Gem City

Chapter 11

“Punk Rock Princess” – Something Corporate

“Breathe” – Michelle Branch

After the road trip, Courtney strengthened her resolve even more to find her way back there at some point. The scales had tipped in favor of going to college out-of-state. While it still scared her to think about really being on her own, she felt a new sense of comfort in her own head. And she wasn"t the only one who had noticed.

“I think I like you being in love. You"re much less stressed,” Vanessa touted the next afternoon. They were getting ready to go to see Ethan"s band play. Courtney was excited to meet his friends, and thankfully her nerves were kept at bay.

“Well, I"m still not sure what I should wear, but I"m kind of just feeling hyper,” Courtney admitted, bouncing on her toes, “not nervous.”

“You realize you are not the same girl who walked off the plane earlier this month, right? Who had to take Jell-O-shots just to go to a party? The way you are now… it suits you better.” Courtney thought about it while she went through her clothes. She supposed Vanessa was right, and she hoped the feeling would last. Her wardrobe choice landed on dark jeans and a bright turquoise tank top with black lace trim. She knew Ethan liked it; he said it made her look “hot as hell,” and that was a good enough reason for her.

“You ready? Luke"s just going to meet us there.”

“Yep!” They hopped in the Camaro and drove to the next town over for the summer Strawberry Festival. It would be pretty low key, but these were the kinds of things Courtney missed most about small town life. Any event she went to in Phoenix would be jam-packed. And hot. This was much more her pace. They arrived and trekked across the dirt lot to the town park where the stage was set up. Vanessa"d had the forethought to bring a blanket for them to sit on in the grass, so they made themselves comfy and bought frozen strawberry lemonades.

“These are freaking delicious,” Courtney proclaimed. “All beverages should be served in a frozen form.”

“Ah-greed, friend.” Vanessa lifted up her plastic cup to toast to this momentous discovery. Luke joined them a few minutes later.

“Hey babe- is that? Did you get a frozen lemonade without me?” he asked in mock horror.

“Well, I got one for you, but if you"re going to be mean, I"ll just drink it too.”

“Aw, you"re the best girlfriend ever,” he said, kissing her sloppily. Vanessa dramatically wiped her mouth.

“Your kissing skills are going downhill.” He went to make a reply, but Ethan"s band had started to assemble, and the sound check drowned him out. The festival emcee, who was probably the local high school"s student body president, came up and introduced the band.

“So give it up for Tin Roof, you guys!” Courtney just smiled while the crowd cheered. She was looking forward to seeing Ethan on stage. He looked up and smiled at her, and she blew him a kiss.

“What have you done to Fisher? He used to be a chick magnet, and you"ve made him all, like, domesticated,” Luke complained.

“Oh, shut it, he"s happy,” Vanessa told him. Courtney just ignored him, and chose to forget the “chick magnet” descriptor in addition to the way it formed a small knot in her stomach. The band was actually quite good, and Courtney sang along to most of their covers. She loved listening to him sing; it reminded her of the night they had met. She cheered the loudest after their last song, and caught Ethan"s eye to smile at him. However, to her shock and horror, he took the mic after the applause had ended and addressed the crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I know that was supposed to be our last song, but I was hoping you might indulge me and help me get my girlfriend up here to sing a little Everclear. Her name is Courtney, and I would so appreciate it if you could be as convincing as possible, because she probably wants to kill me right now.” His smile was lighting up his whole face. Courtney"s heart was racing. Oh, this is going to look so lame if I refuse to go up there. Breathe, breathe, breathe. Did he just call me his girlfriend? Holy crap, okay, okay, okay. So much for that self-confidence sticking around, she thought quickly. She felt Vanessa nudge her from behind.

Oh, this is going to look so lame if I refuse to go up there. Breathe, breathe, breathe. Did he just call me his girlfriend? Holy crap, okay, okay, okay. So much for that self-confidence sticking around“Come on, girl, go sing. I"ll record it. It"ll be something you can show your grandkids when you and Ethan are old and gray.” She was so freaking persuasive. Courtney didn"t know how, but her feet started moving her towards the stage. She attempted to look self-assured while still shooting daggers out of her eyes at Ethan for doing this. People cheered when she emerged from the crowd and hopped up next to him.

Ethan wrapped her in a huge hug, and she whispered, “You are in So. Much. Trouble,” into his ear.

“I know,” he answered, “but it"s worth it.” He adjusted the mic for her and picked up his guitar. It"s just like the bonfire. There"s nothing different. Pretend there"s no microphone. He flawlessly played the song she had sung for him that first night at the party, and she managed to make it through without throwing up, her voice becoming less shaky with each verse. Her hands refused to stop, however, until she was done. Once it was over, she was somehow able to appreciate the high of performing in public. Ethan kissed her, drawing more cheers, and thanked the crowd on behalf of Tin Roof.

It"s just like the bonfire. There"s nothing different. Pretend there"s no microphone.“That was a mean thing to do, Ethan Fisher!” she told him forcefully once they were alone. Her hands were still tingly, and she could hear her heart beating in her ears.

“Oh my god, you were amazing. Having you on stage with me was, like, such a freaking rush. Please don"t stay mad. Just let me bask in your awesomeness, okay?” The look in his eyes was one of complete joy, and she was smiling before she even knew she wasn"t mad anymore. “Thank you. I love you. Like, I love you,” he repeated as he wrapped his arms around her.

“So, this is the girl, then, huh? Not a bad showing out there.” A cute boy with dark hair from Ethan"s band had walked up, his hand outstretched. Courtney immediately reached out to shake it. “I"m Tyler,” he said. He was shorter than Ethan, but still tall by all accounts, and he had several eyebrow piercings, making his dark eyes look harsh.

“Nice to meet you, Tyler. You guys were great. I"m so glad I got to see you play.” The rest of his band sauntered up and she got a round of introductions- Silas, Jared, and Chris. They all had a similar edge to them, although Jared seemed slightly more laid back than the others. She had a hard time reconciling the Ethan she knew with the rest of his band.

“We"re gonna go puff in my van, you guys want?” Tyler asked, looking unconcerned. Puff like the magical dragon? she wondered briefly. She assumed he was referring to weed, but she honestly had no idea.

Puff like the magical dragon?“Nah, man, we"re good. I"m gonna head out with Courtney. Do you need help loading anything?”

“We got it,” Jared replied. “See you at practice.” Courtney simply could not imagine her version of Ethan hanging out with these guys. The knot in her stomach made itself known again. She let Ethan take her hand and lead her back to Luke and Vanessa.

“So… those are your friends.” She tried to maintain a non-judgmental tone.

“I know. They are rough around the edges, but I swear they"re good guys,” he promised. She didn"t know if she really believed him, but she had only met them for a moment. First impressions could be deceiving.

“Okay,” she stated simply. “Um, just for the record… the whole smoking thing-”

“You caught that, huh? Yeah, they do some self-medicating. I don"t though, if that"s what you"re asking. I, well, I have, in the past, but as a rule I don"t. I"d like to keep singing in a band, so I try not to jack up my voice. That, and I think I"m laid back enough already.” He grinned, nudging her with his elbow. She breathed a sigh of relief. She didn"t know if that would have been something she could have gotten past at the moment and was glad she didn"t have to find out. She squeezed his hand and let go of some of her worry. They caught up with Vanessa and Luke, and after much ado about her impromptu concert, they decided to stick around for the festival fireworks. It was something of a small-town fairytale to lie under the stars, fireflies roaming the skies, and watch the colors and the crackle of the fireworks burst above their heads. She found that space where she fit under Ethan"s arm and just appreciated her spot on the time-space continuum right at that very minute as she traced her fingers down his chest and across his stomach muscles.

“Are you trying to tickle me?” He sounded amused. “Because I"m not ticklish. It feels good though. You don"t have to stop,” he said as she went to move her hand. They lay like that for a while, and she didn"t think she would ever want to leave.

“Alright, lovers, Courtney and I have to get going. Ethan, you don"t need a ride, do you? Did you bring your car?” Vanessa asked him.

“Yeah, I drove. Any chance you"ll let me take Courtney home?” he asked, giving Vanessa his most charming smile.

“Ugh, whatever. Only because I know you"re all sad and blah because she has to leave soon. I will allow you to chauffeur her to my house,” she said in a parental tone. Courtney laughed and linked her arm with Ethan"s, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering, happy their night didn"t have to end just yet.