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What followed was a blast, just five guys jamming with one another. Forget the crowd, forget the heat, forget everything but the music. With any luck, and a whole lot of dedication, Blaze might be onstage at a festival much like this one some day. Tripp hoped he would never lose himself to the other things that came with fame or give in to the pressure to self-destruct.
All too soon the moment was over. Winter and Dez lowered Blaze from the stage, only into the VIP section where the kid wouldn’t have to worry about keeping the guitar safe. After that, everything sort of faded back into the loud flow of raging guitar playing and screaming fans.
What they’d done had rendered them ineligible to win the shred-off, not that it mattered to any of them. They left the stage with several of the others while the winner stayed behind to play for the crowd.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” Zakk said when Tripp finally reached his side.
“Well hello to you to.”
“You’ll receive a far friendlier welcome once I’ve got something in my stomach. You guys were amazing up there, by the way. Pretty sure you just gave the people a moment they’ll never forget.”
“True, and I know we gave Blaze one. That kid is good. It seriously wouldn’t surprise me to see him making waves sooner rather than later.”
“Well in order for us to be there to see it, we’ve got to get some food in us before we die of starvation.”
“Again with the theatrics.”
“I was thinking more along the line of dramatics, but either way, come on.”
Zakk dragged him in the direction of the food tents, all the scents so mingled together it was impossible to tell them apart. Steak on a stick, fried calamari, corn dogs, chilli-dogs, holy fuck, how many things could you do to a hot dog. It was mind blowing, and yet, Zakk didn’t waver. He pulled them into the line for gyros, which seemed like the longest line in the whole damned food lot.
“You must not bethathungry,” Tripp groaned. “We’re gonna be in this line forever. Why not the sliders truck in the corner, hardly anyone is over there.”
Zakk glanced over and shook his head. “That’s cause they ran outta everything but chicken hours ago.”
“How on earth do you know that?”
“Hey, I had to have something to do while you guys were rehearsing.”
“So you scoped out the food trucks?”
“Maybe. Or maybe I just listened to the gossip going around while I checked out other things.”
“Sounds pretty mysterious.”
“Mystery keeps things spicy.”
“Ohh, so there is something you’re hiding from me.”
“I wouldn’t say hiding.”
“Then what will you say?”
“That we’re going to enjoy a wonderful meal together, then head back over to the RVs to see what our bandmates are up to.”
“Shenanigans I tell ya. All the shenanigans imaginable.”
“That’s kind of an old word, isn’t it.”
“Maybe, but it fits, especially when I have it on good authority that Winter and Kane took a trek into town this morning, something about the ultimate five on five.”
“Awe fuck. That doesn’t sound good.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Tripp said. “Do you have any idea of what happened the last time those two got it in their heads to create a brand new sport?”
“Not one damned clue.”
“Well then I’ll tell you. It was summer, we’d rented a house on the secluded side of a lake. We’d no sooner unpacked then Winter and Kane went into town to get ‘supplies.’ Honestly, I thought that meant food, toilet paper, snacks, the usual shit, but no, these guys come back with five large floating rubber ducks.”
