Chapter Twelve: Jealousy
"Jetta, what is taking so long?"
Pizzazz lounged in the doorway of the dressing room, an exasperated
look
on her face. Stormer and Roxy were already setting up, but Pizzazz had
stopped
behind to chivvy Jetta once she realised that the English girl was
lagging
behind. "We go on set in five, what's all the panic about?"
"It's gone." Jetta sat back on her heels, a frown on her face.
"What's gone? Jetta, quit playing! Grab your sax and come on, we
got
a show to do!"
"Aren't you listenin'? I said it's gone!" Jetta snapped. "Me
saxophone
ain't here, Pizzazz. I left it here, case and all, and someone's 'ad
away
with it."
"What?" Pizzazz's eyes opened wide with surprise and then
annoyance. "Of all the...where do you think it could be?"
"Well, it don't take many brain cells to work out who 'as it." Jetta
scowled.
"That blasted girl...I'll 'ave 'er for this."
"That Tinkerbilly?" Pizzazz demanded. Jetta nodded.
"Yeah, Allie. When I get me 'ands on 'er...if she's done anything to it
I'll
kill 'er, I swear I will!"
"Cool out, Jetta. We'll go get it back, and if she's damaged it, she
can
pay for it, 'less she wants a lawsuit pounding down her doors." Pizzazz
hauled
Jetta to her feet. "It's no big deal. The company can buy another
saxophone
if it has to. But I sure want to show this girl who's boss round
here...she
has a nerve, messing with us."
"You don't understand...I worked for that sax." Jetta's tone was numb.
"It
can't be replaced, Pizzazz...it just can't. I..."
Pizzazz cast her companion a strange look.
"You goin' soft and sentimental over a dumb instrument now?" she
demanded. "C'mon, Jetta, it's only a saxophone! Geez!"
"Yeah, an' if you'd ever 'ad to do a day's work in a proper dead-end
nine
to five or longer in order to scrape together the pennies to afford it,
you'd
understand why I'm so bothered 'bout gettin' it back." Jetta snapped
back.
"I ain't soft, Pizzazz, you oughta know that by now. But I ain't
lettin'
my 'ard work go to waste jus' because some bimbo is 'avin' a paddy."
"Well, whatever." Pizzazz shrugged. "Let's go get it back, if it means
that
much to ya."
"If we don't, there'll be no performance." Jetta responded grimly.
"Because
I don't play any other sax but mine, you got it?"
"What's the big deal? So you worked and saved up for it, so what? You
earn
ten times as much now you're a Misfit, even more when we have a good
selling
record. So buy yourself another! Not as if it'd break the bank."
Pizzazz
replied as the two girls made their way along the corridor to the
Tinkerbilly
dressing room. Jetta frowned.
"You wouldn't understand." she said shortly.
"C'mon, spill. I wanna know." Pizzazz responded. Jetta shook her head.
"It don't matter. What matters is we get it back."
"Tell me, or we don't go anywhere." Pizzazz put her hands on her hips,
stopping
dead in the corridor and barring the other girl's way. "Noone tells me
no,
Jetta...I always get what I want."
"It's no big deal. Just that it and I have been a long way together,
that's
all." Jetta shrugged. "Can't rely on much in this world, Pizzazz, but
me
an' me sax are a team."
"You gone crazy? You're talking about a saxophone!"
"I told you you wouldn't understand." Jetta sighed. "Pizzazz, when
you've
'ad 'alf the material world given you on a silver platter, you can't
comprehend
that sometimes things mean more to people who 'aven't had them come so
easy
to their door."
"Pizzazz snorted.
"Sentimental rubbish." she replied. Jetta shrugged.
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but I ain't letting Allie Blackwell get
the
better of me, especially not where my sax is concerned. She'd better
'and
it over straight up else I'll do 'er over good and proper 'ere and now,
no
matter what cameras are on us."
Pizzazz shot Jetta a sidelong glance, seeing a rare spark of real fury
enter
her companion's grey eyes. She shrugged.
"Whatever you say." she said. "C'mon. We got three minutes. It don't
look
good if we blow our first interview here by bein' late on set."
"It's hardly my fault." Jetta muttered. "I didn't ask Allie to be
'ere."
"Quit whining and come on. We don't have time for this!"
When they reached the Tinkerbilly dressing room they found that only
Allie
and Snake were there, each one coolly taking no notice of the other,
though
there was both hurt and anger in Allie's brown eyes. She had devoted
her
entire existance to Snake, for she was prone to obsession, and it tore
her
up inside to see his eyes wandering in Jetta's direction whenever the
sax
player was around.
She glanced up from where she was filing her nails, assuming a
nonchalant expression.
"Well? What do you creeps want?" she demanded.
"Don't play games." Jetta snapped. "I want to know what you've done
with
me saxophone."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Allie's voice was sugary
sweet.
"I don't even play the saxophone, Jetta - why would I want
yours?"
"I told you not to play with me." Jetta lunged at the other
girl,
grabbing her firmly by the shoulders and shaking her hard. "Now, you
got
one last chance. You tell me where my saxophone is, or it'll be the
worse
for you, all right?"
Now Snake became alert to the situation.
"Jetta, Allie, stop it, it ain't worth it!" he protested. "Allie, if
you've
Jetta's sax..."
"Butt out." Allie snapped at him. "I don't know what the silly witch is
talkin'
about, an' if you loved me at all then you...you'd believe me!"
"Like anyone could believe a snivelling creep like you." Jetta's eyes
narrowed.
Snake got up to separate the quarrel but Pizzazz barred his way.
"Noone messes with the Misfits, buster. Either Jetta gets her sax back,
or
you'll find some unpleasant mail in your mailbox from my music
company's chief
attorney...they carry weight wherever they are in the world, and they
have
branches all over the globe." she said ominously. "Now let Jetta alone,
there's
a good kiddy...she only wants what's hers."
"Too right I do." Jetta agreed grimly. She shook Allie again. "Where is
it,
Allie? You better not 'ave done anythin' to it..."
"It's where it belongs. In the rubbish." Now Allie was frightened, for
there
was a look of such utter rage in the other girl's eye that she worried
that
maybe Jetta was too angry to be totally in charge of her actions. The
sax
player's eyes opened wide.
"In the...you threw it out?"
"Your music always was trash...like you." Allie retorted.
Jetta shoved her foe roughly against the wall, muttering a curse under
her
breath.
"You'd do as well to remember who my brother is, an' what 'e's doin'
time
for." she said in the most forboding tone she possessed. "You could say
that,
when we're mad, it's like brother, like sister. So you 'ad better be a
good
little girl an' go an' find me sax, else it'll be somethin' else in the
rubbish
chute."
"You're bluffing. You won't hurt me." Allie folded her arms, regaining
some
composure as she picked herself up. Jetta raised an eyebrow.
"Oh won't I?" she asked, her tone dangerously low. "Listen, you. That
saxophone
represents everything I ever fought for. It represents escapin' my
parents,
escapin' my 'ome, and makin' something of myself, by myself.
Noone
ever 'elped me get to where I am now, Allie, I got there meself. If you
can't
take that then that's your problem, but it ain't gonna be solved by
stealin'
my instrument. Jealousy ain't pretty, which is a shame, since it's all
you
seem to 'ave in you."
"Why you..." Allie's own temper sparked and she went to lunge at Jetta
but
Pizzazz was too quick for her and grabbed her neatly around the wrist.
Strong
and forboding as Jetta in a rage could be, Pizzazz in a temper had no
equal.
"You will go and get the saxophone, right now, because we're on
set
in less than two minutes." she said, her tones menacing. " And you'd
better
hope that it's still where you left it. If the Misfits don't perform
this
show, and perform it on time, then the Tinkerbillys won't
perform...and I mean ever. I have enough connections the world
over to finish your
sorry little circus act before it's even begun, don't you forget that.
My
father is Harvey Gabor, maybe you've heard of him? Judging by the logos
on
your stuff, you're signed to one of the many music companies he has
shares
in. You wouldn't want to upset me now, would you? It could be a
rather...unfortunate
career move."
Despite herself, Allie gulped, for once in her life speechless. Then,
meek
as a lamb she scuttled out of the dressing room. Within a minute she
had
returned with the instrument, which she wordlessly handed over to it's
owner.
"I'll deal with you later." Jetta glared at her. "C'mon, Pizzazz. We
got
what we came for...we 'aven't much time to get on set."
"Fifty seconds, by my watch." Pizzazz nodded. "Let's go...if we hurry
we
should make it okay. Is the sax all right?"
"Looks it. Lucky for her." Jetta agreed. "Looks like the Misfits will
be
performing this show as scheduled after all."
"What took you guys so long?" Roxy demanded as they entered the studio
door
with a bare three seconds to go.
"We 'ad a run in with my friend Allie." Jetta responded darkly. "Ain't
time
to explain now...we got things to do. But I won't forget this in a
hurry...believe
me."
"Nor will I." Pizzazz scowled. "The Tinkerbillys had better watch their
step...else
things could get very sticky for them. Noone messes with the
Misfits!"
PART ONE: SHEILA
Chapter One: Life in London
Chapter Two: The Saxophone
Chapter Three: A Friend In Need
Chapter Four: Never Again...
PART TWO: A DESIGNING WOMAN
Chapter Five: Sheila's Decision
Chapter Six: A Band In Crisis
Chapter Seven: First Night
Chapter Eight: Making It Happen
PART THREE: BACK IN THE CITY
Chapter Nine: The Misfits In London
Chapter Ten: On Every Screen...
Chapter Eleven: A Musical Reunion
Chapter Twelve: Jealousy
Chapter Thirteen: An Old Acquaintance
Chapter Fourteen: Doing London
Chapter Fifteen: Sabotage!
Chapter Sixteen: The Final Straw
Chapter Seventeen: Opening Night
Chapter Eighteen: Jetta
(The Misfits and Holograms and other animated Jem characters are copyrighted to Hasbro Inc. All characters who do not appear in Jem episodes are my own creation. This story is copyrighted to E.A Woolley (2001)