Chapter 84: 84. Ch 84- Rockin' Winter Jam
Luna sat on one of her amps in the living room, practicing her guitar. She looked up from her axe to look out the window, seeing nothing but an empty street in front of the house. 'C'mon, dudes, where you at?' she thought to herself, just as she heard footsteps enter the room.
"Hey there, Rock Star!" Lynn Sr said happily, his third eldest daughter smiling back at him. "All ready for your gig?"
"Sure am, Pop Star!" she eagerly replied. "Just waiting for Chunk and Sam to get here, and then we're on the road again."
"Well, just give them a minute or two. The roads might be icy, so better that they get here late but safe rather than not at all, right?"
"Too right, bruh. Wouldn't want them to get hurt." Her father patted her on the shoulder, just as she heard and saw a van drive past the window. "That's them. I'll be back for dinner, Pops."
"Alright, well, have fun and rock on!"
He pulled a couple of rocker gestures with his hands, making Luna laugh. Even if he looked stupid doing it, she appreciated his effort in supporting her, so her smile only grew as she went to the door. Once she opened it, she saw Sam approaching, alongside a burly bold man with a nose ring, wearing a white tank top under a black waistcoat, blue jeans with a black belt, black boots, brown bracelets with gold studs and a purple chequered flat cap.
"'Ello, Luna!" the burly man greeted. "Ready to rock?"
"Always, Chunk!" she responded. "Need a hand with the gear?"
"Nah, you know me, Luna. I could toss an ox in if I had to."
She chuckled at the metaphor. "Well, I brought my amps and my axe downstairs, so they're just by the couch." Chunk acknowledged her with a dock of his hat, then made his way into the house. Luna turned her attention to Sam, noticing her girlfriend's smile was somewhat restrained. "You okay, Sam? You don't seem that psyched."
"Oh, I am so psyched at the show," she assured the brunette, though Luna could tell there was more coming. "We've got a small problem, though."
Before Luna could ask, Sam reached into her pocket and pulled out an envelope. She opened the envelope and revealed six tickets, which confused the Loud girl. "Wait, who asked for extra tickets?"
"I don't know, and neither do Sully or Mazzy. I called the venue about it, and they said that we'd have to pay for any tickets we don't use."
"What?! That's outrageous, dude!"
"I know, but they said it was in our contract, and after checking with Chunk, it seems to be true. I was gonna bring Simon, but he caught a cold playing in the snow yesterday."
Luna frowned, both from hearing about Sam's brother and from the news she had just been given. "So, we've got to either give them away or find someone who's free?" The blonde girl nodded, so she looked down at her feet in loss, until she looked up with inspiration. "Why don't you come inside? I might have an answer, but it'll take me a couple of minutes." Shrugging, Sam followed her into the house, sitting down on the couch while Luna went upstairs. She turned right at the top and walked towards the former linen closet, knocking on the door. "Hey, bro! Can I come in?"
"Sure, door's unlocked," she heard him respond, so she opened the door and stepped inside, seeing the white haired child sat at his desk.
"How's your back feeling, Linc?"
"Not too bad, just a little bruised. What's up?"
"You're hanging out with your mates later on, right?" He nodded. "Well, I need to ask you to do me a bit of a favour."
He narrowed his eyes. "What kind of favour?"
Sighing, she sat down on his bed. "Basically, the club owner who hired my band gave us six extra tickets, and according to our contract, if we don't use them, we've got to pay for them. I was hoping that, if they don't mind, you and your buds could come and watch us perform? If you've got plans, then I get it, but you'd really be doing me a solid."
"Really? That's it? I think we were going to go to Gus', but I can see if they'd want to see your show instead."
She gave a happy squeal as she shot up, wrapping her arms around the boy. "Thanks, bro! You're the best!" She let go after a few seconds and told him, "I'm gonna be downstairs, so let me know what they say. You remember the address, right?"
"I remember, yeah. A block from the supermarket, right?" Luna gave one more nod, then left the boy alone in his room. Deciding not to waste time, he grabbed his phone and entered his group chat.
Lincoln: would you guys be up for going to Luna's show instead of the arcade? She has free tickets to use. The show is at the youth club near the supermarket in half an hour.
He sent the text, and it wasn't long before Rusty was the first to reply.
Rusty: heck yeah! I'm always down for a free concert!
Lincoln rolled his eyes at Rusty being… well, Rusty, but he still smiled, especially when the others also replied.
Stella: sure, that sounds awesome!
Liam: sounds like a hoot! I'm down!
Zach: I'm in! Your sister's band are awesome
He made a note to let Luna know that Zach said that, but just as he was about to do so, he got Clyde's reply.
Clyde: sorry, guys. I have to help my dads with Cleopawtra and Nepurrtiti today
Lincoln: no worries, buddy. We understand
He gave a small sigh. "Well, that's five of the tickets accounted for… is there anyone else I could ask?" He mulled it over for a moment, before a thought came to him. 'Maybe she'd like to?' He closed the group chat and opened his contacts, then began to send a text.
Lincoln: hey, are you free today?
Jordan: yeah, what's up?
Lincoln: my sister's band has a gig at the youth club, and they have a spare ticket they need to give away. Me and the others are gonna go watch them perform. Fancy joining us?
He waited for about a minute, wondering what her response would be. He was beginning to think she was going to say no when his phone eventually notified him of her response.
Jordan: sure, that sounds great! I checked with my parents and they said they're okay with it. What time should I be there?
Lincoln: the show starts in half an hour. I'll be heading with Luna and her band, so meet there in twenty minutes?
Jordan: got it. See you there
Smiling, Lincoln put his phone in his pocket and got up, but as he reached for the door, he caught sight of something. Looking at his hanging shirts, he noticed the one black item hidden among the orange polo shirts and thought, 'maybe a slight change of clothes is in order.'
When Lincoln eventually emerged from his room and headed downstairs to tell his sister the good news, she practically smothered him in the biggest hug she could give him as thanks, while Sam teasingly ruffled his hair. Of course, they couldn't celebrate for too long, as they knew they had to get going, so they let Lincoln grab his winter coat before heading out and getting in the back of Chunk's van with the equipment. The Brit drove them across town, chatting with the kid and teens about the gig, Christmas and any other topics that came to mind, while also picking up the other two members of the band and their instruments. Sully and Mazzy were both surprised to see the boy, but after hearing from Luna about the ticket situation, they quickly joined in with the conversation.
Twenty minutes later, the van eventually pulled up in the parking lot behind a club with a pink neon sign that read Pumped & Kicking, a name that Luna had explained to her brother was because it was also used as a karate studio. As they filed out of the van, the band carrying their instruments with them, they were greeted by a man in his late thirties with slightly greyed black hair, wearing a grey suit jacket over a red shirt, grey suit pants and black dress shoes. "There they are!" he greeted with a booming voice and open arms. "Fashionably late, as expected! Ready to rock the house?"
"Sure thing, Mr Dash," Luna told him, a hint of distrust in her voice.
"Oh, come on, what's the matter? You should be excited! Wait, this ain't about the tickets, is it? I told Blondie on the phone, if they weren't used, you'd have to pay. Nothing personal, it's just business. Contractually obligated business."
"But they didn't ask for that many tickets, did they?"
Mr Dash turned his attention to the boy. "Who are you, kid?"
"Lincoln Loud, Luna's brother and assistant manager to the band. Now, two things. Firstly, her name is Sam, not Blondie, so don't call her that." The girl in question gave a smug grin at the white haired kid setting the record straight, but didn't interrupt. "Secondly, why would they get more tickets than they asked for? Apparently, they only asked for the extra two."
Looking to Luna, Mr Dash saw her nod. "What can I say? Admin errors happen on occasion, it's an unfortunate truth but a truth."
"I could understand if they had received three tickets or one, but six? That's a stretch. It's almost as if it was intentional."
Raising an eyebrow, the man crossed his arms. "What are you saying?"
"Nothing in particular, but it's as you said. If they didn't use the tickets, they would have to pay for them, which would save your costs on hiring the band. Correct?"
Luna gave a small gasp at her brother's allegation, and was going to chastise him for it, but she saw the suited man give a slight jerk reaction to it, so she narrowed her eyes on him instead. "You little snake! He's right, isn't he?"
"I-I don't know… what he's…" He felt his throat go dry at seeing the six glares directed at him, prompting a gulp and a defensive reaction. "Okay, look. I intended to give you a couple of extra tickets, sure, but not as many as you got. That really was an error."
"But Lincoln's still right, ain't he?" Mazzy pushed, tapping her foot angrily. "You were hoping for a take back on the booking fee."
"I'm only the talent exec, okay?! I don't write the contracts, I just contact and book the talent. It was the owner's idea, a way of increasing business. Either the tickets get used and sales on food and drinks go up, or… well, you know the 'or'."
"Well, I think we can agree," Chunk assured, "that you won't be speaking with us after today."
"That's fair, but please, don't tell anyone. I'll even take back the tickets you don't use and pretend I never gave you them."
"That won't be necessary, bruh," Luna informed him. "My bro here managed to get some people to turn up, so your bacon got saved."
"R-Right. W-Well, let me help your roadie with the equipment, at least!"
"I think I can agree on that," Chunk told him, reaching into the van and grabbing an amp under one arm, then placing it in Mr Dash's arms, the talent executive struggling to keep it up. "You'll be paying for any damages, remember? Contractual obligated business, which we'll discuss inside."
He gave a strained nod before heading into the club with difficulty, with Chunk helping with the rest of the gear, leaving the teens to look proudly at Lincoln. "That was a gutsy move, dude!" Sully praised, flashing a thumbs up. "Best assistant manager we have!"
"Well, I spotted what looked like a ticket poking out of his pocket, and it seemed to click for me."
"Still, that was risky, bruh," Luna reprimanded. "Could've been costly if you were wrong." He frowned, looking down and giving a nod, so he didn't see her approach and give him a hug. "But, I can't be mad when you were right. You saved our butts from a bad connection, bro, so thanks." He returned the hug to his sister for a few seconds before she let go of him. "So, we need to get in and prep for the gig, but your buds will need the tickets to get in. You gonna be alright waiting out here for them?"
"Don't worry, Luna. I'll be fine. You just get ready to rock this joint!" She laughed as she took the tickets from Sam and gave them to her brother, before following her band inside. This left Lincoln to head towards the front of the club, where he saw his friends heading his way down the street. "Hey, guys! Over here!" Stella, Rusty, Liam and Zach jogged over to the Loud boy. "Glad you could make it."
"Well, it sounded like fun," Stella told him. "I don't think I've heard your sister perform before."
"You're in for a treat," Liam boasted. "Apart from Smooch, his sister's the best rockstar I've ever seen!"
"Are we on the VIP list?" Rusty smugly asked, to which Lincoln rolled his eyes.
"I don't think they have a VIP list." He rolled his eyes again when he saw his friend deflate at that. "Look, if you want to head inside, your tickets are right here."
He began handing the tickets to each of his friends, when Stella asked him, "so, who did you give Clyde's ticket to?"
He didn't need to answer that, as someone else did for him.
"Lincoln!" They all turned to see Jordan approaching in her winter gear, Zach and Rusty sharing a grin. "Phew! I'm not late."
"Nah, we all pretty much just got here," Liam explained to the girl. "You ever seen Luna's band perform before?"
"I remember seeing Luna play the Royal Rumble, but I don't think I've seen her band play, no."
"Well, there's no point us waiting out here," Lincoln declared. "We should head in and get the best spot." All in agreement, the group headed into the venue, giving their tickets to the bouncer before being met with semi loud music upon passing through the front doors. The club was well lit when they entered, the purple walls being covered in posters, framed records and art pieces of various music subcultures, and they saw that the stage was currently being set up by Chunk, the roadie checking the amps and electrics. There were quite a few other kids and teens waiting for the show to start, either getting non-alcoholic refreshments from the bar or sat in the chairs, which were arranged in front of the stage so that there was enough room for people to stand. Lincoln quickly noticed that the front row was all but empty. "You guys want to sit at the front?"
"Save a seat for me," Rusty told his friend. "I'm seeing some lovely ladies that I'd like to… acquaint myself with."
"You're just gonna embarrass yourself!" Zach warned, but the tall boy was already off. "Better him than me, I guess."
"Come on, let's go sit down before they get taken!" Jordan insisted, to which Lincoln immediately followed, with the others close behind. They quickly sat in front of the centre of the stage, and began to remove their winter jackets. As Jordan set her yellow coat on her chair, she looked to Lincoln and gasped. "No way!"
Curious about why she said that, he looked to her, but instantly saw what had surprised her— she was wearing a black t-shirt with a logo that consisted of a red pair of lips with white outline. On its own, that wasn't noteworthy, but Lincoln's shirt just so happened to match hers exactly.
"No way!" he echoed, a smile on his face. "This is weirdly awesome!"
"I know, right?"
"What are you guys talking about?" Stella asked, the two kids turning to reveal what they had been so surprised by. "Oh, hey! You've both got the same Smooch shirt!"
"More than that," Lincoln added. "This shirt was only available at their concert at the Royal Woods Mall, because it was a new design, and they ran out after that concert." He looked to Jordan again, telling her, "I didn't know you went to that concert!"
"Didn't I mention it when we were working on the geography project?" He shook his head, so she shrugged. "Well, I only managed to get middle tier seats. Nowhere near as impressive as you, though, singing on stage with Smooch. I would've been so jealous if I didn't think it was awesome!"
She gave a laugh, which he returned in kind. "Well, I owe Luna for that. She's the one that made that concert so rocking!"
"Well, she's about to rock us with a concert of her own."
He nodded, and for the next few minutes, the six friends chatted together, with more than a few laughs at Rusty's expense after yet another failed chat up. It wasn't long after the seats really began to fill before the lights dimmed over the crowd. The stage lights shone down as Luna and her band took to the stage, prepping their instruments whilst Luna took to the central mic. "What's up, Royal Woods?!" she shouted, getting the crowd to cheer. "Hope you're ready to rock! We are Clipstreak, and we're glad you all came to see us today! We're gonna start things off with a cover from a fave band of ours."
"Looks like we aren't the only ones," Sam announced through her mic, looking down at the front row. "Got a dude and dudette repping them in the front row."
Lincoln and Jordan both whooped from the crowd, getting a chuckle from their friends and from the boy's sister. "Well, if you're as pumped as these two, sing along if you know it!" She turned to her band and yelled, "ONE! TWO! ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!"
The music started with a drumbeat from Mazzy, joined by the keyboards from Sully, and then amplified by the guitar playing of Sam and Luna. Lincoln and Jordan were among the many kids to get up and start cheering upon recognising the song. After a few seconds, Luna leaned towards the mic and began to sing.
"Come on, Charlotte
Wake up, San Diego, Milwaukee, Miami
Put your two lips together and smooch
We're smoochin' in Cleveland, and Cincinnati too
Way out in Chicago, I'll tell you what to do
They party all over, even in St. Lou
So baby get ready and I'll be smoochin' you"
Sam stepped forward to her mic again and sang alongside Luna as the music shifted towards the chorus.
"Oh, oh, cause anytime is smoochin' time, USA
So treat me right, don't make me fight
And we'll rock and roll tonight"
The whole audience was now up on their feet and rocking out, with some headbanging like Jordan and others throwing up the goats like Lincoln. Up on stage, Luna took a step back, allowing Sam to take the next verse.
"We're smoochin' in Dallas
And Philly's goin' wild
So let's smooch Atlanta, oh
You know we'll make it smile
We love the women
Way down in Tennessee
So baby come on now and start-a-smoochin' me"
Luna stepped forward again, joining in with Sam once more.
"Oh, oh, cause anytime is smoochin' time, USA
So treat me right, don't make me fight
And we'll rock and roll tonight"
Luna stepped back again, this time allowing Sam to perform a slick guitar solo that got the crowd hollering, jumping, dancing and doing anything but keeping still. Not a finger was put out of place by the blonde, completely in her element. The solo played perfectly, and when it was over, she transitioned seamlessly back into the main chords as Luna retook the mic.
"Smooch all of Seattle, LA to Baltimore
You know we been smoochin' in 'Frisco, so let's smooch some more
Let's do it in Detroit, they all know the score
So tell me, Royal Woods, what are we waitin' for!"
Once again, the crowd popped at the mention of their town, as Sam stepped forward once more to help finish the song.
"Oh, oh, cause anytime is smoochin' time, USA
So treat me right, don't make me fight
And we'll rock and roll tonight
Oh, oh, cause anytime is smoochin' time, USA
So treat me right, don't make me fight
And we'll rock and roll tonight
Oh, oh, cause anytime is smoochin' time, USA
So treat me right, don't make me fight
And we'll rock and roll tonight"
A few more guitar licks from the guitarists and a cymbal crash from Mazzy, and the crowd were cheering and applauding in full force for the band. The band were cheering as well, before Luna took the mic and said, "give it up for my girl, Sam!" The blonde blushed a little as the brunette kissed her on the cheek, getting further hollers from the crowd, but still took it all in. The crowd loved them, and she loved the crowd right back.
"That was so amazing!" Jordan gushed, now that the incredible gig was over, and Lincoln and her friends were with the band out back.
"Liam was right, you're the greatest band I've ever seen live!" Stella agreed.
"You're too kind, dudettes," Sully told them, though his grin showed he was accepting the praise with no limitations.
"Honestly, Luna, I think that's the best set you guys have done," Lincoln commended, to which his sister instantly hugged him.
"Couldn't have gotten this far without the best manager in the world!" she reminded him, to which Jordan's eyes widened.
"You're their manager?!"
The boy chuckled as he was released from the hold of affection. "Actually, I'm now just the assistant manager. Chunk took over as their manager for me."
"Yeah, well, it's a good thing you're still helpin' the band, mate," Chunk pointed out. "Would a' made an error without ya."
"It's not your fault, Chunk. Don't worry about it."
The others were going to ask what they were talking about, but didn't get the chance to before hearing a car horn. Liam looked to the side and saw a brown pickup truck, with a woman waving at him out of the driver's side window. "That's my Memaw," he told the group. "Guess I'll see y'all around, guys. Happy holidays!"
"Happy holidays!" they all replied as the farm boy walked away.
"I better be going too," Zach mentioned.
"Same here," Rusty added. "My dad'll kill me if I'm not home on time."
"I should also get going," Stella said next. "My Grammy is visiting later."
"No worries, guys," Lincoln assured them. "See you later, and Happy Christmas!"
The three of them returned the gesture in kind and waved as they walked away, leaving Jordan alone with Lincoln and the band. "So, I need to get going too," Jordan told the boy.
"Do you need a ride back?"
"No, that's okay, but… could we talk before we go?"
"Sure!"
He turned to the group of teens, but saw they were already heading to the van, with Luna telling him, "we'll wait for you, bro."
He nodded to them, then turned to his friend, who now looked a little shy. "What's up?"
"Well, I was wondering if I could drop by your house tomorrow… t-to drop off your Christmas present."
He blinked, his lips parting slightly for a few silent seconds. "You… you got me a Christmas present?"
"Y-Yeah. I saw something when I was shopping, and… well, I thought of you."
He blushed at the sentiment, a slightly goofy smile perking up on his face. "Wow… I don't know what to say! Except… that I got you something too."
It was her turn to blush. "You did?"
"Of course I did. I've gotten to know you so much better these past few months. We always have fun when we're together, and… well, you mean a lot to me."
Her cheeks were now blazing while her heart was melting. "Linc, that's so sweet of you. To be honest, I think… no, I know that you mean a lot to me too."
"Th-thanks. So, uh… guess I'll see you at yours tomorrow?"
"Sounds like a plan. I'll, uh, see you tomorrow."
"Sure." He waved as the girl walked away, and once she turned the corner, he went over to the van and got in the back, closing the door. "Okay, I'm ready."
"Righto, guv!" Chunk replied, starting the engine.
"So, is she your girlfriend?" Mazzy asked the boy, whose blush only grew.
"Luna…"
His sister chuckled at the growled grumble. "Hey, I didn't say anything, bro. That was all her."
"Well, you better think about asking her out soon," Sully insisted. "The longer you two flirt with each other, the more likely she'll think you're not being serious with her."
"Leave him alone, Sully!" Sam scolded, seeing how uncomfortable the boy was becoming. "Still, she seems like a sweet girl, Lincoln. I'm sure if you did ask her out, she'd be dumb not to say yes."
"… is it too late for me to walk?" His mutter was once again met with chuckles, with Luna pulling her brother close as the van set off on the road home.
(A/N: the song used is an amended version of Kissin' Time by Kiss.)
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