That Thing You Do! (Multiband Fan Fic)

Chapter 47 - Tour Life

Katie's P.O.V

We stood at stage left, Hell Hounds waiting for their cue. The other guys in the band were all great, but you could sense some tension. This was their second tour and according to Alec... He and Joey were the only founding members left... Yikes.

Dylan stood between me and Alec. We were talking about all our favourite bands. Alec is obsessed with Aerosmith, and he's unashamed of it. I wasn't going to tell him, of course.
"Man, me and Samantha love them! Samantha's my girlfriend, by the way! She got me into them, back in high school. We're the high school sweethearts... We used to dream of getting tickets for all their shows, until her accident..." Alec's smile faltered.
"Accident?" I asked, looking at him.
"What happened, man?" Dylan asked, putting a supportive hand on Alec's shoulder.
"A car crash... She's been in a wheelchair, since she was nineteen." Alec frowned. "She can't come out and see me on the road, 'cause it's that bad, but she doesn't want me to be worrying about her..."
"Damn. Sorry, man." Dylan frowned.
"At least you can call each other, right?" I asked.
"Yeah, but sometimes I just want to see her, y'know?" Alec shuffled his feet.
Dylan and I nodded. We were starting to know that feeling. We've not even done our first show yet...

"AC/DC!" The crowd started chanting.
"Guys! You're on!" A guy call out to the hounds.
"Good luck, man!" I nodded at Alec.
"And you guys." Alec smiled at us.
Dylan pet his shoulder and the guys ran out onto the stage.

"Dylan, Stevie! You two are going out from stage right. Get round there by the last song. Todd, Eddie, miss Monroe, stick on stage left!" Gov instructed us.
We all nodded.
"I'm gonna walk round now, see what's happening with my guitars." Dylan told me.
I nodded and we split.
I got a glimpse of the crowd and my nerves started to hit.
I whimpered, but it went unnoticed, seeing all the school parents again.

I took a couple of steps back, before I ran to the dressing room. I grabbed my phone, which was charging on the table top and called Joe.
"Katie?" He asked, sounding tired. He was three hours ahead of us...
"I can't do it, Joe... Too many people." I shut the dressing room door and climbed over the couch, hiding behind it.
"Hey, hey, hey! Listen to me... Katie, I would love to be there, cheering you on, like you do for me. I know you can do this. You love playing the guitar. I know, as soon as you walk onto that stage, your dad will be right there with you. It's rock and roll... It's all you know. It's all you talk about. It's what you are. All those people are there to see you. If they weren't, they'd show up when AC/DC are due on stage... They've heard about you, they own your record. Katie, you're their next favourite band. Tonight is a milestone. You're no longer that little kid, yelling 'rock and roll', jumping about listening to music. You're Monroe. You're who you've been destined to be your whole life, as much as I hate to say it." Joe smiled.
"You think?" I asked him, wiping a tear away.
"I know." Joe wasn't into all the cliché shit, but he always knew just what to say. "We're all there with you tonight. You're about to inspire so many new faces, they'll be talking about you for weeks. You'll be the poster above their bed, the first album they chose for their road trips, the inspiration behind there odd coloured converse, bowlers hats, all those arm warmers... Monroe, this is what you've been waiting for. I'm so proud of you."
I sniffed. "I love you, dad." I never call him dad.
"I love you." He told me. "We all do. Now, go and do that thing you do... Rock and Roll."

I nodded, wiping my eyes.
"Monroe..." The gov came into the dressing room.
I peek around the couch, letting him see me. "Rock and Roll." I hung up on Joe and got up.
I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath.
"It's OK..." Gov nodded at me.
I nodded at him and looked in the mirror, on my right. I'll always be that music dork, with only two friends, just like Joe will always be that old rocker dude I live with...
"I'm ready..." I nodded.
"You're on in two minutes..." Gov told me.
I took a deep breath and put my phone back on charge.

"Good luck, Katie! I'm thinking about you tonight." I saw a text from Kirk.

I smiled and followed the Gov to the stage.
"Ready on three!" A guy called, running from our left to our right.
"You ready, man?!" I heard Alec called to Eddie.
Gov led me to stage left, where Todd was stretching out, and Eddie was with his bass.
"Put these in your ears, they'll protect you, also helping you to hear yourself play. If you fuck up, just have fun..." Gov took some ear pieces, helping me get them on.
"One minute for Janie's Gun!" A guy called out.
"Dude, I saw a chick wearing your t-shirt!" Joey smiled to me, walking passed me.
"No way..." I whispered, looking to the gov.
He smiled, with a shrug.

"Good luck, kids!" Brian called out to us.
Eddie and Todd waved to him, as I grabbed Kirk's guitar.
Red bowler hat? Check.
Purple tank top? Check.
Key necklace? Check.
Red and black striped arm warmers? Check.
White skinny jeans? Check.
Left shoe green? Check.
Right shoe purple? Check.
Hair a messy, neat, mess? Check.

I took a deep breath.
"GO!" Gov clapped his hands.
"You got this, man!" Alec called out to us.
Eddie smiled at me and walked out onto the stage.
Stevie ran up to his kit, holding his sticks up high.
Dylan ran to the front of the stage and took a bow, taking to his place.
I walked out and felt like I was flying.
Todd ran out behind me, taking centre stage, smiling and bowing to the crowd, who actually roared and cheered.
I marched upstage and stood up on a step, looking out into the crowd. I held up a hand and with everything I had in me, feeling my dad out there, feeling Joe and Billie besides me, feeling the love from my friends, Kirk and Vikki, I shouted out...

"Rock and Roll!"