The Player
Chapter 3 - Fangirls
It was months since the band had played the Moby Duck. It was here that Michelle had invited Kayla, on the night where everything went wrong. Or right, depending on your point of view. It was also here that the band debuted Jon's song, which was the first new piece that she'd been excited about, and which helped bring her back from the point of abandoning the band.
The Duck was the biggest, most popular venue in the area, and Michelle's favorite place to perform. The only show likely to be more significant to the band this year was their Saturday slot at the three day open air rock festival coming up next month. Last year they'd had a Friday slot, and in spite of Michelle's low enthusiasm it was a success. Saturday was a much bigger deal.
Michelle was completely focused on the show, and the fans responded. She wasn't the band's best musician. That was Sydney, without question. And though Jon venturing into writing was fairly new, she thought he might soon be penning their best songs. But it was Michelle who was the face of the band. Sydney's solos were hugely popular, but most fans were there to listen to Michelle screaming, and, frankly, to ogle her while doing so. That was shallow and sexist but popular, and the reason Michelle had such a steadfast following of groupies. Probably every one of them would be present at the Duck, and after tonight's show they'd be fired up.
Michelle had already arranged for Jon to take her bass. Since it was the Duck, there was a crew to dismantle the equipment, so all Michelle needed to do was take her instrument to Jon's SUV and she was done.
She had half expected Rose to show up. They'd only spent one night together since the conversation at the Level Grind and the ensuing steamy afternoon, but it had been as energetically satisfying as the earlier times.
What she hadn't expected was for Rose to appear with an arm around each of two young women. One of whom was the dark-haired girl she'd taken home before. She raised her eyebrows.
"Hey, Michelle," Rose said. "This is Brianna." She inclined her head toward the girl under her left arm. "And Cassandra here says you know her." She indicated the girl on her right.
"Sandy! Hey!" Michelle felt relief as the name finally came clear. She was beginning to suspect that she hadn't learned the girl's name at all. While their night together hadn't been legendary, it had been better than pleasant, and it had been important to Michelle's confidence in her recovering libido. Sandy deserved better than to have been a nameless fucktoy.
She smiled at Brianna and greeted her warmly, masking a touch of nervousness. Was she even eighteen? With high, prominent breasts in a willowy frame she seemed too young to allow into the bar. "You two know each other?"
"We're at school together," Brianna said, blushing furiously. "First year," she added, apparently aware of her young appearance and wanting to assure Michelle that she wasn't a high schooler. That was a relief. "I'm a, umm, a big fan. Sandy offered to, umm, introduce me, if she could... But I didn't know you, uh," she glanced between Michelle and Rose, her face flushing more deeply by the moment, "were with... uh... had.... some... someone here."
"It's okay," said Rose. "We're friends. You're not in the way. I can see Michelle any time, right?" she said, glancing at Michelle.
"Right," agreed Michelle, not sure what her friend had in mind.
"But listen," said Rose. "There's two of us and two of you. Or," she glanced between Brianna and Michelle. "Two of
you
, and two of us," tilting her head toward Sandy. "Why don't we all head to my place and get to know each other."
Sandy looked at Rose with interest. "Brianna was going to drive me home, unless..." she glanced between her friend and Michelle. "Unless she wasn't going home, and I'd take her car."
"She can still do that," Rose said. "Whenever you're ready."
Michelle saw Sandy's eyes flick over the girl on her left. "It would be nice for Bri," she said. "She really is a big fan." She looked at Michelle, then grinned. "Almost as much as I am. She was so excited when I told her you might talk to her."
"That's settled then," Rose said. She released Sandy, but kept her left arm around Brianna. In case she bolted, perhaps. The poor girl's face was crimson, and she looked like she wanted to dig a hole in the floor and hide in it. "Give me your number," Rose continued. "I'll text you my address and Michelle and I will meet you both there."
~~~~~
"This is not how I expected the evening to go," Michelle said as they drove away. "Did you really just set up a foursome with a pair of teenagers?"
"My bed's a California king," Rose said. "Room for four, if we're friendly. I think we're going to be
very
friendly. And Sandy's nineteen, and you already slept with her. Don't act like she's too young for you."
"And her friend?"
"Eighteen," Rose admitted. "Not far from nineteen, and she knows her own mind, even if she's a little starstruck."
"A little?" said Michelle. "She can barely put two words together."
"If she'd come to you as they'd intended, would you have taken her home?"
"If you hadn't been there, and no one else had caught my eye earlier..." She shrugged, but gave her friend a rueful smile. "Yeah, I guess I would. Though I was hoping to take you home, if you showed up."
"So you get the best of both worlds," said Rose, turning to flash her a smile. "But you know I'm perfectly okay with you choosing a fan over me."
"I know," Michelle said. "That's the only way this works, isn't it? Do you think they'll show?"
She saw Rose nod out of the corner of her eye. "I'd give it a seventy percent chance that they will, but if they don't you'll be stuck with me. Can you live with that?"
Michelle grinned. "Fuck, yeah. And even if they do show up, I'm not planning to leave when they do."
"Works for me," said Rose.
~~~~~
They waited outside Rose's house. It was a full five minutes before a dingy blue Toyota pulled up. Since the drive wasn't long, the delay must have meant that their guests had been debating their options.
Rose scooped up Sandy from the passenger side, putting a friendly arm around her back to guide her to the front door, while Michelle picked up the very nervous driver and walked beside her.
Inside, Rose offered coffee and beer. Brianna asked for a soft drink while everyone else chose beer. Rose distributed the beer, but instead of giving Sandy her drink, she set it on the table beside the armchair, then dropped into the chair, dragging Sandy down into her lap before taking the can and handing it to her, the girl still giggling.
Jesus
, thought Michelle,
just how young are these girls?
Taking Brianna's elbow, she steered her to the couch. When the girl sat, she took her place beside her and draped her arm over her shoulders. Brianna shivered, the interaction of her friend with Rose seeming to make her more nervous.
Sandy was wearing a loose crop top that exposed several inches of skin. The fingers of both of Rose's hands spread around her waist, holding her in place, except where she released her to take a sip of her beer.
"So," Brianna said, "I think you, uh, you have a great voice."
"Thanks," Michelle said. ""You like to hear me scream?"
"
I
like to hear you scream,"" piped up Rose.
Sandy seemed to think that was the funniest thing she'd ever heard, collapsing into Rose, almost spilling her beer when Rose nipped at her ear.
"Sandy screams nicely, too," Michelle said.
"I can't believe you said that!" said Sandy, but she seemed anything but upset, her face coloring slightly. Rose murmured something directly into the girl's ear, and her eyes went wide, then she twisted in Rose's lap and whispered something back to her. Every time she turned the hem of her crop top seemed to ride higher. When she turned to face forward, Rose nipped at her ear again, bringing another round of giggles.
Michelle leaned close to Brianna, who shivered when Michelle's breath touched her ear. "I think she's on a post-concert high."
Brianna grinned, her nervousness seeming to lessen. "So am I," she admitted.
Rose nibbled Sandy's neck, causing the girl to squirm in her lap. Then she whispered into her ear, getting a nod in return. They both stood, Sandy sliding to the floor.
"I'm going to show Sandy around the house," she said, taking her hand. "You know where to find me. Join us when you can."
"Around the house" meant only a single room, of course. Rose's bedroom, the room with which Michelle herself was the most familiar. Rose left her door halfway open, not closing off Michelle's participation.
