Through The Eyes Of

Engine Trouble

  Duff

So like after a hundred miles or so we switched out drivers. I got behind the wheel and Axl got in the front. Izzy was next to Slash now and I will admit I cock the rear view mirror to keep Izzy in my view. As possessive as Axl seems I'm surprised he's ripped himself away from Izzy. They looked so fucking cozy all cuddled up. But then these two seem to get some twisted satisfaction from making each other jealous. But fuck it, Curly Sue is all mine. Dibs bitches.

So I put the piece of shit station wagon in drive and take off down the interstate leaving a blue grey trail of smoke behind us. I eyeball Izzy in the rear view. He's simply stretched back in a slouch staring out the window with smoke billowing out of his mouth. The sun shines in his hair leaving a blue shimmer to it. You know, Izzy is kind of sexy. Sexy without even trying. His laid back attitude and 'fuck it' demeanor just set him off.

But his flaming red head next to me was another fucking story. Axl could sometimes look like one of the hottest chicks in LA. He was the type that could pull off drag way too convincingly. But it was his deep ass voice that gave him away. You'd never guess it when you hear him sing, but the fucker had a really deep tone. And that was where he drew his sexiness from. He could purr words out like pillow talk. And out of us all Axl is the most...refined I guess you could say. Axl hadn't been raised by the streets like the rest of us. Axl had manners. He knew how to make people swoon just by using that voice.

And my little Curly Sue...come on do I need to go there? His innocence and curiousity is what does it for me. And he seems so fucking eager to please. I can't wait to let him please me either.

"So you sure you have all this shit lined out in Seattle, right?" Axl asks me breaking my train of thought.

Slash

Great. I'm stuck here with a raging boner. I bet these bastards are doing this shit just to fuck with me. I glance over at Izzy who sits next to me with his legs sprawled apart. The leather pants he's wearing accentuate every contour of his package; and it's not even a bad sight limp.

Then my eyes meet with his. Fuck! He saw me looking. He gives me a sideways smirk and drags from his cigarette. He leans in closer to me and whispers. "It's cool to look kid, just don't let Fireball up there catch you touching."

I turn beet red. "I...I wasn't looking...I..."

He raises an eyebrow at me and exhales with a shrug, "If you say so kid."

Fuck I'm so embarrassed now. I quickly come up with something to say. "So you two been together long?"

Izzy shrugs looking back out the window. "Always."

"Oh you two are like childhood sweethearts or something?"

Izzy smirks and exhales, "Yeah, or something like that."

Somehow I get the feeling Izzy isn't much of a talker. But then, maybe he just doesn't fucking like me. Maybe it's because I threaten him with my playing? Izzy's style of playing is just like him, laid back and cool. He knows how to make you bob your head to a catchy little riff and the shit sticks with you. Me? I like to make my guitar sing the words just like the singer. And I'm a perfectionist. Izzy's a one take kind of guy. But then his loose style really works. There's no need for him to do the shit over and over because he never plays the same song the same way twice in a row. I mean yeah it's the same song, but he always changes up little things.

I had tried to play with a second guitarist once before but I just drowned the dude out. But Izzy just knew how to work right around me so it didn't sound like he was being drowned out. He would simply play a note above or below me. It worked. And Izzy's the first guitarist I've ever played with that can play the same parts as me when we really want to power the fuck out of a hook.

"So how long have you been playing?" I ask.

His eyes lazily drift over to me with a plume of smoke following him. "Four or five years."

That was pretty good. I'd been playing like six years myself. Thank god Stevie was more interested in his drums than his guitar which he eventually gave to me.

"You don't talk much do you?" I ask him.

A small smile dawns one corner of his mouth. "Just when there's a need to. You know kid, you don't always have to be talking to say something. Kinda like your little moment with my pants," he slightly huffs and drags from his cigarette again. "Trust me kid, you said a thousand words with a simple look."

Oh shit this motherfucker has an actual brain I think. All of the sudden it feels like he's my parents and there's nott shit I'll ever be able to pull over on him. No, this guy is very fucking observant; I bet not a goddamn thing gets by him. But he doesn't seem to be the type to ever say shit about shit, unlike his very opinionated sexy boyfriend.

Duff

"Fuck!" I shout as black smoke boils from the engine and clouds the window so that seeing is fucking impossible.

"What the hell did you do to the car fucker?!" Axl shouts at me.

"I didn't do shit!" I snap.

"Can you see, maybe you should pull over," Slash says gripping the back of my seat.

So I get onto the grass and Axl rushes out shooing away smoke as I lift the hood. Slash and Steven are helping Axl shoo away the smoke.

I hear a lighter striking behind us. "can you spin the fan?" Izzy calmly asks cupping his hands around his lighter blocking the wind.

I reach in and try to spin the blade on the fan but it won't move. "No, it's stuck," I say.

Izzy takes a deep drag squinting his eyes at the sun, "Engine locked up."

"Well how do we unlock it?" Slash asks.

Izzy lightly chuckles, "You can't. The shit is blown up. No bueno."

"This is fucking great!" Axl shouts, "What the fuck are we supposed to do now?!"

Izzy draws from his cigarette again with that damn calmness. "Math wasn't my strong suit, but collectively I'd say we have 12 thumbs so we may as well use them."

"Izz who the fuck in their right mind is gonna pick up six dudes in leather and long fucking hair?" Axl asks.

Izzy just shrugs and looks down the highway.