Jem...Chapter 188

*Before…

He leaves and I’m getting waved over by some of the event organizers as things are being set up with some of the bigger tents and there’s some people that definitely are there that look like they’re in the music scene.

At the same time there’s a lot of folks that I don’t recognize either but I think I’m guessing right as I see the boys from Huron Electric there and I see Summer there too with Hannah? Okay they look pretty close, closer than before maybe?

And no Adam...I’m looking around and he’s not there and not even his flunkies.

*And Now…

Hannah looks at me and she actually smiles as I come over and take a seat at one of the tables that they have set out here under the tent and I smile back and give her a little finger wave and Summer gives me this sort of flat stare instead of the hostile look and she just does that barely acknowledging me nod.

Hey I’ll take that over glare thrown daggers.

Seriously she doesn’t like me and she’s been that mad and pissed I could almost hear Heart singing *If Looks could Kill* sometimes in my head when she and I were around.

She is staring at me though from time to time and it’s a weird stare too.

We are told to wait awhile longer for a few of the other acts to show up and the man and woman are setting up a big paper flip book like you use for teaching with the easel and they’re drawing up a schedule.

There’s some others showing and I don’t know half of them but I’m really interested and there’s some that I do recognize and I get a few smiles and nods and even a few handshakes which is cool.

It’s not too long either before we’re all set to go and we have a woman that’s at one of the tables with the event planners that has a couple of laptops running and there’s one of those flat sort of tripod things you see in offices that’s specifically made for conference calls.

And then we’re getting started and there’s a lot of scheduling stuff and it revolves around the lives of everyone involved because even with the Fall Fair going on folks still pretty much have lives and kids and work so there’s things that are coming up.

I mean my biggest thing for Starlight Butterfly is that we are flexible and that we’re good all the way around.

“I wouldn’t mind though if we could get slots after supper so some of my bandmates have enough time to get from school to here and off work. I mean other than that we’re actually good with all the slots.”

And it’s processing after that with getting all of the slots filled up and Adam’s not here so Summer’s girlfriend Hannah is actually speaking and doing stuff for Kisses & Thorns and she’s going for as close to the main gig windows as she can get without pushing the headliners and getting them mad at them.

It’s aggressive but not in that way that Summer usually has.

And she pushes for later hours for the Fair itself on the weekends since a lot of the clubs and venues the bands all play or go to are closed.

I second that and I share a grin with Hannah and Summer gives me the stink eye.

Yeah there’s not going to be anything good between us I don’t think but...I don’t know it’s like she’s really nonplussed about Hannah and I getting along.

I’m more than happy that in the end we got our after supper slots but not the prime ones and with Hannah and I agreeing and a couple of others about later shows on the weekend nights we can get more people in and see bigger shows and have more of a chance for them to see all the other things that we have here at the Fall Fair.

Which actually has me asking. “Are you going to talk to the vendors?”

The lady nods. “We were planning to.”

Hannah pipes up. “We’ll do it.”

She and Summer are looking at her surprised. “You will, Mr. Marshal good with that?”

Hannah grins. “Adam doesn’t get a say in our free time so we can do this like for free and then we can like get to know the folks around here.”

Summer looks like she just had an “oh” moment.

The woman nods and me, I find that sort of interesting really since I would have thought that everything with Kisses & Thorns and Adam would be business as usual.

We get done and she e-mails the schedules for those of us who want them that way and I’m getting ready to go and the lady stops me with her hand sort of raised.

“Angel Benton yes?”

“Yes ma’am?”

“I just heard that you reached an accommodation with our rides and games vendor.”

“Yes ma’am, we’re going to shoot a few music videos with them for the band and a few other bits.”

“And you run Starlight Entertainment and Music.”

“Co-run it but yes we’re an actual business even registered with The Chamber of Commerce.”

She smiles and she offers me a seat. “Yes, that I know and I’ve been hearing a lot of you young lady and your ideas from other members. I’m Lorna McAlister and I’m the head of The Harper’s Point Bureau of Tourism.”

I sit and extend my hand and we have a handshake together and it feels like it means something to her as I give her the same kind of handshake that I give Mr. Walker.

I smile and say. “I’ll be truthful I didn’t know we had such a thing but I’m really glad that we’re talking.”

She smiles. “Well from what I’m hearing that’s an understatement. I’ll be frank I want to piggyback onto your work.”

“How so ma’am?”

“I want to make a video too.”

I smile at that. “Good and I think that won’t be a problem, we need something to take to the province and to the federal tourism bodies that will let us have a shot at bids.”

She smiles broadly. “Exactly and if we can show them and put up web service numbers that will show that we have interest in our town then we can maybe get money, grant and development money into the town.”

I nod enthusiastically. “I’ve been saying this in regards to the music scene here in Harper’s Point there’s no records anymore, the bands today are on TV or online so we’re seeing small bands going back to the basics and finding old styled gigs and playing clubs and other venues like this. We’re in a revival sort of thing and we’d be foolish not to run with this.”

She’s nodding and she offers me a bottle of water which I take. “Counting Starlight we have Blackjack in town both are recent but that’s two working labels in a year that I know of, and then there’s all of the independents that are out here and we have tour history. Jake over at The Amsterdam has all of this history there of when The Amsterdam was one of the go to band stops to tour in the like seventies and eighties...that’s music history.”

Lorna’s looking at me. “You have an idea?”

I nod. “Sure promotions, bands, tours, get local with the radio so maybe we can like parlay something off with one of the communication schools but in the end have us a place where outside bands come and where here in the park we have band festivals like for Canada Day.”

She’s nodding again. “I seen that you advertise for other businesses too and that there are deals from one place to the next?”

I take a drink. “Some of that’s new but we are trying it, if say you went to a show Friday night at The Amsterdam then your door slip from that night will get you a discount or a coupon for The Pine Tree cafe’s Saturday brunch.”

We’re talking about that and other things like things to do here and some ideas that we could do for other festival types of things like Winter Carnival that we usually have and we usually have some shopping things at Christmas but we kind of hit a wall after Valentines which we agree we should do more with in town.

We’re snowballing until I see Rayne walking over with her having got changed out of her work things and into a pair of awesome jeans that so show off her hips.

Rayne’s got great legs in my opinion buy her hips are awesome, she has so much sway.

Okay I’m not sure how Lorna will take it or some of the others but we share a long kiss when she comes over to greet me.

“What’s up?”

“I’m just talking to Ms. McAlister here and just got done getting our schedule set for our shows.”

“I saw that I got the e-mail from Molly.”

“Good any problems?”

“Nope we’re good, but we should get going if we’re going to get back in time for rehearsal and to go and play tonight’s gig at Lucky’s.”

Lorna looks at us. “You’re playing tonight?”

“We are.” Rayne says.

“I’m sorry if I took yo too much of your time.” Ms. McAlister is looking at the both of us and she’s not offended but very maybe she has this look that’s sort of like The Brewsters.

Maybe a little different?

She has a bit of a smile as Rayne wraps her arms around me in a girlfriend hug and starts walking me backwards and out of the large tent and we’re waving as we’re leaving and then I turn in her arms and we kiss each other over to the booth.

Which is like lots of yum but it actually gets better when she’s seeing everything and looking it all over and she has this huge smile on her face.

I lean on her. “Happy?”

She nods. “Lots of happy.”

She’s looking over the shirts and the stuff from the carnival guys and she’s even smiling at the and says.

“We’d never done this stuff before Angel, we’d never have the shirts like this or half the gigs or anything...maybe even living hand to mouth like we were. Now we’re doing this and we have lots of gigs lined up and now we’re getting things like Fall Fair and being part of the community… I know I’m not like one of those main-stream girls but I just wanted to be part of things as me.”

I settle my hip into her hip. “Well I kinda made a whole lot more work for us and lined us up a possible client.”

“Client?”

“Yes, Danny Sawyer from the rides show here.”

“So the shirts?”

I nod. “He had them and they weren’t selling.”

“We can help out.”

I smile. “Which was what i was thinking but a bit more than that.”

Rayne’s looking at the shirts some more and starts picking through some more and paying for them. “More than that?”

“Well we’re music and entertainment so I wanted to make some videos here with the rides and things as backdrop but with talking to Danny I realized we can do more and in the off seasons we can see if he can get other ride work. I mean he doesn’t have to even use all the rides in some jobs even.”

Rayne’s nodding. “I can so see the merry-go-round set up someplace on Valentines.”

I’m grinning. “Winter Carnival and other stuff too maybe, especially after talking to ms. McAlister.”

Rayne grins at me. “So are we getting things out of this?”

“More contacts I think, more rep in the business but also we make a small bit of cash if he makes money.”

She leans in and kisses me. “You’re so going to school for this, you’re good at this Angel and you need that paper on your wall to add to everything.”

“I want that too. I really want it more and more because it’s what folks will look for before they get to know me.”

I laugh. “Though I’d always thought that I’d be going to study music.”

“You can do both, just first things are first. I mean Kimmie and Brooklyn are going to school after high school even if I have to drag them there so you might as well too when it comes to that point Angel.”

I think a minute and nod. “Depending on what they’re taking we could go to the same place and have some of the same classes.”

We actually start packing stuff up with Josie and getting the booth goods put into Josie’s truck and Rayne asks. “What would you take like for music?”

“Well before it would be songwriting and music writing as in sheet music and I wanted to learn a few styles of playing that are pretty technical like jazz guitar and classical guitar or like the Spanish guitar style of playing.”

She’s nodding. “I might look at that too, I didn’t know that they taught all of that sort of thing I thought that it was like all fancy classical music and things.”

“Well there’s different things in different places but I was just looking at actually knowing what I was doing back before. I sort of wanted to songwrite and then maybe a few soft indie night gigs and the rest likely being studio player work.”

“I never really thought about studio player work.” She says.

“If you’re a good musician and reliable there’s a lot of call for the work and a lot of names have come out of doing that and still do that. Like Kim Mitchell that guy back from the eighties that made Patio Lanterns is actually pretty well known for his work as a mixer and as a guitarist.”

Rayne’s giving me this music geekette look.

I grin. “Hey you’re a good guitarist, all of us aren’t bad really and we could do worse than pick up work and album credits to build our portfolios. I was thinking about putting our listings up so we will be available for call.”

“We’re pretty busy now though.”

I nod. “We’re very busy now actually. But it’s something that I want to keep in the options.”

We get into the car and start heading for home and I tell her more on what we’re doing and about Crystal’s and the food and the then the little goth bakery place and she shares stories about a few funny or annoying customers and looks at me.

“Y’know because we’re putting up a booth They’re putting up a booth?”

“Really that’s cool.”

She shrugs. “It’s good advertising is what it is, I was even called into the manager’s office after lunch for a brainstorming session.”

I look at her and I beam. “That’s actually pretty cool.”

Rayne makes a face. “Yeah I dunno, it’s like working for them is one thing and part of me has always hated doing it and them. That corporate evil thing and all but with the charity stuff and the hours we’re having and well with Starlight Butterfly doing so well even after the shelter video thing and me getting some of the workers in with that it’s…”

“Not so grim and horrible?”

She nods. “I mean I like it but at the same time I don’t know what to do with it.”

“Run with it, look we might get to where you don’t need to be there but until them and things looking up and management looking at you as more than a peon I’d run with that and try and make changes.”

Rayne laughs. “It’s Hellmart they’re not going to change.”

I hold a finger up. “It’s your Hellmart as in your location, our shelter thing woke your manager up and for now it’s still a good thing to be on the good end of local charity. I’d play it up with like maybe a charity thing for the food bank and for the animal shelter or something.”

She’s nodding. “I went with something like that with them coming to Fall Fair with a jet ball bottle toss thing where you bet and half the money goes to the local food bank and I suggested we make up some retail value marked boxes with like surprise contents as prizes for the bingo tent.”

We pull into the house and I undo my seatbelt and slip over kitten like to kiss her deeply.

“That is really, really awesome.”

She mumbles around my kisses. “That’s good...really good.”

We stay there for a while actually as she pulls me over the rest of the way and we’re making out in the car pretty heavily with the radio blasting.

I love this.

Me the girl on top.

And i’m like the smaller of the two of us so there’s that but it just feels like...makes me feel like everything is me and her and two girls in love instead of all the biological stuff that’s all mixed up in this.

There’s just something real and powerful and beautiful about us being at this kind of point in our relationship.

Rayne’s open touches along my legs and my sides and up along to my bra and playing around there before her hands slip trailing fingers up and down my spine as we kiss before she runs her fingers through my hair.

The feeling of her smelling and breathing me in.

The way she smells, how soft she is and there’s a lot of soft as face to face I’m warmly welcomed by Rayne’s amazing boobs and then there’s the kissing.

Which she pretty much usually blows me away with but me on top it just makes it so different.

Still though the glide of lipstick over lipstick.

The smell of her too.

Kissing her neck, the base under her earlobe.

My hands as busy as hers are as we are definitely getting to first base.

Second...yeppers definitely second base and really enjoying that as Brooklyn is blasting her horn at us over and over with her and Kimmie grinning at us.

I’m the one in the worse position finding myself having to re shoulder my bra and to pull down my shirt blushing really, really hard.

I’m still blushing and getting my stuff getting out and dammit Kimmie’s there and she has both hands up and cupping me. “Oh look Fred she’s gotten her boobies.”

Brooklyn’s cackling like a witch.

And I’m still blushing as Rayne’s no help as she’s wrapping her arms around me and we’re walking in and she’s saying. “Wot’s happening hawt stuff.”

And Kimmie’s yelling. “Hey! That’s my line!”

Mike joins in as we’re just getting inside with. “Will you take the Red snapper or what’s in the box!?”

Brooklyn. “I’ll take what’s in the box.”

Kimmie. “And what’s in the box? Nothing! Nothing! There is nothing in the box you are so stupid.”

There’s laughing and we’re all a bunch of geeks with like those old rom-coms and comedies like Sixteen Candles and UHF.

I set my things down and kiss Rayne.

“You make a good Jake.”

Kimmie cackles going by to the kitchen. “Careful with the Jake or Josie’s going to be pissed.”

We all laugh and start getting set up for practice and Molly and Mike are filling us in.

Adam and Justin got arrested and the police and RCMP were at the high school and it was kind of a clearing house sort of thing after Mike’s posts and videos had started dumping everyone’s ugly stuff out there into the street.

I’ve some sympathy for the girls that were hurt and caught up in Adam’s stuff but not a whole lot for the ones working with him or being a douchebag and getting a girl or a date.

“So any word though on the news and stuff of Adam getting arrested?”

Molly says. “Not a lot which has me thinking it might be fairly serious too. His own lawyers would be all over just something easy to make him seem like he was the poor disadvantaged kid put to do this by his father.”

Mike’s nodding. “News wise it’s been pretty quiet.”

I’m frowning and I go to check my messages on the computer home since I didn’t get anything from Uncle Bobby on my phone. I mean I’m not expecting to since I’m technically an informant with a source.

It’s just frustrating.

And there’s nothing there.

I head downstairs to the basement to check on Carmen who looks like she’s been busy as there’s several piles of folded things that are all done up and she’s looking focussed as she’s sewing a patch on a beanie-toque hat.

She’s got a bunch of them done and they look like the dollar store cheap black ones that you sometimes see like bikers and skaters and stuff wear and they have jacket of biker like patches sewn onto them with a main patch made of black with out pink and purple colors of the butterfly on the in a tattered design that looks really cool.

And there’s some with a small pink patch shaped like a set of panties and topped with another patch with a sort of pink Kimmie head with her smiling and with really cartoon slanted eyes but wearing a moogle beanie.

“Wow...where’d this stuff come from?”

Carmen smiles. “Online, I ordered it from a place in Toronto that makes jacket patches. I hope that’s okay?”

“Okay it’s kinda awesome, how much did this cost?’

“A couple of hundred for everything. I used the money you gave me for wardrobe stuff and got them to understand that it’s a trail order.”

“Cool you have all their contact info?”

Carmen nods. “I’ve got a file box started but Molly’s got all the information too.”

I lean on the plastic table. “You okay with all the stuff going on?”

She looks at me nodding. “Kinda feel sort of sick about it. I mean they can bring Adam in all they want and stuff but it’s different when they nailed his town testicles as well. I just keep thinking this might lead to testimony and court sooner than I like thought.”

I go over and I huge her. “We’ll get through that, like together and come out through the other side Carmen.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because we’ve come this far right?”

She gives me a weak smile. “Yeah I guess.”

I give her this big smile and repeated kind of rockin shoulder bob nod until her smile gets a little stronger and she shakes her head as it becomes a real smile.

“You look like Angel McConahay.”

I try and do a stoner dude like voice. “Fast times at Harper Point eh.”

She gives me a look and then she laugh-snorts. “Wow you’re such a tool Angel.”

“Guilty I’m a guitar pick.”

She hugs me hard and puts her head on my shoulder for the span of the hug.

“God you’re awesome Angel just don’t change, please.”

I hug her back. “I’m not planning to...c’mon we need to start practice and packing up for tonight’s show at Lucky’s.”

She pulls off and she’s still smiling. “Thanks Angel.”

I head up and we’re soon going through our songs and practicing our jams and stuff while using social media to fill in folks where we’re going to be at tonight and I add in [New toques, brand new and limited!]

Which starts getting good buzz on twitter and Lucky’s own Twitter feeds post up with us their specials tonight.

Actually sounds good with one of the things being homemade jalapeno and cheese tater-tots.

I’m not a huge spicy fan but I don’t mind some of it.

Then we’re getting ready and packing up our stuff when I hear Dad’s truck and then the sound of the boys on their bikes and another sound of a different vehicle and I see Rayne staring at the window and her hand comes up over her mouth.

I go over to her and I see what she’s looking at.

I know what the boys have been doing and not just for Mr. Walker.

It’s a closed panel van and it’s definitely not new but it looks awesome. Kinda like our old one with the one sliding side door and the two doors in the back and if anything it’s longer than ours used to be.

And it’s glossy black with the whole spaces scape look to it and it has our logos done on the sliding doors and on the front hood and the back panels of the doors and we have some nice rims and then there’s really nice stainless steel running boards and we’re jacked up a little in the back. We even have running lights under the runner boards and around our license plates.

We’re running outside and we’re looking at Uncle Mitch who grinned and held the keys out to Rayne.

“What...why...how?”