by J. L. Ostle
“You must be Sky. I’m Chris the bassist. I heard you’re the new roommate.” He puts out his hand for me to shake.
“Hi, nice to meet you. I think my sister showed me a picture of you once but your hair was shorter back then.” God could I sound any lamer?
He runs his fingers through his hair and chuckles. “Yeah, I grew it out once I realized that girls like having something to hold on to,” he says, winking at me. My face turns bright red, instantly understanding what he is insinuating.
“Oi, Chris leave my sister alone or I will cut your strings.” Lake has scissors in her hands, cutting thin air and Chris puts his hands up, backing away. I have to admit; they are quite amusing to watch.
“You’re just jealous because I wasn’t hitting on you,” Chris states, sauntering up to her.
“You wish.”
“Do you want me to kick your ass?” Leon runs to Chris, tucking him under his arm in a head lock and starts rubbing his hair.
“You’re going to pay for that,” Chris whines.
“Just you try it.” I see them stand apart and run at each other, wrestling to the floor. Lake stands there rolling her eyes and steps over them to a sound system. I just watch the guys roll on the floor. I can’t help but laugh at them.
“I thought this was a closed rehearsal,” a snide voice says from the doorway and sure enough, Sherry is standing there in tight leather pants and a black top, that looks more like a bra, with a leather jacket. She really does scream rock star.
“Stop it, Sherry. She’s my sister so where I go, she goes. Get used to it.” My sister walks towards me and wraps an arm around my shoulders.
“Whatever, just keep the groupies out of my way.” She saunters to the made up stage near the microphone.
“Just ignore her. She’s a jealous cow. Sit on the couch and enjoy the show.” With that she walks off back to the sound system. “Right guys, take your spots. Let’s do this.” Leon and Chris stop their boxing match and climb up on the stage.
Chris takes a bass guitar, Leon sits behind some drums, spinning the sticks around his fingers. Wow, now that’s awesome. Dominic steps up with a black guitar that looks really expensive. When he wraps the strap around his neck, he looks even more godly, if that’s even possible. Sherry takes off her jacket and yeah, that top definitely looks like a bra. Her chest is right in your face. But with them all up there, they look like they’re made for this.
“Let’s do this.” Leon taps his drum sticks and my eyes can’t stay off Dominic as I watch his fingers pluck the strings.
His eyes concentrate on his instrument and after a few seconds Sherry’s, voice flows through the room. It has that feminine yet husky quality. It suits the tune of the music. They are so in sync with one another. They play song after song and I even recognize a few and can’t help but move my lips along to the words.
I look back to Dominic and he is smiling at me, watching as I sing quietly to a song that they are playing. I stop moving my lips, feeling embarrassed once again. Their music is really good and they even play a couple of covers. After a few more songs, they stop, the guys high fiving each other.
“What did you think?” Lake asks, beaming.
“It was amazing. Their music is so raw, it’s so good.” I say in a rush.
“You really liked it.” My body shivers as I hear his words surround me.
I turn around, smiling at him. “It was amazing. You are so good. You play awesome.” God, could I sound any more stupid? But he gives me a huge smile that I swear causes something to stir in me.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He walks away to Chris and my eyes follow him, forgetting my sister is beside me. I catch Sherry glaring at me before a confident smirk covers her face and she walks towards Dominic, wraps her arm around his neck in a hug, and whispers something in his ear. I don’t know why it bothers me. They look good together. She was all over him at the party. She openly shows him affection.
They must be together in some way.
Friends with benefits maybe?
I joined Lake to the bands gig to cheer them on. It’s the first time I’ve been to an actual bar. Lake told me I should try an alcoholic drink but I don’t feel confident enough yet. I’m legal, but I know alcohol can change your personality; I experienced that first hand from my mom. I watched the girls and guys around me, some acting like idiots while others acted like they were behind closed doors; making out or going way past second base.
If this is what alcohol can do to you, I don’t think I will ever be ready. The crowd screams at the band; yelling out for more. Women even throw their underwear at them. Chris laps up the attention. Dominic never seems fazed by it all but, I suppose if he’s with Sherry, he can’t really lead anyone on. She wore something that looked like paint but, according to my sister, sex sells. Even though she eye rolled at the comment.
Sherry loves the attention, the fame. After the show she proceeds to drink until she’s wasted. You think sober Sherry is nasty. A drunk Sherry is one mean girl. She insulted me in any way she could, always making sure I was alone. Following me to the bathroom, to the bar to get a coke. She made fun of my appearance. On how pathetic I looked following my older sister like a lost puppy. I was glad when we left. I want to support the band, support what Lake loves doing, but Sherry is making it hard for me to be around them.
Tonight, Lake is taking me to a karaoke bar. She says that I need a fun night out. Leon tagged along, and Dominic and Chris are going to join us later, saying they had something to do first. Sherry wasn’t invited, thank God. I don’t think I could enjoy myself if she would have been here. I never told Lake what she did; I didn’t want to be a pain by going to her with my problems.
We grab a table near the front and someone is already on stage singing and I recognize that it’s a song by ABBA instantly. My mom loves ABBA. I look around, noticing how different it is from the bar the band played their gig at.
Lake is making sure I join in on their conversation and we talk about the good points of our childhood. I have never enjoyed myself so much. I go to the bathroom and when I return to our table my sister has a huge grin on her face. I know she did something. I know her too well when it comes to her facial expressions.
“What did you do?” I look at her with a pointed look. She flutters her eyelashes at me, trying to look innocent.
“Me?” She points to herself. “I didn’t do anything.” Then I hear my name being called and I look back at Lake, who is now cheering, and I groan into my hands.
“What did you do?”
“I may have put your name in to sing.” Oh god, she didn’t?
“I can’t believe you. You know I’m not that good. How could you?” I may be whining like a little girl but I get nervous when I get on a stage in front of everyone.
“You are an amazing singer. You know they always made you lead in the school plays, you always had the solos in the choirs. You are good.” I hear my name being called again. Dammit. “Now go up. Go on, shoo.” She waves her hands at me. I’m going to kill her.
“You suck.” I stick my tongue out at her.
“I know.” She winks back at me.
I head up to the stage and there is a large screen where words to the song come up and a microphone stand. I love singing, don’t get me wrong, but it’s always the beginning that makes me want to throw my guts up.
“What’re you singing?” asks a guy who looks like he’s in his forties with blonde hair that’s starting to recede already. Lake didn’t pick my song? Thank God for that.
“Umm, Michelle Branch All You Wanted.” He nods at me before handing me the mic. I stand awkwardly in the middle of the stage, looking around, trying not to throw up.
Most of the people are engrossed in their own conversations, not caring that I’m up here, And I start to relax. I didn’t want all eyes up on me. I see the song title appear on the screen and take a deep breath; I know this song like the back of my hand. The intro starts and I close my eyes
as I let the words fall from my lips.
I get lost in the music, the words. Singing was always an escape for me. Letting me feel more alive. I keep on singing with my eyes closed and when I get to the chorus, I belt out the words with all my heart. My body hums and I feel like I’m a different person.
I finally open my eyes and everyone is staring at me but I don’t care. I keep on singing and when I get to the second chorus, people in the crowd start whistling and cheering. I can’t help but smile through the words. My sister cheers the loudest. I sway my body to the rhythm and I close my eyes again as the next chorus comes on.
When I open my eyes again, I see Dominic and Chris have joined the table, looking up at me in surprise. Chris is sitting down but Dominic continues to stand, his eyes on me; I don’t look away. I feel like he is looking into my soul. Looking at the me I want to be. I continue singing with everything I have, letting the words stream out of me. I sing the last line and before I can take my next breath I am getting a standing ovation.
“That’s my sister!” Lake screams out. I laugh as I step off the stage to people telling me how amazing I was or shaking my hand as I walk toward our table.
“I knew you still had it in you. That was awesome!” Lake squeals, grabbing me in a hug. I look down at the ground feeling shy. The adrenaline that I had when I was singing is gone.
“It was okay,” I mumble, shrugging it off.
“That was better than okay. You have some voice. You show so much passion, so much emotion. It’s beyond words. You rocked girl.” Chris is shaking his head at me. I look at Dominic and he is staring at me still. This time I look away.
“You were amazing.” His words affect me more than the others, for some reason. I don’t know why.
Chris wanted to fuck some girl that’s been messaging him. Well, more like sending him pictures of her pussy and tits. What guy could say no to that? The catch was, I had to hang out with her friend. What are good friends for if they don’t help a friend in need? From seeing the odd picture Chris was willing to share, his girl was hot. The friend on the other hand, was gorgeous but, oh my God, she couldn’t shut up.
She wouldn’t stop talking about her ex. I mean everything that we brought up ended back to the guy that wanted his cake and to eat it too. After thirty minutes of hearing her go on and on, I was ready to leave.
Chris left, looking happy with himself. I, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to down a beer ASAP. Maybe even two. Walking into the karaoke bar, I head straight to the bar and order three shots. I pass one to Chris and down one before picking up the other, heading to the table Leon messaged they were at.
“Come on man, it wasn’t that bad,” Chris says, putting his hand on my shoulder.
“Trust me, it was that bad. While you were fucking that girl, I was hearing what Tina’s ex was missing out on. I swear, if I heard that she is better off without him one more time, I was going to leave your ass there.” I really would have.
“Least I got some.” He smirks at me.
“Yeah at least you did...”
“Holy shit, is that Sky?” Chris interrupts me.
I look at the stage and, sure enough, there she is, singing so beautifully. Her eyes are closed but I can see so much emotion on her face, in her body language. Fuck, she is amazing. Her voice is soft but powerful; I can’t take my eyes off her. I follow Chris to Leon and Lake and they can’t keep their eyes off her either. Lake has a huge smile on her face. I’m not surprised, that girl can sing.
I see Chris sit down in the corner of my eye but I can’t move. It is like I’m frozen to the spot. When her eyes open and land on mine, I swear, I have never seen someone so beautiful. It’s like I’m seeing that girl that was in the kitchen on her hands and knees. She looks more content, confident. More self-assured, like she's where she is meant to be. Her eyes don’t move from mine and her voice surrounds me like a cocoon.
When she finishes, I want to scream at her to sing some more. I want her soothing voice to continue. People stand and cheer; I wouldn’t expect anything less. She was perfect. Who would have thought that this shy girl had the voice of an angel? A voice that can get anyone down on their knees. I watch her as she comes to the table and Lake goes on about how good she was, but Sky is back to that reserved girl from before. I want the girl who was on stage back.
Hearing Chris tell her how good she was, I feel like I need to say something, but there are no words that can describe what I thought, what I felt. I tell her she was amazing but I want to say more. So much more. She turns to smile at me and I just know that she is going to turn my world upside down. I don’t know if that’s a good thing yet.
I’m sitting on the couch reading my Kindle while the guys watch some basketball game on TV. Luckily Sherry isn’t here; it’s the only reason I’m not hiding in my room. I’m engrossed in my book when I’m startled by Lake running into the room, out of breath. She looks excited but she is trying to control her breathing.
“Oh my God, spit it out sister,” Chris says before throwing popcorn at her.
“You will never guess what I just lined up for you. You are going to die when you hear this!” she squeals.
“Baby, calm down and tell us. You know I hate suspense.” Leon stands up and wraps his arms around her waist, kissing her head.
“I got us in on Mitch’s Roll Call night!” All the guys jump off the couch, shouting what’s and how’s. I can see the excitement on each of their faces. “I’ve been trying to get us in for the last year. Well, one of the bands split up, something to do with the lead singer sleeping with the guitarist’s girl. Anyway, they had to give up their spot and now Mitch has asked you to take it.” Despite her explanation, I’m still confused on what’s going on.
“Sorry to interrupt, but what’s going on?” I speak up and they all turn to me laughing, slapping each other on the backs.
“Sky, this is an amazing deal. Mitch’s Roll Call is where bands get a shot to play one song, it has to be a cover, and if you are good enough, they ask you to play regularly. Not only is it a regular, well-paid gig, but talent scouts and producers show up. This could be a start in the right direction,” Lake says in one breath.
“Oh my God, that’s amazing! What song are you going to do?”
“Fuck, we need one good song. It has to be good enough. It has to match our sound.” Dominic grabs his tablet and starts looking through it.
“We need to practice, practice, practice. Call Sherry. Tell her to come now. We need get this figured out. Wait, when is it?” Chris asks while getting his phone out.
“Umm, in two days,” Lake says sheepishly, looking down at the ground.
“What!?” the guys exclaim at once.
“We can do this. Come on guys, this could be our one chance for ages. We can do this.” Leon walks back to Lake and squeezes her.
“Yeah we can. Let’s do this.” They all start to leave the room in excitement.
“Sky you coming?” Lake asks me. I really don’t want to see Sherry again.
“You go, I’m really into this book and need to know how it ends,” I lie.
“If you need me, you know where I am.” She comes to me, giving me a hug and a squeal and runs out. Leaving me alone. I hate being on my own.
An hour has gone by and my curiosity gets the better of me; I want to know what song they picked. If Sherry is busy on stage, she won’t be able to go near me. Plus, Lake is always a few feet away so she can’t corner me. With one last breath of encouragement, I stand and leave the house, going around to the door to the basement.
As soon as I open the door, familiar music flows up. I take a few steps down and realize it’s a faster version of Poison by Alice Cooper. I like what they’ve done with it. I stay where I am and just listen. I hear them go at it a few more times. I hear Sherry start complaining about the key of the song and with that, I leave.
I grab Lake’s laptop that she told me I can use at any time and head to my room. I switch it on and wait for it
to load up. When it’s ready, I go on YouTube and put in Poison, finding a link by Groove Coverage. I click on it and it’s like the version the band is playing; faster and more upbeat. I play it over and over. It’s so addictive and catchy that I start singing the words, dancing around my room.
It’s the night of Roll Call and we just arrived. Lake made sure I got a free ticket to join them. I decided to wear jeans, a black tank, and a black cardigan, hoping to fit in. At the last gig, most people wore black, so it must be the look. The guys go in the back and Lake and I stay out front, listening to the other bands that got spots. Some are really good and it’s making me nervous for Leon and the band. The guys on stage are very easy on the eye; Lake’s words not mine. They are good looking, I guess, but when you’re in a band I suppose that’s almost as important as the music.
Lake tells me that Risen Knights will be going on after three more bands. I start getting nervous for them. I want them to do well. They worked so hard. They have been stuck down in the basement for hours on end, only coming up to eat and use the bathroom. I want them to get a permanent spot. I want someone who can take them to the top. They’ve earned it.
Lake and I are laughing and talking when she gets a text on her phone. The blood drains from her face and she hops up, telling me she needs to head to the back, before quickly running. Something happened, I can feel it. I hope Lake can fix it, whatever it is. She is a determined woman. If something can be fixed, she can fix it. I’m sitting on my own, listening to the current band, Dixon’s World, when Lake finally comes back looking pissed off.
“What happened?”
“Sherry is fucked off her face. She isn’t even here. She went to a party knowing the band wasn’t going on till after eleven, now she’s too drunk to even get her ass here on time. This was their shot. I could feel it. I could feel something good was going to happen.” I feel so bad for her. For Dominic, Chris and Leon. I can’t believe Sherry did this.