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Loud, obnoxious, and rude. Those three words seemed to appear in every article, every interview, and every TV spot she was featured in, and for good reason, too. It wasn't the first time their bands were on the same bill together, and since both their bands were booked for Lollapalooza they'd be seeing a whole lot more of each other in the future.
Jerry just tried to avoid her altogether. Her name was Violet...just Violet. She was like the Tasmanian Devil destroying everything in her path. He hated to be mean about it, but it always seemed where ever she was there'd be trouble and it couldn't just be a coincidence.
He had been talking to Layne when he heard her distinctive holler. He and Layne were walking around the festival grounds. They were gonna try and blend in with the crowd so they could check out some of the other bands playing when suddenly her ferocious roar distracted them both. Layne must've slipped away into the crowd, but Jerry stood frozen. It was like a train wreck and he couldn't look away.
"You just don't fucking listen to me. I know what I'm doing!" She screamed from beneath her mop of bleached blonde hair up at a tall, lean man with stringy jet black hair. Jerry recognized him as the lead guitarist from her band but he drew a blank on his name.
"Violet, nobody cares. Just go out there with your tits out like you usually do and scream your head off. But off stage, just shut the fuck up, okay? Nobody want to hear it," The dark hair guitarist said as condescension dripped in his voice.
"That's not what this is about!" Violet screamed back up at him, "Just play the fucking songs right!"
"Nobody cares about the fucking songs!" The guitarist retorted, stepping closer to her with his eyes bugged out, "Literally, nobody but you! Now stop being such a fucking bitch!"
"It's my fucking art!" She screamed back at him, "Those songs art part of my soul!"
"God, you are such a fucking cunt sometimes," The guitarist sneered back down at her, his arms crossed defiantly over his chest.
Jerry stared in disbelief. Maybe she was loud, obnoxious, and rude, but certainly she didn't deserve that.
She drew back her fist. Jerry was sure she was going to deck the guitarist, and quite frankly he wouldn't have blamed her. Instead she turned and punched a post of the beer stand they were standing near before she ran off. Jerry had flinched when her fist connected with the post and the loud cracking noise it had made. That had to hurt. Jerry looked at the dark haired man for a moment who just rolled his eyes and turned away muttering, "Whatever."
"Whatever's right," Jerry grunted before he turned and walked in the direction he had seen Violet run in.
Of course he could have just walked off to go find Layne, he didn't owe this girl anything. Still, though, he couldn't help but be concerned. Not only did that punch sound painful, but those words probably hurt too. Sure, she had a tough exterior, but words can hurt even the toughest of people.
Jerry ambled down the grass past some tents before he found himself at the tall green fence that bordered the festival ground. He looked to his left and a few yards away he saw her sitting in the grass, hugging her knees to her as she hid her face. He recognized her distinctive mop of bleached blonde hair.
Jerry strode up to her and looked down. He took a breath before he asked, "Are you okay?"
She looked up angrily at him for a moment but her face softened upon meeting his gaze.
"Sorry. I thought you were Mike. Yeah...I'm okay," She said with a sigh before wiping at her face with her arm. Jerry squatted down next to her and saw that she had been crying.
"That punch looked pretty painful. Can I see?" Jerry asked her. She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously before she brought her other hand toward him. Jerry gave her a nod before he gently took her hand to look at it closely. It was already beginning to swell and bruise. "Can you move your fingers at all?"
"Yeah," She responded as she slowly wiggled her fingers around to show him, "It's not broken, but it does hurt like a motherfucker."
"Yeah," Jerry nodded, "I'm sure. Here...just wait her for a second, okay? I'll be right back."
She narrowed her eyes at him again, but this time with a look of confusion. She gave him a shrug before Jerry got up on his feet and walked back to the beer stand that she hand taken her anger out on. At the stand he bought a couple of beers and asked for some ice wrapped up in a bunch of paper towels. He was afraid she might blow him off and leave but saw she was still sitting where he had left her when he returned. She was leaned back up against the fence with her legs crossed and was now cradling her injured hand.
Jerry sat down next to her and handed her the wad of paper towels. The ice was already starting to soak though and melt, but it was the best he could do. The stand didn't have any plastic bags hand.
"That should help with the swelling," He then cracked open one of the beer cans and handed it to her, "And this should help take the sting off."
"Shit, I don't have enough hands," Violet laughed. She then brought her knees up and held the make-shift ice pack between them and rested her injured hand against it before taking the beer Jerry offered her and took a swig.
Jerry smiled before he cracked open his own beer and took a sip as well.
She eyed him from the corner of her eyes before she turned to him, "You're in Alice In Chains, aren't you?"
"Yeah," He responded with a nod, "I'm Jerry."
"Violet," She responded with a nod of her own, "I know we've played a bunch together before but we've never really met or been introduced."
"Yeah, it happens," Jerry nodded, "Touring and festivals get crazy so it's hard to keep shit straight and keep up with the formalities."
"Yeah," Violet laughed before she turned to him again, "So, uh, why are you being so nice to me? I mean, you must know my reputation."
Jerry regarded her for a moment before he gave her a shrug, "I dunno. I just saw all that shit that guy was saying to you and thought he totally crossed a line. Nobody deserves that."
Violet sighed as she leaned her head back against the fence, "Maybe I do."
"Don't say that," Jerry said, "You don't. I mean, I see the whole façade you put on, being this tough as nails kinda chick and everything, but really...you're wounded, aren't you?"
Violet turned her head to face him. She gave him a stony expression before she sighed again, "I...don't even know anymore."
They sat in silence for a moment before she spoke again, "He's just pissed because I dumped his ass."
"You guys used to go out?" Jerry asked.
"Yeah, but then I caught him having a three way with a couple of groupies," She said with a shake of her head, "It wasn't the first time either. And he wonders why I dumped his ass. Fucking guitarists."
"Hey, now, I play guitar," Jerry quipped.
She looked at him and gave him a laugh, "Well....you sing too, so you don't count."
"But I deserved it I guess. I mean, I shoulda know better than to try and make it with someone in my band like that. I mean...look at Fleetwood Mac and all the shit they went through because they were all screwing each other," Violet said with a humorless laugh and a shake of her head.
"Yeah, but a helluva album came out of that shit storm so...maybe your next record will be even bigger than your last," Jerry said with a shrug of his shoulders and smile.
Violet burst out laugh, "Yeah, there's the silver lining. I'll write the next 'Rumours.'"
Jerry chuckled and gave a nod of his head and they sat together sipping their beer. Once they were finished he turned to her, "How the hand?"
"I think I'll live," Violet said raising it up and looking it over, slowly flexing her finger.
"Cool," Jerry said as he looked around before turning to her again, "Say...wanna go watch a couple of bands with me?"
Violet's cherry red lips turned up in a smirk and she gave a nod, "Sure, why not?"
They got to their feet and grabbed up their trash and headed towards the center of the festival grounds. They discarded it in the first trash can they passed before they headed over to one of the side stages to check out some new up and coming acts. Jerry glanced at her and smiled to himself realizing just how wrong he had been about her before, and how the press had totally gotten Violet wrong, and looked forward to getting to know the real Violet underneath the tough exterior where he suspected a beautiful, but wounded creature hid underneath.