Chapter twenty-two

5 May, second stanza

Susie sat in the wings of the arena. There was no indication of the sound trouble they’d had earlier; only the magic of their voices and instruments being pumped through huge speakers, flowing into the crowd. The audience was hesitant, not sure what to expect from this new band. But the guys were enthusiastic, exuding confidence that she was quite sure had to be at least somewhat forced. Evan had been reduced to complete silence while waiting off-stage for their cue to go on. Duncan had tried joking with him, calling their youngest member a “damn jackrabbit” for the way Stu had bounced up and down trying to calm his own nerves. The joking hadn’t worked. But the moment he stepped out onto the stage, Evan changed. The applause, though more polite than excited, pulled some string in his brain and turned him on to the moment, to the knowledge of where he was, of who he was. Susie couldn’t have been prouder of him.

With their third number, a soft love song, Mike pulled the audience in tighter. His voice rang through the arena, accenting the music behind him, and he walked to the front, as close as he could stand to people below. Susie watched their faces, especially the girls. He had them hooked. They were Raucous fans now. She hoped the faces she couldn’t see agreed.

“He’s got ‘em.”

She looked up at Terrell, who had been alternately standing beside her and pacing around. “Yeah. Did that to me when I first heard him do a love song, too.”

His eyebrows raised. “And your boyfriend knows this?”

“Of course.” Susie looked over at Duncan. He was at the far side of the stage, away from her, watching the audience. She had been at concerts where the lead guitarist constantly competed with the lead singer, attempting to pull as much attention. He wasn’t. Like Evan, he stayed back and remained as still as possible, leaving Mike as the focal point. The effect was beautiful, with the spotlight streaming down over the singer’s head and the girls in the audience keeping their gaze on him. They screamed as the music faded, hands and arms reaching up to try to grasp his legs. Mike accepted the touch of several fingers while moving into their next song. The security below crowded between him and the girls.

Susie felt the tension grow as their set progressed. The screaming began to reverberate through the air, not only after songs, but also in between, whenever instruments took over or when Mike held a perfect note or when one of the guys moved toward the edge. Evan nudged fairly close but never enough to irritate security. Mike pushed it further. So did Stu on the songs that let him move from the keyboard to bass, leaving Evan to join Duncan on guitar. Duncan. He made Susie nervous more than once and was a constant irritation to their amateur security. They would have to insist on hiring professionals if they couldn’t get him to stay back off the edge of the stage. He never did so when the focus was supposed to be on one of the others; only during his own solos or when he urged Evan closer to the front along with him. Susie knew they would grab him and pull him in. They were trying hard enough.

“Guess I’m not the only one with competition.”

She jumped at the voice behind her, in her ear. Greg. And the others were close by.

“Had to come see how they were doing in person. Seems to be working okay.”

Susie smiled and turned back. She didn’t want to miss this, any of it. Greg pulled a chair beside her, leaning in. “You know, this is a dangerous job your boyfriend’s in. Not many relationships make it. Any of those girls would accept an offer.”

Finally, she met his eyes. “Are you expecting that from me? That I’ll accept your offer because I’m a fan?”

“Are you a fan?”

“Yes. But I won’t. There are some of us who wouldn’t.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I guess. But you’re outnumbered. Your boyfriend knows that as well as I do.”

Susie looked back to the stage. Duncan had moved away from the edge, turned to face where she was, and caught her eye. He held her gaze while harmonizing, singing to her, just for a moment before she lost him to the crowd again. “I’m sure he does. But it’s not like he didn’t have other opportunities, anyway.” She didn’t bother to check Greg’s expression. It didn’t matter what he thought. But at least Blue River's lead wasn’t wrinkled tonight.

Roy made his appearance in the wings while Mike thanked the audience and introduced each band member. Susie wondered where their “manager” had gone during the show and whether or not he had seen the audience reaction. At least he was seeing it now. She couldn’t imagine why he didn’t look happier about the success, since he would be sharing in the profits. That was, after all, the only thing he cared about.

The soft melody Raucous had been playing during the intros stopped suddenly. The screaming remained, eventually began to thin. The band held their silence. Susie watched, unsure what they were doing. It wasn’t a normal part of their show to go to complete silence. She heard Greg’s questioning, but could only shrug. The audience noise softened further.

Lights dimmed on stage. Were they done? They had one more on the setlist.

She couldn’t see the audience, other than a soft glow from the few remaining lights against white shirts and bare skin, but she felt their confusion. Roy’s muttering drifted through the dark. Terrell assured him everything was fine. It was planned. When? Where had she been at the time?

A piercing guitar chord broke through the remaining audience noise. With it, a spotlight burst on over Duncan’s head and he led the band with a strong solo complete with intricate riffs into their last number. The lights rose, bathing the stage.

With the audience nearly drowning them out, Raucous ended on an exuberant note. Mike grasped a few hands again. Stu kneeled down on the stage to kiss a girl’s cheek – one who had been yelling affections at him in lieu of knowing his name. Security kept him from being lost to the crowd. The other guys seemed content with waving.

Susie stood, watching Duncan move closer, waiting to be able to throw her arms around him. Two girls directly in front of where he’d been playing screamed his name, together, cupping their hands around their mouths to increase the volume. He turned. They waved frantically. Mike slapped him on the shoulder with a teasing grin, said something Susie couldn’t hear. She held her breath as Duncan moved further from her, closer to the girls. Security was already stretched to its limits. They hadn’t expected this kind of reaction with a new band. A guy beside one of the girls helped push her up onto the stage, followed by her friend. Duncan backed away, but not fast enough, and nearly plummeted to the ground at their leaps. Mike and Doug, closest to the scene, began trying to pull them off. It wasn’t working well. They held tight. Susie cringed when Duncan’s head was pulled to the side by a hand grasping his hair. She couldn’t see his face.

More security crowded onto the stage. Blue River’s crew.

Freed from the clawing girls, Duncan turned, and was pushed off the stage by the guys in matching blue shirts. He was laughing. Her stomach was churning and he was laughing. Mike and Doug weren’t. Neither was Evan. Stu was also being pushed off stage by security. Susie hadn’t noticed where he’d been.

She met Duncan as soon as she could get over to him. “Are you okay?”

His eyes sparkled. “Guess I should no’ have gone back.” He wrapped an arm around her.

A red glaze on his forehead pulled her eyes and she lifted hair out of an open gash. Fingernail mark. “You’re bleeding.”

“Lost some hair, too, I think.” He grinned, rubbing his hand over a spot on his head. “Must ‘ve been a good show.”

Before she could answer, or begin to think how to answer, Mike pushed in against her. “So, as our advisor, what do you think?”

She stared, overwhelmed. Bodies buzzed all around them. The audience continued to yell. She hadn’t quite expected this much hysteria, either. It was their first real show. No one knew them yet. Evan’s eyes caught hers, then drifted to the gash on his buddy’s head. Susie returned her focus to her boyfriend. “I think you’re going to need better security.”

****

Evan studied her face. Duncan had talked to Blue River’s manager about being able to stay up in the wings to watch the show and Susie was thrilled to be allowed so close. It was apparent, though she said no more than a quick thank you. Evan was afraid it was all a bit much for her. Greg joked about her wanting to be there and how his performance would improve knowing her eyes were on him. His band mates told him it would be about time.

“Never mind them.” Greg draped an arm over her shoulder, ignoring Duncan on her other side. “They’re jealous ‘cause I get all the girls.”

She looked up at him but didn’t answer.

Jack Jordan, the manager Evan would have loved to be able to take from Blue River, pulled Greg away and pushed him over to the rest of the band. Evan figured it was a fairly common occurrence. He hadn’t missed seeing the girls hanging around Greg’s dressing room earlier. He also hadn’t missed the unique smoky smell emanating when the door opened. He was fairly sure it wasn’t incense.

Offered a chair by one of the stage hands, he accepted with thanks and pulled it closer to his buddy. The scratch had been cleaned so it was barely noticeable, but Susie was still watching him. It had shaken her. The hug Evan received in congrats for the show was hesitant, unsteady. He’d insisted she sit down again while Duncan was being doctored. Raucous couldn’t have had a better beginning for a tour. A good omen, Susie would say. He wasn’t so sure about his friends, however.

Greg returned, grasping Susie’s free hand, touching it to his lips. “For luck.”

Duncan eyed him. “Y’ know, there are a couple of girls down front who seem t’ be available. Y’ should make a point t’ say hello.”

Still grasping Susie’s hand, Greg threw a sly grin. “Are you trying to get me out of the way?”

“Y’ are no’ in the way.”

“No? Maybe not yet. But don’t mess up.” He again kissed her fingers, then winked and released her.

“Greg.” Duncan stopped him. “Break a leg.”

Blue River’s lead laughed. “Why do I think you mean that?”

Evan wasn’t sure his buddy didn’t.

****

Duncan took a swallow of his beer. He’d been separated from Susie for most of the after-show party, in his own room, thanks to his roommate. A few girls had been an understatement. They were everywhere, along with all of Raucous and most of Blue River, packing every inch of space around the beds, on the beds, and spilling out into the hallway. Not that he cared about the crowd or the noise or the make-out sessions. Stu’s beauty from the front row had found him, attempting to be possessive despite the keyboardist's attempt to be open to anyone interested. And Duncan had heard Mike telling Ev that he’d tried to call Kate and couldn’t reach her, at nearly midnight. He seemed to have forgotten about it by this time, just after midnight, making out with another tall, dark-haired girl. Duncan did care, however, that Susie had been swept away from him too often. At the moment, she was talking with Ev and Doug while Steve held Duncan in conversation about guitar techniques and amplifiers.

Greg was making the rounds. He’d taken Susie’s attention more than once, in between having his hands on most of the girls in the room. And he was heading back toward her, two glasses of what Duncan guessed was wine in his hands, swerving bodies and pushing his way through, walking over the end of a bed, somehow not spilling either glass while jumping down again, beside Susie.

She looked up at him and then down at the glass he was offering, hesitant. Finally, she accepted, lifted it to her nose to preview the contents, and tried it. Duncan wasn’t sure he appreciated that she trusted this guy enough to accept a drink. But they were in a crowd, and she was beside Ev. That grated on him. And it bothered him to have to acknowledge that it did.

“Still here?”

Duncan looked over at Steve. He’d missed whatever he’d been saying. “Sorry, what?” He took another swallow and turned his eyes back to her. She was laughing at Greg.

“Never mind, Guy.” Steve pressed in closer. “You’ve been great with sharing her. Think you could risk claiming her again.”

Claiming her? He questioned Steve with a look.

“She’s your girl, right? So go let them know she’s with you. Don’t think I’d let her away from my side too long. Unless you’re looking for different companionship.”

“No.” No. Even the idea…. Duncan gazed at her. He didn’t want other companionship. Not even the slightest interest in any of the girls around got into his brain, though he’d had offers, and attempts. Only her. He took another swallow of the beer, emptying it. Claiming her. He didn’t have the right. She didn’t belong to him. But she sure as hell didn’t belong to Greg, either, or to any of the others who kept pulling her away.

Disengaging from Steve, and from the girls who had just come up to them, he set the empty bottle on a dresser, behind a bunch of others, and moved through the people in between, in the way. The air in the room was becoming acrid, tinged with sweat and alcohol and perfume and smoke. They should have made a no smoking rule. He supposed it would have been ignored. Casting off another girl’s advance, he edged up beside Greg. It wasn’t possible to get in between him and Susie, since they were both standing against one of the beds, their backs to the activity going on behind them, Evan on her other side. But she smiled when she saw him.

“Worrying about me being in the way yet?” Greg poked him with an elbow. His glass was empty, though Susie’s was still full.

Duncan raised an eyebrow. “Should I be?”

Greg chuckled. “Maybe. Have her drinking with me, don’t I?”

“And what did y’ put in it?”

“Aw, Man, c’mon. I’m not that much of a lowlife.”

“Good t’ hear.” He moved his eyes to Susie’s. She was watching him, but he couldn’t, for the life of him, think of anything to say to her that wouldn’t sound possessive.

She looked at Greg, nudged him to get his attention, and handed the glass back to him.

“What? Did he freak you out? There’s nothing in it…”

“No. I just want my hands free.” Rid of the drink, she met Duncan’s eyes again, moved closer, enough to touch him, enough to wrap both arms over his shoulders. “I hope I’m the reason you came over here.”

“Y’ are.” Hands resting on her hips, Duncan resisted the urge to pull her in further.

“Good. You’ve been too far away most of the night.” Her body pressed against his, arms wrapping tighter around his neck, head against his shoulder. In front of Ev. In front of Greg. She clung to him. Ignoring the remarks. Unconcerned about showing possession. His soul belonged to her, as long as she wanted it.

“Let’s ge’ ou’ of here.” He spoke into her ear, not sure where they would go, but away from the crowd, if she agreed.

She moved back, touched his eyes, nodded, not bothering to ask where.

Saying their good nights, she held onto his arm, allowing him to lead through the crowd and toward the door. Then she stopped him. “I don’t have a key to my room.”

“Why? There are two.”

“No pockets. Evan has them both so I wouldn’t have to carry anything. Let me go get one from him.”

They were at the door, through the worst of the crowd. “I’ll get it.” He saw Mike walking by and grabbed him. “Talk to Susie for a minute.” The girl with him could just wait. Duncan didn’t want to leave her alone in the middle of strangers.

Rejecting another advance, he made his way back through, more quickly this time since he was pushier alone than while worried about Susie being rammed. Ev raised his eyebrows, checking for her. “She’s talking t’ Mike. You have both room keys?”

“Yeah, she doesn’t have pockets.”

Duncan nodded. “Wanna give me one so she can ge’ back in?”

His friend seemed hesitant, but reached into his pants, pulling his arm away from a girl who hadn’t been there a couple of minutes before. “I’ll be back there soon.” He handed the key over. “We have to be out of here early.”

A warning. Ev was warning him there wouldn’t be privacy in the hotel room for long. “Yeah, I remember.” He hadn’t planned to take Susie back to her room right away, anyway. It would’ve looked bad to anyone noticing. But he didn’t appreciate his friend’s insinuation. “We were headin’ down t’ the bar where it’s quiet. I ‘m sure you’ll hear her come in.”