8 Episode 8 - Gossip

Once Yangyang was at the long table, sufficiently distracted by other musicians, Amari headed down the hall and out to the main floor. There wasn't much for him to do, but the idea of hanging around so many strangers made his stomach churn. Small talk with people he didn't know, on things no one really cared about – why did people enjoy that?

He wandered the floor, running his hand along the empty tables and straightening stools, then sat at the edge of the stage as a few crew members ran around behind him, making sure everything was ready. Suddenly, a bright flash from the spotlights hit his eyes, piercing into him and making his temples throb. He immediately shut his eyelids and groaned, hanging his head.

After taking a moment to adjust, he dropped to the floor and headed to the entrance, away from the intense lights. A line of people had already formed at the open door and partway down the hall, though there was another hour before they could enter. He nodded to Jen, who was working the ticket counter and keeping the crowd under control, then wandered to a corner behind her, pressing his back against the wall and sliding to the ground. She always helped out for big shows and was comfortable with his reclusive behavior, so she didn't bother to say anything. Head resting on his knees, he listened to the chattering of the people waiting outside.

"It's been forever since Yin and Yang has performed live!"

"Yeah, like, five years or something. I wonder why they chose this dive for their first performance."

"You don't know The Basement? It's so famous! The owner is French, and pretty extra, but well-known in the music industry I guess."

"Really? They used to play such big venues, I didn't think this would be so small."

"Maybe they didn't think they'd have such a big crowd?"

"What? We high-key love them! Of course we'd see their comeback."

"Do you know why they stopped performing? They didn't release new music forever."

"I heard something happened to their lead guitarist, Yangyang."

"Facts. Something with family?"

"I heard he got married."

"What? Isn't he young though?"

"Twenty-six? So, like, twenty or twenty-one then?"

"I heard it was some kind of health problem."

"I heard that too. Makes more sense than marriage. How does marriage stop you from making music?"

"Maybe his wife's a salty bitch and made him stay at home."

"Ha! What? I don't think Yangyang would settle for someone like that. God, he's so fine... He could have anyone."

"Yeah, the health thing makes more sense."

"Whatever it was, they kept it so hush. I mean, they were just gone."

"They were always good at keeping their lives private."

"Well, I'm just excited they're back. They said they wrote some new songs for this show too. It's gonna be liiiiit..."

The conversation was filled with high-pitched giggles and Amari sighed.

::Marriage? Health problems? It's always so easy to gossip about someone else's life. Why's it their business anyway?::

He headed back to the bar area before he could hear more. Listening made him feel uneasy, like he was intruding in someone's personal life. No. It was more selfish than that. Like he didn't really want to know about the man. He didn't know anything about Yangyang, and the thought of hearing something that could ruin the image he had made him anxious.

::Fucking stupid. What'm I gonna hear that I wouldn't like? Why do I even care? It's none of my business.::

Amari scratched his head and sighed again.

"Scotty!" Ziggy was standing behind the bar and waved him over. "Take a seat. Want a drink?" Amari sat and shook his head. "Is something wrong? You have a funny look on your face, tsé?"

"I do? I'm okay though..."

A small glass of water was set in front of him. "Here, mon chéri. At least drink this. Have to stay hydrated, hein?" His voice was as sweet as ever.

"Yeah, okay." He quickly chugged the water down, but kept the glass in his hands, spinning it slowly as he thought. "Hey Zig. Do you know why that Yin and Yang band took such a long hiatus?"

"Je sais pas. No clue." Pulling the glass from the boy's hands, Ziggy threw it in the dirty bin. "Pourquoi? Why do you ask?"

Amari picked at a thumbnail and tried to sound as casual as possible. "Just wondering. People were gossiping about it outside."

"Hein? I didn't know you were interested in gossip. Or, maybe you're interested in something else, hein?"

"Jesus Zig. Are you even capable of having a normal conversation?"

"With you?" His friend chuckled sweetly and leaned over the bar counter. "C'est impossible? Not when you're so obvious. Such an easy target, tsé?"

Amari groaned and stood, flipping him off before heading back to the kitchen area to announce the time. He leaned against the wall as people flooded out and away, going down to the greenroom or backstage to prepare. The last person through the door placed a hand on his head, fluffing his hair.

"Even softer than I thought it would be," said the deep voice.

"Tch..." He swiped the man's arm away and received a laugh in response. Slipping through the door, he said a quiet "later" as Yangyang headed down the hallway.

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Near the end of the third set, Amari headed toward the greenroom, carrying a box of bottled water as his excuse for visiting. Poking his head through the open door, all he could see was a blur of bodies, mixed together with what were likely guitars, cases, amps, and other cluttered objects.

"Water, if you want it," he said in a low, apathetic voice, setting the box down just inside. He couldn't distinguish one thing from the next, so he turned and headed back down the hall.

After a few steps, a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "I thought you were coming to chat."

Amari shrugged and didn't turn. "I couldn't tell where you were, so..."

"So?" Yangyang released the boy's shoulder and stepped beside him. "I was coming to you, but you just left."

"Oh." He shrugged again. "Sorry."

"Yeah, alright. Punk kid." Before the man could say more, there was a buzzing in his pocket and he pulled it out to look. "Ah, shit. I have to take this."

Amari pointed down the hallway. "If you go to the end and take a left, there's a back door." He started in that direction. "I'll just take you there."

Yangyang answered the call as they walked. "Wèi? Děng děng a."

Amari could hear a higher-pitched voice on the other end. He couldn't make out the words, but the tone wasn't happy.

"Děng yīxià!" the man exclaimed, his voice deeper than usual. "Just wait a second!"

He obviously didn't want to talk to this person, but had answered the call anyway. Amari paused and pointed further down, gesturing to take a left. He didn't want to intrude any further, watching Yangyang's form disappear around the corner, but he couldn't make himself leave either, so he leaned quietly against the wall.

"Mā, we have to go on soon." He sounded more frustrated than angry. "What do you want? Did something happen?"

Yangyang was silent as the person on the other end spoke. Or shouted, since Amari could still hear the voice from the hall. He nervously rubbed his hand against the old, textured paint behind him.

"Bù huì, later we're-" There was more shouting and Yangyang groaned. "Mā, we talked about this already. This isn't an emergency."

There was another groan as the shouting continued. "Alright, I get it. Zhīdàole, zhīdàole. I'll come back after our set. Hǎo ma?" There was quiet, the shouting on the other end finished. "I know. Huílái a, after our set."

Amari started heading back down the hallway, not wanting to get caught eavesdropping, but then he heard a low voice.

"Do you normally listen in on other people's phone calls?"

The boy froze and let out an embarrassed sigh. "No." He turned and Yangyang's figure was standing in the middle of the hall. "Sorry."

Walking up to him, the man bounced his curls with a chuckle. "It's alright." Despite the small laugh, his usually kind voice was troubled, and Amari felt ashamed and a little sad. "We're on soon, so I'm heading back."

"Yeah, okay," he said quietly. He pointed toward the main floor and bar. "I'm gonna check on Ziggy."

Without saying more, Yangyang raised an arm and headed back to the greenroom. Amari stayed in the hallway for a few moments, then walked out to the bar area to watch the rest of the show.