Rose Thorns (1/11)
Summary: Richie Toizer and his band find themselves in a once and a life time situation but can Richie step out of his comfort zone to skyrocket the bands chances for success? Eddie Kaspbrak works at the famous Bourbon Room Club and is responsible for the nights entertainment, when a group of misfits audition for him and his boss he finds himself questioning everything he had thought he knew about himself, love and rock and roll.
A/N: In case some of you donât notice this is and AU, so please disregard if you dislike these types of fanficiton. The Losers are around 22/23 in this fiction so very age appropriate. Let me know what you think and if I should continueâŚ..
Part: 1 (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)
Richie smirked at his friendâs announcement, he was in complete bliss looking at the littered walls. It was like he was in a trance, aimlessly allowing his eyes to wander. Names and dates were carved into its faded wood, forever keeping the bands that had passed through this room. Most were unknown, their signatures forever forgotten by the industry that had swollen them whole. However there were a few that caused the familiar excitement churn the contents of his stomach.
âNine Inch Nails.â A gentle voice announced from beside him. âI love them.â
âIâll give you a nine inch nail Bev.â Richie joked, not even bothering to look over to her. His eyes were on a mission, determined to find all of his favorite bands. There was a playful push against his shoulder followed by a light giggle.
âCan we please focus guys?â The stoic boy in the corner hissed, unamused by the graffiti on the walls.
âG-geez Stan r-relax, take a minute to a-appreciate where we are.â Their leader sputtered, looking over to their drummer with an annoyed face. âHis-history happened h-here.â
âWell we will be history if we donât start taking this audition seriously.â He sneered, his fangs nearly biting at their skin with each syllable. âWe need to get our head in the game.â
âSomeoneâs nervous.â Richie muttered, feeling a knot twist in his stomach.
âDamn right I am.â Stan agreed, fidgeting with his sticks. âThis is a once in a life time shot, if we fuck it up we might as well just head back to Derry.â
There was a moment of realization between the young band members. It was all true, they were here on pure dumb luck, the weight of future lay on this one and only audition and if they landed the part it could be the start to their career. The Bourbon Room had a history of making or breaking artists, it was the ultimate stepping stone to fame, but for every great band to make it onto that stage there were thousands more who flunked out. Odds were definitely stacked against them.
The door to their waiting room opened, reviling a stocky stage hand. His eyes glanced to the clipboard in his hands before meeting theirs, âThe Losers Club?â He asked, reading their bands name with a twinge of amusement.
Bill took a step forward, âY-yes, thatâs u-us.â
The almost too young looking boy smiled, nodding in their general direction. âI like the name.â There was an accumulation of nervous thanks, âYouâre on next.â
âThanks Haystack.â Richie blurted out nervously. The stage hand scrunched his face in annoyance, sending daggers in his direction.
âBen, the nameâs Ben.â He corrected, unamused by the trashmouths tasteless joke.
âSorry about him Ben.â Beverly apologized, glancing at her bandmate in frustration. âRichie makes jokes when heâs tense. He didnât mean anything about it.â Â
She brushed back her auburn hair behind her ear before winking at him playfully. The simple flirtation caused Benâs face to fluster. His gaze down casted before nodding, âYeah, well okay.â There was an awkward moment as he cleared his throat, trying to regain his professional composure. âYouâve got five minutes.â
He left then, leaving the Losers in their anxious wake. Riche felt his heart pound against his ribs and was worried the others could hear his pulse in the confined room. His hands shook as he reached for his guitar, the neck sliding down in his sweaty hands.
âOk.â Billâs voice called to the group. âL-letâs do th-this.â
Eddie adjusted himself in his seat, doodling on his paperwork aimlessly. The club owner waved off the current band before turning toward his aid. âWell?â He asked, annoyingly overlooking Eddieâs scribbled lineup.
The well-kept boy rubbed the bridge of his nose, fighting off the urge to hide his paper. âLead vocalist was powerful but the band as a whole was sub-par.â
Mr. Dupreeâs scrunched his face in a way that made Eddie cringe. âReally, I liked them.â He muttered, crossing their names off of his own list. âI thought they had promise.â
âYou donât have to go with my opinion sir.â Eddie replied, feeling the need to fidget with his pleated pants. âYou have been doing this much longer than me.â
âAre you calling me old Eddie?â Dupree joked, chuckling to himself.
âOf course not sir.â He quickly responded, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. âI just think you weigh my opinion too heavily. You are the expert after all.â
The owner grumbled, outstretching his legs on the chairs in front of them. âYou have a talent for this work Eddie. You have yet to let me down so I always go with your instincts. After all youâre in touch with the younger generation unlike me.â
âRock ânâ roll never ages sir.â Eddie corrected smirking at his boss.
âDamn straight son.â Â He bellowed, slapping his aids back proudly. The force nearly knocked Eddie from his seat, the small boy corrected his posture and smiled, trying not to think about the bruise that would be there tomorrow.
âAlright.â Ben announced, walking onto center stage. He flipped through his paperwork momentarily before glancing up to the only two in the audience. âNext we have The Losers Club.â
âSome name.â Eddie muttered, tapping on his paperwork. The owner refused to comment as the group took the stage.
A moderately pretty girl with fire hair took the microphone. She flashed a smile to the two men in the center of the room, her face bright with eagerness. âHi, Iâm Beverly Mash and we are The Losers Club.â She paused, as if waiting for an applause. The only one to move was the lanky, grungy kid to her left who clapped enthusiastically, hooting at their band name. Â
Eddie could practically hear his friends groan. Beverly shot him a cold look to which he merely shrugged. It took a moment but the young lady cleared her throat and continued adjusting herself into place. The tallest boy of the group, to her right, whispered, â1âŚ.2âŚ.1âŚ2âŚ3..4â They began reasonably well, the girl named Beverly singing the song proudly.
There was something off about the group dynamic, it was as if they were unbalanced. Eddie could feel his skin crawl at the awkwardness, it was all wrong. His brows furrowed as he listened to the song closely, desperate to pin point the issue.
Eddie watched the other members of the group, taking in the way the music moved them. The woman had a great voice, no doubt but it wasnât her place to sing. It was as if the real singer hid behind his instrument rather than dare the spotlight.
The Eddie noticed the dirtier boy on left stage. He strung his interment perfectly while his whole body reacted to the music. While the others merely swayed he mouthed the words, feeling the music in a way Eddie had only seen on once before. Suddenly he understood. He leaned over to his boss and whispered in his ear. Dupree nodded, crossing his arms in thought.
The band looked at one another timidly, fearing the conversation. The next chorus was cut short by the ownerâs hand, halting them completely. The older man cleared his throat, adjusting himself correctly in his chair. âOkay that was good but not great.â
The Losers Clubâs faces fell as they shifted worryingly. âYou, boy with the mop head.â The kid to the left pointed to his chest, looking to his friends in confusion. âYes, you.â Dupree muttered, moderately amused by the kids tall thin stature. âWhatâs your name?â
âR-Richie.â He muttered, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
âDo you sing Richie?â
âI-uh-Beverly is the lead singer.â He replied, pointing to the girl with a muddled look on her face. Eddie face palmed, annoyed at the boyâs stupidity.
Dupree however, snickered. âI didnât ask who the lead singer was, I asked if you sang.â The kid named Richie shook his head, looking at his band timidly. âAre you sure?â The older man pressed, leaning onto his knees.
âI-uh I can sing, I just-â
âAlright, sing me something.â
âI canât, Beverly-â
âLook kid, itâs simple.â The owner muttered, ignoring the way Eddie shifted in his chair. âThe way the band is set up now isnât Bourbon Room material.â He looked to the rest of the band and shrugged, âIâve been in this business a long time and can tell if a band is gonna make it or not. Now, you can accept that and move on or you can take a second chance and lead a song for me.â
âGod dammit Richie, just sing a song.â The drummer sneered from behind, practically throwing his sticks at him.
âListen to your friend Richie. One song wonât kill you.â For a split second it seemed that Dupreeâs words were going to scare him off but slowly, and to Eddieâs compete, surprise he took center stage. Beverly moved to his place instead, the look of confusion still on all of their faces. Richie looked to his friends and mouthed the name of a song, they nodded and again the tallest boy counted.
â1âŚ.2âŚ1âŚ2âŚ3âŚ4.â
The lead guitar, which Richie played, sang out beautifully, announcing the song. Eddie couldnât help but smile, the rhythm vibrating in his chest. He watched the gangly kid stutter over his words, only to recover momentarily. His confidence building with each word.
Sheâs got a smile it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
Iâd probably break down and cry
Eddie watched the Richie kid bellow the song perfectly, his voice smooth and intoxicating. Goose bumps erupted on the small boys arms as the band played the infamous song, only improving it by the lead singerâs brilliant and stunning voice. He couldnât help but feel his boss gaze on him but no matter how hard he tried he couldnât peel himself away from Richie, he was hypnotized.
âJesus, Eddie I donât know how you do it.â Â Dupree boasted, smiling proudly. âHow in the hell did you know?â Eddie shrugged, completely unaware of his boss laughter. Richie was like noting he had ever heard before, his grace and composure on stage nearly overpowered the bands dynamic and yet there they were, the perfect version of The Losers Club. For the first time in his life Eddie was speechless.
Sheâs got eyes of the bluest skies
As if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes
And see and ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child Iâd hide
And pray for the thunder and the rain
âWeâve got a winner my friend.â Mr. Dupree exclaimed happily, shaking Eddieâs shoulders fondly. âYouâve done it again.â
Eddie ignored this comment, instead watching the beautiful kid with the compelling voice. The voice of his dreams, the voice that made Eddie come alive. It was like paradise wrapped in an obnoxious, grungy packaging.