Payne in the Ass

26:3 Anything

This last chapter is dedicated to my 

grandmother

who passed away last Wednesday,

Nicole

who  I somehow (even with my many praising words about her) fail to explain how much she means to me, and to

you,

who has laughed alongside Eponine, Sammi, and Fae during their crazy, unrealistic adventures until the very end.

❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀

The strong, euphoric feeling that came with performing was over the minute their feet hit the backstage floor, replacing their power with a wave of panic. They were soon encompassed with crew members, some patting them on the back and congratulating the girls on a job well done, and some not even caring about the band, trying to take away their microphones so they could go home to their families. The people didn’t help the fear present in the three of them.

Eponine’s ears were overcome with a ringing that occurred often at the most inopportune times, specifically when she felt alarmed. Over the cacophony, she could very faintly hear Fae telling the crowd very nicely but firmly, that they all felt sick and needed some space to run back to the dressing rooms immediately.

Nothing clears a crowd better than the threat of vomit.

Fae grasped both of her grimacing friends’ hands and lured them with force to the rooms in which they could talk amongst themselves alone. Or, almost alone, because the tiny earpiece in which Dan could bark orders at them was still attached to their bodies. It just thrilled them to have another human being talking in their ear all the time backstage. So. Fun.

After pulling them along down the stupidly lit hallway and through the room, Fae slammed the door shut and flicked the lock closed. Panting in effort to catch their breath, the girls stripped out of their stage clothes and wrapped bath robes around them or pulled on pyjamas.

“Okay,” Sammi began once that was all done. “What are we going to do? They’re obviously going to come backstage and talk to us.”

“We could call security?” Fae offered.

“And when have they been known to listen to security?” Eppy grumbled. The three of them let out decrepit groans or sighs in agreed frustration, thinking of the times Paul has had to physically throw one of the boys over his shoulders and place him where he’s supposed to be.

 The only sounds filling the room were their shallow breathing, having felt they had just run a marathon although it was anything but, the faint murmuring of Dan’s voice speaking to other people buzzing out of their communication earpiece, and the sound of air rushing through the air duct.

“I can’t think over the stupid air duct.” Fae complained with annoyance.

“Well, I guess if all else fails, you could just crawl through the vents to freedom.” Eponine joked without any real attempt at humor.

“Eppy, you’re a genius, you are!” Sammi exclaimed, excitement filling up her once emotion void face.

“I was kidding.” Eppy stated, her eyes wide.

“Yeah, maybe, but it still works!” Fae jumped up. “We can’t go out that door because we’re bound to run into Dan or someone who works here or the boys. We have to take the vents!”

“It worked on that Disney show! The one about the twins living in a hotel.” Sammi added to help convince Eppy enthusiastically.

“It was a show on the telly!” Eppy argued. “And they were prepubescent blonde boys!”