Far Beyond Broken

March 6, 1987. Friday

Phil was right, our album sold out.
Even though only a few hundred copies were made and being sold at stores, they were all gone.
Two music shops in Arlington and one in Fort Worth were selling our albums.
The boys albums never sold as good as ours was.
People were calling me left and right talking about how good we sounded.
I had a feeling that a large amount of new people would be coming to our shows.
I parked the car behind the club and walked in the back entrance.
I could hear arguing from up the hall.
The girls and I rushed into a room to see Phil and Darrell yelling at each other.
“A band isn't shit without a guitarist!”
“Shut up man, this thing isn't a one person operation, it takes all of us,” Phil spat out.
“Don't tell me to shut up. This is my band I can have you replaced in a heartbeat.”
“Fine then. I'm out.”
With that being said Phil turned and walked out the backdoor.
I quickly scanned the room.
Vinnie and Rex were obviously shaken.
Darrell was red in the face.
The girls were just as confused as me.
Instinctively, I ran out the back to find Phil. No one followed me.
I stood outside searching for Phil. I walked further behind the building and found him sitting on the ground.
“Hey,” I sat next to him, “what happened in there?”
“Darrell kept accusin' me of trying to take control. He acts like he's the only one in that band that knows how to do somethin'. I'm tired of that bullshit.”
“He's protective over things that mean a lot to him. Both of you have big ego's, you'll just have work through those problems.”
“There's nothing to work on. I'm done Katie.”
“Aw, come on. Don't say that. You just got to Texas, you can't leave yet.”
Phil didn't respond to my comment.
Only then did it hit me that I ran out on Darrell and the rest of my friends. Darrell was the first person that I met when I moved here and I left him. I didn't ask what had happened or if he was good. I just left.
I left my friend of three years for a boy I have known for a number of weeks.
“Don't make your mind up when you're mad Phil. It never ends well.”
He nodded, “Can you give me a ride home? I rode over with the guys and I'm not bout to ask for a ride back.”
“Yeah, I can do that. I think I handed Mad the keys, let me go see.”
That was a lie, I needed an excuse to see the others.
Darrell had sat down next to the guys while Mad and Vic questioned them.
“Hey.”
The girls looked at me, “Is everything good?”
“What the fuck do you think Katie, my singer just walked off!?”
Vinnie gave Darrell a hard punch in the arm. “Don't talk to her like that.”
“Sorry, you know I didn't mean anything bad.”
“I know, are y'all still gonna go on?”
“I guess, I can just sing or something,” Darrell replied.
“Alright, well I'm gonna give Phil a ride home.”
“Katie, wait,” Vinnie called out.
I turned and looked at him as if asking a question.
“Mad or Vic can give em' a ride, you could sing for us, right?”
“Probably. Is that what you want me to do?”
“I'm sure people would rather hear your voice than his. Plus, you're a chick.”
I let out a soft chuckle, “Okay.”
I tossed the keys to Vic.
“I guess we should get out there then,” I stated.