Jem…Chapter 21

Chapter 21.

Yep, there’s a familiar salty coppery tang in my mouth.

I get up and there’s Summer about to kick me and her little buddies from Sucks on a Rose Bush are covering what’s going on with Charlie the owner and sort of making a wall of assholes bitching about us being there.

The kick doesn’t land as Brooklyn steps in between us and cuts loose with this backhanded swing. There’s a pretty loud crack of flesh on flesh and Summer goes down.

Oh you’ve heard the term bitch-slap right and so have I but I’ve never seen one as Brooklyn stepped in with a long single step and this full on backhanded slap! That drives Summer right to her knees.

“You fucking leave Angel alone you fucking cow or I’ll Kill you.” is there anything as scary as a really pissed off red head.

Summer scrambles to her feet wiping off her mouth and I’m getting to my feet. She glares at me and yells. “You’re fucking doing it! you’re trying to wreck my life you little Cunt!”

Brook lunges but I pull her back. “No…C’mon Brooklyn not this way…we beat her on the stage…blow her the fuck out of the water.”

“You fucking wish you skinny little pink haired whore.” She spits literally at us and misses.

“Summer why don’t you fuck off and eat your compact, Y’know that way maybe with some make up you actually might be pretty on the inside.” I toss back.

Roxy steps in with us and does that I hate you Chinese girl pout. “Skummer why don’t you go fuck off and have your period in a shark tank huh.”

Summer turns red faced and pissed off and Raven’s there when she turns and she shoves her and Raven steps back a few steps from it and see’s me and Brooklyn. Then shoves her back. “Jesus Summer go the fuck away and deal with it. We’re here, I’m here and you throwing one of your fits isn’t going to change that.”

She glares at Raven looking her over. “Yeah well you won’t last long you big assed fucking cow, sooner or later everyone’s going to see you for the fat fucking Emo-bitch you are and be just as sickened of you that I got.”

“Oh would you just fuck…off!” Raven shouted at her. “I’m so sick of your shit Summer. You hurt me yeah, but you’re the one with the fucking damage! Not me! I’m not the one with the insecurity issues you have to lash out and cheat everyone around you just so Summer stays on top. Well guess what? You’re not; you’re just another cheat cheating bimbo who gets what she’s got coming every time she looks in the mirror!”

Raven actually draws herself up taller and stares at us a moment then back at Summer. “I’m doing better than ever Summer and I’m doing it without you. Guess I never needed you in the first place.”

She turns away from Summer and walks over to us. And we’re all hugging. She looks at me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’ve had worse just got blindsided that’s all.”

“I’m sorry, she came after you.”

“I’m not; we’re winning…actually…what you said…you’re winning.”

As much as I’m staring at her so are the other two and there’s fresh tears there all around and we’re all leaning together in this hug/huddle but staring at each other holding each other and our heads that close that we’re touching.

It’s….

This has to be one of the most important moments in my life. You ever have that thing where everything is just right, perfectly right no matter the circumstances? I’m having that, sharing that with them right now.

Charlie comes over and we sorts “Break”. He’s looking at us the over at Skummer and SOARB (Sucks on a RoseBush.) “Hey the girls said there was something going on between you and Summer, I’m not gonna have trouble right?…Jeez Jem you okay, is that blood?”

“Yeah, I’m okay there was a bit of a bitch off Charlie but its cool.”

“Hey, look you girls have been awesome and if he started shit then I don’t have to run her act. I’ll kick her ass to the curb. Hell that’s assault I can call the cops, you likely got it all on camera.”

I look at the girls a long moment there’s this smile there in all of them, us. I smile at him.

“Hell no, Charlie that’s not the way we roll. It’s all good. We’ll deal with our shit on the stage. It’s what real music’s about right.”

He looks at us like…there’s this feeling we won major cool chick points. “Hey it’s your show; I just didn’t want trouble Y’know.”

Raven looks at him. “Sorry Charlie you’ve got us playing here there’s going to be trouble cause we’re going to blow the roof off this place tonight.”

He laughs and shakes his head and we head over to our computer stuff and I check the feeds.

Yeah we’re there on camera on video.

I post it up then record myself while I’m wiping the blood from my mouth. “Hey, its Jem turns out the music business is a bit rougher than you’d think. You all might want to get down here to see me and Raven, Roxy, and Brooklyn out play these guys and send them back to poserville. Luv y’all peace out!”

I pull back with the girls and keep an eye on my equipment and our instruments as the crowd filters in to watch us and Skummer and SOARB play. There’s a fair crowd coming in already and it’s kind of gratifying to see them ordering a lot of pre-show munchies from the kitchen and that the staff is busy.

There’s a bit of cool moments when four or five people come over and say that they’ve seen us on You Tube and Facebook and one of them tell Roxy that her drum solo rocked.

That was like feeding a three year old Pop Rocks and Red Bull.

There’s some strumming and stuff starting up and SOARB is getting into their warm ups and Mike’s there all of a sudden sitting down next to us and smilingly passes us a basket of French fries and me a Mountain Dew. “Here hold it to the side of your mouth.”

I take it and do but stare at him a bit. “Thanks but how?”

“I was headed over here anyway to meet Dad and Uncle Remy when I caught you’re last post.”

“You did?”

“Yeah I follow you on Twitter.”

“Oh…” Blush, dammit I’m blushing!

Oh and he just had to smile too. Jeans, plaid shirt unbuttoned with his sleeves rolled up, this white t-shirt that shows off his cut body. Wow…what the hell other guys don’t do this to me or for me why Mike?

I take a drink of my pop and I’m getting looks from the girls and those smiles that just say I’m going to be hearing about this later. “Uhm thanks Mike.”

The girls are all. “Yeah Mike thanks, fries are good.” and Roxy’s giving him the thumbs up and Raven’s eating a fry and adjusts her glasses at Skummer with her middle finger.

Skummer grips the microphone giving us the finger back and she starts to dance as the music revs up. It’s almost a karmic injustice that she looks that good, dances like sex on wheels and she can really sing.

They start playing again.

* Welcome to the jungle…By Guns and Roses. Dammit that has a really good intro with the guitar to start them off and to get the crowd going.

* Sweet Child of Mine…By Guns and Roses and Skummer’s able to hit some pretty good note on that one and she starts to get into her groove.

* Living on the Edge…By Aerosmith a not bad tune really but I can’t help a bit of a bitchy smile as she’s a bit pitchy with it.

* Under the Bridge… it’s still a really good song by the Red Hot Chili peppers I really wish they’d stop singing and wrecking some good songs for me.

* Bittersweet Symphony….Dammit, dammit I really wanted to do that song with Raven singing it someday. And it’s really the only song I like of the Verve.

* November Rain…By Guns and Roses, well that figures SOARB it seems to like to play their stuff as it’s in their wheelhouse.

* Every Rose has its Thorn…By poison another good tune wrecked and worse this seems to be their signature song and she’s good at it too.

* TnT…By AC/DC another really good tune and yet to me this playlist of hers is all over the map. It’s the slow songs, she has some of them thrown into the rock because she can sing the hell out of them and not that it makes sense as a show.

* No more Mr. Nice Guy…By Alice Cooper and this sort of works with her sort of in your face bitchiness that she seems to naturally can summon up. Her band sings with her on this one too.

* Poison…Huh, another Alice Cooper song but this one she gave cues to Muzz and them for and wasn’t on their playlist I don’t think but she’s glaring at me and at Raven the entire time that she’s singing the song.

* Crazy…By again Guns and Roses, I mean covers are one thing but what is she his kid or something…Ooooh, subtle big slap to the face there singing that and looking at us with dirty looks.

* Epic…By Faith no More…and she knocks the shit right out of this one like she’s whipped herself up to being angry and she seems to play better when she’s pissed. She really nailed the vocals.

* Black Dog…By Led Zeppelin and once again she does it really well and I’m not happy about it. You’d figure her throat’d be sore right?

*Smells like teen spirit… By Nirvana is the last song of the night and not once did she do any of her so called “Original work” but a night of covers.

She’s thanking the audience and the drummer comes up and starts tossing out CD’s into the crowds there’s no album covers or anything like that but the look like demo’s. she and her band quickly break down their stuff and then Mike’s up by the stage as the drummer and Muzz looked like they were going to yank some of our set up cords out while they got their own stuff.

I hear him telling them as we get our instruments. “Yeah guys, touch it and I’ll break your fucking wrists.” But he looks all smiling and happy like he’s congratulating them on a good show or something. Muzz gives him this look like he might want to start something and Mike just stares at him like he was some little piece of shit thug and he was Eastwood.

They back off and don’t look happy about doing so. In fact Muzz and the drummer guys are talking close together looking at him every now and them.

I lean down as I’m plugging in. “Hey…Thanks Mike.”

He gives me that smile he’s got and says. “Not a problem I just figured shit with them isn’t over by a long shot. I’m going to go over and babysit your computer stuff so they don’t mess with it okay.”

“Uhm yeah…sure…I..we..really appreciate it.”

“Well as long as You appreciate it I’m happy, knock em dead huh.”

“Not a problem.”

I jack in and start running warm ups and watch Mike head back to our stuff and he’s watching me…ME…and there’s something there inside that kinda liked the fact he said he was happy as long as I appreciated what he was doing.

Oh so getting that thrill of feeling sorta girl special…like there’s something about me that’s just got something special to somebody else. I mean he’s a guy and I’m a guy so like no way but…it really kind of feels good to get that kind of treatment. And yeah he’s one of those guys that girls drool over and he’s being like that with me. It’s kind of empowering I guess. Plus there’s also the weight lifted off of us that he’s there to watch our things and that frees us up to really cut loose.

I step up to the microphone and there’s got to be close to two hundred people out there and I see people I know. Dad’s here and some other guy his age and Richard and his wife and the guys from the Second cup but a bunch of kids from my school are here too. No Adam thankfully he’s too cool to be seen at Lucky’s. There’s a good sized crowd though and a lot of girls the place seems to be a place where the vocational college’s students frequent and those around their ages.

“Hey, guys!” There’s some cheers and I see some signs going up from the friends of Shelly with butterflies on them and the band name in glitter and it’s really cool.

“Let’s give it up for Kisses and Thorns, Hey Summer thanks for opening for us.” I give her a thumbs up and I’m all smiles. I go back to the microphone. “Okay!, we had some pretty good tunes tonight but how about let’s wind things up a bit hotter an bit harder and a whole lot faster! C’mon and get up, get up because It’s Friday night and that’s all about dancing!”

We start right out of the gate with * Soul sister… By Train and I’m going back and for along the stage going with the. “Hey…Hey…’s” and getting the girls in the front dancing but yelling with me and I start to sing and they start to groove. I never really new just how popular this song is and the crowd just yells when I mike point at them the words.

Two hundred plus people yelling “left side brains” really gets the adrenaline hitting you like a spike to the brain.

And when they sing along so loud with you in the chorus its…oh my god it’s.

We go right from that while they’re jumping into * Because I’m Awesome…By the Dollyrots a completely awesome tune and right in our sound.

* Boot’s of Chinese Plastic…By the Pretenders…The fast beat and the song has them still dancing and shaking it and god is Brooklyn ever cranking out those guitar licks and I’m dancing as much as I’m singing with this really great tune.

We go from all that energy into a true girly rock classic and we’ve really got down going from that into *Walk Like and Egyptian…By the Bangles and it’s got another one of those great sing along shout with the bad girl moment of the “oh weh oh!’s” and their really getting into it a lot.

* I Want Candy!...By Bow Wow Wow is next and this is one we’ve played at home and it’s just right. For the mood of the crowd right now and this, this is the energy that we wanted to have for this kind of place fun, fun and filled with the Friday night party kind of thing. Great girl based rock and nothing to hard or too solemn yet we can wind down to the ballads and stuff.

It’s a perfect leading tune to. *Bad Reputation…and we’re doing the Joan Jett version of it and now into the still girl rock but a bit harder we hit them with…

*Big Mouth…By the Dollyrots and this song, oh this is a very good song…I really get wired on this one…Fuck you Skummer, fuck you…

The wind down from that leads right into the great guitar riffs for *I hate Myself for Loving You…By Joan Jett it’s a really good rock tune really good to belt things out but to not give the satisfaction to the skunt, Raven and I are kind hot lez angry sort of singing it at each other sharing the microphone getting that hot bit of back and forth going.

And of course there’s the girls in the crowd who sing along with the chorus and there’s that part where raven gets the crowd clapping along and I’m rocking things out as hard as I can…

I point to my bag and Mike throws me a water and I throw one to Brooklyn and the next to Roxy then one to Raven and I’m last I drink some of it and Brooklyn yells to me so I can hear her. “You got your boy trained pretty well already Angel! Any he chance he’s the kind of dog that might just like the bone?” I damned near choke on my water and she’s laughing her ass off.

I look over to see Raven drinking then she pours some over herself to the scream of the crowd and it’s some of the water I froze so it does some interesting things to her “look”

“Okay everyone we’re going to take a break and let y’all get your drink on and get your drinks out and we’ll be back in ten to rock this place some more and keep the tunes going until closing.”

Skummer does a serious double take from her spot at the bar with her scumbag band mates. She doesn’t look happy that we’re going to be here all night.

The big advantage to being part of the band is the whole stage and the stage area is there’s a bathroom out back and we can quickly duck back and use it and take turns and freshen up. I’m cooking once we stop. I run to get my bag quickly from Mike and I smile at him. “Thanks again y’know this is really above and beyond stuff.”

“Well I am trying to impress you. How’s it working?”

Okay I actually like the honesty about his intentions. I smile and take my bag and strut/swat to the stage. “It’s working, a little…” I head out back but I see this smile there on his face that’s a bit bigger than his perfect smile that her shows everyone. It’s a lot more real and changes his face.

As soon as we’re watered we hit it with *I Love Rock and Roll…another classic Joan Jett chick rock and we belt it out really loud and this is another crowd pleasing belt the song out aloud along with the band and the… Mike’s still by our stuff but looking up at me and he’s sort of moving along with the song like he’s the guy y’know the one from the song. It’s not really the dancing even though he doesn’t dance like a gay guy and knows enough he doesn’t look like a spaz either. No it’s just right and he’s just staring a lot at me.

We go into * Light of Day…next from the Michael J. Fox movie and after that we slide into. *Whole Lotta Love…By Led Zeppelin but we’re doing it in the style of Lita Ford which is the best female cover I’ve ever hear of this song.

* Bleed Like Me…By Garbage is next and they’re a really looked over bad and very good.

* Drops of Jupiter…By Train comes after that and has that deep kind of soul that lets us get into that out come the lighters as the lights lower down thing going for us now.

I get the nod from the girls and I step to the microphone again and smile and wave at the crowd.

“It’s getting on and getting on so we’ve had some fun, shook it hard and now how about we mellow things out and give everyone a bit of classic tunes to dance to.”

I step back and start to play as Raven takes the mic and starts to sing * Dream On…By Nazareth she’s got the deeper more sultry voice for some of these tunes and I can rest mine and just concentrate on playing guitar.

* Thank You, For Loving Me…By Bon Jovi and even as I’m playing and chiming in Raven has this sultry soul thing going on that just is so incredible. I can’t take my eyes off over her as she sings and there’s that thing with us as she’s looking at me as she’s playing and the song gets more intense as we all chime in and I actually take the major guitar riff in the song, it’s just one of those times you just get so swept away in a song and who’s singing it.

We go into that with this nod and we do this duet of * Close my eyes forever…By Lita ford and Ozzy Osborne and I’m singing Lita’s parts and Raven’s doing Ozzy’s stuff and she’s got such a strong voice that it just works.

After that we go back to a great girl band slow song and sing * Eternal Flame…By The Bangles

Raven leans into the mic and say’s. “This one’s a Jem original it’s called Invisible.”

I step in and sing but instead of the heartbreaking torn thing I try to make it this quiet, lost little girl singing wistfully the lyrics and it’s kind of stunning to see them swaying and the lighters out then as I’m singing and getting it out of my system as at some point the song becomes my confessional…the crowd my priest.

I’m still stunned and choked up but step from the mic to a hug by Rave as she steps up and sings. * One and Only by Adele and the crowd stays in that mellowed out swaying thing with the lighters and cell phones out.

Dammit I don’t even realize that she goes into * Billy Holliday her song she sang to me at the Pine Tree before she’s singing it to me again. Light’s down low, her hair loose and damp from water and sweat she’s just.

Yeah, yeah I know…Angel don’t go there but…

You just got to be there to see her, to feel it…and to feel that good dizzy, pulse faster, fluttery good thing that I’m feeling when she’s singing to me.

All I can do is return the look in her eyes and shyly bite my lip and keep playing along but…

Yeah…

She leans over into the microphone and gives them the surfer finger thing.

“Hey thank you all for coming out and supporting us tonight, feel free to leave a band donation in the decorated box beside the hot guy in the hoody and hockey jersey with our stuff…love you guys.”

We’ve all sort of agreed on the song that we use to play us out and to finish things out and we’re the ones though that are backing Brooklyn up as she sings. * One for the money, two for the show…By Trooper.

………………………………We’re busy for an hour not even tearing down but talking with the people that are coming up to us on the stage as we’re trying to tear down and they’re being really good fans and of course Rick and his wife are there and some of our other friends too like the guys from the Second cup and there’s several girls that are kind of being flirty with us and some guys too which is weird.

I’m still not used to the flirting bit and that there’s some lez girls that are interested is just as weird for me as guys being interested in me and Brooklyn’s nerves about the whole thing seem to be getting soothed by my Dad who’s running interference and helping us pack up but he’s talking about the show with her and her car but he’s looking to her for cues and if she looks like she doesn’t want to or can’t handle some of these people talking to her he gives them this dirty look and a “Hey…Dude…not interested.”

One guy’s kinda big and looked at Dad and told him. “Fuck off old timer, I’ll talk to her if I want why don’t you go perv somewhere else.”

My Dad’s not a big guy, I get my skinny from him but he’s one of those hard working whipcord hard body guys. I mean he’s a heavy engine mechanic so he works with heavy stuff all the time.

He stepped in behind the guy and gave him this hard short sort of uppercut shot to the kidneys and the guy dropped right to his knees and tried really hard not to barf from the pain. Dad leans over and whispers in his ear. “She’s family, now I suggest that you get the fuck out of here before you’re going to be doing more than pissing blood…okay…okay.” He hauled the guy to his feet one handed and shoved him away and looked at Brook and I’m the first one bawling over this. “You’re safe Brooklyn, no matter what as long as I’m around you’re safe…I promise.”

She’s just standing there looking at him and shaking and crying and her knees give out and we rush to get her and Dad’s got her first and there’s a little scoop motion and he sits her like she’s five on the edge of the stage and the tears are literally pouring in these huge drips down her face and off her chin and she stammers out.

“Pr…Pr…Promise?”

Dad looks at her and there’s that look that sweet guy look in him I’ve seen for me recently but he always had for mom there and he smiles at her.

“I’ll do you one better.” He holds up his hand and all the fingers are closed except his baby one. “Pinky Swear…”

Okay…I’m crying and even though I’m not a girl it’s just hitting me so hard because while I don’t know what happened to Brooklyn at home I know that she gets these things like flashbacks where I felt the blows she was getting at home.

Real fathers do stuff like Pinky swears to their daughters….I completely lose my control when I see her link her pinky with dad’s and then she’s bawling into his chest.

Someone’s got my shoulders and I turn and it’s Mike and it doesn’t matter I just plant my face into his shoulder and cry. It’s exactly what I need right now and it doesn’t matter that it’s Mike or that he’s really warm in a good way, and the way that his arms and stuff feel.

It’s good to be held.

Things calm down after a few minutes of this for me at least and I see Raven holding Brooklyn and Kim bawling and hugging my Dad and kissing him all over him face in sobby thank you’s over and over again. And he pulls our little energized bunny into this great big hug too. Y’know those dad hugging you until you squeak hugs. He’s giving her one of those and she’s sobbing.

I walk over to him and tap his shoulder and he looks at me and there’s some he’s been crying too there in his eyes which is…

“You…you are coming over this Sunday for a family dinner, with Mike and his father okay?”

(Sniffle) “Sunday dinner?” God…he sniffled it, my Dad sniffled it's just...

Raven rubs his back with her free hand. “Yeah Sunday dinner, you’re family now.”

He looks at us and then at me and at all of us again. (Sniffle.) “God I’d really love that.”

I’m in tears again at that longing for that whole family thing there in his voice. We used to have family times, be a family. And then him and I were just…surviving. Now somehow we’ve got that back again. I understand the feelings he’s got going on right now.

I look over at Raven and there’s this teary red eyed but happy look there and we’re somehow right there again in being tight as ever if not more but that Jupiter like pull isn’t going on right now it’s just us, and we’re good, better than good.

I know, I know…But I don’t care because this is right up there with being the happiest I’ve been in years.

Mike slides his hand around my back and pulls me away? He steps close to me that my “girls” are almost touching him and he leans over to me and says. “I’ve got to take off I’ve got something that I’ve got to do okay?”

“Uhm okay…” Wow he’s really close, really close and he reaches up and he’s touching my face.

Oh My God! He’s, he’s he’s going to kiss me!

Mike’s fingers touch my chin and his thumb glides over my cheek and he leans in.

“Jem…Angel…”

“Uh-huh…” Oh Jesus I sound like Shelly.

“You should really fix your make up you look like a pink raccoon.”

He side steps me and leaves by the side fire doors and I’m just standing there.

He didn’t kiss me?

Why the fuck didn’t he kiss me?