Wheels of Steel Book 4 (7 page)

The limo driver pulled up to the curb and popped the drunk for Peter’s wheelchair. A crowd was now forming around the limo and once the wheelchair was in sight people began cheering for Wheels of Steel.

Peter and Jason exchanged surprised looks. They both began grinning like crazed maniacs. J and Hideo acted like security, blocking the crowd back while Peter moved into his wheelchair but when Jason stepped out of the limo supporting his weight on just a cane, the crowd pushed forward, grabbing at him and begging for his autograph.

Robin grew alarmed at how quickly the mass of people had surrounded them and she placed her arm around Jason protectively and hurried him into the record store. Looking behind her she saw that Belinda was dancing in the crowd, thrashing her pink and fuschia hair back and forth while the crowd adored her. Peter was yelling for her to come on and finally she joined them in the crowded shop.

“Oh my God! That was wild!” Belinda yelled. Her eyes were lit up with energy while Robin’s heart was thudding in her chest in terror. They were nearly mauled by the crowd! She looked at Jason and Peter who were equally as excited. They were being crushed in a throng of people who had made it into the shop. It wasn’t very large but where there should have been a cash register a make shift stage had been created. Right now a man was busy spinning an 80’s rap tune; speeding it up and slowing it down while mixing in a hard dub step beat with a heavy bass line. 

People were dancing between the record displays, some of which had obviously been pushed aside to allow for more room. Yet the space was only big enough to accommodate fifty or so people. There was three times that many here now.

Someone had a microphone and Robin heard the stranger announce their arrival.

“Wheels of Steel is in the house!”

A yell of approval went up. Robin was in a state of pure amazement that the group was so popular in Japan. The man on the turntable cut his set short when Peter and Jason were ushered up to the stage. And yet he didn’t seem perturbed, only excited to hand over the baton to Wheels of Steel.

Peter had quickly plugged in his laptop and began playing More Love. The crowd went insane. Jason donned earphones and was setting up some records, leafing through a crate of vinyl and plucking his favorites out of the batch. Meanwhile Peter was looping more Wheels of Steels tunes in with
More Love
. Suddenly she heard him looping
Love’s End
and her voice sang one verse over and over ‘You don’t mean nothing to me…’

Peter’s mix made it sound so funky and cool and Robin looked around at the people wondering if they knew that was her singing. They were jamming and dancing and swaying to the music.

Robin felt a smile cross her lips. She looked at Belinda who stood next to her, dancing and completely lost to the sound of the music that her man was spinning. Robin closed her eyes and allowed the music to fill her and soon she too began to sway to the music mix.

Jason didn’t contemplate whether anyone would like the new stuff he planned to spin. It wasn’t hip-hop or Dubstep but more ambient with notes of Asian and soul.

He pulled up the sounds from his laptop--ones that he had recorded while in Atlanta and he chopped and screwed them into music behind the back drop of
Out of hand
by Shlomo.

Jason continued flipping records into the mix, only partially hearing the crowd grooving with him. He was flowing into the music so completely that his head bobbed to the beat while his body swayed with the rhythm. He stood without the use of the cane, his leg braces bearing the brunt of his weight for him.

When he finally looked up, after spinning for about forty minutes he saw Robin was dancing slowly while staring at him. He winked at her and she smiled and gave him two thumbs up.

He hadn’t had time to really show her what he was creating. This was the debut of his new sound and by the reaction of the crowd they liked it. He lowered his head and spun some of Akita Tom’s hits into his sounds and before he knew it he had been playing for the better part of an hour.

Hidalgo leaned in and yelled at him that his set was hot and Jason relinquished the turntable to one of his idols.

He went out to the dancing crowd, some slapping him on the back. When he reached Robin he moved behind her and rested his body against her, curling his lanky limbs about her and he allowed her to dance for the both of them.

Peter and Belinda were kissing and dancing from his wheelchair and Y and Amberly had arrived and they were dancing—actually Y was dancing and Amberly was flailing around in jerky motions but oblivious to how she looked. Which was actually rather cool, Robin couldn’t help thinking. She never cared what others thought of her. Amberly owned her Cerebral Palsy. She never let it run her—even when it came to her trying to seduce another person’s man.

Y was a good dancer. He wore leather pants and a black shirt that was rolled up to his elbows, which showed his intricate tattoos. A black hat sat low on his head which he kept repositioning as he mimicked Michael Jackson dance moves.

She nudged Jason to look at him but suddenly the weight of him against her body became heavier. She stumbled forward and felt Jason’s body begin to tremble.

Oh no! Jason was having a seizure.

“Peter!” She yelled. But neither Peter nor Belinda could hear above the den of music. Robin had turned and was now keeping Jason upright. His eyes were rolled up to the top of his head and his body was lurching. It took all of her strength to keep him upright and she was terrified that he might hit the floor beneath the feet of the crowd of dancing people.

Suddenly someone was taking hold of Jason. It was Y and Mr. Edelson. They whisked him behind a closed door in a matter of seconds while Robin followed with Amberly right on her heels.

They were in a crowded office where someone had moved unused displays to make room for the party in the other room. They sat Jason in a rolling office chair where his limbs stretched and continued to tremble for another minute before he collapsed.

Robin stroked his unshaven cheek, which was covered in a soft down of auburn peach fuzz.

“Jason. I’m here.” She whispered and then kissed his eyelids. “Wake up when you can.”

Jason stirred and looked around before sitting up. He met Robin’s eyes and smiled softly.

“I heard you,” he said softly. “I missed that—your voice when I wake up.”

She just smiled and shook her head. Then she kissed his lips lightly.

Y pressed a bottled water into his hand, the cap was already off. Jason drank thirstily, water spilling down his chin.

“We should go now.” Amberly said with worry. “It’s after midnight and you’ve been running non-stop.”

For once Robin agreed with the other girl. Dismissing Jason’s half-hearted protests J called for the limo and everyone went back to the house, including Peter and Belinda who had been oblivious to the seizure.

Jason slept for the entire ride.

The next day Peter was in the bed with Robin and Jason waking them up excitedly. Robin rubbed her eyes and then looked at Peter in surprise.

“Boy, you better not have pulled down these sheets,” she warned while making sure her breasts were covered. She had on a tank top to sleep in but no bra beneath.

“No, no.” He said quickly while a blush appeared on his cheeks, which meant that he probably had gotten an eyeful. “Guess what?”

Jason squinted at him tiredly.

“This better be good,” he growled.

“We got an interview!”

Jason sat up. “An interview? With who?”

Peter hesitated. “I’m not sure. But it’s a popular Japanese magazine. And they want to do a photo shoot and everything. So hurry up and get dressed. A car is coming for us in an hour.

Jason rubbed his head. “No.”

Peter froze. “No? What do you mean, no?”

Jason peeked at him. “Baclofen, remember? Today is the day I need my treatment.”

“Oh …” Peter stated. “The whole deal where they do the readings?”

“Yeah. My doc found a place in Tokyo that can do it-“

“Perfect!” Peter interrupted. “The photo shoot and interview is in Tokyo. You can do them both, right? The Baclofen stuff never takes long.”

“I don’t know Peter. This is my first visit to this doctor-“

“Jason,” Peter pleaded, “this is big time. Don’t you see how important to our careers this could be?”

“We should be able to work around the doctor’s visit,” Robin asked.

“Yes!” Peter stated with excitement. “Get up and get ready to go! We can eat breakfast in the limo!” He moved rapidly across the bed until he was positioned on the edge and then he slid effortlessly into his wheelchair and was rolling out the door.

Robin flopped back down, still tired. She looked at the clock. It was 6:12 am, which meant that her body actually thought it was 5:12 am. The time was pretty much in synch even though in Japan they were a full day ahead. That part didn’t matter to Robin, as long as her body was able to sleep and awake at a relatively similar time as she was used to doing back in the states.

Jason dragged himself out of bed but there was a smile on his face. He was loving this—lack of sleep, interviews, boiler room sets—all of it was good times for him.

As requested they had enough time to shower and dress. Robin wouldn’t leave the house until she’d gotten her hair just right and by that time Peter was pacing back and forth in his wheelchair.

Amberly and Y came as well, along with J who was immaculately dressed in a dark lavender suit that could only work on someone as stylish as him. They drink mimosas and passed around dumplings, which Robin thought tasted amazing.

Jason talked on his cellphone to the doctors in Tokyo while Y explained that the magazine was very popular among the youth influenced by the harajuku style. Harajuku was not just a location but also a trend where the young adults dressed in hip western or Cosplay styles.

Robin’s brow quirked up at the sight of Jason’s shaggy hair and shaggier face but J assured her that they would be ‘polished up’ before the photo shoot.

“Robin you must get a look at some of the sights before you head back to the states.” Y said.

“I want to.” She agreed. But everything was happening so fast. They barely had enough time to think before they were off doing something.

“There are some festivals happening. Time permitting we may be able to attend the Atsuta Matsuri.”

“Oh, that’s the big one, right Y?” Amberly asked in excitement.

“Yes, the one I told you I’d take you to this summer.” Y returned his attention back to everyone. “There is a parade, fire works and martial arts demonstrations. It’s the biggest event held at Atsuta-jin
gū
.”

“You can’t leave Japan without seeing one of the festivals.” J confirmed. Y cut his eyes coldly at Mr. Edelson before returning his attention back to Robin.

“If there is anything you might need, be sure to let me know, Robin,” Y said. Robin watched him and J curiously. The older man had obviously noticed the coldness displayed but Robin was unsure if anyone else had.

They arrived at a building that reminded Robin of a giant grey Lego. J said it was the Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku.

It was too early for anyone to be roaming around, yet the area was teaming with colorfully dressed teens and young adults. Robin watched wide-eyed at people dressed as baby dolls or looking like anime characters. Both male and female had hair coiffed in strange and colorful styles. Robin felt completely inadequate dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and not even a bit of makeup.

They were ushered from the limo and up to an office space that was decorated in a futuristic style with glowing lights hidden behind structures so that it looked like the walls glowed.

A receptionist dressed like a 1950’s stewardess greeted them politely before leading them into a large studio. Belinda spun around in disbelief at the grandiose accommodations.

“Wow, Peter.” She said in awe. “We’re at a magazine shoot.” He took her hand in excitement.

“I told you, babe. We’re going to be famous.” They kissed and soon several people converged on them speaking in rapid Japanese, ushering them to make-up stations while holding up costumes next to them.

When Robin was made to sit in a chair where a make-up artist insisted on working on her, she protested.

“I’m not a part of the group …” But then she saw that Belinda, Amberly and Y were getting the same treatment. So she stopped protesting and let them put extravagant make-up on her, transforming her from Robin Mathena into a hip rock star.

An hour later Jason and Peter were dressed in what looked like golf pants--but tight ones. They wore jackets and leather gloves and looked very trendy and stylish. Peter’s white-blonde hair was straight and looked shellacked onto his skull. Jason’s red hair was poofed until he nearly had an afro. He looked far from happy.

Robin was dressed in a long purple satin skirt with a slit that ran up to her hip. She was placed into black heels that were so high that she didn’t dare to walk unless she fell off of them. Her blouse was a strange Victorian style with buttons that ran up to her neck and long sleeves. She too had leather gloves and was asked to wear round glasses with one purple lens and one clear. Thankfully they didn’t touch her hair.

Y looked comfortable dressed in a black suit although his pants seemed much too tight to be comfortable. Amberly was dressed like a baby doll in a powder blue dress that was too short. Her hair was adorned with a large white ribbon, which almost made her look like Minnie Mouse. White knee-highs and black patent leather shoes rounded the look. 

Belinda was the only one who actually liked her look. She was dressed in a long tight black skirt with combat boots. She sported a black, sleeveless t-shirt with a chainmail T over it, which ran long over her waist. Her hair was spiked and they had given her a beauty mark over make-up that made her look like she should have been in a Mad Max movie.

Jason and Peter were then ushered to comfortable seats where a pretty Asian woman was smiling and holding an ink pen and pad of paper.

A buffet of food was waiting for them but when Belinda went for a fried dumpling she was chastised that she would mess up her make up and to wait for the end of the photo shoot.

The interviewer was speaking and Robin strained to hear. They hadn’t been allowed into the area where the interview was being held. Not that they could have made it past all of the photographers snapping pictures. She saw Jason blink rapidly and hoped that the flashing lights wouldn’t trigger another seizure. Last nights seizure hadn’t lasted long and hadn’t been bad but she didn’t think Jason would like it photographed and then plastered in the magazine.

“Wheels of Steel is a blend of talented individuals who also face differing disabilities. Can you tell us more about your disabilities and how you each came together?”

Peter nodded. “Well I’m a paraplegic. I was in an auto accident while in college, which left me paralyzed from the waist down. I joined a support group for students with disabilities and that’s where I met Amberly uh…I mean Tramp Stamp and Top.” Peter looked at Jason for confirmation.