Read Ace's Fall for Free Online Page A

Your
creative abilities were compromised when you went to
rehab.”
    Wow, he really just went there. Bill, the
bald headed, short, stubby, smelly little fuck has been a pain in
my ass since he became our manager when we signed.
    “ Compromised? Are you fucking kidding
me? I’ve written some of my best material since rehab. You guys
would know this if you answered your damn phones! I have rights to
all of the songs the band has put out. You can’t kick me out and
expect to use my material!” I’m livid. My head’s throbbing, I can
hear my pulse thumping in my ears. I’m trying my damndest to not go
over the edge but I’m at that thin line. One more step and I’m
going to flip.
    “ You’ll be compensated for the
material you’ve written but as far as rights are concerned you
signed those away when you signed the record deal. You have a copy,
look it up. The guys came to a unanimous decision in this. The band
has been drifting apart for a while now. It was only a matter of
time.”
    This can’t be happening. I’m finally getting
my life back together after the hell that I’ve lived. Things have
finally started looking up. I spent ninety days in rehab then
another ninety in a sober living facility. I’ve gotten my life back
on track and was trying to prepare myself for life on the road
again. Nothing could have prepared me for this.
    I knew when we signed our contract with the
label that we were rushing into it, but we were a bunch of eighteen
year olds from broken homes who were excited to have a rock ‘n roll
career and lifestyle. We wanted to be famous.
    We got our wish but at a cost. I’ve always
liked to party but when you’re in a rock band on tour, you’re
practically given a buffet of drugs. I took it easy at first but
one thing led to another and it ended up sending me down the road
of the bitch, heroin.
    For the first time in my life I felt free. I
didn’t have a care in the world, except to get more heroin. It was
euphoric, my head was clouded with the feelings I so desperately
craved. When I was high, I actually liked myself. But after the
high comes the low, the craving for more and the self-loathing when
you can’t get enough. Sure I liked myself while I was in my
delusional bliss, but did that matter if I hated myself sober? So I
decided to stay high.
    I put them through hell seven months ago
when I was on a drug binge, (surprise, surprise) and we were
supposed to perform at a sold-out show in NYC. I don’t remember it
but there was enough media around that what happened next is pretty
hard to deny. I do remember that before I went on stage I shot up a
particularly big dose. I was chasing the original euphoria, I just
wanted to feel that way again. I had been drinking earlier in the
night as well, which didn’t help matters of with my memory of the
event. I can remember walking out of the dressing room but after
that it’s all blank until I woke up strapped to a hospital bed.
    According to multiple reports, I was about
to go onto the stage when Zee tried to stop me and talk. Zee and I
don’t have the best history. He’s the lead singer of a fellow rock
band called Ignite. They started around the same time we did, we’ve
gone on tour with them a few times, and the other guys in the band
are actually really nice guys. The members have been rotated out a
few times. Zee is known for his bitch fits, and if a bandmate gives
him shit, he kicks them to the curb. Zee has always had a pissy
attitude toward me, and I’ve never known why, but it’s not
surprising considering his track record.
    After he approached me, we were talking for
a minute and then he put his hands on my shoulders. No one was able
to hear what was said but according to reports I started throwing
punches. It took three guys to pull me off of him. Which was
impressive considering how much heroin was in my system.
    Zee never pressed charges so nothing came of
the incident except for my wake-up call to get clean. I can’t