Marco Night
New Member
Chapter 1
I scan the area that surrounds me, it's the same as always. Nothing ever changes around here, unless you count the couple times when the police would escort some drunks who got in a fistfight over who knows what, maybe who could drink more I have no clue. Yup, same crap as always, broken glass was smeared across the floor, along with the occasional, shoe, deck of poker cards, puke, and drunkie who had passed out. Then there’s me, clearing dishes off of the tables, trying to make a quick buck, unusual for my age, but not a change, not that there should be one.
I had become accustomed to my job, I had managed to make time for both school and work, I go to school, do my homework, I then come here at ten, and stay till one-thirty, getting me back home at two, giving me three hours of sleep, if I fall asleep quickly, sometimes I take a nap between school and work, and sometimes when the bar, isn’t busy I get away with sleeping on the job. Yes at a bar, it was strange to me at first, but it wasn’t like I was doing anything wrong, except lying about my age and being in a bar underage, but it wasn’t like I was drinking, and it wasn’t like anybody cared anyway.
Of course, when I took the job, I knew I would have to make some changes to my life, well part of it anyway, to say safe, it was just a precaution, but thanks to the little mood change I had earned a reputation here as someone you don’t want to mess with, keeping me safe from any person who had gotten a little too drunk, to say the least. I bring the dishes into the back, blowing the hair out of my face. It was eleven-thirty now, just two more hours until I can go home, well what was left of home anyway.
I hear a loud crash, and turn around, it was the goons who played the late-night crowd, midnight until sometime after I was gone, it wasn’t that they were bad, they were just really stupid, to prove my point one of them had managed to knock a pile of dishes onto the floor, I sigh going to pick them up, it wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last. What were they doing back here anyway, I had made it very clear last time they were not allowed to be back here. They were goofs alright, but I guess they were in a way my friends, they did take the edge off and make me chuckle every once in a while.
“Tony drank to much” Wilbert stated blankly, I rolled my eyes, that wasn’t new, he did before every show, he continues, “he’s too hammered to sing” Well that stunk for them, don’t get me wrong I felt bad, they were a decent band and they all worked hard, except for Tony, who just held them back, really if it wasn’t for him they could probably go big, but Tony has the cash, he’s the one that funds the band, no Tony means no funds, which means no band.
“What do you want me to do about it?” he shifted his weight as if he was about to ask me something drastic like to kick the manager. “The band talked, we hear you sing sometimes in the locker room-” Wait! They were in the locker room! He waves his hands realizing what he said, “not like that, I guess, the thing is, we need a singer for tonight, could you maybe take his place for tonight, you can even have all the pay for tonight, we're on thin ice with the manager after Tony got into a fistfight with a customer last week after you got off.”
I sigh, and nod reluctantly, “I don’t know any of your songs though, and I don’t know a lot of songs on a whole”
The drummer, Matt spoke, he hardly ever did, only when he had something really important to say- “we can just play a simple beat well lay low, just sing whatever you want as long as it makes sense we’ll follow” Wilbert and Jay, the one who played the bass nodded in agreement, it wasn’t a doubt in my mind that they couldn’t do it, Matt was a music prodigy, to say the least, he could play anything, besides him not liking to sing he could of left and been on a world tour by know, Wilbert was decent enough and Jay, could do a mean bridge, the problem was, well, me. I didn’t know if I could come up with lyrics on the spot, but I would do it for them, it was the least I could do I didn’t want to see them go.
We walk out onto the small stage and Matt starts a steady beat, Wilbert enters with some simple chords, and Jay picks some notes, simple but still a full sound, I still needed to enter though, but what about?
“What did I get myself into?” I said that out loud, there was no going back, just sing what comes to mind.
Looking down below
Calling from above
Where on earth am I
Screaming out your name
Gunfire ablaze
I don’t care anymore
Jay does a riff, and the beat becomes faster the song more in swing, people are what seems to be staring into my soul, don’t act like a schoolgirl, act like a strong independent rocking woman. That's it, a curve of a smile appears on my lips.
Well im stronger than you know
Well I'm not always that nice
I'm not a little wall flower
I'm a rocking hardcore girl, watch out
Schools out
The beat becomes faster and I continue, singing what comes to mind, soon the song fades out, I hear someone shout out you stink, his voice was slurred obviously he had too many drinks, in fact, it was none other than Tony, I don’t know but something clicked”
“Oh yeah, well if you're so good why don't you come on stage and sing like you were supposed to, but I bet you can’t even walk straight, let alone speak clearly.”
There are a couple of oohs and someone shouts to fight, I was not fighting, “No I am not fighting a stupid boy who can't hold himself together, and risk losing my job” Tony staggers up to the stage and grabs the mike poking me.
“I can sing better than you, I challenge you” This time there is a chorus of oohs and ahs, what had I gotten myself into, I look back to Wilbert, he shrugs and plays a beat, followed by Jay, and Matt, Jay takes the mike-
“Okay best two out of three, one rap battle, and then you each sing.” I nod and take the mike a steady beat.
I don't need to listen to this crap
All I want to do is rap
I may not be a G
But I know my ABC's
you are totally lame
If you don't know my name
I'm not a hater or a fighter but I am brighter
Don't use your words as a fire
I do not admire
I dropped the bomb know here we are
Did I leave a little scare
So next time you want to battle
Leave behind your little rattle.
He grabs it out of my hand
That was cute
But this ain't no preschool
You need to count to one
To know that I am the champ
Paint me gold the color of winners you're just silver second place
Boom
The beat fades out, that was well, okay that was awful, he could not rap, and if he could, then at least he couldn't do it drunk, they did say he was too drunk to sing, a new beat fades in, this more so as a song, singing, no longer rapping.
I'm sick and tired of all your rules
I hate the sound of your nails to the chalkboard
Your words are like fire
It drives me insane
Let me leave from here
From this horrible place
I don't need to know math or language arts
I don't care what about what you have to say
Stop with the lectures I can't tell you how much I don’t care
Stop with the lectures yeah yeah
I don't care
Never have
Never will
School is out now.
It takes me a moment to realise Tony was gone, people were cheering, well somewhere but still, it felt good, really good, Wilbert patted me on the shoulder, and I sang more songs with a newfound confidence.
I had to stay till three-thirty, that was when they got done, they each thanked me, and Matt gave a nod. They handed me a hundred dollar bill, I went to protest but Jay cut me off- “Think of it as a thank you for putting up with Tony as well as the pay, plus overtime,” I thanked him, and headed into the locker room, grabbing my bookbag, and earbuds.
I go to leave when the manager taps me on the shoulder, I turn to face him, still giddy but my smile quickly turns into a frown, he was frowning. “You didn’t do your job you were on stage, there were dishes everywhere, there were broken dishes on the floor in the back as well” I bite my lip, I didn't want to pin it on the guys, I had had a lot of fun and in the end I made the decision to do it I was never forced to do it and neglected my actual job. Maybe I could wiggle my way out of it.
“A drunk came into the back and knocked down the dishes, I escorted him out, as for when I got back and didn't do it, it was because the lead singer of the band caught a cold and couldn’t sing, no lead singer no band, I was just helping out, doesn't that count for something, I also stayed overtime, can’t that make up for it”
He gave me a good look, “I suppose that makes sense in a way, and explains why you were singing, the crowd did seem to enjoy your little battle with the drunk” he was oblivious he had no idea that was the lead singer, well that worked in my favor so I wasn’t going to complain. “ I'm thinking of closing the bar down this Friday and doing a little promotion, of a single battle, the crowd would like that, you do it and I’ll let it go, but that will be an all-nighter, and no extra pay.”
I nod and thank him, now walking outside when I'm sure no one is near, I take the wig off, it's not like I wanted anyone to know that I worked at a bar or recognize me, yes, unfortunately, I saw kids from my school go in all too often. What would I do, I had to do it, but there was no way I would make it to school on time, let alone have time to sleep, maybe I could take a sick day at school, that would work. But that was Friday duh after that is Saturday, I would be fine, I didn’t have a job until noon on Saturday.
I waited at the bus stop, brushing my hair to get all the knots out, and took the fake color eye contacts that made my eyes dark brown. Instead of blue out, I tucked the black wig into my bag and continued to pull the knots out of my dirty blond hair. It had been lighter when I was younger but it had slowly over the years become darker, it wouldn’t be long till it was completely brown. There was no use going home, I had school in two hours, it was know four, and the next bus wouldn’t come until about four-thirty, plus a half an hour bus ride, I might as well just take the forty-five-minute bus ride, and then a ten-minute walk, I’d be about a half an hour early, and I could do some reading.
I slouch into the bus seat as it pulls off, and rest my eyes until I am at my stop, I grab my bag and sling it over my shoulder, getting off, walking the few blocks it takes, until I'm at school, morning clubs like cheerleading, and such would be going on so I didn’t have to worry about the door being locked, I take a bite of the half-eaten soft pretzel I had found in my bookbag, note to myself, never eat something, you forgot you had, that means it has to be really old, equaling a major tummy ache
I throw the pretzel in a nearby trashcan and go to head to my locker, so I could get some money for the vending machine, but to my surprise I can’t there was a huge crowd in front of it, all the different stereotypes, from jocks, to pretty girls, to the nerds, to the outcasts, and back to the juvenile delinquents. I push my way through the crowd, to see what was going on, someone is playing a video on her phone, probably just something stupid, I start to make my way back out when I hear a familiar chorus of ohh’s, I push in closer that video, was of me!
“What's the link to that,” she tells me not looking up, and I lock myself into the janitors closet, I had learned it was a wifi hotspot, in the school, if not the only one, in a way this place was kind of like my hangout, however dumb that sounds the closet was abandoned I don't think most people even know it's here, there was no door handle, and no one had ever bothered to change that, so it was a hassle to get into and often had trouble getting out but it was worth being a little late to class.
It was about as wide as a vending machine and went back about three. I had kept a cooler here for when I needed a quick snack, I usually kept my lunch in there as well, I didn't trust the animals can’t get in your locker, speech at the start of the school year. I kept a fold-up chair, a blanket and a pillow as well, and a clipboard, I spent all my free time here, it was just easier than dealing with lunch drama, girls trying to see who was the hottest, and food fights, yes they were not something made up for tv, they did happen, not often, but when they did the other kids always found a way to blame it on me.
Everyone had the group even the people who didn't have a friend or two, even the out casts would sometimes be talked to even if just being made fun of, at least they were acknowledged, I didn’t exist, and I preferred to keep it that way, for some reason teachers just think I'm trouble, which I can be, but it's not because I'm a disturbance, it's because I'm the only one who doesn't make one.
It was quite funny how I found the place to begin with, I had finally had enough off the ‘pretty girls so I sass them back, a thing I only do when I get really annoyed, though lately I get annoyed easily, so yeah I sassed them, during prom last year, I spilled my punch on her dress, yeah total cliche movie move, but hey it did the trick, naturally, she wanted to destroy me so I ran, if anyone knew me it was as the fast girl, I had been asked by the school countless times to join the track, they say I could be offered full scholarships for it, right before a big match, I had gotten in trouble, though instead of the usual detention I served my time by leading the track team to victory, it was fun but there was just no time with everything else going on in my life.
What was going on in my life, well it was kind of hard to explain, which is why I didn’t tell anyone, my mom died when I was younger in a car crash, as for my dad he was paralyzed, me and my older brother took care of him, but last year he left without notice, my brother was my legal guardian, so know I don’t have one, and the person who should be, I know took care of, he was able to move, but his jaw was destroyed as was his left hand, so he couldn’t do sign language either, he could use the bathroom, and walk around, but he mostly just stayed in bed.
That's why I had so many jobs, to pay the bills, sure we got the I'm sorry you can't work and it's our fault because we should have made sure there were no people driving drunk income, but it wasn’t enough, so my childhood went out the door three years ago, my age, I was fifteen, however I felt like eighteen, I was forced to act like eighteen, for my jobs anyway, at home, I didn’t even keep track anymore.
So yeah I found this closet and hid, it also helped she was in heels while I was in flats, I chuckle at the memory, to be honest I think the teachers just try to think of ways that can get me sent to the principal's office, because every lateness, and little comment ends with me on the track for one game, I was the official unofficial member, my name was on the roster but I only went as a punishment.
I type in the URL, I click on it. I watch the video over and over again, with it still playing. I scroll down to the comments, posts saying things along the lines of that was epic or, she's got a game, it shows the battle, if that's what you call it, and then some songs after that. But who had posted it?
I looked at the poster's ID and realized it was the bar itself. They probably found someone who had been recording it and asked for the video. They were using the video as an advertisement, they were selling tickets, there was also an option to be a part of the promotion for a fee of five dollars, winner got to drink free the rest of the night, a big scam, it would take forever to win and once the winner was declared it would be close to closing time, making it so the bar would make an extra profit, smart on there part.
Tickets were selling out fast, I had a feeling a lot of people from my school would be there, and the manager didn't give a crap, as long as he had the money, it's not like he was a bad guy or anything, he was fair, for guy who ran a bar anyway, he was just making a living, it's not like I could call him a con, not that he was one, after all I was conning him about my age, then again he probably did know, and either way so did half of the teenage population. The good thing about my job, I could earn tips, not usually but technically I did qualify to do so, I was basically a waiter, I did bring appetizers out, most people are too stoned to figure out what eighteen percent is, but still, it does happen on occasion and it's always a nice surprise.
It was also fun, to give the guys a wink, that usually earned me a nice tip, some got the wrong idea though, which is never good, but I was giving out a false signal, the bar is just a place for different types of people to try out different con styles , from gambling to fake IDs.
How did I ever end up getting a job there anyway? My other two jobs were as waiters, on Saturdays and Sundays noon till midnight, I worked double shifts since I didn’t do it at all during the week, it was about the fanciest restaurant I have ever seen, it was about an hour bus ride from my house, most of the appetizers alone cost sixty dollars, though to be fair, most people in the area lived in huge houses and had cash falling out of there pockets, I had once seen a man mistake a dollar bill for a napkin.
My other job as a waiter, was, well I guess it didn’t exactly qualify as that, I did McDonalds, lame I know, there's a program at school, where you can not have school on Fridays and spend the day working at a fast-food restaurant, for college credit, I was only in my second year but hey it helped, I brought the food out, but not to a table or anything so I guess not.
The fancy restaurant was my first job. The Mcdonalds thing ends this Friday, it was just for one semester.
It was actually really crazy how I had gotten the job, a girl had gotten a hold of my test which was an eighty-nine but since she was a jerk, she attached the job application to it, I was looking for a job so I filled it out, it would of been a better insult if it was fast food restaurant, that just goes to show how smart she is.
This was were it got interesting, a couple weeks into the job, one of my customers, asked me to do him a favor and pretend to be his girlfriend, I get it, he didn't want to look stupid in front of his friends, it also helped that he gave me fifty dollars, I even got to keep the rich outfit, for the night, we went to the bar, and from there, I saw a job application and took it.
I scroll back to where the video was still playing courtesy of loop mode, plus it was a pretty long video, and saw that all of the tickets had already been sold up, it had only been up for a few hours, I guess he was right about it being a hit with a crowd. I leave the closet, and I overhear different kids bragging about how they got tickets, and showing them the video, apparently the price had gone up to fifty dollars, which was outrageous, but still they a were all brought and in record time. I make my way to my locker which was now vacant, and opened it grabbing my stuff for first period.
I walk down the hall into my class, and sit in my seat, chewing on a twinkie, I had stashed in it the day before, I always had some piece of candy in there in case I had to pull an all-nighter, which wasn't a lot, but hey I liked candy in the morning, a lot of people did. The bell rings and the kids start filing into their seats not long after. I looked up at the board they had in the big chalky letters test today. The day was not off to a good start.
All that was left to do is wait until Friday and hopefully not fail the test.
Chapter 2
The days passed without much event, to me anyway, the video had gone viral, no idea why there were so many better ones like a cat playing the piano, hilarious. But that's how it went down, and kids who bought tickets are selling them for two hundred dollars, I actually had a person come up to me and asked if I had any, they were willing to give a hundred, I said no, because I didn’t, but I was going to be there, just not as myself, and working, but I rather it be that way, so when someone tips off the cops, I’m not getting busted.
I got my test back today, I hadn’t studied at all, I just didn’t have time yet I got a hundred, a rumor is going around that he agreed to give everyone hundreds, as long as someone gave him a ticket, I guess I’ll figure out if that was true tonight. The thing had become such a big deal, an announcement went out that if any tickets were found they would be confiscated, and would be turned over to police, for attempting to go to a bar underage, but did that stop people no. Why, because teachers are oblivious to everything, unless it has to deal with me.
I would like to say that not much has happened, I know I said there wasn’t much event the truth is there was a lot, just not to do with me, to prove my point, true to their word, the police at this very moment are escorting, a kid who was found with tickets, for some reason this was more important than the millions, of drug swaps that were happening at this very moment, or some random shooting at a Wawa.
I grab my bag from my locker, and walk out of the school, today is Friday, I had a couple of hours until I had to make my way over, instead of my usual shift it would be starting at eight, I would be working double, the manager had decided to have two, because of how well the tickets were selling, though also not to get in trouble with the police, the first one, would not allow anyone to drink, and the prize was fifty dollars, though that didn't stop students from getting tickets to the one with drinking.
It's the same story all over town, people bragging about getting tickets and sharing their plans, I don’t understand what the big deal is, it was a bar, with a singing competition, it wasn't like there was a huge prize cash, like on those tv shows, I debate whether to ask someone what the big deal was, I decided against it, it was probably better if I didn't know, that way I would hopefully not get caught up in whatever that was.
I head home and say hi to my dad, I boil a pot of spaghetti for the two of us, I had managed to somehow have no homework, no doubt due to the big plans of most of the teachers. I handed him his bowl, and brought mine to my room. It was a small house, completely broken down. It was all I could really afford, unless of course I did an apartment but that would be too hard for my dad.
He would never be able to leave the house, granted he rarely did but it was better than nothing, there was my dad's room, mine, two bathrooms, and a small stove in the living room, but it worked, with of course the fridge, and sink. I grab the laundry stack, and kiss my dad on the cheek, and drop it off at the neighbors, I sometimes would babysit their kids, and they just so happened to own a laundromat, they do our laundry for free, which is a big help, I say hi to them and thank them and walk back into my house. I looked at the time, I still had a good three hours, so I figured it would be a good idea to brush up on some music, I headed to the park, they had wifi, unlike at the house, it had it, just not very good.
I plug my headphones in and listen, when I'm done it's about six-thirty, I head back to the house, and grab my wig, and place it on my head. I straightened it out, and grabbed a leather jacket, one of the few nice things I owned, which I also rocked. I just rocked the bad girl look in general, not sure why, I just did.
I get to the bus stop, and it's filled with tons of kids my age, no doubt all for the show, I guess they wanted to get there early they had to wait outside, I'm allowed in of course, a couple people recognize me from the video, and shout out and wave, I give a slight nod in their direction I didn't want to draw any attention to myself, I walk in, and the place in totally transformed, the bar, has all the drinks locked uptight, and the menus are completely different as well.
I go to my locker to grab my uniform, to my surprise it's not there. I walk up to the manager, “my uniform is not in my locker.” He looks at me as if I had three heads and then realizes it dawns on his face.
“Oh my bad, I should have been more clear, you're not bussing tables, you're singing, the crowd loves you, I had a couple people call in just to make sure you would be a part of it, can you believe it!” I bite my cheek to keep from yelling ‘what’, my toes curl, it's not like I had stage fright or anything, but with so many people from my school, the chances of someone recognizing me would be increased a lot, I didn't need anyone knowing the truth, to much drama, I know I don't have a choice though, it was fair, I had agreed even if not to what I thought was doing, I can’t back out now, who knows, I might even have fun.
Soon enough the doors open and people come filing in, all the different types of people, goths, pretty girls, jocks, band geeks, and so on. Most of them are seniors, I didn't really have to worry then, after all I was two years down from then. People are pushing and shoving, to hand their money over to be a part of the battle, and about an hour in after everything is settled, it begins.
Jay, Matt, and Wilbert are playing, and the night goes down like this. First it was an actual song, then freestyle rapping, and then acapella, followed by something else. I lost track after so many rounds, I had just finished my turn, there were only about ten people left, the crowd got to decide who stayed and who left.
Then it was down to three, I was voted out, no big deal, I was happy to be done, that meant less eyes on me. The last two go back up, two pretty girls, and they looked ready to claw each others eyes out, neither of them were that good, I might of won, but each of the pretty girls had tribes and boys would rather have a tall glass of lemonade win, yes people do actually say that, it surprised me the first time someone said it, Pure irony, both of them sing the same song, Popular from Wicked, big surprise, and what made it funny was the whole time they were singing to each other instead of the crowd, as if to show that each other weren’t popular. Then the winner is announced, and the prize is given, then they all were shooed out rather forcefully, and the bar was transformed back into its old self, soon it was time for the real thing.
This worked a little differently, for this it was just one person challenging another, after there was someone hard to beat, the person who beat that person won the night of free drinking. It could go either an hour or the entire night, depending on how good that one person was. I didn't have to go up unless I was challenged, which worked good for me. Then I feel all eyes to me, Tony though to the manger a customer, challenges me.
I sigh, I went up to the stage, and sang, I won, then I let the next person win, people realize I fluked it, and some people say I have to stay on, I don’t. Then a voice that I know I heard before said something, I couldn’t quite pinpoint who the person was even after seeing him.
He was hot, Greek God hot. Shiny, blond hair with bright blue eyes and a muscular fit, while still being skinny, I know I saw him somewhere before, maybe he’s done some commercials. He challenges me, I can’t turn it down, I sigh walking up on stage, people are really excited I don’t really get why, he goes first.
I got two whole hearts that I'm willing to give
Because my last name is heart
And I'm-
It hit me. I listened to his songs in the park, he was famous, that's why the voice was familiar, that's why people were so excited, but why me? Was it random, maybe. I don't have time to ponder on it as I'm brought back to reality, it's my turn. What do I sing? No songs came to mind, I would have to wing it. What do I sing I can’t find any words, find, search, searching, hard to find, can't see, dark, searching, looking, how long, life, the words start to form into lyrics I ask for a random beat, it starts I close my eyes and listen to it, and then I sing.
I'm been searching my whole
Looking for something in the dark
I finish, I lose, it's to be expected, he denies to go again, there are some aws, and he hops down off the stage and heads over to someone older than him, but not quite in the thirties, maybe twenty-eight, the guy whose name I still couldn’t remember, seemed to be about eighteen, maybe a little older, making him two years older than me. I watched as he pointed to me. Why was he pointing to me, was he making fun of me? They start to walk over and I feel my brain convert into a time bomb.
“What did I tell you, she's a natural, with the right management, she could make it big, she's got the right sound I'm looking for to”
“Excuse me?” What was he talking about? I'm guessing this other guy was his manager, I guessed right, he handed me a business card, reading Platinum studios.
“You got a great voice, I'm looking for a girl to sing in my new music video, you got some real talent, would you be interested, it will be a while because you would need to release an album, and some other things, to get you known to the world first and see how the public likes you, but it would be a great opportunity”
I look at him like he has two heads, who walks up to someone and says that, that's something that happens in the movies, I wait for him to laugh at me and say got you, but he doesn't”
“Who are you?” He looks a little hearted, I mean hurt but he shrugs it off and places a huge smile on his face.
“I'm Chase Heart,” he smiles, taking my hand, “Misty,” I said. I don't know why, that wasn't my name not even the fake one I used, like an idiot I continue, “Misty Moonlight, nice to meet you” He gives me a look but nods, “stage persona got it” he smiles, “so what do you say, interested in working with me, like I said you’d got to get to a certain level of popularity first but it would be a great opportunity”
I stutter like an idiot, “why me?”
“Well people seem to enjoy your songs, your creative, those lyrics are obviously your own, and are decent enough” I would take that as a compliment he continued “ you got a great imagine, rebellious schoolgirl, something people can connect to, and other things as well, trust me I usually wouldn't be found in a place like this but I think with the right producing, we could collaborate”
I have to bite my cheek to keep my jaw from dropping, this was crazy! I mean this didn’t happen in the real world, I mean not to me.
“I can’t Im sorry, I have school, and I have to work-” he cuts me off,
“I get it, I'm guessing you're working here underage” I nod slightly
“You can get a tutor, the best of the best, and the pay is great if it works in our favor which I have a feeling you will, you wouldn’t even need to work here any more.” His manager handed me a card, and told me to sleep on it, and call him in the morning.
The guys come over and tell me how great I did, we all swap compliments, and hang out for a while, as the next band takes their place to give them a break, we order some appetizers, and watch the other performers.
I get to head home soon after, watching drunks, staggering in every direction, I gave a silent prayer that they all had a ride, or else there would be a lot of car accidents, people could call it the night of the driving drunks instead of the walking dead, drunks often did look like the living dead so it wouldn’t be too far of a stretch, I walk to the bus stop, counting each person who was drunk on the way for the heck of it.
By the time I’m there I counted 52, I honestly expected more, I usually saw three or four on a regular night, though my assumption of there being people from my school in that crowd was spot on, I like to think, even though my life is pretty messed up, and really bizarre especially with the conversation I just had, my life had to be better then there's, if they have to get so wasted to forget about their problems and have fun.
I get on the bus, it reeked of alcohol, and maybe even puke, the poor man driving probably has been driving drunks all over town, I shoot him a sympathetic look, he smiles, he probably relieved to have a person on the bus who isn’t completely wasted, when it's my turn to get off, I slip a note I had written, on the bus into the tip box, with the spare change I had in my pocket, he probably had a much rougher night then I had, not that it was one of the worse ones.
I walk until I reach the house, and go inside, I kiss my dad on the cheek, and put a blanket over him, I stare at him for a moment, he had it way worse then I did, lately I found myself comparing myself to other people, I had no idea who they were most of the time, but I suppose it made me feel better about myself, that when I hear a sad story and see there okay, I know that I will be okay as well, and knowing I have it better then any drunk, because even if I have it worse i'm not making it worse by drinking, and that is where I feel the most pride.
There have been times when I almost had, but I remind myself, that things can either go down or uphill, and drinking will make you go uphill for a little but will quickly make you fall, I remember my mom would always tell my uncle that, he had been found dead in an alleyway, he had been mugged.
I wasn't to sad, I didn't know him well, but it serves as a constant reminder, he had probably druninly ticked someone off, I guess that's another reason why I do the job at the bar, to make sure, people who are drunk, on my way home dont do something stupid, as if it will make amends with the wourld, I'm not really sure, but it just feels right.
I didn’t go out handing money out or anything, but I would take them aside sometimes and listen to what they had to say, sometimes you just really need to share your feelings, which is ironic because I bottle mine up. Sometimes it worked and I would see the person sometime and they would thank me sometimes, I would get a drunk fist thrown at me.
The most memorable one had to be about two months ago, it changed my perspective on things, I suppose that's when I started to compare myself, it was a young girl about nineteen, what most people would consider a pretty girl, she had designer clothes, it seemed like she had everything she could want, I was wrong. I asked her what was wrong and she told me she had a little newborn baby, but her parents didn’t approve because of who the father was. It was horrible, she loved the man, and the baby, he asked her to run away with him.
It was a hard choice I could only imagine, taking care of a baby was hard, and you needed steady income, she showed me a picture of the baby, I myself just from the picture had fallen in love with it. I didn't really know what to say, o I tried and gave her the best advice I could, I told her, to have a family understanding, take care of the child, that would still let her be a part of the child's life, she had done that, and last week we had met at the fancy restaurant I worked at, she was meeting with the people she was going to have to take care of the child, I got to be her waiter, she had broken down and thanked me, the couple had as well, they couldn't have children of their own, but wanted one, they also didn't want the child to grow up without their real parents, it turned out the wife of the couples mother had done the same thing, things had worked out great.
I smile at the memory, lying on my bed this was insane! The pay would be great, and a tutor isn’t a bad idea, if I ever did go big, I could maybe get enough money, for dad to go to rehab, the doctors said he might be able to speak again, but with no money to do the rehab it was out of the question. It wasn’t like I had any friends that I had to worry about leaving behind, I had nothing holding me to the school, I could sing, I loved to sing, I never thought of it as a real job, the chance of making it was one in a million, but I would have a jump start.
I, as they said, would record the album, maybe a few photo shoots, work my way up and do the music video, getting me even more famous, then go from there. It wouldn’t hurt to at least call them and hear what they had to offer, maybe meet up and go over some terms, that wouldn't be a big deal.
I think about something, and think about every movie and book I ever read about someone becoming famous, it always started like this, and then there would be a big tangle of lies. If I did do this I would do it under a false name, but would make it clear to any fans that it's not my true identity, that way there wouldn’t be a huge scandal, paparazzi might, try and figure out what I really look like, and there would be little privacy and me time, but it would be worth it.
I’d stick with the black hair, and go with my real age, I don't lie about anything. Then there was song wise, I wanted to own my own lyrics, so if for some reason I ever broke away the songs were still mine, and I wasn't really sure about the business, but I wouldn't a decent pay rate, and a contract, but I also wanted to make sure, I wouldn’t ever get stuck, so I would make it clear that I could leave when ever I wanted and they had to obliged, but to make it fair to them I would give them a three month warning, so they could wrap up any unfinished business.
I would also make it clear that they were not to interfere with my other life, and my love life, they couldn’t pair me up with anyone even if just for pro. I wasn't really keen on the whole idea of dating on a whole. I am probably the only person my age who has never had a boyfriend, and I was fine with that.
I would also have a say in what I wear, nothing that would be revealing, other than that I think I would be fine. I will call them in the morning, and I’ll go from there. I realized I never took my wig off, and took it off, placing it aside, brushing the knots out of my real hair, I placed the leather jacket back in the box, and flopped back down onto my bed.
I think about all the different things that could happen, my dad, able to talk again, never as good as before and maybe only one syllable words, but still, it would be amazing to hear his voice again, hear fans cheering my name, I could go on tour, maybe go to another continent! That would be so cool, the farthest I had ever wanted was Mexico, and that was only because we took a wrong turun, onto a one way road to Mexico, that was one long drive, it was also the drive that changed everything.
I shake the memories out of my mind, though my mind slips to something that I didn't like to think about, I wonder if my brother was even in the country still, would he hear the songs, would he recognize my voice, would I even recognize him if I saw him, for all I know I had, and just never knew it was him, I wipe the tears out of the corner of my eye, I had to stay strong, for dad’s sake, and for myself, he was a jerk for leaving he didn’t deserve the love mom and dad gave him.
Something dawns on me, the reason his voice was familiar want because he was famous, it was because he was the guy who asked me to pretend to be his girlfriend, but then why did he say he doesn't usually come to places like this, probably to throw any paparazzi off, it made sense.
I would have to tell him in the morning, and worst case scenario though I doubt I would if worse came to worse, and I couldn't get out of the contract, I could always use that against him, and I had a leather jacket as proof, yup there was no way I could afford that, it was part of the outfit, trace the credit card and it will lead back to him.
I get under the covers and stare at the ceiling, thinking of all the different adventures I might have, however cheesy and lame that might sound and drifted off to sleep.
I scan the area that surrounds me, it's the same as always. Nothing ever changes around here, unless you count the couple times when the police would escort some drunks who got in a fistfight over who knows what, maybe who could drink more I have no clue. Yup, same crap as always, broken glass was smeared across the floor, along with the occasional, shoe, deck of poker cards, puke, and drunkie who had passed out. Then there’s me, clearing dishes off of the tables, trying to make a quick buck, unusual for my age, but not a change, not that there should be one.
I had become accustomed to my job, I had managed to make time for both school and work, I go to school, do my homework, I then come here at ten, and stay till one-thirty, getting me back home at two, giving me three hours of sleep, if I fall asleep quickly, sometimes I take a nap between school and work, and sometimes when the bar, isn’t busy I get away with sleeping on the job. Yes at a bar, it was strange to me at first, but it wasn’t like I was doing anything wrong, except lying about my age and being in a bar underage, but it wasn’t like I was drinking, and it wasn’t like anybody cared anyway.
Of course, when I took the job, I knew I would have to make some changes to my life, well part of it anyway, to say safe, it was just a precaution, but thanks to the little mood change I had earned a reputation here as someone you don’t want to mess with, keeping me safe from any person who had gotten a little too drunk, to say the least. I bring the dishes into the back, blowing the hair out of my face. It was eleven-thirty now, just two more hours until I can go home, well what was left of home anyway.
I hear a loud crash, and turn around, it was the goons who played the late-night crowd, midnight until sometime after I was gone, it wasn’t that they were bad, they were just really stupid, to prove my point one of them had managed to knock a pile of dishes onto the floor, I sigh going to pick them up, it wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last. What were they doing back here anyway, I had made it very clear last time they were not allowed to be back here. They were goofs alright, but I guess they were in a way my friends, they did take the edge off and make me chuckle every once in a while.
“Tony drank to much” Wilbert stated blankly, I rolled my eyes, that wasn’t new, he did before every show, he continues, “he’s too hammered to sing” Well that stunk for them, don’t get me wrong I felt bad, they were a decent band and they all worked hard, except for Tony, who just held them back, really if it wasn’t for him they could probably go big, but Tony has the cash, he’s the one that funds the band, no Tony means no funds, which means no band.
“What do you want me to do about it?” he shifted his weight as if he was about to ask me something drastic like to kick the manager. “The band talked, we hear you sing sometimes in the locker room-” Wait! They were in the locker room! He waves his hands realizing what he said, “not like that, I guess, the thing is, we need a singer for tonight, could you maybe take his place for tonight, you can even have all the pay for tonight, we're on thin ice with the manager after Tony got into a fistfight with a customer last week after you got off.”
I sigh, and nod reluctantly, “I don’t know any of your songs though, and I don’t know a lot of songs on a whole”
The drummer, Matt spoke, he hardly ever did, only when he had something really important to say- “we can just play a simple beat well lay low, just sing whatever you want as long as it makes sense we’ll follow” Wilbert and Jay, the one who played the bass nodded in agreement, it wasn’t a doubt in my mind that they couldn’t do it, Matt was a music prodigy, to say the least, he could play anything, besides him not liking to sing he could of left and been on a world tour by know, Wilbert was decent enough and Jay, could do a mean bridge, the problem was, well, me. I didn’t know if I could come up with lyrics on the spot, but I would do it for them, it was the least I could do I didn’t want to see them go.
We walk out onto the small stage and Matt starts a steady beat, Wilbert enters with some simple chords, and Jay picks some notes, simple but still a full sound, I still needed to enter though, but what about?
“What did I get myself into?” I said that out loud, there was no going back, just sing what comes to mind.
Looking down below
Calling from above
Where on earth am I
Screaming out your name
Gunfire ablaze
I don’t care anymore
Jay does a riff, and the beat becomes faster the song more in swing, people are what seems to be staring into my soul, don’t act like a schoolgirl, act like a strong independent rocking woman. That's it, a curve of a smile appears on my lips.
Well im stronger than you know
Well I'm not always that nice
I'm not a little wall flower
I'm a rocking hardcore girl, watch out
Schools out
The beat becomes faster and I continue, singing what comes to mind, soon the song fades out, I hear someone shout out you stink, his voice was slurred obviously he had too many drinks, in fact, it was none other than Tony, I don’t know but something clicked”
“Oh yeah, well if you're so good why don't you come on stage and sing like you were supposed to, but I bet you can’t even walk straight, let alone speak clearly.”
There are a couple of oohs and someone shouts to fight, I was not fighting, “No I am not fighting a stupid boy who can't hold himself together, and risk losing my job” Tony staggers up to the stage and grabs the mike poking me.
“I can sing better than you, I challenge you” This time there is a chorus of oohs and ahs, what had I gotten myself into, I look back to Wilbert, he shrugs and plays a beat, followed by Jay, and Matt, Jay takes the mike-
“Okay best two out of three, one rap battle, and then you each sing.” I nod and take the mike a steady beat.
I don't need to listen to this crap
All I want to do is rap
I may not be a G
But I know my ABC's
you are totally lame
If you don't know my name
I'm not a hater or a fighter but I am brighter
Don't use your words as a fire
I do not admire
I dropped the bomb know here we are
Did I leave a little scare
So next time you want to battle
Leave behind your little rattle.
He grabs it out of my hand
That was cute
But this ain't no preschool
You need to count to one
To know that I am the champ
Paint me gold the color of winners you're just silver second place
Boom
The beat fades out, that was well, okay that was awful, he could not rap, and if he could, then at least he couldn't do it drunk, they did say he was too drunk to sing, a new beat fades in, this more so as a song, singing, no longer rapping.
I'm sick and tired of all your rules
I hate the sound of your nails to the chalkboard
Your words are like fire
It drives me insane
Let me leave from here
From this horrible place
I don't need to know math or language arts
I don't care what about what you have to say
Stop with the lectures I can't tell you how much I don’t care
Stop with the lectures yeah yeah
I don't care
Never have
Never will
School is out now.
It takes me a moment to realise Tony was gone, people were cheering, well somewhere but still, it felt good, really good, Wilbert patted me on the shoulder, and I sang more songs with a newfound confidence.
I had to stay till three-thirty, that was when they got done, they each thanked me, and Matt gave a nod. They handed me a hundred dollar bill, I went to protest but Jay cut me off- “Think of it as a thank you for putting up with Tony as well as the pay, plus overtime,” I thanked him, and headed into the locker room, grabbing my bookbag, and earbuds.
I go to leave when the manager taps me on the shoulder, I turn to face him, still giddy but my smile quickly turns into a frown, he was frowning. “You didn’t do your job you were on stage, there were dishes everywhere, there were broken dishes on the floor in the back as well” I bite my lip, I didn't want to pin it on the guys, I had had a lot of fun and in the end I made the decision to do it I was never forced to do it and neglected my actual job. Maybe I could wiggle my way out of it.
“A drunk came into the back and knocked down the dishes, I escorted him out, as for when I got back and didn't do it, it was because the lead singer of the band caught a cold and couldn’t sing, no lead singer no band, I was just helping out, doesn't that count for something, I also stayed overtime, can’t that make up for it”
He gave me a good look, “I suppose that makes sense in a way, and explains why you were singing, the crowd did seem to enjoy your little battle with the drunk” he was oblivious he had no idea that was the lead singer, well that worked in my favor so I wasn’t going to complain. “ I'm thinking of closing the bar down this Friday and doing a little promotion, of a single battle, the crowd would like that, you do it and I’ll let it go, but that will be an all-nighter, and no extra pay.”
I nod and thank him, now walking outside when I'm sure no one is near, I take the wig off, it's not like I wanted anyone to know that I worked at a bar or recognize me, yes, unfortunately, I saw kids from my school go in all too often. What would I do, I had to do it, but there was no way I would make it to school on time, let alone have time to sleep, maybe I could take a sick day at school, that would work. But that was Friday duh after that is Saturday, I would be fine, I didn’t have a job until noon on Saturday.
I waited at the bus stop, brushing my hair to get all the knots out, and took the fake color eye contacts that made my eyes dark brown. Instead of blue out, I tucked the black wig into my bag and continued to pull the knots out of my dirty blond hair. It had been lighter when I was younger but it had slowly over the years become darker, it wouldn’t be long till it was completely brown. There was no use going home, I had school in two hours, it was know four, and the next bus wouldn’t come until about four-thirty, plus a half an hour bus ride, I might as well just take the forty-five-minute bus ride, and then a ten-minute walk, I’d be about a half an hour early, and I could do some reading.
I slouch into the bus seat as it pulls off, and rest my eyes until I am at my stop, I grab my bag and sling it over my shoulder, getting off, walking the few blocks it takes, until I'm at school, morning clubs like cheerleading, and such would be going on so I didn’t have to worry about the door being locked, I take a bite of the half-eaten soft pretzel I had found in my bookbag, note to myself, never eat something, you forgot you had, that means it has to be really old, equaling a major tummy ache
I throw the pretzel in a nearby trashcan and go to head to my locker, so I could get some money for the vending machine, but to my surprise I can’t there was a huge crowd in front of it, all the different stereotypes, from jocks, to pretty girls, to the nerds, to the outcasts, and back to the juvenile delinquents. I push my way through the crowd, to see what was going on, someone is playing a video on her phone, probably just something stupid, I start to make my way back out when I hear a familiar chorus of ohh’s, I push in closer that video, was of me!
“What's the link to that,” she tells me not looking up, and I lock myself into the janitors closet, I had learned it was a wifi hotspot, in the school, if not the only one, in a way this place was kind of like my hangout, however dumb that sounds the closet was abandoned I don't think most people even know it's here, there was no door handle, and no one had ever bothered to change that, so it was a hassle to get into and often had trouble getting out but it was worth being a little late to class.
It was about as wide as a vending machine and went back about three. I had kept a cooler here for when I needed a quick snack, I usually kept my lunch in there as well, I didn't trust the animals can’t get in your locker, speech at the start of the school year. I kept a fold-up chair, a blanket and a pillow as well, and a clipboard, I spent all my free time here, it was just easier than dealing with lunch drama, girls trying to see who was the hottest, and food fights, yes they were not something made up for tv, they did happen, not often, but when they did the other kids always found a way to blame it on me.
Everyone had the group even the people who didn't have a friend or two, even the out casts would sometimes be talked to even if just being made fun of, at least they were acknowledged, I didn’t exist, and I preferred to keep it that way, for some reason teachers just think I'm trouble, which I can be, but it's not because I'm a disturbance, it's because I'm the only one who doesn't make one.
It was quite funny how I found the place to begin with, I had finally had enough off the ‘pretty girls so I sass them back, a thing I only do when I get really annoyed, though lately I get annoyed easily, so yeah I sassed them, during prom last year, I spilled my punch on her dress, yeah total cliche movie move, but hey it did the trick, naturally, she wanted to destroy me so I ran, if anyone knew me it was as the fast girl, I had been asked by the school countless times to join the track, they say I could be offered full scholarships for it, right before a big match, I had gotten in trouble, though instead of the usual detention I served my time by leading the track team to victory, it was fun but there was just no time with everything else going on in my life.
What was going on in my life, well it was kind of hard to explain, which is why I didn’t tell anyone, my mom died when I was younger in a car crash, as for my dad he was paralyzed, me and my older brother took care of him, but last year he left without notice, my brother was my legal guardian, so know I don’t have one, and the person who should be, I know took care of, he was able to move, but his jaw was destroyed as was his left hand, so he couldn’t do sign language either, he could use the bathroom, and walk around, but he mostly just stayed in bed.
That's why I had so many jobs, to pay the bills, sure we got the I'm sorry you can't work and it's our fault because we should have made sure there were no people driving drunk income, but it wasn’t enough, so my childhood went out the door three years ago, my age, I was fifteen, however I felt like eighteen, I was forced to act like eighteen, for my jobs anyway, at home, I didn’t even keep track anymore.
So yeah I found this closet and hid, it also helped she was in heels while I was in flats, I chuckle at the memory, to be honest I think the teachers just try to think of ways that can get me sent to the principal's office, because every lateness, and little comment ends with me on the track for one game, I was the official unofficial member, my name was on the roster but I only went as a punishment.
I type in the URL, I click on it. I watch the video over and over again, with it still playing. I scroll down to the comments, posts saying things along the lines of that was epic or, she's got a game, it shows the battle, if that's what you call it, and then some songs after that. But who had posted it?
I looked at the poster's ID and realized it was the bar itself. They probably found someone who had been recording it and asked for the video. They were using the video as an advertisement, they were selling tickets, there was also an option to be a part of the promotion for a fee of five dollars, winner got to drink free the rest of the night, a big scam, it would take forever to win and once the winner was declared it would be close to closing time, making it so the bar would make an extra profit, smart on there part.
Tickets were selling out fast, I had a feeling a lot of people from my school would be there, and the manager didn't give a crap, as long as he had the money, it's not like he was a bad guy or anything, he was fair, for guy who ran a bar anyway, he was just making a living, it's not like I could call him a con, not that he was one, after all I was conning him about my age, then again he probably did know, and either way so did half of the teenage population. The good thing about my job, I could earn tips, not usually but technically I did qualify to do so, I was basically a waiter, I did bring appetizers out, most people are too stoned to figure out what eighteen percent is, but still, it does happen on occasion and it's always a nice surprise.
It was also fun, to give the guys a wink, that usually earned me a nice tip, some got the wrong idea though, which is never good, but I was giving out a false signal, the bar is just a place for different types of people to try out different con styles , from gambling to fake IDs.
How did I ever end up getting a job there anyway? My other two jobs were as waiters, on Saturdays and Sundays noon till midnight, I worked double shifts since I didn’t do it at all during the week, it was about the fanciest restaurant I have ever seen, it was about an hour bus ride from my house, most of the appetizers alone cost sixty dollars, though to be fair, most people in the area lived in huge houses and had cash falling out of there pockets, I had once seen a man mistake a dollar bill for a napkin.
My other job as a waiter, was, well I guess it didn’t exactly qualify as that, I did McDonalds, lame I know, there's a program at school, where you can not have school on Fridays and spend the day working at a fast-food restaurant, for college credit, I was only in my second year but hey it helped, I brought the food out, but not to a table or anything so I guess not.
The fancy restaurant was my first job. The Mcdonalds thing ends this Friday, it was just for one semester.
It was actually really crazy how I had gotten the job, a girl had gotten a hold of my test which was an eighty-nine but since she was a jerk, she attached the job application to it, I was looking for a job so I filled it out, it would of been a better insult if it was fast food restaurant, that just goes to show how smart she is.
This was were it got interesting, a couple weeks into the job, one of my customers, asked me to do him a favor and pretend to be his girlfriend, I get it, he didn't want to look stupid in front of his friends, it also helped that he gave me fifty dollars, I even got to keep the rich outfit, for the night, we went to the bar, and from there, I saw a job application and took it.
I scroll back to where the video was still playing courtesy of loop mode, plus it was a pretty long video, and saw that all of the tickets had already been sold up, it had only been up for a few hours, I guess he was right about it being a hit with a crowd. I leave the closet, and I overhear different kids bragging about how they got tickets, and showing them the video, apparently the price had gone up to fifty dollars, which was outrageous, but still they a were all brought and in record time. I make my way to my locker which was now vacant, and opened it grabbing my stuff for first period.
I walk down the hall into my class, and sit in my seat, chewing on a twinkie, I had stashed in it the day before, I always had some piece of candy in there in case I had to pull an all-nighter, which wasn't a lot, but hey I liked candy in the morning, a lot of people did. The bell rings and the kids start filing into their seats not long after. I looked up at the board they had in the big chalky letters test today. The day was not off to a good start.
All that was left to do is wait until Friday and hopefully not fail the test.
Chapter 2
The days passed without much event, to me anyway, the video had gone viral, no idea why there were so many better ones like a cat playing the piano, hilarious. But that's how it went down, and kids who bought tickets are selling them for two hundred dollars, I actually had a person come up to me and asked if I had any, they were willing to give a hundred, I said no, because I didn’t, but I was going to be there, just not as myself, and working, but I rather it be that way, so when someone tips off the cops, I’m not getting busted.
I got my test back today, I hadn’t studied at all, I just didn’t have time yet I got a hundred, a rumor is going around that he agreed to give everyone hundreds, as long as someone gave him a ticket, I guess I’ll figure out if that was true tonight. The thing had become such a big deal, an announcement went out that if any tickets were found they would be confiscated, and would be turned over to police, for attempting to go to a bar underage, but did that stop people no. Why, because teachers are oblivious to everything, unless it has to deal with me.
I would like to say that not much has happened, I know I said there wasn’t much event the truth is there was a lot, just not to do with me, to prove my point, true to their word, the police at this very moment are escorting, a kid who was found with tickets, for some reason this was more important than the millions, of drug swaps that were happening at this very moment, or some random shooting at a Wawa.
I grab my bag from my locker, and walk out of the school, today is Friday, I had a couple of hours until I had to make my way over, instead of my usual shift it would be starting at eight, I would be working double, the manager had decided to have two, because of how well the tickets were selling, though also not to get in trouble with the police, the first one, would not allow anyone to drink, and the prize was fifty dollars, though that didn't stop students from getting tickets to the one with drinking.
It's the same story all over town, people bragging about getting tickets and sharing their plans, I don’t understand what the big deal is, it was a bar, with a singing competition, it wasn't like there was a huge prize cash, like on those tv shows, I debate whether to ask someone what the big deal was, I decided against it, it was probably better if I didn't know, that way I would hopefully not get caught up in whatever that was.
I head home and say hi to my dad, I boil a pot of spaghetti for the two of us, I had managed to somehow have no homework, no doubt due to the big plans of most of the teachers. I handed him his bowl, and brought mine to my room. It was a small house, completely broken down. It was all I could really afford, unless of course I did an apartment but that would be too hard for my dad.
He would never be able to leave the house, granted he rarely did but it was better than nothing, there was my dad's room, mine, two bathrooms, and a small stove in the living room, but it worked, with of course the fridge, and sink. I grab the laundry stack, and kiss my dad on the cheek, and drop it off at the neighbors, I sometimes would babysit their kids, and they just so happened to own a laundromat, they do our laundry for free, which is a big help, I say hi to them and thank them and walk back into my house. I looked at the time, I still had a good three hours, so I figured it would be a good idea to brush up on some music, I headed to the park, they had wifi, unlike at the house, it had it, just not very good.
I plug my headphones in and listen, when I'm done it's about six-thirty, I head back to the house, and grab my wig, and place it on my head. I straightened it out, and grabbed a leather jacket, one of the few nice things I owned, which I also rocked. I just rocked the bad girl look in general, not sure why, I just did.
I get to the bus stop, and it's filled with tons of kids my age, no doubt all for the show, I guess they wanted to get there early they had to wait outside, I'm allowed in of course, a couple people recognize me from the video, and shout out and wave, I give a slight nod in their direction I didn't want to draw any attention to myself, I walk in, and the place in totally transformed, the bar, has all the drinks locked uptight, and the menus are completely different as well.
I go to my locker to grab my uniform, to my surprise it's not there. I walk up to the manager, “my uniform is not in my locker.” He looks at me as if I had three heads and then realizes it dawns on his face.
“Oh my bad, I should have been more clear, you're not bussing tables, you're singing, the crowd loves you, I had a couple people call in just to make sure you would be a part of it, can you believe it!” I bite my cheek to keep from yelling ‘what’, my toes curl, it's not like I had stage fright or anything, but with so many people from my school, the chances of someone recognizing me would be increased a lot, I didn't need anyone knowing the truth, to much drama, I know I don't have a choice though, it was fair, I had agreed even if not to what I thought was doing, I can’t back out now, who knows, I might even have fun.
Soon enough the doors open and people come filing in, all the different types of people, goths, pretty girls, jocks, band geeks, and so on. Most of them are seniors, I didn't really have to worry then, after all I was two years down from then. People are pushing and shoving, to hand their money over to be a part of the battle, and about an hour in after everything is settled, it begins.
Jay, Matt, and Wilbert are playing, and the night goes down like this. First it was an actual song, then freestyle rapping, and then acapella, followed by something else. I lost track after so many rounds, I had just finished my turn, there were only about ten people left, the crowd got to decide who stayed and who left.
Then it was down to three, I was voted out, no big deal, I was happy to be done, that meant less eyes on me. The last two go back up, two pretty girls, and they looked ready to claw each others eyes out, neither of them were that good, I might of won, but each of the pretty girls had tribes and boys would rather have a tall glass of lemonade win, yes people do actually say that, it surprised me the first time someone said it, Pure irony, both of them sing the same song, Popular from Wicked, big surprise, and what made it funny was the whole time they were singing to each other instead of the crowd, as if to show that each other weren’t popular. Then the winner is announced, and the prize is given, then they all were shooed out rather forcefully, and the bar was transformed back into its old self, soon it was time for the real thing.
This worked a little differently, for this it was just one person challenging another, after there was someone hard to beat, the person who beat that person won the night of free drinking. It could go either an hour or the entire night, depending on how good that one person was. I didn't have to go up unless I was challenged, which worked good for me. Then I feel all eyes to me, Tony though to the manger a customer, challenges me.
I sigh, I went up to the stage, and sang, I won, then I let the next person win, people realize I fluked it, and some people say I have to stay on, I don’t. Then a voice that I know I heard before said something, I couldn’t quite pinpoint who the person was even after seeing him.
He was hot, Greek God hot. Shiny, blond hair with bright blue eyes and a muscular fit, while still being skinny, I know I saw him somewhere before, maybe he’s done some commercials. He challenges me, I can’t turn it down, I sigh walking up on stage, people are really excited I don’t really get why, he goes first.
I got two whole hearts that I'm willing to give
Because my last name is heart
And I'm-
It hit me. I listened to his songs in the park, he was famous, that's why the voice was familiar, that's why people were so excited, but why me? Was it random, maybe. I don't have time to ponder on it as I'm brought back to reality, it's my turn. What do I sing? No songs came to mind, I would have to wing it. What do I sing I can’t find any words, find, search, searching, hard to find, can't see, dark, searching, looking, how long, life, the words start to form into lyrics I ask for a random beat, it starts I close my eyes and listen to it, and then I sing.
I'm been searching my whole
Looking for something in the dark
I finish, I lose, it's to be expected, he denies to go again, there are some aws, and he hops down off the stage and heads over to someone older than him, but not quite in the thirties, maybe twenty-eight, the guy whose name I still couldn’t remember, seemed to be about eighteen, maybe a little older, making him two years older than me. I watched as he pointed to me. Why was he pointing to me, was he making fun of me? They start to walk over and I feel my brain convert into a time bomb.
“What did I tell you, she's a natural, with the right management, she could make it big, she's got the right sound I'm looking for to”
“Excuse me?” What was he talking about? I'm guessing this other guy was his manager, I guessed right, he handed me a business card, reading Platinum studios.
“You got a great voice, I'm looking for a girl to sing in my new music video, you got some real talent, would you be interested, it will be a while because you would need to release an album, and some other things, to get you known to the world first and see how the public likes you, but it would be a great opportunity”
I look at him like he has two heads, who walks up to someone and says that, that's something that happens in the movies, I wait for him to laugh at me and say got you, but he doesn't”
“Who are you?” He looks a little hearted, I mean hurt but he shrugs it off and places a huge smile on his face.
“I'm Chase Heart,” he smiles, taking my hand, “Misty,” I said. I don't know why, that wasn't my name not even the fake one I used, like an idiot I continue, “Misty Moonlight, nice to meet you” He gives me a look but nods, “stage persona got it” he smiles, “so what do you say, interested in working with me, like I said you’d got to get to a certain level of popularity first but it would be a great opportunity”
I stutter like an idiot, “why me?”
“Well people seem to enjoy your songs, your creative, those lyrics are obviously your own, and are decent enough” I would take that as a compliment he continued “ you got a great imagine, rebellious schoolgirl, something people can connect to, and other things as well, trust me I usually wouldn't be found in a place like this but I think with the right producing, we could collaborate”
I have to bite my cheek to keep my jaw from dropping, this was crazy! I mean this didn’t happen in the real world, I mean not to me.
“I can’t Im sorry, I have school, and I have to work-” he cuts me off,
“I get it, I'm guessing you're working here underage” I nod slightly
“You can get a tutor, the best of the best, and the pay is great if it works in our favor which I have a feeling you will, you wouldn’t even need to work here any more.” His manager handed me a card, and told me to sleep on it, and call him in the morning.
The guys come over and tell me how great I did, we all swap compliments, and hang out for a while, as the next band takes their place to give them a break, we order some appetizers, and watch the other performers.
I get to head home soon after, watching drunks, staggering in every direction, I gave a silent prayer that they all had a ride, or else there would be a lot of car accidents, people could call it the night of the driving drunks instead of the walking dead, drunks often did look like the living dead so it wouldn’t be too far of a stretch, I walk to the bus stop, counting each person who was drunk on the way for the heck of it.
By the time I’m there I counted 52, I honestly expected more, I usually saw three or four on a regular night, though my assumption of there being people from my school in that crowd was spot on, I like to think, even though my life is pretty messed up, and really bizarre especially with the conversation I just had, my life had to be better then there's, if they have to get so wasted to forget about their problems and have fun.
I get on the bus, it reeked of alcohol, and maybe even puke, the poor man driving probably has been driving drunks all over town, I shoot him a sympathetic look, he smiles, he probably relieved to have a person on the bus who isn’t completely wasted, when it's my turn to get off, I slip a note I had written, on the bus into the tip box, with the spare change I had in my pocket, he probably had a much rougher night then I had, not that it was one of the worse ones.
I walk until I reach the house, and go inside, I kiss my dad on the cheek, and put a blanket over him, I stare at him for a moment, he had it way worse then I did, lately I found myself comparing myself to other people, I had no idea who they were most of the time, but I suppose it made me feel better about myself, that when I hear a sad story and see there okay, I know that I will be okay as well, and knowing I have it better then any drunk, because even if I have it worse i'm not making it worse by drinking, and that is where I feel the most pride.
There have been times when I almost had, but I remind myself, that things can either go down or uphill, and drinking will make you go uphill for a little but will quickly make you fall, I remember my mom would always tell my uncle that, he had been found dead in an alleyway, he had been mugged.
I wasn't to sad, I didn't know him well, but it serves as a constant reminder, he had probably druninly ticked someone off, I guess that's another reason why I do the job at the bar, to make sure, people who are drunk, on my way home dont do something stupid, as if it will make amends with the wourld, I'm not really sure, but it just feels right.
I didn’t go out handing money out or anything, but I would take them aside sometimes and listen to what they had to say, sometimes you just really need to share your feelings, which is ironic because I bottle mine up. Sometimes it worked and I would see the person sometime and they would thank me sometimes, I would get a drunk fist thrown at me.
The most memorable one had to be about two months ago, it changed my perspective on things, I suppose that's when I started to compare myself, it was a young girl about nineteen, what most people would consider a pretty girl, she had designer clothes, it seemed like she had everything she could want, I was wrong. I asked her what was wrong and she told me she had a little newborn baby, but her parents didn’t approve because of who the father was. It was horrible, she loved the man, and the baby, he asked her to run away with him.
It was a hard choice I could only imagine, taking care of a baby was hard, and you needed steady income, she showed me a picture of the baby, I myself just from the picture had fallen in love with it. I didn't really know what to say, o I tried and gave her the best advice I could, I told her, to have a family understanding, take care of the child, that would still let her be a part of the child's life, she had done that, and last week we had met at the fancy restaurant I worked at, she was meeting with the people she was going to have to take care of the child, I got to be her waiter, she had broken down and thanked me, the couple had as well, they couldn't have children of their own, but wanted one, they also didn't want the child to grow up without their real parents, it turned out the wife of the couples mother had done the same thing, things had worked out great.
I smile at the memory, lying on my bed this was insane! The pay would be great, and a tutor isn’t a bad idea, if I ever did go big, I could maybe get enough money, for dad to go to rehab, the doctors said he might be able to speak again, but with no money to do the rehab it was out of the question. It wasn’t like I had any friends that I had to worry about leaving behind, I had nothing holding me to the school, I could sing, I loved to sing, I never thought of it as a real job, the chance of making it was one in a million, but I would have a jump start.
I, as they said, would record the album, maybe a few photo shoots, work my way up and do the music video, getting me even more famous, then go from there. It wouldn’t hurt to at least call them and hear what they had to offer, maybe meet up and go over some terms, that wouldn't be a big deal.
I think about something, and think about every movie and book I ever read about someone becoming famous, it always started like this, and then there would be a big tangle of lies. If I did do this I would do it under a false name, but would make it clear to any fans that it's not my true identity, that way there wouldn’t be a huge scandal, paparazzi might, try and figure out what I really look like, and there would be little privacy and me time, but it would be worth it.
I’d stick with the black hair, and go with my real age, I don't lie about anything. Then there was song wise, I wanted to own my own lyrics, so if for some reason I ever broke away the songs were still mine, and I wasn't really sure about the business, but I wouldn't a decent pay rate, and a contract, but I also wanted to make sure, I wouldn’t ever get stuck, so I would make it clear that I could leave when ever I wanted and they had to obliged, but to make it fair to them I would give them a three month warning, so they could wrap up any unfinished business.
I would also make it clear that they were not to interfere with my other life, and my love life, they couldn’t pair me up with anyone even if just for pro. I wasn't really keen on the whole idea of dating on a whole. I am probably the only person my age who has never had a boyfriend, and I was fine with that.
I would also have a say in what I wear, nothing that would be revealing, other than that I think I would be fine. I will call them in the morning, and I’ll go from there. I realized I never took my wig off, and took it off, placing it aside, brushing the knots out of my real hair, I placed the leather jacket back in the box, and flopped back down onto my bed.
I think about all the different things that could happen, my dad, able to talk again, never as good as before and maybe only one syllable words, but still, it would be amazing to hear his voice again, hear fans cheering my name, I could go on tour, maybe go to another continent! That would be so cool, the farthest I had ever wanted was Mexico, and that was only because we took a wrong turun, onto a one way road to Mexico, that was one long drive, it was also the drive that changed everything.
I shake the memories out of my mind, though my mind slips to something that I didn't like to think about, I wonder if my brother was even in the country still, would he hear the songs, would he recognize my voice, would I even recognize him if I saw him, for all I know I had, and just never knew it was him, I wipe the tears out of the corner of my eye, I had to stay strong, for dad’s sake, and for myself, he was a jerk for leaving he didn’t deserve the love mom and dad gave him.
Something dawns on me, the reason his voice was familiar want because he was famous, it was because he was the guy who asked me to pretend to be his girlfriend, but then why did he say he doesn't usually come to places like this, probably to throw any paparazzi off, it made sense.
I would have to tell him in the morning, and worst case scenario though I doubt I would if worse came to worse, and I couldn't get out of the contract, I could always use that against him, and I had a leather jacket as proof, yup there was no way I could afford that, it was part of the outfit, trace the credit card and it will lead back to him.
I get under the covers and stare at the ceiling, thinking of all the different adventures I might have, however cheesy and lame that might sound and drifted off to sleep.