"I'm just saying…"
Holly glanced up from her mirror across the room and immediately met Ben's eye, sharing a pointed look with him as he meticulously applied his fake lashes for the night. Jeannie was on the rampage again, and she was willing to bet that whatever she was about to 'just say' was something she'd already said fifty times this month.
"…I'd be such a good Janet!"
Ah, make that a hundred times this month, then. Pressing her lips together so she neither sighed nor laughed, she continued the process of covering up her eyebrows so she could draw fake, thinner ones up much higher on her forehead.
"I already have the hair, I have the voice, I know all of the words," she continued.
A few of Jeannie's fellow background actors nodded or murmured words of sympathy, but it was half-hearted at best. They were just as sick of hearing it as everybody else was - and had they not been forced to divide their ranks and get ready across multiple hotel rooms, she'd have never been brave enough to say any of this with Lauren, the woman who did actually play Janet, in earshot.
"We can all sing though, Jeannie," Ben pointed out "And we all know everybody's lines at this point."
More looks were shot around the room, but nobody said anything.
"And Lauren's really good," Holly finally backed him up after ignoring the voice in her head that argued it wasn't worth the trouble "It looks like one of the easier roles, but it falls flat if you don't have your comedic timing dead on. Nobody stays on here forever, though."
"Nobody but Ben," one of the others teased in an effort to lighten the mood.
That was true - the man was a veteran…albeit a veteran in platform heels, which just made his feat all the more impressive. The amount of Rocky Horror shows he had under his (garter) belt as Dr. Frank-N-Furter was in the hundreds, which was an insane prospect to think about, especially considering his enthusiasm never wavered.
"Somebody will move on, a spot will free up, and they'll audition from those already in the cast before they open it up."
Personally, Holly had her eye on the role of Magenta one day - if only so she didn't screech herself hoarse putting on a high-pitched shriek of a voice more or less every night. At this point, most of her salary was going on honey and lemons for her tea each night. Her very diplomatically posed argument received little more than a scoff of annoyance in return.
"It's easy for you to say," she said finally, securing her party hat onto her head "You got the lead because you'd already played it for another tour, and you could get any role you want because daddy owns the production company."
"Yes," Ben replied flatly "I got the role because they knew I'd done it before and could do it well. That's how most jobs in general work. And Hol's dad got her the audition, not the part - you know the guys up top. If there was a better person for a role, they'd have given them it."
The dual intent behind his words was painfully clear to all in the room if the looks shot around it were anything to go by. Jeannie's lips thinned, but - to Holly's great surprise - she said nothing. Perhaps fearing it would get back to Lauren if she pushed the point too far. Holly wouldn't want to piss her off, either.
"You should come out with us tonight," Ben broke the silence to address her "The scene here is…interesting."
"I might, I just needed last night to unwind first."
"What did you do? Just sleep?"
"I got very high, ate two burgers from the food truck around the corner, and then slept twelve hours straight."
The shit the biker had given her - Marko - had been exceptionally strong. She'd have to thank him if they ran into one another again…which admittedly, some small and fanciful part of herself had been pondering ever since his departure the night before. He was cute. Very cute. Plus, he carried off that whole bad boy thing with such ease and effortlessness that she couldn't help but be impressed. Most guys strutting around the boardwalk in leather jackets were trying way too hard.
"Better time warp extra hard tonight to make sure that corset still fits at the end of the show, then," he snorted.
"If it doesn't, Jeannie can take her role," one of the other girls teased - earning a begrudging laugh from Jeannie herself.
They all smiled a little easier after that. Spats among the cast weren't entirely uncommon - most of the time they were either sleep deprived, starving, or hungover, and living in such close quarters made bickering inevitable. They learned how to bypass bad moods quickly, and those who didn't tended to up and leave without much notice when they decided they couldn't handle it anymore. From what Holly understood, their current Eddie and Rocky had bets on when Jeannie would do just that - with Eddie betting when they hit LA, and Rocky being certain it would be sometime this very week.
"You have weed?" Another asked, her attention snagged by the throwaway remark.
"Not anymore - it was just the one joint, from somebody who'd been in the audience."
"Shit, tell them to bring enough for everybody next time."
"He was just some guy, not a drug lord," she snorted.
Well, she didn't think he was a drug lord anyway. Did drug lords tend to be cute? And fairly young? He couldn't have been any older than twenty-three, twenty-four tops. Still, her words were greeted with a round of high pitched 'ooooh's from the peanut gallery, making her roll her eyes even as she stifled a laugh and muttered a good-natured 'fuck off'.
"Okay, scratch that, tell him to bring some friends next time," Jeannie teased.
Too damn tired to be cagey over the girl's earlier remarks, Holly accepted the veiled olive branch "What, for all of us?"
"No," she replied lightly "Just me."
Given the volatility of Jeannie's moods lately, Holly wasn't sure she'd wish that on anybody. But she kept that to herself.
Another night brought about another great show. Everybody in the company loved to quibble over what night of the week generally tended to bring about the best show - some, Holly included, argued the first was always the best. That the novelty of the new place, along with a desire to prove themselves to a fresh new setting, made the energy of the show electric. Others argued that it was the middle - once they'd had time to get over any potential technical hiccups with the venue and found their footing around a new place.
But, whether they thought it was the all-out best or not, everybody agreed that the final one of each set was always fucking amazing. Whether it was because they wanted to go out with a bang, had finally found their groove in a new place, or were just really fucking glad to be moving on to somewhere new and novel (which also brought about a few days off while they packed up and travelled onwards), the end of the week was always great.
With all of that being said, though, Holly was in no rush for the week to be over. Santa Carla was already proving great. It was like the place had a personality all of its own, and was simply allowing them to experience it for a short amount of time. And tonight she intended to do just that. Downing a Red Bull the moment she stepped down off of the stage for the night, she loaded up her costume changes into a bag, took a moment to scrub off the inch-thick layer of make-up, and finally stepped out of the backstage door…only to run right into Marko.
"Jesus Christ," she jumped, hand flying to her chest.
He grinned "Didn't take you as the type to scare easy."
"I didn't take you as the type to creep around waiting for lone performers to give them heart attacks," she countered.
"Always the ones you least suspect," he shrugged easily.
"I guess so. Did you come to see the show again tonight?"
"Nah, two nights in a row seemed like overkill."
"I'm hurt."
"You just said you didn't take me for the creepy stalker type," he pointed out.
"I said I did take you for the heart attack inducing kind. A little stalking can be flattering. The constant threat of danger keeps life interesting," she shifted the bag from one hand to the other before dropping any bravado "So what brings you to my neck of the woods?"
"Technically this is my neck of the woods," he pointed out "But I admit, I was gonna see if you wanted to get a bite to eat."
"My, we are forward."
"If you want me to play it cool, babe, you're gonna have to stay here longer than a week."
"Are you asking me to move in with you?"
He laughed - a warm, genuine laugh - at that, shaking his head "I'm not that forward."
"Good," his smile was contagious "That would be weird. Look, I'd love to - get something to eat, I mean - but I need to get these costumes back to my hotel before the woman in charge of them kills me. She'd have my head if she heard I went out without changing."
Fully expecting his face to fall or for him to shrug and mutter words to the effect of 'maybe some other time, then', she was instead surprised when he made a face of understanding before extending a hand in offer to take the bag from her.
"I'll come with, then, and we can go after."
"You won't steal them, will you?" She asked as she handed him the bag.
"A sparkly red bra isn't my speed when it comes to fashion."
"Oh, you remember it well, then?"
"Every detail."
The crooked half-smile and wink that accompanied his words as he accepted the bag from her would've been downright creepy, or at least a little lecherous, from anybody else - but he carried it off well. That was why she found herself giving him a sidelong look filled with curiosity as they began the walk back to her hotel, silently thinking to herself that she was keenly interested in getting to know Marko more and work out exactly what it was that made him so different.
He didn't play it overly cool and hide his interest to the point of it being painfully obvious, but nor did he seem too interested to the extent of being creepy or overly enthusiastic, which could kill a good vibe just as easily as playing hard to get. She got the impression if she'd turned him down, he'd have shrugged and left her alone with little more than an "okay, cool" before going to find his fun somewhere else.
"So, are you from here?" She asked in an effort to fill the silence.
"Nah - Huntington Beach. Came here a while back and never found much reason to leave. You?"
"Anaheim - not too far away," she replied "Who knows, we might've crossed paths one time back in the day."
"Eh, I doubt it," he shrugged "Was a long time ago."
"What, when you were like ten?" She teased.
"Hey, I'm drinking from the fountain of youth, sweetheart - no need to get all jealous," he replied smugly.
"I'll keep any jealousy to myself, but when my first grey hair appears I'll need you to give me directions to that fountain."
The smile he gave in response to that seemed almost strangely knowing.
Their brief trip to the hotel went off without a hitch…although with several amused looks shot in her direction whenever one of her cast-mates went by, which were frequent in number because they were more or less all being housed on the same floor. Marko waited patiently, if not a tad quietly, while she changed into a casual black tank top dress in her cramped little en suite and seized just enough time to throw on a layer of mascara for good measure.
When she emerged, she found him standing by the dresser, one of the show's flyers in his hand.
"Take it if you want," she said "Spread the word to all your friends. I've got others. Also got lighters that look like lipsticks, and t-shirts. Play your cards right and you'll get all of the discounted swag."
"My friends were already with me at the show," he pointed out, putting the flyer down "But the discount merch is the only reason I'm here."
"I'm not sure I want dinner with such an opportunist," she said drily.
"Good thing it's more supper than dinner at this hour, then," he pointed out "And I'd point out you also got a free joint out of the deal, so you're the opportunist so far."
"It was a very good joint."
"I'm a connoisseur."
"Thank you for that, by the way.
"Any time."
"So long as there's a novelty lighter in it for you?"
He laughed "And supper."
"And supper," she nodded solemnly "Shall we?"
For a moment they paused, and the quiet of the room suddenly seemed very pronounced to her and, crowded in the entryway as they were, Marko oh so very close. Her eyes flickered down to his lips just as his did the same - or did he do it first? It was difficult to tell. But then a high pitched laugh broke out in the hallway, the moment was shattered, and Holly was taking a step back. She might not be here long, but kissing him before they'd even gone anywhere was too fast for her taste.
Marko appeared to be on the same wavelength - or, at least, he recognised the one she was on, for he barely missed a beat before he was opening the door and gesturing for her to go first.
They stepped into the hallway and were greeted with the source of the laugh. Jeannie, already thoroughly glammed up in record time, was teetering around in neck-breaking heels, waiting for her own little group of friends from within the cast to step out so they could begin partying. Her eyes flew to them - and stayed on Marko - when they walked out, and then she gave Holly a very knowing look…but mercifully stayed silent. Not that it mattered much, her face said it all. Holly shot her a smile, and then turned her attention back to dispelling whatever tension lingered between herself and Marko.
"So, as a not-so-native Santa Carlan, I'm guessing you know all of the bad food places."
"I know a place or two. Being here a while, I'm also a natural at not going missing, not all folk around here can boast that."
He glanced towards her after he said it - not with any great display of regret or embarrassment, but almost like he was testing her. Would she find it funny? Or would she be horrified at the callous nature of the joke? Lucky for him, her sense of humour was a little fucked up, and she was laughing before she could even register that she was being tested.
"So far," she pointed out "Bragging about it seems to be tempting fate a bit, y'know? We should see how the night goes first. You never know."
"Well, now I know what your expectations are like for tonight," he said, but he seemed to be having trouble shaking the amused grin from his face.
Joke as he might, she had a feeling the night would certainly be an interesting one. Hopefully for all of the right reasons. Yes, so far Santa Carla was cementing itself in her good books after all. She supposed she'd see if Marko managed to do the same - she hoped so, for she had a good feeling about this one.
That night back in the cave, just a few hours before dawn was set to approach, Marko got the ribbing of the century from his brothers.
"I can't believe you didn't drain her, man," Paul shook his head at him like he'd made a rookie mistake.
And maybe it was. He'd invited her out with every intention of her being the meal - to take advantage of any rapport they'd established the night before to get her somewhere quiet, easily. He hadn't expected to actually like her.
"She's a cool girl," he shrugged, unbothered "Funny - hot. And the show was good, you thought so yourself. Somehow I think killing the cast might stop it from coming back 'round again. Makes a change from sitting through shows of fuckers just trying to be The Ramones or Motley Crue fifty times a year."
"So the cast is off limits?" Paul pulled a face.
"I had my eye on Janet," David admitted, half-bored disappointment on his features.
"I was holding out for the maid," Dwayne echoed in agreement.
"I'm just sayin'," Marko said slowly, not much in the mood for an uphill battle here "A little…restraint might be worth it for once. In the long run."
The looks levelled his way were nothing short of amused - even if that amusement was laced with exasperation, likely because they were damn intent on reading far more into this than they had to.
"I think Marko has a crush," David said finally.
"Oh, come on," he rolled his eyes.
"Now, now, I'm not making fun," he said in a tone that was absolutely making fun "I'm happy for you - really. Warms my heart."
"Dunno if I'd have gone for one that high-pitched, though," Paul muttered.
"That's not her real voice, idiot."
"Look at that!" Dwayne grinned "Defending her honour already, must be love."
Giving a long-suffering sigh that was usually only mustered by David - mostly because Marko was usually in on the immaturity for sheer kicks - he rolled his eyes and resigned himself to the mockery that would inevitably come before any real headway was made on the topic. After all, were it any of the others, he'd be doing the same.
"So, the cast is off limits," David finally said, glancing around to make sure everybody was in agreement "The things we do so Marko can have some luck with the fairer sex."
"My luck's just fine," he scoffed - even while he nodded his thanks.
For a few moments there was nothing but the music that played, slightly distorted by the sorry shape their boombox was in. Then Paul spoke up again.
"Is now a bad time to let you know I ate one of the backing dancers?"
Marko groaned.
"You ate her, or you ate her?" David raised a pale eyebrow.
Snickering, the blond shrugged "Uh…one then the other, I guess."
"I really hope I can safely rely on the order that set of events came in," Marko muttered, shaking his head.
He only received a wriggle of the eyebrows from Paul in response to that dry remark - his brother never did mind being the butt of the joke so long as it was a good joke.
"Well, we might've just fucked up Marko's love story before it really began," Dwayne said with lashings of faux-sympathy.
Marko groaned, leaning his head back as he slumped into the sofa. He'd yet to adopt Paul's ability to be the butt of a joke - but mainly because this one just wasn't particularly funny. He just hoped they'd manage to keep most of it to themselves should they ever actually meet Holly for real. Not that he expected they would, but y'know. If. Just in some strange, faraway, alternate universe. He wasn't out here making plans for such an eventuality.
Especially not if his brothers continued eating her friends.
A/N: More details of the dinner in the next chapter, not skipping it entirely! I'm trying to keep updates to at least once every two weeks rather than weekly like some of my other fics if you've come over from those. Just because having it be weekly would require me to be much more of a writing machine than I actually am (for now). I will do more if/when I can, though!