I didn't realize people liked to socialize so much. I was exhausted just watching everyone. I spent my time finishing up writing down everything Angus and I talked about and went on to describe the party. There were no balloons or anything, not even a cake. Just cases of beer, cigarettes and joints, happy attenders, lots of chatter, folding chairs, and a table with finger food. 

I was used to birthday parties filled to the brim with elderly relatives. This was quite a change of pace. 

"The band leave or what?" a voice asked. I looked up to see one of the Glamour Girls standing over me, the one with lots of blush on her cheeks and blue eyeshadow. 

"Might be in the showers," I guessed. At least Angus was. 

"I'm Candace, by the way," the woman said holding out her hand for me. "In the group they call me 'Trouble'."

"I'm Hannah Ruth," I said shaking her hand. 

"They call you anything?" she asked. 

They call me Anna, Elena, Ellen, Banana, anything that's not my actual name Hannah. And anyone who shares that name will understand. But something told me that wasn't what she meant. "Call me?"

"You know groupies have little names," she said and I could have slapped myself for being so dumb. Should I tell her Gemini? Or should I pick a different name?

"I'm still thinking," I said. 

"You don't want a bad name," she said. "That'll be the name you're remembered by around here." She looked around for the other members of her posse. "There's Victoria over there," she said pointing to a woman with similar makeup but with bright red lipstick and jet black hair. "She goes by Cherry." I nodded. "And...." She turned around. "Oh, there's Mary, she hates her name so call her Hollywood." I craned my neck to see a plump woman with flaming red hair and several earrings. "And those three over there are Susan, Diana, and Mildred. They're called Storm, Ice, and..." Trouble shrugged. "Mildred just likes to be called Millie."

I nodded, hoping I would remember all that. "How did you think of all those names?"

"Well, I was always trouble in school, so it fit," she said. "Cherry wears cherry red lipstick and she thought it sounded sensual." I nodded. "Mary got her groupie career started in Hollywood on the strip so she took that. And Storm and Ice are sisters. They must have come up with their names together. Ice is older by two years. And Millie is just Millie."

What deep dark secrets in my past would make for a good name? I was way too good of a student in school despite not being very smart. I hated getting in trouble. Cherry was a bit too...sensual for me, as they pointed out. I'd never been to Hollywood, or anywhere else cool that warranted a name. Storm and Ice were tough names and I was a borderline chicken nugget. So what, I shorten my name like Millie? Han? 

Sounds too close to Hans...

"You don't need to think of one right now, but maybe soon so we can spread the word for you. Get your name out there."

"Thanks," I said. She nodded at my notebook.

"What are you writing?"

"I'm a journalist," I lied. "I'm writing an article about the band." Trouble narrowed her eyes.

"A journalist and a groupie?" she asked. I winced and nodded, clutching my book. "Lucky," she said. I breathed out in relief. "We'd love to have a job like that. An excuse to follow bands around without the demeaning labels. Of course we're not ashamed of what we are," she added. "But sometimes you wanna stick your resume in a man's face."

"Hey, Candy!" someone called. Trouble looked up to see her friends waving her over.

"Candy's another nickname, but it's more like Millie. Not my groupie name. I gotta go," she said leaving me alone. It appeared they had cornered a roadie and he was loving every minute of the attention. 

I wanted a cool name before all the good ones were taken...a lightbulb went off in my head.

Ace! I could go by Ace!

.....no, that's too close to Ace Frehley...

One by one the boys came out of the showers in fresh clothes and wet hair, holding towels. Phil came out first and he looked ready to swim in a bottle of the good stuff. Cliff came out smiling and excited to join in on the fun. Bon stumbled out laughing at something Malcolm was telling him and Angus came out in his regular clothes. I looked around for the Glamour Girls to see if they were paying attention to the studly parade. Eh, Bon would find them. 

"I'm back," Angus said sitting down in his chair holding another cup of water. His wet hair dripped all over the floor and left dark spots on the shoulders of his shirt. "Smell a lot better, don't ya' think?"

Well, yes, but I didn't want to be rude. 

"So what else do ya' have for me?" he asked crossing his tiny leg over his other tiny leg. We weren't that far off from size, even if I was a little taller. I looked back through some of the questions I hadn't asked anyone yet.

"Where's your favorite places to play?" I asked. He tapped his fingers on his jeans.

"Anywhere's good as long as they got a willin' audience," he said. "Ya' stick us with a group of kids who don't like us an' we get booed off stage, it's not really fun for anyone, ya' know?" he said. "But when ya' play in front of kids who paid money to see us, we wanna give 'em our best an' it's good for everyone. An' that can happen anywhere." I hoped my pen wouldn't run out of ink. "Course in places like here...Australia, it's where we come from, kinda," he said. "So it's fun to play here an' it's fun to go to Europe." He smiled. "It's jus' fun to play, ya' know?"

"Do you ever get tired of wearing the uniform?" I asked. 

"Tired of it?" I nodded. "I dunno, it's kinda nice not havin' to worry about what you're wearin' onstage, course we all jus' wear whatever up there. We're not...a glam band anymore, ya' know...an' sometimes I see myself in the mirror an' wonder what the hell I'm doin'..." He laughed. "But it's all in good fun, an' I don't mind."

"What's the best part about being in a band?"

He sat there in thought for a minute. "The music," he said. "I've always wanted to play...an' I get to. You can say whatever ya' want about the money an' the fame an' the excess...but it's the music I'm in for."

I smiled. What a man...

Someone came up to us in the middle of the interview. He had a tricky look on his face and he was constantly looking over his shoulder. "I don't mean to interrupt," he said. "I just want to make sure I'm talking to a member of the band."

Angus and I looked at each other. "Yeah," Angus said. 

"You into anything?" he asked. "Interested?"

"I'm sorry?" Angus asked sitting up. 

The man looked over his shoulder again. He pulled up a chair in front of us and sat down, folding his hands. He lowered his voice. "What are you on?" he asked. Angus frowned. 

"Oh, I see," he said. "I'm on nothin'." 

"Ya' gotta be on something," the man said. "Everyone is nowadays." I rolled my eyes. So what, just because everyone is doing it that means we have to? "I won't let it slip, what are you on?"

"What am I on..." Angus mumbled. "Chocolate," he said. "Yeah, I'm on chocolate."

"Chocolate..." the man repeated. He opened his jacket and started feeling around in his inside pocket. "Is that code for something?"

Angus and I snickered. "If ya' can't find any that's alright, I already have a stash." The man couldn't find anything that looked like the inconceivable chocolate so he gave up. And my insides churned when he looked at me.

"What's the lady on then?" he asked. I looked at Angus who was sipping his water. Did caffeine count? Something told me he didn't have any tea bags in there. Which boggled my mind. How can you claim to offer drug services and not carry tea? Psh, amateurs. "Uppers? Downers?"

Goodness me...so many to choose from. There was one drug I had in mind that wouldn't hurt to have around. I leaned closer, also keeping my voice low. "You have Dramamine?" I asked. He frowned again.

"Do I have what?"

"Dramamine," I repeated. He looked around in his pockets again and I giggled. 

"You kids like the weird stuff," the man mumbled. "Is that new? Something on the market I haven't heard of yet?" I didn't know when Dramamine was invented but it wasn't that absurd, was it? 

"What about Aussie Arvo?" I asked. Aussie Arvo was short for Australian Afternoon, a kind of tea I drank during the summer. I knew he wouldn't have any and I wanted to mess with him. 

The man looked at me and blinked. "Osiarvo?" he asked. "Now how the fuck should I know what that is?"

Angus kept quiet, probably enjoying the show. "If you don't have it, I don't mind," I said. The man kept rummaging around and pulling things out.

"You don't want speed, or smack, or something?" he asked. "No crystal?"

I always wondered about drug slang. Names like "Dead on Arrival" or "Walking Zombie". Yeah, like I want to try something called "Rotting Flesh" or "Stinky Breath". Unless you're pulling out a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips, no thanks. 

"I think we're good here," Angus said pulling out a pack of cigarettes. The man eyed them. 

"A nicotine man, huh?" he said putting his collection back. "You know there's stuff out there that's way better?"

"I doubt it," Angus said curtly. With a huff the man stood up and went to bother somebody else. Angus lit his cigarette and looked at me. "Aussie Arvo?" he asked. 

"It's a kind of tea," I said looking at the floor. 

"Nothin' wrong with tea," he said. "That's a good fuckin' time."

"Alright, pizza's here!" someone yelled as the back door slammed shut. A man walked over to the table carrying a billion boxes of pizza and set them down. Angus and I watched the crowds tear each other apart for the food. Olives went spilling to the floor and pineapple slices fell in heaps on the table. 

"Jesus," Angus laughed. He looked at me. "You gettin' any?"

"Not at the minute," I said watching the pandemonium. Not to mention I really had to watch what I ate. It had been almost nothing but fries since I got here! Those magical winds couldn't carry me home if they tried! After the crowds cleared away Angus stood up to check for any crumbs left behind and I stayed in my chair, not too hungry at the minute. I observed everyone in the room like a fly on the wall, writing writing writing.