Page 22 of More Than Scars

Pressley

Diamond didn’t fuck around, nor did anyone argue with his chosen method of handling the auditions. Mentally I reminded myself to never piss him off. It was both a blessing and a curse how he’d handled the auditions. None except for the final five had played long enough to have my head throbbing, and thankfully these last ones were really good.But the moment he chose Claude, Bowie, Tony, and Tibby’s faces fell. They saw the attitude and cockiness that guy brought to the table, and they weren’t pleased about it.

Truth be told, neither was I, but it was time to man up and do my job.

“Claude, I’m your band manager, Pressley. This is your lead guitarist Bowie,” he gave a slight wave, “singer Tony and bassist Tibby.” They exchanged pleasantries and immediately shut up when Diamond came over.

“Claude, Shadow and I will be working with you.” It appeared for a second like he was going to protest, but Diamond’s no-nonsense face made him think twice. “I don’t care how good you are; that bullshit you pulled earlier won’t be tolerated. This is a new band, and so far these guys have vibed. You’d do well to follow suit.” Diamond held his hand out for the clipboards, and the three of them silently handed them over. “Just as I thought, not one of them picked you, so you’ve got your work cut out for you to prove them wrong. Slade, I’ll be in touch.”

Slade smiled and waved as he headed for the door. “Excellent. Good day, all. Nice meeting you.”

“You fuck up, and Slade will replace you.”

There was no mistaking nor misconstruing Diamond’s words. I was glad to see he was keeping in contact with Slade. He was a damn fine drummer and one to definitely have under our wing, whether as a backup or future new band member.

“Let’s go over your contract,” Wolf called out to Claude from the office door.

As soon as the door was shut, Diamond addressed the boys. “Give him a fair shot. I know we already saw a touch of cockiness, but I’m sure there’s more where that came from. Pressley, I want to know everything. Trust me, Shadow and I will shut that shit down if we see it again. Good luck, and I can’t wait to hear you guys play.” And with that, he left. Diamond was a man of few words; he got straight to the point, and then he was done.

Bowie groaned as soon as he left. “Not liking this at all, he reminds me of…”

“You?” Tony finished for him. “You’ve changed, but at least now you’re seeing what we once saw. It’s one thing to be unquestionably talented andanother to be a complete and total jackass. Hopefully Diamond knocked him down a couple pegs so he’ll chill.”

“Well, let’s keep an open mind and give him a chance. I’ll be at all the band practices, and we’ll have him and Tibby out to the house too. Tibby, are you local?”

“I am. Born and raised Seattleite.” One less to find housing for, thankfully, since all I had left was a couch. While we waited for Claude, I made dinner arrangements. Not long after, he and Wolf joined us.

“Well, looks like y’all are done with me for now,” Wolf said, and Tony’s face fell, though he quickly recovered. “I’ll clean up and head out.”

“Wolf, you’re part of the team, and this is a team dinner.” I wasn’t about to let him feel like he was nothing more than hired help. We depended on him, and the bond he was forming with Tony had me seeing what I wished to have with Bowie as a possibility.

Gotta start with a conversation first, Pressley.

What my brain knew, my mouth failed to convey.

“Dinner?” Claude asked.

“Yes, we had a welcome to the Masterson team dinner after each contract was signed. Are you local, or do we need to get you a hotel room for the night?”

“I’m local. Moved here from the east coast a few months ago.”

“Excellent. That will make band practices and meetings much easier to schedule.” Not to mention keep my couch free. “Gentlemen, after you.”

“So, how do you guys feel about this whole mentoring program?” Claude threw out after we placed our orders.

“I think it’s great,” Tony said. “I’m excited to work with Joey.”

“Same,” Bowie and Tibby said at the same time.

“There’s always room for improvement,” Wolf added. “And being mentored by the guys from Social is top-notch.”

“Hell, I know a ton of guys who’d give anything to live that dream,” Bowie said. “In fact, I’m one of them. Stoli’s been awesome so far.”

“Yeah, but Diamond?” Claude groaned. “I get the feeling the guy hates me already.”

“He wouldn’t have picked you if he felt that way,” Wolf said. “Knock that Texas-sized chip off your shoulder and listen to what he and Shadow tell you, and you’ll go far. No doubt, all four of you are talented, but you’ll be the ones standing in your own way.”

Thank you, Wolf, for that. My first reaction was to slap Claude upside the head and recite Cher’s infamous line from Moonstruck,Snap out of it!But with the added ending ofyou spoiled brat. Masterson just dropped the biggest break in these guys’ laps, and to overlook that gift would be a grave mistake.