Chapter 36 #2
Jett’s band materializes in the room, and yeah, the girls have their work cut out for them. I know they’ll need help, so I beg Lola and Penelope to get elbows deep in the makeup, too. Jett’s team advertised a two-day costume ball, but I still say NYC doesn’t know what’s about to hit them.
I show Kel the Born This Way video for probably the hundredth time since we’ve been friends and say, “Make us look like Gaga and Zombie Boy, pleeeeaaase, Kel? I’ll love you forever.”
Kel shakes her head, knowing damn well I will anyway, and focuses on finishing up on my dad. She has been painting Frankenstein’s Monster Green for so long that he fell asleep. “So, you want me to shave your boyfriend’s head and paint on a realistic brain cavity?”
Jett stops mid-sentence, he was throwing out movie plot ideas at Mickie warp-speed style while doing Dean’s eyeliner. He holds the pencil in midair as he slowly turns his head to gawk at us. As if we’re casually talking about chopping his dick off. His eyes zero in on Zombie Boy.
“That bloke was truly fuckin’ cool and it’s sad that he died but no one is shaving my head, all right?”
“I just meant the makeup. Chill!” This man and his hair, my heavens.
Jett takes a grounding breath and an equally grounding shot of whiskey Kennedy hands him to calm down.
Silas has put on the Axl wig, and I snort, since Mickie has decided to go with the theme and dress like Slash.
Lola works diligently to transform Mum into the Bride of Frankenstein while Penelope turns my little cousin into the most incredible pin-up zombie the world’s ever seen.
“I need to be next.” Jett’s drummer, Lily, taps her foot at Kel and her assistant.
Lily starts behaving like an evil Annabelle doll long before her creepy makeup even gets applied, complete diva behavior, and I can feel Jett losing patience with her. This is not the first time I’ve seen her throw a tantrum.
“Relax, you’re next.” He sighs.
Lily doesn’t let up. “You know I need to have a full hour to meditate before we go on.”
Jett downs the rest of the whiskey with a shake of his head.
I catch several of my family members rolling their eyes and giving a collective, under their breath groan.
I’m proud of myself for not being jealous of her anymore, but I realize at this moment that I would still cheer and throw a party if Jett fired her and swore off girl drummers for good.
Jett’s manager shows up and starts clapping her hands, like chop chop, but my family and I don’t really mind getting put on the back burner so Jett and his band get done up first. Lily gets in the chair and starts dictating exactly how her makeup should be done and I mouth an apology to Kel.
As if I am in any way responsible for that brat.
“Jesus Christ, there’s a lot more talented drummers out there without a fuckin’ attitude Jett could hire.” Dad barks out right after my boyfriend and his band are ushered out to go do an interview before call time. Little Miss Priss won’t even get five minutes to meditate now.
Jett says I can’t agree to something unless it’s my idea, but we all know he’s the exact same way.
Us telling him to fire her probably wouldn’t work because, yeah, like me, it has to be his idea and his decision.
I know she has to cross him, and then it will be his idea, and she’ll be sent packing back to Portland or wherever she’s from, but that’s on him.
I ignore her bullshit, and when we are finally Halloween Eve-ready, I distract my family with a fun little photoshoot because we look incredible.
After a super talented up-and-coming NYC singer is done opening for Jett, my family decides to do a full reveal on stage while the set is being changed behind the curtain.
Clearly, I’m not the only attention whore in my family because the crowd goes insane seeing my dad, and he just eats it up along with the rest of them.
Frankenstein’s Monster and his bride get a standing ovation just for existing, and when I blow kisses to the crowd in my black and white tux, long baby pink ponytail, and full skeleton makeup, his fans don’t boo and even seem to tolerate me.
We have our own little mini front row near stage left that we head to, and as I sit, I promise myself not to zone out into a Jett-flavored La La Land this time.
The air in the garden is thick with anticipation, buzzing and pulsing with the fans’ desire to see Jett with his new look, new songs, new band, and new stage show.
And yes, he was right, it feels so good to be able to see this fresh show and better-than-ever Jett and go on this crazy ride with them.
The curtain drops, and the crowd starts cheering; the set is so done up for Halloween that it puts everyone in the mood.
Two twenty-foot skeletons flank both sides of the stage, and a giant Jack-o’-lantern with glowing red eyes hangs ominously over the drum kit with pina colada scented smoke, seriously, billowing out of its mouth.
Mum makes a snarky remark about hoping it doesn’t fall and crush Lily, and I smack her, secretly enjoying her cuntiness as always.
Right on cue, the band gets settled on stage, and the crowd chants for my man to come out.
The only feeling that could possibly even compare to how incredible this is, is falling in love with Jett himself.
“Can you believe how they’re responding? It blows my mind that he sold out MSG in less than a minute! Our Jett!” Lola looks flabbergasted, and it’s really cute how proud my sister is of him.
Kennedy, and my dad say in unison, “It was only a matter of time!”
It’s clear I’m not the only weirdo daughter that’s fallen for a younger version of Dad, and Mickie shakes her head like she’s reading our therapy bill. “This is freaking crazy, Maddy!”
The chanting has turned to stomping and the whole stadium is vibrating.
I can relate to their antsy anticipation, and when Jett starts crawling onto the stage in full zombie mode, complete with a more metal version of Thriller’s coming from his band, the crowd goes as feral for him as I do on the daily.
He makes it center stage and lies there in his full makeup, black fishnet shirt, and impossibly tight leather pants and lets everyone scream and go cuckoo bananas for him.
A true Leo, he throws himself on his back, splays his arms out, and soaks up the crowd’s worship.
The band starts playing the title track hit from his last album, Devil’s Daughter, and Kel vibrates like her inner teenager is trying to escape.
“Thought I wanted to die, just wanted to be by your side. The devil’s daughter, the world has never seen anyone hotter. Torch me, eternallyyyyy!”
His scream echoes off the high ceiling, sending an aching jolt of desire straight through my soul. He was dating AnnaBella when he wrote this, but I still like to pretend it’s about me because hey, what’s wrong with a little delulu?
Jett stands and keeps singing and running around the stage like crazy, until he slows down long enough to, oh shit, what is he doing?
To pull the knife from Old Wardour out of his pocket and start slicing his shirt open until it’s ripped off into shreds on the stage floor.
I look to my left, and his dedicated fans who are grasping the barrier look stunned speechless as the knife is pressed to his abdomen.
Kel’s hand is on my shoulder, and her breath is in my ear. “Don’t freak out; I helped him with this.”
Her words register as my hand clutches my heart, and my eyes are flying saucer-sized, just as Jett slides the blade across his abdomen. Blood streaks down his stomach and onto the stage; it’s everywhere.
“Fake?” I hiss, and Kel looks at me like I’m deranged.
“Obviously, relax, Maddy!”