Life's A Riot.
Twenty Seven.
JC POV.
I sighed and set my straighteners down on the heat proof mat. First day of tour = first show of tour = JC Riot’s first ever appearance with Avenged Sevenfold. I was fucking terrified. The guys had left me alone in the dressing room for half an hour to get ready while they went to do some promo stuff that I refused to take part in. It was their band, not mine. I was only helping out. Trouble was, that by leaving me alone to get ready – as considerate as it was of them – they had left me alone with my thoughts and I’d realised that I was going to be performing in front of a few hundred, possibly even a thousand people tonight. I hadn’t performed in front a crowd that large since my brief stint at a competitive dancer, and even then a few hundred was pushing it. Tonight would easily be the largest audience that I’d ever performed in front of. Add to that a ridiculous urge to impress Syn, and I was one stressed bunny. I grabbed my phone off the side and unlocked the screen, dialling the first number in my speed dial. They answered after the first ring.
“Yellow?”
“Ashleigh, help me.” I ordered, putting speakerphone on and returning to the mirror to finish straightening my hair. I changed the colour to a deep reddish-purple a couple of days ago and had it cut short, to roughly shoulder length. Long hair was a nightmare when drumming. In the way. And sweaty, way too sweaty. Short hair was manageable. Ash laughed.
“Having a first night freak out?” She asked.
“How’d you guess?” She laughed again.
“There is nothing that I can say to calm your nerves and we both damn well know it. You will be fine after the first few songs and you won’t mess anything up, because you never do when it comes to performances. Now tell me why you really called me.” I rolled my eyes, there was nothing that I could hide from Ash, not even over the phone.
“Ok, so I may be suffering from a touch of the green-eyed-bitch syndrome.” I admitted, rearranging my fringe so that I could straighten it.
“I KNEW IT!” Yelled a voice in the background that was easily identifiable as Val’s.
“You have me on speakerphone?!” I shrieked, nearly dropping the straighteners.
“Maybe…”
“Who else is in the car with you?” Everyone was coming up to see the opening show of the tour.
“Only Val, Leana and Carter, chill out.” I grabbed my Jaegermister and coke off the side and took several huge gulps before talking again.
“Fine, you can all be useful then. Help me I don’t know what to do. Or wear.”
“Well we’ll start with the important issue.” Stated Leana. “Clothes.” I smiled. In typical female fashion, clothes would come before guy issues.
“What do you have on tour with you?” Asked Val. I headed over to the travel case where my stage clothes were stored. Rummaging through it, I gave the three girls a list.
“Erm, vest tops, skirt, denim skirt, band tees, a couple of pairs of leggings, shorts, and a couple of corset style tops.”
“Right, what look are we going for?” I hesitated for a moment before answering Ash.
“Eye-catching but not slutty. I want his attention but I don’t want the fans or the press thinking that I’m a slag.”
“Ok, corset tops are out then.” Stated Val.
“Agreed.” Replied the rest of us.
“We’ll start bottom up.” Decided Ash, I snorted loudly. Only Ash would think up a statement like that.
“How hot are you likely to get on stage? We have to go practical here too.” Reminded Leana. Sounds of agreement came from the other two girls.
“Well I have a whole bunch of pyro’s right behind me, so let’s go with very.”
“Which shorts do you have with you?”
“A pair of denim high-waisted and a pair of denim low-waisted.”
“OOH! Are the low-waisted ones the really cute ones that you got in Hot Topic?” Asked Ash, getting all excited.
“Yes.”
“WEAR THEM!” I jumped at the sound of her screamed demand. In the car, everyone started yelling at her. After apologising to Carter, the conversation turned back to my wardrobe.
“Ok, so we have that sorted, now for tops. Which band tees do you have with you?” Asked Leana.
“GNR, Green Day, Papa Roach, Metallica, Thin Lizzy, Good Charlotte, Motely Crue and Van Halen.”
“Band tees aren’t going to be eye-catching enough. We need cleavage.” I laughed at Val’s directness.
“Ok, I have a couple of options; a black vest top with coloured studding detail in the shape of a stabbed heart and a rose with Love Rock written on it, or two different style camouflage tops, one’s a vest top with thin straps and the other with thicker straps and printed detailing, all three show cleavage.” I described, pulling the three tops in question out of the travel case and studying them.
“What colour are your shorts?”
“A greyish black.”
“Ok, black vest top and ensure that you are wearing a push-up bra. Agreed?” Decided Leana.
“Sounds good.”
“Agreed.”
“If I must.” Agreed the rest of us.
“Now change and we can discuss your case of green-eyed-bitch syndrome while you get ready.” I pulled the shorts out of the case and began to change.
“So give us the deets please ma loverly.” I shook my head at Ash’s ridiculous southern accent and began to explain the situation to everyone. By the time I’d finished explaining, I was changed and starting to apply my make-up. “Da-yum. You have it baaad girl.”
“Thank you for that wonderful observation Ash.” I replied, applying powder over my foundation. “If anyone has any helpful contributions now would be a good time to voice them as the guys we will back in less than five minutes.”
“JC, just be yourself.” Instructed Leana calmly. “We all think that he has a bit of a thing for you anyway.” My heart skipped a little at that. Due to various previous boyfriends, I actually didn’t have very much self-confidence when it came to guys that I really liked. It was how Ash and the others always knew if I liked a guy a lot, I lost some of my confidence when I was around them. “Just act like you usually do…”
“Except maybe tone down the bitchiness a little?” Suggested Val. I laughed and picked up my blusher.
“That’s a good point. Do that too. Flirt a little. But not too much. Make eye contact when talking to him. You’ll get his attention babes. He’d have to be blind not to notice you.” I set the blusher down and rummaged through my pile of eyeliners as I searched for the right one.
“I love how you all just seem to presume that I want to pull him, without even asking me.” I commented, starting to layer on the black liner.
“Pfffffffffffftttttttttttttttt.” Snorted Ash, drowning out any other comments. “Please you want to get his attention by wearing sexy clothes, you’re jealous when a waitress flirts with him and you’re phoning us for advice only a couple of hours before we’re going to see you in person. All of that screams that you’re interested in him more than you were when we last discussed this.”
“Fair point.” I conceded, as I began to cover my top lids in the thick black eyeliner.
“J, what do you want to achieve?” Asked, Val, turning the conversation slightly more serious. “Do you really want a relationship with him?” I paused, thinking about it for a moment before I answered her. “Jack?”
“I don’t know. I know that I like him. I really, really like him, more than I should considering everything. But I don’t know if I’m ready to take that step up and date him yet. I want to know how he really feels …I just don’t know! Oh FUCK IT!!” I cursed as the eyeliner slipped, leaving me with black where there’s not meant to be any black.
“What?! Talk to me Jack!” Demanded Ash.
“Chill, it’s only a minor make-up mishap.” I reassured her as I searched for my face wipes in amongst the piles of stuff in front of the mirror. How can four guys have more hair care products than I do?!
“What’s holding you back JC?” Asked Leana softly. Thankfully I was saved from answering her question by the return of the guys, which was heralded by Zacky, who had obviously been drinking already.
“Where’s my Little J?” He yelled, running in through the door like a maniac. I dropped the make-up wipe and turned to face him.
“How many times, I am not a character in Gossip Girl, as awesome as Taylor Momsen is; STOP CALLING ME THAT!” I snapped, turning back to the mirror and finishing my eyeliner. “And you lot can stop chuckling as well, what happened to girly support?” I added, glaring at my phone as the girls started to chuckle. They just laughed harder. I groaned. “Fuck you lot.”
“Loves ya babes. Listen, you’ll be fine, stop stressing and we’ll see you in a bit.” Replied Ash.
“Whatever, I hate you.” She laughed before hanging up. I pressed the end call button and finished off doing my make-up as the rest of the guys wandered into the room.
“First show nerves?” Asked Johnny, coming up behind me. I jumped slightly and waved my mascara brush at him.
“What have I said about sneaking up on me, when I’m doing my mascara?”
“Erm did involve physical pain?” I stuck my tongue out at him. I sniffed the air as the door opened again.
“Do I smell pizza?” He laughed and walked away.
“Yours is a margarita with extra cheese and red peppers isn’t it Cait?” Asked Syn. I capped the mascara and turned to face him, my heart hitching slightly as I took in his easy grin.
“I’m impressed.”
“I do have some redeeming qualities.”
“Don’t get too far ahead of yourself.”
I sighed and set my straighteners down on the heat proof mat. First day of tour = first show of tour = JC Riot’s first ever appearance with Avenged Sevenfold. I was fucking terrified. The guys had left me alone in the dressing room for half an hour to get ready while they went to do some promo stuff that I refused to take part in. It was their band, not mine. I was only helping out. Trouble was, that by leaving me alone to get ready – as considerate as it was of them – they had left me alone with my thoughts and I’d realised that I was going to be performing in front of a few hundred, possibly even a thousand people tonight. I hadn’t performed in front a crowd that large since my brief stint at a competitive dancer, and even then a few hundred was pushing it. Tonight would easily be the largest audience that I’d ever performed in front of. Add to that a ridiculous urge to impress Syn, and I was one stressed bunny. I grabbed my phone off the side and unlocked the screen, dialling the first number in my speed dial. They answered after the first ring.
“Yellow?”
“Ashleigh, help me.” I ordered, putting speakerphone on and returning to the mirror to finish straightening my hair. I changed the colour to a deep reddish-purple a couple of days ago and had it cut short, to roughly shoulder length. Long hair was a nightmare when drumming. In the way. And sweaty, way too sweaty. Short hair was manageable. Ash laughed.
“Having a first night freak out?” She asked.
“How’d you guess?” She laughed again.
“There is nothing that I can say to calm your nerves and we both damn well know it. You will be fine after the first few songs and you won’t mess anything up, because you never do when it comes to performances. Now tell me why you really called me.” I rolled my eyes, there was nothing that I could hide from Ash, not even over the phone.
“Ok, so I may be suffering from a touch of the green-eyed-bitch syndrome.” I admitted, rearranging my fringe so that I could straighten it.
“I KNEW IT!” Yelled a voice in the background that was easily identifiable as Val’s.
“You have me on speakerphone?!” I shrieked, nearly dropping the straighteners.
“Maybe…”
“Who else is in the car with you?” Everyone was coming up to see the opening show of the tour.
“Only Val, Leana and Carter, chill out.” I grabbed my Jaegermister and coke off the side and took several huge gulps before talking again.
“Fine, you can all be useful then. Help me I don’t know what to do. Or wear.”
“Well we’ll start with the important issue.” Stated Leana. “Clothes.” I smiled. In typical female fashion, clothes would come before guy issues.
“What do you have on tour with you?” Asked Val. I headed over to the travel case where my stage clothes were stored. Rummaging through it, I gave the three girls a list.
“Erm, vest tops, skirt, denim skirt, band tees, a couple of pairs of leggings, shorts, and a couple of corset style tops.”
“Right, what look are we going for?” I hesitated for a moment before answering Ash.
“Eye-catching but not slutty. I want his attention but I don’t want the fans or the press thinking that I’m a slag.”
“Ok, corset tops are out then.” Stated Val.
“Agreed.” Replied the rest of us.
“We’ll start bottom up.” Decided Ash, I snorted loudly. Only Ash would think up a statement like that.
“How hot are you likely to get on stage? We have to go practical here too.” Reminded Leana. Sounds of agreement came from the other two girls.
“Well I have a whole bunch of pyro’s right behind me, so let’s go with very.”
“Which shorts do you have with you?”
“A pair of denim high-waisted and a pair of denim low-waisted.”
“OOH! Are the low-waisted ones the really cute ones that you got in Hot Topic?” Asked Ash, getting all excited.
“Yes.”
“WEAR THEM!” I jumped at the sound of her screamed demand. In the car, everyone started yelling at her. After apologising to Carter, the conversation turned back to my wardrobe.
“Ok, so we have that sorted, now for tops. Which band tees do you have with you?” Asked Leana.
“GNR, Green Day, Papa Roach, Metallica, Thin Lizzy, Good Charlotte, Motely Crue and Van Halen.”
“Band tees aren’t going to be eye-catching enough. We need cleavage.” I laughed at Val’s directness.
“Ok, I have a couple of options; a black vest top with coloured studding detail in the shape of a stabbed heart and a rose with Love Rock written on it, or two different style camouflage tops, one’s a vest top with thin straps and the other with thicker straps and printed detailing, all three show cleavage.” I described, pulling the three tops in question out of the travel case and studying them.
“What colour are your shorts?”
“A greyish black.”
“Ok, black vest top and ensure that you are wearing a push-up bra. Agreed?” Decided Leana.
“Sounds good.”
“Agreed.”
“If I must.” Agreed the rest of us.
“Now change and we can discuss your case of green-eyed-bitch syndrome while you get ready.” I pulled the shorts out of the case and began to change.
“So give us the deets please ma loverly.” I shook my head at Ash’s ridiculous southern accent and began to explain the situation to everyone. By the time I’d finished explaining, I was changed and starting to apply my make-up. “Da-yum. You have it baaad girl.”
“Thank you for that wonderful observation Ash.” I replied, applying powder over my foundation. “If anyone has any helpful contributions now would be a good time to voice them as the guys we will back in less than five minutes.”
“JC, just be yourself.” Instructed Leana calmly. “We all think that he has a bit of a thing for you anyway.” My heart skipped a little at that. Due to various previous boyfriends, I actually didn’t have very much self-confidence when it came to guys that I really liked. It was how Ash and the others always knew if I liked a guy a lot, I lost some of my confidence when I was around them. “Just act like you usually do…”
“Except maybe tone down the bitchiness a little?” Suggested Val. I laughed and picked up my blusher.
“That’s a good point. Do that too. Flirt a little. But not too much. Make eye contact when talking to him. You’ll get his attention babes. He’d have to be blind not to notice you.” I set the blusher down and rummaged through my pile of eyeliners as I searched for the right one.
“I love how you all just seem to presume that I want to pull him, without even asking me.” I commented, starting to layer on the black liner.
“Pfffffffffffftttttttttttttttt.” Snorted Ash, drowning out any other comments. “Please you want to get his attention by wearing sexy clothes, you’re jealous when a waitress flirts with him and you’re phoning us for advice only a couple of hours before we’re going to see you in person. All of that screams that you’re interested in him more than you were when we last discussed this.”
“Fair point.” I conceded, as I began to cover my top lids in the thick black eyeliner.
“J, what do you want to achieve?” Asked, Val, turning the conversation slightly more serious. “Do you really want a relationship with him?” I paused, thinking about it for a moment before I answered her. “Jack?”
“I don’t know. I know that I like him. I really, really like him, more than I should considering everything. But I don’t know if I’m ready to take that step up and date him yet. I want to know how he really feels …I just don’t know! Oh FUCK IT!!” I cursed as the eyeliner slipped, leaving me with black where there’s not meant to be any black.
“What?! Talk to me Jack!” Demanded Ash.
“Chill, it’s only a minor make-up mishap.” I reassured her as I searched for my face wipes in amongst the piles of stuff in front of the mirror. How can four guys have more hair care products than I do?!
“What’s holding you back JC?” Asked Leana softly. Thankfully I was saved from answering her question by the return of the guys, which was heralded by Zacky, who had obviously been drinking already.
“Where’s my Little J?” He yelled, running in through the door like a maniac. I dropped the make-up wipe and turned to face him.
“How many times, I am not a character in Gossip Girl, as awesome as Taylor Momsen is; STOP CALLING ME THAT!” I snapped, turning back to the mirror and finishing my eyeliner. “And you lot can stop chuckling as well, what happened to girly support?” I added, glaring at my phone as the girls started to chuckle. They just laughed harder. I groaned. “Fuck you lot.”
“Loves ya babes. Listen, you’ll be fine, stop stressing and we’ll see you in a bit.” Replied Ash.
“Whatever, I hate you.” She laughed before hanging up. I pressed the end call button and finished off doing my make-up as the rest of the guys wandered into the room.
“First show nerves?” Asked Johnny, coming up behind me. I jumped slightly and waved my mascara brush at him.
“What have I said about sneaking up on me, when I’m doing my mascara?”
“Erm did involve physical pain?” I stuck my tongue out at him. I sniffed the air as the door opened again.
“Do I smell pizza?” He laughed and walked away.
“Yours is a margarita with extra cheese and red peppers isn’t it Cait?” Asked Syn. I capped the mascara and turned to face him, my heart hitching slightly as I took in his easy grin.
“I’m impressed.”
“I do have some redeeming qualities.”
“Don’t get too far ahead of yourself.”
7/16/13