Live Wire--The Dirt

05. Start a Fight

A/N: This is one of the shorter chapters. Forgive me if you think it's too short.

For months, Wren was able to keep her job at the public library a secret from the band. They were loud and boisterous people—except for Mick—and were sure to embarrass the living hell out of her, or even get her fired if they dared set foot into her work, so it remained a secret until her drunken ass spilled the beans.

"You'll need a shit ton of fliers if you're going to even try and draw a crowd," Wren slurred after a long night of drinking with Tommy and Nikki. Nikki had managed to secure the band a spot performing three nights during next week at the Whisky-A-Go-Go, and was currently panicked about not bringing in revenue. It took nearly a month of schmoozing his boss to even consider letting their band play, and even then, it was allowed on the stipulation of bringing money into the night club.

"Maybe a radio ad!" Tommy gasped; his eyes were wide with thrill until Nikki threw a half-eaten piece of bread at Tommy's face.

"Do we look like we can afford a radio ad?" Nikki laughed.

"Do we look like we can afford fliers?" Tommy asked seriously in response.

"I can print them for free at work!" Wren had exclaimed in an excited tone as she jumped up at her own idea, accidentally tossing a small portion of the whiskey in her glass onto her skin. And that was the end of her secret of employment. She was, however, able to print a few hundred fliers, and then she and the guys took to the strip at all hours of the day and night to post the news of Mötley Crüe's debut.

The night before their first performance, the band met to solidify their set list and perfect the tiny details that irked either Nikki or Wren's ears. Their practice ran short when Lovey sprang through the door and demanded to be included in the band's "process."

"What the fuck does that even mean?" Nikki asked as the blonde repositioned the frilly, light blue tank top that hardly covered her braless tits.

"Like her!" she then pointed to Wren. The younger of the two women furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she turned from discussing the drum solo with Tommy to meet the eyes of Vince's annoying girlfriend. "Come on, which one of you is she fucking to be this close to the action?"

"Watch yourself, lady," Mick gently warned as Tommy rose from his seat, Nikki tightened his fists, and Wren placed her hands on her hips in defiance.

"Babe," Vince said in a soft, coaxing voice as he reached tentatively for his girlfriend's arm.

"No, which one is it? Is she giving it to the old fuck?" Mick held his hands up above his heads, cleansing himself of any involvement in the altercation to come. "Who is it, Wren?" Lovey pressed the girl standing in stark contrast to her. Her done up hair and make-up and the fanciful clothes Lovey wore looked like something out of a movie compared to Wren's sweaty, tied up hair and bland, tattered, baggy t-shirt that swallowed her body. Why the hell is she threatened by me? Wren thought as the gap closed between the two women. "Could it be the scrawny drummer? Or maybe it's the bass playing motherfucker who doesn't know shit about music."

"Yeah, and some dumb bitch fawning over a cover band called 'Rock Candy' is so much more knowledgeable," Wren retorted with venom on her tongue and a sting in her bite.

"Wren," Tommy's voice acted as a warning, not for her to back off, but for her to quickly make up her mind if Lovey was worth what was to come. When she turned to face the band in an attempt to gauge their opinions on the events unfolding before them, Wren's eyes met Nikki's cold stare. His lips were pressed thin and anger overwhelmed his face. Tommy was equally unenthused with the situation, and Mick bestowed a look of concern.