Crue

You Give Love a Bad Name

" S o, did you talk Bon into letting us use his song for our next album?" Anders, our drummer, asks.

My bandmates arrived at the winery thirty minutes ago and haven't stopped badgering me about that damn song. As much as I want to re-record that song, I want Kyrie more.

I wasn't ready for them to meet Kyrie yet, so I ushered them to the empty winery, where I knew we wouldn't be disturbed for a few more hours, especially by Kyrie. We wore each other out last night after we made it back to her bedroom. The only reason I'm up now is because of Anders's text message letting me know they had finally arrived.

Her passionate speech about using one of my own original songs on our next album over a re-recording of her father's plays on a loop in my brain. She made a good point about living in the present instead of the past, but my bandmates are counting on using a Bon Vince song.

"Have you ever thought we should go with one of our songs instead of someone else's?" I use the question to feel each one of them out on how they stand on the issue.

"Sure, but do you know how big it is going to be to re-record a song from a legend like Bon Vince and his band Kingston Lux? We'll finally reach a level of stardom we've only ever dreamed of."

I can't disagree with Maddox, our lead guitarist. The two of us co-founded our band with the same dream. Being this close to achieving that dream only makes this decision harder.

"Look, all I'm saying is, what if we do this on our own without riding on the success of a Rock Legend? Do you really want to be known as just another band who had to capitalize off of someone else's fame?"

"What's gotten into you, ? This was your idea from the start. Why the sudden change of heart?" That question comes from the final member of our group, our bass guitar player, Ford.

I'm not ready to share my feelings for Kyrie with them. They might be my best friends, but Kyrie is my future—a future I don't want to fuck up.

Hesitating, I weigh my options and decide how much to tell them. My relationship with Kyrie is so new that I need to tread lightly.

"I take a deep breath and blow it out. There's this girl." I start, but Maddox cuts me off.

"There's always a girl buddy." He slaps me on the shoulder, "Are you finally living the Rockstar lifestyle and claiming all the pussy you can, or has this girl got you by the balls?"

Ignoring Maddox's crude comment, I continue, "She's become extremely special to me in the short time I've known her, but she's a little skittish around Rockstars."

"What do you mean by skittish? Anders quirks an eyebrow, "Skittish like she hides whenever she sees you, or skittish like she wants to stab you whenever she sees you?"

"Very funny. What I'm trying to say is she's Bon Vince's daughter and…" Maddox cuts me off again before I can finish telling them about my feelings for Kyrie.

"Oh, man, you really had us going with your story. To think, I almost believed that the great Jax would be soft on some girl. But now I get it. You went after her to secure the song rights from her dad. You're brilliant." Maddox places his hands on the sides of my face and pulls me down to kiss the top of my head.

"No," I say into his chest before breaking his hold. "Kyrie has lived a charmed life. Everything she has was handed to her on a silver platter, but…"

Instead of Maddox interrupting me this time, it's Kyrie, "Is that what you think—that my life was handed to me on a silver platter?" The look on her face guts me.

"Ah, see you around, ," Maddox says as all three of my bandmates rush out of Vine'yl Anthems like it's on fire.

I turn to face Kyrie, knowing I only have one chance to prove to her what she heard wasn't what I meant.