Fallen Angels (UNEDITED)

XX

The devils arms around me
These angels, they don't love me,
They want their pound of flesh
~ Counterfeit, You Can't Rely

Avril's POV

I sit there in shock as Erik kisses me in front of the band.

No one says anything, but everyone is gawking at us.

"I'm sorry, what just happened?" Lucas asks me like I know the answer to that question. One minute he is ignoring me, but the next he's telling me I'm perfect and I'm too good for him, now he's kissing me.

"It was spur of the moment, I'm sorry Avril. It won't happen again." He doesn't look at me as he addresses the group and honestly, I don't want to look at him. He toys with me.

"I'm going to call Olivia." I leave the bus and pull my phone out, knowing calling Olivia is easier than trying to find her.

I lean against the bus, listening to the dial tone of the phone rather than the shouting match taking place on the bus.

"Hello Avril, what is going on?" Olivia's cool and collected voice rings through the phone.

I wonder where she is, I thought she would be around or at least at the venue, but by the sounds of it, she's not.

I explain to her what happened and the message we received from the tour, "I have the information to contact them. Do you want me to email it to you or do you have anything to write it down on?"

"Just text me it, I'll call them soon as we hang up. Oh, tell the band that we have a meeting before sound check." I don't have time to answer her before she hangs up the call.

I roll my eyes and text the contact information to Olivia, it's her job now to sign a contract so that the band can go on tour with them.

That tour could be the big break they are looking for.

The yelling has seemed to have stopped but there's only three people in the living quarters when I enter the bus.

"Where's Erik and Scarlett?" I ask the three guys spread out across the room. Kyle is leaning against the counters while Devon is laying on the couch and Lucas is at the table.

"Erik stormed out of the bus, I'm surprised you didn't hear him when he slammed the door and Scar is in the bathroom." Devon sighs, "they fight, but not like this before."

"I'm gonna go check up on Scar." Kyle pushes himself off the counter and disappears into the back room.

"What were they fighting about?" I turn to look at the remaining two.

"I don't feel comfortable saying, Devon?" Lucas brushes off the question, but he still looks intrigued with what is going on.

"Thanks, Lucas, Avril come sit down beside me." Devon moves into a sitting position so I can sit beside him, "Scar and Erik have a very complicated relationship, but I'm going to let those two explain it to you. You aren't the first girl Erik has shown interest in that also happened to be Scar's friend."

"Was that your previous social media manager, Rebecca?" I ask, but by the looks on their faces, I can tell I hit a sore spot.

"No, our previous social media person was ripping us off. She would take our songs or ideas and give them to another band, so we fired her. Olivia is working on suing her if that's what you are wondering. Now, Ava is a completely different story, you will have to talk to Erik about her." Devon looks uncomfortable with the topic, but I want to press him for more.

"I saw him texting her one day," I say sadly, and I can see both their eyes hold pity with a bit of anger.

"I'm sorry Avril." This time it's Lucas that speaks, "just know you never want to meet this woman."

"Why was this fight so different?" I question.

"There are reasons for why I can't discuss because they are personal, but Scar is worried that Erik is going down a pathway he took with Ava, but she is worried that you are going to get dragged down it too." Devon sighs, "I think you need to talk to Erik. I've never seen him act the way he acts, but Erik has a past and it makes it difficult for him."

"Where can I find him?" I stand up, wanting to find out what is going on. I understand they grew up together, but this didn't seem like a family kind of fight.

"We're in a new city he doesn't know, try the roof." I give them a puzzled look but head out of the bus.

I walk around the back of the bus and see the ladder that leads to the top of the bus. I hesitantly climb the old, rusty ladder and once I can see over the bus I spot Erik lying on the bus smoking.

"Ray, you're gonna get hurt climbing onto the bus." He doesn't even look at me when he speaks.

"You're up here." I fire back as I carefully climb onto the top of the bus, but I don't dare to stand up in fear I might fall off the side.

"So?" His voice doesn't hold the emotion it usually does, nor does it hold any emotion.

"How did you know it was me?" I question as I crawl towards him on all fours, so glad I wore leggings today.

"Usually none of them chase after me, only come looking after a few hours. You didn't even wait that long before you were climbing up here, which also none of them do." He seems to be impressed by the fact I climbed up the side of the bus for him.

"I wanted answers and I figured this was the only way." I lay down beside him and turn my head so I can study his side profile, the sharp edges of his face, the tattoos that cover all the skin on his neck, the piercings in his ears, the way his lips hug the cigarette.

"What do you want to know?" There are so many things I want to know, but I don't where to start.

"I honestly don't know where to start..." I trail off, "how did you get into music?"

I don't want to jump right into the fight he just had.

"My Auntie used to play rock music all the time, Guns and Roses, AC DC, or any of those huge influencers, Scar and I used to perform for my Auntie all the time. By the time we were in high school, we were taking classes to improve our skills. Singing has always been that one thing that has made me feel alive." A small smile plays on his lips as he talks about his passion.

"Why did you leave England?" He turns his head slightly to look at me, the setting sun absorbing the lighting, changing the colour of his iris.

"My father was never in the picture, I guess at first he was. My mother was an exchange student from the US. He was a soldier who had met my mother at the bar that turned into a one night stand, he tried to be a good father, but my mother hated him being gone so often so she took me and left when I was still young. She worked at as a prostitute and became an alcoholic shortly after I was born. There were numerous times when she would disappear leaving me alone for days when she was on a bender. I couldn't tell you how many times I sat in the police station waiting for them to find my mother. By the time I was nine, they finally called my father who signed his parental rights off to my Auntie so she could become my legal guardian as he knew she could give me a better life than either of them could." I reach out and intertwine my fingers with his. His voice holds no emotion and his face is stone.

"Your Aunt sounds like a wonderful woman." I give Erik's hand a reassuring squeeze, wanting to show some kind of comfort.

"She's the best, she's the only person I can trust. The band... they also want something from me and I fear the day I don't produce what they need they will collect and get rid of me. Look at that, I can't even trust the people who I've been with since I was little, people who've been through shit with me." Erik's laugh is dark and humourless.

"You just need to find someone who won't leave you." I try offering, as I search his tortured eyes.

"Everyone will eventually leave and it will always just be me alone."

Edited by GirlReader133