Under Her Skin (7 page)

"Hey." Rachel answered a little coldly.

"Listen, I'm sorry about last night. I don't really know why I got so upset with you for hanging out with Tobias." Marlo sat at the edge of the bed. She felt bad that their friendship was going to be ruined over something like this. She knew that the visit had started out with really good intentions, only to end in a bust.

"It's pretty obvious to me that you have feelings for him." Rachel said in a huff.

"Whatever, I don't have feelings for that arrogant ass!" Marlo rolled her eyes. After what Rachel had said sunk in, Marlo had a question. "Wait a minute, if you thought I had feelings for him, then why did you go after him?"

Rachel sighed. "I wanted to get laid, and at the time, he seemed like a sure thing." She didn't sound as though she had a bit of remorse for what had happened.

"Sammy was a sure thing! AJ was a sure thing! I'm sure there were tons of guys at the club that were sure things. Why did you have to go for the one person you thought I liked?" Marlo was pissed. She watched as Rachel said nothing, just shook her head as she kept packing. "You know, there's a time in life when you need to grow up. Something like this would have passedin college, but we aren't in college anymore. And I guess we aren't friends anymore either. A true friend never would have done that to begin with." Marlo got up from the bed and walked to the door. She put her hand on the handle, and paused before turning it. "We had some great times, and I refuse to let my memories of those times be tainted by what you pulled last night. I hope someday you grow up, but until then, I think it's best if we cut all ties. I'm sure you can see yourself out."

Rachel didn't look up the whole time that Marlo was talking. She kept her head down, and kept packing. It wasn't until Marlo had left the room that Rachel stopped what she was doing and looked at the door that her former best friend had just left through. She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to get Marlo's words out of her head. Though she knew Marlo was right, she didn't want to think about it. It wasn't the first time she had heard someone say something like that to her, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last either. Rachel finished packing and left as fast as she could. The whole visit had been one giant mistake.

Marlo had sought refuge in Sammy and AJ's room, far enough away from Rachel that she wouldn't have to look at her, but close enough that she could hear her leaving. She laid on Sammy's bed with her head tipped back over the edge, looking to the table where AJ and Sammy sat. They were talking about the concert they'd be performing that night, and where their next destination was going to be.

The phone rang suddenly, startling Marlo since it was right next to her head. Sammy dove across AJ's bed to grab the phone before Marlo could, then shot her a sheepish look when she gave him a questioning glare.

The phone conversation was short and Sammy barely got one word in. When he hung up, he let Marlo and AJ in on what was said. "That was Pete. We need to meet in his room in five minutes."

Marlo laughed. "You got summonsed to the manager's room like you'd get called to the principal's office." She rolled on the bed laughing, and Sammy got up from AJ's bed and jumped on her.

"Laugh all you want because you need to be there too, funny girl." He taunted.

Marlo stopped laughing immediately. "Is it good or bad?"

"You never know with Pete." He shrugged his shoulders. "We better go, he hates it when we're late." Sammy stood, offering his hand to Marlo to help her up. She took it, and when she was back on her feet, the three of them headed to the floor below them to meet with the band's manager.

Tobias and Dusty were already waiting for them when they got to Pete's room. Everyone wore a blank face, so it was hard to gauge whether they were in trouble or not.

"Good, everyone's here." Pete said, closing the door. "I have some news for everyone, some may think it's bad, some may think it's good." He started. "I just got a very interesting call. A producer from the MTV Music Awards called and it seems like one of the bands in the Best New Artist category has gotten themselves into quite a bit of trouble, so much trouble that they need to remove them from the nomination. They would like to put you guys in there place. It seems the makeshift video we put out has caused quite a stir with the audience. Bad for the suckers who couldn't stay out of trouble, good for you guys."

"No way! That video was shit. All it shows are clips from our past concerts. How can anyone really even call that a video when most of these artists spend serious bucks on their videos?" AJ voiced.

"Well, your popularity is growing faster than we'd imagined. All the rest of the shows we have you booked to play are sold out now. It seems like you guys are better received than any of us had predicted." Kevin, the publicist told them. "That makes the format of the video irrelevant at this point. The fans have spoken and they really like you. To MTV, that's really all that matters. Besides, when you guys play, you're captivating and people can't help but watch and enjoy what they're seeing and hearing."

"So, essentially in two weeks you will be in Miami at the Video Music Awards." Pete told them. "This is a really big break for you. Even though you have a growing fan base, we still need this kind of publicity to really launch you guys even further into the mainstream. That means you will be on your best behavior and you won't cause any problems." Pete warned and looked at Tobias.

"Hey! Why're you looking at me?" Tobias asked, offended. "I always behave."

"Listen Tobias, we know you're a 'playboy', and that's the image that you want to portray, but do you think you could keep it clean for one night? It's great if you have a date, but there are certain behaviors that don't belong at the awards ceremony." Pete explained.

"I get it, keep it PG-13." Tobias said. He thought for a moment. "Wait, do I know anyone PG-13?"

"Can we all bring dates?" Dusty asked, unable to hide the smile spreading across his face. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening for them.

"Yeah, I'd actually recommend it. It'll give you guys more of a sexy, untouchable vibe, which will drive the women crazy." Kevin said. "Besides, you guys are going to be nervous as hell, and a lady by your side might just help to calm you down."

"Hey Tob, not only does she have to be PG-13, but she also has to be a lady. You're in big trouble now!" AJ teased, knowing the type of girls that Tobias usually went for. Neither of those things described the girls that he was constantly surrounded by.

"Not a problem. I can just take my pick." Tobias answered, the smile not faltering for a minute. He was confident that he would find the perfect date. He even had someone in mind already.

It seemed as though Pete's little meeting was coming to an end, so the guys were finally able to show their excitement. They were laughing and passing out man hugs to each other, while Marlo sat a little to the side.

"I'm so proud of you guys, you're going to have a great time there." Marlo smiled as she was pulled into a giant bear hug from her brother. "I can't believe I'm going to get to watch my big brother on MTV at an awards ceremony."

"Wait, you're not going?" AJ asked.

Pete froze for a moment as the room got quiet. He hadn't even thought about Marlo. "Sorry guys. They only offered tickets to the band and their dates. Kevin and I aren't even going."

"It's ok guys!" Marlo put on a brave face. "You're going to have a great time. I don't need to be there to be able to share the joy of your success."

"It won't be the same without you kiddo." Dusty told her, ruffling her hair.

"You'll get over it. Trust me." Marlo told him with a smile.

She backed away from Dusty, allowing him to get back to his band mates and finish their celebration. She quietly slipped out of the room without anyone noticing and went back to her empty room. It wasn't that she wasn't happy for the guys, but for the first time, she felt like she was just a hanger-on, someone who didn't really belong but was tagging along anyways.

----

Over the next few days, the band was on a high. Their concerts were all dead on, and they were getting a lot more publicity since the nomination for Best New Artist had been made public. Marlo started to distance herself from the group, even from her brother. She spent a lot of time with Pete and Kevin, which led to spending time with Pierce. They were rebuilding their friendship slowly, and Pierce was working really hard to gain her trust again in the time that he had left with the band His assignment had been extended for a little while longer, from writing a simple piece to writing a weekly diary about the trials and tribulations of an up and coming new band.

Everyone noticed Marlo slowly shrinking into the background, but it never seemed like there was a right time to confront her about it. Their appearances throughout the days before the shows kept them constantly on the go, then after the shows, they were all too busy partying to have a serious conversation.

One morning, Marlo returned to the band bus after spending the night on the manager's bus to find Tobias waiting for her. The other guys were still asleep, and Tobias looked like he was going to fall asleep at any moment.

"Finally." Tobias said when he saw her. He sat up on the couch and patted the seat next to him letting Marlo know that he wanted her to sit next to him.

Marlo slowly went to the couch and sat down sideways at the far end, bringing her feet up on the couch, sitting so that she was facing Tobias. "What's up?"

"You haven't been around lately." He said, making her aware that it was obvious to the rest of them. "I've been wanting to talk to you."

Marlo nodded her head. They hadn't really said anything since that morning at breakfast when he had told her nothing happened between him and Rachel. She wasn't sure she was ready for this talk, no matter what it was, but she had no idea what he had wanted to say.

"This thing with the music awards, I was kind of wondering if you'd be my date." He asked nervously.

Marlo looked stunned. Whatever ideas about the unavoidable conversation she had in her head were so far off base, and she was in no way prepared for the words that came out of his mouth. She wanted to be smart and hit him with a zinger, but there wasn't a single thing that came to her head. "Huh?" Was the only thing she could think of.

"Well, you're pretty classy, and they don't want me making a fool of the band's name. So I figured you'd do pretty well to keep me out of trouble." Tobias told her.

Well, at least he's honest. She wasn't sure whether she should be offended or not. "I don't know how well it would go if we went together. We'd just end up fighting the whole night. Besides, I thought you had a stable of women that you could pick from."

Tobias smiled. "Yeah, that's true, I do have a bunch of women to choose from." His eyes glazed over as if he was lost in thought. He was mentally flipping through the women he'd been with lately. Sure, they were pretty hot, but he couldn't think of a single one that he would be proud to be walking next to. All they were good for was one thing, and it wasn't to be on his arm in public, and especially not on television.

Marlo snapped her fingers in front of Tobias' face. "If you have so many to choose from, then why me?"

"Because I can't see bringing any other woman." Marlo thought for a brief moment she saw some sort of spark in his eye when he said that, but it was gone in an instant. When he realized what he said, he immediately fumbled with his words. "All they would want is to be in the spotlight. This is my night, not theirs. I need someone who will let me bask in the limelight without trying to steal my thunder."

"Well, I'm not so sure…"

"Please?" Was all he asked.

Marlo sighed. She really wanted to be with them that night, but she didn't want to go out of their pity. "Are you sure you aren't asking me just because you feel bad that I can't go?" She asked. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she laughed. This was Tobias she was talking to, a guy who didn't do anything nice out of pity. If it had been AJ or Sammy to ask her, even her brother, then she would know it was a 'pity date'. But she knew better coming from Tobias. "Fine, I'll go."

"Cool." He said and stood up. "I'm going back to bed now." Tobias walked back to the bunk area, and stopped just before he got to the hallway. He turned around slowly, looking back to where Marlo was sitting. "Thanks." He said softly and disappeared into the bunks.

Marlo smiled for the first time in days. She told herself she was only excited because she was getting to go to the music awards, not because she was going with Tobias. But what were her true feelings?

*****

The night of the awards ceremony, Marlo rushed around her hotel room. She only had another 15 minutes before they had to leave for the show, and she wasn't nearly ready. She was trying to put the finishing touches on her hair, but there were a few pieces that just wouldn't cooperate. Her hands were shaking so much that she could barely hold the bottle of hair spray while pumping the nozzle at the same time.

She gave up on fixing those few pieces of hair, and instead grabbed her scissors and cut the offending hairs to make them lay in the right place. She looked in the mirror, finally satisfied with how her hair looked.

Hair and make-up down, only dressing to go. Five minutes and counting. She pulled the first pair of thigh high stockings out of the package, and while pulling them up, she put her index finger clear through the nylon material, causing a big hole.

Cursing, she pulled out her back up pair. Good thing she had thought ahead. Very carefully, she pulled them up her legs, straightening the seam in the back as she went. She clipped the stockings to her garters, then pulled on her layered chiffon skirt. Next was her matching layered chiffon tank.

She fastened her necklace and put her earrings in. She slipped her shoes onto her feet, and walked to the full length mirror. She did her little spin, loving the way each layer of chiffon twirled out around her. Marlo checked the clock and was thankful that Tobias was a few minutes late.