Thorn strummed the final note on her guitar, not knowing how the audience would respond. For a brief moment, there was just silence.
Then came the applause.
And it came, and came, and came.
People were wildly cheering, whooping and shouting their names. Thorn could have even sworn someone shouted "freebird!" The audience was mainly comprised of teenagers and people in their early or mid 20s, but there were some older adults as well.
"Thank you, thank you!" Thorn smiled. She couldn't believe it was finally happening. It was just like the dream she'd had so many times, but now, it was a reality. After a minute or so of clapping and cheering, the curtain closed.
"You girls did great!" the green-haired female exclaimed, as she shut the curtain.
"Yeah, we were wicked!" Dusk exclaimed.
"Girls, you were marvelous! Just marvelous!" Gus rushed backstage.
"Yeah, you were all badass!" Nia agreed, as she was quick to follow Gus.
"Thanks! It was crazy to have all those people cheering and shouting our names." Thorn admitted.
"Yeah, it was just like your dream!" Bridgit added.
Thorn was struck a bit odd by this comment, as she hadn't remembered telling Bridgit, Nia or Sam about her dreams. In fact, she hadn't even remembered telling Dusk or Luna about the dreams, but apparently she had.
"Luna, how are you feeling about all this?" Sam quickly interrupted.
"Well…it was nice to have people cheering for us, but…" Luna stopped. She had a conflicted look in her eyes.
"But you're feeling overwhelmed?" Bridgit presumed.
"Yeah. A little bit." Luna admitted. "I liked getting to share our music with everyone, though. It was just that we were doing it in front of all those people…"
"It's perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed like that at first." Gus said. "Especially when just a few weeks ago, you were a small town band performing in front of groups of 20. You'll get used to it."
"Okay." Luna smiled. "I'm glad that it's normal to feel that way."
"I'm sure you girls are wiped out from the trip and the concert." Gus said. "If you want to head straight to the hotel, that's fine by me."
"That would be nice." Thorn agreed.
"Yeah, I'm exhausted." Luna yawned.
"I'm wiped too." Dusk admitted.
"Wonderful, I've booked us reservations at the Alma Hotel!" Gus informed. "It's quite a nice hotel from what I hear. I've never stayed in it, since it just opened last year."
"Sounds nice." Thorn yawned, as she packed up her instrument. The other girls quickly did the same, as they headed out the side exit where they came in.
"Oh my gosh!" someone screamed behind them. It was a teenage girl with blonde hair, who was probably around 16. She wore a pink t-shirt and black leggings. She was with another girl who looked to be around the same age, who had brunette hair. This girl wore purple sweatpants and a turquoise top.
"I can't believe I'm actually standing in front of The Hex Girls!" the brunette gasped.
"Can we get your autographs?" the blonde inquired. "I'm Bailey, by the way."
"I'm Miranda." the brunette introduced.
"Sure." Thorn smiled. The blonde handed her a pen and two pieces of paper, and Thorn quickly scribbled down "Thanks for being such a big fan, Bailey. Sending all the love" along with her signature. She then handed the paper to Dusk, who signed her name before handing it to Luna. Thorn wrote the same thing on the other paper, except this time exchanging Bailey's name for Miranda.
"Thank you so, so much!" Bailey squealed. "You guys are like my inspiration. "Hex Girl" is like my favorite song ever!"
"Thanks. It's nice to meet you!" Dusk replied.
"Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!" Bailey exclaimed, as she took back the autographs and ran off in excitement with Miranda.
"That's really cool that they look up to us so much." Thorn smiled.
"Indeed it is." Gus replied. "That is perhaps one of the greatest things about sharing your music with the world. Inspiring someone by your work."
"Yeah." Luna nodded, looking a bit less anxious. "I guess it is pretty cool."
"Oh gosh, I'm so wiped." Thorn sighed, as she collapsed on her bed. The others had already gone to their rooms; Bridgit, Nia, and Sam stayed in one room, whilst Gus stayed in his own private room. She still needed to change into her pajamas, but even that felt like too much work right now.
"I'm glad we had enough energy for the concert." Luna chuckled.
"Honestly, I think it went as amazing as it could have." Dusk replied.
"Maybe your 'good luck' necklace did you a favor." Thorn joked.
"I actually wasn't even wearing it." Dusk remarked. "This awesomeness was all me, baby! I mean, us."
"Did you even bring those two necklaces you found along?" Luna asked.
"Yeah, they're in my suitcase." Dusk said. "I think they're cute, but it's not like they're actually good luck. At least, I don't think so."
"Aww, but if they're not good luck, why'd you bring them along?" Thorn teased.
"Because I think they look badass on me, that's why!" Dusk playfully snapped back. "Well, maybe they do give a little good luck. Or at least, I will admit that it's possible, even if it's not probable."
"Oh my god, Dusk believes in superstition? I never thought I'd see the day." Thorn laughed.
"Don't let it go too much to your head, Wiccan Girl." Dusk rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I think I'm gonna pass out if we stay up any longer. I slept like shit in the van. I can't sleep in cars."
"Yeah, I didn't sleep so well either." Thorn said. "Besides, we've got to leave here by 11 if we want to get to Milwaukee by 4 tomorrow."
"Goodnight!" Dusk responded.
"Goodnight Dusk." Thorn replied. "Goodnight, Luna."
No response.
"Luna?" Thorn asked, as she looked over at her bandmate. Sure enough, she was already fast asleep on one of the beds.
"She must have been more tired than either of us." Dusk laughed. "Do you want to share with Luna, or should I?"
Thorn had momentarily forgotten that there were only two beds in each room. She was comfortable enough with her friends and bandmates to share a bed with them, without it being awkward.
"Oh, right. You can have the other bed." Thorn offered. "I can share with Luna."
"Okay, sounds good. Goodnight." Dusk said, as she laid down. Thorn was wiped out too, so she quickly got her pajamas out of her suitcase to change in the bathroom. She was most certainly more tired than she'd been in a long time, so she knew she'd be asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
Thorn opened her eyes to an empty room. She noticed Dusk's pajamas precariously tossed on the floor next to her suitcase, so she figured Dusk and Luna must be down at breakfast. The state of the hotel room was quite honestly a great metaphor for the girls' general levels of neatness. Luna's clothes were folded neat and tidy in her suitcase, whereas Dusk's clothes and pajamas from the previous day were dumped in a pile on the floor. That's how Dusk's room looked back at their apartment as well, so it came as no surprise. It didn't particularly bother Thorn, since she was somewhere in between Luna and Dusk's levels of neatness. Besides, she knew her friend would always pick up the clothes in her own good time.
Thorn quickly slipped on a purple Siouxsie and the Banshees t-shirt and some black leggings from her suitcase. After quickly getting ready for the morning in the bathroom, she headed downstairs to eat breakfast with the others. Just as she reached the elevator, she realized it would probably be best to bring her suitcase with her, given it was already close to 10 and they would need to get ready to check out soon. She had already completed her morning routine and was fully packed, so there was no reason not to bring her suitcase down to expedite things.
Thorn turned around and headed back towards her room. When the black-haired goth unlocked the door, there was a gasp. However, it wasn't her own.
To Thorn's surprise, she saw Bridgit standing in their room over by Dusk's bed.
"Oh!" Bridgit nervously gasped.
"Um, hi." Thorn awkwardly said. "What are you doing in our room?"
"I'm really sorry I scared you." Bridgit's tone calmed. "I'm so mad at myself, but I accidentally forgot my blush at home. Dusk said I could come up here and borrow hers, since we use the same kind."
"Oh…sorry. You just surprised me a little." Thorn admitted. "Maybe we'll have time to stop and get you some if we get to Milwaukee early enough."
"Yeah! That would be great." Bridgit replied, still seeming a bit embarrassed.
"I was just stopping in here to get my suitcase." Thorn replied. "I'm headed down to breakfast now."
"Okay, I'll be down in just a moment." Bridgit said, taking Dusk's eyeliner out of her makeup kit and heading in the bathroom to apply it.
"Don't forget to lock the room before you leave." Thorn reminded, as she headed back down towards the elevator with her suitcase.
"Good morning!" Thorn greeted, once she had gotten the continental breakfast from the hotel's kitchen area. She wasn't feeling all that hungry this morning, so she just grabbed some cereal with milk and some coffee. The black-haired goth sat down next to the others, who were all (with the exception of Bridgit) sitting in a booth area.
"Morning." Luna and Dusk both replied at the same time. Luna's seemed more perky and upbeat, whereas Dusk's seemed exhausted.
"Good morning! Are we ready to take on Saint Louis today?" Gus inquired.
"Saint Louis?" Dusk perked up. "Shit, I was more tired than I thought. I was thinking we were going to Milwaukee."
"We are." Luna looked confused as well.
"Just trying to make sure you were awake, my groovy gothic chicklets." Gus chuckled. "We should head out in an hour if we want to get to Milwaukee in time."
"We need to stop to get Bridgit makeup too." Thorn reminded. "She forgot her blush at home."
"We should have time for that." Gus thought for a moment. "Perhaps right before dinner. The trip is only five hours today, so driving won't take nearly as long. Be sure to eat up, though. We won't have time to stop again until dinner. The concert's at 7, so we'll need to eat dinner and stop for Bridgit's makeup, while still having enough time to set up."
"Ah man. Why couldn't we just fly everywhere?" Sam complained.
"Touring doesn't mean the girls are instant billionaires. We still have to pay attention to our finances to ensure our traveling expenses are relatively cost efficient." Gus reminded. "We want to maximize the amount of profits they get from this tour."
"I guess that makes sense." Sam said, still looking like she wished they could have flown.
Thorn quickly shoveled down her breakfast, feeling like time was imminent. While she was looking forward to exploring a new city, she found herself missing the casualness of her home life a bit. It was only for a month though, and the girls may never have the chance to do this again.
"Does anyone still have packing to do? It's getting close to time to leave." Gus pointed at the clock.
"I do." Dusk said, before explaining further. "I just have to put together my suitcase, though. I can go do that now."
"Can you bring my suitcase down, Dusk?" Luna inquired. "It's all packed up, I just didn't think to bring it downstairs."
"Sure, yeah. I can do that." Dusk said.
"Thanks!" Luna appreciated.
"Did you girls sleep well?" Gus turned his attention to the remaining girls.
"Yeah. I was asleep almost instantly." Thorn said.
"I was so tired, I think I fell asleep mid-conversation with Dusk and Thorn." Luna added playfully.
"Our room was pretty comfortable." Bridgit responded.
"Yeah, I slept like a rock." Sam added.
"Well, if you girls liked this hotel, you're going to love the next one!" Gus exclaimed. "We'll be staying at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. Some of the presidents of this very country slept there, in fact. William McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, and even John F. Kennedy!"
"Woah, that's amazing!" Thorn exclaimed.
"The building is quite beautiful, as well." Gus added. "It has elements of Roman Revival and medieval Europe era architecture, not to mention rooms with an overview of Lake Michigan."
"Where are we performing tonight again?" Luna interrupted.
"You'll be performing at Turner Hall, which was a building built in 1853 that was originally a town hall, and then became an athletic facility." Gus explained. "Now, it hosts a restaurant and ballroom, the latter of which you'll be performing in."
"That sounds beautiful." Bridgit replied, overhearing the conversation just as she came downstairs.
At that moment, Dusk came downstairs again with her suitcase, as well as Luna's.
"Alright, is everybody ready to go?" Gus inquired.
All six girls nodded.
"Then let's be off!" Gus declared.
Even though it was a little more fast paced being on tour, Thorn was loving the opportunity to get to travel the country, and couldn't wait to visit a new city tonight.
Their trip to Milwaukee had flown by quickly, especially considering they had been in the car for 20 hours the prior day. Bridgit had offered to drive the entire time, given the trip was relatively short. The girls had been discussing putting out merch, which is something they had talked about from time to time, but not ever seriously considered.
"I think it would be cool to just have the album cover on a black t-shirt." Dusk suggested. "Maybe put our band name in red letters above it. I think that would be wicked!"
"Or maybe a picture of us doing the pointing 'I'm gonna put a spell on you!' thing from the "Hex Girl" music video." Luna suggested.
"Personally, I think a picture of us on a purple t-shirt, with like a spiderweb design or something, would be awesome." Thorn suggested.
"What about a photo of you all playing your instruments?" Nia suggested.
"Or even just a black and white photo of you guys on a t-shirt, for an old-timey look." Bridgit offered.
"If the t-shirts sold well, you could expand to putting your stuff on leggings, dresses, sweatshirts, ballcaps…even socks!" Sam listed.
"I don't think we're popular enough to be on socks yet." Luna teased. "I really like the t-shirt idea, though."
"Yeah, me too!" Dusk agreed.
"How does that work, Gus?" Thorn asked. "Is it tough to put out merch?"
"Hardly." Gus chuckled. "These days, with mass production and printing, you can pretty easily get any logo you want printed with relative ease. In fact, the company I've worked with in the past is quite literally called MerchMadeEasy."
"That sounds promising." Thorn got excited.
"As soon as you decide on a design, I can make a call to the company and have them start making shirts for you." Gus informed.
"That's awesome!" Thorn said. "Which design are we going to pick though? I still like the spiderweb idea best."
"I think we should just do the album cover." Dusk disagreed. "It's nice and simple."
"Umm…" Luna seemed skeptical. "I guess I still prefer the 'put a spell on you' pointing thing."
"Why make a decision when you can do all of them?" Bridgit suggested. "Seriously, like my dad said, it's not that hard or expensive. Plus, that'll give people more variety to choose what design they like best. Or collect all three, if they're really hardcore fans."
"Yeah. I guess you're right." Thorn agreed.
"Excellent, I can put in the call tomorrow, if you like." Gus offered.
"Absolutely!" Dusk exclaimed. "Wow, I can't believe we've even got our own freaking merch now. How much should we charge for these? $25 each?"
"I think that's a bit steep." Gus chuckled. "Perhaps $10 a t-shirt is more reasonable. You're not Elton John."
"Yeah, I think $10 is more fair, Dusk." Luna agreed.
"Why not try for $25 if we can get it, though? We're a big ticket act now, and people are going to be willing to pay a lot." Dusk counterargued.
"It's not fair though, Dusk. We shouldn't just make people pay tons of money just because they will." Thorn disagreed. "$10 is plenty reasonable, and we'll still be making some money, I think."
"The t-shirts only cost about $4 to make, so indeed you will." Gus informed. "You'll still be earning just over double what it costs to make it. I know you didn't intend to be selfish, but there's a difference between making a fair amount of money and being greedy, Dusk."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Dusk muttered.
Admittedly, Thorn was a bit worried about her blonde-haired friend. It felt like she was slowly pushing the envelope from badass and empowered to being self-absorbed and acting like people owed her things just because she was famous. Thankfully, before Thorn had to think too hard about it, Gus changed the subject.
"Alright, exit 1E is coming up in just a little bit, which means there's only a few minutes remaining." Gus informed.
"Thank goodness!" Sam exclaimed. "I'm tired of all the driving."
"Well, if you're already tired of driving, you're going to have to get used to it." Gus chuckled. "We're only on day 2 of 28."
"Where are we eating for dinner?" Luna inquired.
"I'd recommend Broadway Bar and Grill. They've got burgers, salad, sandwiches, anything you could want. I personally love their egg salad." Gus informed.
"Sounds like a great place." Bridgit responded. Sam, Nia and Luna nodded in agreement.
"Sounds wicked!" Dusk exclaimed. "Let's do it. The name 'Broadway' makes it sound kind of upscale too!"
"Yeah, I'd be up for that." Thorn agreed. "I doubt it's upscale though, Dusk. It's a bar and grill."
"Perhaps it's not upscale, but the management is still incredible." Gus replied. "It's run by a local family, and they're all so incredibly kind. This restaurant is so fabulous that I doubt this place will ever close."
Thorn's first thought was happiness, thinking perhaps it would be like Jack's. She admittedly hadn't loved the impersonal nature of Minneapolis, so she hoped Milwaukee would be different.
Bridgit had parked the car in a nearby parking garage, where the girls had walked to Broadway Bar and Grill. After walking past a brick building, the green paint and red onnings of the restaurant stood out. The Broadway Bar and Grill had two levels to it; the top level having five windows that had the blinds closed. The bottom level had two different sets of three windows. The second set had the words 'burgers,' 'malts,' and 'hot dogs' on the inside of each window. At first, Thorn presumed maybe the family lived on the upper level while the restaurant was on the lower level. However, she quickly noticed that there was a sign pointing to the grill being downstairs, and the bar being located upstairs. At the very top of the building was a proud architectural declaration that the building was established in 1895, written in green letters. A potted shrub, an electrical box, and a green trash can sat outside of the building, along with a single tree, planted. At the very edge of the building stood a streetlamp, painted green.
"Wow, this place looks so nice!" Luna exclaimed.
"Yeah. Feels like home." Thorn smiled.
Luna held open the door into the restaurant, which was painted a darker shade of red. A bell above the door dinged as she opened it and everyone walked in.
"Hi!" a waitress wearing a black waitress outfit exclaimed. "My name is Taylor! Would you prefer a booth or a table?"
"We'd like a booth, if you have one." Gus turned around to quickly check if anyone had any objections. No one seemed to.
"Of course! Right this way." the waitress said, as she led them to the nearest booth. The restaurant seemed relatively quiet, with just a few people eating. It made sense though, as it was only 4:30, so most people weren't thinking about dinner yet. The current patrons mainly consisted of seniors.
"So are you folks from around this area?" Taylor inquired.
"We're traveling here from Massachusetts." Bridgit mentioned.
"Awesome! What for?" Taylor inquired.
"Don't tell me you don't know who they are, Taylor!" another waitress excitedly shouted. She, like Taylor, was also wearing a black waitress uniform.
"You know these people, Natalie?" Taylor asked.
"Yeah! They're the Hex Girls! You know, they've got that "Hex Girl" song right now that's huge. The one that goes like this." Natalie attempted to warble the tune of the song. It sounded quite off, but Thorn thought it was sweet that they knew the lyrics. "I'm a Hex Girl, and I'm gonna put a spell on you!"
"Oh, right! Wait…you guys are them?" Taylor gasped. "Oh my gosh! I've got to tell my parents. They love you guys! Since I'm going back to the kitchen, what do you want to drink?"
"I'll just have water." Thorn said.
"Me too." Luna replied.
"Yeah, same." Bridgit answered.
"Lemonade, please." Sam said.
"I'll have a lemonade as well." Gus ordered.
"Dusk and I would like some Mountain Dew." Nia remembered Dusk's order from yesterday.
"Awesome, I'll get that for you guys right away." Taylor promised, as she scurried off to the kitchen. Her excited calls for her parents could still be heard. "Mom! Dad!"
"That's so sweet that she recognized us." Thorn smiled.
"Yeah, that's never happened when we're out in public before, besides in Oakhaven." Dusk commented.
"Well, get used to it, girls." Gus smiled. "As you start releasing more albums, and likely prove that you're not one hit-wonders, it will likely be tough for you to go anywhere without being recognized."
"Woah!" Dusk lit up, a smile growing on her face. "That's going to be wicked!"
Thorn wasn't really sure how she thought of it. It would certainly be an adjustment, and a bit strange at first, but she could see herself potentially getting used to it.
Luna, on the other hand, was the only one of the three to look uncomfortable with the thought. Thorn thought about asking Luna if she was okay, but perhaps that would only make Luna feel more uncomfortable, so she ignored the redhead's nervous look.
"Mom! Dad! Do you know who this is?" Taylor exclaimed, as she brought her parents out from back in the kitchen. Taylor's father had gray hair and was wearing a dark blue shirt and khaki pants. Taylor's mother wore a gray sweater and black pants. "It's The Hex Girls!"
"Oh my goodness!" Taylor's mom exclaimed.
"You girls must be on tour now! Taylor told us about the tour. We've been following your rise to fame ever since your song hit the charts, and it's been pretty cool to watch." Taylor's father said.
"Aww, thanks. That's really sweet." Thorn appreciated. "Yeah, we are on tour. We have a show here tonight."
"We would have come, but we can't really afford to buy tickets, unfortunately. Business hasn't been great around here." Taylor's father admitted.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Gus sympathized. "I'm a manager, so I've been to this restaurant a number of times actually. It always seemed so busy."
"Business has been slow, for some reason." Taylor's mother answered. "We wish you girls the best though."
"I just know you girls are going to be as big as *NSYNC and The Spice Girls someday. I just know it!" Taylor's father smiled. "You girls are one of the most talented bands I've heard in a long time."
"Thank you!" Luna appreciated.
A dinging noise could be heard at the door, followed by the footsteps of three new customers.
"We better go seat those customers. It was great talking to you though!" Taylor's father said, as he and Taylor's mother walked away to greet the customers.
"It's really nice to meet you guys too." Dusk replied.
Once they were a far enough distance away, Thorn began to speak in a somewhat quiet voice.
"See, Dusk. This is why we don't jack up the prices for our merch by 600%." Thorn scolded. She hated to scold her friend, but she thought it was a perfect example of how Dusk's greedy, 'I deserve everything because I'm famous' attitude was harmful to those of their fans who couldn't afford much.
"Yeah." Dusk blushed. "I guess you're right."
At that moment, Thorn got a marvelous idea. She wasn't sure if Gus would be okay with it, but she certainly wanted to try.
"Gus…can we give away tickets to our concert tonight? Those people seem so nice, and it's so sad they can't make it to our concert." Thorn pointed out.
"Well, I don't see why not." Gus smiled, as he dug through his pockets for a few extra tickets.
"That's awesome!" Luna exclaimed. "Thanks, Gus. You're the best!"
"Hey, Taylor?" Thorn inquired.
"Yes?" Taylor came back over to their table, looking a bit confused.
"Consider this your tip for a great meal tonight." Thorn smiled, as she handed Taylor three tickets to their concert. "All we had left is back row, it looks like, but I hope that's okay."
"Is it okay?" Taylor's eyes lit up. "You guys are the best band ever!"
"Back row?" Dusk asked. "I didn't realize our concerts were doing that well!"
"Your concerts are selling excellently. Pretty much all the venues are packed, except for about 10-20 seats here and there." Gus informed.
"Woah. That's incredible." Dusk gasped.
"Mom! Dad! Guess what The Hex Girls just gave us!" Taylor ran off to inform her parents of the exciting news.
"I love how much like home this place feels." Thorn remarked at the cute sight of Taylor's excitement. "Well…it's different, since it's a different state, it's a family restaurant, and the setup and decor obviously aren't the same. But it feels nicer than Punch Pizza in Minneapolis."
"That's the great thing about traveling." Gus responded. "Even if you don't like every place you go, you eventually find little places in the world that you enjoy and make you happy. And eventually, you start to see a pattern between the places you enjoy being, and begin to gain a deeper understanding of what qualities make a place feel like home to you."
Gus had a really insightful point. At the moment, she always felt like Oakhaven would be the only place that ever felt like home. Even if that were the case, though, perhaps travel could make her understand herself on a deeper level.
It was a delicious dinner at Broadway Grill and Bar. Thorn got the egg salad just as Gus recommended, and she found it absolutely scrumptious. Everyone loved their meal, except Dusk to an extent, who complained about her burger being overly greasy. Thankfully, they had gotten to the theater early enough for Bridgit to leave in a moment to run to the store for makeup, without missing the concert. The girls had to set up their instruments before the performance, so Bridgit would have just been waiting for the performance to begin anyway.
Turner Hall was an architectural masterpiece as far as Thorn was concerned. The four story masonry building was built entirely of brick, and looked quite Victorian. It looked like it could perhaps have been a school building in the olden days, though she was pretty sure Gus had said that it was built as a town hall. As they walked through the building to get to the ballroom, where they'd be performing, Thorn was reminded of the restaurant area that Gus had mentioned. She wondered why they hadn't just eaten there, but perhaps Gus thought the food was better at Broadway Bar and Grill, or just had some nostalgia over the place. The girls quickly went backstage into the ballroom area where they would be performing. The area was small and not nearly as spacious as it had been at the Xcel Energy Center, but there was still enough room to set up their instruments and move about.
"Alright, I'm going to run to get some makeup. Nia saw a pharmacy a couple blocks away, so it shouldn't take me long." Bridgit said.
"I'll come with you." Nia offered.
"Yeah, me too. It's not like there's anything else to do in the meantime." Sam replied.
"We'll see you girls soon. You're gonna rock this show!" Bridgit exclaimed, as she, Nia and Sam left backstage.
"It sucks that Bridgit forgot her makeup." Dusk commented.
"Yeah. It's cute you two use the same makeup, though." Thorn smiled, remembering how Bridgit had borrowed some this morning.
"We do?" Dusk acted surprised.
"Oh…I thought you did, with this morning." Thorn commented.
"How the hell would I know what type of makeup Bridgit uses?" Dusk said in a brusk voice. "I'm not some girly girl who talks about her makeup all the time. I can't even remember the last time I've talked to a girl about my makeup."
Thorn suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Bridgit had said she was going into their room to borrow Dusk's makeup, because she and Dusk used the same kind. But if Dusk didn't even know what kind of makeup Bridgit used…and couldn't even remember the last time she'd talked about makeup…someone wasn't telling the truth. Thorn knew that person wasn't Dusk, as she'd have no reason to lie about something as simple as that. Thorn almost wanted to directly ask Dusk if Bridgit had asked to use her makeup this morning, but she feared the answer.
"Thorn! Did you space out or something?" Dusk asked. "I'm genuinely curious, what made you think Bridgit and I use the same makeup?"
Thorn supposed there was no reason to let herself wallow in worry. Perhaps asking Dusk could even ease her nervousness. Maybe Dusk had just forgotten about the exchange with Bridgit this morning.
"Umm…Dusk, did you let Bridgit borrow your makeup this morning?" Thorn inquired.
"No." Dusk answered. "This shit's expensive, I'm not just going to give out free samples."
What was initially just a mild worry turned into genuine discomfort. It seemed pretty clear to her now that Bridgit had lied to her this morning about borrowing Dusk's makeup.
Which left one question: Why the hell was Bridgit in their room this morning?
Author's note:
I've been increasingly enjoying writing this fanfic. For those who have read the two previous fanfics I've written, you'll know that this fanfic is a bit of a different style than I'm used to. However, the researching of architecture and history of cities has actually been really fun (even if it is pretty time-consuming), and I'm enjoying incorporating it into this fanfic. Once again, all the places in Milwaukee are actual places. Exit 1E is the real-life number of the exit you would take if you were going from Minneapolis to Milwaukee. Turner Hall and its history were real-life details, and still remains a popular venue for performances and concerts today. Broadway Bar and Grill was a real-life family owned restaurant in Milwaukee, WI (and all the details of things around the restaurant were describing what it looks like in real life). From the review I read, the person highly recommended their egg salad and said the burgers were greasy (though he did say "but only that makes them even more delicious!" lol), so that's where those details came from. The restaurant closed in 2001, which is where the detail of how they're struggling came from. Thus, there's a bit of irony in Gus's earlier comment about how they'll stay open forever. The restaurant was replaced by Palms Bistro. That also closed relatively quickly, and was replaced by a Bourbon and Tunns. Sadly, that restaurant also closed, and a parking garage now stands in its place. Alma Hotel, which is the hotel the girls stayed at in Minneapolis, opened in 1999 (so it perfectly aligns with this fanfic). In addition, Pfister Hotel, which it was briefly mentioned that the girls will be staying at in Milwaukee, is a real hotel built in 1893. The hotel has been open for over 125 years as of writing this, and all of the presidents Gus mentioned stayed there actually were guests in the real-life hotel. Barack Obama also stayed there once during his presidency, though obviously that hadn't happened yet during the period this fic is set. The hotel research has been a bit tougher, as I'm making sure all of these places existed in 2000. There have been a lot of newer hotels built since then, and there's not a lot of archival data that I could find on previously-existing hotels that are no longer open now.
For those less familiar with concerts, the person yelling "Freebird!" at their concert in Minneapolis is actually a pretty common phenomenon. This originated at a 1976 Lynyrd Skynyrd concert, where the band asked what song the audience wanted to hear next. Nearly the entire audience shouted "Freebird," which is the name of one of their songs. Even all these years later, it's still done at concerts as a joke, and in fact was apparently once shouted at Barack Obama's inaugural ball. One Chicago-based band, Dry County, has made this phenomenon into somewhat of a joke. Anytime someone yells "Freebird" at one of their concerts, they will immediately play that as the next song. This resulted in the song once being played three times at the same concert.
MerchMadeEasy, the company which Gus mentions during the girls' conversation about merch, is a real celebrity merchandise company that originated in 1996 in Nashville, TN. This is just a random factoid, but I randomly looked up how much Elton John actually sells his merch for, after writing the part where Gus says The Hex Girls aren't Elton John whilst scolding Dusk about choosing a ridiculous price for their t-shirts. As of writing this, Elton John apparently sells "Elton John t-shirts" for $46. I'm sure that's not a fact you cared to know, but now you do! You're welcome lol.