the night after

“Did you have fun last night?” HE asks.
“You watched the tapes, you know what happened,” I reply slyly.
“Now, what would make you think I would do that?”
“We have met before, “ I smarted back.
“Touché,” HE replied over the sound of me dumping ice into the bins.
“Man we sold a lot last night, “I comment while making my list of bottles that need replacing.
The band begins sound checks, so our conversation is forced to shouts that seem to almost always awkwardly land just in the silent moments.
“So, did you fuck her?” HE shouts during one of those silent moments that draws every band members’ waiting stares.
“Watch the rest of the tape.”
“Or you could tell us,” the singer replied over the mic.
“See, you aren’t powerless to cause trouble, “I reminded HIM.
HE laughed, “Nah, I just let people be people, Ya’ll make your own trouble.”
I head to the back after finishing whipping down the bar to restock jest as B is showing up fo her shift.
Her evil grin tells me she saw everything last night.
“Like you were so innocent,” I pop off to her snicker.
“Prove it,” she fires back as I point to the cameras. “Oh yah, forgot bout those,” he mutters as her face turns pink.
Setup has become routine, that I don’t even realize we have finished and are ready for the rush that should be here soon.
The band and their crew disappeared sometime ago to get food. Im sure we wont see them ‘til about fifteen minutes after their set is supposed to start.
The first few regulars start showing up and a small crowd is already gathering at the bar. I notice that HE has cornered some new guy at the end of the bar. Poor soul. This is is the torment we were warned about: listening to the Devil whine about how he has such a bad rap and how powerless he really is. Seems every new person that dares to venture here alone and early get it. For a second I debate sending a shot down to him to end his boredom. I decide against it and laugh to myself thinking, “At least it isn’t me this time.”
I must have been watching them longer than I realized because when I look back down the bar the place has started getting packed.
Diane and Marie are back, leaning on the bar and wearing the same clothes they had partially on when they left last night. Trent isn’t with them. I grin and wonder if they left him tied up in a hotel room someplace. Pretty sure it was worth it to him, no matter what.
The crowd pushes towards the stage as the band, amazingly, starts playing on time. Very interesting sound. Kind of Dire straights meets Lenny Kravitz. They engage the crowd well and all of the girls are going crazy. They must hav been big after my life, ‘cause I have no clue who they are but the crowd knows and loves them.
Most of the regulars have either retreated to he darker quieter corners, or the patio. Sounds like a fucking good idea. I head out to the patio as well.
The new girl “working” the patio bar is already topless, making out with Marie and ignoring customers. She wont last long. The customers don’t realy mind though, I think they prefer watching these 2 girls over getting drinks.
Diane is sitting at the edge of the patio, grinning and knocking beer bottles into the lake. The glass melts before it even reaches the throngs of tormented down in the lake. Every now and then you will hear a louder than normal scream as the melted glass apparently hits one in the face. God I love Diane.
I glance back through the window to see B shoot me the eye. A fight has broken out on stage between the drummer and the singer. Security reaches the stage just as a Zildian is cracked across the singer’s head and he falls, bleeding into their arms. Guess they wont be playing here anymore.
Times like this I’m glad we have such a good DJ. Not even a minute of dead air before he is playing the Beastie Boys, “You’ve Got to Fight For your Right to Party.” Fucking smart ass…