Pong blinked then he explained, “That t-shirt is the shit.” I leaned to the side, my fingers curled into the t-shirt Leo was stil holding and I viciously tugged it free. I shook it out in front of Pong and shouted, “This? This is worth causing a scene over? This is worth getting in the face of your friend over? You’d never wear this shirt!” I shouted and I was right, Pong would never wear a tie-dyed t-shirt. Ever. Then I turned to Leo. “And you!” Leo took a step back when he saw my face but I just kept going. “You’ve got, what? Fifteen saw my face but I just kept going. “You’ve got, what? Fifteen shirts just like this!” And I was right about that too. He had to have fifteen. Hel , he could even have twenty. Hel , he was wearing one at that very moment!

Leo shrugged and I threw the t-shirt at him. It hit him in the face and he lifted up his hands to catch it as it fel down.

“I’m up to here with you two!” I yel ed, raising my hand, fingers straight, palm down, up to my chin. “Linnie’s dead!

Dead! Floyd and Buzz are on their way to Oklahoma for her funeral right now and you two are fighting over a t-shirt.” Both looked uncomfortable but I kept shouting. “Damn it, bul ets are flying! We’re in the papers, like, every day.

We’re close to something big with a record label which could change al our lives and Mace…” I trailed off when I saw al the Rock Chicks (and the Hot Bunch and, incidental y, most of the partygoers) were standing around, staring at me. I clamped my mouth shut, shook my head and forged on, hoping to cover. “Forget Mace. You two, work this out like the men you are, not six year olds. I’m done with your shit. Done. No more.” I swung my eyes to Hugo. “You either.”

Hugo’s eyebrows went up as did his hands, palms out.

“Shit, mama, what’d I do?” Hugo asked.

“Nothing,” I returned. “Nothing to help. You’re smarter than that. I know it. You know it. But it’s always me that’s gotta keep the peace in the band.” I threw my hand out.

“You’re al smarter than this. If we don’t keep our shit together, we’re gonna fal apart and I’m gonna let it happen because I’m done. Done! Got me?”

They didn’t answer, they just stared.

I decided to take that as a “yes” and I pointed to the floor.

“Now clean this up and if you’ve caused any damage, you’re paying Annette even if you have to work it off. Do you hear me?”

They again didn’t answer so I leaned forward threateningly and repeated, “I said, do you hear me? ”

“Shit, Stel a Bel a, chil ,” Pong mumbled.

“I’l chil when this is al cleaned up,” I snapped back.

“We got it, Stel a. No problem,” Leo said softly, bending over to pick up t-shirts.

Hugo was stil staring at me and he was doing it closely.

“Nothing’s going to happen to the band,” Hugo told me.

“You’re right,” I agreed. “Nothing’s going to happen to the band. Nothing bad and nothing good either if you al don’t get your shit together. Do you want to be playing clubs in Denver and Boulder and effing Colorado effing Springs for the rest of your lives?”

Pong, Hugo and Leo looked at each other and then back at me. They’d never considered going further mainly because I never wanted to take us further.

“We gonna be more?” Pong asked, his voice edged in surprise.

“We could be, if you’d start taking care of your damn selves. We could be a lot more,” I answered. “Do you want that?”

More silence, more staring, more obvious surprise.

Final y, Leo whispered, “Shit, yeah.”

“Good then you have to help me and you can do that by growing, the f**k, up.” On that, I turned to Indy and announced, “I need a beer.”

“You’re holding one, honey,” Indy replied softly.

I looked down at my hand to see I miraculously stil had hold of my beer but it had mostly leaked onto the floor.

“I need a new one,” I informed her.

Shirleen’s hands came to my shoulders and she started pushing us forward, demanding, “Outta the way.

Emergency beer needed!”

“I’m thinking beer isn’t gonna be strong enough,” Ava muttered to Jules as they shoved in behind us and al the Rock Chicks fol owed.

Shirleen pushed me to the back where there was a pocket of space and serenity. Al y came forward and pressed a new, cold, open beer bottle in my hand and Ava took away the old one and put it on a display case.

I took a healthy swig.

“That was righteous,” Al y told me.

“Shoulda done that a long time ago, sugar,” Daisy said then she gave me a wink.

Before I could reply to Daisy, Annette shoved in.

“Jumpin’ Jehosephats, that was f**kin’ phat!” she shouted. “I was getting worried that nothing was gonna happen. I’d be, like, total y bummed if I had a party and the Rock Chicks didn’t deliver.” She shoved my shoulder.

“Bitch, you are sofa-king awesome!”

Then she whirled around and shoved away. Al the Rock Chicks’ eyes fol owed her.

“I take it she’s not mad,” I said to Roxie and Roxie grinned at me.

“Nettie’s a little weird,” Roxie shared.

“You got that right, sister,” Jet muttered.

I took another swig and watched Hector enter the store.

His eyes did a scan, found me and he started pushing through the crowd in our direction.

“I hate to bring this up right now but we need to talk about Mace,” Jet said quietly.

My eyes, and my thoughts, moved from Hector to Jet.

The Rock Chicks hadn’t discussed what happened that morning. Instead, Tex loaded me up in his bronze El Camino and took me home after that morning’s heartbreaking activities. In his Camino, I’d shared with him too about Mace and I being together (as, he too, was not a Rock Chick). His response to this was walking me to my apartment and spending the afternoon with me and Juno, eating popcorn and watching action movies.

“Nothin’ clears the head like popcorn and Bruce Wil is,” he’d informed me, shoving a huge fistful of popcorn in his mouth.

This was true- ish. Watching Bruce Wil is essential y blow up a skyscraper did take my mind off Mace and al our troubles.

For awhile.

“I can’t talk about Mace right now,” I said to the girls.

“She’s got a lot to process,” Jules told Jet.