She turned the page. Stuck in was a glow-in-the-dark plastic bracelet from their first major gig, opening for some high school band at a club.
FLASHBACK
'Summer? What are these?' Billy was furious. He waved a yellow plastic wristband in front of her clipboard.
'No one consulted me about these safety bands! They don't match what the band is wearing at all! How can I be expected to make them look good in these kinds of conditions? I mean, yellow? Why not something like black? Black works! Yellow doesn't. Retro school uniforms are something, but adding yellow bracelets? How could you people?'
Billy gave Summer a withering look, before storming off towards one of the changing rooms, tape measure trailing on the floor and costumes over one skinny arm. The band were supposed to be in outfits similar to their Battle of the Bands ones, but Billy had just walked off with all of them.
'Hey, does this mean I don't have to wear that dumb uniform thing? Cos those shorts are just not working for me, ya know Sum?' Dewey said with a mouthful of doughnut.
'AC/DC managed it fine.' Summer sighed and turned to Zack and Freddy.
'Guys, could you get him out of there? We need to be on in five.'
So they went to find Billy. After a few minutes, when had they realised that the singers wouldn't let anyone into their changing room, let alone a depressed twelve-year old designer, and the other changing room was actually a closet, they returned to Summer, without any idea of what to do. She was not pleased. She got the entire band and crew together.
'People, we are on a schedule! We have three minutes and forty-one seconds to find our costumes, so go! Go! Go! Split up and FIND THAT STYLIST! Remember, he's pretty weedy, so check small spaces, too! He could be anywhere!'
The members of the band and crew ran off looking for the renegade stylist, all using different methods to try and entice Billy from his hiding place.
'Fancy pants! Get your butt out here, and I won't make a fuss about the short pants OK?' Dewey yelled. 'And you can have the rest of my doughnut!'
Marta went round backstage looking for mirrors, as Billy was often found in front of them, while Alicia tried to entice him with promises to show him her new nail polish, 'Deep Purple'.
Summer seemed to think that Billy was like some sort of teeny tiny person, and was searching in boxes and drawers muttering threats involving cutting budgets for costumes and 'no more velvet'.
Katie tried a different tack. 'Billy?' she yelled. 'I promise that if you come out and don't make a fuss about the security bands, Freddy and I will be mannequins for you next designs!'
'What?!' Freddy cried, 'Are you insane?' Katie gave him a look. He shuddered.
'Yeah, ok. And I hear that, um, satin is back!' he called, in attempt to lure Billy from wherever he was, and in the hope he would contradict him, as well.
It was Zack who found him in the end. Billy was sitting curled up on the roof of the club, with all of the clothes around him. Zack approached him quietly, while the rest of the band and crew watched from the roof staircase like the nurses on Pet Rescue.
'Billy? Dude, we need our costumes and our stylist back, man!' Zack whispered.
Billy sniffled.
'They don't appreciate me.'
'Sure they do, Billy! We all think your costumes are-' he gulped, 'beautiful! Inspiring?'
Billy looked up.
'Really?'
'Yeah, course, man! They're like, art! So wipe away those, uh, manly tears and-Dude. Is that blush?'
Yes, they found out. It had been blush. The performance was great in the end. They'd worn the bands under their socks, so the audience couldn't see them, Dewey hadn't tried a stage dive, which was good, and Billy had been satisfied. His cheeks had been glittery but not tear-stained for the rest of the evening.
And Freddy had worn his band for a week, because he couldn't work out how to break the plastic.
END FLASHBACK