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“Literally everything she owns looks like that, just go with it,” Wade reassures him.
“You don’t have…”
“No!” I interrupt Adam irritably.
“You don’t even know what I was going to say,” he pouts as I grab my leather jacket and follow them out the door.
WE BYPASS THE velvet rope where dozens of pissed-off patrons wait to enter. The building is three stories, brick with neon signs and no windows. I look at the curb, remembering my less than a stellar moment at a different club not too long ago, and I want to turn around and go home but Wade grabs my elbow.
“Come on, it’ll be fun.” He nods for me to come inside with him, and reluctantly, I follow. We walk through the crowd and pass by the cushioned booths and wooden tables that line the outer edge of the dance floor. At the center is a riser where the house band is thrashing guitars and swinging hair. The crowd seems to enjoy them.
Wade orders us a drink from the bar. Instinctively I scan the area, my heart beating fast in tune to the heavy progression of the drums. I don’t know if it’s because I’m afraid of running into Jack or hoping maybe I do. “He’s not here,” Wade says in my ear so I can hear him over the music.
“How do you know?” I roll my eyes, annoyed that he knows me so well.
“Because he went on tour,” Wade replies as he grabs my hand and leads me to the table where he sits next to Adam.
“With what?” I ask surprised, knowing he just signed with Bret and hasn’t recorded a solo album yet.
Wade pins me with a look and I turn away, seething. We all signed the dissolution of the band paperwork, and that included giving Jack rights to perform Mogo songs. All of us still get royalties from the sales, but since he’s the one moving on with a career, if he wants to perform our songs, he can.
I down my drink, not even registering what Wade ordered for me and signal to the waitress to get me another.
“Did you just slam that?” Adam asks, taking a sip of his drink.
I narrow my eyes at him and grab my second drink the waitress sets on the table.
“Savage,” Adam jokes.
“I wouldn’t have brought you out if I knew there was a possibility of running into him,” Wade explains, ignoring Adam.
“I can take care of myself.” I turn away from him and scan the club again. When I first got to L.A. we frequented these clubs often, just trying to understand the business and get a slot to play. I look at the stage and remember how we would race to the back of the club after a show, just to see how the audience felt.
It may have been complicated between all of us, but we had each other. I look over at Wade and Adam who are leaning close together, trying to have a conversation over the music. Adam lays his hand on Wade’s knee and laughs. I’m glad to have them but it feels incomplete, and I don’t know if it ever will feel normal.
“We’ll be right back,” Adam leans in to tell me.
“You’re not going to have sex in the bathroom are you?” I joke.
“Ew, no, we’re not animals.” Adam scrunches up his nose in disgust.
Wade looks at me apologetically.
“Go, I’ll be fine. I don’t need a babysitter.” I shoo him away but notice they’ve stopped like deer caught in headlights. When I look at their line of sight, coming through the crowd is Keelin, Rob, and the rest of the band Ruin. I lock eyes with Keelin, and any chance of discreetly ducking out is now out of the question. I haven’t spoken to him since I walked out of the club that night after I performed on stage with Rob. I know Keelin was pissed and probably hurt that I abruptly left without so much as a wave goodbye, but what did he expect from me?
I can tell as they get closer that I’m not the issue here, Adam is. He didn’t exactly leave the band amicably, and I don’t think he’s spoken to them since. As they square up to each other, I’m struck by a thought that makes me chuckle, and after finishing my second drink, I don’t seem to have a filter anymore.
“Is this what it was like when Sammy Hagar met David Lee Roth?” I can’t help but laugh. Wade kicks me as both Adam and Keelin glare at me.
“What?” I shrug.
“Adam’s David Lee Roth, right?” Wade asks, confused.
I give him a ‘don’t be stupid’ look. “Obviously.”
“What are you guys doing here?” Adam dismisses us.
“We’re playing here tonight,” Keelin answers cockily.
