I'm with the Band

by Melanie Brown

  Mr. Winters gave me a wry smile and said, “You knew the job was dangerous when you took it. I mean, you had to have known you were going to have to get up in front of a crowd.”

  I brushed my hands down the front of my dress to make sure I didn’t have any wrinkles and said, “I know. But it was all academic before.”

  Mr. Winters put a gentle hand on my shoulder and said, “You’ll do fine.” He glanced at his watch and then looked over my shoulder and made a circular gesture to someone behind me. He said, “Time to go out and meet the press. I, along with some other execs will be standing behind you.” He made a shooing gesture to me. “Scoot.”

  Brooklyn was standing there with us. Bless her heart. She had gotten up early to get me to the salon. Mr. Winters had been afraid I’d show up with bed hair. After the press conference, she was going to take me shopping. On Friday, I was scheduled to be a guest at some luncheon that was raising money for some charity. My closet is already so full of dresses; I don’t know why Brooklyn thinks I need one more.

  To Brooklyn, I said, “Do I look okay?”

  She smiled and said, “Sweetie, you look gorgeous. You’re such a girly-girl!”

  I could feel my cheeks flush as I turned to walk out on to the stage. I sucked in a deep breath and took my first few steps. I was a mix of emotions as I walked across the small stage to the podium. As soon as I walked out, dozens -- maybe more -- cameras flashed all at once and the air was filled with the sound of those cameras clicking.

  It was all I could do to keep from turning around to run screaming from the place. All those people staring intently at me, cameras flashing and my own high heels clicking. I became overly aware of the fact that I was wearing make-up and earrings and a dress. I was aware of the skirt of my dress gliding over my legs. My bra seemed to be digging in a little extra today. It was all so surreal...

  I walked up to the podium and just stood there a moment -- frozen. I looked out at the crowd of expectant faces and camera flashes. Finally I managed to say, “Good morning!”

  I was surprised when they actually said “good morning” back.

  I gave them all a nice friendly smile and said, “Thank you all for coming this morning. I appreciate the opportunity to clear the air on a few things and I promise not to keep you long.” I looked over the sea of faces. My stomach was tying itself into knots. Sweat trickled down my back.

  “So having said that...” I continued, “Let me go ahead and just cut to the chase. I don’t know how the rumor got started, but let me just say that there’s absolutely no truth to the story that Tommy Kincaid tried to rape me. Trust me. Otherwise, we’d be having this press conference outside his jail cell. Rape is a serious issue that affects women the world over. But having someone falsely accused of rape is also serious.

  “Yes, Tommy got carried away and acted like any other teenage boy. Like all guys, it seems Tommy just wasn’t thinking clearly, and that’s really all I have to say about that. Any questions?” I didn’t want to invite the press corps to ask me questions, but Mr. Winters told me I had to.

  A chorus of “Michelle!” and “Miss Grayson!” erupted from the reporters in front of me.

  I pointed to one of the few women reporters. Before I walked out, I really thought most of the reporters would be women.

  The woman reporter said, “Thank you. Michelle, the big question on my readers’ minds is, are you two still together? There’s a rumor that you’re now dating Chad Dumont.”

  How does this stuff get around so fast?

  I said, “It’s not like Tommy and I were on the verge of marriage! We were just dating. I’m only fourteen. It’s not like I’m going to get serious with anyone! And not that it’s anybody’s business, but Chad invited me to go to lunch with him the other day when we both happened to be up here at the studio. It’s not something I’d call a date.”

  A few more questions were all about specifics of the last date I had with Tommy. The questions were way too personal and I told them so. I was getting annoyed by them so I said, “Just one last question. You.” I pointed to a cute guy with a camera.

  “Two questions. Are you and Tommy still friends? And are you free Saturday night?” A chorus of laughter spilled around the room.

  Before I could answer, a voice behind said, “Of course we’re still friends, aren’t we Michelle?” I turned and there was Tommy, dressed all sharp in a suit. A mix of emotions washed over me. I was still angry, a little, with him but I have to admit, I really like him, and the way he was dressed, standing beside me, he was absolutely gorgeous.

  I hesitated a moment, because of the shock of seeing him. I had no idea he’d been standing there. I wondered how long he’d been there. I just stared at him a moment before turning back to the reporter. I couldn’t stop it from forming. I knew I had a goofy smile spreading across my face as I said, “Yes. Yes, we’re still friends.” I paused a moment, looking at the really cute reporter. I continued, sounding too apologetic considering he was probably just joking, “And sorry! I have something already planned for Saturday.” Another round of a few laughs.

  Over the noise, I could barely hear the reporter laugh and then say as he started to put away his camera, “I was just kidding…”

  Mr. Winters walked up to the podium and announced, “And that concludes the press conference. Thank you ladies and gentlemen for coming today.”

  Tommy gently took my arm at the elbow and escorted me off the stage. An awkward silence followed.

  “Did I surprise you?” Tommy finally asked. When I nodded, he said, “I wasn’t going to come out there with you at first, but I thought you might want some moral support. I hope you didn’t mind.”

  I looked at Tommy and had to force myself not to melt. I said, “No, I didn’t mind.”

  Tommy’s eyes locked onto mine. We just stared at each other for a few seconds. Tommy swallowed audibly and then said, “Michelle, I just want to say how incredibly sorry I am for the other night. I got carried away… you were so beautiful and the moon on the beach… did I mention you were beautiful? Please accept my apology. I’m so very sorry.”

  I thought about making him say he was sorry at least two more times, but I said, “Apology accepted!” I just smiled at him, lost in his eyes. No… I wasn’t going to let him suck me in again. I averted my eyes.

  Tommy looked at his feet for a few moments. He said, “So, were you just making a joke with the reporter, or do you really have plans for Saturday night?”

  I glanced over to where Mr. Winters was telling Brooklyn something. I was afraid to look Tommy straight in his eyes. I had to keep my resolve. I said, “Actually, I do. Just some Hollywood party.”

  Tommy looked thoughtful for a moment, and then said, “I haven’t been invited to anything and the only big party I know of is Julia Briggs’ party.” He paused a moment as a look of concern crept across his face, “You’re not going there, are you?” he blurted.

  I pulled myself up a little straighter and said, “If you must know, yes. That’s where I’m going. Chad Dumont is taking me.”

  “Chad is taking you to Julia’s party?” Tommy said with much concern in his voice. “That’s definitely not a good idea, Michelle.”

  I wanted Tommy to take me into his arms and kiss me as he did on the beach the other night, only with more self-control. Instead, I said, “Already getting jealous, Tommy? I can date anyone I want to, you know.”

  Frowning, Tommy said, “Yes, I’m aware of that, but I’m also aware that Chad is a real bad apple. Trust me on this one. You don’t want to go to that party.”

  I folded my arms and said, “Why? Because you’re not invited?”

  “No. I wouldn’t go even if I was invited. Michelle, I think I know you fairly well. You’re a very sweet girl. The people who go to Julia’s parties are a rough and wild bunch. I honestly don’t think you’ll be safe there.”

  “Chad seems nice enough to me,” I said. “He doesn’t seem all that rough and wild.”�
�

  Now Tommy folded his arms and asked, “And how long have you known him?”

  “We had lunch together.”

  Tommy laughed, “An hour. You’ve known him for a whole hour! I understand that just about every teen girl on the planet wants to go on a date with Chad Dumont. Girls, for some strange reason, are always attracted to the bad boys.”

  Glancing at my watch, I interrupted saying, “Look, I don’t have time for this. Thanks for your concern, Tommy.”I started to walk over to where Brooklyn and Mr. Winters were still talking.

  Tommy touched my arm and I stopped and turned to face him. He said, “Please think about what I said. I know what I’m talking about.”

  I gave him a weak smile and said, “I will.” I turned once again to walk away.

  “Michelle?”

  I turned back to Tommy and said, “Yes, Tommy?”

  “I uh… I just wanted to tell you how beautiful you are today.”

  I smiled at him and said, “Thank you, Tommy. You look pretty wonderful yourself.” He smiled and I turned to walk away.

  * * *

  I felt a little over dressed. I was wearing one of my “little black dresses”, hose and heels and I’d had my hair done that afternoon. Chad was wearing a pair of jeans, a t-shirt with an unbuttoned regular shirt over the t-shirt.

  He jumped out of his pimped-out Hummer and tossed the keys to the waiting parking valet at Julia’s apartment building. I waited a moment, but Chad didn’t come around the car to open my door for me. I opened the door and climbed down.

  At least he held the door open for me. We walked down the short hallway to the elevators. Chad punched the button for the twentieth and top, floor. I was excited. I was going to a big Hollywood party with the hottest rocker in the world. I wished Kayla could see me! I was wearing her necklace.

  The elevator door opened revealing another short hallway with only a few doors. I could only imagine how huge each apartment was judging by the size of the building. My guess was that only the top floor had this few apartments.

  Anyway, at the end of the hall stood a longhaired, bearded guy dressed in leather jacket, pants and large boots.

  Chad noticed my reaction and whispered in my ear as we approached, “Julia usually hires some biker gang dudes for security. She doesn’t want anyone crashing her parties. Don’t worry about it.”

  That immediately gave me an uneasy feeling. What was going on in these parties if she couldn’t hire a regular rent-a-cop?

  As we approached the biker guy, he and Chad did a high-five followed by a rather silly ritualistic handshake. The biker guy said, “Hey, Chad, mi hermano!”

  Chad said, “Barf! Yo, man, like how’s it hangin’?”

  “Barf” turned his eyes toward me, and I immediately wished I could shrink and disappear. I felt dirty after his eyes touched me. He turned to Chad and gave him two thumbs up and said, “I approve!”

  Another high-five and we entered the apartment.

  All my senses were instantly assaulted upon entering the room. There was loud, heavy metal music coming from speakers built into the ceiling. A grating mix of various incense mingled together in the air. The air was heavy with the smell of cigarettes and other odors I couldn’t identify.

  The crowd was large and noisy. There were a lot of sleazy looking people here ranging from punk rockers and metal heads, to a few celebrities that surprised me, down to what I later learned were porno stars, mostly male ones, all the way down to a Congressman.

  Chad surprised me first by pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. He offered the pack to me. I waved it away and said, “No thanks. I didn’t know you smoked.” I was immediately put off by it.

  Chad said, “Sure. Just about everybody I know in this town smokes. My publicist makes sure that not many pictures of me with a cig get published. Your Tommy-boy doesn’t smoke.” Speaking of which, I was beginning to think I should have taken his warning more seriously.

  “Chad!” called a female voice from our right. I looked and it was Julia. “Darling! How wonderful of you to come! And you brought Michelle! How... mmmm... delicious!” When her eyes scanned me from top to bottom I just wanted to scream and run. I tightened my grip on Chad’s arm.

  Julia continued by pointing across the room, “Everything you can think of to drink is right over there. And there are other... umm... party favors in the room next to the bathroom. Enjoy!”

  Chad tugged on my arm and said, “Let’s go get something to drink, babe.”

  Julia didn’t exaggerate. There was every kind of alcoholic beverage you could imagine there. There were also some bottles of cola, I guessed for mixed drinks.

  Chad started looking through the bottles and asked, “What’ll you have?”

  I said, “I’ll just have a Coke or something.”

  Chad frowned and said, “Come on, girl. Live a little. I was hoping that goody-two-shoes shit was just an act.”

  With a worried tone in my voice I said, “We shouldn’t be drinking this stuff! I mean, I’m only fourteen.”

  Chad frowned again and said, “Yes, I know. You’ve told me.” He waved his arm in an arc and continued, “Look around. Do you see any parents here? Any cops? That Congressman over there doesn’t count.”

  Chad put some ice in a glass, poured a bit of some kind of alcohol into it, and then poured some cola into the glass. He said, “Here, try this. I put more Coke than booze in it. Go ahead, drink it! Don’t worry about it!”

  I took a little sip and my God it was nasty! How do people drink this stuff? I decided I’d had enough of the party and I just wanted to go home.

  I coughed a couple of times, set the glass down and said, “Chad, thanks for inviting me, but this isn’t my kind of party. I brought money for cab fare. I think I’ll just go home now.”

  Chad furrowed his brow and said, “What? No pin the tail on the donkey? Listen, no girl runs out on me, babe! No one!” His tone softened a little as he said, “Michelle, please stay. You need to loosen up. Have some fun!”

  Julia came up from behind me and patted my butt and let her hand linger there. She said, “I just love your dress, girlfriend.”

  I turned to move closer to Chad so that her hand fell away and I nervously said, “Thanks. And that’s an interesting outfit you’re wearing.” I looked at Julia, really noticing her for the first time that evening. She was wearing a sleeveless see-through skintight top and no bra, clearly revealing her nipples along with really tight silvery pants that left a very distinct camel toe.

  She leaned in real close, her breath stank of alcohol and tobacco and God knows what else. She said, “I’m so glad you like it!” She gave me an odd look and a smirk and then walked away.

  To Chad I said, “She scares the hell out of me.”

  Chad laughed and said, “Don’t worry about it. That’s just the way she is! Here. This only has Coke in it.” He handed me another glass. I sniffed at it suspiciously. Chad laughed and said, “Oh, just drink it!”

  I tasted it, but couldn’t detect any alcohol, so I took a gulp. My throat was already intensely dry. The odors in the air made it hard to breathe.

  Chad tugged on my arm and said, “Come on. You need to meet some of the other guests.”

  I started to feel a little dizzy. At first, I thought maybe Chad had slipped me what Dad would have called a “Mickey Finn” but after a moment I was okay. I think the lack of oxygen in the room was the cause of the dizzy spell.

  Chad introduced me some of the other inmates at the party. I was shocked at some of the really big names there. These were the types that wreck their hotel rooms and force airliners to land so they can be kicked off. They just weren’t local bad boys either. There were a couple of British groups there, that new group from Germany and a Polish band that no one’s heard of. There was a wide range of actors there as well.

  Julia was passing by when Chad grabbed the glass from my hand. He said, “Could you get Michelle a re-fill? She’s just drinking
Coke.” Julia hesitated a second and Chad said, “Snark here is in the middle of a story...”

  Julia said, “Gotcha...”

  I said, “I’m fine. Really.”

  Julia just smiled and said, “No problem, Sweetness.” And she walked away.

  When Julia returned with my re-filled drink, my head was starting to pound. I needed some fresh air really bad. I took a sip of the drink and it seemed to have a slight after taste. I’m sure my sense of smell was pretty shot by then, so I didn’t really think of it.

  By the time I’d finished the glass, I was finding it difficult to stand. Chad saw me wavering around and said, “Michelle? Are you okay?”

  I put an arm around Chad as I teetered on my high heels, “I feel suddenly nauseous. I need to sit down.”

  Chad started to lead me over to a chair. I only made it as far as a nearby coffee table and I collapsed on it. I couldn’t focus my eyes.

  Sounding far away, I heard Chad say to Julia, “Did you put something in her drink?”

  Julia replied with, “Didn’t you want me to?”

  Chad said, “No, not really. At least not yet.”

  Julia laughed and said, “Look, I guarantee you that girl is cherry. Don’t you want to be the first one in?”

  The voices all sounded so far away, and I couldn’t bring myself to move a muscle.

  I heard Chad say, “I don’t know. This is statutory...”

  Julia said, “So? It’s not your first time, and she won’t remember anything.” She leaned in close to me and said, “I’m not even sure if she’s even aware of what’s going on.”

  “Mind if I borrow your bedroom?” Chad asked Julia.

  Before she could answer, Snark yelled out, “Do her here, man! Right here, man.” A chorus of whoops and hollers filled the room.

  Julia said, “If you don’t do her, I’m gonna do her!”

  Chad pulled off his shirt and said, “I don’t know. Look at her. She looks like a kid.” A chant started with the crowd saying in a rhythm, “Do her! Do her!...”

  Just as Chad dropped his pants, there was the sound of the apartment door slamming open. Everyone turned to look.