Piece 10: Angel
In the arms of the angel Fly away from here From this dark cold hotel room and the endlessness that you fear You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie You're in the arms of the angel May you find some comfort here
So tired of the straight line And everywhere you turn there's vultures and thieves at your back The storm keeps on twistin', keeps on the buildin' the lies that you make up for all that you lack It don't make no difference, escape it one last time It's easier to believe In this sweet madness, oh this glorious sadness that brings me to my knees
In the arms of the angel Fly away from here From this dark cold hotel room and the endlessness that you fear You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie You're in the arms of the angel May you find some comfort here You're in the arms of the angel May you find some comfort here
-Angel; Kelly Clarkson
(CD: demo)
Two weeks had passed since the last time things had been good between Nick and Kelly. They'd been together for a month now, the tour was already into its sixth week, and things had been growing progressively worse for the two. He wouldn't tell her what was wrong and Kelly was sick of asking him to. If he wanted to be a closed book, even with his own girlfriend, there was nothing she could do about it. Nick was his own person, he had his own way of dealing with things, his own way of saying things, his own feelings, and Kelly loved that about him. But could the thing she loved the most be the one thing that would tear them apart? It didn't seem fair, but it was reality.
She made her way into yet another hotel room that they would consider home for the night, and was surprised to find Nick in the sitting area, his eyes immediately coming to hers in a fiery stare. Lord, what had she done now? She found it was always one thing or another.
"What?" She sounded weary as she asked, as if she didn't really want to hear his response . . . and she didn't. She was tired of the constant carousel of infamous emotions. It wasn't even a roller coaster . . . it didn't have its ups and downs. It just moved in a continuous circle of rottenness . . . around and around. "What is it now, Nick?" Her sarcasm irked him further, but she just didn't care anymore. She was sick and tired of tiptoeing around his moods.
"That fight that you started in public the other day? Everybody's talking about it now," Nick fumed, his jaw set with a fury she'd never before seen.
She stared at him silently, not entirely sure what she thought about that. Was it really something to get so upset about? It would die down and who cares what the public thinks? All couples fight and if the fans and media didn't understand that, then so be it.
"Are you not getting this?" Nick stood from his spot on the couch and walked over to her with a sigh. "Kel, I just started my solo career and I've wanted this for a really long time . . . I don't need bad press. I'm sure you feel the same way."
"I'm sorry for fighting with you in public, Nick, but I'm sick of how you've been treating me. Don't you think you're blowing this way out of proportion? What is going on with you lately? Will you tell me already?"
Nick looked at her and sighed. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I'm busy and maybe this just wasn't the right time for a girlfriend."
"Are you breaking up with me?" Kelly looked stunned. He couldn't just end it like that, could he? "I thought you loved me, Nick."
"I don't know, Kel. I don't know what to do. I love you but now just doesn't feel right." He looked away, his face downcast. His voice was soft, "You don't even know me."
"You know what? I see and know what you show me . . . so if I'm not seeing what I should be seeing, then you're not showing me what you should be showing. And that's your fault."
He sighed, knowing she was right. He knew he'd been a pain in the ass and he wanted to make their relationship work, he just didn't know how.
