Her head dropped in disgust at the wreck beside her. "Robert, I brought you with me to this show for company. Not a chance for you to get wasted," she yelled over the music.
"Oh shut-up, Britany. You're just jealous because you didn't think of it," her brother snapped, his voice slurred. "Anyway, I'm not drunk, just getting there."
"I could hate you if you weren't my brother. I'll be glad when Mom and Daddy get back. I despise having to watch out for you. You're just trying to get me in trouble." She was exasperated by her younger brother's drinking. Their parents wouldn't be back for three more weeks, and they had left her in charge for the first time in her life. But problem was, her brother didn't listen to her, and there was nothing she could do until they returned. But she wasn't the type to snitch on her brother and, she had to admit, she had also been drinking that night. Not enough to effect her, but she had been tasting.
"Well, when you start acting like bitch, I do hate you! And you are despicable right now." Then not even noticing where he was aiming, he drew back with the large bottle that he had just emptied. Letting it fly, he heard his sister's sudden gasp.
"Nooo! You didn't!" Britany stared at the wall behind the small stage in shock.
"Oh shit! I did!" Robert felt a knot of fear pop up inside.
The music suddenly stopped. Not everyone could see why. Only those closest to the stage saw the bottle whiz by the singer's head.
Britany and Robert were with-in a few feet of the stage. They and everyone close around them knew why the music had suddenly ended. They also knew that if Jesse hadn't ducked in the split second he did, that he might have been seriously injured by the flying object.
Jere, standing nearby, saw Jesse's sudden movement, and looked closer to see what was going on. As he did, the fragments of the bottle exploded from the wall behind them. Unbelieving, he rushed up on stage.
"Jesse! Man are you okay?"
"Yeah. Where in the hell did that bottle come from? One second I'm jamming with the music, the next I'm trying to keep a fucking whiskey bottle from taking my damn head off! What in the hell kind of place is this anyway?"
"Oh hell. Man I'm sorry. I didn't know that there be anybody here that would do that. This is a private party. Do you want to leave? You look pretty shook up."
"Jere, thanks man. I'll be okay. Don't worry about it."
"Okay. You sure?"
"Yeah. I'm fine, but I feel sorry for the fool who threw that damn bottle."
Britany knew what she had to do. After Jere had been nice enough to invite her and then get her in the bar, she couldn't let her brother get away with what he had done. "Maybe this will scare him into straightening up," she thought. She turned to her brother, "Robert, I'm sorry, but I can't let you mess up this night for these other people. I'm going to tell them."
"Britany, don't. Please don't. That guy'll kill me!"
"I'm sorry, Robert, that's a chance you'll have to take." She shook her head, then turning back to look at the guys up front, she got ready to speak. She wasn't sure what to say, but she let it go, "Jere! I know who threw the bottle!"
In the crowd, Jere couldn't pick out the person who had spoken. "Where are you?"
Britany held up her hand and called out again, "Over here!
Jere and Jesse walked off the stage and over to where she and her brother stood. Looking at the smaller boy standing there, Jere shook his head. "Hey Brit. What's going on here. Who's he?"
"This is my brother Robert. I'm truly sorry. He's very drunk, as you can see. He got mad at me and threw the bottle. We'll both leave now. Please don't be too mad."
Seeing the beguiling look in her eyes, Jesse couldn't be mad. "You don't have to leave, just send your brother home."
"How? I'm driving. He's not old enough to drive, anyway, he's drunk and I don't want him in the house alone."
"Do you have somewhere he can go? A friend's maybe?"
"Yeah."
Jere grinned a shook his head. Laughing to himself, he saw what was going on. Jesse had started again. "Give me your car keys and I'll take him there. Okay?"
"How will you get back here?" She asked looking at Jere. "And, anyway, how am I supposed to get home?"
Jesse smiled. "I can take you home. How's that?"
"Okay. Here. Jere, I know you'll be careful with my brother and my car."
"Sure." He took the keys and turned to a friend nearby. "Marc, do you mind following me so you can give me a ride back?"
"Na, I don't mind. Be glad to."
As they left, Jesse turned to Britany, "Say, you want to come up closer to the stage?"
Nodding, she allowed him to take her hand and lead her toward the stage.
As they approached the stage, Britany wondered at her situation. Friends with the actual members of a band. Unbelievable!
As they stopped in front of the stage, Jesse squeezed her hand slightly. "You can stay here. Wait for me after the show. Okay?"
"Sure. I'll be here."
Determined to make up for the interruption, the entire group came back on kickin' with all they had to give. The crowd suddenly being thrown back into a shrieking frenzy, gave their all as well. As the volume rose, the emotions came alive.
Britany, astounded by the reactions around her, gave in to the music. She soon found herself abandoning her usual control. She felt as though she were becoming one with the happenings around her. The small amount she had had to drink heightened her awareness of everything. She knew that this was the best show she would ever attend. The guys in the group were giving it all.
It seemed as though Jesse were playing directly to her, for he kept watching her. The feelings she felt coursing through her every time his eyes came to rest on her, shocked her, but yet also excited her. The fire in his look made her feel wicked. She could feel their heat burning through her.
Then, too soon, it was all over. The music faded away. The encore had been called and was gone. As the guys left the stage, Britany felt drained. She had rocked with them, and now she was hoping they hadn't forgotten her.
Hearing a voice off to her right, she quickly turned to see a hand motioning from behind the speakers right beside her. As the hand beckoned her, she turned to walk to it. When the hand suddenly grabbed her and pulled her to it's owner, she had the suppress a cry of alarm. Looking up at the face in front of her, she almost fainted. A drop of sweat fell onto her arm. She stared down at it stupidly. It was not her own. That drop had come from the body above her. In shock at first, she shook herself and laughed. "That was a great show."
"That's what they were saying." He laughed kindly. Then he shocked her again. "You know something? You are so cute."
Jerking back, Britany started to laugh. "Don't be funny. Trust me, I am not cute."
"Yes you are. I got plenty of good looks while I was up there."
"So you were looking at me. I even got the feeling that you were singing just to me a few times." Britany said, surprised at her sudden calmness.
"If you saw me looking at you, then yeah, I was singing to you. Now, what did you say you thought of the show?"
"It was great! It was good before my brother tried to screw everything up."
"You mean it wasn't good after that? I kind-of thought that the shock did us all good. We really came to life when we got over the original surprise."
"I said it was good before that, I can't put the part after that into words. I've never really let music affect me, but when you guys kicked back in, I let everything go. It was totally killer! I seriously think that it was to best show I have ever been to and that I will ever go to."
"I can tell you that it was the best DragonWyngs show you'll ever go to. That bottle really woke us up. When we came back on, I could tell that everybody was giving everything they had. We always do, of course, but somehow, I think we dragged out our very hearts tonight. Like you said, it was killer. Now, come on. I've have got to find a shower real quick."
"I kind-of like you the way you are. Hot and sweaty. A real man." She grinned and winked at him.
"Maybe so, but I'll grant you that I'll smell better after a bath."
Laughing, Britany turned to walk with him.
"By the way, I just wanted to tell you that I'm one of the types who'll say what ever they're thinking. And that's exactly what I plan to do right now."
"Go ahead. I'll answer just about any question that I'm asked."
"How old are you and how did you wind up at a bar with a drunk brother?"
"I'm seventeen. Robert has this thing about wanting to get drunk just to spite me when Mom and Daddy are gone off. They've been gone for about a week and a half and won't be back for another three weeks."
"What is your whole name? Brit is all I know."
"Britany Linn L'Wulf." She swallowed to keep from laughing aloud at his shocked reaction.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to look like that."
"Don't worry, I'm used to it. Brit is my nickname. What's yours? How old are you?" "Jesse Darren Cutter. I'm twenty-three and my nickname is Felix."
"I like that. Felix. So you're named after a cat. Well, my other nickname could eat yours alive. See if you can guess. It's what the kids at my school call me. I personally like it."
"I don't have the slightest idea. I love your whole name, though."
"Thanks, I have German ancestry as you can see. Most of my family has the blond hair and blue eyes. But I'm pure American, and damn proud of it! Now, you never did guess my nickname, Felix."
"I really don't have any idea."
"My family calls me Brit, but most everybody calls me Wolf. I've never heard anybody make a joke out it, though. I love it. Our school mascot is, believe it or not, a wolf. I'm not sure how it happened, but I'm glad that's where I wound up."
"That's strange. But I like it. What do you want me to call you? Brit or Wolf? I like both of them."
"Either one that you feel most comfortable with. I'm not choosy. But," Britany was shocked at the things she was feeling, but she decided to say what she thought, "But, hearing you say either of them would be nice."
"Just nice? Or, maybe, a turn-on?" Jesse stopped in front of a door.
"Both. Now which name shall I respond to?"
"I think I like the connotations that Wolf carries, so I think I'll call you that. Maybe you move like one. But hopefully, you're not quite as vicious."
"I hope you're not a tame little kitten yourself." She laughed heartily as they entered to room.
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