Last Bandit: Book 1 in The Bandits Series

The Ballad of Jack

Chapter 17: The Ballad of Jack ~

"You have to let it stay in for ten more minutes," Athena says to Davey, who walks around the house with a towel over his shoulders and a uncomfortable expression upon his face.

"It's burning my scalp."

Athena smiles and looks up from her magazine. She's sitting at the kitchen table with me, both of us watching as my brother paces annoyingly.

"That's the peroxide."

"But it's black."

"There's still peroxide in it."

Davey walks out of the room, his hair soaking in the black dye he has decided to wear now. I faintly hear him talking to Rex, but I can't make out every word. I can tell he's complaining.

Athena sits across from me, reading the latest issue of Cosmopolitan. That must be a very famous magazine for women. Roxie reads it a lot too. She and Jasper are supposed to come over a little later and drive to the show with us, though I don't know how nine of us are going to fit in one car. We're going to have to take two vehicles, or perhaps a cab in case any one of us gets drunk.

Oh wait, there's ten of us. But I'm not sure if Alexandra is riding with us or meeting us at the Troubadour, where she booked our first gig two weeks ago.

Tonight is the night. It'll make us or break us. I'm very confident at how far The Bandits have come in little time, however. We just seem to go well together. We connect on many levels, and that contributes to the songs. And we bring in our own individual songs, which I know, for myself, is very influential. I never knew my brother was such a good song writer, and I wasn't quite sure how good Brian and Rex would be until I saw what they wrote.

This is a very blessed band. I can feel it, and that surprises me and scares me at the same time. This gut feeling I have could either be correct or an absolute bust. I pray that we are great tonight. I hope the audience gets it, gets us and the music. We are different from other bands in this scene, on this Strip. I hope the people like us, and I hope they enjoy the music. I hope we have fans by the end of the night. I hope, I hope, I hope... All I can do is hope.

"Are you excited, Johnny?" Athena asks me. "I really wish I could see you guys, but I can't miss work again."

"Yeah, I'm excited. But it's okay. I think Alexandra is going to film it. I'm sure you can watch us later. And I'm sure we'll have many other shows."

Well, I hope.

She gives me a gentle smile. Never in a million years would I expect this girl to be a stripper by her personality. She's got the looks, though, that fit the bill perfectly.

"Can I wash it out now?" my brother yells to Athena.

She looks up at the clock hanging above the kitchen sink. "Go ahead!"

The shower starts running as I get up and move to the refrigerator. In there is beer and other forms of alcohol that taste better chilled, some left over sandwiches from Canter's Deli, and a half a stick of butter. I check in the freezer. Two TV dinners. Athena doesn't make dinner anymore. And I'm too lazy to cook for myself. I grab a beer and walk into the living room.

It's almost as if everyone here is dead. They're all laying around, staring at something they've chose to look at. Sure, I'm excited, and I'm sure they are too. But I can read the concern in their faces. They've all got alcohol in their hands and an uncertain expression. I join them.

Rex lays on the floor and watches the ceiling. Brian is spread over the couch, his cowboy boots gently tapping my side as I sit here next to him. His eyes are blank as he looks at his feet. Russell is flipping through a local magazine called Rock City News, and Nick is blindly picking at his leather pants as he sits cross-legged on the floor just before the couch. Bunny is not here yet. She's bound to get things hyped up once she walks through that door.