Might As Well Be On Mars // Motley Crue

Red Hot

When Evie got home from her shift at the restaurant, she walked into the living room to find her father and new roommate drinking beer and watching Cops on TV. She didn't say anything and Mick hardly even glanced at her. Nikki sat up a little taller. He wanted to thank Evie for all the work she had done to make the basement welcoming, but he decided it was too sweet of a thing for a rock n roller like him to say, so he slumped back into the couch.

After changing into her pajamas, Evie went back downstairs and cooked chicken noodle soup. When it was done, she quietly told the men it was ready before grabbing her own bowl and heading to her room to eat alone.

She didn't come back down until the next morning, making it a pretty unsatisfying ending to a day she had been looking forward to.

The next day was Monday, meaning Evie didn't have work. When she woke up, she slowly headed downstairs, expecting to find Nikki and her father again. But the house was suspiciously quiet. She wasn't sure why, until she found the eight empty beer cans on the coffee table. She sighed, threw the cans away, poured herself a bowl of cereal, and sat at the dining room table to work on a scholarship application.

She was almost done when there was a loud knock on the door. When she answered it, she expected to be met with salespeople, or maybe Mormons or girl scouts selling cookies, but instead she found two long haired men.

Tommy began to say something, but Evie just opened the door wider and motioned for them to come in. Once invited, the guys walked around the house like they lived there. Tommy headed straight for the kitchen and Vince took a seat on the couch. Evie went upstairs and knocked on her father's door.

She opened it when she heard him groan. "Tommy and Vince are here."

Next it was to the basement. When she approached the door, she hesitated, unsure of what she was going to walk into, or if Nikki would feel like it was a violation of his privacy. She took a deep breath, opened the door, and yelled, "Nikki!" in a sing-song voice.

There was no reply. She waited a moment longer before descending halfway down the stairs. She stopped when she saw the man sitting on the couch, with headphones over his ears and a notebook and pen in his hand. Nikki pulled off his headphones and looked at her curiously.

"Sorry," Evie said. "Tommy and Vince are here for practice."

"Shit, I forgot." He set down the notebook and rushed up the stairs, passing Evie on his way. She could tell that he had not yet made use of the shampoo and body wash she had gotten him.

Upstairs, Evie caught up to Nikki in the dining room.

"I'm going to the grocery store," she told him. "Is there anything you want?"

Nikki looked down at her, his mouth open in uncertainty. Did they have a budget? How much was too much to ask for? "Uh, just some cigarettes is fine."

Evie stared at him, unsure of whether he was joking or not. He finally realized his mistake. "That's right," he said, shaking his head. "I forgot. I think I'm fine, then."

"Are you sure? No lunch meat or dinner requests?"

"I'm good. Thanks, though." He hurried into the living room to find the singer and drummer munching away on some cheez-its.

Evie passed her father on her way up to her bedroom. He put his hand out to stop her. "Did they give you any trouble?" He said quietly.

"Vince and Tommy?"

"Yes, and Nikki."

"No. They did get into the pantry, though, so there's that."

Mick stared at her for a moment longer. "Okay. Just making sure." He let her continue.