Chapter Nineteen: ** Out of Control **

“We gonna party!” Roslynn sang out and Fatima laughed. They saw AJ stalking by, an angry look on his face and stopped him. “Whoa there, cowboy, what’s the matter?” Fatima asked, her brows crinkling in concern. AJ had fire in his eyes as he spat out,” Bruce.”

 “Oh, is he bothering Debelah again?” Roslynn asked, getting riled up. AJ stared at her, “Bothering her again?”

 “Yeah, he been acting like a creep lately. ‘Tima said that if he touches her one more time inappropriately, he’s off the tour. Then I can kill him without having to worry about her being short a dancer.”

 “What?” AJ asked, stopping.

 “I thought she told you,” Roz said surprised, but continued,” He’s been harassing her for the past week. She got up in his face last night whe she came offstage and was screaming at him for groping her onstage. She can’t stand him.”

 “She came to me and told me. I told her the next time he did something, I would have him replaced. Why? Did he do something?” Fatima asked asked.

 AJ felt his stomach drop and went completely still as he realized what was really going on. “Oh my God,” he whispered, briefly closing his eyes with his hand before rubbing it through his hair. “I just made,” he said, his throbbing in a sudden headache,” the biggest mistake of my life.” A look of horror grew in his eyes. In his mind he saw Debelah’s damning eyes, the red marks on her skin evidence on her story, and his hostile reaction to her.  Fatima left to find out what was going on, leaving Roz and AJ alone.

 AJ closed his eyes, the guilt rushing over him, so painful it felt like he could cry out from his heart squeezing so hard. “ I accused her of cheating on me with him. I didn’t know-“ “You what!”Roz exclaimed. She grabbed the front of his shirt and went up on her tip toes to stare him in the eye. “Alexander James McLean, WHAT did you do?” she demanded in a dangerous tone.

 “I didn’t know. I thought…” he stopped, his mind flashing back to the scene in the hallway a few minutes ago. An image of her impish smile from beneath a low cap, her face peaceful as she slept trusting in his arms at night, her teasing him and then kissing him to make it up to him, her bubbling with laughter at the sight of his face covered in shaving foam. His teeth clenched, jaw set, he felt his stomach clench. “I don’t know!” he snapped, yanking out of her grasp and stalking away.

 *          *          *          *          *          *         

 “Just leave me here. Go on your break. Have fun, I’ll be fine,” Debelah said, her voice muffled. She was still sitting with her head buried in the crack of her arms folded over her knees, scrunched up on the couch.

 “Deb, what is going on? I just talked to AJ and he wasn’t making ANY sense!” Roz burst in the door. Debelah didn’t say anything but listened as Kevin quietly gave a brief summary of what had happened and Roslynn proceeded to blow up angrily,” Where is he?! Where’s Bruce?! I swear I’m find him right NOW,” she picked up a bat off the floor with two hands and rushed towards the doorway.

 “Roslynn, just calm down for TWO seconds,” Nick argued trying to hold her back. Brian chose that moment to walk into the room, whistling to himself, not having the slightest clue what was going on. He stopped, seeing Roz with a bat being held back by Nick. “Um, guys?” he asked confused.

 “Oh, and AJ!!” Roslynn yelled, still struggling, swinging the bat in the air. “Where is that little-“

 “Leave him alone,” Debelah said clearly, raising her head. Roz stopped,” What?”

 “Leave him alone.”

 The other guys and Roz, with the exception of Brian, looked pissed because Debelah, who should have been the angriest out of all of them, was telling them to leave AJ alone.

 “But if you see Bruce,” Debelah said, her eyes hardening,” bring him to me so I can kill him.”

 *          *          *          *          *          *

 Debelah slammed the shot glass back onto the bar, the hot liquid burning her throat as she swallowed. She signaled the bartender and pointed to her empty glass; he raised in finger in question as he wiped glasses with a cloth. Debelah shook her head and raised five fingers, wobbling in her seat a bit as she stared questionably at her own fingers. Nick covered her raised hand with his, bringing hers down and signaling ‘no more’ to the bartender who nodded.

 He never should have let her come. But she had seemed driven to go to the bar whether or not he went with her and he figured he could at least make sure she was safe if he went with her. After talking to everyone else, Nick had decided he would let Deb stay at his house during break, despite her telling them to just leave her where she was. She couldn’t be left alone. Brian and Kevin were visiting family in Kentucky, Roslynn was with Brian and nervous about staying with his family and about leaving Deb. Howie was going out to California to help run his film company and AJ was obviously out of the question.

 Debelah didn’t protest when he cancelled her order. She blinked, looking around the room with a glazed look in her eye, clearly drunk. “You know, Dave used to come to bars all the time,” she said out of nowhere.

 Nick looked up, realizing this was the first time she’d talked about him since Dave had been arrested.

 “Yep, he would steal my money to go get drunk, then come home and hit me. He used MY money to do something to hurt me. And Bruce,” she continued, her eyes not even focused on him anymore,” ruined the only good thing I’ve had in a really long time, because I love AJ. But AJ hates me now. He hates me. And no matter how much Bruce and Dave might have hurt me, AJ hurt the worst.” She looked straight at Nick, looking soberly serious all of a sudden,” Because he made me love him before he hurt me. And I can’t stop loving him even though he did.” She burst into sobs at that and Nick instantly tried to comfort her.

 “What am I supposed to do now?” she cried out plaintively, looking up at pleading for an answer, but he didn’t know what to say.