Heut Ist Dein Glückstag

It felt as though I’d perforated my eardrums surrounded by the screaming girls which had filled the arena. Ash and I looked at each other once the house light came back on and rolled our eyes as we both spotted the girl in front of us was crying her eyes out. ‘We need to get out of here!’ I yelled over the crowd. Ash just looked at me mouthing “What?” I pointed to the doors at the side and she nodded and elbowed some teen out of the way. I headed straight for the toilet, desperately needing a mirror to fix any stray hair and melted make-up as Ash did the same.

‘Pretty keen to fix yourself aren’t you?’ She smirked at me.

Rolling my eyes I replied, ‘Go fuck yourself. When do you ever see me going anywhere looking like a mess?’

‘I’m just saying, extra effort.’ I made to swing for her arm but she leapt backwards anticipating my every move. Damn, that girl knows me too well. Laughing at me she dragged me along to the stage doors and thrust our passes into the security man’s face who gave us directions and let us through. ‘At least pretend you’re enjoying yourself okay? YOU might not want them but you don’t have to ruin my chances.’ She looked at me, and I again rolled my eyes in response. ‘Smile?’ My face remained straight. ‘Fucking smile!’ The next thing I knew her hand was at my side and I was collapsed against the wall in a fit of giggles as she had attacked me by tickling me.

‘Okay! Fuck! Okay! I’m fucking smiling! See!’ I exaggerated to make my point. ‘Let’s just get this over with. We made our way through a maze of corridors and found a room with the band’s name on the door, Ash knocked, we heard a muffled voice from behind the door so she popped her head round.

‘Oh Sorry!’ She pulled the door shut and her face light up as she turned to me. ‘I am SO not sorry.’

‘What happened?’

‘That bassist was getting changed.’ Ash winked at me and licked her lips. How many times do I have to roll my eyes at her in one night? We stood waiting, there was shuffling behind the door and whispers, we heard a feint “Ouch” and looked at other as the door opened. ‘You know I’m really sorry about that.’ She was twirling her hair around her finger and bite her lip a little trying to look sweet and innocent.

‘Don’t, uh, don’t worry about it.’ I noticed his eyes wander about her as she walked past him into the brightly lit room. I just looked at him and followed her uninterested.

‘You came!’ Bill sounded surprised. ‘What did you think?’ From the corner of my eye I saw Tom throw his head back and shake it.

‘We loved it didn’t we Jen?’ I smiled and nodded in agreement. ‘We had no idea you guys were this big!’

‘What do you mean?’ Bill asked sitting down and a plush sofa which looked welcoming, I’m sure there was a reason I wore heels tonight, but right now I don’t think it was justified.

‘We thought you were just a bunch of try hard lads with some crazy dream of making it big, like most of the guys out there that we meet.’ I told him bluntly, and his face scrunched up. He obviously didn’t like that idea.

‘Well, we are, it’s just that our crazy dream actually came true unlike most others.’ He almost scoffed. I was being scowled at by Ash who was making conversation with the bass player she’d just been perving on.

‘What made you want to do it though?’

‘We just love music.’

‘But isn’t it annoying? All those girls, I’m guessing you get recognised by people who don’t have serious jobs or are pre-adolescent.’ I knew Ash was burning holes into the back of my head attempting to send telepathic messages but I was beyond caring.

‘It can be, but sometimes we manage to go somewhere and people don’t know who we are.’ Bill looked at me and I just shrugged. ‘Would you like a drink?’

‘If it’s alcoholic, send it my way.’ Bill stood and began routing through a mini fridge as I was joined by the blonde drummer on the sofa. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t catch either of your names?’

‘Gustav, and that is Georg. So you saved the twins from a near death experience?’ Twins? But, they look nothing like each other. ‘At least that’s how they made it sound.’

‘Mmm, bit overdramatic are they?’

‘Like you wouldn’t believe. Bill is the worst. So what actually happened?’

‘Well there was a near death experience but it wasn’t frigging them that nearly got killed!’

‘We said we are sorry! What can I do?!’ Bill gave me a drink which I gulped as he sat.

‘THEY nearly killed US. But because we are so nice, and because I would never hear the end of it from Ash if we didn’t, we helped them. They used our phone then I dropped them at the hotel.’

‘So, there was no murders waiting for them? There were no killer animals lurking in the bushes? And they didn’t nearly starve to death?’ I liked Gustav, he seemed to be on my wave length. A realistic and sarcastic wavelength.

‘Well, we COULD have died out there if they hadn’t turned up.’ Bill buried his face into his drink while Tom, Georg and Ash also came over to join us.

‘Well we nearly DID die BECAUSE you two turned up.’ I finished my drink and rooted out another.

‘Oh come on! We survived didn’t we? We got a free concert out of it with backstage passes, I bet girls out there would have literally killed for these.’ Ash was reasoning with me. I had to admit, her argument was bulletproof. I nodded in agreement taking a long gulp of a second drink. ‘Slow down there miss cheerful.’ She took the drink from me and patted the sofa for me to sit.

‘So what do you two do then?’ Georg spoke, but still hadn’t taken his eyes off Ash since she’d walked in on him in his underwear.

‘We’re nurses at the hospital.’

‘So you have a nurse uniform?’ Tom was met by a smack from his brother and a wink from Ash making him smirk and wince in pain both at the same time.

‘You should come and see us in them some time.’ Ash mused her eyebrow raised, her lips curled up in a smile.

‘Both of you together?’ They were locked on each other. I looked at Gustav who shook his head at me.

‘Well if you think three is a crowd I’m sure I could arrange a more private appointment? But I always liked the extra company.’

‘Are you two going to get a room, or just jump each other right in front of us?’ I took my drink back from her and took a swig as I noticed Bill shudder from the corner of my eye. The room turned a little awkward as we sat, Ash soon broke the silence though, used to my jibes about her flirtatious nature and possible need to tone it down at times. The conversation was soon flowing around me as I sat making the odd comment, relaxing a little partly due to the drink and partly due to the fact Ash was making me laugh and just naturally switch off for a bit. I find it difficult sometimes to turn my head out of work mode or mothering mode or just down right bitch mode. I always need to be doing something to keep me busy and stop my mind from wandering.

‘Thank you so much so much for tonight!’ Ash beamed as we were headed outside to leave. ‘We’ve loved it, it’s been really nice to meet you all.’

‘It was no problem, we just wanted to say thank you. It was nice just to sit and relax a little with some new faces.’ Tom smiled at her. I was attempting to hide the fact I may have had a little too much to drink when I stumbled over my heels which had been killing my feet all night.

Someone caught and I looked up. ‘Thank you.’ I stuttered. Bill looking at me with a warm face I looked away quickly and collected myself. ‘Thanks.’ I said more strongly. ‘It was a good night, enjoy the rest of your tour.’ I climbed into the back of the cab and looked straight ahead waiting for Ash to finish hugging everyone and kissing them on the cheek. Eventually she joined me and waved out of the window as they turned to walk away.

‘Was that blushing I saw?’

‘Fuck off.’ I mumbled as the taxi started and drove off.