Follow the Water
I've Lost Count Of How Many Times I've Tried
The band’s van was not exactly the lap of luxury, in fact it was no small miracle that the thing still ran. Joe wiggled the gear-stick a little to the left then lifted it vertically before changing gear as they chuntered along the motorway towards the next venue, Ava studying the map and directing him from the passenger seat. Behind them the rest of the band were snoring away, even though it was nearly two in the afternoon, Ryan with his head on Dylan’s shoulder and Charlie folded in the corner with his cheek pressed to the window.
“We should’ve printed more merch,” Joe mused quietly, Ava wasn’t actually sure if he was talking to her or to himself.
“This is a last minute tour Joe, we didn’t have any time, or any money to get more printed,” she glanced over at him.
He drummed his hand against the steering wheel, “Yeah, but we should be prepared for stuff like this, you know? Monopolise.”
“We don’t have any money,” she spoke slowly, “We couldn’t even if we wanted to. Anyway, since when did we monopolise on things?” she frowned.
Joe shrugged, “I’m just saying if we want to do this,” he motioned around them, “Then we have to plan it, you know, like a business.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed it’s a wonder some of us,” she nodding towards the backseat, “Can function as human beings, never mind making the band into a business with returns and profits and shit. I thought it was about making music and having a good time, as soon as this turns into a job then we’re doing it for the wrong reasons.”
“That’s easy to say when you’ve not seen your 21st birthday yet, some of us have imminent futures that are going to be fucking expensive.”
Ava frowned at her friend, “Yeah, I don’t work in a shitty job to pay rent and bills, I do it for the witty banter. I’m not a kid Joe, we‘ve all got stuff going on.”
He rolled his eyes as she crossed her arms with a huff, “You know that’s not what I meant.”
“What did you mean then? Why are you being weird?”
Joe glanced into the rear view mirror to make sure the other boys were still asleep, “Camilla thinks she might be pregnant.”
Ava’s mouth moved into an ‘o’ shape, she’d known the girl almost as long as she’d known Joe and they were a sweet couple but this wasn’t something either were ready for. Even she knew that.
“Yeah,” Joe sighed, “So, you know. It makes you think, how long can we arse about in this shitty van driving hours to play to people who don’t know who we are and don’t give a shit enough to find out.”
She shrugged, “We just need to give them something to give a shit about.”
It sounded hollow even to her own ears. They were on the edge of something and they could either go all the way to the top or crash straight back down to the bottom, and both of them knew it. Ava ran her hand through her long blonde hair and leaned her forehead against the cold window, they all started doing this for a laugh and it was beginning to be not so fun.
***
Three hours later In Elegance and Dead Swans were lounging around the communal dressing room, getting on like old friends. Benny was teasing Ava for getting I.D.’d to be allowed into the venue; Dylan and Nick, the lead singer of DS, were chatting about their old bands; Joe was quietly tuning his guitar in the corner; Ryan, sitting next to Ava, noisily warmed up by playing on the graffitied coffee table instead of his usual drum pad. Charlie as usual was AWOL.
“Ave, it’s half six. Where the fuck is he?” Joe looked up from his phone.
The younger girl turned from giggling with Benny to look at her friend, “Who knows Joe, I’m not his keeper. He’ll show up eventually, he always does.”
“Yeah well, if he doesn’t I guess it means you’ll be taking over mic duty,” Joe shrugged.
“What?!” Ava stopped laughing.
“You sing?” Benny asked.
She turned to him and shook her head, “No, I don’t.”
“Yeah, you do,” Ryan chimed in with a smirk.
Ava turned to face him and whacked his arm, “No. I. Don’t.”
“Why not?” Benny asked with a chuckle.
“I play bass, that’s all,” she held her hands up to emphasise the statement.
“She can sing,” Ryan told Benny, pointing at her with his drumstick even though she was the only female in the room.
Benny looked at Ava over the top of his mug of tea and nodded, “Female vocalists are always interesting.”
She raised an eyebrow at him, “Interesting?”
He shrugged and drank his tea.
“Oi, In Elegance, you need to get downstairs and get set up,” the promoter for the club appeared at the doorway.
Ava shared a nervous glance with Joe, they were still minus a front man.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” Dylan strode past them and through the wooden doorway.
“Fuck,” Ava sighed.
“We should’ve printed more merch,” Joe mused quietly, Ava wasn’t actually sure if he was talking to her or to himself.
“This is a last minute tour Joe, we didn’t have any time, or any money to get more printed,” she glanced over at him.
He drummed his hand against the steering wheel, “Yeah, but we should be prepared for stuff like this, you know? Monopolise.”
“We don’t have any money,” she spoke slowly, “We couldn’t even if we wanted to. Anyway, since when did we monopolise on things?” she frowned.
Joe shrugged, “I’m just saying if we want to do this,” he motioned around them, “Then we have to plan it, you know, like a business.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed it’s a wonder some of us,” she nodding towards the backseat, “Can function as human beings, never mind making the band into a business with returns and profits and shit. I thought it was about making music and having a good time, as soon as this turns into a job then we’re doing it for the wrong reasons.”
“That’s easy to say when you’ve not seen your 21st birthday yet, some of us have imminent futures that are going to be fucking expensive.”
Ava frowned at her friend, “Yeah, I don’t work in a shitty job to pay rent and bills, I do it for the witty banter. I’m not a kid Joe, we‘ve all got stuff going on.”
He rolled his eyes as she crossed her arms with a huff, “You know that’s not what I meant.”
“What did you mean then? Why are you being weird?”
Joe glanced into the rear view mirror to make sure the other boys were still asleep, “Camilla thinks she might be pregnant.”
Ava’s mouth moved into an ‘o’ shape, she’d known the girl almost as long as she’d known Joe and they were a sweet couple but this wasn’t something either were ready for. Even she knew that.
“Yeah,” Joe sighed, “So, you know. It makes you think, how long can we arse about in this shitty van driving hours to play to people who don’t know who we are and don’t give a shit enough to find out.”
She shrugged, “We just need to give them something to give a shit about.”
It sounded hollow even to her own ears. They were on the edge of something and they could either go all the way to the top or crash straight back down to the bottom, and both of them knew it. Ava ran her hand through her long blonde hair and leaned her forehead against the cold window, they all started doing this for a laugh and it was beginning to be not so fun.
***
Three hours later In Elegance and Dead Swans were lounging around the communal dressing room, getting on like old friends. Benny was teasing Ava for getting I.D.’d to be allowed into the venue; Dylan and Nick, the lead singer of DS, were chatting about their old bands; Joe was quietly tuning his guitar in the corner; Ryan, sitting next to Ava, noisily warmed up by playing on the graffitied coffee table instead of his usual drum pad. Charlie as usual was AWOL.
“Ave, it’s half six. Where the fuck is he?” Joe looked up from his phone.
The younger girl turned from giggling with Benny to look at her friend, “Who knows Joe, I’m not his keeper. He’ll show up eventually, he always does.”
“Yeah well, if he doesn’t I guess it means you’ll be taking over mic duty,” Joe shrugged.
“What?!” Ava stopped laughing.
“You sing?” Benny asked.
She turned to him and shook her head, “No, I don’t.”
“Yeah, you do,” Ryan chimed in with a smirk.
Ava turned to face him and whacked his arm, “No. I. Don’t.”
“Why not?” Benny asked with a chuckle.
“I play bass, that’s all,” she held her hands up to emphasise the statement.
“She can sing,” Ryan told Benny, pointing at her with his drumstick even though she was the only female in the room.
Benny looked at Ava over the top of his mug of tea and nodded, “Female vocalists are always interesting.”
She raised an eyebrow at him, “Interesting?”
He shrugged and drank his tea.
“Oi, In Elegance, you need to get downstairs and get set up,” the promoter for the club appeared at the doorway.
Ava shared a nervous glance with Joe, they were still minus a front man.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” Dylan strode past them and through the wooden doorway.
“Fuck,” Ava sighed.