False Starts || Dave Grohl

Chapter 4

"There you are!" Mary was clutching a Metallica record in her hands as she sprinted over to Dave and I. "Look what I found! It's almost impossible to find this edition now." One thing I've loved about Mary is that she loved music as much as I did.

I turned to introduce the two, but my stomach dropped when I noticed Dave's eyes raking over my dark-haired friend. "I'm David, but most people call me Dave."

"You are the drummer from Scream," A flirty smile appeared on her face as she stuck a hand forward to shake his, "I'm Mary. Do you two know each other?"

Dave glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, "I guess you could say that." Their handshake lasted a bit too long to be considered friendly. "So, Rosemary and I were talking about getting some food when I get off. Would you like to join us?"

"Actually," I cut in, "I need to head back home." The extended invitation immediately made me sick to my stomach. Not two weeks ago I had flirted with Dave and now he was flirting with one of my best friends right in front of me.

Mary had an incredulous look on her face as she glanced between Dave and me. It was obvious she was interested in how the meal would go but didn't want to go alone. There was no way in hell I was going to third wheel for them though. "I'm actually meeting up with Wyatt..."

The lie burned my tongue as it came up, but it was the only excuse I could come up with on the spot. Mary knew Wyatt has been trying to talk to me again, but as far as she knew I hadn't given him the time of day. "Wait are you and Wyatt getting back together?"

"I just agreed to getting dinner," I shrug in hopes that my lie would be believable, "Nothing is set in stone." I didn't have to look at her to know the disappointed look she was shooting me. Everyone hated Wyatt, hell even I did.

"Well," Dave decided to cut through the awkward silence, "I'm going to clock out. I'll be right back." My eyes locked on his small frame as he disappeared in one of the back rooms.

"What the hell are you doing?" Mary's tone was harsh as she began to scold me, "You finally got out of his abusive clutches and are just going to fall back into old habits? I thought you were getting your shit together now that Jade died! You told me you were interested in someone."

My eyes darted across the room where Dave was talking to one of his co-workers. A large smile on his face as he laughed at something they said, "Well it's not going to work out..."

---

By the time I got home, my mother was in the kitchen cooking dinner and my father was on the back porch smoking a cigar. "Are you ever going to go back to school?" Her tone sounded more tired than disappointed as I dropped my bag on the counter.

"I'm just not ready," I sighed and began digging through the bag for a stack of polaroid's I'd taken when my cab went over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. "After the events from today... I don't even know if I want to go back."

That comment must have broken something in her because glass shattering pulled my attention in her direction, "You can't just not go back Rosemary Ann!" Her eyes were wild as she stared at me, "Where the hell did I go wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong mom." By now my father had joined us in the kitchen, a beer in hand and his cigar having been left behind. "I just don't think school is for me anymore."

My father barked a laugh as he slammed the glass down on the counter, "Without school you'll end up on the streets Rosemary. You'll make a mockery of our family."

"I know plenty of high school drop outs who have made something of themselves," I flipped through a few photographs, "I'm not a textbook junkie. I like music and art and I can't keep pretending to be someone that I'm not."