La Pantera

Ch. 21 In My Feelings

Song for Chapter: Uncomfortable by Chase Atlantic

Matt and Stevie stayed in their position of hugging one another for a good while. Stevie sniffled , making Matt wonder what was causing her distress. "Steve...Steve.", he gently spoke. "What's makin' ya upset?....Did I do somethin'?", he asked with worry. "No.", she gulped. "It's a...it's a long story. I just can't be intimate with a man right now." She kept it short, not wanting to reveal all that had happened. She could still remember that one night in the alley, a large looming man and his evil callused hands. "Okay....you can tell me anything you know. I keep secrets.". Matt assured her. "I'll tell you one day..just not now.". Stevie looked in his eyes , her own watering gently. Matt's heart broke seeing Stevie like this. He figured it was hard for her to cry in front of people, so he refrained from joking around to make the mood better. She needed somebody to be her rock and that was what he was going to do. "Alright...I'll always be here for you to do that.". Matt whispered in her ear, his arms holding her close. Stevie simply nodded her head, sniffling and quietly crying for awhile.

Stevie left after a bit, leaving Matt to himself. He ran a hand through his hair frustratedly. Why'd you have to go and kiss her you idiot?! , he yelled to himself. They were supposed to be just friends, and now he let his impulsiveness ruin everything. "Shit!", he cursed and threw a bottle of wine at the wall. The glass shattered and broke, the blood red liquid dripping down the wall slowly. "I must've done something.", he muttered. He grit his teeth and sat on the couch , watching the television. His mind then began to wonder about the comments she made about Diane. Had she been fucking with him? Were there other intentions romantically perhaps? He chuckled at the thought of those two near one another. Both women were strong , hard-headed, and hard working. They also looked strangely similar to him , in his opinion anyway. He shrugged the last thought off , watching a late night show to help himself doze off to bed.

Stevie unlocked her new house she had bought in California, slamming the door and openly crying as she kicked her shoes off. "Stupid bitch!", she yelled at herself. She slammed her jacket on the ground , sinking to her knees as she sobbed. "Why did I do that?! Why do I ruin everything?!", she wailed. Her mascara ran down her cheeks, painting them black. She scratched her arm with her nails viciously, breathing heavily to catch her breath. Intimacy had always been hard for her , but after that one night, it was mission impossible getting down and dirty with a man. Why do I feel guilty?! I shouldn't feel like this! , her mind yelled. Red welts appeared on her arm from scratching, bringing her back to Earth as they began to sting. "Shit!", she cursed, standing up. She ran a hand through her hair, sniffling sadly as she walked to her couch. She sat down dejectedly, crying as she stared at her bare feet. "He's never gonna wanna be my friend now.". Her voice croaked. Her eyes watered, a single teardrop running down her face before softly hitting the floor.

The next morning, Stevie left to go do a radio interview. She wore leather pants, combat boots, and a button down shirt tucked into her pants, the top unbuttoned to reveal a bit of her upper chest. She walked inside the studio, hand in her pocket. Let's just get this over with , she thought to herself, still upset from last night. She was soon seated in a chair, wearing the headphones that they usually handed out in these settings. "And on our station...is the wonderful Stevie Costa!", the radio host cheered. "Thank ya for havin' me Andy.", she smiled softly. "We got many things to discuss.", Andy cracked his knuckles for effect while grinning. "Oh boy.", Stevie smiled as best as she could, but her eyes showed she was ready to have her guard up. "First topic of discussion, I hear you're doing another movie.", Andy stated. "Yeah, yeah I am! It's uh-called Footloose.", Stevie lit up at the topic of her movie. "Would you like to tell us what it's about?", the other host Drake asked. "It's about this boy who moves to a shitty small town in Texas-.", she began. "Woah woah, before you continue please refrain from swearing.", Drake laughed. "Why's it a big deal? Other people do it.", Stevie looked annoyed from being interrupted. "It's just not classy for a lady-.", Drake began but Stevie now interrupted. "Drake...I'm the guest on your show. Treat me with respect, or I'll leave.", she growled , glaring at him. "Woah woah, calm down little Panther.", Andy laughed . "You can continue.", he said, not wanting her to give them a bad review. "As I was saying...he moves to the shitty town where dancing is forbidden and he fights to bring it back.", Stevie smiled .

A few more questions were asked , but one caught Stevie's attention. "Madonna mentioned you in an interview. She said you're just a sheep in wolf's clothing , and that you're just a girl pretending to be bad and hard.", Andy mentioned. Stevie clenched her fist in anger, her eyes sparkling with rage. "Did she?", her voice eerily asked. "Yes, what do you say in response?", Drake was eager to hear the teenager's response. "I'll say this ......it's real funny how threatened she is by a teenager , and she's 25 tryin' to be the high school slut again. Madonna, if you're listenin' you'll never know what it's like to be hard until you've been homeless. Until you've worried about when your next meal is gonna come. Next time, watch your mouth.", Stevie snarled in the microphone. Drake and Andy cheered in excitement as Stevie leaned back in her chair with a cocky smirk. "Any more questions?", she purred. "No we're done.", Andy laughed.

While walking down the street to get coffee, Stevie saw Matt in a McDonald's , talking to a dark haired girl. She cocked her brow, her eyes going into slits as she crossed the street to get a better look. She noticed it was none other than his old flame Diane Lane. "And he says he's over her...", she chuckled to herself. So why'd he kiss you then? , Stevie thought to herself. Growing furious, she growled in her throat as she walked away, putting on her sunglasses and ignoring people who recognized her. She felt played and used. Should've fuckin' known better , she cursed to herself. A group of paparazzis swarmed her out of nowhere, asking her for pictures and many questions she couldn't answer. "Move! Get the fuck out of my way!", she yelled. Growing distressed, she finally snapped and punched the one in front of her, the fat man falling to the ground in shock. The opening allowed her to break through and run like hell, her long legs taking her to freedom. She ran through many backstreets before coming to another main road and growing worried. "Hey kid, you need help?!", a voice called. She noticed it was none other than David Lee Roth, the lead singer of Van Halen. "Yeah! Let me in your car!", she yelled. "Alright, I saw the paps chasing you.", David laughed , letting her in the passenger side of his Corvette. She rolled the window up and allowed David to take her to temporary Heaven.