Book 1: You Could Be Mine (Izzy Stradlin FanFic)

Ch. 25: Coming Clean

I sat across from the band, perched on the dining room table, bundled up in blankets while the guys sat on the couch, in various forms of physical distress.

Duff wasn't too banged up, but he had some cuts and bruises and his hair looked as though he had stuck his finger in an outlet. Steven was nursing his injured cheek with a bag of frozen peas, wincing at the mixture of the pain and the feeling of the cold bag against his skin. Slash was leaning forward, a cigarette hanging lamely from his lips. He looked hungover. I assumed he had the beginning stages of a black eye seeing as he had put on his sunglasses. Axl was leaning back, his head resting on the couch and his face aimed towards the window behind him. I couldn't catch a glance at his face, but his shirt was completely shredded from him being grabbed and thrown around. All of them had a fine coat of powder on their clothes and in their hair. Izzy was the only one who wasn't harmed.

Doug was pacing madly. "Do you realize what this means? If I have to cancel your tour over some stupid girl and Nikki's sex drive, I'm going to stroke out right here."

"Hey, it's not her fault," Izzy said.

I felt a pang of guilt because I knew that that was a total lie. This whole thing had been my fault. If I hadn't been so worried about getting back at Jasey and making Izzy notice me, none of this would have happened. Why was it so hard to just tell a guy I liked him?

I looked back at the band and frowned. They were all hurting. They put themselves up against one of the rowdiest bands in music history just for me. They fought to defend me when the only reason I'd been in that situation was because of my own stupidity. They truly were my friends.

"Now we need to go kiss and make up before this tour comes to a screeching halt," Doug said.

"But he was trying to hurt her!" Steven yelled.

"But the show must go on," Axl chimed in. "We can't just give up on the tour."

"We don't have to be friends with them," Slash added. "We just have to open for them."

"I don't want to help them make money after this," Duff growled.

Suddenly, now I had Guns N Roses arguing amongst each other over me. They were yelling and shouting at each other. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop!" I screamed over them.

They all closed their mouths and turned to me, looking either confused or scared. I shifted uncomfortably where I sat and sighed. This was it. I had to come clean.

"Look, you guys, I appreciate you wanting to help me and all but..." I took a breath and continued on. "It's all my fault."

"What?" Duff demanded. "Abby, how can you even say that?"

I was suddenly very much aware of Jasey watching me carefully from the front of the bus. I cringed and continued.

"I asked Nikki to hook up with me."

"You bitch!" Jasey's face contorted with fury and I could see her fists trembling with rage.

"But, I told him I didn't want to anymore and he tried to anyway."

"Why the hell would you do that?" Izzy looked furious. "Why would you put yourself in that situation?"

I locked eyes with Duff. He had a sad smile on his face that basically said "This is it, Abby. It's all over now". I knew he was right.

"Jasey had sex with you and Slash. You promised me Izzy. You said she wouldn't end up with you during this tour."

"I was high!" He said. "I do stupid shit when I'm high."

I nodded. "I know. But that's the thing. You were high, and you were fucking my best friend. I wanted you to notice me the way you noticed her."

He looked hurt. "I noticed you, Abby. Surely, you saw that."

I shrugged. "It doesn't even matter now. I fucked up. I'm sorry Jasey. I wanted to get back at you for what you did with Izzy."

Jasey stormed up to me and slapped my cheek. "You knew how I felt. You don't even listen to Mötley Crüe."

I cupped my cheek in pain and winced under my own touch. Jasey turned on her heel and stormed out of the bus. I felt tears stinging my eyes and I looked to Izzy for comfort, but he seemed cold.

"That was so stupid of you, Abby," he muttered. "What if Steven hadn't shown up? Hm? What would you have done?"

I sniffled. "I don't know. I...I'm sorry!"

He shook his head and turned away from me. I began to sob.

"You do stupid shit too!" I accused. He whipped around to face me.

"Like what?"

"Fucking drugs. You never told me you sold or that you used or anything like that."

"Drugs are different. They aren't going to rape me."

"Drugs can fucking kill you!" I cried out, jabbing a finger at each one of them. "Everyone In this bus can die of drugs! And I promise you that you will if you don't stop!"

Izzy stared down at me coldly. He showed me no sign that he agreed with anything I had just said.

"Let's go," he said, motioning to the rest of the group. "We have to have a meeting with Mötley Crüe so we can fix this shit."

I watched through tears as he stepped towards the door. "Izzy?"

He didn't even flinch. I watched as he disappeared through the door and out of sight.