Backstage

“God, I’m nervous!” Sami yelled. It was a day before the concert (talk about procrastination) and the band had just started to practice. Nikky was slamming her head into her drums so they submitted a dull thud each time. Katie was plucking out the beat to one of the songs they were supposed to be practicing. “Ok, guys we need to practice...if we don’t, we will make complete fools of ourselves. We don’t want to do that,” Sami said as she strummed the chord for the first song. “You remember the songs right guys?” she asked. Katie and Nikky nodded. “Ok, 1, 2…1, 2, 3, 4!” Sami yelled. Nikky went crazy on the drums, pounding out the perfect rhythm, Katie was plucking out perfectly on the bass and Sami was rocking out on her Les Paul.

After about two hours of nonstop practice, they had their songs in order and perfect.

“Now we just wait till tomorrow,” Nikky said, twirling her sticks in her fingers. Katie kept plucking out the tune on her bass, once she started, she remembered how long it had been since her had last played and now could not be stopped. Suddenly, the door burst open and Billie, Mike and Tre stood on the doorway.

“I knew we shouldn’t have given them keys,” Katie mumbled as she stopped playing.

“Whoa, nice guitar,” Billie said to Sami. She smiled and held up the starburst Les Paul in the light. Billie gave her the thumbs up and then grabbed her by the wrist.

“All of you are coming with us now!” Tre yelled as he grabbed Nikky off of the stool.

“TRE COOL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Nikky screamed, being taken by surprise at his attack.

“Oh, you’ll see,” Mike said as he grabbed Katie and pulled her out the door.

“Wait! Where are we going? What about Adie?” Sami asked as she was practically dragged out of the door.

“Ronnie, Mike, Jason and me are staying with her and the kids. Don't worry,” Jason White said from out of no where.

“Hey Jason,” Sami said as she was dragged by.

“Hey Sami,” he laughed with a wave.

“Where are they taking us!” Nikky yelled out the elevator doors before they shut. Before they closed, Jason yelled.

“Have fun!”

Katie, Sami and Nikky found themselves at the front of a salon.

“Billie?” Sami asked staring at the doors.

“Yeah?” he said opening them.

“Why are we here?” she asked as she was shoved inside. He laughed.

“You’ll see.”

After a few minutes, the girls were sitting in the middle of the salon with people doing unknown things to their hair, and they weren’t allowed to see. Another half hour and they were allowed to look in the mirror. Billie, Mike and Tre turned all three of them around…and their mouths fell open.

“Oh…Oh…Oh my God,” Sami stuttered as she looked at her hair.

“Holy SHIT!” Katie screamed next to her. Nikky made an odd noise that sounded either like excitement or that she had just seem a mouse. Sami looked at her hair. Pink streaks, just like when she was in the band. She looked over at Kate, electric blue, just like before. Then to Nikky, blonde, bright blonde just like when she was nineteen. Billie laughed at the looks on their faces.

“There’re the rockers I remember,” he said. Sami looked over at Katie who had Mike in a huge bear hug and then at Nikky who was kissing Tre.

“Nikky… Do you know anyone named John?!” Sami hissed at her.

“Crap,” Nikky said as she stepped away from Tre.

“AW COME ON!” Tre pleaded. Nikky laughed and hugged him instead. Tre rolled his eyes but hugged her back. Sami turned to Billie and hugged him.

“Billie, I love it so much! Oh my God! This is so cool! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!” Billie laughed again.

“Glad you like it. Ok we have to go, Adie wants to see you,” Billie said looking at his cell phone for the time.

“But, how did you pay for it?” Sami asked as she followed everyone out the door.

“Umm…money,” he said with a smile.

“I’m paying you back,” she said.

“No you’re not,” he retorted, shaking his head.

“Yes I am,” she said.

“NOO you’re not,” he argued back.

The Hotel

“I am.”

“You’re not.”

“Oh my GOD! You look so good!” Adrienne screamed from the door way. Sami snapped out of her argument with Billie and looked over at Adrienne. Sami smiled.

“Thanks. I’m still nervous about tomorrow though,” she said shuddering slightly.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. And you’re only one for a half hour,” Billie said, using Sami’s shoulder as an arm rest (yes she is that short).

“Yeah, I mean that’s like…not even an hour,” Tre said. Nikky started cracking up. Tre stopped and thought about what he said.

“Really? Half an hour, not even an hour? Never knew that Tre, nice piece of info there,” she said between breaths. Tre smiled.

“I didn’t think before I spoke. Don't laugh at my stupid-ness!” he cried with a fake sob.

The next Day

Sami had he Les Paul hanging across her back. She listened to people screaming. There was a Text Message board on the screens where people could text anything they wanted to say. There were random screams from people posting things like

‘Scream if this is going to be the best concert ever?’
or
‘Scream if this Text Board thing rox!’

It was pretty cool. Sami was shaking slightly and breathing hard. She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped about a foot in the air.

“A little uptight?” she turned and saw Mike.

“Hey Mikey,” Sami said giving a small smile.

“Nervous?” he said. Sami nodded.

“Little,” she admitted. Mike shrugged.

“Everyone’s nervous,” he said matter-of-factly.

“You guys…nervous?” Sami said laughing slightly.

“Yeah, but we’ve done it so much, it kind of doesn’t bother us. But there’s always that feeling that you get. Just the butterflies in your stomach feeling,” Mike said giving Sami a warm smile. She smiled back. Mike always had a way of making everyone feel better, even in the worst situations. “You’re gonna rock.” The crowd gave a loud cheer/ scream. There was a laugh from behind them.

“What’s up?” Sami asked Jason Freeze, who was the one that had laughed.

“The text board,” he said.

“What did it say?” Sami asked. “

He turned to her and smiled.

"’Scream if you want Whiplash.'"