Chapter 2

Kya

I arrived at the show hours early only to find that the organizers hadn’t given us a room to get ready in. So after touring the stage, greeting the other bands, and running through sound checks, I returned to our tour bus to get ready and wait for our spot. We were right after Rock and Mayhem and were the third show of the night. With our song doing well on iTunes and actually getting some airtime, we were well on our way to success.

I heard footsteps at the other end of the bus and wondered which of my bandmates it could be. Mona Star had thrown a fit two days ago claiming she was tired of being overshadowed in the band by Sadie, who was one of my oldest and dearest friends. I was trying to keep the peace, but if someone had to go, I’d choose to keep my bestie over Mona any day of the week. It was truly enough drama for me for a lifetime, and all I wanted to do was get through the show without any issues and be grateful for the chance to open for some of the hottest bands out there.

We’d recently gotten some airplay and positive promotion, and it was a long time coming. I’d formed Sabbath Sundae, a hard-hitting rock band, the summer before my senior year of high school, and we were just now getting the recognition we deserved.

“You’ll never guess who wormed her way into getting ready in Ocean’s dressing room.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. “At least there’s more room for me here, and I don’t have to smell her fucking hairspray.

“No shit, but it’s such an embarrassment. Mona is down there with her arm around Teddy Faith at this very moment like some cheap-ass groupie. Two days ago, it was Mud from the same fucking band, and before that, it was Brock from Rock and Mayhem. It’s hard enough to earn the other bands’ respect in this business without her fucking half the tour.”

She had a point. A lot of bands in the industry were all men, and while some included a female or two and all-girl bands were making ground, females were still the minority. I reached out and took her hand. “I’ll talk to her, okay?”

Sadie sighed. “You’re too easy on everyone. You need to put your foot down. If you had done that before, we wouldn’t be in this predicament. She’s going to learn the hard way. None of those guys respects us, and she’s making us all look bad.”

“I agree. Where are Rob and Liam?” Our drummer and bassist were the only two remaining men. Sabbath Sundae had gone through some changes over the years already, and it was never easy.

“They’re hanging out with Rex from Frankfurter Apocalypse. He and Liam are old friends, and they just came off the stage.”

“Yeah, Rex used to come to my house back in the days when I’d practice in my garage.” Liam had stuck with me since Sabbath Sundae had formed, and Rob joined right after I graduated. Sadie was the next to join, and then Mona was the most recent addition and probably the next to go.

“Rock and Mayhem are being announced any minute.” She looked at her watch and then sat down to freshen up her face. We both wore more makeup than usual while onstage, but Sadie caked on the eye makeup a lot heavier than I ever could. By the end of the night, she would look like a raccoon, but somehow the smudgy look looked great on her.

“I’m stoked about this show, Sadie. We’re taking off, and I feel like it’s going to pay off in a big way.” It had been my dream for years, and I’d paid my dues in dive bars all across Chicago and surrounding cities. I’d finally made the right connections and proved myself as a class act.

Sadie raised her mascara wand in the air. “The sky’s the limit now, baby. We’re headed for the stars.” Sadie thickened her lashes even more and fluffed up her hair, and then we both held our breaths for the cloud of hairspray.

“Let’s go make our way around. I don’t want to stay holed up in here.” I hated looking like I didn’t want to associate with the other bands. I saw them as my coworkers, and I needed to make sure morale was high before I took to the stage.

Sadie straightened out her skirt and tossed her hair back over her shoulder. “Blitz said he wanted us to pop in and that he misses you.”

Blitz was the singer for The Deathgrips, and he had been a friend of mine for years as well. I had always looked up to him as a father figure, and he was not only much older than anyone else on tour, but he was a legend. “I miss him too. He’s the real reason we’re here, so you better believe I’m going to stop by. I worried about him because he wasn’t at the sound check earlier.”

“He’s fine. I passed him on his way to his dressing room. He’s probably looking for you to make your appearance.”

We left the bus and headed into the building, and thankfully, it wasn’t too far of a walk and security had our backs. I did see a few fans sneaking around, looking for a backdoor, mostly groupies who wanted a chance to hook up, and those would be let in when the guys in the band requested.

Sadie and I walked down the hall and into the room where two of the bands had to share opposite sides of the room. Teddy Faith and Mona were nowhere to be found, and Mud, the bassist, was pissed, his nostrils flaring so much, his nose ring bobbed up and down.

He walked up to me as I made my way across the room to get to the door on the other side. “Where has that skank friend of yours taken Teddy? We’ve got shit to discuss, and that bitch is a distraction.”

I wasn’t going to let them get me riled. I had to keep a professional head, and I wasn’t about to waste or strain my voice in a screaming match. “I’m not her keeper.”

“You should be. You should keep a leash on that dog or keep her out back with the rest of the groupies.” Some of his bandmates chuckled, and the drummer, Zac Marzen, stepped up.

“What do you call three groupies who try to be rock stars?” he asked. “That’s right, my friends. Sabbath Sundae.”

Before I could say anything in our defense, Mona Star came in with Teddy Faith, wiping her mouth. Her lipstick was smeared, and I had an idea where she’d left it. Teddy had barely put his dick away, and the guys started in, making a mockery of them both.

Mona seemed unfazed, grinning ear to ear as if she didn’t have a clue how slutty she came across, or maybe she didn’t really care. She was just dumb enough to think it gave her power. “Just having a little fun, boys.”

The band riled up, everyone shouting and cursing, and I didn’t think I could get out of there fast enough.

But when the door opened, and Blitz from The Deathgrips stuck his head in, you’d have thought the principal had just arrived to check on his unruly students. A hush fell over the room. “That’s no way to treat my guests, Mud. Zac.” Blitz waved me over, and Sadie followed. Mona stayed with Teddy as the others apologized.

“Sorry, Blitz,” said Mud. The others mumbled their half-assed apologies until Blitz grunted.

Blitz shut the door, and when he turned around, he crossed the distance in what seemed like two bounds and picked me up to spin me around. “How’s my favorite songstress?”

“Ready for the show and glad to see you. Thanks again for giving us the opportunity.” He put me on my feet but held me tight, and if he were anyone else, they’d never be welcome in my space.

“Hey, it was the show’s organizer, not me. You know I can’t play favorites.” He gave a sly smile and then a wink. I knew better. He’d gotten us on the schedule, and for that, I owed him big. Blitz had been one of the only front men to take me seriously enough that he had signed me on with his show.

“I can play favorites, though. You’re definitely at the top of my list.” I hugged his neck even tighter.

Sadie cleared her throat. “If you’re done hogging all the good Blitz hugs, I’d like to get in on that.” She moved forward as Blitz opened his arm and pulled her in.

“You girls can’t let those assholes get to you. And if you have any more problems, let me know. I’ll talk to their manager and get it to stop. There’s no room for that kind of rubbish anymore. We’re here to rock, and I know you two are class acts.”

“Thanks, Blitz.” He squeezed us both so hard before letting us go, I thought my eyes would pop out, and then he offered us a seat. I plopped down on the couch, and Sadie sat next to me.

Blitz walked over and poured three cups of tea. “I heard the organizers fucked up on your dressing room. I wish I’d known sooner. I’d have pulled you guys in with us. We have a private bathroom and everything, so if you want to hang out in here, feel free. And tell Rob and Liam. Those bastards owe me a visit too. We’re going to have to get together real soon, the four of us.”

“There’s five,” I said, taking the steaming white cup that was given to me. I didn’t have to ask what it was. It was Blitz’s very own honey-lemon tea. He drank it for his voice, and I knew it would do me wonders onstage.

“Yeah, I saw Mona. Look, sweets, and this is just my advice, you can take it or leave it, but she’s the source of your problems. You two are never going to be respected as long as you’re performing with her. She’s been a stain on your band for a year now, and if it were me, I’d let her go.”

Sadie met my eyes and then put her arm around Blitz. “Thank you. I just told her that like twenty minutes ago.”

“And I know she’s right, but I didn’t want to rock the boat, not while we have all of this going on.”

“Shit, do it now while you can. As soon as you sign with a manager as a band, you’ll have less control over these things, trust me. Do it now. And when you sign, keep creative control. You’ll be able to make decisions when needed.”

Part of our trouble booking shows was that we didn’t have anyone representing us. What little we’d done, we’d done under my watch. Sadie had been working a lot of long hours to help, and we were both ready for someone to help. “We don’t even have anyone interested as far as I know.”

“Probably because of Mona. She’s like a stain.” Sadie groaned. “Can we please do it before the next show?”

We didn’t make any decisions without the guys, and I’d always tried to do things fairly. “I’ll talk to the boys. I know you’re right, Blitz. Thanks for the advice.”

“As for managers, there are a few talent scouts sniffing around. You never know what can happen, but I’ll tell you about good things. They happen all at once.”

My heart raced. A manager seeing us would be awesome. I knew I couldn’t make any decision in haste. Our money and our futures were both on the line. Not to mention getting into a relationship like that one was a huge deal. “It’s a lot to think about before the show.”

“Don’t be stressed. We’re here to unwind and have a good time. Remember, if it’s not fun, it’s work.” Blitz gave her a wink and plopped down on the couch across from them.

The rest of his band filed in to get ready, the room filling up and taking on a heady smell of sweat and alcohol. After a while, Liam and Rob came in to join us, and I warmed up my vocal chords a bit while waiting for the call to perform.

Sadie leaned in closer to whisper so no one could hear, “Now, there’s a man I wouldn’t mind being a groupie for.” I looked up, seeing she was referring to Stones Hunter, Blitz’s bandmate and oldest son. He was gorgeous, to say the least, and he turned and smiled at Sadie who wasn’t hiding her interest.

That was the very moment the organizers came in to give us a twenty-minute warning. “Well, it’s too close to show time, so maybe you’ll get an introduction after.” If anyone deserved someone special, it was Stones, who was one of the hottest and sweetest guys around, and there was no one more special than my bestie.

“We better get to our stage. Liam, would you stick your head in the other room and see if you can find Mona.” Liam was always our most diplomatic member, and he was a good guy at heart, but the look on his face when he stuck his head through the door was enough to put me on edge.

“She’s not in there.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“No. Looks like we’re going to have to find her.” Liam looked at Rob.

Where Liam was always diplomatic, Rob was a straight shooter. “Fuck her. We don’t have time to go looking for her ass, and no telling who she’s under. Let’s do this without her.”

Sadie threw her hands up in frustration. “See, Kya? She’s making us look bad.”

I couldn’t do anything but agree. “Fine. We’ll go on. If she shows up, we talk to her after the show. This is our big chance, so let’s go out there and do this.” All we had to do now was wait for our call.