“Well, like I told you, we have five that we play in our sets because we have to do covers still to get the crowd on our side since we’re not as well known yet.But Alice has written a few more that we’re still working out the kinks on.”
“Well, if they’re anything like what I just heard, they’re not going to work,” Joe proclaimed before taking a huge slurp from his stolen drink.
“I’m sorry, what?”No way I could’ve heard him right.He didn’t likeanythingwe’d played?
Joe shrugged.“Your sound is too ‘angry woman.’It’s overdone.You need something poppier.Lighter.Teen bop.Something both teens and their parents wouldn’t mind listening to.That’s where your market is at.”
I flinched like he’d slapped me.
Where were the effusive compliments so we’d sign with him?
Where was the romance?
What the hell!
Were we…bad?So bad that even slimy Joe Fisher didn’t want to sign us?
“Work on your sound more and maybe we’ll talk.”Joe took a step away from the bar and nodded at us.“Nice to meet you all.”
And then he was gone.Free drink and all.
And it felt like all the air in the room left with him.
I couldn’t breathe.
A long, stunned silence pulsed from our end of the bar as we absorbed his ‘advice.’
“Did he seriously just say that we sucked?”Bailey finally whispered.
I shook my head.“Pretty sure he said my music sucked.”Air whistled from my lungs.“Isuck,” I whispered mostly to myself.
But Bailey still heard me.“No, Alice.Hesucks.”She jumped off her barstool and wrapped her arms around me.“I love your songs.Our songs.And he’s just some old fart who doesn’t get it.And why would he?He probably voted for Reagan back in the day.”
I snorted a sad little laugh.
“Oh my god, he totally did.What the hell was I thinking?”Lark cried.“Why did I ever think that creepy old weirdo was our ticket to the bigs?”
Bailey sent her a look.“Pretty sure we tried to tell you that earlier.”
“I’m sorry, okay?”Lark blinked her shiny eyes.“Clearly, he doesn’t know his shit if he wants to turn us into a teen bop group.I mean, shit.We’re all in our late twenties.That’s too old for teen bop.”
“Not when you’re in your sixties.”Bailey snorted.“We probably look like fetuses to him.”
I shuddered.“That wasnotthe impression I got.”
I still felt like I needed a shower from the way he’d looked us all up and down.
“Oh yeah, he was gross.”Bailey groaned.
“Sorry, guys.I really thought this would be our break.”Lark picked up a margarita on the rocks and downed about half of it in one go.
“Hey.”I patted her shoulder while Bailey wrestled the drink away.“There’s a reason we agreed on the path we wanted to take.We do this on our terms.Build a following on the strength of our music, and then we don’t have to bow down to suits who think they know what we should be playing.All for one, right?”
“All for one.”Lark nodded.
Bailey beamed.“All for one.”
“Give me my drink back,” Lark demanded.“Then we’re going back on that stage and making Joe Whosit eat his fucking words!”
