unREASONable by Arya Matthews
Track 31
Marshall
Zach launches toward the door. I follow him. I pushed Alexandra too far this time.
Shane hauls us both back by our shirt collars. Him and his bench-press-powered strength.
“Give her some space to cool down,” he says. “She’ll claw your faces off if you go after her right now.”
I exhale and rub the back of my neck. Zach drops to the floor, legs crossed, and rests his elbows on his knees.
“Zach, play something,” CJ says as he secures Alexandra’s bass on its stand.
Playing classical piano pieces is something Zach does when tempers flare. While he plays, everyone has to shut up and listen.
Zach leans back on his hands. “Nope. I wanna see Marsh try to dig himself out of this one.”
The temperature in the room drops below zero. All eyes are on me, of course. Okay, here we go then. I knew my idea with Zach would backfire, so I’m ready to face the consequences.
“What was all that?” CJ strikes first.
I’m ready, but it doesn’t mean I’ll make it easy for them. “What was what?”
“Why are you always so mean to her?”
“Why are you so nice?”
“You and CJ are morons,” Graham interrupts from behind his drum kit.
I gape at this veritable speech coming from a friend who is the opposite of outspoken.
“What did I do?” CJ exclaims.
“Seriously?” Graham crosses his arms on his chest. “You hug her, hold her, do everything with her. And Marshall’s jealous like death but will never admit it. Just like he won’t notice that while Alexandra practically hangs on you, because you probably remind her of a good friend or family member she left behind in Russia, she still orbits around him. Always watching him, always trying just a little harder to win his approval.”
“But that’s all there is,” I protest. “And she does love CJ.”
“No, she doesn’t,” Zach adds like he knows anything.
“She does! Always going on about CJ this, CJ that.” I turn to my best friend. “You know what she was worried about the most when you slashed your face on that dumb worktable? That you wouldn’t like her anymore. When did she ever care if I like her?”
“From the beginning, you dimwit!” CJ snaps.
“I won’t deny she’s after my approval, but that is it. It. It’s not like I care either way.”
The stupid lies I spew? I can’t believe it. They won’t either.
“Why did you kiss her then?” Graham asks.
I freeze on the spot. Did he see us? When and where? Did anyone else?
“Graham, you’re full of crap,” Zach says. “If he’d kissed her, he would’ve denied it a thousand times already. But look at him. Marshall, don’t make that face. Alexandra’s hot. I’d totally kiss her.”
And I’d totally punch him in the mug for it, but my jealousy is not helping anything right now.
“You’ve all gone off the rails,” CJ gives me the worst kind of a desperate look. “Alexandra doesn’t love me.”
Graham uses the bass drum to bring our attention back to him. “Listen you two, I don’t care who gets the girl, just figure it out fast. One or the other. Take turns if you want to. It’s a free country and a liberal generation. We’ve got work to do, and The Label has a decision to make. If our festival performance is in any way less than perfect, she’s out no matter what we say. Or is that still your goal?” He stabs me with a downright evil eye, and I have no doubt he’ll destroy me if I get the band in trouble. Or Alexandra.