Gateway Drug | Volume I

Gateway Drug | Part Eighteen

Warning(s):
Explicit language
Drug abuse
Abuse

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They went Gold in January of 1984, due to Shout At The Devil selling half a million copies.

Cameras, reporters and fans crowd the scene of the Limelight Club in Manhattan as Sparkie, Tansy, and I, stand aside and watch Nikki, Tommy, Mick and Vince are presented with their plaques, all of them looking the most proud I've ever seen them.

Once the last one is handed out to Tommy, the crowd's whistling and clapping, feeding at their egos. But, surprisingly enough, they stay humble.

"How're you fellas feeling tonight? Any words for it?" Their presenter asks into a microphone as a video camera captures the four of them.

"Mom, I'm sorry I had that first party in the living room. I didn't know it would lead to this." Vince admits with a smile, chuckling a little bit.

"Completely speechless." Even Mick is smiling like a kid as he speaks. "Thank you very much."

"We never believed it would actually happen. We were happy just to play supporting other bands, getting out there and having a good time with the kids, and then to be awarded with something is a feeling you can't really express. It just feels fantastic." Nikki tells him with a vividness in his hazel eyes.

"What about you, Tommy?" The man asks and Tommy shakes his head a little.

"I'm the happiest guy in the whole world." He dopily replies, high on excitement and utter joy. "Wait, no, my dad's probably the first happiest."

They're bombarded with questions from reporters once the presentation is over, taking time to answer each of them as cameras continue to flash.

I turn my back to speak to Tansy, the two of us striking up conversation because if I keep looking at the guys I'll start crying.

"Viv!" Nikki's calling over the noise after a couple minutes, and I turn to see him waving me over. "C'mere!"

I walk to him, pushing past security officials and record company executives and what not.

"We wanted a picture with the girlfriend." A woman behind a flashing camera explains.

"Oh, well, she's not here so you're just gonna have to settle for my wife." Nikki corrects her jokingly, his free arm over my shoulders and I gently elbow him in the ribs and shoot him a look.

The crowd "oohs" at him getting in trouble before they start clicking away at their cameras to capture all of us.

"Where's Tansy?" Vince asks and I nod to the corner I was standing in with her. "Tansalyn, get your ass up here!" He playfully demands and the crowd parts like the Red Sea, quickly realizing who she is, and then they start popping off pictures like riled up bees buzzing around and throwing out a million questions about her relationship with the band.

She's secured between Vince and Tommy, rightfully so, and we all give our best smiles for the group picture.

Nikki turns to look down at me, the background noise fading out as he smirks and pulls me closer to him before giving the press a hot, steamy, tongue filled kiss shared between us to get a picture of and plaster anywhere they'd like.

My mother called us white-trash for the hot and heavy PDA that was published in gossip tabloids across the country, but I didn't care for the opinion from someone who thinks blowjobs, anal, and getting eaten out is a sin because it's not contributing to the creation of life.