Jem…Chapter 145

*Before…

I speak into the mic as the cheering is still sort of going on and some folks are leaving knowing it’s the last call or they’re getting ready to.

“I guess that’s it for tonight folks this was a really, really great day and we had such a fun night with all of you from both shows. We’d do more but we’re hitting the legal closing time for a licensed business downtown during the week.”

“Please tip well and drive safe and don’t forget to swing on by online and have a look at the web page for Chapel Street Women’s shelter you can find all of the links to it on our Facebook pages and our Youtube and Twitter.”

I go from all of that to joining in with Brooklyn and Raven as they hit the chorus and we sing our last song of the night.

There’s people leaving and there’s no one staying because we literally closed the place down or damned close to it and it’s close to one in the morning and that’s completely awesome on a Wednesday night really, it’s actually beyond awesome I think and there’s a lot to do yet.

But that might have to wait as I look to see as we’re ending our last notes Summer and the rest of Kisses & Thorns there right in front of the stage and Summer’s looking at us and she looks at the blonde whose holding hands with her and Summer does this cough.

“We need to talk.”

*And Now…

We all are done playing but we can’t help but to look at them and I’m looking at Summer and I look to Raven who stays where she is and looks at Summer.

“Actually we do, but we haven’t had the chance to do that yet.”

Summer looks confused and so do the others too except the new girl the thing blonde. She just looks interested.

Summer recovers though and she says. “You want to do this here or backstage?”

Molly’s like… “Here’s good.” And Mike turns one of the cameras around for this, whatever this is going to be.

She looked at him and she shrugged then back at us. “I wanna settle things.”

Raven’s like… “After you left and you ripping us off.”

Summer glowers at her. “I took what was mine you checked out on the music and the band and your life. I wasn’t going to stick around a sinking ship.”

Brooklyn steps forward. “What’s yours!? You stole our shit and money and took over our gigs with this bunch and shut us the fuck out not counting the fact that you dumped Rayne!”

And Roxy adds. “And us, we were your effing friends.”

Summer yells at both of them. “You were part of the band, that’s it. You never did anything but back me up! That’s not friends! You were Rayne’s friends so I fucking know where I stood!”

Raven/Rayne goes over and hops off the stage carefully and she looks at Summer. “My Dad died and that messed me up.”

Summer looks at her. “You checked out and I wasn’t going to let you pull me into the hole with you.”

Rayne shakes her head. “Whatever lets you sleep at night Summer, whatever you wanted to talk.”

She turns. “Nope, not now fuck that.” She turns and she starts to walk away and the blonde’s going with her and she’s saying things but I can’t hear what’s being said. The two guys sort of step in behind them like they’re looking for a fight with their drummer eyeballing Mike and The other two girls are following Summer and her new girl and they give us some really nasty looks and both of them give us the finger.

Actually it wasn’t aimed at Rayne it was fired up here to the stage.

Brooklyn heads to go after them and I slip in front of her. “No…We don’t do this, we’re not one of those bands.” She’s breathing hard and she’s really red in the face with anger and I huge her. “Look at what we did today, look at what we did tonight.”

Brooklyn takes several deep breaths and she nods at me and then Kim comes up and hugs her too. I look at them and I still want to know what she wanted so I hop off and join Rayne and slip my arm around her waist.

I look at her and she’s upset but not as bad as it was before. Rayne looks at me and she nods and I take a breath and say.

“The Brewers want to do a Halloween bash and they asked us if Starlight Butterfly would play and we said yes but we need some other acts and when they asked I said you guys.”

They stop or rather the blonde did and she did that by getting right in front of Summer and put her hands up on Summers shoulders and she stomped her feet hard and Summer stopped and was going to say something and the girl pulls her down into a deeply passionate kiss.

You can watch and see Summer’s posture shift and change from that sort of stalking out to something softer and again there’s things said.

I look at Rayne and she’s not upset she’s just watching with her head slightly tilted to the side.

“You okay?” I ask her.

She nods but she’s still watching. “I’d have never had done that, like get in her face like that.”

I tighten my arm around her. “Look I don’t like her much I think she’s a goddamned idiot for how she acted and worse but maybe you two weren’t really all that compatible really?”

Her bandmates are looking at those two and at us and at me actually and Summer turns around and she looks right at me and it a lot of look. I feel like I’ve been done-over by airport security.

“Why would you say us?”

I look at her. “You’re a decent band, you have talent and you’re a full sized band and used to playing gigs. We need more than just us and I thought that this might be a good opportunity to actually bury the hatchet and act like real working bands.”

She looks like she’s chewing on it. “I was going to offer to split the songs.”

Rayne looks at her. “Our songs?”

Summer nods and the blonde thing girl says. “We thought too that it’d be good to sort of bury the hatchet and stuff we can do better together than apart really, y’know like this Halloween gig.”

Okay I like her she seems reasonable…which is odd given she’s in a Hannalore tee-shirt and all.

I walk towards them and she starts walking back towards us and we meet and she and I shake hands.

She plays she has the kind of fingers and hands of a player and actually a lot of scars like dad has from doing something that leaves some burn marks and other scars.

I look at her hands. “Mechanic?”

She looks at me oddly. “No….”

I shrug. “It’s just my Uncle Remy has hands like you.”

She grins. “Oh got these on the line.”

“Line? Like a factory?”

“Kitchen line, I used to work in kitchens everything out back of here is like old hat to me.”

“Oh that makes sense. I’m Angel by the way, Angel Benton.”

She gets this wry smile on her face. “Wow really Benton, so that’s why you went with the whole Jem thing?”

I nod. “When I met the girls they needed a singer and I was sort of going with it on like a lark and stuff but with everything since it just sort of fit.”

She smiles. “Hey it works, I’m Hannah and that’s Hannah Pierce.”

I laugh. “That so goes with the shirt.”

She grins. “Thanks I love it Summer picked it out for me.”

I look at Summer who’s still looking between Rayne and I and Rayne’s sort of doing the same and her crew’s behind her and Brooklyn and Kimmie are off the stage now and Carmen’s sort of with them and Billy and Davie are hanging around closer.

Hannah looks at it all. “Wow chill out people the last thing Mr. Walker needs is for West-side story to break out in here.”

I bite my lip a little because that was kind of funny and I catch Rayne and Summer both smirking at it before they stop.

I cough. “Split the songs how?”

Summer looks at me. “Right now they’re in limbo were not playing them and you’re not playing them and according to Adam we both have rights to them and to stop either of us from doing the songs it’d be like a legal fight or something. I was thinking that we could split them take which ones we want and then have like a contract or something that clears up ownership and rights after it all.”

I look at her. “Adam will have stuff to say about that given you’re under contract.”

She nods. “And he’ll want to talk to you about the specifics of the gig too since that’ll be a whole big thing.”

Oh shit…

Shit, shit, shit…that means we’ll have to be dealing with that son of a bitch and it’ll be in his place most likely.

Hannah’s looking at me. “Well like no rush we’re working on things that we have to do and you all should like think it over.”

We look at each other and she sort of has this expression there too.

I don’t think that she likes him very much actually.

I nod and shake her hand again. “We’ll be in touch, I’d like to get all of this resolved too.”

Hannah shakes my hand back. “Will do and soon hopefully I know you’re running quite busy and everything and it’d be nice to get the particulars out of the way so we can look forward to doing the gig for The Cat.”

I smile, and I’m smiling because I have an idea.

She and Summer and K & T start leaving and Summer actually turns around as she’s leaving. “Nice sets you girls, I had a good time and you all didn’t totally suck.”

I yell back. “Gee thanks you’re so kind.”

Brooklyn is giving her the finger.

And Rayne’s waving goodbye and she seems better and Billy and Davie are escorting them out and there’s still looks from the two guys in her bang who look a little bit like they were almost looking for a fight or at least the drummer does…that Muzz guys just seemed fighting drunk.

Then they’re gone.

I take a breath and Rayne’s looking at me. “Are you going to be okay? I mean this is going to mean you up close and dealing with Adam.”

I nod. “I’ll be okay, I’ll hate it but I’ll be okay….I have a plan.”

“A plan.” That’s actually everybody.

“We have the meeting with The Brewers at The Cat, we’ll have to talk acts and who’s playing and we’ll have to look at recording it stuff and all of that anyways so I’ll just get Adam to come along and talk with us there in their space and we can even have them sign stuff as witnesses….if I can get them to do it.”

Josie walks up. “If I can go to talk print stuff for SLB and maybe the event itself then I’ll definitely be a witness.”

I nod. “We’ll want shirts and things for us but I honestly was thinking that we could talk to The Brewers on the whole printing stuff for the event.”

She smiles at me and she hugs me. “I’ll expect the call then I have to go girls and start looking through some of the people I have on file that were looking for work and everything if I’m going to actually get Graffiti Inc. expanding and all with the ideas that we bounced tonight and all.”

We hug and she gives me a big squeeze. “That was one hell of a show kiddo, and it was a total pleasure seeing this kind of thing in town again.”

She leaves and then I look at the girls. “Are all of you okay?”

Brooklyn shakes her head. “No, not effing really. I hate that she twisted shit around.”

I look at her. “I know, I know but it’s not like we’re really going to get summer to ever admit that she just plain up did a shitty thing.”

Kimmie rubs at her eyes. “Yeah well you’re right we can be a better band, we can just be effing better than Skummer and sucks on a rosebush.”

I look at Rayne who smiles a little. “We’re getting stuff back and I think your idea is a good one and as for Summer and me. That ship’s long since sank and I don’t want to bother dredging the bugger back up.”

Dad laughs. “Yeah the only thing like to do with ships you girls should think of is a cover of the Eddie Fitz.”

I tilt my head. “Maybe, that’s not a bad tune if we had the right venue for it.”

The girls look all lost.

I smile and get some of my things as Mr. Walker’s setting up for the counts. “It’s a Gordon Lightfoot song guys.”

There’s a nods and an ooooh from Rayne but the rest just look blank.

Kimmie heads up on stage giving me a raspberry. “Music nerd.”

“Guilty.”

Rayne and I join up with Mr. Walker and Mike brings the tips and Dad drops off the cash box for the band stuff table and then they head off and we start with some more coffee being brought over and tear down and clean-up is going on around us.

I like this, helping out but also sitting and doing the books and the cash with Mr. Walker and it’s a very professional and at the same time feeling of community.

Our pay for each of us is a hundred and forty dollars with bonuses for staying over and what Mr. Walker says is our good press fees and then there’s our tips and there’s some envelopes from The Pine Tree Café that people must have borrowed and they have money labeled for The Chapel Street Shelter and we expected that but we scored big here.

He sets the envelopes aside. “I’ll take those to the shelter myself in the morning personally.”

It was a really big night with our tip box and tips on the merchandise and then the tips for the bar and the servers too all rolled into one big mass and then we divide it by all of the band members and the servers and bar staff, kitchen and the hostess and it comes to seventy five dollars and change each.

That’s two fifteen for the night for us in SLB not counting the actual profits for the merchandise which was a lump sum of a hundred and sixty after we minus off the print costs for Josie. Rayne actually is doing all of the books for our merchandise since it she really was sort of the one that got us in with Josie in the first place.

Carmen’s blinking at hers and Molly is too and Mike just grins and we do go through everything again and the numbers match.

And Mr. Walker is smiling and he’s looking at his own sheets.

I smile after I finish my coffee. “Good night?”

“Best night in years actually, this really was a good night Angel seriously I should give you girls a better bonus for this.”

“How good?”

“Very good, we made really good money off of the bar and the tapas.”

“I think we’re good with the bonus you gave us sir it’s better for everyone long term that thing good night stay pretty much with The café.”

He looks at me and he nods. “I thought that you’d say that. I think we might change hours this week as a trial too and have the tapas after eight and open as a wine a drink spot too when we don’t have you girls here.”

I pack my things away and look at him. “I’d honestly look around for some more acts maybe some people to play some light music if you have a good turnout for the tapas and the wine bar ideas.”

He actually smiles. “Any other ideas young lady?”

I nod and look at the kitchen staff. “You could let some of them work at the tapas menu and see what your own people can come up with sir; they know that style of food here that you want and what the kitchen can do so that’d be a good opportunity for them.”

He nods and gets up and shakes my hand and Rayne’s hand and we both kiss him on the cheek and we get the same from some of the staff too since everyone had a good night. Seventy five in tips for all with OT on top of that for when they get paid…that’s a really good night, it’s a super night really and while seventy five dollars isn’t much it’s a lot at the same time when you add that into the cash tips from last night and everything really.

That’s a lot of save-me money in the literal middle of the week.

We get into the vehicles and we head to the bank first and we deposit money into the accounts for the band and our own accounts and I take twenty five of my tips for the bonus fund account that we have for what’ll be extras or maybe even a free show or something and Rayne puts all seventy five of hers in there and I look at her.

“We still got paid and there’s Lucky’s tomorrow night and then there’s Jakes and Ace’s too plus the other things we have going on and I am still getting paid from Wal-Mart too and…”

“And…?”

She kisses me. “I know its nuts because I’m not a big fan of working there and all but I got a raise after the thing with the video.”

“Really like how much!?” Okay yeah it’s Wal-Mart but it’s my girlfriend and I’m excited for her.

“They took me to thirteen o five.”

“From?”

“Twelve and a quarter.”

I whistle. “Wow they really must want to keep you.”

She nods. “I was getting that feeling too and my boss is suddenly really good about my schedule and what hours that I can do as long as I give them plenty of time to do the schedule.”

I look at her. “So you’re not quitting?”

She looks at me. “No, honestly with this it’s more of a help plus I might even be able to do some band stuff with them.”

“Oh like?”

She shrugs. “Maybe get us the staff and family Christmas party, I was hoping actually you might have ideas.”

I smile. “Well we’ll think about it and we’ll decide as a group.”

She kisses me. “I love you; I love this I love how this is all going even with the evil-ex.”

We head out and we all head home and we don’t need groceries and we don’t need gas and we’re all good except for us all needing sleep.

That’s awhile in coming with getting the stuff all inside the house and then set up and cleaned which we do as we set it up and then there’s the computers and stuff and Molly is commandeering the coffee-table again and getting all her stuff and Mike’s out and her and Mike talk a bit about stuff and she and he fist bump and she settles in and he goes upstairs with Brooklyn to shower and sleep over.

Dad and the guys are heading out and I hug and kiss them and thank them for being extra cool and staying over.

Dad hugs me. “Heck this was actually kind of fun Angel, it actually made me feel less like a middle aged old guy and more like close to the age of some of the people around. The shows are fun.”

“Thanks Daddy and you’re not old.”

“Aww thanks kiddo.”

I send Rayne off to do the same and Kimmie heads off too and she gives Molly the last two Redbulls out of her four pack and she’s got her tablet out and I think she’s texting Max.

Carmen and I are headed to the kitchen and I take out bacon and pre-cook up a bunch of it in the microwave and mix egg scramble for morning and put it in a Tupperware dish and I cut some bread for toast and put it back in the bag and Carmen’s making a pot of the Tim’s at home.

“Molly’s going to be up all night so I’m going to be too. So…what about the budget for the band with make-up and stuff?”

I look at her and shrug. “I don’t know how much we’ll need so can you like ghost shop for us and that’ll give me an idea and then we’ll get something for that like a bank card for a specific account I have to look at our online stuff cash wise tomorrow too and I’ll be heading to the bank so you can like come with.”

She nods. “I can do that; I would like a sewing machine and things though if I’m going to do serious costume stuff.”

“You sew?”

“We had a sewing class in our Domestic studies at school.”

“Oh I didn’t go to school here.”

She shrugs. “Honestly you didn’t miss much.”

I look at her. “You going back?”

“Nope, too much can go wrong there with all of that and Adam. I’m going to do maybe correspondence schooling or something like that.”

I nod and yawn, I’m not getting into that. I’m looking into the same thing and as much as school and an education is a good thing there’s options these days other than going to high school which doesn’t work for everyone.

I give her a hug and head off to bed with another yawn. “If you can have coffee ready in the morning that’d be cool.”

“Sure no problem, I have the feeling that Molly will be needing steady refuelling.”

I’m the near last one to get to bed and I get my things for the night and get a shower and Carmen is passing as I’m out and in my sleep shirt and things. “I’ll do the wash; consider it part of the costume department from now on.”

I blink and look at her and I kiss her cheek. “Goddess bless you and I accept.”

She does a detour to get the shower things and the things from the hampers chuckling. She’s saying something in something that sounds like I think is Portuguese.

I’m pretty sure that they speak Portuguese in Brazil.

I settle into bed with Rayne who was in one of the band tees and she was up and waiting for me and reading one of her books and I slip into bed with her and snuggle up and she slides her arm around me and I settle up to her and get comfortable.

“Finish your chapter hon.”

“You want me to read it out loud?”

“Honestly that’d be perfect.”

It really was too.