Bowed - M.V. Ellis Page 0,1

the past, and you’ve walked in right in the middle and not had even the slightest issue with it. In fact, time was, you’d join in, more often than not. What’s changed?”

I already knew the answer, I just wanted to make him say the words.

“Well now that Quin’s here...”

“Bingo. Now that Quin’s here, it’s not, and was never going to be, business as usual. Just like I said, when you guys first put this ridiculous scheme on the table, and when you both swore until you were blue in the face that we could all make this work without an issue.”

“There’s no issue, it’s just that with the three of us here, it would be...nice if we could take each other into account. That’s all. Nothing major. Just being a little more considerate than the two of us are used to being, and giving each other some space and breathing room, that’s all.”

“Sure. I’m more than happy to be considerate of you guys, so this is me officially telling you I’m giving you space, by moving the fuck out of here.”

“Why do you have to be such a douche all the fucking time, Row? Jesus. We want you here, but I’m... no, we’re just trying to make this thing work for all of us. You’re not a child, are you telling me you can’t see that?” Tension was radiating from his body.

“Why do you have to make out like it’s some ‘Rome against the world’ sitch?” He looked he wanted to take me out. “We’re on the same fucking side, you get that right? It’s not you against us. It’s just us. The three of us. That’s it. Quin and I are just trying to do our best to help you. We love you.”

“That’s not the fucking point. The point is that I didn’t ask for your help, because I don’t need it. This whole thing is so wrong, I can’t even deal, and I can’t pretend to be okay with the fact that, on one hand, you went behind my back and tied me into this crap, without my consent, while on the other, you want to berate me about behaving like a child. It’s fucking bullshit, and I can’t live this way, because it’s not a life. I’m moving out. I don’t care if the label sues me to hell and back for breach of contract. I’d rather be penniless and homeless than ‘live’ this way.”

King squared up to me angrily. “Jesus Christ, why do you have to make everything so fucking hard? You claim not to need our help, but it really didn’t look that way when you were unconscious on stage, practically foaming at the mouth, moments away from choking on your own vomit. And you know what? If you were the one who’d had to stand there helpless and watch as your best friend in the world almost fucking died, you might be able to see past the end of your own goddamned nose, and realize that you’re not the only one hurting right now. You can’t just—” We were chest to chest, and I was so close to letting loose on him, it wasn’t even funny. I pushed my chest hard against his, preparing to shove him, or punch him or something.

“Can’t just what? Tell me, oh wise sage, what can’t I do? Exercise my own free will and constitutional rights?” I lost my restraint and shoved him hard. “Or make my own decisions, like a grown adult male?” Another shove. “What? Come on, enlighten me. I can’t just what? What do I need your fucking pious, self-righteous, self-important permission to do?”

King was the one to jostle me this time, hard, back into the edge of the dining table, which shifted in place from the force of me stumbling against it. I reared back my fist, ready to rain down the first blow, or, more likely, blows.

“Gentlemen, and I use the term in the loosest sense of the word, as much as I’ve enjoyed this ‘oh so manly’ display of literal dick swinging”—she looked pointedly at my dick, which responded in kind by swinging, or more accurately, bobbing toward her like a divining stick—“It’s a little early for all this alpha, chest-bumping bullshit. We have a day in the studio to get through. Why don’t you guys bottle all this...Raw, testosterone-fueled energy, and save it for later, when we need it?” She looked between the two of us... taking her time to observe both