“Hey, the guys and I are going to go check out this cool little club. You in?” he asked. Silver paused for a second and decided that dancing would be better than raiding the mini bar in her room and watching black and white reruns all night.
“Yeah, that sounds great actually. I just need to swing by room first, but I’ll only be a couple of minutes.” She replied.
“Oh, me too. I figured I ought to shower off first. We can meet in the lobby and ride together if you want to.” He offered.
“Ok, sure. That sounds good.” She replied.
“See you in a bit.” He chirped. She hung up just as the car pulled up to the curb of her hotel. The driver stepped out and opened her door, and she stepped out onto the concrete. The doorman tipped his hat as he opened the door to the posh hotel. The lobby was polished dark wood with heavy plush rugs scattered under tables and overstuffed chairs. She walked across the lobby to the elevator and pushed the up button. The elevator dinged pleasantly as it descended to the lobby. The mirrored doors opened to the paneled black and white interior of the elevator. The operator bristled when he saw Silver, no doubt taking in her tattoos and obvious disregard for socially accepted clothing.
“May I see your room key please?” he held out his hand expectantly. Silver fished through her bag and dragged her wallet out of its depths. She flipped it open and pulled out the plastic card that was her room ‘key’, and handed it over to the operator. The smug look on his face was replaced by obvious shock when he saw that the room key she handed he was legitimate. When she stepped into the elevator her sneakers sank into the overly plush carpeting. The operator pushed the button for the fourteenth floor, and didn’t dare look at her all the way there. She was used to people being disturbed or disapproving of her appearance, so the operator’s reaction didn’t offend her. When the elevator stopped at her floor she rushed out of the half opened elevator doors and sprinted to her room and didn’t stop until she was standing in front of her dresser. She pulled her beloved pair of ratty jeans and an old concert t-shirt out of her suitcase that was sitting on top of the dresser. She never bothered to unpack since they never stayed in one place for more than two or three days before they got back on the tour bus to go to the next venue. She looked in the mirror and re-fluffed her hair into its messy style and smudged more liner around her eyes. She snagged her ID and her platinum card out of her wallet and bolted out the door and down the stairs to avoid the operator. She saw Jason waiting by the door chatting with a girl who eagerly held out a pen and paper for him to sign. When she walked up, the girl Jason had been talking with looked like she was about to burst with excitement at the prospect of running into not one but two of the members of Silver Tears.
“OMG, can I have your autograph?” the girl asked eagerly. She passed the slip of paper and the pen over to Silver.
“Turn around Jason.” She said. He arched a pierced eyebrow at her request.
“What do you say?” he asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
“Oh I’m sorry, maybe I should rephrase that request. Would ‘Jason, turn around so I can sign this autograph, or I will be forced to permanently scar this girl by killing you right in front of her’ work for you?” Silver said in a cloyingly sweet voice. The girl’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates at Silver’s comment, but Jason simply laughed and turned around. Silver signed the paper and handed it back to the dumb struck girl.
“Umm, thanks.” The girl muttered as she walked away.
“Ready to go?” Jason asked as he threw an arm around Silver’s shoulder.
“Yea, I guess so.” She said, and with that they walked through the glass doors and out to the sleek black convertible that Jason had requested. He vaulted over the car door and slid behind the wheel of the car in true Jason fashion. Silver opened the passenger side door and eased into her seat. Jason fiddled with the stereo system and tuned into the local alternative station and turned the volume up full blast. The car roared away from the curb and out to the freeway.
“Where’s the club?” she yelled over the music.
“It’s about twenty minutes away. Ayden said he heard about it from some local girl he met at the concert. She said it’s pretty exclusive but she’s got connections to get us in. Apparently her dad owns the place or something.” He yelled back. Silver leaned back in the seat and turned her attention to the cars zipping past them on the busy freeway. She straightened up as they approached their exit ramp. She flipped the flipped the visor down and checked her makeup and hair in the mirror. The windblown look works…I guess, she thought as she flipped the visor back up. Jason parked the car in front of the club and vaulted over the door again. Silver rolled her eyes as he tossed the keys to the valet.
“Very smooth Jas. You’re so Hollywood.” She said. He gave her his best goofy grin and opened the car door for. She stepped out on the concrete and glanced over at the line of waiting club patrons. Jason followed her gaze and winked at the group of girls wearing shirts with Silver Tears Tour 2011 painted on the front. They shrieked in excitement and bounced up and down in line like eager puppies. Jason threw his arm over Silver’s shoulder and guided her over to the door, much to the dismay of the squealing girls in line. The burly, heavily pierced and tattooed bouncer pulled the black rope aside and let them pass. Bass heavy rave music pounded out of the door, making Silver’s teeth rattle. She rushed for the dance floor dragging Jason along with her.
“Dance with me.” She yelled over the music pounding out of the speakers. She pulled him further into the crowd to an unclaimed dance spot. Jason threw his arms around her waist and she let her arms snake up around his neck. They danced through several songs, and then broke to catch up with the rest of the band.
“He said they’d be in the VIP area.” He exclaimed over the music. He walked over to the black and purple marbled bar and grabbed two drinks from the smiling barmaid, as he slipped her a couple of bills. He cracked the caps off the bottles on the edge of the bar and handed one to Silver. She took a long swig out of her bottle, grimacing when the bitter drink hit her tongue. Jason chuckled at her reaction, taking the beer out of her hand.
“Something fruity, perhaps?” he asked jovially. She glared at him and snatched the bottle back out of his hand, taking a defiant gulp of the vile liquid.
“When have I ever done any kind of fruity drink?” she demanded. He nodded, raising his bottle in surrender. She raised her bottle slightly, nodding to him and then proceeded to drain the remainder of her drink.
“D***, going hard core tonight?” he inquired, while she ordered a round for the VIP lounge.
“Yeah, that’s the plan. Sweetie, we’re rockstars. Getting smashed is practically expected of us” She reassured. “And this is hardly hard core.” She handed the waitress a hundred dollar bill and turned to head to the VIP section. Jason quickly drained the remainder of his drink and slammed it on the bar. They linked arms and pushed through the crush of dancers and club patrons, towards the lounge. The lounge was on an elevated platform, roped off by another thick velvet rope and two burly bouncers. One of the men pulled the rope aside and let Silver and Jason through. A thick wooden half wall barred the patrons from the loungers, but it also served as a fully stocked bar. Gilded bead curtains hung from the ceiling to the edges of the bar that served as the fence between the crowd and those in the lounge. The spacious room was lined with sleek black leather couches with burgundy silk pillows. The wide space in the center of the room was filled with dancers, swaying in a club dazed stupor. Jason grabbed Silver by the elbow and guided her further into the darkened room. They pushed through the crowd towards the back of the lounge to a sitting area where a waitress in a short skirt offered shots of some iridescent pink liquid filling the glasses to the brim. The waitress offered Silver a drink on the tray, which she waved off. The waitress flipped her pink hair over her shoulder and sauntered away, much to the disappointment of the males in that area. Jason chased after the tray holding the drinks that Silver had ordered at the bar, leaving her standing alone in the middle of the room. She pushed towards a cushy looking couch on the far wall, relieved that it was relatively uninhabited except for the couple at the other end of the couch. She rejoined the crush of dancers on the floor, where she found Adriane dancing with a girl wearing a Silver Tears tour tank top that she had cut into barely covering shreds.
“May I cut in?” Silver inquired pleasantly. The girl rolled her eyes. She placed one manicured hand squarely on Silver’s shoulder and shoved her back roughly. She stumbled back a bit from the blow, but then delivered a solid punch into the girl’s jaw knocking her on her back.
“We can’t take you out anywhere can we, Sil?” Adriane chuckled.
“But she was provoking me. She pushed me.” She said innocently, batting her eyelashes. The stunned girl still sat on the floor looking up at them. Adriane took one look at the girl on the floor and laughed under his breath. He turned to Silver and extended his hand, bowing slightly at the waist.
“Shall we?” he asked. She took his hand and pulled him away from the felled girl to a new place on the dance floor. She turned her back to him as he slid his arms around her waist. They danced for several songs before another guy cut in and began dancing with her. He spun her around the floor to a couch in the corner. He tried to pull her into an embrace, which she resisted even as intoxicated as she was.
“Dude, leave me alone.” She exclaimed as he attempted to kiss her. He only tightened his embrace. She pushed and shoved against his chest to no avail. Before she even knew what had happened, the restraining embrace disappeared and was replaced by a protective hold. Her vision blurred for a moment, but then she realized that her attacker was layed out on the floor in front of her. She turned to see who had sent the man sprawling on the floor, only to realize it was Ayden. A look of sheer fury contorted his face in a terrifying mask.
“Are you ok?” he asked breathlessly. He looked at the passed out man on the floor and a look of worry passed over his face, replacing the fury.
“I’m better.” She slurred, wobbling a little. Suddenly, the lights in the club seemed too bright and way too close. Her knees gave, but Ayden caught her before she fell.
“You’re so hammered. We need to get you back.” He murmured.
“I’m fine.” She muttered, slapping weakly against his chest. He slid a supportive arm around her waist and steered her to the door. The valet brought his sleek, red Camaro around to the front of the club and handed him the keys. He gently helped Silver into the passenger seat. She slumped in her seat as he closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side. The engine snarled when he pushed the start ignition. The car pulled away from the curb soundlessly and they sped away from the club front to the freeway.
“Did I do something wrong?” she questioned. She rolled her head to the side to look at him. He took her hand and massaged the top of her hand with his thumb. He continued to stare at the road in front of them, refusing to answer her question.
“Where’s that blonde chick you were with?” she asked lazily. His brow furrowed for a moment but then a look of guilt shadowed his features.
“Oh, her.” He mumbled. Now Silver was slightly irritated.
“Yes, her. What’s going on there?” she demanded.
“Nothing, I swear. Trust me Sil, there’s nothing going on there.” His words rushed out in a torrent almost impossible for her impaired brain to process. He pulled off the freeway onto an almost deserted inner city street that was a straightaway to the hotel. He parked right in front of the imposing hotel. He opened his door quietly and walked around to her side of the car to open her door. He eased her out of the car and helped her to her feet. Together they walked into the hotel, crossing the almost deserted lobby to the elevator.
“I don’t want to use the elevator.” She whined.
“Why? You’re not exactly in a good enough to condition to be able to walk up the stairs.” He said.
“The elevator dude was mean to me.” She stated. He chuckled and pushed the button to summon the elevator. She slumped in his arm in defeat. The elevator dinged brightly as it descended back down to the lobby. The shiny doors parted and the elevator operator stood at the ready. When he saw Silver he harrumphed disdainfully.
“You’re not allowed to bring guests back to your room miss. This,” he looked over at Ayden in all of his pierced and tattooed glory, “person will have to leave.” He said in a voice filled with condescension. Ayden reached into his pocket and produced a room key, holding it out for the man to inspect. Once again, the smug look on the man’s face was replaced with utter shock. Ayden simply grinned and grabbed his room key out of the man’s hand. They pushed past the operator to the back of the elevator where the stiff looking settee was located. He gently let Silver down on the seat and turned back to the elevator door. Slowly they rose to their floor. When the elevator finally stopped, Ayden reached down and gently scooped her up into his arms and carried her out into the hallway and down the corridor to her room. She reached into her pocket and produced a room card, which she handed to him. He slid the card in the door and waited patiently for the door to click. The door swung open and he stepped inside carefully, minding her head. He carried her into the den area and laid her down on the couch. She gladly accepted the Advil and the bottle of water he brought her, gulping them down in a rush. She watched as he turned for the door and suddenly, she didn’t want to be alone.
“Please don’t leave.” She pleaded. He stopped mid-stride and turned back to look at her.
“Please? Please stay Ayden. I don’t want to be alone right now.” She begged. He nodded and walked back to where she was sitting. He crouched down in front of her and brushed a stray hair out of her eyes.
“Ok then, I’ll stay.” He agreed. He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead before walking back into the small kitchen. She heard the refrigerator door open and the hiss of an opening coke can. He came back into the room with a coke can in hand. He sat it on the glass and steel coffee table that divided the room nearly in half. She watched intently as dew began to form on the can.
“How are you feeling?” he asked in a concerned voice. She looked up from the coke at him. His eyes were filled with worry.
“I’m ok. I’ve had my share of creeps, so I’ll be ok.” She reassured. He relaxed a little and leaned back in his chair. She looked at the ceiling for a bit, drifting off as Ayden played his guitar quietly. His music sounded so pained and hurt. But that’s the way it’s always been for us she thought. At least we made it out together…don’t know if I could’ve without him.