Page 89 of Rock Out Together
Dillon was the least offensive of her three bandmates, but they still clashed all the time. They fought over the stupidest things, like the temperature on the tour bus or his need to tap out a beat on every available surface. Practically every piece of furniture on the bus had dings and dents in it, and it drove her crazy.
A quick memory of his hand on her breast last night and his lips on her neck made heat flush over her cheeks andtravel down to her chest. She still didn’t understand how the hell she fell into bed with him. He was part of the enemy camp, and she just gave them a huge piece of arsenal to throw at her. But, somehow, she trusted that Dillon wouldn’t say anything to Sid and Zach. He had no reason to confide in them. They weren’t his friends, and it wasn’t as if they all conspired against her. They had individual rivalries with one another, but it still always felt like a battle of the sexes.
The limo came to a stop in front of Allegiant Stadium, and a wave of hysteria ensued outside the venue. Screams and loud voices, calling each band member by name, blasted through the closed doors and windows. It lightened the mood significantly and changed the vibe in the car. It was as if the cheers from the fans swept away the stifling gloom and replaced it with refreshing air. There might actually be something that resembled the hint of a smile on one or two faces in the car.
Sid stepped out of the limo first, because God forbid anyone made an entrance before him, and was greeted by a flurry of screams. Zach exited next, then Dillon. Lizzy didn’t care that she was last to step out of the car, and neither did the fans because they cheered just as loudly for her as they did for the guys.
She paused to take in the crowd already lined up behind a barricade, even though the show didn’t start for several hours. Some were familiar faces of diehard fans that had followed Blind Fury across the country for the last eight months and made it to almost every stop on the tour.
It was hard to believe this was the last time Lizzy wouldsee any of them—the last time she would be greeted with a reception of this magnitude. She spoke the truth when she told Dillon that the band was her life. A part of her was dying tonight, and she needed time to mourn its demise. Blind Fury made up a huge piece of her heart. The years of conflict and arguing didn’t matter right now. It was overshadowed by grief and loss. A bitter ending to the best ride of her life.
“Lizzy!” a fan shouted. “Please sign this for me! Please!”
Lizzy didn’t know whether to laugh at the way the girl was frantically waving a limited-edition vinyl or rush over to catch the LP in case it flew out of the jacket. She did both. “Careful.” She took the album cover from the fan. “You don’t want this to end up in pieces.”
“Oh my God! Thank you.” The girl’s hands flew to her chest. “I didn’t realize. I just got so excited to see you. I’ve been coming to see Blind Fury for years. Waiting before and after each show, just hoping to get the chance to speak to you for a few moments. This was our last opportunity. I can’t believe it.”
Lizzy’s gaze dropped to a younger girl, maybe 13, in front of the older one.
“This is my little sister.” The older girl put her hands on the younger sibling’s shoulders. “She idolizes you.”
The young girl stared at Lizzy with wide eyes and stood perfectly still, hands clutched on the railing. She wore that star-struck blank expression that Lizzy had seen hundreds of times over the years, and it still shocked her to know she had that effect on people. But seeing a girl, still a child, looking ather in awe, touched her heart in a way that she couldn’t describe. “Hi, sweetie. What’s your name?”
The girl came alive with a smile that lit up her entire face. “Melanie. But everyone calls me Mel. I’m learning how to play the bass. Just like you. My dad didn’t want me to. He wanted me to learn the piano. But I told him you were the reason I wanted to learn the bass and told him all about you.”
“You did? What did you tell him about me?”
“I told him you’re awesome. Super cool. And you rock on stage. That you play with a bunch of guys who are always trying to steal the attention, but you outshine every single one of them without even trying.”
This kid was extremely perceptive, and her compliments validated all of Lizzy’s accomplishments.
“I made him watch a video,” the girl continued. “And he said you had talent and that you looked like a strong and confident woman. I told him how you fund music programs and showed him a video where you visited a school and told the kids how important it is to get an education. And you know what he did?”
“What?”
“He bought me a bass and an amp for my birthday, and now I get private lessons.” She lifted her hand to show Lizzy the soft callouses on her fingertips. “See?”
“That’s great. Just keep at it. Practice every day. And look.” Lizzy held up her own hand, displaying two decades of calloused fingertips. “I have them too.”
After Lizzy signed the album cover and took a selfie with the girl, the older sister whispered, “Thank you. Mel wasreally shy and introverted when she was younger. Watching you play and learning the bass has really brought her out of her shell. She’s a different person now. Thank you. Young girls need more role models like you.”
This is exactly why Lizzy loved talking to the fans. They were the ones who gave her the morale boost of her life. “Thank you.”
“What are you going to do now?” Melanie asked.
That was the question of the hour. “Take a vacation,” Lizzy answered. “After that, I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll do a solo album.”
The little girl’s mouth dropped open. “That would be so cool!”
It would be really fucking cool, and one of many possible options that lay ahead. She said goodbye to the sisters and moved down the line, continuing to sign autographs and greet fans, and she walked straight into Dillon. She’d seen Sid and Zach walk into the venue while she was still talking to Melanie but didn’t know Dillon was still outside.
It was nice to see Dillon didn’t run inside so quickly because tonight was special. It was the last show, and they owed it to the fans. Didn’t the other guys feel obligated? She’d never understand them. But at least Dillon was still here. It proved he had a heart after all.
“We have to stop meeting like this,” she joked, solely for the benefit of the fans.
Dillon let out a short chuckle, clearly amused at her quip, and gave her a cutesy smile that bled with inuendo.
Seeing the two together, occupying the same space,which was a rarity, the fans rushed at the railing and let out a new wail of screams. Security quickly stepped in, concerned about the integrity of the barricade. Lizzy had to admit she was worried as well. “Quiet down,” she told the fans. “Otherwise, security will make us go inside.”
