Chapter Seventeen:
The Power of the Crimp
Salem swept the floor of Nabootique, while Howard tended to some of the inventory. Vince walked in, it seemed like a dark cloud was hanging over his head.
"Vince, What's the matter?" She asked.
"What's your excuse this time, Vince?" Howard said, listing all the excuses Vince had come up with for being late for work. Salem shot him a dirty look.
"I had some things to do, alright?" Vince said. Salem put the broom away, and knelt beside him, worry written all over her face.
"What's going on?" She asked. Vince looked over at her, doing his best to smile at her.
"Like what?" Howard asked, finally catching the mood.
"I went to the doctor today, and I got some bad news." Vince said. Howard walked up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Salem grasped his hand in hers, giving a squeeze for reassurance.
"Oh god. Vince what is it? It's us all the way." Howard said, Salem nodding in agreement.
"Someone's copying me." Vince said. Howard threw water in his face while Salem looked at him confused.
"That's it? I thought something was seriously wrong with you." Howard said, starting an argument. Salem sighed and stood up.
"Well, THIS is going to be a long week." She thought, going back to her normal duties. Listening as Vince showed Howard the pictures of someone named 'Lance Doir', and about Vince getting a copyright on his face.
"Vince, it'll be ok. You can just find a new style." Salem tried to comfort.
"Why should I have to change, I've been rockin' this style since birth. Check out my scan." Vince said, holding up a picture of him in his mother, dressed in '80's glam rock fashion.
"Well, I would take it in a different sense then you are. If someone were copying me, I'd be flattered." She said.
"Yea, well they probably wouldn't be trying to steal your life to get ahead either." Vince argued.
"You have a point." She said shrugging.
"Will this make you happy Vince?" Howard said, opening a closet door, revealing Gary Numan.
"Hey Vince." Gary said.
"Hey Gary." Vince replied. Howard shut the door seeing the depressed face Vince still had and went for plan B. Salem watched as Howard gave him a tribal hat, with various lengths and colors of feathers. She looked out the window and saw the copy cat, Howard and Vince spotted him at the same time. Howard pushed Vince and Salem up the stairs to keep Vince calm and contained.
"Vince?" She said, making the man turn and face her. She smiled up at him.
"For what it may be worth, I don't believe that anyone could replace you in my eyes." She said, a small blush crept onto her cheeks. Vince smiled down at her wrapping her in his arms.
"It means more than you know Salem." He said, kissing the top of her head, making her face match the color of her hair. They heard the impostor leave the shop and walked back down the stairs.
"What was all that about?" Vince asked, starting a fight that was quickly resolved. Howard began singing about how what was inside counted more. Vince stood there creeped out, he glanced over at Salem. She was beautiful, inside and out. She was awe inspiring, and simple in a complex way. She was a walking contradiction in a sense, and he knew he was falling for her and hard.
"Say something to her you idiot." His brain tried to reason.
"What could I say that she hasn't heard already?" He argued with himself. Howard finishing the song at that moment. The men began talking about the song and trying their best when Lance showed up again.
"So, Howard, have you thought about my offer?" He asked.
"Yes, and I'm afraid I have to turn it down." Howard said, trying to get the impostor to leave.
"Well, that's fine, I found someone else anyway." Lance said, gesturing to the doorway. Salem held in her laughter at the sight of the impostors.
"I couldn't find anyone that looked like her..." Lance said, eying Salem. Vince shielded her from his view.
"And you never will." He said, starting another argument between the pairs of men. She sighed and leaned on Vinces' back, taking in the sweet and spicy smell of his cologne and hair products. The men finished arguing, bringing her out of her cloud.
Vince had gone to the Velvet Onion to straighten things out with Fossil, leaving Salem and Howard to tend to the shop.
"Why don't you just tell him, Salem?" Howard asked her out of nowhere. She kept cleaning the glass on the display cases.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Howard." She said, moving to the next case.
"I think you do know. Now spill it. Why won't you just tell him how you feel?" Howard asked again. She sighed, looking up at the man.
"Because..." She said, not wanting to swallow her pride.
"Because why?" Howard pushed her.
"Because I'm scared to Howard! I'm scared of giving him my all and not receiving the same back from him, IF he even feels the same way. I'm miserably happy to love him from a distance, as long as he stays who he is and keeps that sunshiney personality about him." She confessed to him. Howard nodded his head in understanding, having known the freedom Vince had with himself and women.
"I understand that, Salem. I really do, but if you don't tell him, there's no room for him to prove he can change with love." He told her. She smiled up at him with a small tear in her eye.
"You're right. I'll try and tell him soon then... Now, can we change the subject?" She asked, hiding her blush with her hair.
Vince sat in Fossils' office, getting to the bottom as to why they were no longer the main act. Fossil couldn't promise anything bigger than one of the support act slot. Vince was discouraged and left the office.
Vince walked through the door, spotting Salem on the floor cleaning the displays, her face as red as her hair. The embarrassed look on her face was adorable, and desirable all in one. She looked his way and smiled up at him. Her eyes looked red and puffy, causing him to be concerned.
"Is everything alright?" Vince asked, she nodded and sniffled a little bit.
"Yea, we were talking about something personal, and I got a little emotional is all." She said, standing up. Vince walked closer to her, their cheeks brushed as his lips moved to her ear.
"You can tell me anything, you know that, right?" He asked, whispering in her ear and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer in an embrace.
"I know Vince. It's something that scares me to death." She confessed. He pulled back to look into her eyes.
"What is it, Salem?" He asked, searching her cosmic orbs for any hints.
"Vince, I... I've wanted to tell you that-" She started, but was interrupted by the door coming open.
"...Fuck...My... Luck..." She thought, releasing Vinces' shirt, not realizing she was clutching onto it.
Vince and Howard were practicing their act, before the impostors walked through the door, despite the sign saying it was closed.
"The sign says we're closed, now leave." Howard said.
"We hope you're supporting us." Lance said.
"It won't be for long." Vince replied.
"I hope you're not planning on pulling this nonsense at the club tonight." Lance shot back, eying their costumes.
"Why? What's wrong with it?" Howard asked.
"Haven't you heard? No one cares about the future, it's all about the retro, the past." Lance lied. Salem walked down the stairs and into the room, wearing light, tattered flare jeans, a white and shimmering tank top, matching light denim crop jacket with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of white, shimmering flats. Her hair put up in the normal style, with her cherry charms for accessories and make up done lightly.
"Hey, sweets, why don't you ditch these losers and come hang with us for a while? What do you say?" Lance asked, approaching her and leaning against the wall.
"I'm afraid, I'll have to pass." She said, grabbing her cherry blossom bag and shrugging it on to her shoulder.
"Aw, why not? We could make all you're dreams come true." He said, trying to be smooth.
"I told you, I'm not interested. Now, excuse me. I have to be somewhere." She said, pushing past him and stopping at Vince and Howard. She dug into her bag, pulling out two slips of paper.
"Here, It's alright if you don't come, but if you think you might be interested it starts at 8. These will get you to where I'll be." She said, handing a slip each to the men. She pulled her bag back and took off, out of the door.
"You figure it out." Lance said, walking out of the store with his companion.
"Retro-lution?" Howard asked, looking at the pass Salem had given him.
"It's a retro club, just about a block or so away from The Velvet Onion." Vince said, also looking at his pass.
"The one with all the bright colors and different music playing every night?" Howard asked. Vince nodded.
"It's hard to get in there with any kind of music. The crowd controls who stays and who goes, but one thing doesn't add up." Vince said, staring hard at the pass.
"Oh? And what's that?" Howard asked, looking over at Vince. Vince looked over at him.
"How did Salem get back stage passes for the show?" Vince asked. Both men looked at the door where the girl had made her exit.
"Anyway, if retro is in at The Velvet Onion, then what are we going to do about our gig?" Vince asked, getting back on subject.
"Well, try on a few outfits, see what we can come up with." Howard said, trying to help Vince get out of his funk. Vince tried on several outfits.
"...Bollypop." Vince said, showing Howard another fashion. Howard shook his head.
"I don't know what to do then." Vince said.
"Maybe I should take the lead this time." Howard said.
"What?" Vince asked.
"Retro is from the past. And I'm from the past. If retro is in, then maybe we should..." Howard began, Vince started to tune him out, but was still willing to go with his plan.
Vince and Howard were on the stage, Vince banging on a drum and Howard playing an early version of a guitar. They finished their song, before things were thrown at them, and booed off the stage.
They began walking out, glancing at the stage as Lance and his companion had stolen their previous idea. Shaking their heads, they quickly changed, and walked out of the club.
"You know, It's only half past 7. We're in the neighborhood. Why don't we pop over and see what Salem's up to?" Howard said, looking for the always changing club. There was a line leading down the street and around the corner.
"At least we have passes." Vince said. The men pulled out their passes and walked up to the front of the line, hearing a few complaints. The bouncer at the door looked them over as they flashed their passes.
"Come with me." He said. He lead them inside and around to another security staff member, who then led them to back stage, knocking on one of the dressing room doors.
"Come in." A familiar voice called from the other side. The door opened and the staff member entered the room.
"Do you know these two?" He asked. Salem looked around him at her friends and smiled.
"Yes, I gave them passes after all." She said sweetly. The man nodded and let them into the room, shutting the door behind him.
"I'm so glad you were able to make it." She said smiling, walking up to them and hugging them tightly. The men smiled at her excitement.
"3 minutes Ms. Sterling." A voice came from the other side of the door.
"Be right there." She called, grabbing the mens hands.
"Keep your passes on you, and follow me." She said, leading them to the side of the stage. The crowd was roaring with excitement, as the announcer came on.
"And now, you all love her, you all need her and let's face it, there's a line outside STILL growing just to try and get a glimpse of her. She's the retro-lution leader, the one the only Salem Sterling!" The announcer said over the microphone. Salem smiled and released their hands, taking off onto the stage.
They watched as she waved to the wild crowd, the whole building chanting her name. She grabbed a guitar and stool and placed them to the side of her.
"Hello!" She said into the mic, giving a small wave and bright smile. The crowd went nuts. She turned to the band and gave a smile and a nod.
"1,2,1,2,3,4!" The drummer counted.
"Can't stay at home, can't stay in school, old folks say 'you poor little fool. Down the street I'm the girl next door. I am the fox you've been waiting for..." Salem began singing and and pulling shapes to 'Cherry bomb' by the Runaways.
Vince and Howard stood there in shock, jaws dropping open.
"Did you-" Howard started to ask.
"Had no idea..." Vince said, staring in aw as she shook and danced around the stage.
"Thank you! We're going to be taking you back through various genres of music tonight, so just stick around, and enjoy the show!" She said, giving a wink to the crowd, making some of them wolf whistle at her.
"We're taking it down a bit for a moment." She said, grabbing her guitar and sitting on the stool. She strummed a few chords before the rest of the band joined in with her.
"I remember, that I'd hear the clock tick and think of you. Caught up in circles, confusion is nothing new..." She began singing. Howard and Vince looked out at the swaying crowd, all singing along with her. The song ended and she smiled, before an off sounding noise came across the speakers.
"Brass monkey, that funky monkey..." The male band members began singing the opening to 'Brass Monkey' by The Beastie Boys. Salem laughed.
"That's not on the list you guys!" She said into the mic. The crowd laughed and cheered as they kept playing the song. Salem sighed and grabbed the mic. Throwing her jacket to the side, she grabbed the guitarists' ball cap and put it on backwards, squatting down on the stage she began rapping, holding her hand out to the crowd.
Howard and Vince felt their jaws hit the floor at the sight. They had never known Salem could sing, or rap, or dance, or anything they were witnessing right now. They smiled and continued to watch the show.
The band had played multiple eras and genres of music. The crowd becoming more wild with every song. Salem smiled at them, ending another song.
"It makes me sad to say this, but it's time for the last song of the night. You've been a great crowd." She said, pulling up her guitar and stool again. She sat the mic in its stand and adjusted it.
"Now, I have been in a bit of an emotional roller coaster these past few days, and while making the set list for tonight, this song really seemed to reach out and talk some sense to me. I hope you enjoy it, Landslide by Fleetwood Mac." She said, introducing the song. The lights went low and a spot light was shone on her figure.
"I took my love, then I took it down. I climbed a mountain then I turned around..." She began to sing. Vince swayed with the music, while Howard listened to it, finding her meaning in the song.
"...And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills, 'til the landslide brought me down. Oh mirror in the sky, what is love?" She kept singing.
Howards jaw fell open finding her meanings.
"... Can I handle the seasons of my life? Well, I've been afraid of changing, Cause I built my life around you. But time gets bolder and even children get older, I'm getting older too." She sang, a sad smile came across her face, letting her heart pour into the song.
Howard looked out into the crowd, finding smiles and tears among their faces. He turned his attention over to Vince, who stared at her in wonder. Howard nudged him with his elbow.
"How are you liking the song Vince?" He asked. Vince nodded his head, feeling moved by the womans voice ringing through the speakers. He felt his heart beat wildly, the lyrics reaching his ears and deep into his heart.
"She's spell binding..." Vince said, not taking his eyes off of her. Howard nodded in agreement as the song ended. The security teams went to work, keeping people off of the stage as she made her exit. The men smiled at her as she walked up to them.
"You were amazing!" Howard said, surrounding her in a hug. She smiled and laughed.
"Thank you." She said, Howard releasing his hold on her. She motioned for them to follow her, going back to the dressing room to gather her things.
"Wasn't she amazing Vince?" Howard asked, trying to get his friend to speak.
"You were spell binding, Salem." Vince said, shaking his head and smiling. She smiled back at him.
"Thank you, Vince." She said as she gathered up the last bit of her things.
Vince walked through the doors of Nabootique, dressed in a business suit. His hair under a dirty blonde wig. Salem and Howard looked over to him from the counter.
"Yes, can I help you?" Howard asked.
"Howard, it's me, Vince." He said with a sigh. Howard fell backwards onto the floor. Salems jaw dropped and her eyes began to flutter shut. Howard stood up and caught his breath. They looked over to the woman. Her eyes had shut and her body was going limp. Howard caught her before her legs could give out.
"Come on, it's not that big of a deal." Vince said. Howard grabbed a stack of papers and began fanning the girls face.
"What brought all this on then? You don't even look like yourself." Howard said, seeing the girl start to stir.
"It's over! Last night proved it. They're always a step ahead of us." Vince said. Salem began to come around, hearing Vince talk about getting another job and being able to get Howard one as well.
"There has to be something we can do that will blow them away?" Howard said. Vince began throwing ideas at Howard. Salem stood up while they began Crimping.
"That's it! We can Crimp! I've got an idea." Vince said, throwing the suitcase that was in his hand to the side.
Salem followed the group of men and gorilla into The Velvet Onion. The friends saw the impostors Crimping on the stage. Salem clenched her fists together.
"When I get my hands on them..." She said, walking between Howard and Vince.
"Easy girl, we'll get them." Vince said, Howard holding her back from the railing. Vince and Howard began calling them out on stealing their style, and the argument escalated from there with the result turning into a Crimping war.
She watched with Naboo and Bollo from the side stage as round after round of the Crimping went by.
"There's no way we can keep up, we're finished." Vince said.
"There is one way..." Naboo said, trailing off.
"No, it's too dangerous. There's no way we can pull off the group Crimp." Howard said.
"I think we can pull it off. Five minds all in sync with one another." Naboo said taking a glance at the group.
"It's worth a shot. What have we got to lose?" Salem said.
The spot light came onto the group. They lined up, Bollo, Vince, Salem, Howard and Naboo.
"Crimpity, Crimpity..." They all started. Moving in sync and to the unheard beat, all words timed perfectly without practice.
"... Crimpity, Crimpity Fuck you." They ended, turning to the impostors and flipping them off.
The crowd cheered and booed the losers off the stage.
"We did it." Vince said happily. Salem watched the men all celebrate, happy to have been part of saving their dream.
Vince held up the latest copy of Cheekbones magazine. The cover showing a picture of himself, Howard and Salem.
"It looks like we're back." He said with a smile.