Forcible eviction, that’s whatMicro was calling it. Two days after he declared that I had to move out, I tried. I really did try. I got some of my stuff in my car, and then I realised that if I left the room for any period of time, they’d take things into their own hands. They’d get in his room while I was outside, or away, and dismantle it. Remove the last vestiges of Rocket from this place.
It was insane really that I felt that way. The whole place was being bulldozed, and any signs of any members would be gone forever, but they were likely all coming back. They could re-stamp their essence on this place, but if he didn’t, then it’d just be gone. He’d be gone. I knew I was being melodramatic, but everything felt darker and colder without him.
I’d been so lost and broken after what happened with Ted, but spending time with Rocket had been healing my soul. And it’d been doing that because he was taking the place of all thehurt and anger, all the sorrow. He filled it with his smiles, and those chuckles that emerged just before he returned whatever jibe I’d sent his way. I jabbed and snapped, and he parried and responded, like we were sparring partners. It was easy, and fun. It was perfect. I didn’t have to hide any part of myself from him.
Or maybe that was what I had been doing, and that’s what fucked it up. I hid my fears from him, and let them overwhelm me, instead of just enjoying the here and now. It wasn’t a rebound. I’d been so scared that it was, and instead I’d missed out on what was real.
“V, you need to come out of there, dammit. The demo starts tomorrow!”
“Not with me in here,” I shot back, “that’d be murder. Pretty sure that’s illegal. Why don’t you go ask Grease’s bird?”
I’d locked the door, but was there more than one key? If there had been, wouldn’t they have used it by now? Rookie mistake on their part if not.
“V, we’re working on bringing him back. You know that. You don’t need to nest in here like a fucking hobbit!”
“Brother, that doesn’t even make sense,” I heard another voice, Grease, speaking to Micro.
“Then get her the fuck out of there. We can’t let the demo be delayed again!”
Grease laughed, clearly kicking at the door with those heavy boots, because that definitely wasn’t fists making those solid thuds.
“I could break the door down, you know. It’s out of respect that I haven’t yet.”
I got up and stood to the side of the door, for god knows what reason. Maybe just so I could surprise him if he did.
“Respect for who? You’re a dick to him, and I don’t know you.”
“Look, we get it. You love him. Maybe if you’d told him that we wouldn’t be where we are now, but I know. Women do women things. They don’t need to make sense.”
“Were you born such a dick?”
I was running out of options here, and if they ousted me without a chance to grab the rest of Rocket’s stuff, it could get ruined. I was already wearing a t-shirt of his, and his sweatpants, but I grabbed another two t-shirts and dragged them over my head, followed by a sweater of his. It was a bit warm for the extra layers, but at least I had a few more pieces safe.
“V, you’ve got five minutes, then we’re breaking in, and removing you,” Grease warned, “we don’t wanna have to do it like that. Micro’s given you nothing but time, but this is selfish. You’re risking the whole club, and a shit-ton of money here. You do get that this club is on its last legs, right? This demo and rebuild might be what turns things around.”
Huh? I moved closer to the door again.
“What does that mean?”
I unlocked the door and pulled it open wide enough to see through, inches at most. Still, if he wanted to take advantage, I’d never be able to hold him off. Curiosity really is a dangerous thing.
“I’d forgotten what you look like,” Grease said with a lopsided grin.
“Well you hate me, so you probably just picture a banshee or something.”
Another grin. “Pretty accurate, actually. I mean, I don’t hate you, but I do hate how things went down. Look, this club was torn apart to remove the bad seeds, yeah? Phoenix patched it over, and that’s how Rocket and Stag ended up here, and me. They’re trying to build something wonderful here, like the other chapter. Good people, happy lives, that kinda thing. Right now,it’s a bunch of guys who barely socialise with each other. You probably saw how few hang here.”
I nodded, realising that I probably wasn’t experiencing real club life at all, not that I wanted to without Rocket.
“So what’s your point?”
“Tearing the place down, and starting from the ground up is our way of… ugh… refreshing it. Giving it and everyone a new start.”
“Ohhhh rising from the ashes, you mean?” The smile dropped from his face, and he huffed a sigh.
“Did Micro tell you to say that to me?”
“Why? I mean, the club’s called Phoenix. It’s the perfect metaphor, isn’t it?”
