The One I Love

by Mia Ford

  "Are you like a secret agent," Braleen asks walking over and tugging on his jacket.

  "Sort of," Thomas says.

  "I'm just here to give you a bit of good news. We've got a gig. A pretty big one. It's at the Lemon Festival. There will be tons of bands and tons of fans there."

  "That's awesome!" I tell Thomas. I've been to the Lemon Festival and it is indeed a big deal. There are going to be some pretty popular bands there.

  "Ada, are you ready?" Thomas asks turning to her.

  "I think I'll be as long as we have a lot of rehearsal time." She smiles and looks over at me. "When is it?"

  "It's Thursday around two o'clock," Thomas says.

  Ada goes white. She sways a little on her feet and I move forward to catch her.

  "That's way too soon. We've not even got a set worked out. We've barely sung together." Her voice is getting higher and her eyes are wide. I guide her into the chair and she sits obediently.

  "We can do it," I try to sound encouraging. We just do a few covers and Bring on the Water. It will be great."

  "No, Charlie. That's too soon. There's no way I can do it. I just can't do it.”

  “You can, you know why? Because I have faith in you. All my students have faith in you, and your students have faith in you.”

  “I’ll try. That’s all I can do. If I get stage fright though, you’ll have to go on without me.”

  “Okay, I can do that.”

  After the kids leave we rehearse for about an hour. We’re both hungry so when eight o’clock rolls around we decide to go get some food.

  I grab her hand as we walk out together and feel her stiffen. When I turn around at first, I don’t know what she’s scared of, then I see him.

  “Hey there guys, I’m back.” Jimmy was standing in the middle of the parking lot. He has a gun in one hand and a sick grin on his face. At least I think he has a gun. It’s dark and hard to see, but he’s holding something in his hand and now he’s raising it to point it at us.

  “Shit,” Ada said as she saw him and I’d already started pulling her back in the studio. We ran to the back and slammed the door. I pulled my phone out and called the police.

  “He has a gun now,” she said. The panic in her voice barely contained.

  He walks towards us slowly with the grin spreading. Out of everything I can see that the most. He looks like a man possessed. I’ve played this scenario over and over in my head ever since Ada told me they’d threatened me. Until this moment I didn’t realize how serious it was.

  “Go,” I tell her, “go now.”

  She rushes behind me and goes back in the building. As soon as I get the door shut behind us Jimmy fires the first shot. It’s loud and hits the ground outside the front door. I lock it even though I know it won’t stop a bullet and rush Ada into the back room.

  “Get behind the couch,” I yell as I shut the door. I hear him shouting and yelling as he walks back and forth in front of the studio.

  “I’m coming in there to get you both rich boy,” he yells.

  I dial 911 on my phone and give them the address and the situation. It seems like years before we hear sirens as I crotch down with Ada behind the couch. I wonder how we’re alive. He was slow or he could have simply shot us when we exited the building. Someone had to be looking out for us tonight.

  I hear the sirens and then nothing. I wonder if they’ve caught him. Maybe they can take him to jail forever.

  “Let me in, it’s the police.” A woman is yelling from outside the front door. I slowly get up and move towards it with Ada behind me. I don’t think someone would pretend to be the police to get us out, but now I’ve become paranoid.

  Slowly I open the door and peer out to find Officer O’Neal looking back at me. She was probably the last person I wanted to come and help us.

  “So, you had someone shooting at you. You just seem to get yourself into a lot of trouble don’t you Charlie?” I didn’t appreciate her condescending tone.

  “It’s my fault. He’s my ex-boyfriend,” Ada says coming out from behind me. “Jimmy Daly, he was here and tried to shoot us when we came out.

  “You’re Springfield, Ada, right?” Detective O’Neal says in a nice tone of voice I certainly hadn’t heard from her.

  “Yes.” She says a little surprised.

  “I know your dad, we go way back. Do you want to file a restraining order, honey?”

  “Yes, I do. I want to file it against him and my dad. He’s the one who put him up to that.”

  “I’m sure that’s not true,” the detective says. “Your dad doesn’t want you or your, boyfriend?” She says it like a question, “to get hurt.”

  Ada argues with the cop for a long time. She tells her a lot of what her dad said and the cop actually tries to tell her she’s misreading what he was saying. I’m angry all over again listening to the full conversation she had with her dad and the things Jimmy said.

  “I think you should do something about him. There’s no telling what he might do to me or my father.”

  “Mr. Springfield is a reasonable man,” O’Neal says. “I’ll file the order against Jimmy. We’ll go pick him up since I see he assaulted you not too long ago at the bar. If you have any more trouble, call me. I’ll give you my card.”

  After she drives away Ada turns to me. “She wasn’t that helpful, was she?”

  “Better than she was the night this place got vandalized,” I say not thinking.

  “Wait, what. When did that happen?”

  I have to go through the situation with George and what happened to elaborate on the song a little bit. She listens intently and shakes her head like I thought she would. It’s at least clear to me now why the cop was such a bitch to me. She’s clearly in league with the men my dad fired.

  “Tomorrow we have to rehearse at the recording building. I don’t feel safe here at night anymore.” Ada says.

  I have to agree with her.

  Chapter Twenty

  Ada

  Thursday has come up a lot faster than I thought it would. I’ve never seen so many people in one place. The whole lawn is covered in bodies. We’re actually here on the third day of the festival so they aren’t very clean bodies. I’m thankful I don’t have to go out into the crowd and can remain safe on the stage.

  The stage is small. It will probably fit just the two of us and our equipment. Now I have to worry about possibly falling off the front of the stage. I really don’t think I can do this.

  A man sits near the stage in a full headdress and face paint smoking a pipe that is as long as he is tall.

  “Charlie,” I say my voice coming out much quieter than I intended.

  “You’ve got this Ada. We sing four songs and we’re done. You just need to pretend they aren’t there.”

  “How did we even get this gig?” I ask Thomas who is loving the scene. Lila is standing with him looking disgusted.

  “Someone canceled. You’re placeholders. Who cares, you got a gig!” Thomas says.

  “You’re so much more than a placeholder,” Lila says encouragingly.

  The act that was on in front of us just seemed to do a lot of screaming. The crowd responded to that because all they were doing was screaming. There were topless girls with their breasts painted in bright colors. There were men covered in mud dancing in strange circles. There were people swatting at things in the sky around their heads. I couldn’t see anything near them. It was not my scene.

  A guy in a half alligator and half angle costume came up to me and I froze. He stood so close I could smell the cologne he’d piled on to cover up the stench. It didn’t cover it.

  “I’m the scaly fairy, want to buy some molly?”

  I open my mouth to answer, but Charlie is right in front of me. “She doesn’t man. Thanks.”

  The strange creature moves away from us staring at me the whole time.

  “Why do people dress up?” I ask as we move back from the band exiting the stage. They are dressed as strangely
as most of the audience. I look down at my bright red flats, dark jeans, and flowing green shirt and wonder how much I must stick out.

  “They do it to feel like they’re part of something. They feel free and can express themselves any way they want. People think about their festival outfits for months ahead of time.”

  “The gator fairy thought about that for months?” I raise a brow.

  “Okay not everyone plans ahead, but you know what I mean. They get excited and ready to hear some good music, do some good drugs, and not care about anything for a while.”

  “You’ve done the drugs and enjoyed the scene before?” I ask him knowing the answer. Of course, he’s enjoyed it.

  “Yes, Addy. I’ve done it all. When you have a lot of money and you’re young you spend it on festivals, drugs, and women. It’s just what happens.”

  I did tell him not to lie to me. I wonder if I should have him reign back the truth bombs. Every time he mentions other women I find myself thinking about how many he’s been with.

  The guy hosting the event announces us but it’s hard to hear him. I hear him say please welcome newcomers, Charlie and Ada. The crowd is restless and a few of them are chanting Toilet Water Backrub.

  “What’s that mean?” I ask Charlie.

  “It’s the band that was on before us.”

  I feel like maybe I should have known that, but I’m beginning to realize my knowledge of the music scene I’m getting into is seriously lacking. This is going to be a disaster.

  “What genre are we?” I ask Charlie as he straps on his guitar and starts shifting his weight from foot to foot.

  He looks at me with surprise. “I don’t know! We don’t even have a good name.”

  Great, I’ve panicked him right before we’re going to go on stage. His eyes are wide and he’s stopped moving back and forth. The guy announces us again and he doesn’t move.

  “You’re a mix of soul, grunge, alternative, and rock. Get out there and do the thing,” Thomas says as he gives Charlie a shove.

  As we start singing the first cover something wonderful happens. No one is paying attention. A lot of people have taken our appearance on stage as a good time to take a bathroom break or go to the food trucks. The people left in front of the stage are all involved in their own heads. Some spin others stare blankly anywhere but at the stage.

  The first song is a cover that he mostly sings and I chime in every once in a while. I’m getting a feel for the vibe and it’s mostly uninterested. I can sing to a crowd that’s not paying attention. We get to the second cover and maybe ten people have started paying attention to us. This one I sing more and I start to get into it interacting with Charlie a little.

  When we rehearse I’m so concerned about getting the words right and not thinking too hard I never relax and sing with him. He smiles and I can tell he enjoys it. Some of the people have come back by the third song but now I’m in the zone. I’m singing a cover mostly alone. It’s the one I sang for the charity concert and I nail it.

  By the time we’ve finished singing Bring on the Water, we have a few people clap for us and it’s time to get off the stage.

  “Well, we did our first gig, Addy,” Charlie says. “How do you feel?”

  “Not a single person paid attention to us,” I exclaim, “that was fantastic.”

  I notice he’s frowning so I put my hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay we still played a real gig.”

  “Yeah,” he says, “yeah we did.”

  He picks me up and spins me as Thomas brings us our payment. It’s two tickets to the festival and a voucher for food at a shady pizza truck. We pass. Lila wants to stay despite being disgusted by everyone around us. She leads us out into the sea of people and we listen to a few more bands before it’s time to leave.

  I enjoy the laid-back vibe of just being in the crowd. I see gator fairy off to the side talking to a police officer. I recognize her.

  “Detective O’Neal is here talking to the reptile sprite,” I say to Charlie.

  “What the hell?” He asks and I shrug.

  I think nothing of it until she comes over to us. My stomach tightens and I start to sweat. Something is wrong.

  “He’s here Ada,” she says. “Someone called us saying a guy was in the audience acting strangely while Charlie and Ada were playing. They reported they thought he had a weapon. We came immediately.

  “You didn’t hold him in jail?” Charlie asks frustrated.

  “No, he was charged and released with a court date. You have the protective order so we can arrest him for being here, but we have to find him.”

  Lila has been listening to this whole thing and I turn around to see she’s flush with anger. Uh oh. I feel like the best thing for us to do is get the hell out of the venue and pray we don’t run into him on the way out.

  When we get to the car Lila explodes. “How could you not tell me he came after you, Ada?” She’s near tears and Thomas has an arm around her trying to comfort her.

  “I didn’t want to worry you. I’ve been dealing with him and my dad. They threatened Charlie if I sang with him and now they are trying to make good on their promise.”

  “I am so mad you didn’t call me. I would have stayed with you. I would have been there for you.” Lila says.

  I don’t bring up the fact that I did call her when I was having to stay away from Charlie because it seems pointless. She didn’t answer and maybe she had a really good reason. I also don’t bring up the fact she didn’t call to check in on me like she used to because she’d been so wrapped up in Thomas.

  “I’m sorry Lila,” I say. “It won’t happen again.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Ada

  Despite the almost run-in with Jimmy at the festival the rest of the weekend goes smoothly. It’s a good time with Charlie and we sing every time we’re together. I don’t even notice we’re not having sex because we’re both so determined to lay down everything we can while we’re allowed to use the studio.

  That is until tonight. It’s Tuesday and we’re getting ready to wind down class with his students and it’s all I’m thinking about. It’s a completely inappropriate time and Shelia is currently leaning over him as her daughter shows what she’s learned. We decided to continue having class and being at his studio because we don’t want Jimmy to think he can run our lives.

  He locks the door like he always does and then walks over to me taking both my hands. “I want to play you the song I wrote for you,” he says.

  He leads me to the back room. I can’t believe he actually wrote one for me. I don’t know what to say. It’s the sweetest thing I can think of.

  “I’ve been working on it for a while now.”

  He sits and pulls his guitar to him. The look in his eyes is intense and I feel like I should sit down. I sink onto the couch as he starts to play a soft tune.

  She takes her time making decisions

  Not one to rush in the room

  She finds a way to make you smile

  When you're looking through the gloom

  She's small but she's fierce

  Girl doesn't take any shit

  She's beautiful and mine

  She's quick with the wit

  I can feel her when she's not around

  She's in my soul and brings me down

  Back down to Earth when I fly too high

  I don't know what I'd do without my unhinged muse

  She's hiding a lot of sass

  Under a lot of shy

  I don't know if she knows how crazy she makes me

  If she's going, I'm sure coming

  And I don't have to ask where

  I don't know what I'd do without my unhinged muse

  He finishes and smiles at me almost shyly. I am speechless. The song is beautiful and it’s so him.

  "There's a whole bunch for you to sing too, but I just wanted to sing the park I wrote with you in mind. Do you like it?"

  I stand up from the couch and rush over to
kiss him. I almost knock him down as I put my whole body into it. He laughs against my lips.

  “I guess you liked it.”

  I nod and wipe the tears away from my eyes.

  He pulls me against him and I smile. Finally, I think. It’s going to happen.

  “You know the last time we were in this position…” I don’t get to finish what I say because Charlie has locked his lips to mine in a possessive wet kiss that leaves my legs shaking. My back is pressed against the wall as I give in. My neck arches up to reach his mouth that’s fused to mine taking, taking, taking. I wonder what else Charlie will be taking from me. My chest heaves from exertion and his palms cup my face keeping me flush against his body.

  “The last time what, Addie?” His forehead presses against mine blocking out my sight of him, and I feel his smile rather than see it. The creases in his cheeks moon into a smile and my fingertips tug his chin down so I can better reach him for a kiss of my own. The last time we were in this position he took my virginity and I loved it. The anticipation of tonight fills me with a new-found lust. This part of me is everything I hadn’t expected. I actually crave sex and I didn’t know that I would. It’s even more exciting that we’re in the studio together.