FicWad

I sighed irritably and glanced at my watch for what seemed like the millionth time that afternoon. The Crue was at the final support show and was just finishing up. Their last few songs seemed to drag by as I tapped my foot against the floor backstage. Right now, I was really sick and tired of spending so much time with the Crue. Normally, I didn't get angry with them. But today was different. Tommy's craziness was irritated me, Nikki's rudeness was getting on my nerves, Beth Lynn was driving me to the point of insanity, and Vince...well, I just didn't know what to think about Vince.
I hadn't spoken to Vince since last night and I had no idea what to expect from him. He really only had two options. First, he could break up with me or just start treating me as nothing more than a friend. Or he could act like normal and pretend that nothing had happened between him and Beth Lynn last night. Knowing Vince, he would conveniently forget about last night's activities and treat me the same as always. But this time, I knew better. All those sweet words he had whispered in my ear were fake. How could I ever have let myself be seduced by them?
I shook my head in frustration and kicked a rock that was lying by my food. Watching it skid across the floor, I couldn't help but think about what I wanted to do first once I got home. My first instinct was to call Izzy. But what about Beth Lynn's threat? It was pretty clear to me that she was also after Izzy. Would she somehow be able to persuade him that I had cheated on him and to take her as his next girlfriend? I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to calm myself down. What would happen would happen whether I liked it or not. There was really no use in contemplating on it.
I was so drowned in my thoughts that I didn't even realize that the Crue members had come swaggering backstage. Blinking, I forced myself to get back to the present. Smiling as genuinely as I could, I walked over to where they were standing and said, "Hey guys! Nice job. So are we gonna get going now?" Then I took a better look at the Crue. They were covered in glitter and some white stuff. I reached out a finger to touch Tommy's shoulder. Something powdery and white stuck to my finger.
"What the hell is all over you guys?" I asked, wiping my finger on my jeans. Tommy grimaced as he looked down at his body that was completely covered by white powder, "It's glittery flour. Apparently, Ozzy thought it would be funny to have glittery flour pouring from the ceiling during the whole show. All I have to say is that it's the most annoying thing ever."
"Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with that guy?" I asked in bewilderment. Ozzy was one of the craziest people I had met. Wait, screw that. Ozzy was the craziest person I had met. Vince lightened the mood by flashing me a big grin, "Don't worry, I have a plan to get revenge on him." I smiled tentatively back at Vince, unsure of where our relationship stood.
If Vince was willing to take me back despite what had gone between him and Beth, I would accept him with open arms. After all, it wasn't like it was his fault that he wanted to have sex with his wife. On the contrary, it was completely the opposite. It was all Beth's fault for doing this to me. I wondered if she was happy now that I was glowing green with jealousy.
"So what are you gonna do?" I asked lightly, trying to seem casual. Vince's smile just widened and he disappeared from view as he ducked under the backstage curtain, "Oh, you'll see!" As soon as Vince was gone from view, Tommy and I sat down against the wall while Mick and Nikki left to get changed. I had been glad to see that Mick and Tommy weren't arguing about the whole arrest thing. Actually, Mick seemed happier than he had been in days.
"I hope Vince hurries," I complained to Tommy as I rested my head against his shoulder and yawned widely. "I'm tired and I just wanna get home." Tommy agreed, "I know. It's been a long trip. I can't wait to get home to see Candice. Vince should be quick. After this, we'll head out immediately so you can get home."
"Thanks Tommy," I smiled up at him. Even if Tommy was crazy sometimes, he was still one of my best friends. At that moment, a loud clunking sound came from behind us. Tommy and I whirled around to see what the noise was coming from. Vince appeared backstage dressed in a knight's suit of armor with a glass in his left hand. Vince looked so hilarious that I couldn't suppress a laugh, "What the hell are you doing Vince?"
Vince laughed along with me and said, "Getting revenge on Ozzy." I frowned. I failed to see how Vince dressed in a knight's suit influenced Ozzy at all. As if reading my mind, Vince walked over and showed me what was in the glass he was holding; flour. I assumed Vince was going to repay Ozzy by dumping the flour all over him.
"Good luck avenging the Crue!" I called as Vince clanked towards the stage. He turned to give me a thumbs up before disappearing behind the stage current. Tommy and I sat in silence for a while until Vince finally returned, looking very pleased with himself. I glanced down at my watch and stood up, "It's about time! What were you doing out there?"
"Giving Ozzy a face full of flour," Vince replied happily. Mick and Nikki appeared at that same moment. Nikki rolled his eyes, "You were mooning the audience too." Vince's tan cheeks flushed slightly, but he didn't bother to reply to Nikki. Instead, he dropped one arm around my shoulder and took my lips in his abruptly. I stood there completely shocked. Nobody was staring though. As a matter of fact, everyone acted like Vince kissing me was one of the most normal things they had seen today.
"Come on guys!" Vince shouted, "Let's get the fuck out of here!" As we exited the backstage area, my thoughts twisted confusedly in my brain. Vince still wanted me despite of Beth Lynn. That wasn't really a shocker though. Everyone knew that Vince thought there could never be enough women in the world. But what the hell was I suppose to do about Izzy now? I didn't think that having a relationship with both of them could work. I would constantly be afraid of one of them figuring out that I was cheating. I was going to be forced to choose between the two of them. There was only one question that remained: who would I choose? I wanted them both, but that simply wasn't an option. I was gonna have to make up my mind about this fast.

~ ~ ~ ~

I pushed the door to my parent's house open several hours later and heaved my heavy suitcase inside. As soon as I had stepped in the doorway, my mom's quick footsteps sounded from the hallway as she rushed over to greet me. She took one look at me then pulled me against her in a rib-cracking hug, "Oh honey, it's so good to see you again! How was your trip?"
I felt like I couldn't breath. Surreptitiously, I slid out of my mom's hug and smiled at her, "It was good. The Crue did a really great job and they sold tons of records. It certainly feels good to be home though." My mom ruffled my hair in an annoying way and nodded, "Of course it does! Well, I'll let you head up to bed. I'm sure you're tired. You've certainly had a long day with the show earlier today and the long drive home."
Nodding, I quickly escaped up to my bedroom. I was lucky that my mom had assumed I was tired and had shooed me off to bed. Usually, she would've wanted to know every single little detail about my trip. Once I was in my room, I took a deep breath and started unpacking all my makeup, hair products, and clothes.
That only took about five minutes though. Five minutes later, I was sitting on my bed completely bored. That was one of my biggest problems; I got bored very easily. It was as if I constantly needed something to do. Peering over at my watch, I saw that it was only ten. I didn't normally go to bed until midnight. There was no way I could just sit here for three more hours. I was going to have to get out and do something. But where exactly should I go?
It was much too late to call Izzy. Besides, I hadn't quite made up my mind about what to do with Izzy yet. Mainly because I couldn't think of anywhere else to go, I decided on the Rainbow Club. It was only a few minutes away and it was always busy. I could just hang out there for a bit, enjoy the music and a drink or two, and possibly find someone to talk to.
Jumping out of bed, I practically ran down the stairs and through the hallway that led to the door. I had been hoping to avoid my mother. She would definitely be suspicious about why I was out of bed when she thought I was suppose to be sleeping. Just as I finished zipping up my black boots, my mother's concerned voice came around the corner, "Amy? Is that you?"
Part of me was tempted just to run out the door, but I knew that wouldn't be polite and would only cause my mother to give me a lecture when I returned from the club later tonight. Resignedly, I admitted, "Yes mom, it's me." She appeared at the end of the hallway, already dressed in her nightgown and a robe. My mother had never been a night person.
"What are you doing out of bed?" my mom inquired, looking at me sleepily. "I thought you were sleeping." My mind whirled for a good excuse. I started, "Um..." Unfortunately, my brain failed me and I was left stuttering without a good excuse as to why I was going out. My mom yawned and sighed, "Are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah," I said. "I was...going to get some gas for my car. I just remembered that it was almost empty and that I need to get it filled before tomorrow since I have to go to Tommy's then." Normally, this excuse would never have worked. It was an obvious big fat lie, but I could get away with pretty much anything when my mom was half asleep.
She smothered another yawn and nodded as if she thought my excuse was perfectly normal, "Oh, okay. Well, I'm going back to bed. Let me know if you need anything." Without a backwards glance, she turned and walked right back the way she came. I exhaled loudly with relief and quickly exited the door before I could cause any more suspicion.
Once I was in my jetta, I turned on the engine and drove to the Rainbow Club. The drive was quick and I had arrived in the parking lot before I knew it. I parked in the way back where there were the fewest cars and just sat in my car for a few minutes. I was suddenly regretting coming here. I didn't want to go into the club and see all those happy couples laughing and talking together when my love life felt like it was falling apart. Why had I been so stupid as to come here?
Shaking my head, I was about to start my car back up again to leave when a noise to my left caught my eye. It sounded a lot like someone playing the drums. But who would be out playing the drums in front of the club this late at night? My curiosity piqued and I decided to figure out who it was. Now on a mission, I slid out of my car and walked briskly down to the other end of the parking lot where the sound of drums was coming from.
I pulled my jean jacket closer against me; it was chilly this late at night and a strong wind chilled me straight to the bone. Just then, I caught a glimpse of a average sized man with tousled blonde hair rapping his heart out on a drum set set up in front of him. Something about the guy was very familiar. It was as if I knew him from somewhere, but I couldn't quite remember where...
Suddenly the drums stopped and I was jerked out of my reverie as the man called me by name, "Why hello there, babe! It's Amy, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is," I replied, completely mystified that somehow this guy knew exactly who I was but I remained clueless to where I had seen him before. The man left his drums lying on the corner of the parking lot and strutted over to me with a big grin on his happy-go-lucky face. God, that face was so familiar! Why couldn't I remember him?
"I haven't seen you for a while," the man said, still grinning ear to ear. "How is your friend from the hospital?" Suddenly, it all came fluttering back to me. This was the guy I had seen twice at the hospital when I was there waiting to see Beth Lynn. We had talked the second time I had seen him in the waiting room. What was his name again? Was it Steven?
"Uh...she's fine...long story," I replied to Steven's question, not really wanting to think about Beth Lynn at the moment. Actually, I had just been working on trying to put Beth Lynn out of my mind. Steven laughed a genuine laugh and looked me over from head to toe. Sometimes this kind of attention embarrassed me, but with Steven it was okay.
"You're Steven, right?" I asked hesitantly, not wanting to get his name wrong. Steven lifted his gaze from my shoes and nodded, "Yeah, you remembered! Most people don't." I tried to think of what we had talked about last time so I could start a conversation with him. Hadn't he been trying to get into a band called London with his friend?
"So how's your drum playing been?" I asked, pointing at the drum set a few yards away from us. "Did you get into London?" Steven's big grin instantaneously disappeared and he shoved his hands in his pockets, looking uncomfortable, "Well, we tried. Let's just say that it didn't last very long." Poor Steven. He deserved to have been in the band after all his hard work.
"I'm sorry," I apologized sincerely. "So what are you doing out here? I mean, you do know that it's not all that normal to play the drums outside alone in the middle of the night, right?" Steven's grin quickly reappeared on his face, "Yeah. I'm just trying to get some publicity. A lot of major bands come to this club. You never know, maybe one of them will hear me play and decide to let me in on their band! It's worth a try anyway. I don't have anything to lose exactly."
I felt really bad for Steven. Here he was, spending all his free time out on the streets just trying to find a band that would accept him. I was really tempted to invite him to play for Crue, but Tommy would never forgive me for that. And besides, there really wasn't any need for two drummers. I mean seriously, how many big bands have two drummers?
"I'm sure you'll find a band soon, Steven," I said much more confidently than I actually felt. "You're an amazing drummer. Someday you'll be in a big band. Just wait and see. Why don't you have your friend come down here and play with you? A guitarist and drummer might attract more attention than just a drummer you know."
Steven looked like he was thinking it over as he replied slowly, "Hm, I don't know. My friend's going to audition for some other band tomorrow. Playing together isn't really his top priority." Steven shrugged as if this dismissed the topic. I frowned, immediately throwing up a grudge against Steven's friend. It was obvious that Steven wanted to play with his friend, but apparently, his friend was unwilling to try to find a band that both he and Steven could play with.
"So what have you been up to?" Steven asked to change the subject, leaning against his drum set as he eyed me. There was something special about those eyes. If I looked into them closely, I could almost see specks of violet in them. I decided to tell Steven about the Crue, "Well, I went with Motley Crue on a tour actually. You know Motley Crue, right?"
Steven nodded expressionlessly, "Oh yeah. They're that really popular glam band, huh? It seems like all these bands are glam bands these days. I wish there were just more normal bands." At first, I wasn't exactly sure what to make of Steven's statement. Was he trying to say that there was something bad about glam bands? Personally, I loved glam bands. All the Crue members looked extremely sexy with all their stage gear and makeup.
"So you don't like glam bands?" I finally asked. Steven just shrugged. Then thinking that he might've hurt my feelings, he quickly cut in, "Well, it's not that I don't like them exactly. It's just that I wouldn't want to be in one. Does that make sense? But Crue is fine. They're a good band I guess."
Steven's tone wasn't very reassuring as he said any of that. But it was okay if Steven didn't like glam bands. I mean everyone has different tastes and stuff, right? I nodded and pretended that I knew exactly what Steven was talking about, "Yeah, that makes sense." Steven took one look at my face and rolled his eyes, "Don't say that 'cuz I can tell that you don't mean it. I didn't mean to insult Motley Crue or anything. Please don't be mad."
Steven looked up at me with those big, sparkling eyes of his that for some reason, were causing a shiver down my spine that wasn't just due to the wind. He was so innocent, sweet, and puppy-like. For some reason, I was compelled to touch him. I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, saying, "God, of course I'm not mad! I guess I'm just used to glam bands."
"That makes sense," Steven said, "After all, you just went on a really long tour with them. I would figure you'd be used to them by now. Have you ever seen Poison though?" Steven gave a little shudder and make a face. "They really suck." I racked my brain and tried to see if I remembered anything about a band called "Poison."
After a few moments, I remembered that Vince had mentioned them once. I had completely forgotten what it was that he had said about them though. Answering Steven's question, I said, "I think my friend talked about them once. I sorta forgot what he said though. Why does Poison suck so much?"
"My friend tried out for their band a few weeks ago. They had an add up and said they were looking for a guitarist," Steven began. "So Slash showed up and played all the songs perfectly, and yet they chose this guy, CC Deville, over him. And you want to know why?" I nodded, intrigued by Steven's story.
"They choose CC over Slash because Slash didn't want to do the whole makeup/glam thing. Isn't that crazy? They're more worried about someone's appearance than their actual talent. That CC guy actually had pink streaks in his hair! How crazy is that?" Steven blurted out, obviously angered by this.
I thought about Steven's words. It did seem like Poison might be going a little bit overboard if they were willing to trade quality for someone's appearance. But again, Steven could be partial to his friend and CC Deville might actually have been the better guitarist. There wasn't really anyway for me to know since I had never seen either of them play before. I answered Steven's question carefully, "I don't know much about Poison, but they do seem to have their priorities in the wrong place. So is Slash your friend? That's kind of an odd name..."
Steven laughed, "It's not his real name of course! It's a nickname he's had for years though so everyone just calls him Slash." I nodded and tried to muffle a yawn. Steven somehow managed to notice it though because he smiled and said, "You look tired. Maybe you should be going now? I wouldn't want you to fall asleep on your drive home."
I was tempted to keep talking to Steven, but I was really getting tired at this point. Reluctantly, I nodded, "I suppose I should go now. It was really nice seeing you though." I held out my hand in a businesslike manner for him to shake. Our handshake felt rather awkward, especially when Steven looked right up into my eyes. I kind of stiffened under his gaze and quickly glanced away. There was something more in than gaze than I had noticed before.
Before things could get too awkward, I pulled my hand away and said, "Bye Steven! Good luck finding a band to join. I'm sure I'll see you again soon!" With that, I quickly marched back across the street to where my little black jetta was waiting for me. As I turned to climb inside it, I glanced back at Steven. He was still watching me from way across the parking lot. When he saw that I was looking at him, he waved energetically at me before turning back to his drum set.
As I drove home, my mind was full of thoughts of Steven. I really liked this guy. He definitely deserved to be in a band. Somehow, I wanted to find a way to help him. It was my new goal.

~ ~ ~ ~

As soon as I got home, I headed straight to my bedroom and flopped facedown onto my bed. I was suddenly overcome with fatigue. Just as I was pulling the sheet over my head, an irritating beep came from next to my head. Hoping that maybe I had just been imagining the noise, I pulled the pillow over my head and tried to fall asleep.
However, two minutes later, another irritating beep sounded. I tossed the pillow off of my head, flicked on the lamp by my nightstand, and looked at my phone. It was blinking and it said I had three new messages. What the fuck? I hadn't had any calls before I left for the club only an hour ago. That was odd.
I shifted into a sitting position on my bed and started listening to the messages. The first one was from Tommy. He said, "Hey Amy, it's Tommy. I just wanted to let you know that Crue is going to be performing another short tour with Ozzy. We'd love to have you come with us, but if you don't want to go, I completely understand. Anyways, please call me back soon and let me know if you want to come or not. We have to make hotel reservations and stuff. Call me!"
I rested my back against the headboard of my bed. Did I want to go on another tour with Crue again already? I loved the Crue guys dearly and I loved being with them, but we had just gotten home like three hours ago. Leaving home again and heading out on another tour right away didn't see so appealing to me. I continued to mull this over as I moved onto the next message.
It was from Vince, "Hey babe, it's me. Did Tommy tell you about the tour yet? Well, I really want you to come. We can get a room together and stuff. I really want to spend some time alone with you." There was a pause and then he continued in an even quieter tone, "I'll even see if I can get Beth Lynn to stay home. So how about it? Please say yes." Oh god, Vince's message had completely changed my mind about the whole tour. It would be the perfect opportunity to get closer to Vince and build or relationship if Beth Lynn stayed home. But truth be told, I was really tired of the shit with Beth Lynn. Also, if I left, Beth would have a clear path to Izzy. I wasn't really ready to give Izzy up yet. If I was going to have to choose only one guy, then I would choose Izzy. He was more reliable than Vince and wasn't married.
Finally, I moved onto the third message. To my surprise, it actually was from Izzy! His soft gentle voice greeted me, "Hi Amy, sorry I didn't return your call from earlier. I think Axl forgot to tell me you called. But hey, how's it going? I know you've been on the tour with Crue. It sounds like a lot of fun. Are you back from the tour yet? Whenever you come back, maybe we can do something together? I'm getting a little tired of hanging out with Axl all the time! It would sure be nice to have you around. So that's it for now I guess. Call when you get time!"
My automatic response was to start punching Izzy's phone number back into my phone. I didn't care that it was really late at night now or the fact that Izzy wouldn't be around. All I knew was that I had to talk to him as soon as possible. I hadn't seen him enough. In our time away, I had forgotten just how sweet he could be. As I listened to the phone ring, I finally made up my mind about the Crue tour. I wasn't going to go. Some time away from Vince was probably something I needed. It really wasn't good for me to be getting into a tight relationship with a guy who fucked everything in sight and was currently married to a bitch who hated me more than anyone else. I had also had enough of Nikki for a long time. He obviously had some sort of major problem with me right now. Maybe he would forget all about it during the tour and would be back to "normal" by the time we saw each other again. While the Crue was away, I could spend more time with Izzy and get everything back to normal like it should be. And if things didn't work out with Izzy, Vince would always be there for me when he came back from the tour.
"Hey," a sleepy voice answered the phone. "What's up?" I felt like throwing the phone across the room when I heard the voice because it was not Izzy. After taking a calming breath, I forced a smile on my face to get me into a cheerful mood and said, "Hi Axl. So is Izzy around? He told me to call him back and I need to talk to him."
There was a really long pause from the other end of the phone. As a matter of fact, it was so long that I was starting to think Axl had either hung up or fallen asleep. Just as I was about to snap the phone shut from irritation, Axl's voice rang into my ear, "Izzy's out right now. I have no fucking clue what he's doing though. Do you want me to take a message for you?"
Izzy was out? How could I be sure of that? Something about the way Axl had been acting was making me suspicious. A little angry, I slashed back, "No, I don't want you to take a message for him! I actually want to talk to him. Every single time I call here, you tell me I can't talk to him. What's up with that? Is something wrong here or what?"
Axl seemed taken aback when he spoke next, "Amy, I'm serious. Izzy really is out. He left this afternoon to go downtown and he hasn't been back since. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can about this." Axl was being so polite that I was starting to feel guilty for taking my anger out him even though he had forgotten to tell Izzy about my previous phone call.
"Sorry Axl," I apologized, feeling a little big embarrassed by my behavior. It wasn't good to make me angry when I was half asleep. I continued, "It's just been a long time since I've seen him. I was hoping we could make plans to do something together soon. No offense to the Crue, but I really need to get away from them for a while."
Axl laughed and when he spoke again, he sounded more awake, "Yeah, I can see what you mean. Hey, you can drop by tomorrow morning though! I mean, I'm pretty sure Izzy isn't going anywhere tomorrow. He'd love to see you. I know you're welcome here anytime. So how about it? Come by tomorrow?"
I really wanted to say yes. Seeing Izzy tomorrow would be really great! But was it rude to just stop by his house without an invitation or anything? Well, Axl had invited me, but it was Izzy's house. Biting my lip, I said tentatively, "Are you sure he wouldn't mind? I feel sorta bad about just stopping in without telling him beforehand."
Axl pushed the thought aside easily, "God, Amy! Of course Izzy is not going to mind. If it makes you feel better, I'll just tell him that I invited you down. Now there's no need for you to worry. Oh, but do you mind coming down tomorrow morning versus coming in the afternoon? We're kind of busy in the afternoon."
I squinted through the darkness of my bedroom at the calendar that was plastered against the wall facing me. Luckily, I didn't have anything marked down on the calendar for tomorrow morning. I replied, "Yeah, that works fine. I'm not doing anything at all tomorrow. What are you doing in the afternoon though?"
Axl took a minute before replying, "We're having a new guitarist try out for the Hollywood Rose. You see, I'm still not happy with the way Chris is playing. He just doesn't seem like part of the band. I know that makes no sense, but it's really hard to explain. You'd have to be here watching the band perform to see what I mean. But anyways, I have to have everyone from the band at Izzy's house in the afternoon for the tryouts."
I frowned. I remembered that Izzy had really liked Chris. He had been Izzy's best friend from the Hollywood Rose if I could remember correctly. Not sure how Axl was going to take this, I said nervously, "I see. So I'm sure you've talked this over with Izzy and the rest of the band, right? They don't mind replacing Chris?"
There was a guilty silence before Axl admitted, "Okay, okay, I didn't tell them about the tryout. I just told them to come around tomorrow for an important date. It'll just save arguments. I don't wanna argue with all the members about whether or not Chris should be replaced or not. I'm the leader of the band and so I should be able to choose who is part of my band and who isn't. Chris just isn't working and we really need a new guitarist."
"I see," I replied stiffly. "I don't really agree with that decision, but I'm not gonna waste time arguing with you about it. But don't you think Izzy will be mad?" Axl responded promptly, "Yeah, maybe. He'll get over it though. He always does." Axl could be really inconsiderate sometimes. All he seemed to care about was the band prospering. The band came first and the band members came second. Axl definitely had his priorities messed up.
Getting a little tired of this small talk, I said, "It's getting late so I've got to go. Tell Izzy I'll be at his house tomorrow morning, okay?" Axl agreed, "Yeah. Nice talkin' to you, Amy. Goodnight." I closed my phone, turned the lights back off again, and snuggled under my sheets. Now I could finally rest peacefully; I was going to see Izzy tomorrow!



Bang, bang, bang! The sound of someone rapping on my door awoke me early the next morning. Grumbling, I stumbled out of bed and opened the door, looking around with bleary eyes. My mom was standing in the doorway in a pleated skirt and blouse with her hair and makeup done perfectly. Still half asleep, I groaned, "Geez mom! It's like six in the morning! What do you want? Couldn't you have waited to tell me whatever it is you want to tell me until a more decent hour?"
"Honey, it's eight in the morning, not four," my mom replied cheerily, obviously wide awake. "I wanted to tell you that I'm going to a business meeting and that your dad is already at work so you'll be home alone for a while. That's okay with you, isn't it? I would like to stay with you since I haven't spent much time with you lately, but this meeting is really important."
It seemed like every meeting my mom had to go to was "really important". My mom took her job very seriously. Yawning, I nodded, "Yeah, it's fine. I think I'm going to Izzy's house anyway so it's not like I would've been hanging out here to sit and chat anyways. Is that all you needed to tell me? If it is, I'm going back to bed."
My mom raised an eyebrow at Izzy's name, "You're going to Izzy's? I thought maybe you two broke up or something..." I rolled my eyes. It was only much too obvious that my mom disapproved of my relationship with Izzy and had deeply been wishing that I had broken up with him. I walked back over to bed and called over my shoulder, "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm still with Izzy. I'm going back to sleep now, so see you later."
I threw the pillow over my head and waited for my mom to go away and leave me alone. There was a moments silence and then, "Alright sweetie. I'll be back from my meeting around dinner time. Have a nice day! And remember, traffic gets bad at five so you might want to try to leave Izzy's house before then." With that said, my mom closed my bedroom door and left me in peace. I tried to relax and fall back asleep, but it was futile. Once I've woken up, it's about impossible for me to fall back asleep.
I rolled over onto my stomach and just rested on the bed for a few minutes before getting up. I liked taking my time getting ready in the morning. It was nice not to have to rush everywhere. Just as I was getting out of bed, the sound of our doorbell ringing met my ears. Crap! I was still in my pajamas and was in no position to answer the door!
I grabbed a short gray skirt and green tank top from my top drawer. After stripping as fast as I could, I slipped on the new clothes, racked a comb through my hair, and then took the stairs two at a time until I reached the door. I was really curious to see who would be knocking at my door. I mean, it was still really early in the morning and I didn't think my parents had any visitors. Hoping I looked okay, I took a steadying breath and opened the door to see if the person was still there.
Vince Neil was standing in the doorway with a smile spreading across those soft, pink lips of his. I frowned at him, "What are you doing here so early? You could've at least called to see if I was busy today instead of just inviting yourself in!" But even as I said all this, I was opening the door wider for Vince to come inside. I couldn't deny that I was happy to see him.
Vince ran a hand through his tousled blonde hair and smiled at me with his blue eyes shining, "But calling takes too much time! I wanted to see you now. It couldn't wait." Vince stepped all the way and shut the door behind him. "So tell me, are your parents home?"
"No, they're not. My mom had some important meeting she had to go to. She woke me up at five in the morning just to tell me about the damn meeting. Seriously, couldn't she just have wrote me a note or something instead?" I complained loudly, looking Vince up and down. He was wearing a black tank top and jeans, nothing fancy, but Vince still managed to look amazing in them. That was when I realized Vince had never answered my question. I decided to restate it in case he hadn't heard me earlier, "So why are you here exactly, Vince? You must have a reason."
Vince fluttered his long lashes at me innocently and smirked, "Do I have to have a reason to be welcome in your house? Did it ever cross your mind that maybe I was just here to see you?" I rolled my eyes and him and walked into the living room. I took a seat on our old recliner and rested my back against it while I eyed Vince, "Well, I kind of figured that part out on my own. But why do you want to see me? Is there something you need from me?"
Vince strode across the living room until he was standing right in front of me lounging in the recliner. Looking down at me, he whispered seductively, "Can't we save the questions for later? I'm just here because I wanted to be in the same room with you. Beth Lynn is being a bitch as usual and I couldn't stand being in the house with her for one more second!"
I clucked my tongue sympathetically, "Well, I don't blame you." Then I remembered the scene between Beth Lynn and Vince at the hotel room the other night. Was Vince making this us about Beth Lynn bitching or was he was lying to me? Forgetting that I wasn't suppose to know about the other night, I burst out, "What the hell, Vince? You just had sex with her like two nights ago and now you're fighting again? You two really have to work on your relationship skills."
Vince's smile faltered for a second and he looked rather guilty, "How did you know about that?" I narrowed my eyes and him. I didn't really want to go into details about how I had ended up sleeping on the floor in their hotel room the night they had decided to fuck. So I just answered, "Don't ask. Just know that I know about it."
Vince tried to wash the guilty expression off his face as he asked nervously, "Hm. So are you mad about it or anything?" Vince was now leaning so close to me that I could feel his breath ruffle my hair. I shrugged, "Not anymore I guess. But seriously, make up your mind! Do you want me or Beth?"
Abruptly, Vince pushed my recliner backwards so I was lying on my back on it, staring up at him. He climbed on top of me and cupped my face in his hands saying, "Who do you think I want, Amy? Would I even be here right now if I didn't want you? Would I still be trying to make you mine if I didn't want you?"
I was so distracted by Vince lying on top of me that I didn't here any of his questions. I peered up at him and tried to say sternly, "Vince, you know I don't want to...you know..." Vince grinned wickedly from on top of me and moved his hands down my neck, "Yeah, yeah, I know. I won't do it unless you want be to. I'll do everything but that."
I knew I should probably lay a few more rules down for me and Vince, but I didn't really want to think about that right now. I just wanted to enjoy the moment. Besides, Vince had promised not to fuck with me and I assumed I could trust him. Vince was usually trustworthy unless he was drunk...which was most of the time.
Vince kissed my neck and yanked off the sweatshirt I had hastily thrown on earlier. Now I realized I shouldn't even have bothered to get dressed earlier. What was the point if Vince was determined to remove everything anyway? Vince slipped one hand under my back to unclasp my bra. Just in case Vince needed a reminder, I said, "I said no sex, remember?"
Running a hand down my chest, Vince smiled coyly and nodded, "Yeah, I remember. That doesn't mean that I can't see you naked though." I rolled my eyes. This man was impossible. Vince stroked my belly with his fingertips causing me to sigh in contentment and reach up a hand to run it through his soft blonde hair.
"Mmm, you're so pretty, you know that?" I told Vince as I circled his neck with my arms and brought him closer to me. Vince toyed with my nipples as he leaned his head to the right to get a good view of my face, "Not nearly as pretty as you. Hey, can I be honest with you about something?"
As Vince slid his hands down my to my skirt, I shrugged. It couldn't hurt for Vince to be honest with me about something. I just hoped he hadn't been lying to be about something. I nodded, "Yeah. What do you want to tell me?" Vince tugged my skirt down and ran his hands along the edge of my panties, "It's crazy that you're still here living with your parents. Don't you want to get an apartment or move in with someone or something?"
"Well yeah," I admitted. Vince quickly dipped a finger underneath my panties and caressed me gently, causing me to start dripping all over his fingertips. Distracted, I said, "Oh god, that's far enough, Vince!" Vince sighed and slowly removed his fingers, "You're such a teaser. But have you noticed how we get farther everytime? One of these days, you'll just give in and let me go all the way. I know you want to, don't you?"
I put a hand on Vince's shoulder and pulled him down to me to I could kiss his lips, "I don't know what I want. But right now, I just want you right here next to me." Vince relaxed and kissed me back, "Then that's exactly what I'll do."



It seemed like it was hours later, but Vince and I were still cuddling on the recliner, not able to get enough of each other. I snuggled closer to him as his lips moved down my abdomen. I stroked his hair while I watched him sprinkle kisses all over me. An impulsive thought came to me; I want to feel this way forever. But of course, that was impossible. For one, Vince was still married. Suddenly, another crazy thought popped into my brain; I want to marry this man. Okay, maybe having Vince around for so long was starting to have bad effects on me. Marrying Vince was something that wasn't going to happen so I might as well not dwell on this subject for too long.
I was thinking about all this when the ringer of my phone suddenly sounded from the coffee table in the center of the room. Vince and I both jumped. The phone sounded so loud in a room that had been completely silent for hours. Sighing, I told Vince, "I'd better get that." Feeling a little self conscious since I was only dressed in my panties, I sprang up from the recliner and crossed the room to pick up the phone, "Hello?"
"Amy, where the hell are you?" an all too familiar voice demanded. "You told me last night you'd be here in the morning. I have the band tryout in less than two hours and you still aren't here. Izzy is thinking that you ditched him or something. So are you gonna get your ass over here or not?"
"Oh shit!" I exclaimed. I had forgotten all about my date with Izzy this morning. I had become so distracted when Vince had made his unexpected appearance. Hoping that Izzy wasn't too mad at me, I replied to a pissed-off Axl, "I'm so sorry! I'm coming over right now. Unless, do you not want me to come now?"
Vince walked over from the room and threw his arms around my neck and pressed his lips against my throat as I talked on the phone. I swatted him away and hissed under my breath, "Not right now, Vince!" There was a little pause before Axl said, "Nah, you can come I guess. Is someone at your house? I think I hear voices."
"No, no!" I said a little too quickly, putting a finger to my lips to motion for Vince to be quiet. "I'm here all alone. I'll be over soon, okay?" Without waiting for Axl's response, I clicked the phone shut and threw it onto the coffee table. After that, I gathered up my clothes from the floor and quickly redressed myself.
Vince watched me carefully, "Where are you going?" I blushed as I turned to him. For a moment, I thought about lying. It would be so easy to lie and not tell Vince that I was going to Izzy's. But on the other hand, Vince deserved to know the truth. Besides, he couldn't be made at me for going. He was playing with Beth Lynn and me so why couldn't I be with him and Izzy?
"I need to go to Izzy's place," I stated truthfully, avoiding Vince's eye as I smoothed my tank top. "I was suppose to be there hours ago, but I forgot about it when you came over." Vince tried not to look hurt, but I could still see the pain in his bright blue eyes, "Oh. So I'm guessing you're leaving then?"
I nodded as I strode over to the door and threw my purse around my shoulder, "Yeah, I'm already late enough as it is." Vince followed me to the door and gave me a little kiss on the cheek as we stepped outside. We walked in silence until we reached our cars. As I slid into my jetta, I raised a hand and waved to Vince as he clamored into his Porsche.
Vince waved to me and tried to smile. But I could immediately tell that the smile was fake. As I pulled out of my driveway, I thought that maybe I was doing something wrong came into my head. Maybe I was the one who was being unfair, not Vince.
Less than an hour later, I parked my car outside of Izzy's small home and jumped out of the car. I had wasted no time in coming here. For all I knew, I could look hideous. I hadn't even had a chance to put on any extra makeup or do my hair. My hair was probably a terrible mess after rolling around on the recliner with Vince earlier today. Oh well, it was too late to worry about my appearance. I was just going to have to suck up my fears.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door to Izzy's house and waited for a reply. Two seconds later, the door opened up and Axl appeared in the doorway. When he saw me, he exclaimed, "It's about time! I figured you either got lost or died. Now come inside!" I stepped through the doorway and into the small living room.
As Axl shut the door behind me, I looked around the room to see what was going on. To my chagrin, one of the Hollywood Rose members was already sitting on the couch. I glanced at my watch. Apparently, the guitarist tryouts started in an hour. The member already here must just be really early or something.
"So where's Izzy?" I asked as I threw off my jean jacket and took a seat on the old, battered chair in the living room. Axl shrugged his shoulders and said casually, "He's in the bathroom. He'll be out in a minute." I narrowed my eyes, but kept my mouth shut. Whenever I wanted to see or talk to Izzy, Axl always said he was in the bathroom. Was this just a coincidence or was Axl trying to hide something from me? I would just have to wait and see.
"What's Crue up to now?" Axl said, yawning as he sank down onto the chair next to the Hollywood Rose member. I was looking Axl over as usual. He was wearing a white T-shirt that he had rolled the sleeves up on so that it looked like a tank top. There was a black baseball cap on his head as well. Axl looked pretty good with hats on. I was so busy studying him and noticing the way his auburn hair shone in the light that I had completely forgotten that he had asked me a question.
"Um, earth to Amy?" Axl said loudly, rolling his eyes at me. I blushed, embarrassed for getting caught looking him over. I quickly dropped my gaze to the floor and said, "Sorry! I was just...uh..." I tried to think of an excuse. I obviously couldn't say, "Oh sorry Axl, I was just looking you over. You have a really attractive body, you know?"
"You were just what?" Axl asked in an amused tone as he picked up a glass from the table in the middle of the room and took a sip of whatever was inside it. I shrugged, blushing a bright tomato red, "I don't know. Anyways, I think the Crue is going to go on another short tour with Ozzy pretty soon."
Axl raised an eyebrow, "Hm, that was fast! They just went on a tour with Ozzy and now they're already going on another tour with him. Pretty crazy if you asked me. Of course, we still haven't even managed to get an album made yet, so who am I to judge?" I shrugged, my thoughts straying back to Izzy.
Izzy had been in the bathroom for a very long time now. It was really starting to get me suspicious. Completely changing the subject, I asked Axl, "What the hell is Izzy doing?" Axl sighed in exasperation, "God, Amy, I really wish you would quit asking me that! Do you honestly expect me to know what Izzy is doing all the time? I'm not his parent, you know. He's probably just brushing his hair or something. You never know with Izzy."
I was about to retort to that when Izzy walked into the room. Izzy was wearing a bright yellow shirt, tight black pants, and he had several chain necklaces around his neck. His glossy black hair had fell over one eye as he surveyed the scene in the room. When he saw me, he gave a small and said, "Hey."
Something about seeing Izzy again made me a little shy. Timidly, I replied, "Hey." Izzy crossed the room and gave Axl's shoulder a little push so he could sit on the couch with the others. As Izzy sat down, he looked over at the other Hollywood Rose member and asked curiously, "What's Johnny doing here?"
Axl kept his cool as he lied, "We're having band practice in just a little while." Izzy's brow furrowed and he protested, "But we practiced the last three days! I thought we had today off. Besides, I wanted to go out somewhere with Amy. Now I'm gonna be stuck in this place all day long because of stupid band practice."
"Oh, come on," Axl said, "Don't act like your life is that bad!" Izzy fell silent, but continued to bite his lip in agitation. I was really surprised that Axl hadn't told Izzy that he was replacing Chris with a new guitarist if all went well during the tryouts today. I mean, it would be nice if he could give Izzy a little forewarning or something.
"So how have you been?" Izzy asked in his reserved, cautious voice. Apparently, he was feeling shy too. The time we had spent away from each other must have had an effect on our relationship. Or maybe I was just getting to used to Vince. Izzy and Vince were completely opposites. In the same manner as Izzy, I replied, "Just fine. And you?"
There were so many things I did want to say to Izzy, but it was impossible to say those things with Axl and Johnny sitting right here in front of me. I wished they would just go away until the guitarist tryouts so I could have some privacy with Izzy. But unfortunately, they stayed right where they were, watching Izzy and me with eagle eyes.
Before Izzy could reply, there was the ding dong of the doorbell. Axl jumped up from his chair and practically flew over to the door. He threw it open wide and said, "Hey there! Come on in." Then he turned to look over his shoulder and added to Izzy, "You can get your guitar out. We're gonna start band practice in just a few minutes."
Izzy stood up and removed his guitar from its case. After he had gotten it out, he frowned, "We can't start yet. Chris isn't here." That was when I noticed the man shifting nervously from foot to foot behind Rick Mars, the man who had just entered the room. The guy looked all too familiar. He was Steven's friend that I had seen at the hospital the other day! It made perfect sense. After all, Steven had told me that his friend had a guitar tryout today.
What was the guy's name again? I remembered Steven had called him Slash, but that was just his nickname. He had to have a real name, right? I considered asking him what it was as he threw his black leather jacket over the back of the couched and entered the room awkwardly. He tucked his curly black hair behind one ear as he looked at Axl for instructions.
Knowing that he couldn't procrastinate any longer, Axl announced, "Everyone, meet Slash. He's going to be playing guitar for us today. I haven't been too happy with Chris' playing, so if Slash fits into the band, he'll be our new guitarist. Hey Johnny, can you hand me that sheet music from behind you?"
I held my breath as I waited for Izzy's reaction. A vein started pulsing in his neck and he looked like there were a lot of things he wanted to say to Axl. But Izzy remained cautious and quiet as ever and didn't say a peep. Axl let out an audible sigh of relief when Izzy didn't cause any trouble and then smiled at the rest of us.
After Axl explained some things to Slash while the others warmed up, Axl announced, "Okay everyone, let's do a trail run of 'Anything Goes.' It may not be perfect, but it will give Slash a chance to see what the band is really like. Everyone ready?" A simultaneous nod pulsed through the crowd. Izzy barely nodded, but he seemed lost in thought.
On the count of three, the band started a round of their song, "Anything Goes." I was just thinking about how perfectly the song was going, when Izzy abruptly stopped and stood up. He ran a hand through his dark hair and turned to Axl calmly, "I quit." Without waiting for a response from Axl or from any of the other band members, Izzy turned on his heel and strode through the front door with his head held high. I gaped as I watched Izzy retreat out the door. This was not the reaction anyone had expected. Later, I would learn that when Izzy didn't like a situation, he always decided to just leave it.
Axl looked totally caught off guard too. After a few seconds, he tried to smile as he said, "Um...that was unexpected. Anyways, let's just continue on with what we were doing. You were doing a really great job Slash. We'll just pick up where we left off." And with that, the band picked up right where they had left off with Anything Goes.
I no longer paid any attention to the song as I stared out of the window. The reason I was here to see Izzy, and now I had completely blown my chance to see him because I had been messing with Vince earlier. Now, I wouldn't be able to see Izzy at all. I felt like screaming in frustration, but of course, I didn't since that would make me look like a nutcase.
After the band ran through a few more songs, Axl announced, "Great job everyone! I'd like to welcome you to the band, Slash. You're certainly the best guitarist we've had yet. I think this is enough practice for one day though. We'll meet back here at nine tomorrow morning. Does that work for everyone?"
Everyone murmured, "yes" before they exited the front door with their equipment. Well, everyone exited but Slash and Axl. Axl noticed Slash hesitating by the doorway as if he didn't know what to do. Axl moved the drum set to one side of the room and called over his shoulder to Slash, "Hey, you can hang out here with us if you want for a bit."
Slash's face broke into a big grin at Axl's words. He laid his guitar down by the front door and wandered over to the couch. He flopped down on top of it and then gave me a curious look. After staring at me for a few moments, he said, "Hey, I think I've seen you before. Can't remember where though. What's your name?"
"I'm Amy," I smiled at Slash from where I was sitting in my old chair. "I saw you at the hospital with your friend, Steven, a little while ago. So you're Slash, right?" Slash nodded, his curly black hair bouncing as he did so, "Yep. Well, my real name is Saul actually. Everyone calls me Slash though. It's a nickname that's stuck."
By this time, Axl had finished putting the room back together and joined Slash on the couch, "So how long have you been playing guitar, man? You're really good at it." I kind of zoned out while Slash and Axl talked about their music. My thoughts were centered on Izzy. I wished he would hurry up and come back, but something told me that he would be staying away for a long time. I couldn't even be certain that he would be home tonight.
However, I was brought back into the conversation when Slash nodded at me and said, "So are you Axl's girl?" Axl and I both looked at each other and blushed bright red. I don't know exactly why this made me blush so much. Maybe it was because I really wanted to be Axl's girl. Before I could correct Slash, Axl quickly said, "Oh no, Amy is Izzy's girlfriend. You know, the one who just quit the band? Erin Everly is my girlfriend. You'll meet her soon."
Taking advantage of the conversation being turned to Izzy, I reprimanded Axl, "Hey, you said Izzy wouldn't mind this, and yet he quit. Don't you feel a little bad about any of this?" Not wanting to seem rude to Slash, I turned to him and added, "No offense to you, of course." Slash nodded to show he wasn't offended in the least bit.
Axl just shrugged, "Izzy can be unpredictable. Slash is a much better guitarist than Chris though. You have to admit it. If Izzy doesn't like this, he can just take his shit out the door." Feeling pretty irritated with Axl, I stood up and made for the door, "Well, thanks to you, I'm not going to be able to see Izzy at all, so I might as well go home."
Just as I reached the door, I felt a hand grip my wrist. I turned around to see Axl holding my arm and looking up at me with those hazel eyes that made my heart skip a beat, "Amy, don't be mad. This was for the better good of the band. Let's not ruin the day because of it. Why don't you just hang out with Slash and me for a bit?"
That puppy-eyed look he was giving me instantly won me over. I was such a sucker for good looking guys. Rolling my eyes, I dropped my hand from the door knob and followed Axl back into the room, "Oh, fine. I'll stay."



Five hours later, Axl dropped me off back at my house. To my surprise, I had actually had a lot of fun spending the afternoon with Slash and Axl. We had chit chatted about music, the band, and just life in general. After that, we had watched a movie together. When I almost fell asleep halfway through it, Axl decided that it was probably time for me to go home. So he had driven me home because he insisted I needed an escort. And here we were now, parked in the middle of my driveway.
I sat in the passenger's seat of the car, not really wanting to leave yet, but knowing I needed to. Finally, I turned to Axl and said, "Thanks for having me over this afternoon. I actually ended up having a really good time." Axl surprised me by exiting the car and opening my door for me. Maybe he was a gentleman after all.
"Sorry about the whole thing with Izzy," Axl explained as we meandered up to my doorway. "I honestly had no idea he would just turn on me and the band like that. I'm sorry you didn't get to see him at all really. Oh well, this will just give you an opportunity to visit again soon, right?"
I nodded, "Yeah, I suppose so." There was kind of a sexual tension as we both stood in front of my doorway and stared at each other. Axl had really nice full lips, it would be so easy to kiss him. But of course, there was no fucking way I was doing that right now with my messed up relationships with Vince and Izzy.
So we just said a normal good bye and I escaped inside so I wouldn't have to deal with my desire for him anymore. But even once I was inside, I could keep thoughts of Axl, Vince, and Izzy out of my head.
The next few weeks passed completely uneventfully. The Crue was off on their second tour with Ozzy, and I hadn't spoken to Izzy since our brief conversation before Slash joined the band. Today, it was Monday and I had absolutely nothing to do. I didn't want to bug the Crue in case they were in the middle of a show, so calling them was completely out of the question. Without the Crue in my life, I seemed to be totally lost.
Groaning with boredom, I tried to read the newspaper that was set out in front of me on the kitchen table. But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't manage to focus on it. I flipped through a few pages to look for an interesting article. Suddenly, a colorful photo caught my eye. To my surprise, it was a photograph of the Crue! Vince and Nikki were the stars of the photograph with their glamorous makeup and stage gear.
Quickly, I scanned the article below the photograph. It basically went on to say that Motley Crue was gaining popularity and becoming one of the most popular glam metal bands of the day. At the end of the article, it said that the Crue members had picked up a strange habit of biting people that they liked. That was odd...probably Vince's idea.
Rolling my eyes, I shut the newspaper article and tried to ignore the pang in my heart at the thought of Vince. I really did miss him, that much was true. But how I was suppose to make my relationship with him work, was something I didn't know. Just when I was thinking about what to do next, my phone rang.
Hoping with my whole heart that it might be one of the Crue members, I flipped the phone open and said eagerly, "Hello?" I couldn't help but feel disappointed when the voice that answered me was not Vince's, "Hi Amy, what's up?" It was Axl. I was kind of surprised he was calling me. I mean, why would he call me? Did Izzy want to see me or something?
Curious about what he might want, I replied, "Oh hey, Axl. How are you?" Axl said, "Okay, I guess. And before you ask about Izzy, he's out getting groceries. But anyways, I'm having more problems with the band. I replaced Rick Mars with Steve Darrow. He was giving me shit about the while replacement thing with Chris. Apparently, everyone is mad that I fired Chris without telling them. I just wish they'd fuck off. And now I need to look for a new drummer because Johnny Kreis just isn't preforming like me used to. I don't get what the hell is up with him."
I shook my head sadly. Maybe Axl would learn his lesson and figure out that he needed to respect the band member's point of views and not always just make the decisions by himself. But knowing Axl, it would take him a long time to figure that out. I was trying to figure out how to respond to his statement, when an idea popped into my head. Excitedly, I exclaimed, "Wait, did you just say that you needed a new drummer, Axl?"
Sounding a little confused, Axl replied, "Um, yeah, I did. Why?" Bouncing off my chair I said eagerly, "I think I have the perfect drummer for you! Can you do me a favor though? I need Slash's phone number. You do have it, don't you?" There was a short pause as Axl searched his drawers for Slash's number before he said, "Yeah, I do. But what does Slash have to do with any of this? I don't see what he has to do with a new band member."
"I'll tell you later," I said. "Just give me Slash's number." Completely bewildered, Axl read me Slash's phone number. I quickly copied it down onto a sheet on paper then said to Axl, "Okay, thanks a million! I'm going to make a few phone calls, and then I'll call you right back and explain everything, okay?"
I didn't wait for Axl's response before clicking the "end call" button. As soon as the call was erased, I immediately began punching Slash's phone number into the phone. I waited excitedly as the phone rang, but after seven rings, I was starting to figure that Slash either wasn't home or wasn't going to answer the phone.
Just when I was going to give up, a deep, low voice slurred, "Hello?" I quickly checked the number I had just dialed into the phone to make sure I had the right number. I was pretty positive that this drunken voice did not belong to Slash. Tentatively, I asked, "Um...hi. Is Slash around?"
I heard the voice call, "Slash!" and then say to me, "Yeah, he's in the other room. He's coming." I waited for a few long moments while Slash and his friend exchanged phones. Finally, Slash's much more familiar voice answered, "Hi?"
"Hi Slash!" I smiled at hearing his voice, "I don't know if you remember me or not. I'm Amy, the one you saw at Axl's house the other day after the guitar tryouts?" I held my breath while I waited for Slash's reply. It was quite likely that he didn't remember who I was, but I kind of hoped that he recognized me.
"Oh yeah, Amy," Slash said, stating my name. "Yeah, I remember you. So what's up? And how did you get my number?" I quickly explained, "Axl gave me your number. I need to get give your friend, Steven, a phone call though. You couldn't possibly give me his number, could you? It's kind of important."
When Slash answered, he seemed really confused, "Um, yeah, I can give you his number." Without asking any more questions, Slash gave me Steven's number. I quickly copied it down onto a scrap piece of paper as he recited the words to me. Once I had the phone number, I thanked Slash, "Thanks for the phone number. I should probably let you go now."
Slash laughed and shrugged, "Well, okay. Hopefully, my friend who answered the phone didn't scare you off..." I frowned and said, "Of course not. Anyways, nice talking to you. I'm gonna give Steven a ring now though. So talk to you later." After Slash said goodbye, I shut the phone and reopened it to start another call.
I tapped my foot impatiently on the floor as I waited for Steven to answer the phone. Surprisingly enough, a woman's voice answered the phone a few minutes later, "Hello, this is the Adler residence. May I ask who is calling?" I wanted to ask who I was talking to, but refrained to being polite, "Hi, this is a friend of Steven's. Is Steven around?"
"Um hm," the woman replied. "He's right over here, let me give the phone to him." As the woman passed the phone to Steven, I tried to figure out who this woman actually was. There were a couple of different possibilities. First of all, she could be Steven's mom. Second, she could be Steven's sister. Thirdly, she could be Steven's girlfriend. And fourthly, she could be Steven's wife.
"Hello?" Steven's curious voice picked up as I was speculating. I pushed all my thoughts to the side and said, "Hi Steven! This is Amy, you know, the girl from the hospital? I saw you outside the Rainbow the other night." Steven answered immediately, "Of course! It's nice to hear from you. Did I give you my phone number? I don't remember giving it to you..."
"You didn't give it to me," I told him. "I got it from your friend, Slash. Anyways, normally I wouldn't go butting into your privacy like this, but I think I might have a position in a band open for you! I have to say, the band isn't much so far, but it might go really far. Besides, at least it's something. Something is better than nothing, right?"
"Oh my god...yeah...of course it is!" Steven replied ecstatically. "So tell me about this band! Can I audition sometime soon?" Glad that Steven seemed excited by my offer, I replied, "Well, the band has just formed actually. It's called the 'Hollywood Rose.' Axl Rose is the singer and your friend, Slash, is the guitarist. I think you'd fit in perfectly with the band. There's a bass player too, but I forgot his name. And to your second question, of course you can audition soon! If you swing by my house tomorrow afternoon, I can bring you by Izzy's house if you want."
"That sounds great!" Steven exclaimed. "You'll have to give me directions to your house though. And also, who's Izzy? Why are we going to Izzy's house?" My heart throbbed slightly inside my chest as I thought of Izzy. Nonetheless, I said in an even tone, "Axl always has band practice at Izzy's house. Izzy's a guitarist, but he's not playing for the Hollywood Rose at the moment." After explaining all that, I gave Steven my address.
"Thanks a million for all this, Amy!" Steven said when we were done. "I had no idea you would do something like this for me. I mean, you barely know me. But thanks again! So I'll see you tomorrow afternoon?" I agreed, "Yep, anytime tomorrow afternoon. And you're welcome for everything, Steven. You're a great guy; you really deserve to play in a band."
"You're too nice," Steven replied cheerily. "Bye now." Just as Steven was hanging up, I couldn't contain my curiosity any longer, I just had to know who the woman who answered the phone was. Don't ask me why I needed to know who it was, but at the time, it seemed very important to know exactly who it was. I quickly said, "Um, Steven?"
Steven paused and said, "Hm?" I quickly blurted out my question, "Who was the woman who answered the phone? Was that your girlfriend?" As soon as the question was out of my mouth, I immediately felt really embarrassed for asking it. Steven was probably thinking I was some crazy stalker or something at this point.
But Steven just laughed good naturedly, "That's my mom. I have my own apartment, but I hang out here with her sometimes. Anything else you need?" Knowing that now was a good time to end the conversation, I shook my head, "No, I'm good. See you tomorrow!" And before I could ask any more embarrassing or personal questions, I hung up.



The next afternoon, I paced up and down in front of the window, waiting for Steven to arrive. For some reason, I was very nervous about this afternoon's plans. As a matter of fact, I was starting to regret offering to bring him to Izzy's house for a trial run with the Hollywood Rose. I mean, I could've just given him the directions to Axl's house. That would've been so much easier too. I had been such an idiot for not thinking of that sooner.
Also, what was I suppose to talk to Steven about during the car ride? It wasn't like this was suppose to be a date or anything. It was just me helping out a friend. Now that I thought of it, I barely knew Steven. He could end up being a lot different that I thought he was. Oh god...why had I gotten myself into such a bad situation?