Friday, July 2nd 3:45PM
Well, Rico and I were going to go out after last night's Vanish practice, but he went home to work on the music for Maggie's song. I can understand that. If it had been a big art project, I would have done the same thing. I talked to him this morning, and he played the song for me on the guitar and sang to me.
Honestly, he's not a very good singer, Maggie is way better, but it was still sweet. From what I know about music, it sounds cool. It's really dark, and has a very rock sound to it.
"Maggie liked it to the extent that Maggie likes anything related to her," he said. "Amalia loves it, and can't wait to here Maggie sing it. Which is code for "Rico, you can't sing for crap," but I know that."
"Aww, your not that bad," I said.
"Your just humoring me."
"No, I'm not!"
He laughed. "Are you coming to tonight's practice?"
"Probably. Stacey was wanting to go to this club thing, but-"
"Don't ditch her on my account. Friends over boyfriends, you got that?"
I smiled. "Got it. But that wasn't what I was going to say. She was going to go with Dawn, and Kristy, and Ducky, but Ducky's going to the practice too. So I think we're planning on going afterward."
"I'd like to go, but Amalia will probably have us there until midnight learning the new song."
"The club is open until 3 in the morning on Fridays," I said.
"Really? Maybe I can talk Amalia into going with us. I don't know about Maggie. She mentioned something about Tyler being back in town tonight, so she might want to be with him alone, and not send him out into a mob of people."
Inside, I was like TYLER KENDALL? But instead, I just agreed, "Yeah, probably not a good idea."
"But Patti and Bruce would be up for it. Justin too. We've been all crazy because of the Bash. A little relaxation would do us all some good."
"Good!"
After I got off the phone with Rico, Stacey called Ducky, and they tried to figure out the best way to carpool that many people. Then Kristy suggested taking the van that Bruce drove the Bash auditions. Even though we wouldn't be belted in (which didn't seem very safe, or legal), we'd all fit.
So we called Amalia, who, like Rico predicted, didn't want any distractions for the band, but I pointed out what Rico had said about relaxing. So she finally agreed and then SHE called Bruce, and it went around in a big circle until all of us were going. Even Sunny and Mary Anne, and this guy Mary Anne invited to go with us. But not Maggie and Tyler. But we told Dawn's dad that we were staying at her house, since she would be there to cover for us. She said it was fine. Mary Anne doesn't like the idea of lying, but she didn't dislike it so much that she didn't want to go.
I can't wait for tonight.
Saturday July 3rd 3:58PM
I thought about writing when we came in, but my bed seemed way more tempting. Last night was SO WILD. Wild in good ways and wild in bad ways too. I'm beginning to understand Dawn's new life a lot more now. It's not just dating older guys and concerts. Its getting into trouble too.
We went to Vanish practice, and they sounded great playing Maggie's new song. Kristy seemed a little shocked by the swearing, but sometimes she can be pretty immature. Not that I love her any less for it.
That's mostly all they worked on, was the new song.
"Do you guys think you have it down?" Amalia asked, looking up from the paper she was writing on.
"Pretty much," Rico said.
"Great." She held up the paper. "This is a set list. Tell me what you think."
They had a few disputes over it, but they finally settled on what they wanted.
"We have to end on a fast note," Amalia said. "To get them pumped up for the national band."
"Do you think it's possible that this band isn't even a nationally known band, but it just called National Band?" Patti said, twirling her drumstick in her hand.
That got a giggle out of everyone.
As I stop giggling, I realize that someone has sat down next to me. I look over and sitting next to me is TYLER KENDALL. He smiled at me. "Hi, I'm Tyler."
I stopped acting like a doofy eleven year old and act like the thirteen (nearly fourteen) year old I am. "I'm Claudia."
"Nice to meet you."
Amalia came over, and the two of them started gabbing, and I realized that Tyler was a totally normal guy who just happened to make movies and be on the covers of magazines.
However, when Mary Anne saw him, she literally screamed and had a bit of a hissy fit, but Tyler acted very cool. Maggie seemed embarrassed. I felt embarrassed for her, but at least I'm used to Mary Anne. I guess Tyler is used to that happening. He even signed her purse.
I also met Mary Anne's friend Derek. Who is super cute, and very interested in Mary Anne. Sunny told me, she's friends with him.
Finally, finally, finally, Amalia called practice to an end at 11:30. Maggie left with Tyler, and the band went to change (all that music playing gets one sweaty, it seems). The rest of us were pretty dressed up.
I was wearing my black pants with an emerald green sleeveless turtleneck sweater. It's a thin knit, so I wouldn't be too hot. Over the sweater I had a silver chain with a moon charm that I found in a thrift store on it. I wore silver rings on every finger- even my thumbs! I was wearing combat boots that made me three inches taller than I actually am.
Stacey looked fresh in a black miniskirt and red tank top. Her fluffy blonde hair was pinned back with sliver combs that had small plastic red flowers glued to them. I made her those combs. She wore tiny hoop earrings and strappy high heel sandals.
Dawn looked casual in black jeans and a white button-up shirt. But her shoes were great- platform sneakers! She wore big earrings in the shape of eyeballs with big lashes. She told me later that the earrings once belonged to Sunny's mom.
Mary Anne and Sunny were in similar outfits, skirts and tank tops. It looked like Sunny had dressed Mary Anne, because it was NOT a Mary Anne outfit. But Sunny wore ugg boots, and Mary Anne was wearing black flats.
Amalia wore a white halter top and red and black pinstriped pants. "Early birthday present to me," she said, motioning to the pants. "I'm not working my butt off at the Palace for nothing."
Kristy even looked very distant in my jeans that I had dyed brick red, and a black babydoll tee that I glued silver rhinestones to the collar of. She protested to something that would occasionally show her midriff, but even she admired the way it showed off her boobs. Well, in a Kristy way. "Hey, I'm not a pancake!"
The band came back into the garage and Patti was ultra casual in tan slacks and a dark red button-up shirt. She didn't wear any jewelry and had on platform sandals.
All the guys wore some variation of pants and a polo shirt or a button-up shirt.
We piled into the van. Bruce was driving, and Patti and Stacey sat up front with him. In the back, the rest of us were stacked up in the back. I was sitting next to Rico, and had his arms around my shoulders. It was dark, but I could see Mary Anne holding Derek's hand.
It was nearly midnight when we reached the club. Now, that club was eighteen and over, but somehow only Kristy got IDed, and Bruce did some very fast talking, and somehow she was allowed in. I have no idea what he said, but I think some money exchanged hands.
I'd never been in a real club before, and it was really, really cool. There was a huge dance floor, and a bar lengthed all the way around the back wall, and up the side walls. The bar itself was clear glass and had blue lights under it, so it looked like this glowy futuristic thing. There were about ten or twelve bartenders. I wasn't planning on getting anything, but the first thing Sunny did was find someone who could buy us drinks.
I had something called an Ameretto Sour that tasted like candy. It was really good. I didn't see what the big deal about alcohol is. I mean, it tasted like CANDY! I actually had two, but I didn't feel anything.
Rico had a rum and coke, and he let me have a sip, but I didn't like that as much. Then we danced and danced and danced.
It was so much fun. I looked around and I could see my friends everywhere. Mary Anne was dancing with Derek. She looked a lot more relaxed than she ever did with Logan. Patti was dancing with Bruce. I think they're dating. I asked Rico about it, and he shrugged. I could see Kristy and Sunny were both dancing with guys I didn't know. Amalia, Dawn, and Stacey were all dancing with one guy that I, again, didn't know. Off in the corner, despite the fast music, Ducky and Justin where dancing pretty slow and looking very close.
When they'd play a slower song (which wasn't very often), Rico would hold me really close, and once or twice, he slid his hands just under my shirt on my back. It sent a chill up my spine, and I liked that feeling. None of the other guys I dated ever did that. But they were all thirteen, and severely immature.
After a while, we went to the upstairs of the club that was more like a lounge. There was a smaller bar made of wood, and there were leather couches eveywhere Everywhere, their were people reading, meditating, and making out. There were a bunch of rooms behind beaded curtains, and I peeked in one, and those people were NOT simply making out. I had never seen anything like this in my life. I got sort of nervous, but Rico got me my second Ameretto Sour and we just sat down on one of the couches and had our drinks and made out.
A lot.
After that, things got crazy. But Dawn's dad wants us to have an early dinner. It's one of the first nights all of us have been here for dinner. Really, we're all too tired to go out anywhere. I'll be back to finish up.