SandScript 2022

a senior at Rollins, graduating in May with a business degree. He had begun doing the show as a freshman just
because he thought somebody should. His parents were divorced, and while his mother lived in Orlando, his father
had moved to Sacramento and owned a successful landscaping company. The divorce had been brutal, and it was
then that Dave, a teenager, became a metalhead. Billy, considering his own turbulent past, could relate.
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One time they discussed what bands Dave would and wouldn’t play.
“What about some more mainstream bands, like G N’ R or Van Halen or Def Leppard?” Billy asked.
“I don’t play that shit,” Big Dave gruffly answered. “Well, maybe early Van Halen, but otherwise, fuck that.”
“But wouldn’t it bring in more girls? They like that music.”
“Why would I want more girls here?” Big Dave asked. “This is a place to rock, not to get laid. If you want to
pick up chicks, go to some dance club. We’re here for the music.”
Billy said nothing. As he considered this, however, he wondered if, maybe, he might see things a bit
differently from Dave. He thought the show might be a bit more varied and still keep true to what Dave intended. It
marked the first time Billy stopped exalting Dave and brought him back down to earth. Dave was just another guy
with opinions, like himself.
The school year progressed and Billy and Dave had become close friends. They began to speak on the phone
regularly, almost daily. They would meet for meals at the cafeteria. But it wasn’t until one night in mid-April that
Billy realized just how close they had become.
As Dave rifled through his LP crate, he sighed. “Just a few weeks more,” he said. He was, of course, referring to graduation.
“Oh, that’s right,” Billy said. “You’re graduating. So what’s next for you? You gonna keep doing this and look for a job?”
“I already got a job,” said Dave. He stopped and looked Billy square in the eyes. “I’m working for my dad’s company.”
Billy stared at him. Dave’s dad in Sacramento? That didn’t make sense.
“Huh? How’s that gonna work?”
“What do you mean? I’m going to California after I graduate. I’m gonna help my dad run his company.”
“You mean you’re leaving? When, in the fall or something?”
“Nope. Just a few days after I graduate.”
“But-,” Billy gestured helplessly. “What about this?”
“What about it?” asked Dave. “It’s over, Billy. I’m done. It was fun but I gotta move on.”
“But you can’t move on, man. We need this. A lot of people need this.” I need this, Billy thought, but didn’t say.
Dave sighed again. He put his hands on Billy’s shoulders. “That’s the thing, Billy. Why do you think I
was happy to meet you? I knew I would have to give this up someday, but I had hoped that maybe I might meet someone
who could take over after I leave. Who was I gonna pick, Tavo? I love the guy, but-no, God no. I could turn it over to you
if you want it. You’re the only one who’s smart enough, together enough, and loves the music enough to do it.”
None of this was real, Billy thought. This can’t be happening.
“Are-are you sure, Dave? I-I’m…it means a lot that you think that, but really? Me?”
“Yes, you. Why not? I think you could do it, and I know this better than anybody. And you’re a
freshman. You could do this for three more years. At least,” he added, grinning.
“Wow, Dave, just…wow. I mean, yeah, it would be really cool to do this at some point. But how am
I gonna pay for all this?” Billy asked, pointing at Dave’s music and equipment.
“You can do DJ jobs over the summer for cash. It’s quick, easy money. And you can use that to pay
me back. But the one thing is that, either next week or the week after that, I need to see you do this at least once,
without me. You need to prove you can do this by yourself.”
Billy swallowed hard. Latino Metal Night, by himself? Was he ready for that?
And yet, even as he trembled with nerves, he also felt something he had never felt before. It was a
sure, steady feeling that he had been handed an opportunity that he had to seize. He actually felt that he had enough
courage to try. That surprised him more than anything. He had never felt that before. Not with school, not with
sports, and certainly not with girls. But he did with this.
It was time, he thought. It was finally time.
“Yes,” he said, the words surprising him as they came out of his mouth. “Yes, I want to try. Just tell
me everything I need to know and I will do one night by myself.”
Dave smiled. “Don’t worry, Billy. I’ll set you up.”
For the next week, every afternoon after classes, Billy would go to Big Dave’s apartment and Dave
would teach him everything he could. How to cue up songs on the turntables, CD players, and even cassette deck.
How to use the mixing board. How to speak into the microphone. How to handle rowdies. Billy asked Dave every
question he could think of and Dave answered. Still, Dave made it clear in no uncertain terms that much of the
time, Billy would just have to wing it and deal with things as they occurred. There was only so much planning and
preparation he could do.
Finally, Saturday night arrived. Billy was so nervous he hadn’t eaten more than a few bites all day and
brought some plastic water bottles to sip from in an attempt to ease his nerves. He and Dave arrived at the hall at 8:00
PM and started setting up. As they did, people slowly but surely started streaming in. Finally, everything was ready.
“Okay, Billy, I’m gonna leave you here. I’ll step out for a minute and then I’ll come back in, but
you won’t see me. I’ll be in the back somewhere in the darkness. If you screw up really bad, I’ll stop the show and
finish up for you, but that’s only if you have a massive, spectacular disaster. It would have to be like a Kiss show, with
flames and blood, only for real. Otherwise, I’ll just let you keep going until you pussy out. Got it?”
Billy nodded. “Pussy out. Got it.”
Dave grinned. “Don’t worry. You’ll do fine. Now get up there and get ready. It’s almost time to start.”
Dave left and Billy set up his headphones and cued up four songs. Then he checked his watch. It was 8:59 PM.
Billy looked out at the faces. They were staring at him, waiting expectantly for some music. He
swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and forced his face into a smile.
“How you doin’, tonight?” he exclaimed into the microphone. “Are you ready to rock?”
“Hell, yeah!” the crowd roared.
“All right, then let’s do it! My name is Billy and this is Latino Metal Night! And we’re gonna start
with a classic! It’s Judas Priest with ‘Take on the World!’ Let’s go!” And he immediately started the turntable and
pulled up the fader, as the song’s opening chords blasted from the speakers.
Then he watched, his heart bursting with pride, as the crowd went just as crazy as they had for any
of Big Dave’s shows. Tavo was the craziest of all, and he seemed to be leading everyone else in slam-dancing and
jumping around.
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