-ending warnings. And before that, her mother pushing her down the stairs and pummeling her and her father’s failure to care about anyone but himself and his beer, then leaving her to die after drinking himself into the grave. Dev cared, she knew he did. He cared without smothering her in guilt or pity.
She was impatient to see him again- he was becoming an obsession, just like Sweet. Dev always looked perfect- never a hair out of place. She found herself wondering how many suits he owned, how many ties, how many pairs of sunglasses. She wanted to go shopping with him like he had said they would after the tour was over. She wanted to walk through the city with arms intertwined; she wanted Punkarazzi magazine to have scandalous, exclusive pictures of them together and for every MCB-hating Clockwork fangirl to hate her guts and curse her name. She loved every little word he said. She loved when he’d hold her hand tight and wave with the other. She loved when he kissed her; he didn’t taste like cigarettes or booze because even more than women, he loved his health.
She thought maybe she loved him and it worried her sick. It wasn’t supposed to be real. It was just a joke. Sweet was supposed to get jealous. He was supposed to love her by now.
Cherry counted down the days until Clockwork’s show in the city. She told no one of her plans to see him- none of them kept up with their tour dates- but her excitement and impatience were often obvious. Texting him made it easier to wait it out, but 140 characters on a little screen were often not enough, and texting couldn’t replace his warm breath in her ear while he whispered things for her to say in French to the guys in his band, or his hand around her waist…
But Cherry warned him specifically: no crazy dancing at this show, not after what Sweet said. She didn’t dare embarrass herself like that again.
“We’ll see, Cherie.”
“No, we won’t. I’m not doing it.”
“You’re no fun.” Dev laughed through the receiver and she smiled even though she was angry.
Cherry put on her black skeleton print hoodie and pastel pink skinny jeans. Her reasoning decided that if she wore heels, Dev couldn’t make her dance. He was a gentleman, of sorts. She clicked down the hall in black peep-toe pumps and found Dev waiting in the taxi outside her apartment building.
“Ah! Mon Cherie!” Dev was over the top, as always. He kissed Cherry’s hand and she giggled. Her heart nearly stopped when she heard another feminine laugh- but it was Lucy.
“Hey, Cherry.” Lucy smiled.
“Hi.” Cherry felt awkward with Lucy there. She wanted nothing more than to kiss him, but she hardly knew Lucy and vice versa. Plus, it was his sister. His gorgeous, perfect, Sweet-attracting sister. She supposed she could wait until after the show.
It was cool for a summer night. It had rained earlier in the day so everything was fresh, but the wind was cold. Cherry wanted Dev to warm her up but she didn’t want to bother Lucy, and something seemed off about him that night. Aside from his usual over exaggerated greeting, he was being distant. He was talking much more to Lucy, and mostly in French so she couldn’t understand a word. She tried to just enjoy the sounds of their conversation, but her paranoia wouldn’t let her. What if they were talking about her? The occasional glance toward her from Dev accompanied by his smirk didn’t help, either. She couldn’t tell what was happening behind those big sunglasses.
Part of her really wanted to talk to him that night. She wanted to tell him that they should stop pretending and really be together. As far as she was concerned, they were perfect for each other. He was just being off tonight, she reasoned.
Dev and the boys had gone to get ready for the show, and so Cherry was left to talk to Lucy. Lucy looked radiant, as usual. She was wearing blue skinny jeans and a brown peasant top, with love beads around her neck. She looked like she should have been Olivia’s best friend, but she was sure the MCB-Clockwork rivalry didn’t let that happen.
“MCB, hm?” Lucy broke the silence between the two of them. Cherry looked over.
“Yeah. Four years now.” She shifted the weight between her feet.
“And they don’t get mad at you for hanging around with Clockwork?” Lucy raised an eyebrow.
“They’re the ones with the problem with Dev. Not me…” Cherry felt increasingly uncomfortable with this conversation, looking around to avoid looking at Lucy.
“Sweet and the gang are still on about that?” Even Lucy’s laugh was perfect. “Maybe I give them too much credit.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, I suppose they haven’t told you about that.” The brunette’s eyes glimmered. “Then don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Your crew’s just a little unrefined.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Cherry was furious now. She didn’t even know her and she was poking fun at her band. If Dev did it, it was one thing. Dev saw her as more than part of the MCB. But this? “Who are you to talk? Just ‘cause your brother’s Clockwork’s front man?”
“Trust me, I know enough about MCB!”
“Sleeping with Sweet does not mean you know MCB!” spat Cherry, not even thinking about the words coming out of her mouth. Just then, Dev came rushing over before the two girls ripped each other apart. Lucy disappeared into Clockwork’s bus and Cherry was left to face Dev, still ready to fight.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Cherry?”
“I didn’t do anything! She’s the one thinking she knows all about us because she slept with-“
“I heard that part of it and it was completely uncalled for. I don’t know what you think you’re going to win, but this is bullshit. You don’t bring this up!” Dev had taken off his sunglasses and was looking right at Cherry now, his hazel eyes smoldering with anger. She’d never seen him this upset.
“Dev… I… I didn’t mean to say that!”
“If you’re coming to the show tonight you’d better buy yourself a ticket. I’ll talk to you later.” Dev made a 180 degree turn and left, leaving Cherry standing there in the cool August air. She felt her heart sink into the damp ground and she wondered if she’d ruined everything.
Cherry called a cab and went to Olivia and Haze’s house. Haze and Sweet had been doing some writing for the new album, and Haze was honestly glad to have a distraction. Unfortunately, it came in the form of a sobbing, blubbering Cherry.
“I-I shoulda listened to you guys,” she wailed, “I-I hate them. Him and his s-stupid… stupid… sister.” Olivia hugged Cherry and sat her down in the living room, knowing this would be a long night. Cherry looked through teary eyes at Sweet and wondered what he felt. She didn’t want him to feel sorry for her. She wanted him to be infuriated with Dev, but not because they were rivals- she wanted him to hate him for hurting her. She wondered if she’d ever know what went through his head.
Dev, Dev, Dev… All Cherry could think about was Dev. It made her sick- not because she believed he was a bad guy like the others did, but because she couldn’t believe them- her own friends. Maybe he was just a charmer, but she couldn’t tell. At least with Sweet she knew she was doomed, and she loved him anyway. Dev was just a guessing game.
She’d hoped having the MCB’s tour close would calm her down; touring often made her hostile. This time, she was love sick- and it hadn’t ended with the tour. Clockwork was still on tour for a while yet, so it had been some time since she’d seen Dev in person. On his behalf, though, rehearsal was interrupted by the delivery of a bouquet of pink flowers for Miss Cherry Magic, love Dev.
“You’re gonna get in a mess with him, Cherry-berry,” Sweet told her for what felt like the hundredth time, as he squished the stub that remained of his cigarette into the ash tray.
I wouldn’t have to, if you’d treat me like he does, Cherry thought as she lifted the bouquet to her nose. They smelled wonderful. She’d never gotten flowers before.
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” Cherry put the flowers inside her trombone case for the time being, frustrated. Why did she have to sneak around? She’d abandoned the child she once was- but they still heard its voice. She hated it more than anything. She was twenty-one now, not the teary-eyed blonde nightmare shooting coke she was and she never would be again. The fact that she wanted to be with Dev rather than someone in the band- not like she had anyone to be with- made matters worse.
Dev had never hurt her in any way, never hurt her feelings or made her feel bad. Cherry wasn’t used to that. She was used to Sweet’s jokes hurting her feelings when it had been the least of his intentions, Olivia’s never-ending warnings. And before that, her mother pushing her down the stairs and pummeling her and her father’s failure to care about anyone but himself and his beer, then leaving her to die after drinking himself into the grave. Dev cared, she knew he did. He cared without smothering her in guilt or pity.
She was impatient to see him again- he was becoming an obsession, just like Sweet. Dev always looked perfect- never a hair out of place. She found herself wondering how many suits he owned, how many ties, how many pairs of sunglasses. She wanted to go shopping with him like he had said they would after the tour was over. She wanted to walk through the city with arms intertwined; she wanted Punkarazzi magazine to have scandalous, exclusive pictures of them together and for every MCB-hating Clockwork fangirl to hate her guts and curse her name. She loved every little word he said. She loved when he’d hold her hand tight and wave with the other. She loved when he kissed her; he didn’t taste like cigarettes or booze because even more than women, he loved his health.
She thought maybe she loved him and it worried her sick. It wasn’t supposed to be real. It was just a joke. Sweet was supposed to get jealous. He was supposed to love her by now.
Cherry counted down the days until Clockwork’s show in the city. She told no one of her plans to see him- none of them kept up with their tour dates- but her excitement and impatience were often obvious. Texting him made it easier to wait it out, but 140 characters on a little screen were often not enough, and texting couldn’t replace his warm breath in her ear while he whispered things for her to say in French to the guys in his band, or his hand around her waist…
But Cherry warned him specifically: no crazy dancing at this show, not after what Sweet said. She didn’t dare embarrass herself like that again.
“We’ll see, Cherie.”
“No, we won’t. I’m not doing it.”
“You’re no fun.” Dev laughed through the receiver and she smiled even though she was angry.
Cherry put on her black skeleton print hoodie and pastel pink skinny jeans. Her reasoning decided that if she wore heels, Dev couldn’t make her dance. He was a gentleman, of sorts. She clicked down the hall in black peep-toe pumps and found Dev waiting in the taxi outside her apartment building.
“Ah! Mon Cherie!” Dev was over the top, as always. He kissed Cherry’s hand and she giggled. Her heart nearly stopped when she heard another feminine laugh- but it was Lucy.
“Hey, Cherry.” Lucy smiled.
“Hi.” Cherry felt awkward with Lucy there. She wanted nothing more than to kiss him, but she hardly knew Lucy and vice versa. Plus, it was his sister. His gorgeous, perfect, Sweet-attracting sister. She supposed she could wait until after the show.
It was cool for a summer night. It had rained earlier in the day so everything was fresh, but the wind was cold. Cherry wanted Dev to warm her up but she didn’t want to bother Lucy, and something seemed off about him that night. Aside from his usual over exaggerated greeting, he was being distant. He was talking much more to Lucy, and mostly in French so she couldn’t understand a word. She tried to just enjoy the sounds of their conversation, but her paranoia wouldn’t let her. What if they were talking about her? The occasional glance toward her from Dev accompanied by his smirk didn’t help, either. She couldn’t tell what was happening behind those big sunglasses.
Part of her really wanted to talk to him that night. She wanted to tell him that they should stop pretending and really be together. As far as she was concerned, they were perfect for each other. He was just being off tonight, she reasoned.
Dev and the boys had gone to get ready for the show, and so Cherry was left to talk to Lucy. Lucy looked radiant, as usual. She was wearing blue skinny jeans and a brown peasant top, with love beads around her neck. She looked like she should have been Olivia’s best friend, but she was sure the MCB-Clockwork rivalry didn’t let that happen.
“MCB, hm?” Lucy broke the silence between the two of them. Cherry looked over.
“Yeah. Four years now.” She shifted the weight between her feet.
“And they don’t get mad at you for hanging around with Clockwork?” Lucy raised an eyebrow.
“They’re the ones with the problem with Dev. Not me…” Cherry felt increasingly uncomfortable with this conversation, looking around to avoid looking at Lucy.
“Sweet and the gang are still on about that?” Even Lucy’s laugh was perfect. “Maybe I give them too much credit.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, I suppose they haven’t told you about that.” The brunette’s eyes glimmered. “Then don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Your crew’s just a little unrefined.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Cherry was furious now. She didn’t even know her and she was poking fun at her band. If Dev did it, it was one thing. Dev saw her as more than part of the MCB. But this? “Who are you to talk? Just ‘cause your brother’s Clockwork’s front man?”
“Trust me, I know enough about MCB!”
“Sleeping with Sweet does not mean you know MCB!” spat Cherry, not even thinking about the words coming out of her mouth. Just then, Dev came rushing over before the two girls ripped each other apart. Lucy disappeared into Clockwork’s bus and Cherry was left to face Dev, still ready to fight.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Cherry?”
“I didn’t do anything! She’s the one thinking she knows all about us because she slept with-“
“I heard that part of it and it was completely uncalled for. I don’t know what you think you’re going to win, but this is bullshit. You don’t bring this up!” Dev had taken off his sunglasses and was looking right at Cherry now, his hazel eyes smoldering with anger. She’d never seen him this upset.
“Dev… I… I didn’t mean to say that!”
“If you’re coming to the show tonight you’d better buy yourself a ticket. I’ll talk to you later.” Dev made a 180 degree turn and left, leaving Cherry standing there in the cool August air. She felt her heart sink into the damp ground and she wondered if she’d ruined everything.
Cherry called a cab and went to Olivia and Haze’s house. Haze and Sweet had been doing some writing for the new album, and Haze was honestly glad to have a distraction. Unfortunately, it came in the form of a sobbing, blubbering Cherry.
“I-I shoulda listened to you guys,” she wailed, “I-I hate them. Him and his s-stupid… stupid… sister.” Olivia hugged Cherry and sat her down in the living room, knowing this would be a long night. Cherry looked through teary eyes at Sweet and wondered what he felt. She didn’t want him to feel sorry for her. She wanted him to be infuriated with Dev, but not because they were rivals- she wanted him to hate him for hurting her. She wondered if she’d ever know what went through his head.