wrinkled her nose at the sight and always assumed that beer was the beverage of choice for all metal heads.
“ What’s that?” she asked, her curiosity outweighing fear.
“Tea. Want some?” he offered.
Chris raised an eyebrow in confusion. Quite possibly the scariest front man sat in front of her, and now suddenly, he sipped from his hot brew like a British gentleman.
“ What…no crumpets?”
Joe snickered like a little kid from across the table but Wade just sat back and smiled at her smart-ass response.
“You can make fun all you want but you’ll thank me for taking care of my voice.”
Chris blinked tiredly a few times before she asked, “How is that supposed to help?”
Wade sipped once more at this tea cup and looked over the rim before he responded with a smile.
“Are you familiar with death growls?”
Chris mocked his tone. “Are you familiar with the cookie monster?”
Wade nodded . “Riiiight. Well, if you know that much then you should also know that prolonged use of harsh vocals without proper treatment can degrade the voice permanently resulting in loss of range, vocal nodules, and polyps. Oh - those are uh, ‘growths’ on the vocal cords by the way-.”
“I k now what a polyp is, Einstein. Since when the hell did you become such a know-it- all?”
Chris tried to play it cool, but she had trouble hiding her surprise at his seemingly endless stream of information but one look at Os and Joe told her that they were already used to it. But on this occasion, Joe laughed outright.
“ Don’t tell me you never heard of ‘Wade’-kipedia!”
“I know a thing or too,” Wade smirked. “Speaking of which, I’d stretch if I were you.”
“Well, you ’re not me,” Chris said, narrowing her eyes.
Joe was sent into a giggling frenzy again, but when Wade stood up and towered over them all, the atmosphere seemed to shift, but it wasn ’t because of the weather.
“Alright, kids. It’s about that time. Joe, go and help the techies finish up. And for fucks’ sake: don’t let anyone touch my Gibson this time!”
“You got it! See you on staaaage!” he sang.
Joe grinned much too wide for his face and winked at Chris just before he walked off the bus after Os.
Wade killed off the rest of his tea in one gulp before he set i t aside and cleared his throat. He hummed aloud and sent his voice into a wide range of vocal warm-ups. He growled as low and as high as he could go and sang random song exercises not caring at all about his audience of one.
While he continued, she studied him again and noticed that he put on a fresh coat of black polish, a silver thumb ring, and a black leather arm band. His spiky black hair was given a thick coat of moose and extra hair spray to ensure it didn’t move through all of his jumping and thrashing.
Suddenly, Chris felt very tired. All of the road time, and now the endless waiting seemed left her deprived of energy. While she waited for Wade to finish, she closed her eyes and pressed her face against the cool window panes. It felt good on her burning skin and she sighed, creating a fog on the glass.
Wade recognized her road exhaustion - only because he had been through it so many times himself. He stopped his warm-ups and looked down at Chris with concern.
“Hey…you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m jus-.”
No sooner than Chris opened her eyes than she sat staring at several faces and hands through the window.
“ CHRIST!” she belted.
Startled to death by several banging fists and faces pressed up against the window, she jumped from her seat. If Wade hadn’t reacted fast enough and caught her, she would have fallen on the floor.
“Who-whoa-whoa! What ’s wrong?!” he asked in response to her sudden jumpiness.
Terrified at the prospect of her discovery, Chris fumbled with her beanie and hoodie – trying desperately to hide her face. But when Wade put two and two together, he tried to steady her by the shoulders.
“Hey, hey! Chill,
“ What’s that?” she asked, her curiosity outweighing fear.
“Tea. Want some?” he offered.
Chris raised an eyebrow in confusion. Quite possibly the scariest front man sat in front of her, and now suddenly, he sipped from his hot brew like a British gentleman.
“ What…no crumpets?”
Joe snickered like a little kid from across the table but Wade just sat back and smiled at her smart-ass response.
“You can make fun all you want but you’ll thank me for taking care of my voice.”
Chris blinked tiredly a few times before she asked, “How is that supposed to help?”
Wade sipped once more at this tea cup and looked over the rim before he responded with a smile.
“Are you familiar with death growls?”
Chris mocked his tone. “Are you familiar with the cookie monster?”
Wade nodded . “Riiiight. Well, if you know that much then you should also know that prolonged use of harsh vocals without proper treatment can degrade the voice permanently resulting in loss of range, vocal nodules, and polyps. Oh - those are uh, ‘growths’ on the vocal cords by the way-.”
“I k now what a polyp is, Einstein. Since when the hell did you become such a know-it- all?”
Chris tried to play it cool, but she had trouble hiding her surprise at his seemingly endless stream of information but one look at Os and Joe told her that they were already used to it. But on this occasion, Joe laughed outright.
“ Don’t tell me you never heard of ‘Wade’-kipedia!”
“I know a thing or too,” Wade smirked. “Speaking of which, I’d stretch if I were you.”
“Well, you ’re not me,” Chris said, narrowing her eyes.
Joe was sent into a giggling frenzy again, but when Wade stood up and towered over them all, the atmosphere seemed to shift, but it wasn ’t because of the weather.
“Alright, kids. It’s about that time. Joe, go and help the techies finish up. And for fucks’ sake: don’t let anyone touch my Gibson this time!”
“You got it! See you on staaaage!” he sang.
Joe grinned much too wide for his face and winked at Chris just before he walked off the bus after Os.
Wade killed off the rest of his tea in one gulp before he set i t aside and cleared his throat. He hummed aloud and sent his voice into a wide range of vocal warm-ups. He growled as low and as high as he could go and sang random song exercises not caring at all about his audience of one.
While he continued, she studied him again and noticed that he put on a fresh coat of black polish, a silver thumb ring, and a black leather arm band. His spiky black hair was given a thick coat of moose and extra hair spray to ensure it didn’t move through all of his jumping and thrashing.
Suddenly, Chris felt very tired. All of the road time, and now the endless waiting seemed left her deprived of energy. While she waited for Wade to finish, she closed her eyes and pressed her face against the cool window panes. It felt good on her burning skin and she sighed, creating a fog on the glass.
Wade recognized her road exhaustion - only because he had been through it so many times himself. He stopped his warm-ups and looked down at Chris with concern.
“Hey…you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m jus-.”
No sooner than Chris opened her eyes than she sat staring at several faces and hands through the window.
“ CHRIST!” she belted.
Startled to death by several banging fists and faces pressed up against the window, she jumped from her seat. If Wade hadn’t reacted fast enough and caught her, she would have fallen on the floor.
“Who-whoa-whoa! What ’s wrong?!” he asked in response to her sudden jumpiness.
Terrified at the prospect of her discovery, Chris fumbled with her beanie and hoodie – trying desperately to hide her face. But when Wade put two and two together, he tried to steady her by the shoulders.
“Hey, hey! Chill,
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