Rock 'N' Roll Singer

𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡

6 December 1978
For a dinky little rock band such as ourselves, we were moving up in the world.

One of Beverly's friends had a huge bash for their 16th birthday, and Beverly begged us to play. It was our first time in uptown Sydney, meaning that we would be setting foot in posh territory. We wore our finest casualwear to celebrate this new venture. Jack even chose the jeans with the hole exposing his right knee. I decided to break out a mini skirt, though that was for my after-show plans rather than the show itself. We would've donned our formal wear, but the boys' suits were rented from a shop and promptly returned the day after the Lydon show.

The banquet hall could've housed a family of giants. I lost track of all the pink balloons and streamers lining the ceiling. A disco ball drenched the low-lit room in obnoxious shades of pink and purple. To top it all off, a mountain of presents rested on a table in the corner. Any of us would've killed to have a birthday party that cool.

Beverly seemed relieved that her friend liked the show, almost as though their friendship teetered on whether or not we were considered cool enough. Personally, the girl seemed a bit prissy but nice enough to thank us for coming. And the pay was pretty nice as well, which made it all worth it.

While the girl made a show of cutting an enormous cake, I pulled Beverly aside.

"I've got a little present for you, Bev."

She looked up with a curious, pink sparkle in her eye.

Beverly made a point of coming to any show she could, even if rumours pointed to her skipping a class to do so. She was certainly our biggest fan at the Ruby Room to be sure, and we hadn't even released our single yet. Even before we got the recording deal.

"You seem to be the #1 fangirl among the crowds. You ever been part of a fan club before?"

She nodded.

"How'd you like to be President of ours?" I asked nervously. The excitement that had flowed through my veins suddenly disappeared. Maybe she'd say no—in the 0.00000001% chance that would happen.

"Oh my God, yes!" She latched herself onto me.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone get so excited before." I chuckled.

"I just like you is all. When I like something, I go all in," she beamed. "Plus, it's cool to see the girls giving the boys a run for their money on the stage."

I still haven't been convinced that she didn't have one of the members tied up in her closet to prove me wrong. I can't say that she reminded me of myself at her age because I was her age four years ago, and I'm sure that I haven't changed much.

"Well, get ready to get even crazier because we've got a record." I smiled proudly, truly realising what he had done for the first time since the recording session.

"Really? That's amazing, guys!" She pulled all of us in for a celebratory hug. "When can I hear it?"

"We don't know," Joey chimed in. "We were told sometime just before Christmas."

"Imagine not being able to criticise yourself on vinyl," George jested.

Oh, God, I was going to be neurotic listening to it. I'm sure my mind will play tricks on me, leading me to believe that I was off when I wasn't.