This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales Page A

booking agent,” Vicky went on. “He books Start, and he books rooftop parties all over town in the summer, and he books bands for two of the big clubs downtown. And he wants to talk to me about the Dirty Curtains. That’s my band. And I am not leaving here until that has happened. Do you think this makes me a bad friend, Elise?”
    I shrugged. I didn’t know enough about friendship to answer Vicky’s question with any degree of expertise.
    “I know how to be a good friend,” Vicky went on. “And I know how to be a good musician. I don’t always know how to be both at once.”
    “It’ll be fine,” I said. “Pippa’s awake again, so I’m sure you have nothing to worry about. See?”
    Vicky glanced across the room. Pippa had roused herself enough to talk to two guys. They were a lot taller than her, and she was standing up to speak with them, but she kept swaying and having to grab on to their arms to stay upright.
    “Swell,” Vicky said.
    The booking agent approached us then. He held out the pink beverage to Vicky, and she took it.
    “Hello,” he said to me, holding out his now-empty hand to shake. “I’m Pete. Welcome to my club.”
    “Elise.” I shook his hand and tried to avoid his gaze, like he would see in my eyes that I was only sixteen.
    “Hey, Elise, I’m sorry to ask,” Vicky said, “but would you mind just giving us a minute?”
    I smiled and moved away, but I didn’t really know where to go. I tried to dance by myself for a song or two, but it wasn’t as fun alone. I did a slow pass around the room. Char was up in the DJ booth, but he looked too busy to talk, and, anyway, I felt too shy to just go up there and start a conversation. I didn’t know how Pippa managed to do that.
    Thinking of Pippa, I glanced over at her. One of the tall guys who had been talking to her now had her pressed up against the wall. He was grinding into her, holding her head upright.
    I went back to the bar to find Vicky. She was with Pete still, but they’d been joined by another guy and girl, and Pete seemed busier talking to them than to Vicky. She stood a little bit apart, like she was waiting her turn.
    “Vicky?” I said.
    She gave me a quick smile. “Sorry to banish you earlier. I’m just trying to … I don’t know, if he would just talk to me…”
    I shook my head. “I’m fine. It’s Pippa.”
    Vicky looked over to where Pippa’s rag-doll body was stuffed between a wall and a guy groping her chest. “Shit,” she said, and in about two seconds she was across the room grabbing the guy, pulling him off of Pippa. I stayed a step behind her.
    “Get your hands off of her!” Vicky screamed over the music.
    The guy stepped back and Pippa sagged to the ground, unbalanced without his support.
    “Whoa!” He put up his hands. “What’s your problem? She was fine with it. Right?” he said to Pippa. Pippa did not reply.
    “This is not what ‘fine with it’ looks like,” Vicky retorted. “Girls who are ‘fine with it’ are able to keep their eyes open without help, and they can speak in full sentences. I guess you haven’t had much success with that kind of girl, and I can see why. You’re a pervert.”
    Vicky hauled Pippa to her feet. “Help me, okay?” she said to me. Together we dragged Pippa over to the DJ booth.
    “Char, I need to talk to you,” Vicky called up to him, shaking his leg.
    “I’m kind of busy, Vicks,” he called back. “I’m working. Write it on a Post-it, okay?” He gestured at the pad of stickies near us.
    Vicky adjusted herself so more of Pippa’s dead weight was leaning against me, and then she shouted to Char, “Put on a goddamn long song and come talk to us .”
    Char must have been able to tell that Vicky wasn’t kidding, because he transitioned into “A Quick One, While He’s Away,” a song by the Who which is about eight and a half minutes long. He jumped down from the DJ booth. “Is everything okay?” he asked us.
    Vicky shook Pippa’s body at