False Starts || Dave Grohl

Chapter 18

"I've Been Locked Inside Your Heart-Shaped Box For Weeks"

May 29, 1991

Los Angeles, CA

The light above Jabberjaw's back entrance flickered as I brought my third cigarette since coming outside to my lips. It was officially our last night in Los Angeles, and I've never been so grateful to head back to Seattle.

Everyone is sick of being around one another, which is how I ended up hiding out in the alleyway. Kurt had yet to appear at the venue, mentioning something about needing to meet up with a friend. Krist and Shelli were currently arguing in one of the spare dressing rooms, and to top it off Dave was in one of the worst moods ever.

Smoke fills my lungs, eyes closing to appreciate the rare silence around me.

"Rose!"Fuck... My head shifts in the direction that Kurt's voice came from, eyes opening to find the smiling boy holding a familiar looking blonde woman's hand. She was slightly taller than him, an intimidating glare on her face as her eyes scanned over me.

"Hey Kurt," I stomp out what was left of my smoke, "What's up?"

The smile never left his face as the duo stopped in front of me. "Rosemary, this is Courtney. Court, my friend Rose." The way her piercing green eyes looked me over, I felt like a frog on a dissection table.

"I'm the girlfriend," Her blunt comment caused me to recoil in shock. Kurt bringing a girl to a show didn't shock me as much as him specifically bringing a girlfriend that I, along with the rest of the band, had yet to hear about.

An anxious smile was on his face as he glanced between Courtney and me, obviously hoping the two of us would get along. Something told me that wouldn't happen anytime soon though. "I need to go to sound check. You girls can catch up and talk about whatever girls talk about."

"I don't like you," Courtney muttered as soon as the door closed behind Kurt, "There's something I don't like between the two of you, and he's mine so back off. Better yet, go somewhere else."

She was towering over me, my measly 5'4" stature no match to her menacing height. "I'm not starting a fight, for both of our sakes." I took a step back in hopes of maneuvering around her to get inside, but my arm was snatched before I had the chance.

"I also know about your little relationship with his drummer. Enjoy it while it lasts because I can promise you one thing, the two of you will be done before the end of this year and your leeching ass won't get see any money that comes from this album." Something told me not to pick a fight with the older woman. That I wouldn't see the night of day again if I tried to stand up for myself and my relationship with Dave. "Wouldn't he just love to hear about your night at Raji's?"

My breath hitched, eyes widening in alarm as Shelli's panicked warning came to mind. She knew Courtney, and on top of that she knew the blonde woman was there and knew who we were. "Nothing happened at Raji's."

"You think he's going to believe that?" She leaned forward so she could lower her voice, "You see, I've done some digging into your relationship. I know how fragile it truly is at the moment. One little slip up and it'll be all over with, so if I were you, I'd avoid crossing me."

With that she dropped my arm, shooting me one last glare before entering the brick building. "Come to California with us Rose... It'll be fun. Bullshit." I roll my eyes, returning to my previous position against the wall. "You've got to be fucking kidding me with this shit..."

---

"You're kidding me, right?" Shelli exclaimed after I explained everything that happened outside to her. My face was in my hands as I sat on the couch of the boys dressing room. "I haven't liked that woman since Krist first told me about her in 1990. Kurt has been obsessed with her ever since she tackled him in a bar, it's like a weird fetish of his."