Author's note: The lyrics of the song "Fame". Version one: by Irene Cara. And version two: by Naturi Naughton are combined, and borrowed for this chapter.
Chapter 7 - In the Spotlight
The boys felt excited to be one of the performers at the Monte Carlo Resort, west side of the Las Vegas strip. It would be something very different from their usual gigs at Knotts Berry Farm and a few other smaller shows.
Back stage, the four boys were having a challenging time trying not to be trampled by scantily clad women dancers. Finally, it was Clyde and Kenny's turn to have their hair done. The hairdressers were half done when one of the dancers rushed up to them.
"Excuse me," she said as she leaned forward between the two boys to the table behind them. As she did this, she had unintentionally exposed her well-shaped cleavage to Kenny and Clyde.
Kenny had to clasp his hand together in order to control his temptation to reach up and grab the dancer's breast. He bit down on his lower lip while his eyes did not leave the woman's chest. Meanwhile, Clyde sat blushing so much that he began to look like a tomato. The brunette boy could not stop starring at the bouncy orbs either.
The woman grabbed hold of a tube of lipstick and pulled back. She glanced down at the two boys that looked up at her with redden cheeks and goofy grins on their faces.
"Awe, you boys are so cute." She purred. Before she turned away, the dancer gave Kenny and Clyde a pat on the head. She then walked back to the other end of the dressing room where the rest of the dancers prepared for their gig.
Kenny and Clyde watched the woman as she walked away. Their eyes fixed on how her tail feathers swayed back and forth from her costume. Clyde shook his head and snapped himself back to reality.
"Wow that totally made my night." He muttered, still grinning.
"Yeah, me too." Kenny sighed contently.
The two boys glanced at each other just before bursting into a fit of giggles.
Craig and Token zigzagged through the crowd of performers to their friend. The two boys stop to stare at them snickering while the hairdressers finish spraying hairspray on their heads. Feeling they have missed an amusing joke, Craig and Token glance at each other before returning their attention to their band mates.
"What's so funny?" Craig asked.
"Yeah," Token added.
"Ah," Kenny found himself a loss for words. He turned to Clyde for some assistance to explain the humor they have been enjoying.
"Oh. Nothing." Clyde answered shrugged, while still snickering.
"Yeah, nothing." Kenny giggled as he attempted to compose himself.
Mitch poked his head in the dressing room, unfazed by the half naked women, and spotted the boys. 'KCCT, you're up in two minutes!' He hollered through the noisy room.
"Alright, we'll be right there!" Token replied.
Another female dancer stumbled between the four boys. She almost did not realize her tail feathers were tearing off. The woman spun around and quickly bent over to pick up her costume, which in a result giving the boys a show that left them all blushing, and Kenny and Clyde in a fit of giggles again.
Mitch turned away with a grumble, "I've got to find a way to manage a real professional band. These amateurs are starting to drive me insane."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
The boys prepared themselves on stage in time for the curtains to open up. The spotlights were off; some of the lights lit up behind them gave the audience a silhouette of their presence.
Craig, Token, and Clyde start playing their instruments for a good 37 seconds, but it was not until Kenny lifted the microphone to his face and began to sing the spotlights shone on them.
Baby look at me
And tell me what you see
You ain't seen the best of me yet
Give me time I'll make you forget the rest
I got more in me
And you can set it free
I can catch the moon in my hands
Don't you know who I am
Remember my name
Clyde, Token, and Craig sang, "Fame" as Kenny took a breath.
Kenny took a step forward and continued to sing the chorus,
I'm gonna live forever I feel it coming together
I'm gonna learn how to fly
High
People will see me and cry
Again, Clyde, Token, and Craig sang, "Fame", while Kenny continued.
I'm gonna make it to heaven I'm gonna live forever
Light up the sky like a flame
Fame
Baby remember my name
While Kenny took another breath, the three boys repeated:
Remember
Remember
Remember
Remember
Remember
Remember
Remember
Remember
The manager of the theater stood back stage as he watched the boys perform. He turned to Mitch, whom seemed more interested checking emails on his iPhone rather than what was going on with the band he was managing.
"These boys are pretty good." The theater manager exclaimed.
"Huh?" Mitch forced his eyes away from his phone to look up at the manager. "Well to be honest they are a little wet behind the ears," He paused to give an aspirated sigh. "But I guess they have some potential."
The manager raised his eyebrow with a curious gaze over at Mitch. "You don't seem to be very supportive of your band."
"Well, to be honest I wanted to manage a different band, but instead I ended up assigned to babysit a young group of amateurs."
The two men were silent for a moment as they both watched the boys on stage. Just then, someone in the audience hollered to someone else that seemed to have temporarily distracted Craig, which in a result caused him to miss a note on his guitar. The other boys noticed it as well; a mistake that nearly screwed them up for the rest of the song.
"As I said, amateurs." Mitch growled sorely.
Kenny turned his head swiftly to glance back at Craig the second he had hit the sour note on his guitar. The raven-haired boy immediately gave him and the rest of the band an apologetic expression written on his face. Not wanting to let this screw up the rest of their performance, Kenny continued on to the next verse. He, however, struggled to maintain focus for the first few lines.
Baby hold me tight Baby I'll be tough
Cause you can make it right
You can shoot me straight to the top
Give me love and take all I've got to give
Too much is not enough
I'll grab your heart till it breaks
Ooo I got what it takes
All four boys joined in together with the second chorus.
Fame I feel it coming together I'm gonna make it to heaven I'm gonna live forever
I'm gonna live forever
I'm gonna learn how to fly
High
People will see me and cry
Fame
Light up the sky like a flame
Fame
Baby remember my name
Clyde, Token, and Craig, kept repeating "Remember" for eight times, and Kenny would repeat, "Remember my name" three times before they all paused for a moment of silence just before Kenny let in a deep breath and sang out an octave higher sound in his voice.
"Ooooohhhhhh! Remember my name!"
Once again, all four boys started playing their instruments and sang the last chorus.
Fame I feel it coming together I'm gonna make it to heaven I'm gonna live forever Remember
I'm gonna live forever
I'm gonna learn how to fly
High
People will see me and cry
Fame
Light up the sky like a flame
Fame
Baby remember my name
Remember
Remember
Remember
Remember
Remember
Remember
Remember
Kenny finished the song by singing, "Remember my name." The spotlights turned off and their silhouettes were the only thing visible to the audience just before the curtains closed.
The boys realized they had pulled it off when they heard the crowd cheering.
Once the boys left the stage they all headed back into the dressing room. Less people were running around since most of the performers were upstairs, on either stage or back stage waiting for their number to come up.
"I'm sorry about what happened on stage guys. I really messed up." Craig sorely admitted.
"It ok Craig, we all had your back out there." Kenny said as he patted his friend on the back. He smiled warmly to show his genuine support. Craig rewarded the blonde boy with a grateful grin.
"'You know that is really great, seriously." Mitch growled sarcastically as he followed them into the dressing room. "For a brief moment I thought I was managing a rock band, and not a Micky Mouse daycare."
"We're sorry." Clyde spoke. "We'll do better next time."
"Next time does not make up for the blunder you four caused just now on stage! That was just embarrassing! And it was not even the first time I noticed you boys screwing up!" The man screamed. "Craig! You need to be more focused, and the rest of you need to learn to keep playing and not draw attention to mistakes that someone makes when you are performing!"
"Isn't that what we did do?" Token asked. He was feeling offended with Mitch's words.
"I don't want to hear excuses; I want to see you start playing more professionally!" Mitch growled in frustration. He started to run his hand through his dark hair, nearly pulling out a few stands with the force he was using.
The boys had no idea how to react to the man's outburst. They just stood there looking at each other with their mouths hung open.
"Just get your things. I'll meet you by the exit." Mitch finally said. He felt too flustered to say anything else. The band's manager quickly turned before leaving.
For a moment, the boys were too stunned to speak. Was it really a big deal to have missed one note on stage, they thought.
"You know he kind of reminds me of Cartman." Kenny raised his eyebrow as he pondered the idea.
Clyde snickered. "Yeah, a taller, skinnier version."
The four boys had a good laugh before they grabbed their bags and left the dressing room.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
For the past week and a half, the boys went to the after parties to each performance they attended. It would seem that at almost every party Token, Craig, and Clyde would end up walking aimlessly around, searching for their fourth member of the group, Kenny. Somehow, within minutes of being at the third party of the week, they have managed to lose Kenny once again. For about thirty minutes they have searched the buffet table, desert table, even took a gamble and tried seeing if he was at alcohol bar, knowing his family history and all. Yet the boys were having no luck. However, they did spot their mothers sipping some wine near the balcony. Feeling a little frustrated, the boys headed out to hallway to get some air and think of where Kenny had gotten too. Just as they were about to brainstorm some ideas on how to find Kenny, Token spotted him kissing a young blond girl that obviously looked to be twelve or thirteen years old.
"There he is." The dark boy pointed out.
Craig dropped his jaw in shock. "You've got to be kidding me." He muttered.
"How does he do that?" Clyde whined. "She has to be at least two, maybe three years older than him."
"Don't know, don't care." Craig grumbled. "We better get him before our moms and Mitch catches him like this."
"Yo, Ken!" Token hollered, cupping his mouth with his hands.
Kenny pulled back from the girl's face reluctantly, and without breath. "Wow," he gasped.
"Kenny!" Craig shouted. Kenny turned his head in a dreamy state, and a goofy grin on his face.
"Oh hey guys." The blond boy said still catching his breath. "Come here I want to introduce you to, um, ah..." He fought to remember the young pre-teen's name, but for some reason it escaped him. Kenny started to snap his fingers in hopes that would help his memory click.
"Candy." The girl filled in. She sounded slightly fazed that he could not remember her name.
Kenny smiled at her, "Yes you are," he purred.
"Oh brother," Craig sighed as he rolled his eyes skyward.
"Kenny we need to get going. Mitch is not in the best of moods right now and our moms are waiting for us back inside." Token explained.
This time Kenny rolled his eyes. "Is Mitch ever going to get that pole out of his ass?"
Both Candy and Clyde stifle his giggles.
"As much as I want to agree with you on that one, we really do need to go now." Craig said with a half grin.
"Fine," Kenny said with a huff. He turned to Candy and gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I have to go now."
"I understand," the girl sighed with regret. She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to him. "Here call me sometime."
"I will." Kenny cooed. He happily placed the piece of paper in the inner pocket of his leather jacket and leapt off the table the two of them were sitting on. Kenny waved bye to Candy and walked with the others back to the party.
"Awe, guys I think I'm in love," Kenny swooned as they turned the corner of the hallway.
"Again?" Token cocked an eyebrow at the blond boy. "Dude, that has to be the third girl this week you 'fell in love' with."
"Yeah, not to mention an older girl. How do you do that? You have to tell me your secret." Clyde pleaded desperately.
"Oh, but I mean it this time." Kenny swayed his head to one side, unintentionally ignoring Clyde's plea. "Just thinking of her name, Candy..."
The other boys could not help but to start laughing at Kenny at this point.
Craig pulled out a tissue from his pocket and handed it to Kenny. "Here you have lipstick on your face. Better use this to clean yourself up before we meet with Mitch and our moms."
"Huh? Oh, thanks." Kenny muttered as he accepted the tissue and started wiping his mouth and cheeks.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
"It's a shame that Roger had to leave to get back home. He's missing out on these fabulous parties." Mrs. Black chimed. She held up her glass of wine to Mrs. Tucker and Mrs. McCormick. The three of them gently tapped their glasses together and took a sip.
"Well, he sure can't keep his store closed, and pay the babysitter during this year-long contract." Mrs. Tucker said after sipping the wine.
"Suppose that is true." Linda hummed.
Mrs. McCormick pulled the glass away from her lips as she savored the unfamiliar flavor sliding down her throat. "Wow, I haven't had this sort of wine before."
"This is a Merlot, Mrs. McCormick." Mrs. Tucker answered.
"What kind of wine have you tried before? A Gewurztraminer? Chardonnay? Or how about Riesling?" Linda asked the young mother.
"What? Oh no, none of that rich stuff. Just the kind you buy in a box at the grocery store. We would usually only buy that sort of thing on special occasions." The redheaded woman explained before she turned to Mrs. Tucker. "And please, Nancy, call me Carol."
"Alright," Nancy nodded.
"I take it all of this must be a whole new experience then for both you and Kenny." Linda asked.
"Oh yes. It surely is. In fact - " Mrs. McCormick stopped in mid-sentence as soon as she caught sight of her son accepting a half glass of wine from one of the waiters, and sampling a sip from it.
"KENNY!" She bellowed from across the room. Kenny suddenly looked up at her as if he was a deer caught in headlights.
"Oh crap," he muttered.