by Pink, Nikki
Outside I heard the band fire through the rest of their set. Although the difference was very subtle I could hear a new energy in their performance. It's amazing how just a slight difference in posture, in attitude, in temperament can be multiplied a thousandfold by the magic of a guitar, or set of drums, or vocal chords or a bass. That bit of excitement had revived them.
What had started as an, at best, mediocre set was now a good one. Not the best they'd done, not a great one, not even as good as the day before, but a good performance nonetheless. A performance the concert goers would be able to take fond memories away from.
"What's the matter with you? Your girlfriend find a knife?"
I rolled my eyes at Chad. "What girlfriend?"
"The one who was slapping you around yesterday. You think I didn't see that? Nothing gets past me. Remember that. I know everything."
"Right. Anyway, no, it was not a chick. Some pratt out there. He got the worst of it though."
“Really? That’s great. Really great.”
I shook my head and didn’t respond to him again. He was obviously a complete mentalist. He watched me tend to my wound smiling for a minute or two then left out the back door aka the delivery entrance aka the fire exit. He didn’t return until the show had ended.
The final reverberations from the last song of the encore were still vibrating when the door burst open and they came back through.
"Great show guys! Real great!" said Chad in his over-enthusiastic American way. He hadn't even seen most of the set, had he? He'd been fucked off somewhere else doing whatever it is a triple pratt like him does.
"Aye, thanks Chad. Good rest, Matt?" asked Rabbie
"Fuck you," I replied good naturedly, still feeling slightly off-kilter to hear my real name again after so many years.
"Alright, who's coming on pussy patrol?" asked Rabbie.
"I'm good," said Johnny. I gave him a curious look and he mouthed one word at me Lucy. Huh, I hadn’t seen that coming.
"Try and stop me," said Neal.
"No thanks."
We all looked at Si who was fiddling with his mobile.
"You sick?"
“No. You know, I just hit it really hard last night. Need a bit of a breather.”
“Just knackered?”
“Yeah. You boys have fun. I’ll be on the coach.”
While Si slipped out the back the the other band members went back out into the club to find some chicks.
As they left Jase entered holding four bottles of beer.
“Perfect,” I said, grabbing two of them. The problem with the little twelve ouncers is they’re too damn small. You need to grab ‘em two at a time.
“How’s the head?” he asked.
Before I could answer a new sound filled the room. Bang. Bang. Bang.
“Open up!”
Someone was rapping at the door and they did not sound happy.
“Cops?” asked Jase.
I shook my head. “Nope.”
I knew exactly who it was. I recognized the voice.
18
Ava
He would help, I knew he would. After the night we'd spent together he was basically obliged to.
I hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. It was like no other night of my life. The heat, the anger, the worry -- all the emotions melding together had left me reeling. Then he'd taken me and made me feel like I didn't know it was possible to feel. What a night it had been.
And now I was back, and I needed his help.
Lily and I had arrived home while it was still early in the morning and both went to bed. She was still woozy from the drugs and I hadn’t got much sleep thanks to Lonnie. We barely spoke after leaving the hospital. She was pissed at me and I was pissed at her. I knew she wanted to say more to me but I wasn’t going to take anymore of her crap. Not after that night. I was going to be really tough on her from now on.
I got up in the early afternoon and the house was silent. When you’re alone in a house you can just tell; it feels somehow empty. Just the presence of another person in the building can be felt. At least I can feel it. So I knew she was gone, but I figured she’d gone to her community college.
But she hadn’t.
I was completely wrong.
About 6pm I called her to see what she wanted for dinner. She didn’t answer. I tried again. And again. Nothing.
My blood began to boil. What the hell did Lily think she was doing, especially after last night? I marched into her room looking for clues. That’s when I found the note.
Dear Ava,
You’re probably worried. And pissed. Please, don’t be. Remember, I’m 19 now.
I had to leave. I know this may hurt to read, but I need my own space. I need to make my own decisions. What you said at the hospital… you were right. Or you would have been, five years ago. But I’m an adult now. A college student. I’m not a little girl anymore. You’ve got to let me go.
I think you know who I’m going to see, but, please, don’t follow me. He knows me better than anyone, and he’ll look after me. I’ve got some issues I need to deal with and so does he. We’re going to help each other.
Let me go, for now, please.
I’ll be back, I promise. Just give me some time.
Love,
Lily
I read the note again, my hand shaking angrily as I did so. What the hell had gotten into that girl, she was out of her mind. Unless I grossly misunderstood the letter she’d run off after the rockstar again. I know the appeal of fame can be like crack to some people, but I thought I knew Lily better than that. She met him less than a day ago!
I folded the letter angrily and shoved it into the too-small pocket of my jeans. Let her go? With some drug-addled whiskey fueled guitar plucker? Like hell I would.
After grabbing my car keys I headed out the door, then paused a moment. I didn’t know where I was going. The venue the band played at the night before was for one night only. Some secret tour bullcrap. I could go back to the hotel and wait for them. But no. I wanted to grab her at the show before that maniac could take her back to the hotel again.
I went back inside and angrily opened up my laptop. With a little help from Google I found myself at something called RockIt Girl’s Blog. I blinked in shock at the first thing I saw: A photo of Lonnie and the band being marched down the hallway of the hotel with four cops in tow. Underneath was a short piece about the band being kicked out of the hotel. Well, shit, I had to find out where tonight’s show was now.
Scrolling down I found what I was looking for. The announcement of that day’s show location. It was at a place called Club Vesuvius, and next to it was a note saying that the tickets had sold out in 1 minute and 30 seconds. A new record.
Ticket or no, I was going inside that club.
I grabbed the laptop and stood up. It was time to go get my sister and scream some sense into her. As I rose my head felt woozy and I almost fell back down again. I realized I hadn’t eaten anything in way too long.
I hurried into the kitchen and grabbed a can of Coke Zero from the refrigerator. I rummaged in the freezer and then stuck a couple of frozen beef burritos in the microwave. Only the best food in this household. When the microwave finally dinged I snatched everything up and headed back to the car.
Before starting I tapped out an angry message to Lily on my phone. Just before sending it I sighed and deleted it all. If I pissed her off maybe she'd disappear for good. I needed to say something that would get her to listen without angering her. I settled for Lily, please, please call me. We have to talk!! Love you.
I wanted to strangle her. But I didn't want her to know that. Not yet.
I found myself at Vesuvius a scant hour later. It was 8:30pm. The show the day before hadn’t even started at that time, so I figured I’d have time to grab Lily before they even began. I headed toward the front door. As I approached it a shiver ran down my spine. There was no music.
"Are the band running late?" I asked the
biker doorman.
He shook his head. "Nope."
I waited for him to continue. He didn't.
"Why aren't they playing?"
"Finished."
My blood ran cold. What the hell did he mean they’d finished. The day before they hadn’t even started at this time.
"Finished? Already? Can I go in?"
He slowly ran his eyes over me and nodded. A man of very few words indeed.
I hurried inside and saw the stage was empty. I scanned the room looking for Lily's red hair but I couldn't see it anywhere. Shit. What to do, what to do.
I hurried over to another biker/bouncer. He had the same patch on his jacket as Lonnie did, Sons of Mayhem.
"Where's Lonnie?"
The man grinned down at me. "Going to slap him around a bit more?"
I frowned at him. How'd he know about that?
"Just kidding. He's out there," he gestured vaguely toward a door between the stage and the bar, "be easy on him, he's already been whacked in the head today."
The last thing I heard was a muttered “charming,” as I hurried away. I guess I should have said thank you. But I didn't have time for that.
I went to the door and banged on it. Bang. Bang. Bang. Three times, nice and loud.
I raised my fist to smack it again, they probably couldn't hear me inside. I took a solid hit at the door and met flesh instead of wood when it swung open and Lonnie grabbed my hand.
"No more of that, Love."
"I wasn't trying to hit you!"
He laughed. "Well you would have if I hadn't been ready. I think I need to stay on my toes around you, don't I?"
There was no time for small talk.
"Where's my sister?"
He gave me a quizzical look and ushered me inside. I followed him as he spoke.
"Didn't you pick her up this morning?"
Shit, was that only this morning?
"Yeah. But she's gone. Again. To be with that dickhead who drugged her yesterday."
"I think you must have made a mistake. We haven't seen any sign of her. Are you sure she doesn't have another boyfriend or something?"
"She's got to be here! She left a note. Where's that guy from yesterday, the guitarist?"
"Firstly, that was a bass guitar. Totally different to your six string. Secondly, that guy from yesterday is on the tour bus taking a rest. He's knackered from yesterday."
God I loved that accent. Even when he was telling me things I didn’t want to hear.
"Let me speak to him. Please. I'm really worried about her."
Lonnie blew out a long stream of breath from between his lips, like he was exasperated with me or something. Maybe he was.
"If you insist. Don't be disappointed though. Isn't there somewhere else she might be?"
"Nowhere. Look, she wrote this note." I pulled it out of my pocket and gave it to him.
I watched his eyes scan quickly back and forth over the creased paper.
“It doesn’t say it’s about Si. Are you sure it’s him?”
“Well I don’t know who else it could be. There isn’t anyone else. Not that I know of.”
“Well I’ll show you the tour bus. All you’re going to find is Si taking a nap though.”
He was up and moving toward a door with a glowing green fire exit sign above it.
"No offense, but I think your sister might be a few sandwiches short of a picnic."
I followed him outside into the dark parking lot, the smell of trash greeting us. This is where their dumpsters were.
"My sister's not crazy. No more than most girls her age. I think it's because he's a big star - in her eyes anyway - she's overwhelmed by it."
"Si? A big star?" He laughed. "I really don't know what she sees in him."
"Well you're not a teenage girl."
"True, true."
We headed over to the dark tour bus. It was the size of a Greyhound but obviously differently configured. Lonnie reached behind a little hatch at the bottom of the door and a moment later the door hissed open.
"Oi! Si! You got that girl up in there?"
No answer.
"See? He must be having a kip."
I didn't answer but I pushed past him and went up the steps inside. I felt him following a moment later and a strong hand rested on my hip. To guide me? To stop me if I tried to steal something? To feel my ass?
"Lily!" I shouted.
"Si?" asked Lonnie again.
He flicked a switch by the driver's seat and lights came on. This was no Greyhound. There were sofas and a card table set up instead of the normal rows of pairs of seats.
It was also clearly deserted. There was no one on the bus.
"Huh. That's weird. I wonder where he went."
"I'm telling you, he's with Lily. Her note said they were going to be together."
"You really believe that? To be honest, it's sounding like your sister is being a bit of a stalker."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. They only met yesterday, and now she's talking about understanding each other, being together, all that shit? Don't you think that's a little nuts?"
He had a point. It was a little nuts. But shit, Lily was only a kid. It's normal to be a little nuts at that age isn't it?
"A little. But I guess your boy the guitarist is nuts too, right?"
"Bassist."
"Whatever."
"We don't even know they're together. We've got no proof of that except this note. Si's probably gone back inside to pick up another groupie or something."
"What do you mean another?" Was he calling my sister a skank?
He shifted backward a moment, his hand leaving my hip. Maybe he thought I was going to slap him again. A grin flashed across my lips.
"Sorry. Maybe that would make your sis lose a bit of interest anyway."
I hoped he was right. If this Si character did pick up a groupie Lily would hopefully get over him. Broken hearted for a week, a box or two of tissues and chocolate. Perfect.
"Hold on."
Lonnie reached into a pocket and pulled out a buzzing phone. He looked at the screen and frowned. An involuntary snort shot out when I saw the screen. The caller ID read Twatface.
"What do you want, Chad?" he asked into the phone.
Lonnie frowned as he listened. I couldn't make out the words but I could hear it was fast paced chatter coming out at a thousand words a minute.
"Motherfucker..." Lonnie said quietly into the phone, more a comment on what he was hearing than an insult to the person who was speaking to.
He hung up.
"What?" I asked him.
"It seems Si left a note too. Like your sister's."
"He what?"
"He left a note. Same shit. True love. Running away together. I guess you were right."
I felt vindicated. Annoyed, but vindicated. Of course I was right.
"Now what?" I asked him.
He tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"Usually, I'd say not my problem. But..."
I raised my eyebrows at him.
"We need Si. The band have got three more shows to do in the next three days." He looked at me. "And I know you're worried about your sister."
I nodded. Shit. Why'd she have to put me through all this?
"Do you think its drugs?" I asked him.
"Is what drugs?" he asked.
"This. Them acting all crazy and running off. It's so weird."
He let out a laugh. "Sorry, I don't know any drugs that make people act like this." After a pause, as if for consideration, he said, "except one."
"What?" I asked. Maybe we could get them an antidote or something.
"Love."
I smacked him on the arm.
"Sorry, but no, drugs don't make you run off with a new boyfriend or girlfriend."
"What are we going to do?" I asked.
"Let's get to the hotel. See this note, talk to Chad, see if we can find out where the hell they’ve gone."
&n
bsp; Lonnie turned around and headed out of the bus. I followed, my eyes involuntarily admiring his ass as I stepped behind him until I caught myself. My eyes flicked outside, then I thought screw it, why not admire that fine English ass?
19
RockIt Girl’s Blog
Wow! Holy shit was that a show and a half people. And have I got some red hot news for YOU.
The show didn't have a great start. They started on time - great right? Nope. Most of us were barely in the building and hadn't even had time for a drink!
To the tour manager: Give us time for a drink before you start rocking our socks off please!!
So after they got off to an awkward start things began to get into a rhythm. The crowd were startin' to feel it. There was some jumping, some dancing, some arm throwing. Not bad, not bad. But then...
YANK some douchebag pulled Neal off the stage! My darling (I wish!) Neal. Can you believe it? Luckily the band had their security there and that asshole was taken OUT. In both senses of the word. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am. Neal: If you ever need anyone to yank you in a different way… *cough*I’mAvailable*cough*
After that -- BOOM the show went OFF. I don't know what it was. The danger? The excitement? The guys really pulled all the stops out after Neal’s tumble.
The Full Force showed us the full force of their awesomeness after that as they powered through some amazing versions of their tracks. Johnny's voice was as dreamy as ever and Neal's fingers were on FIRE on the guitar. Now if only I could get those fingers somewhere else...
Ahem.
But that's not all! I have some absolutely crazy news that's going to blow you all away. And it sucks.
Si has gone. Gone where? AWOL. No one knows. He's apparently left a note and upped and disappeared. Can you believe it? I barely can.
Here are the top theories:
Where's Si?
