Might As Well Be On Mars // Motley Crue

What's It Gonna Take

When Nikki came over on Monday, Mick felt that their relationship had changed. He wasn't sure why, but he definitely had a new soft spot for Nikki. Maybe it was because he recognized a bit of himself in Nikki; his days as a young man living in poverty in California, trying to make it in the world of music. The only reason Mick had never gotten to the point of alcoholism and filth that Nikki did was because he had help from his parents, and because Mick didn't want his daughter to get taken away when the school started noticing that her clothes were always dirty and they overheard Evie say things like 'my dad drinks a lot.' The girl didn't deserve a father like that, anyway.

But Nikki. Nikki didn't have a daughter to keep him grounded. He didn't have his parents around to help him out. Really, the only people Mick had ever heard him mention were his grandparents back in Idaho and his uncle, who seemed to be happy to do what he could to get Nikki signed to the record label he worked for, but even happier to disassociate from the mess that was Motley Crue. No siblings, no girlfriend, no roommate, no decent friends. The thought of helping Nikki out crossed his mind, but he tried to suppress it. He told himself that the solution he was thinking of wouldn't be fair to Evie.

He could see in Nikki's timid glances that he felt the change in their friendship, too. But, of course, neither of them mentioned anything about it. It was business as usual: three hours of practice five days a week, up from the regular two hours in preparation of the next show this weekend.

____

And when that show came, Evie once again got dressed to impress, though she didn't stress about it as much as she did the week before. Her lust for the bassist of the band was faltering. She still found him attractive and definitely wouldn't be angry if he happened to notice the way her skin glowed, her hair curled, and how the clothes she was wearing hugged her curves, but after a couple of days away from him she decided the smartest thing to do was not seek his attention. Besides, did she really want to date a guy who seemingly treated women like they were dispensable; a new one every night, sometimes every few hours? She didn't think so.

It was more a game to her now-- that hallway crush at school who you know you have no chance with, but always hope to see. She would look pretty and try to act pretty, but there would be no jealousy, feelings of rejection, or flirting. That's what she promised herself.

This time, her father carpooled to the show with Vince, meaning Evie was able to drive their car to the Starwood instead of taking the bus. Learning from her last experience, she didn't try to get there before the doors opened. But, to her surprise, there were at least two hundred more people this time than at the previous show. She guessed word about the fight made it around the Strip, and people were curious to see what shenanigans the band pulled this time.

Luckily, there would be no fists flying at this show. Instead, the band managed to get their hands on some worn down mannequins, which they dressed up in costume jewelry and lit on fire. There was also no objection from the crowd this time. For the first time in a long time, Evie felt like one of her father's bands really had the potential to make it.

When "Live Wire" ended and the lights in the Starwood went out, Evie made her way to the backstage door, where a familiar bodyguard was stationed. He remembered her and let her back without Evie having to say a word.

She let her memory guide her back to the dressing room where she had dressed Nikki's wounds the week before, and was surprised to find only Vince and Nikki in there. They stopped talking when they saw her.

"Sorry," Evie said, embarrassed to have intruded. "Do you know where my dad is?"

"You're fine," Nikki said. "I'm not sure where he went."