The Little Red Cherry Bomb

Act II: Look! I Washed For Supper!

Cherie slowly opens the door to the hotel room. Unfortunately, all the girls of The Runways are there sitting on the hotel beds. They all look at Cherie by the door. Cherie cowers and shuffles over with hunched shoulders.

Joan: Where were you?

Cherie: [opens mouth].

Sandy: Uh, you gonna talk?

Cherie runs into the bathroom and locks the door. She sits on the toilet seat and puts her head down in her arms, unable to speak. The girls knock on the door.

Jackie: Cherie! Are you okay?

Sandy: Hey, we don't mean to be rude. If something happened, you can tell us.

Lita: Cherie, come out!

Joan: [sighs] Guys, just give her some privacy. Let's go [backs away from the door].

Cherie tries to whimper, but nothing comes out of her mouth. She listens to the girls' conversation through the walls.

Jackie: Well, without Cherie, we can't play.

Lita: Look, we should cancel the show. Can we do that this late?

Joan: I don't know, I could take over vocals for most of it, but we need Cherie for Cherry Bomb.

Sandy: Cherie is like the image of the band! We can't just go out there without her!

Joan: [sighs] You're right, Sandy. I don't know. I guess we'll just have to cancel. Let's go to the studio tomorrow and see what we can do.

Jackie: [knocks on bathroom door] Cherie, I gotta pee!

Cherie dashes out of the bathroom and sits in the corner of the hotel room. Jackie quickly finishes and comes back out to join the rest of the girls. As soon as she does, Joan's radio starts playing Jimi Hendrix - Foxy Lady, and Jackie slowly walks towards the center of the room where Lita had set up her black Hamer Slammer guitar, and Lita plays to the tune.

Lita and Jimi Hendrix (singing):

You know you're a cute little heartbreaker, ha

(Foxy) yeah

And you know you're a sweet little lovemaker, ha

(Foxy)

I wanna take you home, uh-huh, yeah

I won't do you no harm, no, ha

You've got to be all mine, all mine

Ooh, foxy lady, yeah

(Foxy)

(Foxy)

Now ah, I see you, heh, are down on the scene

(Ooh, Foxy)

You make me wanna get up and scream

(Foxy) oh, baby listen now

I've made up my mind, yeah

I'm tired of wasting all my precious time

You've got to be all mine, all mine

Foxy lady

Here I come

(Foxy)

(Foxy)

(Foxy)

(Foxy)

Yeah! I'm gonna take you home, ha

I won't do you no harm, no

You've got to be all mine, all mine

Foxy lady

Here I come, baby

I'm comin' to get ya

Ow! Foxy lady, yeah, yeah (Foxy)

Ooh, you look so good (Foxy)

Foxy, oh yeah (Foxy)

Foxy

You make me feel like

Feel like sayin' Foxy (Foxy)

Ohh, lady (Foxy)

Foxy (Foxy)

Foxy lady

Lita: Hey, Foxy.

Jackie: Hey, Lita.

Lita: I think Jimi Hendrix wrote that song about you... you know, when you were like 7 years old. Ooh...

Jackie: Pff... Hey, I see you, Cherie, dancing back there. Cherie still not talking?

Sandy (to Cherie, laying in bed): [lowers her latest issue of Circus magazine] Hey, talk.

Cherie: [opens mouth].

Sandy: Nope, still not talking, Foxy [raises her magazine].

Lita: We got a show in two days!

Lita unstraps her guitar, walks over to Cherie, and gets all up in her face.

Lita: Get up. Get on your feet.

Cherie: [stands up].

Lita: [puts hands on Cherie's shoulders] Cherie, say something!

Cherie: [opens mouth].

Jackie: For God's sake, why can't you talk?!

Lita: [shakes Cherie, raises voice] Say something if you want to live!

Cherie pushes Lita to back off. Lita pushes Cherie, then Cherie pushes Lita again harder. In response, Sandy tosses her magazine, gets up, grabs Cherie in her arms, and tosses Cherie like a rag doll across the foot of the hotel bed. Cherie flies across the bed and falls on the floor on the other side, right on her butt.

Sandy: Stop fighting!

Cherie, still sitting on the ground, begins tearing up as the girls come over and surround her.

Joan: Look at you guys, you made her cry.

Sandy: [kneels and hugs Cherie] Oh, I'm sorry, Cherie. Are you okay? I just wanted you and Lita to stop fighting.

Cherie: [nods].

Lita: Oh, I'm sorry too, Cherie. I shouldn't have been so harsh.

Cherie looks at Lita with a puzzled look. Perhaps the spell is working, for Lita would never apologize to her.

Jackie: [walks away] We can't do a show without Cherie's voice! We should cancel!

Joan: We'll figure it out tomorrow.