Now

Candice pulled her loose, sweat drenched hair from her face. Exhaling, she approached the microphone one more time. She smiled with her mouth wide open. Breathy, she addressed the audience.
"Wow, This has been amazing tonight. You all have so much energy," she paused to gulp in some air, "I want to say Thank you! For singing along, for dancing, and for making this as fun for me as it is for you!"
"This has been a long road for all of us, and I know you'll all be sad to see us get off the stage for a while..." At this the crowd moaned, "I know... I know, But I wanna come back next time with some even better tunes and grooves to rock y'alls socks!"
"what do you say?!?" Candice lifted her right arm, microphone in hand into the air, and the crowd erupted in aggravated appreciation.
"this is gonna be our last one for the night! I know you all know it, So help me out here!"
The lights faded once more, and the band was pulsating with the beat of flashing spots of colored light. The synth started towering out a simple melody, and the mass of teenagers and young adults swayed once more. Candice looked around to all the band members and nodded to each of them, who assured her in return. She pulled the mic to her face and began.

"I fell all over myself
worried about compromise
since you are special
we're all wrong sometimes"

The lights blacked out with the last beat of the song. The audience cheered and howled. Within moments they were clapping and calling out Encore. Backstage Candice rushed to the illuminated hallway. Once on the other side of the doorway she exhaled heavily. She took a few more steps forward to place her hand up against the wall. with her free hand she rubbed her face, trying to remove the frustration from her own complete lack of interest. Her band mates passed her by, solemnly towards the green room, which was in this case, actually green.

She composed herself to join her coworkers. She went right for her personal affects. Inside her purse she found her cell phone. 2 missed calls? The numbers were unknown to her so she tossed it right back in.
"Ready queeny?" Jared was pulling on his leather jacket. She nodded to him and slipped into her own corduroy. She gathered up her belongings and turned to her one and only guitarist. She reached out her hand while keeping her eyes on the floor. She felt a swinging motion, then a clasp, then a yank, and she was falling forward, toward the plastic scent of his shiny black leather.

The six of them piled into a silver limousine. Josephine crawled on-top of Luke, beginning the fast-paced process of working one another up. Candice knew, by the time they arrived at the club, they would be ready to rush to a bathroom, elevator, closet, or utility room to release their pent up adrenaline. Jared scooted up next to Aubry, who was starting to cut up some cocaine. Scott was laying back into the seat with his cap pulled down low over his eyes. He pulled an unlabeled bottle to his lips and took an unresponsive glup. Candice reached into her purse and pulled out a tube of lipstick. She glanced around and watched as Aubry held a tube to her nose and inhaled. Jared was waiting impatiently for his chance. Luke's over-shirt was lumped on the seat beside him, along with some of Josephine's.

Candice had remembered a time when they all used to scrounge together for the cost of gas to the next venue. When they packed up their own instruments, wore the same clothes day in and out, and played for the sake of playing. But the stress of being celebrity cost them all a bit of their humanity. She packed the container away again, waiting for the next stop, dreading the next facade she had to put on.

The club was pumping. Everyone there seemed to be inebriated in some way. It was dark and loud. People were screaming at one another across tables. As she walked past an excited young, tiny woman was laughing wildly. Brushing her arm across the table in a gesture she knocked her glass directly into Candice. She clumsily caught it, only after she was wearing a splash of Washington Apple. Candice smiled at the woman, who began to giggle.
"I'll go get you another my dear." Candice walked toward the bar. If the woman thanked her, she couldn't hear it. One of the bartenders approached her. Without a word she demanded an order.
"A Washington Apple for that exuberant girl in white, over there." With a quick sweep around the room she made 3 other decisions. "The girl other there," Candice pointed toward a plump woman sitting with a group of people younger than her. She had obviously not be informed what kind of place this would be. Her outfit was very crisp. Her hair and makeup was classy and attractive. But in this place where people get more attention for looking either dour or wasted, she seemed out of place. Her body language was screaming that she felt the very same, "will have an appletini, with pineapple on the rim, please." On the couches, in the corner, there was a very angry looking young lady. She was obviously upset that she hadn't been given the attention she assumed she would have been getting this evening. "that one wants a cosmo, and if you can make it glow in the black light, I think it would be much appreciated." She took a look at her bartender who was obviously not particularly interested in all these special requests. Candice watched as the bartender's glance followed to a young man sitting at another table with a few other friends. Here eyes were slightly wider, her cheeks were somewhat lifted, she exhaled in what seemed to be anticipation. "And the young man in the suit over there will have a rum and coke." The girl snapped her head back to Candice who was staring at him. She turned back slowly to the bar. "And one more thing, I'll have a pina colada please, lots of ice.
The bartender walked off so Candice went into her wallet. She found a pair of 50s which she took into her hands. With a heavy head, she stared hard into the glossed over wood of the bar.

The clunk of a large white glass in front of her got her attention. She handed over the money to the waitress. Candice stared hard at the glass while the waitress paused looking at her as if she was crazy. Without looking up she retorted, "Keep the change." She walked off, pocketing entirely too much money.

Candice looked around. She saw Josephine wiping the corner of her freshly manicured lips. Luke was approaching the other end of the bar. Scott was no where to be seen, possibly off in a corner somewhere. As she looked around she saw a lively young metro-sexual, shaking the keys in front of his fairly agitated younger consort. The younger male was scolding him for being reckless.
Her agitation was becoming too much for her to bear. Everywhere she looked was some injustice or stupidity that made her want to stand up and give everyone a very rude awakening. But her judgment kicked those thoughts to the curb each and every time. Instead they reminded her how people learn better when you are kind to them, then you pull the world out from underneath them. At least that is what her rude awakening taught her. To live in hiccups of acceptable situations, while sinking ever further into the turbulent sea who pulls you down, asphyxiating you for no other reason than it doesn't know any better.

That sense of pained heroism never left her, but never completely formed either.

Candice stood up without taking another look at her untouched drink, deciding to intervene. As she passed by Jared and his harem of hens tonight, she asked him to hold her coat for her. He paid her very little attention, agreeing on the spot then seeming confused when she handed him one of her pieces of clothing.

In her sleeveless long shirt she moseyed on over toward the couple. She pretended to be a little toasted herself. she looked right into the eyes of the man her own age, with his too short hair.
"Sweetheart, Do you have a newport? I am fittin for nic!"
"Why hello there pretty lady, I sure do." He reached into his pants pocket and took one out. He handed it over to her.
"Why thank you." Candice took a moment to enjoy his looks, "Did anyone ever tell you that you are Prince Charming? You are exactly what I always thought of when I read it as a little girl!"
"Oh! you are so sweet," He put his arms around her, "but honestly, you don't need to flatter me for one cigarette." The scent of cocktails was almost as intrusive as his sweet smelling cologne.
"I am not trying to flatter you, I was just trying to be honest. I'm sorry to have insulted you."
"Oh, honey, not at all, Thank you for the complement!"
She smiled deviantly, "actually, I was wondering, if I could borrow your jacket."
He pulled upright and gave her a sly smile, "I knew you were after something."
"well it's cold outside this time of night!"
He smiled, "Of course sweetheart," He took of his dress jacket and draped it over her broad shoulders. It was a little small for her, but she clasped it to her chest. "i'll be right back! Thank you!"

She rushed outside, it was cold tonight. She reached into the pockets. To her surprise she found a set of car keys. "huh," she spoke aloud, "I didn't believe that would have worked..." She smiled to herself as she walked down the street away from the club. She held the key ring toward the sky and pressed the unlock button. A car just a few steps down started beeping. She jumped at this. Then to make sure she had the right vehicle she locked it and unlocked it. Right-o. She slid into the car as if it was her own, put the key in the ignition, and drove herself home.

She entered the huge indiscriminate house. After shutting the door behind her she stepped out of her heels, and slid herself out of his jacket. she dumped all her stuff on the launching pad. She found a notepad to scribble on, which she placed on top of everything.
"I'm home" echoed across the walls.