The bar started to pick up a little and I was grateful for the distraction. But then the bottom dropped out of my cozy little new world, when the song ended and I heard Cooper’s booming speaking voice projected across the club as if it were an arrow heading right for me.
“So now, I guess you guys might have heard that we like to try new things.” There were a couple of crude remarks yelled out, and a few whistles and catcalls. Cooper paced across the stage, and I stood frozen to my spot behind the bar. I silently pleaded with him not to go where I was pretty certain he was going to go. But this was drunk Cooper, and drunk Cooper and I did not share a special connection like real Cooper and I did.
“Recently, my main man Jay over here and a very dear friend of mine, made Kingston history with a little song they did a couple weeks ago – right here on this stage.”
I dropped the martini glass I was holding, and Kate ran over. Luckily every single eye and ear was on Cooper, and nobody noticed that I was having a full-on panic attack just a few feet behind them. Kate put her hand on my arm to steady me, and I gave her a tiny nod to let her know I would be okay.
The audience was eating this shit up, and Cooper was milking it, being the ham that he was. I narrowed my eyes in his direction, but of course he wasn’t looking at me so it was futile trying to scare him with the stink eye.
“Now if any of you have been living under a rock, and didn’t get a chance to see that amazing performance by two of my very favorite people, I highly recommend that you check it out… when you get home tonight.” There was some general grumbling from the masses. “But for now, we have something else we’d like to try. This next song is one that I have been dying to sing live since before I hit puberty. It’s by the greatest band to ever grace the planet, and I have to admit, I do it justice. The only problem is, I kind of need a partner to sing it.”
Cooper stopped in the middle of the stage and scratched his head as if trying to calculate a very difficult problem. But I knew it was all for show. He knew exactly what was coming next, and though it may not have been quite as awful as what I’d originally thought he was going to do, this came pretty close.
My best friend was going to out me in front of this whole bar, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to stop it. I couldn’t run out, I couldn’t pretend I was someone else, I couldn’t hide.
“Izzy, don’t be shy. Help me out up here.”
I could just start to feel the eyes on me, but I went into defense mode, and the only way to do that was pretend that none of this was affecting me in the least. I walked through the now parting crowd, a giant smile pasted on my face for all the budding photographers in the sea of people. I climbed up on stage, passing only a couple inches from Jay, but not even glancing his way. The music started. Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones. Cooper and I had sung this song together a hundred times. It’s true it was his favorite. Mostly we would sing it at home while we were goofing around, once or twice we did it with the band during a practice, but it was not an easy one to do, and for some reason it was so sacred, it seemed wrong but to only perform it on a very rare, special occasion.
I guess this was a special occasion if there ever was one, I thought wryly as the beginning licks of the guitar and the haunting harmony between Jay and Cooper marked the most recognizable intro. My knees felt wobbly, but not because I was nervous about singing. Jay’s voice did things to me. I had only a brief moment to shake the thought from my mind as the song took off, and I lost myself in the music. It felt good to be up there, but I couldn’t do this regularly anymore. I was starting to see what Jay meant about feeling exposed on stage. For reasons that went back to my childhood, I lost a little piece of myself every time I opened my mouth to sing, and while I had been able to hide that before, it was getting harder and harder to separate my performance self from my real self.
One thing was for sure; I could never sing with Jay again if I had any hope of keeping my sanity. Just having him on the same stage with me was nearly enough to push me over the edge. I may be able to convince my head to move on and forget about him, but my heart had other plans. It just wouldn’t let go, and I was starting to get really scared that it never would.
23
Eyes were all on the stage at Darden’s Club last night, when the elusive Izzy Delaney took to the microphone.
Delaney and UnAmused front man, Cooper O’Donnell belted out a solid performance of the megahit Gimme Shelter, by the one and only Rolling Stones. The bonus tune came after a surprise performance by the band, who regularly appear at Darden’s Friday and Saturday nights.
Onlookers quickly speculated on Delaney’s reappearance, and it soon became apparent that she was back to claim her territory. Jay Archer, the other half of the duet recording two weeks ago that became an instant internet sensation, was seen with another woman. According to sources, the pair spent most of the time Archer was offstage, ‘in a lip lock of grand proportions’.
What’s happened to this talented duet so soon after being discovered? Has the rock star lifestyle gotten in the way of true romance?
Neither Delaney or Archer were available for comment. But we’ll keep you updated as the drama unfolds.
This Pulitzer-prize worthy piece of fine literature was accompanied by two photos. Neither of which were grainy this time. The one on the left was of Jay with his arm candy on his lap, her nose deep in his neck, and him… smiling. The bastard was actually smiling, and I am sure that was what pissed me off the most. I could count on one hand the times I’d seen him smile, and here he was, in living color – okay, in living black and white – smiling for all of Kingston and the surrounding areas to enjoy.
So unfair.
The photo on the right was one of me during the song with Cooper. I was glancing to the left, and the way the shot was placed in the article, made it appear as if I were longingly looking over at Jay with his date. In truth, I was looking over at Cooper just before my singing part started, and was concentrating on the timing.
Once again, I was made to look like a chump.
After a week of watching my privacy disappear a little more every day, not to mention my dignity, I finally succumbed to Cooper’s insistence that we ride this little wave of fame, and try to turn it into something profitable.
With an ‘If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’ attitude, I allowed him to set up a meeting with some super amazing publicity agent who was supposed to mold our image and get every possible bit of equity we could out of our fifteen minutes of fame. I certainly was in no position to turn down the possibility of any kind of income, and I also hoped this whole ordeal would maybe help the UnAmused get noticed. Those were my reasons for agreeing to the meeting, but I had no idea how Cooper convinced Jay to go.
I hadn’t spoken to Jay at all; not since the day in the O’Donnell’s kitchen where I’d made such an ass of myself. But I knew from Cooper that he was not really handling this whole new world of popularity too well. According to Cooper, he was grumpier than usual, and he spent most of his time either driving around at all hours, or holed up in his room with his door closed.
I had insisted we hold the meeting at Jo-Jo’s coffee shop. It was neutral territory, and there were no gossip mongers camped out outside, like at the club or the apartment.
I was late as usual. Jay, Cooper and a very impatient looking metrosexual man were sitting at a high top by the window. I ignored them and admired the shop for a good long time before greeting Jo-Jo with a hug and a kiss on each cheek. She had gotten a burst of energy over the last few weeks since I’d been there, and I was proud to see she taken some of my suggestions to encourage more traffic. With just a few subtle, inexpensive changes, the shop had a much warmer, cohesive feeling. The curtains on the front window were new – white and billowy – and let in more natural light. She’d added four mosaic-topped tables, spread them around the perimeter, and had done away with the counter seating. Then she’d slipcovered the existing couches with different - but complementing
- bright colors, and added a few pillows and some mismatched coffee tables. I could see myself spending a lot more time in here.
A fake cough reminded me of the three men waiting for me, and I narrowed my eyes at suave-Bob over there, who was doing an exaggerated flip-the-cuffs-to-double-check-his-watch gesture. What an ass. Just for that, I held up a finger to tell him I’d be there in a moment. I gave Jo-Jo a proper greeting, gushing over the shop, then asked her to make me a cappuccino, which would take a good five more minutes.
Coffee in hand, I joined the table, giving Cooper a kiss on the cheek and settling in the seat farthest away from Jay. I had only glanced at him for the briefest of moments, but I knew he looked uncomfortable and had his arms crossed over his chest in an effort to appear bored and detached.
Suave-Bob, whose actual name was Chad, began to talk as soon as my ass hit the chair. I liked him less the more he spoke.
“So, Izzy, while we were waiting for you, Cooper and James and I hammered out a few details. For starters…”
“It’s Jay,” I said, taking a sip of my coffee.
Chad looked confused, as if no one had ever before had the audacity to interrupt him when he was on a roll. “I’m sorry. What?”
“I am Izzy, and your second client over there is named Jay, not James. You should probably note that in your blackberry or whatever. It may come up later.”
“Right. Jay. That’s what I said. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to fill you in on what you’ve missed.”
“By all means, Chaz,” I said sarcastically. “Please, carry on.”
Suave Bob/Chad/Chaz droned on and on. I half listened while I stole looks Jay’s way. He only caught me once, and I was able to cover it by rolling my eyes at something our host had said.
“So, to review, we will get the single recorded in the studio, produce the video, and take it from there,” Chad was saying. “This contract here is pretty standard stuff, but of course you can feel free to review it if you really need to.” He slid a piece of paper toward Jay. Apparently he was directing all business matters to him now. Unfortunately for Chad, I was in a very bad mood, and he was getting dangerously close to being my target.
“Also, Izzy,” Chad said, looking over at me with barely concealed disdain, “you need to change your hair back. People have already come to know you as the chick with the flaming red hair. You have an image to uphold now.”
Okey dokey. That did it.
“Chaz,” I said with overdramatic patience as if I were addressing a small child. I leaned forward a bit in my chair. “Here’s the thing. I for one, am not signing this agreement.” I took the paper from in front of Jay and tossed it over my shoulder. “You will get us studio time and a wonderful, spectacular, professionally produced video, and you will get the attention off of my love life and focus it on the band’s talents and music. And for your efforts, I am willing to give you ninety percent of all the money that I make from this project. The other ten percent goes to Cooper, as a finder’s fee. For thirty days. After that, I don’t ever want to see you again. Our business will be completed and you will go your merry little way. All future monies will go to me, so that I can get an apartment in a town far away from here, where nobody can find me. As for Jay, he can sign whatever he wants; I can’t speak for him. But that is all you’ll get from me.”
I finished my coffee, then crumpled up the cup and tossed it in the trashcan. “Oh, and Chaz? Don’t ever fucking tell me how to wear my hair.”
I caught Jay’s eye briefly, and saw that he was amused. It did little to calm me down. Chad looked like he was going to explode in his seat. That, actually, did make me feel better.
“That agreement is not industry standard. You can’t just make demands like that!” His face was boiling hot now.
“I’m not making any demands. You have a potential to make a lot of money here. The fact of the matter is, you saw an opportunity to cash in on something we did – something you have no right to make money on, because you had nothing to do with it. I can get anyone at all to produce this single. We’re a hot commodity right now. You’re lucky to get this offer. You’ll make a little money and have bragging rights to take with you. But I am not saddling myself with your sorry ass for longer than I have to. This stupid song is a passing thing. I’m okay with riding out my fifteen minutes of fame, but once it dies down, I’ll be happy to go back into obscurity.”
I stood to leave. “Take it or leave it, Chaz. You know where you can find me.”
24
“Stop. Stop! Guys, take a break. And when you get back here, you’d better sing this goddamn song with some actual feeling, or I’m going to throw a brick through this fucking window.” Cooper was running the recording session, and it hadn’t gone well at all.
We had come to an agreement with Chad a few days after the meeting – or at least, The UnAmused had. My arrangement with him had been scribbled on a cocktail napkin and reluctantly signed. I hadn’t budged on any of my terms.
So here we were, for the third day in a row, trying to nail the same emotional punch for the duet that we had the first two times we’d sung it. We were eating up precious studio time, and Cooper was beyond angry. He had an album’s worth of material he wanted to record, and none of it was getting done unless Jay and I cooperated.
It wasn’t like I was doing it on purpose. I felt like the moment had already happened. The magic was there between us for a second, and now it was gone. I had said all I was ever going to say to Jay on the matter, and now I just wanted to move on. In fact, I had recently been considering a move to the East coast. The timing felt right. Since I’d been spending time with Jo-Jo, I had been feeling a pang to spend time with my own mother. My job at the club was tenuous, as it became increasingly hard to work with all the hoopla surrounded me these days. I had no money for my own apartment, and moving back in with Jay and Cooper was not an option. It was becoming impossible for me to be around Jay. I needed a change.
I went outside and leaned against the wall, my head tilted up, letting the midday sun warm my face. I smelled cigarette smoke and knew that Cooper had come out to join me. He didn’t say anything, which meant he was super mad at me.
“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll try harder,” I said, not opening my eyes, but my words were hollow, not sincere at all. The truth was, I didn’t want to put anything of myself into that song. I wasn’t sure it was wise.
“Maybe if we just record our parts separately, we can give Cooper what he wants and be done with this.” I opened my eyes in shock. It was Jay who was standing in front of me. He was smoking, something he rarely did, and looking out toward the road, avoiding my gaze.
His suggestion made perfect sense, but I tensed up all the same. If I had been the one to bring it up, then I would have been okay with it, but hearing Jay say it…
“Whatever,” I muttered, resuming my original position against the wall. “If that’s what you need to get through it, then fine.”
“It’s not me who’s trying to ‘get through this’. I don’t have a problem being in the same room with you, and my part is spot on. You’re the one holding everyone up.”
Okay, now it was on. “Really? This is all my fault? I didn’t even want to record this stupid song! Your band is the one with the contract. Why don’t you find some other singer to do this duet, or better yet – cut the whole fucking song out, for all I care.”
“The contract is based on the recording and release of this single,” Cooper walked over to join us. “And the stipulation is that you two have to be the ones to sing it.” He lit up a cigarette and waved his hand around. “I wish you two would just sleep together and get it over with. I can’t handle this crap anymore.”
Jay cleared his throat, but I spoke before he got the chance. “We want to record our tracks separately. I know it will be more work for you, but I bet we get it done today.”
Cooper looked from me to Jay, then back to me. He searched my face, but I wasn’t giving away anything. H
e had always known how I felt about Jay, but as a loyal friend, he’d never held it over my head or embarrassed me in front of Jay, until now.
“Fine. Izzy, you’re up first. Jay, go take a walk and be back here in an hour.”
Jay tossed down his cigarette and nodded, and I followed Cooper inside.
25
Jay was looking forward to a quiet night of solitude. He’d been at the studio since ten that morning, and with time running short, Cooper and Chad had ridden the band hard. His fingers were cramping from playing for hours without a break, and his head was hurting from all the tension. Cooper had gone somewhere with Trisha, and Jay prayed they would be staying at her place tonight. He craved the quiet.
He had just gotten out of the shower and settled down on the couch with his notebook by his side and a late night marathon of Law and Order playing softly on the TV for background noise, when there was a loud, insistent knock on the door. He briefly considered answering it, then punched his pillow a couple times to get more comfortable, and laid back down, turning the volume up on the TV. He heard a key in the lock. Good, Cooper found his keys and Jay didn’t have to get up.
Only it wasn’t Cooper, it was his other long lost roommate, and she didn’t look happy.
Izzy stood over him, all decked out in a purple mini skirt, black tights and boots, a powder blue t-shirt that said Peace across the front, and plaid suspenders hanging on her hips. Her jet black hair was arranged artfully on top of her head with two sticks poking out. She was shivering and having trouble standing upright.
He sat up a little. He could smell the rum on her breath from his spot on the couch. So much for a peaceful night.
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