Chapter Nine
Tristan
I spent the better part of the last week practicing for round four. I worked with the musician’s three times and I actually asked their opinions and took their advice. That was huge for me. My own band is usually afraid to say or change anything. I don’t mean to be a dick all the time, I just get caught up in the music and I want to think I know best. The truth is that I don’t always. Sometimes I needed help and part of the reason my career had failed the first time was because I refused to acknowledge that.
The pianist thought the tempo was too fast and the banjo guy thought that we didn’t really need a banjo. I changed the tempo, but I kept the banjo. There was just something about it that I liked and the drummer agreed with me on that point.
It had been five days since the elimination round and a week or so longer than that since the “closet sex” and I hadn’t heard from Emmy. I wondered if I ever would again. It was still shocking to me that she was having sex with a guy like me in places like that at all. Even after all that, she still didn’t strike me as the type. I wondered sometimes how much of it had to do with who I used to be. I didn’t care, as long as it kept coming. One thing I liked best about her was that she wasn’t my usual “type,” and on top of that she wasn’t all clingy and asking where this was going and all that girly shit. The only place I was going with a woman, ever was to bed and so far Elly seemed okay with that. My mother had taught me a long time ago that beyond that, women weren’t much good for anything other than complicating your life and I definitely didn’t want to make the mistake my parents did and bring a poor kid into my mess of a life. Of course, maybe that was why Elly hasn’t called me. Maybe she didn’t need to ask where it was going and she figured it out on her own.
I was going to have to find a woman soon, even if it wasn’t Elly. My balls were turning blue. This was the longest I’ve gone without getting laid in years. I usually went out a couple times a week even if we weren’t playing a gig. The chicks I picked up in bars were so easy. All it took was a joint or a vial to get most of them back to my place and naked. If all I could find were the particularly skanky ones, I didn’t even take them home, I’d just do them in a bathroom. Elly had been such a surprise to me that night, even finding someone like her in that bar had been bizarre. I wanted to fuck her as soon as I saw her. I was afraid if we went through the whole ritual, it would give her time to change her mind, that’s why I fucked her in that bathroom.
Tonight though, I had to push all of that to the back of my brain and concentrate on my song. I was going to blow them away tonight, this time I was sure of it.
When I got to the studio, I saw Elly. I smiled at her and she smiled back, but it was a tight, fake smile. She seemed to be spending as much time on the other side of the room from me as possible. Every time I tried to catch her eye, she would turn her head away quickly. I finally gave up and decided to go over the song again in my head until it was my turn. I couldn’t afford to get distracted right now anyways.
Elly finally called me when it was my turn. The sound of her voice made me horny. It was freaking ridiculous. I pictured my mother’s face to get rid of the woody and I walked over to where she was standing at the door to the stage. I started to open my mouth to talk to her when she ripped open the door and practically pushed me out on the stage. I don’t know what the hell was up her butt all of a sudden. The stage was set up with the band and I left the stuff with Elly at the door. I strolled out to the middle of the stage and up to the microphone. The stupid judges wanted to ask me how I was doing and make small talk…I just wanted to get this over with. I had to brush off the emcee that just got on my nerves, and then I signaled the pianist and he started to play while the Diva was still talking. She was looking put out right up until I started singing. Then, I could see the change in her face…in all of their faces. The audience was going crazy and for the first time in a really long time, I felt like a star all over again.
When the song ended, the judges not only clapped, they all three got to their feet. The other contestants and most of the audience were on their feet too. It was fucking sweet like being on the best high ever. It took me back to the days when the ovation was the rule instead of the exception.
When the applause died down the judges fought over who got to talk first this time. They said things like, “awesome” and “amazing” and “you brought a tear to my eye.” I walked out of there feeling like I had this in the bag. I was already counting my million bucks.