Sharpening His Broken Talon (Living Art Book 2)

by River Mitchell

  “I was invited and I’m staying. It will be nice to spend the night with the real man, instead of a frigid virgin.” Say what, now?!

  “Whoa there, you little harlot. I am going to have ask you to leave.” Sheridan joined the conversation.

  “And who the hell are you?”

  “Since you asked so politely, I will tell you. My name is Sheridan Hopper, and you, my dear?” Sheridan said with only a small amount of distaste slipping through her tone.

  “None of your business,” Miss Snooty snapped.

  “Her name is Penelope Regler, and as far as any of us knew, she was Tristan’s girlfriend. She even texted me a couple of hours ago asking shi…sorry, I mean stuff about the party. She just shows up with this dude and starts shouting off at the mouth.”

  “Is that right? Well, as it turns out, Miss Regler, your invitation has now been rescinded. Sorry for the miscommunication, but you are no longer welcome here. Can I have your parents’ telephone number, so that I can advise them that they should come and get you or should expect you home? Now, young lady, you will provide me with that number because we both know that if you don’t, I can get your home number from one of the youngsters here.”

  “Get lost, you old hag. Come on, Zack, this party is shit anyway,” Penelope sniped.

  “Yeah, I don’t think so. I’m sorry, man,” Zack the man/boy said directly to Tristan. “She told me that you guys broke up, but that you were still friends. That’s why you still hang out at school and stuff. I have been seeing her for a couple of weeks. I had no idea that she was like this.” Then he turned back to Penelope. “I think you should call your folks for that ride.”

  “That’s cool, man, lucky escape. You can stay if you want. There’s food.” I could not have been prouder of Tristan right then. I could tell that he was putting a brave face on, but he was holding it together and showing the little bitch that she was not important, nor was she going to get the reaction she wanted.

  “This is ridiculous. Fine, maybe you could be fags like your brother,” Penelope shouted venomously.

  “Hey, watch it, little girl. I am really trying to be on my best behavior. I mean, come on; I am not about to get into a slagging match with a wannabe Kardashian. And trust me, darling, be thankful I am holding back. You may be the queen bee in your little world, but in the real world, sweetie, you are nothing more than a high school student who believes she is more important than she really is.” Alfie’s tone was overly sweet. “Because if you were just a couple of years older, I would be going all Heathers on your arse.”

  “What, who’s Heather?”

  “Kids today, no culture. I mean what are they learning in school these days? I think the school system is really falling down on the job in educating the youth of today in the classic films of years gone by. There are so many amazing journeys that people are missing out on. Don’t you agree, babe?”

  ”I have no clue who the fuck Heather is either, baby,” Fear, rather comically, I thought, replied.

  “I’ve seen it. Winona Ryder, right?” Zack asked.

  “Okay, I had my doubts about you there for a second. But in light of this new information, you may stay,” Alfie commanded, looking at Zack with a newfound respect.

  “Argh…you are crazy,” Penelope screeched.

  “Are you still here? Move it along, hon; we have a party to get back to.”

  “Forget this.” The sixteen-year-old diva stormed out of the club.

  “Ding dong, the wicked witch is gone. I’m paraphrasing of course, but I will give bonus points to the person that can name the movie,” Alfie shouted out, purposely covering the drama queen’s exit.

  “The Wizard of Oz!” Fear shouted out, shocking the shit out of all of us.

  “Ding ding ding, we have a winner. Okay, everyone, enough of this interruption. Let’s get back to the party.” As Alfie turned to leave, I saw Tanya, the girl I used to work with in the mail room at Ultra Cover, approach Alfie, whisper something in his ear and then dart back to wherever it was she came from. From the look on Alfie’s face, whatever she said wasn’t anything good. Tate must have seen the look as well, because the moment Alfie disappeared into the crowd, he spoke into my ear.

  “That does not look good. I am going to go and see what that is all about. I think that this party has seen enough excitement for one night.” Hearing his voice, and having his breath caressing my ear, caused me to shudder. I wanted nothing more at that moment than to wrap my arms around him and never let go. He had become my safe place; reading something he wrote or listening to him speak was all it took to calm me. With all my inner musings, I had missed Tate leaving, and now I was standing alone. My dad was standing across from me with so much pain and regret in his eyes that it physically hurt to keep looking at him.

  Averting my eyes, I sought out Tristan and found him talking to both Fear and Austin. Putting all my bullshit to one side, I went to check in with Tristan.

  “I’m okay,” Tristan said the moment he saw me.

  “He’s good. She’s no loss. Women like that are not worth the trouble. There will be a girl out there that no matter what shit she pulls, or whether any of her crazy shows, you won’t care; you simply know she is the one. That Pepper girl or whatever her name is is absolutely not worth it. And the sad thing is she knows it, which is why she created all this drama and spreads her legs to any Tom, Dick, or insert any name here, that will have her,” Fear advised.

  “She told everyone that I am a virgin and that I am frigid. School is going to suck Monday,” Tristan said, looking between Fear and me.

  “You think that is what they are going to remember from tonight? And even if some do remember and say something, all you have to do is say that if and when you do give it up, it won’t be to someone like spreads-a-lot. Trust me, Tris; the girls will love that about you. If anyone should be embarrassed about that whole scene, it should be her. That girl has issues and none of them are about you. Don’t be taken in by her shit.” I nodded at what Fear was saying and loved the fact that he was here to say it.

  Tristan nodded and smiled. “Thanks, big bro and bigger bro.”

  I pulled him in for a hug and watched as Fear did the same. I then watched him and his friend return to the party. That was until I was pulled sideways into a hug.

  “Miss you, try not to disappear on me again. I like to keep my little brothers close. I get why you’re pissed at them for sharing your past, but in their defense, I didn’t really give them the option. You were hurting, and I was lost as to how to protect you from it. It’s kind of my thing: Protecting and keeping those I love safe. It took me a long time to realize that letting someone in wasn’t a weakness, and sometimes, not being able to find the words when wanting to share something isn’t either. You and me, we are the same in that way. But I want you to know that I love you, all of you. And I am here if ever you need anything. Anything, okay? I am proud to have you in my family. I am proud to be your big brother, and because I spend way too much time with Alfie, so you really have to excuse this last part, I love you just the way you are.” The snort of laughter that hit me shocked both of us I think. Because that really was something Alfie would say. An assumption that was proven correct when I heard Alfie’s next words.

  “Ah, honey lumpkin, you complete me.”

  “Really, you were eavesdropping?” Fear said while frowning at his crazy partner.

  “No, I would never do that, and I only caught the end of your chat. I have to say it was magical, wonderful, and life-altering blah blah blah. But I need you help me before I lose it and spontaneously combust or pull all of my hair out. I like my hair. Will you love me when I am bald and smelling of smoke? Wait, that was rude of me, interrupting. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean anything by what I said. I think it is really great that Fear could tell you what he wanted, and you could see in his eyes that he meant it. Because Fear’s eyes are awesome and you can tell everything he is feeling with just one look at them. So you know what
he said is true, and he meant it from deep down in his soul. I only commented about the end bit because that was all I heard, and I promise I wasn’t listening. I was just coming over here to ask for…” The ramble and direction changes in Alfie’s speech were both impressive and amusing. It was easy to see how the man had worked his way into Fear’s heart.

  “Baby, stop and breathe,” Fear interrupted. Alfie nodded, took a deep breath, and continued.

  “I really need your help in the back, both of you.”

  I didn’t realize this was the moment that was going to turn my life around.

  10

  Talon

  I followed Fear and Alfie into the back room where another shouting match was taking place. Who knew one sixteen-year-old’s party would be so eventful. I couldn’t even make out what was being said because the shouting was shrill.

  “This band would be nothing without me,” I thought the guy with the neck tattoo said. It was hard to figure out through the slurs. Wow, he was messed up.

  “Are you kidding me? We are nothing with you. We have been carrying you for months. You’re either high or drunk. And if by some miracle you show up at rehearsal or for a gig on time, you always manage to mess shit up for us. This was the first paying gig we have had in a long time. All our regular gigs now refuse to re-book after having to deal with your shit. This band could become something amazing without you,” Tanya screamed.

  “What are we going to do? The singer is clearly on planet Pluto or wherever his happy train led him, and now the others are saying that they can’t go on. Everyone knows that the band is meant to be playing. They were so excited; apparently they rarely do gigs anymore, Austin tells me. Austin says that they are about to sign a record deal, and it would make Tristan the coolest of the cool if the band played. So, of course my mother went on her merry way and booked the bloody band without checking references and stuff. Because clearly, he is the reason they don’t play much anymore, and the record deal we heard about is nothing but gossip and crazy delusions. I cannot let my little brother down.” Alfie was so into his rant, he hadn’t noticed everyone was now looking at him lose it.

  “I thought he was Fear’s little brother?” someone asked, but I wasn’t sure who.

  “What? He is Fear’s little brother and Talon’s,” Alfie explained.

  “Who’s your little brother?” was the next question asked.

  “Griffin; what is with all the questions? I don’t have time for questions. I need solutions. What are we going to do with druggie pissed-face over there? And how are we going to get this band up on stage, because they will not be letting my little brother down? Not after the night he has had. I will don a wig and very unattractive clothing if I have to. This is all my mother’s fault!”

  “I’m confused, which brother’s birthday is it?” I heard being asked.

  “Oh my word, I am going to blow. I love you all. Not you lot,” Alfie said, pointing to the band as he says the last words.” I mean you,” he said, continuing and pointing to Tate, Fear, and me. “Tell my mother that she is still forbidden from unsupervised visits. It is going to have to be a closed casket.”

  “Wait a minute, calm down, baby. What is the problem? Besides the obvious, that is,” Fear inquired wisely. Alfie was on the edge.

  “Talon, is that you? Hey, I wondered where you went. You disappeared from work after that shit with Christopher and never came back. I was worried about you. You know this guy? Tanya asked.

  I looked at Tate, and it was as if immediately I knew what it was that I wanted him to do.

  “Hey, I’m Tate. Fear, Talon, and Tristan, who is the birthday boy, by the way, are brothers. Fear and Alfie, the guy who you lot have turned into a basket case, is Fear’s partner. Talon works with his brother now at our shop, and you don’t have to worry about him, he is all set,” Tate explained.

  “Cool, you work at Living Art? That place is amazing. I have been saving to get a piece done there for what feels like forever. It’s great that you get to work with family, too.”

  “Great, now that the reunion is over, can you please tell me what is going on and why you are saying you won’t be doing the job that you were hired to do?” Fear was getting agitated.

  “Well, putting it simply, our singer is fucked up and unable to perform. None of us are able to sing anywhere near good enough to go onstage. He promised that he would keep it together for this gig tonight. I can’t tell you how sorry I am,” one of the guys from the band tried to explain.

  “Sorry… Sorry? You think that sorry is going to cut it when I have to go and tell Tristan that the band all his friends have been told is playing tonight couldn’t get it together enough to perform? Especially after the girlfriend debacle that just happened?” Alfie asked, stopping fear from whatever it was that Fear was going to say.

  “What girlfriend debacle?” Tanya whispered to both Tate and me.

  “Tristan’s girlfriend turned up with her new boyfriend announcing to everyone that she needed a real man and not a frigid virgin. I still can’t get over that. That girl was only sixteen, for fuck’s sake. I don’t think I was like that at that age.” Fear snorted at Tate’s statement but didn’t respond. Tate did respond by giving Fear the finger.

  “Wow, that is harsh. Poor little dude. That has to suck,” a tall, lanky guy said and from the back of the group. He did seem sincere.

  “Yeah, poor little dude. Now imagine, after all that happened, you are then told the band all your friends, who I reiterate, witnessed the aforementioned girlfriend debacle, are waiting for, are told are not performing. You really think that I can do that to the poor little dude?” Alfie said with his voice dripping with sarcasm and agitation.

  “What do you want us to do, man? He can’t go on. You think it will make everything better if we do go on and do a shit performance? We get that you want this to make up for the birthday boy’s night starting out shit. But forcing us to go on will not do that,” skinny guy said. I hated to admit it, but what he said was true. With teenage mentality being what it was, anything that went wrong tonight would be used against Tristan.

  Before anyone could respond or even attempt at coming up with a solution, Tristan and Austin rushed into the room.

  “Is it true? Did you get Combined Dysfunctions to play tonight? I mean the sound system is good and all, but that is going to be awesome. It’s all anyone is talking about. Austin said that no one would remember the stuff that happened with Penelope because I will be the man, the guy that got the local number one band to play at his birthday. They hardly ever play anymore. Can you believe it? This is going to fix everything. Thank you so much, Alfie. You and your mom are the best.” Tristan was so caught up in what he was saying that he failed to notice the people that Tate, Alfie, and I were standing with. He didn’t stick around after he finished talking, either. Just gave Alfie another smile and left quickly with Austin, who seemed just hyped up as my little brother.

  Austin really was a great kid. It made me happy seeing them together. I wish I had had a friend like that growing up. It helped heal some of wounds to know that Tristan had that.

  “Figure something out. You are not letting that kid down,” Alfie pleaded.

  I knew that I was going to have to do the one thing that I promised myself I would never do. The one thing I kept only for me. The reason I hadn’t volunteered before now had a lot to do with fear, but it was also because it was the only part of me that was all mine. Pulling out my notebook, I quickly wrote the words that I thought I would never write and handed the note to Tate as fast as I could so that I couldn’t wimp out. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for my little brother and that included living through my worst nightmare.

  I’ll sing.

  Those two words were so simple to put down on paper, but so fucking scary. I started to tremble the moment Tate read the words. His head snapped up to me so quick that had I not been about to shit myself, it would have been funny. Unfortunately, nothing about this situation w
as remotely funny.

  “You sure?” was all he said, and that’s all it took. Two words to conquer a fear and two words that made me fall in love. He didn’t question if I could do it or laugh at my suggestion. He didn’t doubt me for a second, not for even a millisecond. I knew the question wasn’t about my being able to sing; it was a confirmation and a need for permission to share what I had written down. A single nod was all I could do.

  “Talon is going to sing for you. Get your shit ready to go on and get rid of that,” Tate announced, pointing at the high-as-a-kite ex-lead singer. “No more excuses. Be ready in twenty,” he finished on an order.

  “Whoa, wait a minute. This guy hasn’t said a word. Can he even sing? How do we even know he is going to do a better job than Dakota?” Lanky guy smarted off.

  “What’s your name?” Tate asked.

  “Perry, and man, I promise, I am truly not trying to be a dick about this. We really would love to do this gig for the kid. But I love this band, it is all we have, and I am not going to let your friend make a mockery of this band any more than we can let Dakota. We let that go on too long. You have got to understand,“ Lanky, or I guess Perry, said.

  “I get it. It’s your baby or whatever, but if my brother says he can do this, then he fucking well can. So do what it is you have to do, and let’s get this show on the road.” And with those words, Alfie healed another part of me. He didn’t doubt me or expect me to fail. I was family and this was what real family did.

  “Can you sing?” Tanya turned and asked me.

  Nodding, I wrote down as quickly as possible the only reassurances I could give.

  * * *