Oreos
for Breakfast: Chapter One
By The Paperbag Princess and The
Pumpkin Coach
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5
That can't possibly be the phone. I pulled the covers over my head and tried to ignore it, but it just kept ringing.
Without moving from my sanctuary under the covers, I reached over and picked it up. "What?"
"Rachel, get up. We've got to be on the road by noon. Check out in an hour."
It was Darien. Thank god because if Jeremy dared to tell me what to do one more time, I was going to take out an ad for another guitarist and send him back to New York on the next bus.
"Whatever… fine… lobby at noon." I mumbled into the phone and hung it back up.
I rolled over and peered out the top of the covers. Sure enough, the sun was streaming in through the curtains. I bet Backstreet was long gone on their luxury limos or buses. Hell, maybe they had a private jet land in the parking lot to take them to the next gig. Where did AJ say they were going today? Travel day. I forget. It wasn't that memorable.
But that Nick. Jesus. That boy was adorable. Now I know all the fuss is about. No wonder he's the fan's favorite. AJ told me that at one point in the evening… something like 200 websites in his honor… blah blah blah. I don't think I saw him yawn once, he was so full of energy. Last night was too fuckin' surreal.
I finally pulled myself out of bed and collected my things from around the room, making a mental list of the things I needed to get when we arrived in the next town. A laundromat was first on that list. It had been over a week since we'd been anywhere for more than a night. Rufus had some chat show scheduled, so we'd stay put and try to get a solo show in a bar or something. Although it was more likely that Darien, our drummer, would phone an old girlfriend or hook up with a new one and that's the last we'd see of him for two days. No wonder we were going nowhere fast. We'd been touring the new album since January - 6 months - and the single still wasn't getting airplay. After this tour was over in a couple weeks, who knew where we'd be. Probably a meeting with EMI to "discuss the future" of the band. At least I wasn't home on Long Island pining for Damon and missing my dad. I'd spent most of the last year thinking about the two of them and writing depressing songs. I pulled myself out of bed, hoping a shower would lift my spirits and wake me up a little.
A quick shower, one cup of horrible instant coffee and packet of Oreos from the magically now working vending machine later, I hoisted my guitar case over my shoulder and pulled my suitcase down the hall toward the elevator.
I didn't even pay attention as the doors opened, I was still lost in memories of Damon and feelings I didn't want to be feeling. I glanced to my right, "Lobby, please."
The man standing by the console smiled at me, "Sleep well?"
It was AJ. I looked behind me and sure enough, there were two new vaguely familiar faces and a new burly bodyguard.
I smiled at AJ, "Fine. Although I could stand to sleep for another couple hours… but check out waits for no woman!"
He laughed and winked at me as the doors opened to the lobby. Suddenly there were screams and flash bulbs going off in my eyes. Christ! I held my hand over my eyes and quickly got out of the way from the onslaught. AJ started to say something to me, but his bodyguard pulled him away and he started to sign autographs and pose for his waiting fans.
I looked around but there was no sign of my boys anywhere. Typical. I glanced down at my watch; I was even a few minutes late.
I went over to the desk and handed the clerk my key, "Room 1016, Rachel Connor - not with the rest of them." She smiled as I nodded toward the throng of girls that were occupying her lobby, "Quite a day?"
She just smiled and took my credit card like this was a typical morning in the hotel. She handed me back my receipt and a phone message. I let out an audible groan as I recognized Jeremy's handwriting. Fuck. I was last!
I opened the paper, knowing what it said before I even looked down: "We told you noon, dear. Went to find gas and grab donuts. See you in a few, driver."
I was on time for once in my life and my bus wasn't ready. Slouching lower
in my seat, I avoided eye contact with anyone near me. Frank would keep the
fans away, I was not in the mood this morning. Not enough sleep.
I couldn't stop thinking about the girl from last night. I wonder when she checked out or if she was still upstairs sleeping? What was she doing in Raleigh, where was she going to be today? I think she's in a band. Or with a band, her boyfriend's, maybe? Probably some rocker type who hated our music, I could just see him, tattoos and piercings. She gets to carry his guitar and defend him to talentless boy bands.
None of this mattered. I didn't even know her name, I'd probably never see her again.
Yawning, I glanced around the room.
Was that her?
Five feet in front of me. Had to be, every other girl in this lobby was staring at me and trying not to be obvious about it, but she didn't even notice I was here. She sighed and crumpled the piece of paper in her hand, looking up and catching my eye.
She had a guitar case slung over her back, and a suitcase at her feet. My theory had to be true. "Your boyfriend's?" I asked, motioning to the guitar case.
She rolled her eyes at me. "It happens to be mine! I can play."
Excellent. Not the boyfriend's. "Cool… you're a musician! I thought you might be. No wonder you were so… passionate last night."
"Excuse me?" She grinned at my word choice, and I could feel myself blush. Good one, Carter. Don't attempt to flirt first thing in the morning; you're not very good at it.
She glanced over at the main door as it opened, then back at me when she realized they were fans, and not whoever she was looking for. "Why aren't you enjoying the attention of your ardent admirers, Mr. Superstar?"
I sighed, "Tired. Bored. Dunno… wanna duck in there?" There was an empty meeting room a few steps away, we could talk there and not be stared at. I stood up and held open the door for her, seeing if she'd follow. She hesitated for a second, and then shrugged, walking over to me.
"Why not? I get to drive to the next city since I'm the last one to check out." She set her guitar down inside the door and smiled at me, "It's this game we play when touring. Keeps us sort of on time and gives us something to do."
She has to drive the bus? "You're in a band?"
"Yeah, we're supporting Rufus Wainwright for a couple of weeks." I had no clue who she was talking about. But her band was opening, must be new. Wonder if they had a record contract yet?
"Cool! I'm always looking to scout new talent! What's your music like?" I sat on the table in the middle of the room, because the chairs were stacked against the wall.
She smiled indulgently at me, "Honey, we've been together longer than you've been singing." She considered the chairs and then sat beside me on the table, swinging her legs and looking over at me.
"Wanna bet? You can't possibly be that old." She honestly had no idea about me, did she?
"Wait, what are we betting here?" She raised an eyebrow at me and my day suddenly improved. That was definitely a flirty look.
I grinned back at her, "This could be fun… dinner?"
"Sure, once you're old enough to order the wine." She smiled. I liked her smile. Her whole face softened when she smiled.
"I told you… I'm 21! Now, how about you?"
"I'm 26, dear." Wow. Older than I expected. "And my band - we're called Sudden Silence, by the way - has been together since I was younger than you. I was nineteen.. 1996. Sophomore year in college when I fell in love with a beautiful guitar player. Seven years." Was he the boyfriend?
"Backstreet's been together since 1993. Eight years." I told her, trying not to pry about the falling in love with a beautiful guitar player bit.
She looked completely shocked, making me laugh. "How OLD were you? 10?"
"God, simple math is not your forte is it? I was 13. Kevin is the oldest and he was 21. But I've been performing since I was 8."
"Okay, you win! I'll admit to being mildly impressed that you've been performing for such a long time."
"Thanks." We were both sitting on the table, and I moved closer to her, "So when do I get dinner?"
She laughed, putting her hand in her pocket and pulling out a half-finished package of Oreos. "Will these do? I think the chances of us running into each other again at 2am on your floor are slim and none. Most cities restrict our access to the good china!"
Laughing, I took a cookie, twisting off the top and catching her eye before I licked out the filling like I always did. For her benefit, I took my time about it, and she blinked at me, shaking her head.
"Jesus. I should not have these thoughts about a child!" She muttered.
"What thoughts are those…" I leaned in closer, considering her mouth. She had very pretty lips. She was looking at me, a little smile on her face, when the door opened and she stood up.
Damnit, Frank.
I sat up, popping the other half of the cookie into my mouth and grinning at her innocently for Frank's sake. "We're rolling out, Nick. 5 minutes. Say your good-byes."
Whatever. He disappeared, smirking at me. Fucking bodyguards. Do normal people actually have private lives?
I looked over at the girl - I still didn't know her fucking name! I almost asked her, but given the fact that I had just nearly kissed her, maybe I shouldn't admit that I didn't know her name. "So, you didn't tell me what you band sounds like."
"No, I didn't… I hate trying to describe our music." She groaned, then opened up her guitar case and pulled out a CD. "Here, this is our latest. There are four of us, two guitars, bass and drums. I share vocals with Jeremy. It's kind of pop, I guess. Obviously not top-40 material or we'd stay on the good floor."
I took it from her, inspecting the cover. "Great cover photo! You look fabulous." She did, pouting into the camera in true rock star fashion. She actually didn't look a thing like the rumpled girl standing in front of me. The other people in her band were all guys. Interesting. She was leaning against the tall blond in the photo, I had to wonder if he was the boyfriend, the one she fell in love with seven years ago.
The door opened again and I jumped off the table. I could have sat there forever and figured out her backstory, but I could tell from the look in Frank's eyes that I wasn't going to get the chance. "Thanks!" I said, winking at her as Frank pulled me out the door.
And just like that, the door closed and he was gone. I caught my breath again and shook my head to clear my thoughts. Well, I thought to myself, he still didn't ask my name but at least he has the CD. Can't hurt to have a successful… what was he… not musician, right? Well, can't hurt for him to hear it.
I waited for the screams to quiet down before I slipped into the lobby, looking around for my band. Still nowhere. Shouldering my guitar again, I headed for the door to wait outside, when I felt a hand on my arm. "Vending machine girl!"
It was AJ, smiling at me. "It's Rachel, since neither of you asked last night."
He laughed. "Nice guitar. Who's is it?"
I rolled my eyes with a sigh. "It's mine. You guys are way too sheltered. Some bands actually play their own instruments. Some people in bands are girls."
He grinned. "I'm just joking. I figured you were in a band, the way you were defending chick rock last night." His security guy, not Frank, opened the door and suddenly we were surrounded by girls. AJ didn't miss a beat, just starting signing autographs and doling out kisses, still talking to me like nothing had happened. "Have I heard of you?"
"Doubtful." Suddenly I didn't feel so crowded by fans, and looked up to find Frank next to me. Where was Nick? Didn't he just leave? Where did Frank come from? All the fans were definitely afraid of Frank. They backed out of his way, clearing the space around me. There were two tour buses in front of the hotel. "Are both of those yours?"
AJ looked up, shaking his head. "Just the front one. The back one is Nick's. The other guys are already on the road."
"You each have your own tour bus?" I sputtered. We had a van. A little van that always broke down. We had to drag a trailer behind us for our gear.
AJ grinned at me. "Being in a talentless vocal group does have its perks."
"Damn! I need to lose my integrity."
"AJ, we're going," his security guy said, steering him through the crowd to the door of the bus. I followed, it was the only clear path, as Frank stood next to me. AJ jumped up the step and smiled back down at me.
"Nice to meet you, Rachel."
"Rachel! Stop talking to your boyfriend and get in the fucking van!" I looked over and saw James's blond spiky hair as he leaned out the window of the van, grinning at me. Oh, fuck, the teasing I was about to get…
AJ glanced over at them, then back at me. "Your band?"
I rolled my eyes. "Four of us, one small van, think of me as you drive in air-conditioned luxury."
Laughing, he kissed my cheek and disappeared. I sighed and went over to my minivan. Jeremy got out of the driver's seat, taking my bag as he went around to the side door and handed me the keys. I hated being the first to drive. Getting out of any city was such a bitch.
They at least waited until the doors were all shut to start hooting at me.
"Rachel bagged a Backstreet Boy!" Jeremy and Darien yelled in unison.
James smirked at me, his blond hair falling in his eyes. "The weird haired one, at that. I so would have thought he played for my team."
I started the car, wanting to be gone now. "No, he's very straight. Well, I think. The cute bodyguard, I dunno."
"Ooh," James sighed. "The really built boy acting like a brick wall?"
"Which way am I going here?"
James, ever the navigator, consulted his directions. "Left. So, the bodyguard is one of my people?"
I swung into traffic, "I dunno. I talked to him for a grand total of about a minute." The buses were following us. Well, only made sense. How many ways could there be to get on the highway?
"But you talked to weird haired one long enough to make a determination? Or did you do more than talk?" Jeremy questioned.
I sighed, screaming when I looked to the left and saw one of the buses there. It was Nick's, he was pulling faces at me from the open window, and I laughed. James leaned over my lap to see.
"Oh, the cute one! What is he, 12? Does he have a crush on our fair Rachel?"
I pushed James out of my way, stepping on the gas to get ahead of the bus at the merge for the highway. "No." Although he was flirting with me… I didn't dare tell the boys how… giddy that made me. OK, maybe James, later. But not Jeremy or Darien.
I got us onto the highway, and tried to ignore the fact that the tour buses were still in sight, and rapidly catching up with us.
When would we get a tour bus? I'd be happy with just one for the four of us, I wouldn't need my own. I wondered what they looked like inside… James pounded on my shoulder. "SO? What the fuck happened?"
I sighed. "I couldn't sleep, and the vending machine on our floor was broken…"
"Man, I hate that!" Jeremy complained. "All I wanted was a fucking Pepsi."
I shot him a look in the rearview. "Do you want to hear this or not?"
He settled back in his seat, looking up at me from beneath his dark bangs and motioned for me to go on. One of the buses was right behind us. I think it was Nick's. His was the smaller one, right? What was he not old enough to get a big boy bus? I stifled a laugh and looked over at James.
"The vending machine didn't work, so I went up to the top floor to use theirs. Dudes, it was nice up there! They had, like, real glasses and shit."
"Figures," Jeremy muttered. "The talentless teenagers get the star treatment, and we don't even have a working vending machine."
I went on, ignoring him. I was sick of Jeremy at the moment. Hell, I was always sick of Jeremy. How the hell did I date him for so long? "So, I go up there, and Frank, that's the security guy…"
James sighed, "My new best friend."
"I should really have learned not to speculate in front of you by now, huh?" I asked him, and he grinned back at me. "Anyhow! He tells me they're not coming out, to get my soda and leave. I had no fucking idea what he was talking about. I tried to just get my soda, but then Nick - the cute one…"
"That
one?" Asked James, pointing out his window. There was that bus, Nick waving
at me again in the window. I waved back, laughing, as the bus sped up ahead
of us. He was in the smaller bus.
"Yes, that one. Freak."
"I think he likes you…" Jeremy teased.
"He does not like me! Jesus, I had a conversation with him and AJ for a couple of hours, he doesn't fucking have a crush on me."
I might be developing a teeny tiny one on him, though. I might have to buy the album, just to make sure they were as bad as I thought they were, of course.
"A couple of hours? With Backstreet Boys?" Jeremy sneered. "What could you possibly have talked about?"
I shook my head, just as AJ's bus passed us. He did not wave at me, and I felt a little disappointed. It was fun having teen idols pay attention to me. "Stuff. Music."
"You tried to talk about music with them, Rachel? Are you that hard up for companionship?" James teased.
Jeremy stuck his head between James and I from the back seat, "I've offered to rectify that - meaningless sex is the wave of the future!"
"Very rock 'n roll, Rache!" exclaimed Darien from behind his shades. I didn't even think he was still awake.
I whacked Jeremy on the head and gave him a disapproving look, "Two words, little man - thin and ice!"
He slumped back in a mock pout and I turned up the radio. In no time, they were engrossed in their armchair musical criticism and channel surfing for the "local vibe."
Bet life on the Backstreet bus was all together different! I escaped from the boy's banter, thinking about how Nick had almost kissed me. I didn't imagine that did I? It briefly flashed through my mind that he might actually listen to our music. For some reason the thought scared me. What… was I afraid that he'd criticize me? Oh, that was too good. Get a grip, Rache!
The bus pulled ahead of her van, and I frowned over at Frank.
"Don't even, little man. Go call your girlfriend."
I didn't want to call my girlfriend. She'd just bitch at me for not calling her earlier. I picked up my backpack and went to the back of the bus, drawing the curtain between my room and the bunks. This was the closest thing I had to privacy, ten square feet of a tour bus.
It's a glamorous fucking life.
I popped the CD out of the case and put it in the player, looking at the liner notes. Rachel Connor, vocals, guitars. Finally, a name! The band was called 'Sudden Silence.' Damn, that's a great name for a band.
Her voice came out of the speakers, a soft 'na na na' over a quiet guitar. Ah. Chick rock. Singer songwriter. She took a breath and counted off, and suddenly it was a rock song.
Damn. Not at all what I expected. This was power pop, screaming guitars and a punk rock beat. She had a great voice, passionate and angry.
I bopped my head to the beat, looking at the liner notes. Awesome drummer. Darien Green. I flipped back to the picture. Which boy was which?
On the cover, Rachel was back to back with the tall blond, the other two guys were standing next to them. The blond was the one sitting next to her in the van, he'd been laughing as I waved at her. One of the others had been sitting behind them… I studied the picture. That one, the pretty one, dark hair and eyes. The other guy was definitely the cute one. I knew from cute ones.
None of them screamed drummer to me. James Packard, bass guitar. Jeremy Nolan, vocals, guitar, keyboards. Multi-talented, that one.
Whatever. I was really only interested in Rachel. She looked so pretty in the photo, like a rock star, not the tired, disheveled girl who'd talked to me for three hours last night. I checked the credits to see if they'd worked with anyone I knew. Em Evesham took the cover photo?
I looked back at it for the 50th time. Yeah, that was probably Em. I knew Em, she'd taken our pictures dozens of times, she'd done our tour program and album photos and made us drop our pants for Rolling Stone. Kevin had a crush on her, even though she was married to some English rock guy. She was the best you could get and management said we could hardly afford her. How the hell did Sudden Silence afford her? Was their label spending a fortune in promotion? No, then I would have heard of them.
Did I just hear that? I got up and skipped back to the beginning of the track, flipping through the booklet for the lyrics. Writing credit: R. Connor.
Oh, yeah. Maybe she didn't have a boyfriend after all. She couldn't have a boyfriend in the band and be singing those words, could she? I danced around the room, humming along with the melody, and learned the chorus before the song was over.
They kicked ass. Why hadn't I heard any of these songs before?
Chapter
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