236: Laura Greene-Part 3

Warning: language

Bridgeport, present day...

When Krisis left the house he had no idea where he was headed. All he wanted was to get away from Leigh and her doubts and her obsession with Laura.

He ended up at Waylon’s Haunt.

He hadn’t been to Waylon’s in a while, but Jimmy, the bartender, greeted him like an old friend when he took a seat at the bar. 

Krisis was glad to see the place hadn’t changed much in his absence, it was still depressing in its shabbiness, and the air still reeked of stale beer and cigarettes. It was an unpleasant smell, but one he found oddly comforting. It reminded him so much of his past, when the band was just starting out, and they were all still full of hope and excitement and wonder. Things were so simple back then.

He dialed J.D.’s number while he waited for his beer, but he cut the call before it could connect. J.D. had enough of his own shit, the Clarkes, the baby that was long overdue and the daughter that didn't want to come home. Krisis didn't want to add on to that.

He was about to call Cameron but then he remembered his friend was back at Monte Vista, working things out with Michaela; she was still adamant about not signing with O+ Records. 

Drinking alone was not fun though, and after a few beers Krisis was ready for a party or a fight; he'd be fine with either one.

Waylon’s, though, was awfully quiet tonight, so he wandered off aimlessly to the pool table, with no real interest in the game.

Before long, two college guys joined him and for a a little while the fierce round of pool was just the distraction Krisis needed.

How did we get here? He wondered silently as he positioned the cue stick and prepared to take another shot. Cameron and Michaela, him and Leigh, Eloise and Devon. Everything was spiraling out of control. Everyone was orbiting in different directions. Their lives had unraveled so much in the past few weeks, they were nowhere where they all wanted to be, and things were not as they should have been. And this game wasn’t going the way he wanted. He was usually good at pool, tonight though, he was playing like an amateur. But since he was never one to back out of a challenge, he stuck it out till one of the boys won and they all split up and went their separate ways.

Back at the bar, a tall brunette, clearly overdressed for Waylon’s, had occupied his seat. Something about her striking green eyes and the way she smiled, reminded him of Jacqueline, Lily's mother, one of his many regrets.

He ordered a whiskey this time and drank to the good doctor as he tipped his glass at the brunette beside him.

For a man who had lived as long as he had, Krisis had an equally long list of things he wished he had done differently. And Jacqueline's death would always remain high on that list.

"I'm Andrea," the brunette stuck out her hand, interrupting his trip down memory lane. Krisis gave it a firm squeeze before he returned his attention to his drink.

Andrea, like him, was looking for a party or a fight. Whichever one she found first would do just fine.

She was angry, miserable, grieving and she was damn chatty too. Before long Krisis knew almost her whole life story.  She was going through an ugly divorce from husband #3 and the negotiations dinner had not gone well, so she'd stopped at Waylon’s on her way to the hotel where she'd been staying since the divorce proceedings.

Krisis didn't know what to say, but from the way Andrea talked nonstop he was obviously saying all the right things.

After three Bloody Marys and a few cigarettes, Andrea's mood had improved some. She no longer cared about dropping air missiles over husband #3's home; she was ready to make love.

She smiled at Krisis suggestively, her mile long legs rubbing up against his jeans, her hand gently brushing his own.

"Do you want to get out of here? I have a room at Sun International," she purred as she leaned closer, undressing him from beneath her fake eyelashes.

She was horny and Krisis was clearly drunk. He should have stopped her advances, but he was still furious with Leigh and he figured he couldn't disappoint her any more than he already had.

So he paid for their drinks and discreetly followed Andrea out of the bar.

He led her to the parking lot. A couple who weren't so lucky to have a room at Sun International were having a go at it near the dumpsters.

Andrea quickly averted her eyes, laughing. It sounded awkward. Uneasy. The air around them smelled of shame and disappointment and betrayal, like most one night stands do.

Krisis fumbled in his pocket for his keys, but he pulled out a small toy car instead. Kristian's. He vaguely remembered his son asking him to fix it that morning. He must have slipped it in his hoodie and forgot all about it. Until now.

"Aren't you too old to be playing with those?" Andrea asked, staring at the toy in his hand. It was one of those that come in a racing set of 50 or 100, no doubt a present from one of his uncles, but for the life of him Krisis couldn't remember which uncle though. It didn't really matter now.

"It’s my son's," Krisis replied.

"There is no Sun International, is there?" She asked. "You are not joining me are you?"

"No." Krisis shook his head.

"Because of that car?" She laughed incredulously, regret and relief taking turns in her eyes.

"Yes, because of this car," He told her.

The next few minutes were a blur. One minute Andrea was reaching up to kiss him goodbye on the cheek, and the next, cameras were flashing in his face as the the paparazzi from Dirt Magazine snapped pictures of him and Andrea.

Things got out of hand very quickly when Krisis smashed one of the cameras to smithereens, doing his best to destroy all traces of his would be one night stand.

Cops were called in. Both Krisis and Andrea were taken to the precinct downtown. Krisis was booked for assault, while Andrea was questioned about the incident.

By the time he was released on bail, pending a hearing, Krisis was all over the news and not for the right reasons. And Leigh had followed through with her threat. She was gone. A Dear John letter was waiting for him on the coffee table in the living room.

Krisis called Leigh as soon as he read the letter, and like he'd expected, she rejected his calls outright. 

Next he tried her best friend, but Eloise' phone rang a few times before it went to voicemail.

He was just trying to decide what to do when the intercom went off. It was K-Infinity’s handlers. He went to let them in.

Mark and Stanley were not thrilled his marriage was in trouble, but they were happy K-infinity was getting a lot of airplay even though they hadn't released an album in over a year.

They were especially pleased with the increase in his popularity ratings. His fan girls were going amok all over Facebook and Twitter.

Natalie was thoroughly pissed at Krisis, though. Dirt Magazine had sold his story to all the major tabloids and entertainment channels. She had a lot of damage control on her hands with all his endorsers, especially the 'family friendly' ones.

She knew of a very good spin doctor, someone who would turn the story around and make Andrea out to be the home wrecker that Natalie firmly believed she was. But Krisis wanted no part of her plan; he didn't want to throw Andrea under the bus just to save himself.

"Look at this!” Natalie hissed as she made him read a gossip column in one of the tabloids she’d brought. “Your endorsers will eat you alive, Krisis!"

"I know," he replied, barely glancing at the article. He’d never really cared much for tabloids and he hoped Leigh wouldn’t read or believe any of their shit.

He checked his phone again, and of course, Leigh still hadn't returned his calls.

"What do you want then Krisis? If you're not interested in saving yourself and your career, tell me what you want!" Natalie snapped as she got up from the chair and made her way to the bar. Stanley and Mark were now sharing a blunt in the patio.

"I want Leigh! I want my wife back. I want my kids back," he said softly. He didn't care that he'd lose his endorsers. He didn't care that his fandom of rabid college girls had tripled since the scandal broke. He wanted his wife and his kids back. The sincerity in his voice stopped Natalie short in her tracks.

"You love her. You really love her!" She said, shaking her head as if she couldn’t wrap her head around the whole idea of love.

"She’s my life," Krisis replied.

"Okay," Natalie nodded her head. "We'll get her back. But right now Leigh and the kids being away from Bridgeport is for the best."

"No!" Krisis refused to accept this. He wanted his family home. ASAP. He’d go to Roaring Heights, he’d plead, beg, grovel. He would do anything to have his family back.

"Okay, let’s say they do come back, and then what? Do you really want them to come back to this fuck of a storm, do you honestly want your kids to read about the fact that you couldn't keep in your pants?"

Krisis lost it then, "I DID keep it in my pants! I didn't sleep with Andrea!"

"But you were ready to!" Natalie shot back.

"No-" Krisis shook his head, but Natalie wasn't interested in his lies, after all, Krisis didn't pay her to listen to his denials, he paid her to fix his reputation.

She took one long gulp from her glass and didn't set it down till it was completely drained. She dumped it on the table, and collected her handbag and iPhone.

"Please do me a favor and stay in tonight! No bars, no brunettes, no horny divorcees. Just stay in!" She warned him as she rapidly made her way to the front door, her Loubitins echoing loudly on the polished wooden floors.

At the door, she turned back and stared at him. "Why did you change your mind? About sleeping with her?"

He pulled out Kristian's car from his pocket and held it out to her. Overnight it had become his lucky charm. The whole time while locked up in the holding cell waiting for his lawyer to bail him out, he'd held on to it like a child holds on to his favorite stuffed toy,

"A toy car?" Natalie snorted, shaking her head.

Krisis just shrugged; Natalie would never understand. It was more than just a toy car. It was the most powerful reminder of the life he'd made with Leigh, all the love she'd given him over the years. It was all their memories, their past and their future, all in one.

"Remember what I said," Natalie wagged her finger before she let herself out...

Special Thanks to Ozzy for cleaning up some images in this update. What would I do without you?