The Dive – Thread 3 (Back Stage)

[brian_campo]

The Fraying Nerves had another twenty minutes or so until their set, so a couple of the band members hung out behind the stage, a little off to the side, where they could see the crowd. Maddy sat down on a guitar case and picked at her fingernail polish. Brian noted that the case wasn’t hers, but didn’t care enough to point it out and start an argument, because he was pretty sure the brunette had PMS. He flexed his fingers and sat over a low wall that separated the crowd from the staging area, swinging his feet.


[Thread: Open to anyone]

Comments

[maddy_ricks]

"Ha!" Maddy stepped back and batted the hand away from her face. "I like her." She took in the downtrodden expression in his eyes. "You see, Brian, it's funny because it's a sock puppet, but it's also one of those gym socks that guys jack off into so they don't make a mess--"

"Jesus." Brian scrubbed his hands over his face. "Maddy!" He shouted and flailed. "Would you just--"

She lifted her shoulders, all innocent confusion. "What?" The striped pink-and-white tank top she wore, in conjunction with a huge set of overalls, lent a childlike appearance to the girl that her personality could not -- would not -- back up. "I'm being helpful." She smiled and mussed the front of his hair. "Look at your bangs, you've got girl bangs."

Brian ignored her and stared at Valerie while his hair was ruffled this way and that. His hands laid loosely in his lap as the hits just kept coming. "Don't encourage her. And you called her attractive. She looks like a ten-year-old, so you should ask yourself a few questions."

[valerie_vause]

Valerie flashed a smile towards Maddy as if silently stating she liked her too before turning to Brian as he shouted. Honestly she thought the entire situation was amusing but clearly he didn’t. The blonde had to wonder why her question had bothered him so much, it wasn’t like she’d ignored his existence to flirt, she just wanted to know if she was being teased the way he had been.

“I…” Valerie took in a slow breath as her own word came back to bite her, but before she could say anything he continued on. She actually closed her mouth and lifted her chin as his words sunk in.

“So let me get this straight.” Valerie began slowly, “You basically stated she looks like a little boy and by doing so suggest I’m akin to a pedophile because why would I possibly find her attractive. And here I thought beauty was in the eye of the beholder.”

Valerie brought both her hands up to run through her hair as she looked up at the ceiling and sighed. She could dissect Madeleine and pick apart why she thought she was attractive but she wouldn’t do that to the girl, it was distasteful as much as disrespectful. Instead she shrugged, offered a smile to her and said, “It was really nice meeting you, Madeleine. I think I’m going to go grab a drink now.”

[brian_campo]

“Whoa.” That sent up an alarm bell. He signaled to Maddy to quit futzing with his hair, and the brunette recoiled and put her palms in the air.

‘Sorry!’ she mouthed before climbing back over the wall. There was a guitar in need of… something.

He shook his head. The two of them were cool. They were locked in perpetual bullying mode and didn’t take one another’s comments in offense.

“Wait a minute,” he said, sliding off the wall and gently touching Valerie’s elbow. He leaned in closer so she could hear him. “I never said she looks like a boy. Just a ten year old. A ten year old girl. Mostly because she’s dressed like one. It’s got nothing to do with…” He trailed off, deciding that the sentence was headed nowhere good. Maddy was one of the chillest girls he knew; he’d hardly disparage her looks.

“And, second of all, I thought we were joking. She hit on my girlfriend,” he counted off his thoughts on his free hand. “Said I’ve got a chick’s haircut… And you two joked about me jerking off in a sock, but I’m in trouble for my comeback?” He was lost.

[valerie_vause]

Two steps then she felt his hand on her elbow. Valerie turned to look at him but said nothing until he had finished talking. “Either way a ten year old is, well, ten.” She made a face that said the idea made her sick and she shook her head.

“What she said and what I said were entirely different things. I never said the hypothetical sock was yours, just that if one existed for that purpose it would be a really sad sock puppet. Which, I stand by.”

Valerie pushed a few strands of blonde hair behind her ear and frowned up at Brian. “I never said you were in trouble, the situation was awkward when you put a spotlight on attraction by saying I should ask myself questions.” She lifted her arms up in a shrug just to let them slap against her thighs. When she spoke her voice was hushed, the tone confused, not angry. “What exactly does that mean? Do I give you the impression that I just run off with anyone and everyone I think looks nice?”

[brian_campo]

"What? No." Brian squeezed his eyes shut and scratched at the space between his brows. He had no idea why the conversation had derailed, and when he tried to hone in on it and come up with something logical to say, his mind just blanked out. Probably from stress. Did he think that Valerie was distracted by other people like some people were distracted by shiny objects? No. Was he clueless as to how to joke around with a girl who wasn't Maddy or a groupie? Yes.

"To be fair, it was awkward for me way before that," he said. "But... y'know, everything's awkward for me. I roll out of the bed and I feel awkward. As for us," he gestured between the two of them, "I don't know what I'm doing!"

A humorless laugh chuffed out of his chest.