Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
REGAN
“Will you sign my CD?”
I looked up from the poster I was signing and spotted my mini-me.
She had to be the most adorable little girl, probably middle school aged, with the costume version of my favorite outfit I wore on stage.
But it was like . . . good. I’d never seen this costume online or in stores.
It was much better than other kids’ costumes I’d seen.
Her blue eyes fell with sadness. She tucked the strands of her turquoise wig behind her ears. Her cheeks flushed bright-pink. “Is that not allowed?” she asked in a small voice.
That was when I realized I'd just been staring at the poor thing. I shook myself and put a wide grin on my face as I crouched down to her eye level. “I am so sorry. I was lost in my head about your costume. It’s amazing. I was trying to figure out where you bought it and totally did not hear your question. Is what not allowed?”
“My mom made my costume!” She giggled and held an object out between us. “Can you sign this?”
I gasped. “Is this our debut album?”
Her eyes lit up. “YES!”
“Oh my God. You know there were only a limited number of these made.”
“Really?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, you’ve got quite a collector’s item.”
She squealed and did a little dance. “I bought it with my birthday money when I was six. I’m your biggest fan.”
“Aww, you’re so sweet. Thank you so much. Of course I can sign your CD. Chanel, look.” I swatted my cousin’s arm, interrupting her talking to the fan I’d just signed a poster for. I grimaced to the woman. “Sorry—”
“Oh shit. Is that our debut?” Chanel leaned over to look, then gave the girl an appreciative nod. “Badass.”
“Language, Chanel,” I hissed under my breath. “She’s a little girl—”
“And probably why you’re her favorite.” Chanel winked at the girl, then turned back to the woman whose poster she’d been signing. “Sorry, we chase a lot of squirrels.”
I rolled my eyes at my cousin and turned back to my mini-me. “So, what’s your name, sweetie?”
“Anabelle.”
“That’s a pretty name!” I grinned as I signed the actual CD, the front of the CD case, the back of the CD case, and the free poster we were giving out to everyone who bought meet and greet tickets for tonight’s show. Then I slid it over to Chanel. “Sign so we can take a pic.”
“Mom, hurry! It’s our turn for a picture!” Anabelle yelled out behind her. “I’m sorry. She’ll be right here. She went to the bathroom.”
“No worries. Nature calls.” Chanel chuckled. She read the back of the CD case that listed our first five songs ever released. “Dude, we should sing these tonight. It’s been a hot minute.”
I snapped my fingers excitedly. “Brilliant.”
A moment later a woman came running toward us with the matching costume to Anabelle’s. It was the same excellent quality except she was dressed as Chanel—pink wig and all. “I’m here! I'm here! So sorry!”
“Oh hell yeah! You look great!” Chanel cheered and clapped her hands. “Saved the best cosplay for last tonight. I’m so here for it. Make sure you tag us on social media, m’kay, Mom? I will definitely be sharing this.”
“We didn’t even take the picture yet.” I chuckled and dragged my cousin around to the front of the table. “Getting ahead of yourself?”
She scoffed. “These costumes deserve to be shared on our socials, regardless of what our faces look like—oh, we should bow!”
Before I could ask what she meant, Chanel dropped to her knees next to Anabelle’s mom, so I followed suit next to Anabelle.
Mom and daughter didn’t miss the cue. They immediately struck their best Chanegan poses as we pretended to worship them.
The giggles coming out of Anabelle made meet and greets worth it.
After our manager Cody snapped the picture, we both stood up and took a more normal photo.
“Thank you! Enjoy the show!” I yelled as mom and daughter bounced away.
“Okay, time to get ready for the show,” Cody said with a sigh. “We’re cutting it a little too close tonight, ladies. We’re gonna have to sell less meet and greet tickets if you two can’t control how long you chat—”
“Whoa!”
“Hey!” I scoffed. “We’re done on time.”
“My guy, we have to chat with our fans.” Chanel scowled at him. But then her eyes widened. “Hey, is that a chick in scrubs sprinting toward us?”
I looked up as Cody turned around. Sure enough, there was a young-looking brunette wearing hot pink scrubs and running as fast as she could toward us.
“Quick, did someone die?” Chanel whispered.
“Are we about to die?” I whispered back.
Cody shook his head. “She’s wearing the meet and greet lanyard, ladies.”
“That doesn’t mean shit,” we said in perfect unison, which caused us to burst into giggles.
“I’m here! I’m here!” the brunette shouted from fifty feet away still, waving her arms wildly as if we didn’t see her. “Please wait!”
“Girl, you can walk,” Chanel said with a laugh. “We ain’t leavin’ you.”
As she got closer, I narrowed my eyes on her scrubs. “Do you have blood on you?”
She stopped in front of us and looked down at herself, then back up to us. “Yes.”
“Wicked,” Chanel and I said in unison.
I nodded. “I have questions.”
“I’d like the story that goes with . . .” Chanel gestured to the woman and the path she’d just been running, “. . . all that.”
“But a short story, please?” Cody held his phone screen up to show us we were due on stage in fifteen minutes. “They still have to get dressed—”
“Cody, we’ve got this. Can you go tell the band that we wanna play the debut songs tonight?”
“There’s a reason the saying says don’t shoot the messenger,” he grumbled, but he turned away and headed in the direction of the band.
“I’m so sorry to be so late—”
“Don’t be. You made it.” I smiled. “What’s your name?”
“It’s Beth.” Chanel pointed to the name tag still clipped to her scrubs. “And she works in the hospital.”
Beth pushed her hair back and let out a frazzled little chuckle. Her cheeks flushed. “I’m Beth. I’m a trauma nurse in the ER down the street who is also putting herself through medical school, and your music is the only thing that has helped me power through. I had to meet you.”
“Aw, that’s sweet. Also, girl power. Girl boss.” I snapped my fingers. “You’re incredible.”
“I wanna sign your scrubs right above the blood,” Chanel said in a rush.
I cringed. “You’re so gross, my guy.”
But Beth grabbed the hem of her scrubs and held it out for her with a shit-eating grin on her face. “These will be my new favorites.”
Chanel grabbed the black sharpie off the table and bent over to draw on Beth’s scrubs .
. . except she wasn’t signing her name. No, Chanel was being authentically herself and was drawing a creature.
It was epic. The girl had skills. But it was also weird in the best way. Beth was giggling like a toddler.
“People are gonna have so many questions . . .”
Beth smirked. “But none of them will be men, so . . . it’s a win?”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Blood on a woman does terrify men, it’s true.”
“So what caused the splatter?” Chanel asked while drawing fangs on her creature. “Was it gnarly?”
“So gnarly.”
“Tell me!” Chanel looked up with that wild, demented sparkle in her eyes. “I want all the details.”
I sighed and uncapped my sharpie. “Where would you like me to sign?”
Beth grinned and held up her left arm. “The sleeve?”
I nodded and got to signing.
“So this guy was on a ladder using a chainsaw to cut off a tree branch—”
“Ooooof.” I shuddered.
Chanel grinned. “Gnarly. What was left?”
“Well the chainsaw hit all five of his fingers.”
I cringed as my own fingers tingled. “No.”
“They were . . . somewhat still attached. Like, no broken bones, but there wasn’t much skin–”
“Dude. The fuck. No.” I spun around to sign the poster. “I don’t need these visuals in my head.”
“I do.”
“I have pictures—”
Chanel gasped and stood up straight. “Stop it. Show me.”
I sighed and tossed my marker onto the table, then spun back around just as Beth was showing Chanel the pictures. As a Virtue, I’d seen more blood than most. I obviously wasn’t weak or timid around blood and injuries. I just didn’t like to see them.
“Rey, look—”
“Nope. I’m good.” I handed the poster to Beth, then turned to my cousin. “Look, sign her poster and her other sleeve so all three of us can be on time for the show.”
“Regan.”
“I’m gonna go start getting my costume on.
Mine is much trickier than yours. So, go ahead, get your fill of the blood and guts, then get in there to change.
” I smiled at Beth and pointed over her shoulder.
“The redheaded lady over there . . . she works for us. Tell her I said to let you into the buffet. The food is much better in there.”
“Aw, you don’t have to—”
“I do.” I winked. “A nurse putting herself through medical school is my kind of girl boss. It’s not a bad view of the show from in there either. Chanel, we have to be quick.”
Her eyes teared up but I spun away before she could full-on cry. Tears made me more uncomfortable than blood did.
“I’ll be right there, ‘cuz.”