Living Like A Runaway

It's Only Rock N' Roll (But I Like It)

Nicole was already at the store when I arrived. She was wearing leather pants and a low-cut tank top with bright pink lipstick and neon makeup. Her blue hair was made into a slick swirl on the top, and her tanned skin made all the colors stand out beautifully. "Hey there, Melody!" She said, pulling out a cigarette. "So, how about I tell you what I'm thinkin', and we talk about it while you get all this shit."

I laughed a bit, nodding. "Go ahead!"

"You said you sing, right?" I nodded, looking up at her and half-predicting what she was going to say. "Well, I can play guitar," she offered, "and I know this really rad chick that can play a bass. She's really laid back, kinda goth, but is fuckin' amazing at what she does." I shrugged, really not sure. "How about after we're done with this shit, we go back to your place, then?" Nicole asked. "We can at least jam, maybe you'll change your mind?"

And so, we talked on and on throughout the grocery store about all sorts of randomness again. We got funny stares the whole time, of course, considering I looked a bit dead due to the hangover and lack of foundation, and Nicole looked like she was on crack. However, we got all of what we needed from all of our stops, zipping right back to the Panther Mansion. As expected, Nicole was as amazed with it as I was yesterday, but I still managed to drag her down to where the instruments were. "Whatcha wanna play?" She asked as soon as she picked up one of Satchel's guitars.

"Somethin' off the record player," I suggested, sticking my thumb out to the stack of records and the player in the corner, just near dad's microphones. "That way, we have something to go off of for the bass and drums?" She nodded, motioning for me to pick something. So, after a few moments of contemplation, I offered, "You know Dio's Holy Diver?" The grin on her face said it all. And we played.

The energy that coursed through me singing such a powerful song with someone else on the guitar was absolutely unreal. There was something about the thrill of it all that excited me, that made me crave more of it. I craved a band, for crying out loud, as much as I didn't want to admit it. I had stage fright, though, which made me a bit skeptical of my wishes. I ignored that for now, though; it was just me, Nicole, and adrenaline.

"Fuck!" Nicole swore happily as soon as the song ended. "Holy shit, girl, I knew you said you could sing, but that was fuckin' fantastic! You must get that shit from your dad, wow!" I grinned, taking the record off the player and putting it back in its place.

Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "Really? I've never felt so amazing singing anything before!"

Nicole nodded, a crazy grin crossing her face. "Fuck yeah! Hey, why don't I call that chick I told ya about, Isabella? Then, if we can find a drummer, we could turn this into a real thing! Whatcha think?" She seemed perfectly confident in whoever she was talking about.

I bit my lip, but eventually, a smile and a nod came forth. "Well, I write songs, and if we can find people that can play the style we're looking for, then sure, it'd be great! Good, hard rock with a Sunset Strip twist." That had always been my vision. I wanted to do something a little glam and a little heavy but mostly classic hard rock. I wanted meaningful words with an alluring beat and a seductive, serious look. Nicole seemed to share my vision.

"Perfect!" She exclaimed. "I'll call Isabella, and we'll meet her at the mall."

Apparently word traveled fast in Los Angeles. As soon as people saw Nicole and I pull up in dad's car, there were obvious stares and whispers of "isn't she Michael Starr's kid?" No one bothered to say anything, and I didn't bother to say anything to them; I wasn't about to introduce myself as 'Melody Starr, daughter of the infamous lead singer for Steel Panther'.

It was at the local mall hair salon that I met Isabella Marks. She had a tall, thin, bony, almost ghostly figure, and her skin was actually paper white. She wore extremely thick, black makeup around her eyes, which were a striking icy blue. Her hair was just as white as her skin on top, and graduated into a deadly black at the ends. Her thin lips were also coated in black lipstick, and she had piercings in both eyebrows, cheeks, and tongue. She was wearing all black, and it was clearly a modern-Gothic style. Her voice was relatively deep when she first spoke: "Nicole, I thought you were grounded?"