fade to black | james hetfield [1]

fifteen

chapter fifteen: alice

Iris was in a small vintage shop, looking to find something she thought James would like. The shop just so happened to carry some vinyl records and Iris found one from The Misfits.

She smiled when she saw it, thinking of him. She always saw him wearing the band t-shirt and knew he would love it. She took it without any hesitation, wanting to surprise him.

She rushed home to call him so she could see him and give him the gift as soon as possible. There was no answer, so she presumed he was doing something with the band. She left him a message, telling him to meet her at the bar later.

Iris couldn't help but feel excited as she made her way there, the record tucked under her arm. She spotted James sitting in one of the booths and started to approach him, a rare smile present on her face.

However, her smile faltered when she came closer. James sat there, his arm wrapped around another girl, holding her the same way he held Iris that night when she slept over. It was obvious that they were here together.

Iris felt her heart sink into her stomach, trying to fight back the tears that were brimming in her eyes. She couldn't tear her eyes away from them as much as it was breaking her heart.

He seemed to be enjoying whatever they were talking about. His obnoxious laugh and the wide grin he had was unmistakable. He never looked that happy whenever he was around her.

When James looked up and noticed her standing there, he removed his arm from the girl's shoulder right away. It was no use. Iris already saw him, and now that he saw her, she couldn't just leave.

She decided to walk over. "Hey James," Iris smiled sadly, glancing at the girl beside him. "Who's this...?" Iris was hoping that the other girl didn't get the hint that something was going on between her and James.

James almost couldn't speak for a minute, still surprised to see Iris. "This is a friend from high school, her name's Alice..." James said quietly. Alice didn't bother to look at Iris.

Alice and James had a history. They had known each other since high school, and for a time, they were more than just friends, but not dating. Now that he bumped into her again, some unspoken feelings were coming to the surface.

The familiar feeling of sadness was overwhelming. Iris thought Alice was a pretty girl, any guy or girl would be fawning over her. She didn't blame James for wanting to be with someone like Alice.

Iris knew something like this was bound to happen, and that was why she wanted to push him away all that time ago. Everyone she knew grew tired of her and moved on eventually. She was miserable, and people didn't want to be around that.

She felt so stupid, wondering why she even let herself believe that someone like him would want to be around someone like her. James wasn't just her friend anymore. He was in a special place in her heart.

There was an awkward silence between the two of them. Alice still didn't bother to acknowledge Iris, looking anywhere but at her. James turned to Iris. "What are you doing here?" He asked softly.

"You didn't listen to the message I left?" Iris asked, her voice coming out small.

"No, I didn't see it." He sighed. Iris felt her heart break even more. He wasn't expecting to see her there, and if she never came, she would've never known he was there with Alice.

"It could wait," Iris tried to keep her composure despite the lump that was forming in her throat. "I'll see you later, I guess." As soon as she turned to leave, she began to cry, unable to hold her emotions back anymore.

James almost got up from the booth to try and stop Iris, but she was already gone. James knew he messed up and didn't want her to think he did this to hurt her.

Alice took James's arm, wrapping it back around her shoulders. "So what were we talking about?" She smiled, pretending as if nothing had happened.

While she went back to rambling, James couldn't help but worry about Iris. She was visibly upset and he knew she deserved much better than that, especially with everything that she told him about her past.

"James, are you okay?" Alice asked. His mind had drifted elsewhere, and Alice looked a bit annoyed to see that he wasn't exactly paying attention to her.

"Hm? Yeah, I'm fine," He muttered, downing the last of his beer. "I think I'm gonna head home. I'm tired." He stood up from the booth, his mind still fixed on Iris.

He didn't say much to Alice after that, leaving her alone at the bar. He was more worried about Iris, wondering how he was going to explain himself to her.

Alice was his first for a lot of things. He always wondered what could've been had they acted on their feelings, but eventually, he got over it. She always had a hold on James and it left him conflicted.

Iris wasn't like any other girl he ever met. She made him forget about Alice right from the start. Now he had become what she feared the most, and he had to prove her wrong.

He didn't want to lose her this way.