Chapter Twenty-Eight.
There's a lot of shouting coming from the dressing room and Remy and I exchange confused glances as we get closer. "You sure we should even knock?" I ask. "We could wind up being witnesses to a murder."
Remy rolls her eyes and knocks. "I think we'll be safe."
"Okay, fine, but if I have to become part of the Witness Protection Program, I'm blaming it on you."
Tom answers the door at the same time I hear a towel whipping. He smiles when he sees Remy and he looks over at me and gives me a polite smile. "Ladies," he says, "can you give us a moment?"
Remy and I nod in unison and the door shuts. More shouting ensues and I'm really starting to wonder what in the hell Remy's gotten us into.
"Seriously," I say, "can I go home?"
"You don't want to go home and you know it," she says. "So be quiet."
I roll my eyes. "Yeah, you're right, Remy. I'd love to be a part of the madness and towel whipping."
"We're going back to Tom's place," she tells me. "I'm sure they'll stop with the towel whippings by then."
Another snap of a towel is heard from the other side of the door and then everything is quiet. "Well that was strange," I comment.
Tom comes out of the dressing room first and gives Remy a quick peck on the cheek. I see Remy blush and I smile at that. You couldn't get that girl to blush if you told all of her most embarrassing secrets to a room full of hot men while she's standing there wearing Power Rangers underwear and singing Mary Had A Little Lamb.
Dougie and Harry both try to go through the doorway at the same time and get stuck arguing there for a minute before Tom pulls Dougie by the elbow and he almost collides with the wall.
"All right then," Tom says. "Let's go."
There's no sign of Danny anywhere and I want to ask where his is, out of pure curiosity, but I know Remy will give me that look and that speech later, so I never do. Besides, it doesn't really matter. If anything, I should be thanking the Remote Controller on deciding to give me a break.
But Remy does ask. "Where's your other band mate?" We're walking down the sidewalk right now with Remy and Tom up front leading the way and me sandwiched between them and Dougie and Harry who are arguing over something I don't really care to know about.
"He's feeling kind of ill," Tom informs her as I eavesdrop. "Decided it was best if he stays behind."
It's the weirdest feeling that comes over me right then. I can't quite put my finger on it, but after thinking on it for a minute, I finally figure it out:
Disappointment.
----
We're playing Battle of the Sexes and the boys are losing by a long shot. Remy is an expert of cars (thanks to her dad) and I'm an expert on all things sport related (thanks to mine). The only one the boys get right involve Disney princesses, and that's only because Tom seems to know a whole lot about them. But they're really cool guys regardless of their freakish knowledge on that and I'm finding myself having a really great time and not regretting going backstage.
We're coming down to the end of the game now and everyone has had more than a few drinks at this point, except for me. I'm never getting drunk near any of these band members ever again, just in case.
"All right," Tom says, holding the card in his hands. "Let's see if you can get this one. What is the name of the Star Wars spacecraft?"
I know the answer to this (also thanks to my dad) but Remy beats me to the punch and screams, "Starship Enterprise!" as proudly as can be.
I look over at Tom and I swear a little piece of him just died. I start laughing hysterically, along with Harry and Dougie, and tell Remy, "It's the Millennium Falcon, kiddo!" between my fits of laughter. Remy and Tom are the only straight-faced ones in the room and that makes me laugh even harder.
"Sorry," Remy says. "I've never seen the Stars War before."
Tom's jaw drops completely and he says, "Star Wars," slowly and he shakes his head. "Oh, the things I need to teach you."
"Mate, relax," Harry says as he puts a hand on Tom's shoulder. "It's only Star Wars."
Oh, no he didn't. "Only Star Wars!" Tom says as he gets up from his chair. He's definitely the most drunk out of all of us. "Star Wars is the best film ever made in the history of…history!"
I try so hard to stop my laughter, but it just gets worse and worse and my abs start hurting. Maybe I drank more than I thought.
"You're lucky you're amazing," he tells Remy, "or I'd have to give up on you."
"Right back at you," she tells him as she gets up and goes toward him. "What do you say we cut this game short?" She runs her finger down his chest seductively and I feel incredibly awkward seeing that.
Harry protests. "But we're almost done!"
"Yeah," Dougie says.
"Um, guys," I say, "I think we should go."
"But why?" Dougie slurs. Maybe he's the drunkest? "I don't want to!"
I'm dealing with children right now. "How about we all go to that sweet shop down the street and get some candy?" I suggest.
Dougie's eyes light up. "Anything we want?"
I laugh. "Sure."
"I'm in," he says, getting up and standing next to me. "How about you, Harry?"
Harry's a bit more hesitant---and sober---than Dougie. "I think I should get going," he says. "Catherine's angry enough with me as it is."
"Oh, dump the stupid cow!" Dougie says. "She's such a bitch, Harry."
Harry ignores his comment and says, "See you guys later. And nice to officially meet you, Lucy." He's out the door before I can say goodbye or question him at all. Nice to officially meet me? Does that mean Danny talks about me?
Dougie's tugging on my shirt. "Can we go get the sweets now, Lucy?"
"Sure," I say. "Bye---" I start to say to Remy and Tom, but they've already left. Guess they don't waste time.
"Lucy," Dougie whines. "Come on."
"Sorry," I say. "Let's go."
----
I make Dougie wait outside which might not be the brightest idea, but neither is letting a drunk that's acting like he's five head into a place full of candy either, so I tell him to stay right where he is five hundred times and then I head in and buy a variety of all of it.
When I come back outside, Dougie is still sitting on the bench, but he's got his phone out now and he's dialing. That can't be a good sign.
I sit down next to him and say, "Who are you calling?"
"Danny," he says simply. My stomach lurches.
"Why?"
"'Cause," he slurs, "he can bring me home."
"Why don't you just have a taxi come and get you?" I suggest as I grab for the phone.
He shakes his head and pulls the phone away from me. "I don't know the address right now," he says. "Me thinks I got a bit too drunk."
Me thinks so too. "Isn't there someone else you can call?"
He looks at me and asks, "Why?"
"Because…Tom said Danny was sick," I say quickly. "He probably doesn't want to come out here and pick you up."
"That's…not it," Dougie says between a sudden case of hiccups. "You just…don't want to…see him…after what…happened."
"After what happened?" I ask. Does he know everything?
He nods. "You know…the Halloween fiasco."
So it definitely was Danny. I can't decide if I should be relieved or more upset about that.
"I was a pirate," he tells me. "I'm a mighty sexy one, too."
I laugh. "I bet."
He smiles at me and says, "I can see…why Danny likes you. You're cool."
This makes me blush. "So about calling him…"
"Oh yeah," he says. "I forgot." Great. I just reminded him. He starts to dial again and he's got the phone pressed to his ear. I want to knock the phone away from him the moment he slurs a, "Ello," but I stop myself.
"I'm stuck at the sweet shop by Tom's," he tells Danny. "Yeah, I am pissed. Why?" There's a pause before Dougie says, "Well, you said you were ill…maybe you shouldn't make stuff up then."
Make stuff up? Did he fake sick just to get out of seeing me? Why does that upset me?
"Could you please come get me?…I don't know where I live…Please?…I love you, Danny. You're a brilliant---right, sorry. Okay, bye."
He hangs up and says, "He's coming for me."
"Okay," I say and I get up from the bench. "I guess I'll see you---"
He pulls down on my hand and drags me back down to the bench. "You are not going anyplace, Lucy," he says. "You can't leave me alone. I might get murdered."
Right, like I'm really going to be able to stop a murderer, I think. "All right then," I say. "I'll stay here till he comes."
And this I can't blame on the Remote Controller because I have a choice---sort of. The question is, is it a bright one?
My gut refuses to tell me one way or the other, so I guess that means it doesn't know either.
Guess I'll find out soon enough.
