Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 85167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Although he did feel like he could conquer the world. Even if he had to fight through the rage.
As if the weather had dialed into his state of mind, a fitting icy drizzle fell from the sky. He was the first to reach Switch and was forced to stand outside under the tiny ledge to stay dry. While he waited, he went through the Sassy Boyz dance portfolio in his mind. They needed to make an impression, it needed to be a sample of everything they offered while whetting Mark’s appetite for more. He wasn’t in the mood to do their more upbeat routines, instead gravitating to fierce and sexy. By the time Ansel arrived Tam had four options but he couldn’t decide between them.
“Hey, sugar.” Ansel air kissed his cheeks.
“Morning.” Tam removed his ear buds.
“I’m so excited I couldn’t sleep.” Ansel stood close so his umbrella covered Tam as well.
“Sleep? What’s that?” No use trying to explain his awful night.
“Right? Can you believe we used to stay up until sunrise and still make early morning rehearsal?”
“Well, the rest of us made rehearsal on time. You were always late.”
Ansel nudged him with his shoulder. “Twice, and you bitches won’t let me forget it.”
Tam shrugged.
“You okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know, you’re—” he waved a hand “—acting weird.”
Tam lifted an eyebrow but didn’t reply.
“Nervous?” Ansel asked.
“I just don’t want anything to go wrong.” He really needed a win today. Another blow might knock him out for good.
Ansel squeezed his hand. “We’ve been training for this moment. Don’t worry.”
Soon after, Z and Jae turned up almost simultaneously and Ansel was distracted enough to leave Tam alone. Mark opened the doors before Georgia and Hop showed up, so they waited inside together while Mark set up the stage and music.
“I’d like to do four routines, if that’s okay,” Tam said. He’d followed Mark to the DJ booth instead of sticking with the group. “Our usual style is to have a set with two songs that follow a certain theme, but since this is an audition I want to give you as much information as possible.”
“That’s not necessary.”
Tam handed over his phone with the songs cued up on a new playlist and Mark plugged it into the system. “It is for me.”
When he returned to the boys, Hop and Georgia were there. Mark pulled out a mini tripod from behind the bar and attached his cell phone. “I hope you don’t mind. I think a recording will speed up the process.”
“Oh, sure. That’s fine,” Tam said.
“Are you ready to have your mind blown?” Georgia asked Mark as he sat next to her.
“I’m already impressed.” He glanced at the cell, then back at them. “He’s the one you need to worry about.”
Georgia nodded to Tam.
“Okay, we’re going to start with a couple of our new routines, they are a little outside our comfort zone.” He turned to the boys. “‘Bombastic’ into Dorothy’s ‘Raise Hell.’” Then to everyone, “From there we’ll show our masculine and feminine characteristics with ‘Do It Like a Dude’ into ‘Sexuality.’”
As they took the stage Ansel pulled him to the side. “Four routines? Isn’t that excessive?”
“Don’t think you can handle it?”
His friend squinted at him. “Fine.” He strutted into position like he had something to prove, which had been Tam’s intention.
They all had something to prove. Tam most of all.
This was his chance to show conviction. He didn’t need a man to make him whole. He’d be fine without Driver.
If only he could believe his own lies.
* * *
Just as they’d rehearsed, “Bombastic” went off without a hitch and they slid into the rock and roll choreography of “Raise Hell” as if they’d practiced the transition a million times. The two songs were a natural pairing with the rebel attitude rising to a peak.
They started the song off stomping their heels and flicking their hair. When the verse started, they broke off into mini-solos. Each time Dorothy sang “Young blood,” the next person moved and the rest would freeze until the last, Tam in the center, completed the sequence. It was a slow beat that they could really sink into but the moves were hard-hitting and sharp.
It was a battle cry.
And they put everything they had into it, kicking and punching the air, harassing an invisible enemy. Tam poured all of his aggression into each and every movement, visualizing Driver the entire time.
There were only a few seconds to catch their breath and get into place for Jessie J’s “Do It Like a Dude,” but they were professionals. Even though this was an older routine, Tam had revived it when Hop and Jae joined the Sassy Boyz. With Jae’s help, they’d added even more classic hip-hop moves so the overall effect was a clash between their appearance and demeanor.
Before The Vibe had closed, this routine had been a crowd favorite and they usually accompanied it with a costume change for an extra bit of shock value.