19: "Otherside"
Anthony reached for the door. It swung open and
smacked him in the head. He stumbled back. Then tripped over a box. He fell
backward with an "Oof!"
The figure at the door gasped. CLICK! Lights
flooded the room.
"Anthony!" Britney exclaimed. She dropped to her knees
and put a hand behind the wincing Chili Pepper's head. "Oh! I am so sorry! I
thought you were asleep!"
Scowling, Anthony opened his eyes. His face
softened as he gazed into Britney's worry-struck stare. "It's okay, baby," he
assured her in a hushed tone. She helped him to his feet.
"We need to
get you some ice!" she insisted, eyes wide and glossy.
"No, it's okay."
"But honey, your head!" she cried, embracing him. She led him out of the
room, to a chair just outside the door. Chatter filled the backstage area,
emanating from the audience beyond. Anthony could barely hear Britney say,
"Here! Sit down and I'll go get it."
Anthony eased himself into the
chair. He ran his fingers over his left temple, over a swelling bump. He winced
again. "Okay, baby."
She kissed him and took off in a clunky jog. As she
drew further away from him, Anthony's eyes widened.
"Sh**!" he
exclaimed, and got to his feet. He soared across the backstage, maneuvering
around equipment boxes, amps, and instruments. His foot caught on an electric
blue Ibanez. He cried out as he hit the floor.
"F***!" he exclaimed. He
threw the guitar clear across the stage, and picked himself off the floor. His
left ankle throbbed. It gave out beneath him, and he fell again.
"Damn
it!"
Clawing a box, Anthony got to his feet. He panted, his breath
catching in his throat. He coughed. Leaning on boxes along the way, Anthony
hopped across the stage on his good foot. As he neared the other side of the
stage, he spotted Dave, talking to an individual obstructed by an amplifier.
Anthony stared at the <i>Constance</i> tattoo across Dave's lower
back as the guitarist spoke.
"He came in here saying he's from an
alternate reality." Dave scratched his head. "He was out of his mind. I didn't
know what to do, so I just played along."
Anthony lowered his head and
heaved a sigh.
"Do you know where he is now?" a voice from behind the
amp asked. A gruff voice. An all too familiar voice...
Lou.
Anthony gulped, and ducked behind the box. He peered over it.
Dave rested his hands on his hips. "Yeah, he went to take a nap. He's in
a room backstage."
Footsteps. Dave plodded past him, arms swinging at
his sides. Marching at the guitarist's heels, Lou sported a sneer.
"You're going to get him into rehab, right?" Dave asked. "You know he
needs help."
Lou snorted. "We'll take care of him," he muttered.
As they walked toward the room, Anthony eased himself to his feet. With
pained steps, he limped toward the edge of the stage. He heard a door creak open
behind him.
"Anthony?" Dave's voice followed. "He's not in here."
Anthony glanced over his shoulder in time to see Dave close the door.
"Damn it!" Lou snarled. "Then where is he?"
Anthony watched as
Dave shrugged and slapped his arms to his sides. He continued to drag himself
along, away from them. His injured foot caught on something hard. And he crashed
to the floor. He glanced at the snare, at that same damn electric blue Ibanez.
Then looked up.
Lou grabbed his collar and flipped him onto his back.
"What the hell is your problem, Kiedis?" Lou spat the words in Anthony's
face. "Damn you!"
Anthony shook beneath Lou's grasp, beneath his glare.
The bulky man tightened his grip on the Chili Pepper's collar.
"We had
to cancel tonight's show because of you! How dare you, you selfish, worthless
piece of sh**!"
"Lou, I..."
Lou raised Anthony by the collar and
slammed the singer's head into the floor. Anthony's head spun. "Shut the hell
up, Kiedis! Look, I am tired of this!" In a guttural hiss, he added, "Frusciante
got off easy. But you're going to pay."
"Hey!"
Lou turned
around. Anthony's eyes clouded as he looked past Lou, at Dave's narrow glare.
"I'm calling security if you don't get the f*** off him right now!"
Releasing Anthony's collar, Lou stood up straight. The singer's eyelids
fluttered, then opened. He focused his failing vision on the two staring one
another down to his left.
"You say something, punk?" Lou snarled.
Anthony rolled onto his stomach. With every ounce of strength in his
frame, he pushed off his arms and climbed a box to get to his feet.
"I
think it's time you left, old man," Dave growled back. Thunder rolled outside,
close by to be audible over the buzzing crowds awaiting Dave to step onstage.
Anthony limped toward the edge of the stage. And eased himself off it.
SLAP!
He whirled around. Dave doubled over and crumpled to the
floor. Equipment boxes hid his form. Lou slowly turned to the Chili Pepper. And
sneered.
Wide eyed, Anthony dragged himself away from the stage, into
the crowds huddled around it.
"Hey!" he heard a feminine voice exclaim.
"Isn't that Anthony Kiedis?"
"Sell out!" another exclaimed.
"Let's get him!"
Gasping, Anthony pushed for the door. The
crowds enveloped him. Hands clawed at his body, and he pushed them away from
him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Lou wading through the mass of bodies,
closing in on him. Anthony broke from the grabbing hands and clamored toward the
back of the building. He dare not look over his shoulder.
His forearms
slapped into the back door, and it flew open. Thunder erupted over head, rain
pelting the ground around him. It washed over him, speckling his suit. He hopped
and limped into the alley, the mob roaring over his shoulder. He sank to his
knees.
"I wish," he cried into the night, staring into the stars with
arms open and raised to the skies. "I wish everything were like it was, before I
ever wished."
Thunder rumbled.
"There he is!' someone over his
shoulder exclaimed.
"TAKE IT BACK, AQUARIUS!" Anthony shouted.
A
star overhead grew and intensified. It shot from the sky. Slamming into his
body, it tossed him to the pavement. Anthony jolted and spasmed, his breath
catching in his throat. Steam rose from his flesh. And he passed
out.