As usual, Thom came in late again. The band should be tired of his antics by now - Dominic especially. As he went through those garage doors, he expected Dominic to slabber him with insults at how much of a lazy-ass he is.
Thom was surprised at how there was none. Dominic was fiddling with his drum sticks. What surprised him more is Hugh.
"You're late again. When will you pick up your lazy ass and think about the time?"
Thom knows Hugh is talkative of the bunch, but it's not in him to chew him out like this. Everything about this is making him suspicious. On the outside, everything looks prim. But it's the little details that scream the loudest. Thom looked at Ryan should be acting indifferent to this charade. The guy looked uncomfortable on that sofa - like he wanted to talk, but something is stopping him. Dominic, on the other hand, is a separate entity from this. The drum sticks seem to be more interesting than whatever is going on.
Then it hit Thom.
"You're Dominic," Thom said to the guy that looks like Hugh.
"You're Hugh," to Ryan.
"And you're Ryan," to Dominic.
If he didn’t know anything about the masks nor his friends, he wouldn't suspect anything wrong.
"The charades up," Hugh said in Ryan's body. "We thought we could fool you, but I guess not."
"That doesn't erase the fact that you're still late, Thom. Do you have any idea how long I stayed in Hugh's body?" Dominic said.
"Hey, what's wrong with my body?"
"Nothing, except for your mouth. How are you salivating this much? It's like I could blabber all day with this big mouth of yours."
The band returned to their bodies, with no more embarrassments in seeing each other's naked figure. They have two days trying the façades of their friends - which is enough time to get comfortable in the nude.
Even though they could transform into another person’s physique, they realized one undeniable fact from their charade. They are lousy actors. They are bound tightly to their quirks. If they want to fool other people, they need to step up their acting game.
But that is not important right now. As the group returned to their real bodies, they too returned to their routines. Thom asked Hugh if he could borrow his old bass guitar.
"Again? I thought you bought your own?" asked Hugh.
"I did, and the delivery failed. I can't get my money until the next month or so," said Thom. "I was going to ask my brothers for money, but they're out of the question. Jake's out of state, and Liam splurged on renovations on one of his business. Can't ask my dad since I already asked him before for money - and you guys know what he said."
Alfred Sanderson said a resounding and gruff 'No.’
"My old bass won't survive 'till Bandzilla," said Hugh. He grabbed a wad of 100s from his pocket and gave them to Thom. "Since I'm such a good friend, here is a loan. Don't worry - no interest."
For a guy working as a barista in a coffee shop that barely gets customers, he's earning a lot of money. He knows this house is an inheritance from his Italian father, who works in the town waste disposal company. But this money? It came from somewhere else. Thom would give it more thought if Dominic wasn't nagging him about starting the band practice.
---
Band practice went smoothly as usual - though, jumping around the garage while playing an old bass guitar that can break down in one wrong move is nerve-wracking. But that does not compare to the stress Dominic has with his trashed truck. After band practice, Dominic gathered the band around the sofa while they ate pizza.
"It is Terry who trashed my truck," said Dominic. "The police stopped investigating my case, which is Terry's handiwork. And I consulted Garry."
"You consulted Garry. Are you out of your mind?" said Hugh.
Garry Hart of the Dead Man's Switch underground club - a man of connections and secrets. If Terry was a slimy prick, Garry worse. Far, far, worse. People go to him for all sorts of information - from as simple as someone’s location or as worse as a life-breaking secret. But to receive his services, one must give information on their own. This can be equal to the information you want or something more significant. The one who decides is Garry himself and knows that he would try everything to get the bigger prize.
"I asked him where Terry and Piers at night my truck was trashed."
"And? What did Garry say?" asked Hugh.
"Terry is at his family gala while Piers is at 13 Neibolt Street, trashing my car."
"What did you pay him for that information? Garry's a slimy bastard. I'd know that he would wriggle out more information from you." said Thom.
"I paid with my, Thom's, and Ryan's nudes. Garry sends his condolences on your dick Thom."
"Wha- How? Oh." Dominic used the façades. Thom is severely regretting his decision to share the masks with them. But on the bright side, he's sure that Garry won't release his nudes to the public. Unless someone inquires for that particular information, or Thom does something that would anger the bastard. "Fuck you, asshole. You didn't even consult Ryan and me before you shared our nudes."
"I consulted Ryan, alright. And he's on board with it."
Ryan raised a single thumb.
"This got me thinking," said Dominic. "They trashed my truck, and we need to take our revenge. Ryan and Hugh are already with me. What say you? Thom?"