Page 3 of Talk Nerdy To Me
Chapter 2
BASE
“She’s gay, and that means we can’t compete with mostly naked women in sexy lingerie if she’s gay. She was just too distracted to hear us playing. So we’re good. Let’s get ready. People are pouring in now,” I tell the guys.
“Who’s gay?” Sticks asks while adjusting the height on one of his cymbals.
“The girl who wasn’t hypnotized by us,” Taylor snorts, rolling his eyes at me.
“You’re so fucking vain,” Sticks says pointedly at me.
“A potential label is coming tonight. Just needed my head on right,” I say unapologetically. “Stage performance is fifty/fifty on talent and mentality. Everything needs to be on.”
“This is gonna be the one. I can feel it,” Randy says, tense and likely to fuck up five or six times each song.
He’s not great when he’s on. He’s terrible when he’s tense. Which means we need to sound twice as good tonight to cover for his less than stellar performance.
Sticks gives me a look like he’s thinking the same thing. But we’re a band.
“You bitches just try not to mess anything up,” Randy says as he winks at us. “I know how nervous you all get.”
Groaning inwardly at how oblivious he is, I roll my eyes and ready myself for my introduction.
We always have a damn good turnout here. It’s why we wanted the label to see us in action in this element, when the crowd is fueling us.
The trance is always strongest here.
The doors have been opened, and the masses have flocked in, everyone is now packed inside.
Usually we don’t play right at opening time, but since we’re playing for a younger crowd, I don’t mind it.
I see the redhead from earlier as she walks around the stage, attempting to wave the waitresses in gear, who have stopped waiting the now-full tables in anticipation of our set.
Little Red needs to go back to waiting tables and ogling the burlesque dancers. The more people lost in us, the better. We need that damn trance to be on point tonight.
I can barely see her when she disappears from the bit of the crowd I can see from this backstage angle.
“And Base Masters!” Sticks yells, cuing me to get my ass out on stage.
I head straight for the mic, offering my best panty-dropping smile to the girls who have gathered the closest.
It’s all part of the game. All part of the show.
Work the crowd.
Fire everyone up.
Feed the trance.
