Not This Time

Jon: August 3, 1987

     Nina had told us about this party after the show last night and everyone on the crew had been talking about it during tonight's show. The band and I got to the party a little late, though, because we couldn't find the place. I looked around for anyone even vaguely familiar from tour as the boys continued around me and into the party. I'd kind of hoped that Nina would be there, but the last I'd heard, she wasn't sure she would make it. She'd gotten a migraine from lack of sleep.
     I had only gotten a few more steps into the room when a skinny brunette woman leapt through the crowd and stopped in front of me excitedly. She waved her hands back and forth in front of her face and hopped a little in place. She looked like a child who had been given too much sugar.
     "Oh my God, Jon Bon Jovi!" she squealed, "Oh my God, oh my God, Jon Bon Jovi is at my party!" She brought her hands together in front of her and took a deep breath, pressing her palms against each other. Then she smiled. "I'm Lillianne Danes," she introduced relatively calmly. Then she squeaked just a little and added, "I can't believe you're here! Do you want me to put on some Bon Jovi?"
     I smiled a bit and shook my head. "This is a Def Leppard album party, isn't it?" I snickered, "I hear my music all the time! Listen to Bon Jovi on your own time, I'm here for Def Leppard!"
     "Whoo!" she cheered, throwing her fists up in the air, "Oh my God, just have fun! Whatever! I'm freaking out!" All I could do was nod as she backed away from me. She still looked completely shocked that I'd shown up as she pointed out my presence to people in the crowd who would then gape in excitement as well. Even after an entire year of touring, I still wasn't quite used to the awestruck stares. It almost felt like I would never get used to it.
     I had only gotten a few more steps into the party when a familiar voice called to me.
     "Rockstar!" Nina's voice shouted over the music.
     I watched her push through the crowd toward me. She tackled me in what I could only assume was supposed to be a hug, laughing uncontrollably as I tried to balance myself with her in my arms. Her tight, red party dress didn't quite reach her knees. The buttons trailing down the front always made me want to undo them. I could feel my gaze following them up her front until they disappeared under the white Def Leppard crop she wore over the dress. The whole outfit had a sort of distressed look that was only complimented by her lack of shoes. She was wearing a little more makeup than I'd ever seen her wear and, on top of that, she had glitter on her face.
     Once we were both solidly on our feet, my hands habitually slid down to rest on her hips. Nina gasped and gently bit her lip. I could hear the longing in her voice when she sighed, "I love it when you do that."
     "Do what?" I chuckled back. Nina stepped in closer like she would kiss me. Instead, she smiled playfully and tapped on my chest with her pointer fingers.
     "Lay your hands on me," she whispered rhythmically, almost as if she was singing, but her pitch didn't change. She was mere inches from my face when she giggled and pulled away, taking my breath with her. I stared at the space she'd left, surprised at such an open display in such a crowded room.
     Nina was still giggling childishly next to me by the time I remembered to breathe. Someone must have handed her a glass of champagne because when I looked over there was an empty champagne flute in her hand that hadn't been there a second ago. She didn't seem to notice the lack of alcohol, though, as she raised the glass to her lips.
     "I assume you're feeling better?" I asked, shaking my head at her.
     "I feel great!" Nina all but shouted as soon as the words were out of my mouth. "Finn's girlfriend's friend, Stacy, gave me one of her boyfriend's prescription-strength Aspirin and it just wiped that migraine out!" she explained a little louder than she needed to. I tried not to let my smile waver, but something about the way Nina was acting seemed wrong.
     "You're sure you're alright?" I asked again, just to be positive. Nina looked like she was about to answer me when a song I didn't recognize filled the room. My best guess was that it was a song from the new Def Leppard album. Out of nowhere, a girl I'd never seen before appeared and latched onto Nina's arm.
     "Dance with me, Nina!" the girl begged before proceeding to let go and twirl away from the two of us. Nina turned to follow her, but continued around in a full circle to face me again. Her expression seemed somewhat lost, but her head was already bobbing to the music.
     "Aaaaoh, aaoh. Oooooh, oooh," she sang along absently with the track. Eyes wide, Nina smiled slightly and started moving more, as if she was just then realizing there was something to dance to. I just watched her with a slight smile, sort of amused but also a little bit confused. "Aaaaoh, aaoh. Oooooh oooh!" Nina repeated as that same girl reappeared and danced Nina away from me, toward the music. I could see Nina's mouth moving like she was singing along with the lyrics, but there was no way for me to be sure. She didn't seem to mind being dragged away; she didn't seem to mind much of anything.
     After a minute of watching her dance with whoever would join her and trying to piece together what had just happened, I finally just chalked it all up to drunkenness. She'd probably had a little too much of that sparkling wine, lightweight that she was. Even that nasty gin she usually drank was always watered down. She must have started early on that wine, though; she looked smashed.
     I wandered around the party aimlessly for a minute. I spotted Richie standing by the doorway to the kitchen with a cute blonde in a pink tie-up top and white jeans. She looked like she was about to throw her beer on my guitarist. I started over there to save him, but I was too late. She slapped him and spun on her heel with a huff.
     "What did you say to her?" I snickered as I approached.
     "I don't even know," Richie admitted, rubbing his cheek. He didn't seem too concerned, to be honest. He grinned at me and shook his head before dropping his hand with a shrug. We were both still laughing when David came up behind me and turned me toward him.
     His eyes were wide. "Dude," he said, repeatedly glancing away from me toward the living room where my girlfriend was, "Have you seen Nina? She looks outrageous! Is that how she dresses off tour?"
     I scoffed and laughed again. "Are you kidding?" I chuckled, "She'd probably cry if she knew she had glitter on her face." David, Richie, and I all looked over to the living room for the little red dress moving through the crowd to the beat of the song. "I think she's already wasted," I laughed.
     "I guess so," David shrugged. In one fluid movement, he smacked my arm lightly and snapped his fingers as if he'd just remembered something. "When we got here, she was laying across another girl's lap singing one of the songs from the new album," he recounted, waving his finger in front of his face matter-of-factly. He shook his head, giving me a confused stare. "How does she know the songs, already, man? That album literally came out today."
     I just shrugged, still watching for a glimpse of her glittery face. I couldn't answer that one either. She'd been with us at the venue since around four, and she'd been with me the whole day before that. The Def Leppard album had hardly even been mentioned aside from talking about the party.
     "Hey, check this out!" Richie declared, clapping a hand down on my shoulder and turning me once again so that I could look through the kitchen doorway.
     There was booze all over the place in any form you could think of. The sink was filled with ice in which to chill bottles. There were at least four coolers of different brands of beer. The counter nearest us was Wine Central with various reds and whites laying in their neat little racks. There was even a counter with some Coca-Cola cans left out next to some harder liquors to mix drinks with.
     But that wasn't what Richie was talking about. Beyond the sea of alcohol was a dining section of this woman's over-sized apartment, and on the table of that dining room, a game of beer pong was being played.
     "Here we go!" I said with glee, rubbing my hands together excitedly as I crossed through the kitchen to join the other spectators. I loved beer pong. It was an excellent game to watch, but so much more fun to play. And the longer you played, the more fun it got.
     Alec and Tico were already there watching. Neither Richie nor David had followed me through the kitchen, so I just joined my other friends. We watched the next two games, then I jumped up at the chance to show the winner a thing or two. She's already won the last game, but only on an amazing comeback. She'd seemed to get better the more she drank. I loved a challenge.
     I defeated her with ease, and then Alec. And then Tico. I'd be lying if I said The Hit Man didn't give me a run for my money. Still, I beat him, just barely. The fourth guy I played was about my age and was really excited to be playing beer pong with Jon Bon Jovi. Needless to say, that was another easy win.
     I had just started to play my fifth game as reigning champ when Richie tapped me on the shoulder. I tossed the ball at the same moment that I turned to look at Richie. The ball didn't even hit the table and everyone struggled to see where it had landed. Then they laughed. When I followed their gaze to the ball, so did I. The ball had bounced off the kitchen tiles and through another doorway to a small den, where it had rolled into a spilled cup of beer. It was just too perfect, even if it didn't count. Besides, all the beer I'd consumed had mellowed out my competitiveness.
     "Misty's here," Richie reported, motioning back through the kitchen toward the living room. Still chuckling, I turned back to him and shook my head in amused confusion.
     "That French stripper?" I laughed. How random was that? We hadn't seen her again since that night; I'd always kind of assumed she'd gone back to France. Why would she show up at a Def Leppard album party? It was so weird and funny. Everything was a little funny, though, after five games of beer pong.
     Richie shook his head. He wasn't laughing. "No, that was Mistique, remember?" he retorted, emphasizing a very hard 'k' sound on the end of the name, "I'm talking about Misty." The amusement had faded away a little, but my grin was still there as I tried to understand what he was saying. I was probably more confused than anything by his statement. Richie gave me a pointed look and clarified, "The American one!"
     That's when the dots connected. Oh God, he meant Nina. But why would he call her that? Instant concern washed over me, sobering me up a bit.
     "What?" I snapped. It was my turn in the game, but I no longer cared. Richie motioned for me to follow him and, much to the dismay of my opponent and the surrounding crowd, I did. He led me back through the kitchen to the living room. As we drew closer, the music that had been background noise during my games of beer pong became impossible to ignore.
     I did not anticipate what I saw next. A large group of people were all clapping to the beat as my girlfriend danced on top of a coffee table at the center of the crowd. Her hair was a wild mess and her eyeliner had somehow gotten a little smudged. Her feet were still bare and she had already knocked over some of the stuff that the host kept on that table. I watched in shock as she pointed to someone in the crowd that surrounded her.
     "You got the peaches, I got the cream," Nina sang along as she pointed to herself as well, "Sweet to taste. Saccharine!" She fanned herself, "Cos I'm hot! So hot! Sticky sweet!" She licked her fingers and ran them down the curves of her body seductively as she sang, "From my head, my head, to my feet!" She swiveled her hips, singing, "Do you take sugar?" She threw her hands up as if she were on stage. "One lump or two!?"
     I watched in utter fascination as Nina took an unopened bottle of champagne out of someone's hands. I'd never seen her like this before. It was troubling and incredibly sexy all at once. I glanced over at Richie and he looked back at me for a second before we both returned our attention to Nina. It made sense, now, why he'd called her Misty.
     Just as the crowd started to sing along with the chorus, "Pour some sugar on me," Nina popped open the bottle of champagne and let it spray onto the crowd. A cheer of excitement and amusement filled the room and almost drowned out the song. Undeterred and somehow still precisely on time, Nina proceeded to sing the lead in response to the chorus.
     "Ooh, in the name of love!" Nina declared, licking some of the champagne from her fingertips. I took a deep breath, but couldn't look away. I didn't really want to be standing there next to Richie anymore, either.
     Nina tilted her head back and poured some of what remained in the bottle over herself as the crowd repeated, "Pour some sugar on me!"
     "Come on fire me up!" she sang to them, dragging her free hand up her side and almost pulling her crop top up with it.
     She took a drink straight from the bottle while the crowd called, "Pour some sugar on me!"
     "Oh, I can't get enough!" Nina sang, spinning around on the now slippery coffee table.
     As if they were asking for it, Nina poured the remainder of the bottle out on the crowd when they shouted, "Pour some sugar on me!"
     "Oooh, in the name of love!" She sang into the bottle as if it were a microphone. Then she let go of the bottle, letting it fall to the carpet in front of the coffee table as she brought her hands up into her hair.
     "Pour some sugar on me!"
     With one hand still scrunching up her hair, she summoned her audience with just her index finger right in front of her face as she sang, "Baby! Come get it!"
     "Pour some sugar on me!"
     "Ooohooh!" She dipped and twisted, knocking over and then stepping on a picture frame when she nearly lost her balance on the slippery table. I started to move when she stumbled, but she caught herself before I could even take a whole step.
     "Pour some sugar on me!"
     "Yeah-hey! Sugar me!" Nina sang as she moved her hips to the last few chords of the song. The crowd cheered once more, clapping in applause this time. I blinked out of my daze as I watched at least a half-dozen hands reach up to help her down from the table.
     With a roll of my eyes, I looked over at Richie. "Aspirin, she told me," I scoffed. He only snickered and shook his head.
     When we found Nina, David was with her and she was surrounded by guys. Should have known. Why wouldn't they flock to her after a show like that? I recognized a few of them from tour, but most of them I didn't know. Nina, more or less oblivious to everyone around her despite the air-headed smile she had on, was clinging to David's arm as if for dear life. One of the two other girls in the circle looked up at me and squealed a little.
     "It's Jon and Richie!" she whisper-shouted to the guy she was with, as if he couldn't see us for himself. One of the guys from tour stepped aside and let us join their little group, but all I offered to the conversation was a polite smile and a general nod.
     I watched Nina smile a very innocent smile toward some guy I didn't know who was mumbling something in her ear. I could only assume by what David said next that the guy's words hadn't been as innocent as Nina's smile.
     "Get lost, man, she doesn't even know you!" David snapped.
     The guy glared at him and retorted, "Oh and she knows you?"
     "She's my little sister, loser!" he lied. The guy's friend nudged him and nodded away from our group. Most of the people I didn't recognize seemed to wander away at the sound of David's fib. I guess nobody wanted to mess with Nina's "big brother". Nina, however, seemed incredibly entertained by the idea.
     She turned that gleeful grin on David and giggled, "Oooh, is that the game we're playing? Big brother, little sister, how kinky!"
     David just stifled a laugh and shook his head at her, looking over at me with a knowing smirk. Nina followed his gaze and, as if she were just noticing out presence for the first time, her face lit up.
     "Rockstar!" she declared, letting go to David's arm. She leapt toward me and all but fell into me as she'd done earlier in the evening. Her arms fell across my shoulders and wrapped around my neck to hold herself up. "I love you!" she said right in front of everybody.
     I could feel the surprise on my face as I stared at her. She clearly wasn't in her right mind if she'd just said that. The crewmen in the circle couldn't stop laughing. I didn't know if they were laughing at me or at her. Maybe both, who knew?
     Nina looked over and grinned at Richie before leaning over that way toward him. She must not have thought it out, or perhaps her feet were just deciding not to listen to her, but either way, she didn't step and she started to fall toward the guitarist as well. Richie, unprepared, tried to catch her, but it was very awkward.
     She grabbed hold of Richie's arm and held on, much like she'd been doing with David. I glanced over at the crewmen for a second, each of them trying to contain their laughter as they all watched Nina. She leaned against Richie and gazed up at him with wide, adoring eyes.
     "I love you," she said again. And again, the crew broke into a fit of giggles. I knew she was on something. She had to be. Telling Richie that wasn't like her at all. He and I exchanged confused glances and then he looked around the rest of the circle for an explanation.
     David shrugged. "She's been saying that to everybody," he chuckled, "She said it to me too when we got her down off the table."
     I leaned over to mutter something to her. I could smell the sweet white wine in her hair and almost got a mouth full when she wobbled on her feet a little. Nina glanced at me and gave me a weird look, like she wasn't expecting me to be so close, so I leaned away again before I could say anything.
     "Why are you guys spinning?" Nina asked, still sounding a little happy but also confused.
     "We're not," I said.
     "Why don't you go sit down?" Finn, one of the guys from tour, suggested. All the guys from tour, Finn included, were still chuckling a little because this Nina was very very different from the Nina they were used to. Nina pointed at him though, oblivious to their amusement, and nodded.
     "That's a good idea," she agreed, "My stomach is churning.." It was the first time all night that she hadn't sounded either excited or out of it. Nina still had hold of Richie's arm when she turned and started for the nearby couch. Richie gave her a weird look and then tossed a confused one to the group.
     "Apparently I'm leaving," he observed as Nina unintentionally dragged him away.
     I chuckled at Richie's reaction, but when I turned back to the group, the rest of the guys I didn't know were gone. They weren't interested if Nina wasn't there to entertain them. Some of the crew even started wandering away. Finn and the girl on his arm stuck around, along with the other girl and the guy she was with. Mikey and...crap, what was his name...Kenneth? No! Keith! Mikey and Keith stuck around too.
     "Oh, Jon, this is my girlfriend Sarah," Finn introduced, motioning to the girl next to him, "She's a big fan of yours." She gave me a pretty smile and held out her hand. I didn't even think before reaching out and shaking her hand with a small smile. Nina was still dancing around in the back of my mind, but I couldn't let down a fan.
     The other girl cleared her throat impatiently.
     "That's Stacy," Sarah explained, nodding to her friend, "She came with me to the show the other night." I started to reach out to her as well when Sarah added, "Be careful, she bites."
     Stacy scoffed and gave Sarah a playful glare before beaming at me and taking a step forward to shake my hand as well. "It's so exciting to meet you!" she chirped, stepping back next to the guy. She nodded slightly in his direction. "This is my boyfriend Sean."
     "Hey," Sean said nonchalantly.
     "'Sup," I responded with little interest.
     There was a pause. Keith rocked on his heels in the awkward silence. I glanced over my shoulder at Nina and Richie having a conversation on the couch. It looked like a weird conversation. Her eyes were very wide and he looked confused. I brought a hand up to the back of my neck as I turned back to the group, trying to remember what Nina had told me earlier.
     Finn's girlfriend's friend, Stacy, gave me one of her boyfriend's prescription-strength Aspirin and it just wiped that migraine out!
     There it was. I smirked a little and nodded to the two couple across from me. "So Nina said she came with you guys," I began. I shrugged for effect, dropping my eyes to the carpet for a fraction of a second as I spoke. "When she came in to give me notes after show, she wasn't even sure she'd make it to the party. Said she had a monster migraine," I explained. I grinned a little. "But then that just happened," I chuckled, pointing with my thumb over my shoulder.
     "Right?" Mikey agreed, holding a hand out to me questioningly, "There's no way that woman would drink so much with a migraine."
     I pointed to him and nodded. He got it. He knew. Then we all looked over at Finn, Sarah, Stacy, and Sean.
     "How the hell did you get her here?" Keith asked, voicing what we were all wondering.
     Stacy swatted the air like it was no big deal. "I just gave her some Aspirin," she said with a shrug. She nudged her boyfriend as she went on, "Sean kept some prescription strength stuff in his glove compartment and I figured.."
     I noticed Sean's surprised reaction before he said a word, but the words he said left a whole new series of questions to be answered.
     Sean stared at his girlfriend with wide-eyed shock and spat, "You gave her what?!"