Into the Wild...Boyz

It took two missed buses but finally Darcie got to Sunset Boulevard from the office. While she walked to the sushi place she was to meet Casey at, she thought about her first day at Dickhouse. She wasn’t used to such a laid back working environment but in time she figured she’d come accustom to it. Jeff seemed to be a nice guy to work for so far. Some of the camera guys she met in the meeting that day seemed nice too. The only exception was one of the talent and that was Steve-O. He didn’t look like he even wanted to be in the building when she had met him that afternoon. He wasn’t as openly nice as Chris was to her but everyone has bad days she reasoned as she neared the sushi restaurant.

Darcie smiled and laughed out loud when she got to the front door of the tiny eatery. Off to the side of the door stood Savannah, Casey’s little sister and Darcie’s best friend and partner in crime. She was puffing on a cigarette and playing with her phone. Darcie almost didn’t recognize Savannah though. Instead of Savannah’s normal attire which usually consisted of a comfortable pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and Converse, she stood there in a dress, heels, she had makeup on and her dark brown hair was up in a clip.

“Don’t even start”, said Savannah, a hint of warning in her voice. “Casey had court today and I had to assist her.” Savannah quickly ditched her cigarette.

“Dude, I almost didn’t recognize you. You look nice though.”

“Thanks”, Savannah half-heartedly mumbled. She was about to add something more to their conversation but was interrupted by Casey knocking on the window and motioning to the two of them to come inside. “The Queen has spoken.”

Darcie and Savannah headed inside the little restaurant and joined Casey at a small corner table that was right near the window that she had just knocked on.

“Hey, working girl”, said Casey with a smile on her face. “I already ordered for us, by the way. So how was your first day, hmm?”

“Oh it was fine. Jeff seems like a neat guy to work for. The office is a little more laid back than I expected but I’ll get used to that”, replied Darcie. “I met Chris and Steve-O today too.”

“Oh you’ll love Pontius. He’s really sweet.”

“He seems to be.”

“And so’s Steve.”

“Uh, I’m a little on the fence on that one.”

“Oh?” Casey raised a sculpted eye brow at her.

“Well, he seemed a little standoffish but Chris said Steve-O was hung over so”, and Darcie gave a slight shrug.

“That doesn’t surprise me at all”, said Casey. “Steve-O’s quite the partier. I wouldn’t give it too much thought though. And whatever you do, don’t get wrapped up with that. He can be very charming when he wants to be, I’ve seen it.”

“I’m not looking to get wrapped up in anything, Casey. I’m there to work. I don’t date actors or even crew.”

“Good girl. Keep it that way. That goes for both of you.”

“What was that?” Savannah looked up from the phone in her hands.

“Who are you texting?”

“Uh, no one. Just checking my email, that’s all.” Savannah slipped her phone into her little
purse. “So enough about me. Darcie, what exactly are you doing over at Dickhouse?”

“Production assistant work for Wildboyz. In fact, we’ll be going out of the country soon and I’ll need you to feed my fish while I’m gone. Is that cool?”

“Oh sure, I can do that. Where are you going?”

“Argentina.”

“Well bring me back a shot glass.”

“You can count on that as long as my fish are still alive when I get back”, Darcie grinned.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After a couple rounds of decent sushi for Savannah and Casey and something Vegan friendly for Darcie, the three women were outside the little restaurant saying their goodbyes. Casey was headed home but the night was still young for Savannah. She convinced Darcie to head over to The Viper Room with her for a drink or two and since the office hours were so lax at Darcie’s new job, she took her up on her offer.

They were waved in by the big, bearded doorman on the side of the building and Darcie and Savannah made their way to the counter where a young, raven haired woman sat, looking visibly bored.

“Hey, Delores”, said Savannah.

“IDs please”, said the young woman. Savannah just gave Darcie a shrug and both women got their IDs out. The young woman perked up as she looked them over. “Oh I’m sorry, Savannah. It’s hard to see you in this light, besides, are you all dressed up?”

“Not by choice, believe me. So who’s on the bill for tonight?”

“Oh here”, said Delores. She put a piece of paper on the counter. A few band names were already blacked out since they already played.

“Abominable Snow Hen?” asked Darcie aloud.

“Believe me they play as good as their name but these guys here”, Delores tapped the paper with her long, red fingernail. “These guys are badass and their lead singer is so hot he makes my teeth sweat. If you don’t like the music, you’ll at least like looking at him, trust me.”

“Thanks for the tip, Delores. Do we owe a cover?” asked Savannah.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Enjoy the show.”

“Thanks.” Darcie and Savannah moved away from the little desk and headed up to one of the bars on their way to the main concert hall. The place was quiet and there was hardly anyone in the small bar as they were greeted by a bleached blond male bartender with perfectly white teeth.

“Hi, Ladies”, he smiled. “What can I get you?”

“Just a Miller Lite”, said Darcie.

“I’ll have one too”, said Savannah. The bartender nodded and set them up quickly with a beer each. Savannah left a bill on the counter and they headed up to the main concert hall which was definitely packed and loud due to the scratchy throated singer onstage.

“How long do we have to sit through this?” asked Darcie into Savannah’s ear. Savannah just shrugged. Darcie made a face so Savannah steered her towards an open side door instead. A cigarette was probably a better idea until the last band was to start she thought. “Sorry, Savannah, I just can’t take all that noise right now.”

“Wait until the last band plays”, said a male voice behind Darcie. She turned around and the voice belonged to Chris. “Oh hey, are you stalking me by any chance? Because I totally wouldn’t blame you if you were”, he laughed at himself.

“Sorry but no, I’m not stalking you, Chris”, said Darcie.

“Well that sucks. What about your friend here?” He gestured to Savannah. “Is she stalking me by any chance?” He actually wiggled his eyebrows at Savannah.

“Pontius, heal!” commanded another male voice that was followed by a familiar cackle. “That’s Savannah, Casey in Legal’s little sister”, said Johnny Knoxville as he approached them. He gave Savannah a good once over, taking mental note of the fact that she was dressed up. It made him smile. She looked very pretty, she always did to him but he’d never let her know that. They were friends, he was on the brink of divorce and he didn’t want to give her the wrong impression about their particular relationship. Although sometimes when they hung out together, he’d love nothing more than to do that—and hard, but their friendship meant more to him. Good thing his stare was hidden by his dark Aviators. “Wait a minute at least it looks like Savannah.” He lifted his Aviators and quickly put them back down. “Lemme guess: Casey had court today.”

“Good guess, Knox”, Savannah replied. She gave him a friendly, one-armed hug and he couldn’t help but casually drape his arm around her shoulders afterward.

Chris gasped and turned to Savannah, “I am so sorry. Please don’t tell Casey I was hitting on you. She can be mean and scary.”

“Um, okay. I won’t?” Savannah seemed a little perplexed as she cast a glance at Johnny.

“I guess your sister took it upon herself to warn the guys that you’re off limits”, said Johnny. “So who’s your friend?”

Before Darcie could introduce herself, Chris did it for her. “That’s Darcie. She’s going to be a PA for Wildboyz. She’s coming to Argentina with us.”

“Oh cool. Yeah Jeff said he hired a new girl. Nice to meet ya.” He took his arm from around Savannah’s shoulders and shook Darcie’s hand.

“Likewise”, said Darcie.

“Anybody need a drink? I’m heading back into the bar”, offered Johnny.

“Nah, I think we’re good”, said Savannah.

“Pontius?”

“Of course I’ll take one.”

“Of course”, Johnny laughed. “Be right back.” He disappeared back inside the bar.

“So how’d you know we were playing tonight, Darcie?” asked Chris as he lit a cigarette.

“I didn’t. Did you know, Savannah?”

“Well Johnny tipped me off but he just said it was just some friends of his playing. He wasn’t too specific, he just suggested dropping by, and we were in the area anyway.”

“Sweet. Well you’re in for a treat, for sure”, said Chris.

“All right, dude. I am officially pissed the fuck off”, said Steve-O as he came outside, a lit cigarette was dangling in between his lips. “Do you hear that shit in there, Chris? They’re butchering the fuck out of ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’. I can’t be in there.” He shook his head. “They’re totally ruining my buzz.” He laughed then smiled when he saw Darcie. “Oh hey, new girl, what’s up?”

“Her name’s Darcie”, said Chris.

“I knew that, asshole. Geez.” Steve-O rolled his eyes at Chris, a look of complete annoyance on his face. “We met her today. She works with us now. Sorry about today, Darcie.” He emphasized her name while looking at Chris. “I was hung over and didn’t mean to be rude or anything.”

“We all have our days”, Darcie took a sip of her beer. She wondered just how many “bad days” she’d experience with Steve-O.

“Exactly. So your next beer’s on me all right? I wanna make it up to you.”

“Oh don’t worry about it.”

“Let me have the chance of getting a pretty woman a drink, is that cool?”

“Oh, uh, well sure. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Just come get me when you need one.” Steve-O wandered off to talk to
another small group of people that were nearby. Savannah gave Darcie a secret smile and Darcie just scowled at her.

“Wow. He is so wasted”, said Chris. “I feel for whatever chick takes him home tonight.”

“Is he always like that?” asked Darcie.

“Pretty much. Except for when he’s sleeping probably.” Chris laughed. “You’ll get used to it, Darcie. He’s harmless.”

Darcie candidly watched Steve-O with the other crowd. He was busy entertaining them by balancing someone’s drink on his nose, or attempting to at least.

“Looks like he enjoys being the center of attention”, said Savannah.

“So do I. That’s why I’m here with you two, Ladies. Oh yeah.” He put an arm around each of them and laughed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The concert was great and Darcie had a lot of fun and a lot to drink. She realized that as she leaned up against one of the booths inside The Viper Room while Chris and a couple others started taking down their equipment. The house lights came on and she flopped down on the edge of the booth seat, trying to readjust her eyes to the harsh light. She looked around the room for Savannah, who was more than likely outside having a cigarette so Darcie pulled herself up out of the booth to head outside. She stumbled a little by the stage and Chris noticed her as he was packing up his guitar.

“Are you okay, Darcie?” he asked.

“Oh yeah”, Darcie nodded. “Great show by the way.”

“Thanks. Hey why don’t you sit down?” He couldn’t help but notice she was a bit wobbly on her legs.

“I can’t. Gotta find Savannah. Hopefully she’ll be my ride.”

“Well I’m almost done here. Pop a squat and then we’ll look for her together.” He was being a gentleman and didn’t want her roaming around by herself.

“Okay dokey.” Darcie smiled drunkenly at Chris as she sat down on the stage near him. “Just so you know I don’t drink like this.”

“Neither do I”, Chris laughed.

“No, I’m serious. I may have a couple while I’m out but I don’t know, guess I was celebrating my first day, ya know?”

“And you should. You’ll love working with us. I mean, yeah, sometimes it sucks but all jobs do. We have a lot of fun with it though.”

Darcie sat there on the edge of the stage and watched Pontius pack his gear. Over by the bar, Steve-O was talking with a few people but his eyes would wander over to where Darcie was. He gave her a shy, little wave and she reciprocated so he excused himself from the people he was with and walked over to her.

“How are you feeling?” he asked with a knowing smile on his face.

“With my fingers”, she replied. Her smiled matched his own.

Steve-O laughed, “How are you getting home?”

“Savannah, of course”, Darcie slurred a bit. “Do you need a ride too? I’m sure she’d take both of us.” Darcie stood up and wobbled a bit. Steve-O reached out to help steady her. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Let’s go find your friend.”

Pontius was about to protest but just let them go as he finished what he was doing. The two stumbled out to the parking and spotted Savannah who was talking with Johnny and Jeff.

“Savannah!” Darcie shouted. “Where’s my bestest friend? Oh there she is!” Darcie dragged Steve-O to where Savannah was. “I hate to interrupt but can I get a cigarette and can we go home? Ya know like my home then his home then your home?”

“I take it you both need a ride?” Darcie nodded drunkenly as she accepted the cigarette Savannah handed to her.

“Yeah, if it’s not too much trouble”, added Steve-O.

“It’s no trouble”, replied Savannah.

“You’re awesome”, said Darcie as Steve-O lit her cigarette for her. “I’m not normally like this.” She chuckled in spite of herself.

“Well that’s good to know”, said Jeff.

Darcie looked up at him and the cigarette dropped from her lips. “Aw, shit. My boss is here.”

“Why does that surprise you given the company here?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be at work tomorrow. Just not at 8am. More closer to your time.” Johnny couldn’t help but laugh at that one. “What’s so funny?” she slurred. “He told me 8am and didn’t show up til after 9.”

“After nine? Wow, Jeff, that’s early for you”, said Johnny, laughing.

“Fuck off, Knox.”

“Well, guys, it’s been fun. Let me get these two home.” Savannah wasn’t too keen on being a taxi but she was doing it for Darcie.

“Good idea”, said Steve-O.

“Steve-O, you behave for the nice lady taking you home”, Johnny advised.

“Yeah, don’t puke in her car”, added Jeff.

“He’ll be cleaning it if that’s the case”, said Savannah.

“Nah, dude, I’m good, don’t worry. See you guys later.”

“Let me know you made it safe, Savannah”, Johnny called to her as the three were walking away.

“I will. You do the same.”

“Oh I’ll be fine. I’m going home with Jeff tonight.”

“You are?” asked Jeff. “Will there be cuddling involved?”

“Depends if you spring for IHOP on the way home.”

“Oh there will definitely be IHOP.”

“Then there will definitely be cuddling”, Johnny laughed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Are we going to make it in this thing?” Steve-O laughed as they stood next to Savannah’s aging car. The 1986 Ford LTD had served her well and actually made the journey from the east coast to the west coast when she moved therefore no matter what the issues the car had (and there were many) she just never had the heart to part with it.

“Of course we will.” Savannah unlocked her passengers doors then unlocked her own and fought with the handle a few times before it finally opened for her.

“I call back seat”, said Darcie and she dove into the car.

“Want some company?” asked Steve-O.

“Nope. You stay upfront. That way I’m not tempted or anything.”

“Suit yourself”, Steve-O smiled then shut the back door and fumbled with the passenger door
until Savannah reached across and opened it for him. “So lemme get this straight”, he had to slam the door a couple of times to get it to close. “You work for your sister, who’s a lawyer, yet you can’t afford a better car?” He looked at her.

“I know who’s getting dropped off first”, Savannah replied as the car sputtered to life.

“I’m sorry. Maybe that was mean. I can shut up.”

“Good idea”, Darcie giggled from the back seat.

“Oh don’t make me come back there because I will. Whether it tempts you or not.”

“I dare you.”

“Okay then.” Steve-O laughed as he climbed over the front seat to get into the back with Darcie.

“Dammit, you two, if I get pulled over I’ll beat both your asses!” Savannah exclaimed.

“Sorry”, said Steve-O.

“Sorry, Savannah”, said Darcie. She looked at Steve-O and they quietly giggled.