The amp hum is already loud before the song even starts.
Kurt scratches at his strings, half-testing, half-playing. Krist is leaning into his bass, looping the same line over and over like he's trying to grind it into muscle memory. Rory sits behind the kit, loose, relaxed—spinning a stick between his fingers, then catching it, tapping the rim once, twice.
"Again," Kurt mutters.
They go back into it—tight, messy in the right places, loud enough to feel like it matters. Rory keeps the beat locked, simple but heavy, pushing just enough to make them lean forward without realizing it.
Don't overplay, Rory thinks. Let them carry the weight. You just drive it.
They're halfway through when the garage door creaks open.
The manager steps in, not even waiting for them to stop. He just stands there for a second, arms crossed, watching.
Kurt notices first and cuts the chord short. Krist lets his last note ring out.
Rory taps the hi-hat twice and stops.
"What?" Kurt says, a little breathless.
The manager doesn't answer right away. He's smiling.
That alone is enough to make Krist straighten up.
"Alright," the manager finally says. "You guys might wanna hear this."
Kurt squints. "What, did the radio play us again?"
"Yeah," the manager says. "That too. But that's not the point."
Rory leans forward slightly on his stool. He already has a feeling.
The manager reaches into his jacket and pulls out a folded piece of paper.
"I've been getting calls," he says. "From venues."
Krist blinks. "Calls… like, asking us to play?"
The manager nods. "Yeah. Asking you to play."
There's a beat of silence.
Kurt looks at Krist, then back at the manager. "You serious?"
"Dead serious."
Rory doesn't say anything. He just watches them.
Here we go, he thinks.
The manager unfolds the paper and glances down.
"First one—December 7. Rosco Louie Gallery. Small place, arts crowd. They want you in two days."
Krist lets out a short laugh. "Two days? That's… fast."
Kurt scratches the back of his neck. "Do they even know us?"
The manager shrugs. "They heard the buzz. Radio, word of mouth, that Vogue show. Somebody there talked. That's how this works."
Rory nods slightly. That tracks.
"Next," the manager continues, "December 14. KAOS Radio at Evergreen. Not a show—live session. They record you, play it on air."
Kurt's eyes light up a little. "That's good."
"Yeah," the manager says. "That's really good. Gets you outside Seattle without leaving the room."
Krist grins. "Free promotion."
"Exactly."
The manager taps the paper again.
"December 21. House show. Grange Hall, Olympia. All-ages, DIY crowd."
Kurt exhales through his nose, almost smiling. "That's more my thing."
Rory glances at him.
Yeah, he thinks. That's exactly your thing.
The manager keeps going.
"January 10—Gorilla Gardens. Bigger room. They expect a crowd this time."
Krist lets out a low whistle. "That's a step up."
"And January 18," the manager says, "The Tropicana in Olympia. Underground bar. Bands pass through there all the time."
He folds the paper back up.
"That's what I've got so far."
Silence again—but this time it's different.
It's heavier. Realer.
Kurt sits down on a small amp, elbows on his knees. "So… people actually wanna see us again."
"Yeah," the manager says. "They do."
Krist shakes his head, smiling. "That's crazy."
Rory finally speaks. "Not really."
They all look at him.
Rory shrugs. "We sounded good."
Krist laughs. "Yeah, okay, fair."
Kurt looks at Rory a second longer, then nods slowly.
"Yeah," he says. "We did."
The manager leans against the wall.
"This isn't random," he says. "The radio play helped, sure. But it's the combination. People heard the tape, then heard about the Vogue show, then heard someone else talk about it. That's how it builds."
Kurt nods, thinking.
"So what do we do?" he asks.
The manager looks at him like the answer should be obvious.
"We say yes."
Krist immediately nods. "Yeah. All of them."
Kurt glances at Rory.
Rory just says, "We can handle it."
Inside, though—
Rosco Louie… small crowd, artsy. Play tight, don't lose them.
KAOS… make it clean enough to replay. That one matters.
Grange Hall… raw. Don't overthink it.
Gorilla Gardens… that's your first real test.
He taps his sticks lightly against his leg.
And Tropicana… that's where word spreads sideways.
Kurt stands up again, energized now.
"We should change the set a bit," he says. "Add the newer stuff."
Krist nods. "Yeah. 'Love Buzz' for sure."
Rory looks up. "And 'Paper Cuts.'"
Kurt glances at him. "That one's heavy."
"Exactly," Rory says.
Krist grins. "People liked the slow stuff."
The manager raises an eyebrow. "You guys already planning the next set?"
Kurt shrugs. "We have to."
There's no hesitation in his voice anymore.
That's new.
Rory notices it.
He's locking in, Rory thinks. Good.
The manager pushes off the wall.
"Alright," he says. "I'll confirm everything. But you guys—tighten up. Especially if you're adding new songs."
Rory nods. "We will."
The manager looks at him for a second.
"You don't seem surprised."
Rory just shrugs again. "We practiced for it."
That's all he says.
The manager smirks. "Fair enough."
He heads toward the door, then stops.
"Oh—and one more thing."
They all look at him.
"Keep playing like you did at the Vogue… and this list gets longer."
Then he's gone.
The garage is quiet for a second.
Krist exhales. "Man…"
Kurt picks up his guitar again, plugging back in.
"Let's run it," he says.
"No breaks?"
Kurt shakes his head. "No breaks."
Rory smiles slightly and twirls his sticks once before catching them.
That's the right call.
Krist adjusts his bass strap. "Which one?"
Kurt looks at Rory.
Rory thinks for half a second.
"Start with 'Downer,'" he says. "Then straight into 'Bambi Slaughter.' No gap."
Krist grins. "Hit 'em fast."
Kurt nods. "Yeah."
Rory raises his sticks.
They're ready for the next step, he thinks. They just don't know how big it gets yet.
He counts them in.
"—One, two, three, four—"
The garage fills with noise again.
But this time, it feels different.
Not like practice.
Like preparation.