Don't Tell Me Twice: Chapter Nine

Buck sat in her hotel room, watching television. She had a long day recording and her nerves were completely shot after meeting the newest member of their band. Buck had been hopeful. She had trusted Spike and Jemma to make a good choice, but hiring Ziggy seemed like a mistake. The other woman was cocky and disrespectful. It seemed like all that Ziggy wanted to do was step on Buck’s feet, and Buck hated that the other band members thought so well of the other woman.

Buck knew people like Ziggy, and she was sure that the only thing that the other woman wanted to do was take her spot in the band. The appeal of her and Olive’s relationship no longer brought fans in, and now, it seemed like Buck was replaceable. Buck shook her head as she thought about that. She had never once thought that she would have to defend her spot in the band, and she felt like Spike and Jemma were deceiving her by agreeing that she should share it with Ziggy.

Buck had founded Jems and Jamz, and when she did, she and the other members of the band had promised that they would always have each other’s backs. There were too many friendships broken apart in the music business due to the lack of privacy that came with the lifestyle and the paparazzi. Buck had managed to communicate with Jemma and Spike so far, but she wasn’t sure how to approach them about the Ziggy issue. She would be the one that broke up the band, and Buck couldn’t handle that.

“Knock, knock,” Jemma’s voice sounded at her door, followed by a light tapping.

“Housekeeping,” Spike’s voice followed.

“Spike,” Jemma whispered at her partner from behind the door.

“What?” Spike shot back.

“Buck’s not in the mood for playing around,” Jemma told the other woman.

“Jemma, chill out,” Spike argued. “She lost her girlfriend, not her sense of humor.”

Buck rolled her eyes at her friend’s lack of etiquette and got out of bed. She mulled over to the hotel door, curious as to why her friends had come. She hadn’t expected company, and there was no immediate reasoning for their presence.

“Hello,” Buck greeted them, opening the door. “What’s up?”

“Not much,” Spike grinned. “Can we come in?”

“Yeah,” Buck said, letting them in.

“So, what are you watching?” Jemma inquired, clearly trying to get the conversation rolling.

“I don’t know. It’s some comedy show that I found when I was flipping the channels,” Buck replied. “Is that why you came? To watch my T.V.?”

“No,” Jemma laughed.

“What are you two up to?”

“We actually came to see if you wanted to go to a bonfire,” Jemma responded. “A group of bands are getting together in Vacaville tonight, and we thought that it would be a good way to spend some time with Ziggy and properly welcome her into the band.”

“Doesn’t sound like it would be up my alley,” Buck replied.

“You love that stuff,” Spike exclaimed. “What are you talking about?”

“I know what it is,” Jemma interrupted. “You don’t like Ziggy, do you?”

“Nah,” Spike said, shaking her head. “Jemma, you’re reading into things again. Buck doesn’t have a problem with Ziggy.”

“Where have you been, Spike,” Buck interjected. “Actually, I do. I don’t like her, and I really don’t feel like wasting my night by spending it with her.”

“What’s wrong with Ziggy? She’s a sweetheart,” Spike replied, confused.

“No, she’s a home-wrecker,” Buck argued. “And I’m pretty sure that all that she wants is to break up the band.”

“No, it’s not,” Jemma retorted. “Why would you even think that?”

“Well, for one, she came into the studio and immediately took over my mic, and then, she convinced Dave to let her share my spot as the lead singer,” Buck said, running a hand through her hair. She was stressed with the whole situation, and the clueless looks on her friends’ faces were making her even more stressed out.

“What’s wrong with sharing the mic?” Jemma asked.

“I’m replaceable,” Buck shouted. “Don’t you get it? This is just her attempt to integrate into the band by taking over my spot, and then, bam, one day everyone will vote me out.”

“You’re not replaceable,” Spike said, patting her back. “The girl’s new. We just wanted to see what she could do, and now, that we know that she can sing, maybe you two will be able to switch it up occasionally. It would give you a chance to play lead guitar and sing instead of being stuck doing one thing.”

“I don’t need her for that,” Buck replied. “I can do that now without her.”

“Not without Ralph’s go ahead,” Jemma stated. “Ralph’s all about the face of the band, and I know that you have asked him in the past to play guitar, and he’s told you that it would confuse our fans. Now that Ziggy is here, she can help keep a face to the band, and since she is new, people will be curious about her, especially if you two share the spotlight. It might help us get more fans, and it would definitely help us against the competition.”

“I just don’t understand why this is necessary,” Buck replied. “We are doing fine. Why fix something that isn’t broken?”

“Fine. The truth is that we are trying to integrate Ziggy into Olive’s spot,” Spike confessed. “The fans are upset that Olive left, so we need to make Ziggy as likeable as she was if not more likeable. Since Olive left, our popularity has plummeted. Fans were really hooked on your relationship with her, and so now we need to give them something new.”

“But does it really have to come at the price of sharing my spot?” Buck inquired. “We’ve never had to do this before.”

“We’ve never had anyone leave the band either,” Jemma shot back.

“Just give it a chance,” Spike said. “She’s a good singer and don’t think of it as losing your spot. Think of it as an opportunity to train a new musician on vocals and expand your talents on the stage.”

Buck thought about this for a moment. She had been begging Ralph to give her a chance on lead guitar, and really, they were right. She wasn’t losing her spot as the lead singer, especially if Ziggy only sang a couple of songs. She was just gaining the opportunity to be versatile. “Alright, I’m in,” Buck replied. “Spike, you should have been a salesperson.”

“Awesome,” Spike cheered, giving Buck a high-five. “So, are you going to the bonfire with us tonight?”

“Yeah, I’ll go,” Buck complied.

“And please be nice to Ziggy,” Jemma added. “It’s always easier if everyone gets along.”

“Fine,” Buck said, rolling her eyes. “I will.”