The Girl In The Dirty Shirt

Chapter 59

We got to LA the afternoon of their day off; we had built quite the little entourage on this leg of the tour. We got to the hotel and dumped our stuff and somewhere along the line the boys had discovered a new drug to try; crystal meth.
I managed to avoid the peer pressure of trying it also, making up some bullshit excuse. The entire band, save for Noel, was higher than fucking kites right into the next afternoon.

I overheard Noel talking to Marcus the afternoon of the gig; apparently the record company had dropped $50,000 on a party on the rooftop of the hotel and they were the guests of honour.

“Are they fucking mental?” Noel asked Marcus as I walked up behind him “We haven’t even put a record out and they’re treating us like fucking Bon Jovi or something”

Marcus looked at a loss for words, the last thing you wanted to do was bad mouth the record company, both he and Noel knew that, but Noel was starting to feel the pressure of making it in the States, he was determined to prove them wrong about Oasis and Liam going off on the guy from the record company when we were in New York a few months ago didn’t really help things too much, so this gig was a huge deal and they blew it.

I stood in the audience next to Marcus and watched as they fell apart. The whole band, again, save for Noel, were so high they couldn’t function enough to play properly which pissed Noel off more and more as the gig went on. Liam kept disappearing and reappearing, I’d bet my life savings he was snorting a new line every time he vanished.

The angrier Noel got onstage the more livid Marcus became standing next to me. I kept my thoughts to myself, just watching them up on stage.

Noel noticed Liam duck behind one of the amps and immediately turned and yelled at him; my mouth fell open in shock when Liam promptly hit Noel in the head with his tambourine. I closed my eyes and covered my face, I heard Marcus swear and I bit my lip this was going to be so bad.

Immediately after they walked off Marcus flew back to the dressing room. I followed, but kept my distance.
I stopped dead when I saw the rest of the band sitting outside the door, with a bunch of the employees from Epic Records; Marcus was on the other side of the door tearing Noel and Liam up one side and down the other.
I walked over to where Maggie stood against the wall gripping her clipboard.
I stood next to her and we waited, and waited and waited.

After about half an hour, Maggie and I went and found a small table to sit at and worked through more dates.

"I really should get you put on the payroll" she laughed looking up from her clipboard "This is a lot faster with two of us"

We heard a door bang against the wall it had been half an hour since we sat down; Noel came storming around the corner, he came over to the table and slammed both hands down on top.

"How much money 'ave y'got?" He asked looking at Maggie

She frowned "About eight hundred, why?"

"I need it"

"How much?" She asked

"All of it"

"All of it?" She repeated

"For what?" I asked, even if he planned on going back home it didn't cost eight hundred dollars

"It's not really any of your business is it?" He snapped at me

"No," Maggie agreed "But it is mine"

"Tell them I set it on fire" he snapped at her taking the money out of her hand before he left.

Maggie and I just stared at each other. We both knew how they all got on tour, Noel just needed to blow off steam.
I stood up from the table and sighed