Keeping It Together • Sebastian Bach

Chapter 12: Green With Envy

When Savannah pulled up to the Skids' house at 10:00 the following night, she saw cars lined all up and down the street. She felt a pang of nervousness at this; there were a lot of people here. And, to add salt to the wound, she'd have to park her car a criminal distance away from the house.

As she drove, looking for a place to park, she couldn't help but survey the cars and wonder which ones belonged to the Crüe. She made note of the really expensive-looking ones and speculated on whether or not those were theirs. But, she had to consider that there were probably a lot of rich people in attendance of this party, so those ritzy cars may or may not be theirs. So, she kept looking, just for the sheer possibility of unknowingly laying her eyes on the cars of her favorite band in history.

Eventually, she found a spot to park. It was close to two streets away from the house, but it was something. She parked the car (with some difficulty), and got out, starting the walk to the house.

Savannah thought about the Crüe as she walked, her stomach giddy with the promise of meeting them. Sebastian's offer had been so kind, she couldn't figure out a way to repay him. Maybe her attendance would have been considered repayment in his eyes, but to her, that was way too weak of a repayment. She needed something of equal or greater value to meeting your idols.

She remembered that Sebastian was a huge KISS fan, but the idea that briefly flitted into her head vanished within a second. She had thought that maybe she could get him in touch with some KISS members, but she realized that not only had he probably had interactions with them already (being famous and all), but she did not have those connections. Just because she worked for a famous band did not make her famous by any stretch of the word. She knew for a fact that nobody at that party would know who she was.

Well, they will once you get in there and introduce yourself, she thought, but the very notion made a tingle of nerves run down her body. She feared that she'd look like an idiot. After all, it's not very common for anybody involved in the rock industry to be quiet and kind of self-isolating.

She tried to tell herself that if people thought she looked like an idiot, that was their loss. She approached the door while desperately clinging to that mindset, using the gargoyle knocker. Part of her wondered if anybody would even hear her with all of the hustle and bustle that she could clearly hear, even outside of the house.

But, Sebastian answered the door immediately, almost as if he had been waiting for Savannah. He smiled widely at her, and, surprisingly, he looked sober.

   For now, at least.

   "Hey, Sav!" he said happily, bringing her in for a bone-breaking hug. "I'm so glad you made it! I was starting to think you flaked on me."

   She laughed, returning the hug. "I'm no flaker."

   He laughed in return, releasing her. "Sorry for ever doubting you." He grinned, pulling her inside and shutting the door behind the both of them.

   Savannah surveyed the place, and blinked. Wow, she thought. It's fucking crowded in here.

   And she was not wrong. There were people taking up what felt like every square inch of the house, all pressed together. Some people were pounding liquor, others were snorting what Savannah identified as cocaine.

   She whistled, trying to find familiar faces (mostly the Crüe) in the crowd, but finding none. "Damn, it's wild in here."

   "Of course! You can't expect Skid Row to throw a lame ass, pussy party!" He realized what he had said too late, for he grabbed her shoulders and squeezed them. "I didn't mean you, by the way! You're not the least bit a pussy."