On With The Show

2

The metallic taste of blood wouldn't leave his mouth, even the next day. Crawling out of his bed, Nikki realized it was over - London, his opportunity, everything. There were fragments of glass on his clothes, he realized, and most likely on his bed as well.

He was a bassist with no band. He wanted to end that new-age crap, make music that was aggressive, provocative, and - most importantly - music that was real. London had failed - the reality of the situation only hit him now. He was a bassist, for f.uck's sake, he couldn't not have a band. At the very least, a drummer and a singer.

There wasn't a shortage of kids who wanted to join one, hell, this was the Sunset Strip. Even so, he didn't want just anyone - he needed a born musician, someone who played with everything they had.

He viewed himself as Sid Vicious, and couldn't for a second stop looking for the members of the band he knew would be his Nancy Spungen.

*

"What was your crime against humanity?"

The kid next to him was silent, staring into his drink. Nikki took a moment to look at him - high cheekbones, dark hair and eyes, around the same height as himself. He had an air of naivety around him, and a look on his face that made him seem like in that moment, he wasn't quite himself.

"I didn't do it," He choked out, his voice weak, as if he'd been crying recently. Nikki frowned, about to speak as the kid opened his mouth again. "She fucking stabbed me, man. Said I was cheating on her, and didn't even let me explain that I was talking to my sister. Man, I loved her. I thought this would last, we'd been together since high school dude."

He reached for his t-shirt, showing the bandage on his shoulder. "Used a fucking butterknife. It hurt like a bitch, but honestly the only thing I can think about is her..."

He was a hopeless f.ucking romantic, wasn't he? Nikki sighed. "Sorry to hear that, man," He said, reaching behind the counter and pouring himself another glass of whiskey. "She wasn't worth it, anyway, if she did that."

The guy looked like he'd been personally offended, like he'd throw something, or burst into tears. "She was the love of my life," he said, shaking slightly.

Nikki looked at him, "You're kidding me, right? That bitch, that stabbed you?"

"I wish people would stop talking like that. I'm old enough to think for myself - yes, her. I loved Honey. We were together since we graduated high school last year."

Nikki sighed. He never understood people like this guy people who tied their existence to one other person. "Listen, kid, you've got to let go, she's a shit person, and if she's ready to stab you she's not the person you need."

The guy looked at him, his chocolate brown eyes wide in shock.

"Dude, you're Nikki Sixx," He said, changing the subject, "I can't believe I just said all that to Nikki f.ucking Sixx, I'm so sorry, man, I... I have your poster in my room, you know that? I picked up a London flyer, you guys were great-"

"Take the poster down, that's f.ucking creepy," Nikki interrupted, "London's done, man. It failed, and it's in the past. Singer was an useless, drummer was mediocre."

"I'm Tommy," he said, "I know, I only listened after the first show because your playing was amazing. I actually met Honey there-"

Tommy had tears streaming down his face again.

Nikki sighed,  "You said you didn't do it. What is it you didn't do?"
He thought it would make the kid - well, technically, Tommy wasn't a kid, but he was crying over a chick, so that made Nikki call him a kid - cry even more. Nikki sighed, about to speak when Tommy started talking again.

"She's saying I'm framing her. It's not framing if she actually did stab me!" he was close to hysterics, and pulled down his shirt's collar, showing the bandage on his shoulder.

An unreasonable amount of rage filled Nikki again, as he grabbed a bottle of Jack from behind the bar, and took a long drink from it.

"You're not f.ucking going back there, okay?" he said, glaring at Tommy. "If nothing else, you can sleep on my couch till you find somewhere else. You're not going back to that undeserving b.itch."

Tommy as nineteen, for f.uck's sake. No way in hell was he going back there, to "Honey".

Seeing the stab wound, something snapped in Nikki. His grip tightened, breaking the bottle he had clutched, and fragments of glass were everywhere.

"You know what? You're staying with me, kid. I know that face, you're not going back to her."