Oreos
for Breakfast: Chapter One
By The Paperbag Princess and The
Pumpkin Coach
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5
Usually I didn't want to do much but sleep if we had a night off, but tonight I couldn't sit still. AJ and Howie and I were playing pool, while the others sat around. Hanging.
I was sick of these guys. I needed to fly in some of my other friends.
Oh, but then I have to bring Tiffani, too. Damnit. I should just break up with her.
"Hey, Nick, what's the name of that chick's band?" Brian asked, looking up from a newspaper.
I missed my shot, big surprise, that, and went over to him. "Which chick?" Trying not to scream 'Sudden Silence, are you talking about Sudden Silence'? Best to play it cool.
"Vending machine girl."
They all called her that now, it was AJ's fault.
"Sudden Silence, why?"
"They're playing tonight."
"We're going!" I grabbed the newspaper out of Brian's hands and handed it to Frank, "Here, figure out where it is."
Frank rolled his eyes at me. "We're not going."
"Yes I am. You don't have to; I doubt any fans are going to be there. I'll be fine." I dismissed Frank's comment, knowing that it wouldn't work. There was no way I could leave this hotel by myself, I'd be mobbed in seconds.
He frowned at me and sighed. I knew I was ruining his one night off this week, but I didn't care. I'd been listening to her CD incessantly and really wanted to see her again. Was she as amazing as I'd remembered?
Kevin overheard my whining, "Nick, you can't go out alone."
"Jesus, Kev! I wasn't talking to you, okay?" I knew I sounded like a spoiled child, but Kevin just has this innate ability to make me feel like I'm 10 years old and mom just caught me with my hand in the cookie jar. "I'm an adult, I can do what I want!" Now everyone was looking at us as I yelled at Kevin.
"Yes, Nicky, you're an adult… so start acting like one! Give Frank his night off and listen to the CD for the hundreth time!"
"More like thousandth!" Brian interjected from across the room. "You forget, my room is next door, dude!"
"I just wanna go see Rachel's band!" I whined, knowing I sounded like a child.
"Who's Rachel?" Howie looked up from the pool table.
"That girl in the band he's obsessed with. Keep up Howard!" Kevin laughed, shaking his head.
AJ laughed, missing his shot at the pool table, "Nicky's got a crush! Nicky's got a crush!"
I picked up the nearest object - Brian's basketball - and threw it in his general direction. He caught it effortlessly and passed it off to Howie.
"I'm not obsessed! I like their music… it's good, you all liked it! They're playing tonight and who knows when we'll have another night off and they certainly won't just happen to be in town. I don't feel like sitting around in my hotel room jerking off and watching videos like the rest of you!" I spat.
"Hey! Since when are you watching my videos!" AJ yelled, covering his mouth in mock horror. That broke the tension and I couldn't help but smile at him.
"I'll go with you," Brian offered finally. "Gotta see what all this fuss is about."
"You'll love her… umm… them!" I almost started to tell them everything I'd figured out about her in the last week, but stopped myself. It's true, you really can find anything on the internet.
The club was dark and smoky, filled with the city's trendiest kids. I pulled down my baseball cap and stuck my hands deeper into the pockets of my cargo pants, feeling Frank walking closer to me.
He stopped at the bar and the bartender pointed to a roped off section of the balcony. He hit my arm to get my attention, "Up there, Nick." I nodded and started to follow him across the crowded floor but then the lights went down. I looked up at the stage and froze.
She was prettier than I remembered. Shoulder length dark hair that fell in her face when she looked down to tune her guitar. She was wearing black leather pants that fit her like a glove and what looked like a man's white tuxedo shirt that was missing almost every button. I think her guitar might have been holding it closed.
Without saying a word the drummer hit his sticks together twice and they launched into the opening chords of "Long Island." She screamed the words more than sang them and I tried to remember if she'd written them. I think this was the one that was credited to her and Dan someone or other… I think it started with an 'A.' But he wasn't one of her band members and wasn't listed on any other track. Wonder what the story was there. Before the end of the song, Frank found me, "You're supposed to follow!" He shouted at me and I rolled my eyes.
"They love her!" I beamed. Hell, I loved her. At first sight. Well, at third sight, now… whatever. The crowd was really into the music. As I found a spot to stand near the edge of the balcony, I could see that a small mosh pit had developed right in front of her. But she was oblivious to anything but her guitar and mic stand.
The last chord to "Long Island" dissipated and I looked out at the crowd for the first time and smiled, running my fingers through my hair to get it out of my face. Not a bad turnout. I looked down at the guys in the pit and winked at the cute one. Had to be all of 19, I think, but so cute! What was it with me and jailbait lately?
I walked up to the mic, "We're Sudden Silence and this is our namesake. Hope you like it because I'm sure you're all too young to remember it!"
I looked over at Darien and he counted off. I played the first half with my back to the audience as Jeremy took lead. I don't know why we'd never thought of covering Secret Oktober before, but it was perfect. The last time James and I had seen Duran in concert, they'd reworked the obscure b-side and turned it into this incredibly atmospheric almost trance-like ballad. James and I had turned that arrangement on its head and made it into a thrashing 2-minute punk song.
The mosh pit loved it. Cute boy was banging his head on the stage and I had to smile. Wouldn't they die if they knew this cool new song they'd all be singing tomorrow was Duran fucking Duran. Classic!
"They love her!" I had to scream so Brian could hear me over the music. We were standing on the edge of the balcony. He was into the music and I was alternately watching her and the crowd. Frank was busy searching the faces of anyone who took a second look at Brian or me. I had to admit, it was kind of nice not to worry about anyone recognizing me. And if they did, Frank would get us into a cab before we had to deal with them.
"You don't know her!" Brain yelled back.
"What… No! THEY! They love her!" I pointed down to the crowd.
He smiled, turning his attention back to the stage. They played for about an hour and Frank kept us supplied with beer the whole time. Gotta love Frank. He knew if he got me plastered, I'd actually go to sleep tonight and leave him alone. By the end of the show, I was more than a little drunk, screaming along to the songs I knew and just screaming during the ones I didn't. It felt so good to belt out a song and not worry about five-part harmony or dance moves. She was right - this was a completely different experience from one of our shows.
It's not like I'd never been to a club to see a rock show. I had. BIK played them all the time. But I guess I'd never really thought about how it'd be to perform in one. I smiled as I imagined the riot that would erupt if we played a club like this.
We finished the last song and I stared out into the audience trying to gauge their reaction. I hated not being able to see very many faces, so I lingered at the side of the stage as the lights went up. There was a group of 3 girls dancing near the stage and singing the chorus to the last song like they didn't want the show to end.
Cute boy was still standing near the stage, talking to his friends. He looked up and caught me staring at him. Busted! He grinned and winked at me. I smiled back. He probably had to get home to mommy, right? Well, if he figures out where the aftershow is, maybe I'd let him talk to me.
Listen to me! Talking like a rock babe! It's amazing what a good gig can do to my ego. Before we went out I'd been scrutinizing my reflection in the mirror, putting on every T-shirt and pair of jeans I owned and rejecting them all. Finally I remembered that I'd thrown in the Kate Sutton original that Em had loaned me last time I saw her. When was that? I couldn't remember. It was an exquisitely cut tuxedo shirt just big enough to make me feel like I could hide inside. The cuffs extended past the end of my fingers, which made playing my guitar a bitch, but I felt great in it.
I packed up my guitar, still watching people filing out of the club. It was an incredibly trendy club by what I could tell. I hadn't expected that we'd get such a good reaction. I was used to being the weird pop/rock band that no one quite knew how to characterize. Even EMI had given up trying to promote us. They'd probably let us fulfill our two-album deal and then drift off into obscurity. Fuckers.
If we were a girl band, we'd be a novelty act. Probably heralded as the next generation of the Go-Gos or something. And if I had a penis, Jeremy had no doubt that we'd be as big as Limp Biskit. Yeah, but not the Backstreet Boys.
Christ - where did that come from? Just then a guy caught my eye in the balcony, he looked familiar. He must have been 6'4' and was built like a body builder. Was he here last night? It was the VIP area, maybe he knew the promoter?
"Rache! Rachel!" I turned as Jeremy grabbed my arm, "Are you going to stand there all day?"
I turned to him. He wasn't going to ruin this high, "Just looking at the audience - that was a great show!"
He beamed at me, "Fuckin' fantastic! The promoter wants us back tomorrow. And we'll get a cut of the door!" He pulled me into a bear hug, lifting me up off the ground. I threw my head back, screaming with laughter. It felt so good to be liked!
I glanced back up in the balcony, but they guy I was trying to place was gone. Cute boy was too. Damn. Guess I'll start packing up equipment.
Before I could even ask how to get backstage to see Rachel and tell her what a fabulous show it was, we'd been spotted. Frank was pulling me down the stairs and out the nearest exit. I looked back and saw Rachel on the other side of the stage. She was hugging some guy - I couldn't see his face - and they were laughing. Damn. Must be the boyfriend. Of course she had a boyfriend. She was beautiful… and sexy. Get a grip, Carter!
Before I knew it Brian, Frank and I were crammed into the back of a cab heading toward the hotel. Even though she probably had a boyfriend, I still couldn't stop talking about her. I'd just ramble on until someone changed the subject. Lord knows I wasn't about to get bored. Finally Brian screamed.
"Dude! Get a hold of yourself, the chick doesn't walk on water! Yes, they're good… but come on she's never gonna go for you…" He shook his head.
"What? Why not! What do I have that the guy she was flirting with in the front row doesn't? I mean, obviously she's letting her eyes wander. You saw it, Frank! Back me up."
"Oh no," Frank groaned. "I don't get paid enough to step into this argument. Not where true love is concerned."
I rolled my eyes, "No one said love, Frank."
Brian laughed, "Obviously. She's a rock babe, Nick. You're a Backstreet Boy… think about it."
"Think about what? I'm not going to be in a boy band for the rest of my life and why shouldn't she like me if I am?" We were making our way through the lobby of the hotel and Brian pulled me quickly into the elevator. Frank sighed.
"Don't do that!" Brian yelled.
"What?" The elevator doors closed and I put my hand in my pocket. Did I have a room key? I considered the floor numbers above the doors. We were on the top floor, right? Finally Frank dangled my key in front of my eyes and I nodded. Right. Frank carried the key. Good plan. If I thought of that, I should reward myself. Excellent!
"Talk about not being in the band!" Brian fussed at me.
"Why are you turning into Kevin, Bri? I didn't say anything to anyone." I rolled my eyes and stepped off the elevator. I stopped and Frank pointed to the left. Right. Left off the elevator. 2607… that'd be the… I looked to my left… no the other side.
"You just proclaimed it in the lobby. How do you think these rumors start, Nick? You gotta be more careful."
"Whatever, dude. Hey! Rachel sings that in that song…" I jumped up and down in time to the music in my head and sang her words:
"Nick!" Brian grabbed my arm, stopping me from pogo-ing down the hallway, "Chill out, dude! Concert's over and other people are probably trying to sleep." He glanced at his watch, "We've got a 10am call, alright? See you in a couple hours. Frank, make sure he sleeps at some point before then. I don't even want to deal with a tired and cranky Nick in the morning. AJ is bad enough."
"I heard that!" AJ screamed from his room and I pounded on the door. Frank sighed and I turned around.
"I'm in the hotel, Frank. Go to your room. What can possibly happen to me?"
Frank gave me that look I knew too well. "Plenty. Especially if AJ is still up. That's what got us into this whole mess."
I flashed him a cheesy grin and disappeared into AJ's room. He'd listen to me talk about Rachel!
Before I knew it the alarm was blaring. Fuck me. Noon already? I squinted at the clock and cursed myself for not closing the curtains last night as the sunlight hit my eyes. Fuuuuuck.
My head pounded and I threw the covers back up to block out the light. I flipped over, curling into a ball and felt something next to me. I jumped a foot off the bed, suddenly awake.
Cute boy. What was he doing here?
He was just as cute in the daylight, now, wasn't he? Still looked young, though. Hmmm… he looked up at me sleepily and then smiled, "Rachel… g'morning."
He stretched and the sheets fell away from him, revealing a very nice chest covered with my shade of lipstick. I blushed as what we did last night came slowly back to me. Oh, he had to be older than I thought. Or very well practiced.
"Morning to you. We've gotta get up." I said, smiling down at him. I could definitely stay here without a fight though. His blond hair that had been all spiky last night was falling in his eyes. Sooooooo cute it almost hurt, I whined to myself.
He reached up, running a finger down my arm slowly, "You sure you need to go?"
I glanced back at the clock. The alarm went off again and I lunged for it. "Damned thing! I can never turn it off right…"
He was on top of me, throwing the covers to the floor and planning kisses down my spine. He got to the spiral tattoo on my lower back and traced it slowly with his tongue. I went limp for a moment. I loved it when guys did that. Jesus!
I moaned loudly and felt him smile against my skin. He turned me over and continued, kissing my thighs as he stuck two fingers inside me. I came instantly, screaming. Without opening my eyes, I felt around on the bedside table for a condom. I threw it over to him and he rolled off of me for a moment, leaving me shaking from my climax. He was quickly back, though, thrusting inside me and making me scream again.
An hour later, I was still in bed, straddling the cute boy and taunting him. The phone rang. I groaned and reached over for it, "I'm busy!" I shouted and then held out the phone. Cute boy moaned on demand and I threw the phone back onto the receiver. I dissolved into adolescent giggles and kissed him on the forehead.
"I was at the jabber jaw… cutest boy I ever saw… he was looking right at me… he was such a dream," I sang the first verse of 'Minneapolis,' staring down at him.
I loved it when men looked at me that way, like they couldn't believe their luck. Like I was the coolest girl in the planet. I didn't care if it only lasted one night. It was still a rush. I kissed him deeply then sighed, "Please tell me your momma isn't going to come press charges. That would ruin the tour."
He smiled up at me, "I'm 21."
"You are not! What year were you born?" I teased him.
"1980… June 8th."
"Nick Rhodes' birthday!" I screamed and he stared at me blankly. "Duran Duran… Nick was my favorite." He still had a blank look on his face and I smiled, "That's okay, dear. They were before your time. But… our time is up, I'm afraid. Gotta go meet the others. You gonna be there tonight, sweetheart?"
He nodded up at me and I pushed the hair out of his face, "Good boy."
I showered as quickly as I could with him getting in my way and threw on my leather pants from last night and my current favorite T-shirt - a wine red color with a faded picture of Sid Vicious on the front. Very punk rock. Cute boy wrote his number on the inside of my guitar case and I kissed him goodbye.
No sign of the guys in the lobby. Fuck. I had to stop being so late. But Jeremy took some chick up to his room, I saw them last night. Certainly he was late, too. I smiled at the man behind the counter, "Rachel Connor 1410. Any messages, please?"
He looked in my little slot and handed me a small stack of messages, " You're a popular woman, Rachel Connor 1410."
I winked at him, "Thanks, love." I fell into the couch in the lobby, leafing through my messages.
TO: Rachel Connor 1410
FROM: James
TIME: 12:30pm
MESSAGE: Late late late. Where's Jeremy? Darien and I are at the club. Call me on the cell.
I pulled out my cell phone and punched James on the speed dial as I went on to the next message.
TO: Rachel Connor 1410
FROM: Jeremy
TIME: 12:45pm
MESSAGE: Talked to James. Raging hangover. Sleeping in. See you at the club later.
Raging hangover my ass. More like raging blond who I'm banging right now. I had to smile though, as I thought about Cute Boy. Really should have thought to ask his name this morning, shouldn't I? Oh well.
James answered as I crumpled up Jeremy's note.
"Where are you?" He didn't even say hello.
"Well, let's just ignore common courtesy, then!" I teased. "I'm in the lobby reading my many messages from band members. What are you doing?"
"I'm working!" He spat back but I could tell he was about to crack up.
"Oh, don't go all Jeremy on me, James! I have such a headache!" I giggled back at him. "You're getting drunk with Darien, admit it!"
"Well… there's not much to do here. The promoter says we're guaranteed a sell out. He's trying to get us a meeting with the local weekly paper. That might be some good press. Help us when we come back to the city."
I groaned, "Which will be in 4 months if not longer and no one will fucking remember our names. Jesus, James. This is getting so old."
"Rachel, we had a great gig last night, can we stop the pessimism for just two minutes and enjoy it. EMI called this morning."
That got my attention and I sat up straight, "They did? What did they want?"
"Something about what happened in LA and that we were getting play on KROQ. They had to have the wrong number, right?"
"Most definitely! We haven't been out there in over a year, James. That's really weird. They can't mean the KROQ, can they? No…"
"Dunno, Rache. But they want to meet up with us when we hit New York next week. Strategy or something." He sounded nonchalant but I could sense the excitement in his voice. No no no no… stop it, Rachel. This has happened before. No, I had to quell my excitement or I'd jinx it all.
I glanced down at the last message. It was actually an envelope… return address was The Firm in LA and it was hand addressed. Weird.
"Hey, James… do you know anyone at The Firm?"
"What?"
"The Firm, it's a management company in LA, I think. I've got an envelope here with their logo on it." I ripped it open and a piece of plastic fell out. I held it up, "JESUS CHRIST!"
I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming.
"What is it Rache? You still there?" James' voice brought me back to earth.
"Umm… just a sec…" I fished out a piece of paper from the envelope. I read it three times to myself before talking again. Just to make sure I wasn't still sleeping.
"Rachel!!!" James was yelling my name. "What's it say?"
"It's a backstage pass and there's a note, 'You were amazing at the Rock last night. Can't wait for you to see our show so we can compare notes. Frank (you met him in NC, remember?) will be around at 7:30. We go on at 9:00. Hope to see you then. Besides, Oreos don't count as dinner. You owe me.' And it's signed 'Nick' - the pass is for the Backstreet Boys."
"Rachel you are not serious!" James was laughing at me.
"No, I am… James, I'm staring at it right here. I wouldn't joke about something like this." I had to laugh. It was utterly unreal. "You guys are pulling my leg, aren't you?" Of course, that's it. They'd been teasing me about my Backstreet boyfriend ever since Raleigh.
"Not a bad likeness, I guess. Looks pretty official. Even has a hologrammy thing in it. Where'd you come across that, a bubblegum machine?" I teased him.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Are they even in town? Why would a Backstreet Boy come to our show? And what's that about Oreos?"
I read back through the note. I didn't tell them about Nick licking the center of the Oreo, did I? I blushed at the memory. He was adorable that morning. I so should have kissed him. "Well… I gave him a CD when we met in Raleigh.If it's not you, it has to be Jeremy."
I hung up with James and went up to Jeremy's room. But it wasn't him - or so he claimed. He did find it all immensely amusing and asked if he could dress up like a girl and go with me.
"Well!" I started badgering Frank as soon as he was back from her hotel, "Did you talk to her? Did you give her my note?"
He sighed, "She was busy, Nick. I left it at the desk."
"How'd you know she was busy… did you see her? Do they have a gig tonight? AJ thought he heard something on the radio. Can she come?"
"Nick, take it down a gear. She was busy, if you know what I mean. Busy. It was noon and I heard someone with her. At noon. She was still in bed, dude."
My face fell and I threw the tennis ball against the wall again. I'd been sitting here throwing the ball against the wall and catching it for the last hour while Frank went to Rachel's hotel to see if she'd come to our show tonight. I'd convinced myself that the guy I saw her with wasn't her boyfriend. Well, with AJ's help last night and another couple beers.
"You can take him, Nick! You're the cute one!" AJ yelled from the pinball machine across the room.
"I thought I was the cute one!" Howie hollered back. I threw the tennis ball, hitting Howie in the back and he screamed.
"Sorry, dude!" I lied. I looked back up at Frank, "So she's not coming?"
"I left her the note, Nick. And a pass. I'll go back tonight and see if she's coming. That's all I can do for you, little man."
I
tried to give Frank a stern look, but couldn't keep a straight face. He'd get
her for me. Either that or he'd have to take me back to the club again after
our show so I could see her. And if I knew him, he'd want me to stay on his
turf.
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