Mike spent the next week griping to Jade and Chester, who oddly seemed to support Mike's choice, about vBrad. Brad had ben his best friend since he was in high school. Chester knew how badly it had to hurt him. But Brad wasn't changing his stand point. He believed, for only Heaven knows why, that Mike was betraying Anna. So, Mike avoided him as much as possible. All of their tour dates had been cancelled. Sadly, that meant that Jade, who Mike was now managing, would have a career that suffered as well. Chester had confided in Jade, out of ear-shot of Mike, of course, that Brad been acting weird, manic even. He had bouts of anger that escalated so badly that Chester had to stop him from punching out a window. It was ridiculous, but the news of this started to make Jade nervous. She hoped like Hell that Brad wouldn't hurt himself...or Mike. Regardless ig her feelings, however, she kept her mouth shit and worked hard with Mike and Chester on a touring schedule for herself. It was on one of those nights of work that she found herself sitting on Mike's couch. Chester was sitting next to her, sipping a Diet Pepsi, snoring at any kind of stupid idea that Mike proposed.
"Chester, why don't you fucking make the schedule then!" Mike snapped. Chester laughed.
"Sorry," he muttered. Chester sighed and stretched his arms far above his head. He looked at them.
"I'll be back," he murmured, "I have to take a piss." He stood up and walked to Mike's bathroom. There was a knock at the door. Mike groaned and got up to answer it. He opened the tall oak door to see a man with a dark bush of hair on top of his head, blowing aside by the cool December breeze. Mike stared at him.
"What do you want Brad?" he bit at him. Brad sighed.
"Can I come in?" he asked. Mike stared blankly at him for a few moments. He sighed.
"Sure," he muttered and turned to walk back into the living room, leaving Brad to close the door. Brad followed him into the iving room. He watched him sit down next to Jade.
"Evening Jade," he murmured. She looked up from the paper she was writing on.
"Hi Brad," she said, looking at him oddly. He sighed.
"Mike, I..." he paused for a moment. He turned around to face his back to them, like he was embarrassed. "I wanted to apologize, Mike," he said quietly. Jade looked over at Mike. He looked oddly taken aback.
"It's oka, man," Mike sighed, "We were both stupid." Brad stopped him.
"No, Mike," Brad muttered. "I wanted to apologize for what I'm about to do." He turned around and Jade gasped. He was pointing a hand gun at the two of them. Mike stared at him.
"Brad, w-wha--" he was cut off.
"It's her fault, Mike," Brad butted in, "She broke up our fucking band." Mike swallowed hard.
"Don't blame that on her, Brad," Mike sighed, his eyes wide, "It's not her fault." Brad laughed manically.
"Bullshit, Mike," he spat, "We've never had any problems 'til she came along." Mike stared at him, almost angrilly.
"This was my JOB, Mike," Brad yelled, "This is what I did! I don't know how to do anything else!" He was starting to shake. Jade was getting nervous.
"So, forgive me," Brad mumbled, pointing the gun point blank at Jade, but before anything could happen, something caught Brad in the back and he fell, smashing the glass coffee table in front of him. The gun in his hand exploded out the end. The bullet flew across the room and grazed the side of Mike's arm. He screamed out in pain. Jade saw Chester lift his head.
"Run, you guys," he bellowed. Mike threw his head back, growling in pain, kicking his legs, slapping his palm over the wound flowing blood in his arm. "Fucking run!" Chester screamed. Brad shoved Chester off of him. Jade grabbed Mike's hand and jerked him upward, he followed her painfully out the front door. Brad looked at Chester.
