Midnight Pretenders (BL)

Chapter 51

“YOU AND I ARE PRISONERS,

Imprisoned by this curse.

We kept being fed by cruelty,

From this one-dimensional world.

Yet I don’t think it’s a sin,

Yeah, I don’t think it’s a sin,

To love you this as much baby...

'Cause you and I are just the same...”

My music flowed along with the rhythm of the piano keys as it softly ran through a series of notes with the bass thumping in the background. I let the vibrations wrapped me in a cocoon. The chords played continuously in a smooth fluid, filled with poetic nirvana. The lyrics run from my lips into the microphone as it vibrated a steady beat through the speakers. I soon got lost in a melodic episode of pleasure until I finally heard the last strum of strings ending in a short crisp cut.

I opened my then closed eyes and smiled in pure ecstasy because it felt perfect. The song was perfect. My band is perfect.

It was all just perfect.

“I can’t wait to hear this with the drums!”

‘Only that’, I told myself. And voicing my thoughts out, I turned to look at Samantha who was currently standing on my left with a Fender Precision Bass guitar dangling across her body. She was right. We really need to hear this with the drums.

“So when are we going to finally meet the fella behind the barrels?” I heard the piano guy, Steve, asked me from behind.

I turned to look at the faces of my bandmates and tried my best to give them an encouraging smile. “I’m on it. Soon. You’ll meet the guy. But for now, we will come up with our band’s name.”

“So this is really happening, right? We're really gonna sing out there? In front of the crowds?” Eric, my lead guitarist, said in a dreamy note as he let out a whistle of excitement that made the rest of us laugh at his comical remark. He might come off like some brainless psycho but he's one of the best guitarists I've met. He can channel Van Halen like it's nothing even when he acts like an i***t most of the time.

“Yeah,” I still replied back, just to reassure him with a grin. “It’s the first rule for a band to have a name of its own.”

“So you already got a name for us?” Eric asked again. But I tried not to answer it first as I looked at my other bandmates' faces.

“Whatever you want to call it, we’ll just go with it,” Steve said and the rest just agreed in chorus with him. I smiled at his words, feeling a bit pressured about how they could just simply put all their trust in me to manage the band.

To be honest, I was really reluctant to start this all up. When I first met these people, they weren't the kind I was hoping to have. I just didn't really expect them to meet my standards right away. But when we started playing together, I was shocked to hear how good we sounded as one. We just jived so well with each other. And the rhythm we’ve created was something that exceeded my expectations. I could not believe that I would even get the right kind of people in one place and put the music I've created into life with their colorful stability. Because of that, I felt more ambitious to dream higher for these people. And that's how I also came up with a name that will fit our band.

“Libra,” I told them. The word even sounded so right from my lips.

“Why that?  'Cause you're a Libra?” Eric anxiously asked from a distance.

“He's a Virgo,” Sam corrected him and that earned her a raised brow from me. She caught my reaction and only shrugged back, avoiding my gaze.

“It's a catchy name. But how does it fit with the band?” I heard Steve asked me.

I turned to him and smiled. Apparently, I was all more than ready to answer that question.

“It’s an analogous play of the term. I’ve figured since we just perfectly harmonized as one whenever we play together, I came up with a short yet impactful word that can describe us. I thought of the term 'harmony' at first. But then I thought it was a little bit too formal and soft for us. So, I looked up for a more unique name and I came across Libra. Libra actually means balance and I think it's the most ideal word to describe this band. Libra.”

“Got a nice ring to it,” Eric commented on my explanation and raised a thumbs-up at me, “I like it, man.”

“Thanks,” I replied to him with a smile.

“Me, too,” Steve agreed as well, “If that’s how you see us, then I totally give my vote to that.”

I turned to him and nodded my head as a form of gratitude. He nodded back. And like a simultaneous telepathic reaction, the three of us turned our heads to look at the only girl in the group.

“What? I ain't got nothing to say against it.” Sam retorted back in that usual dismissive sound of her voice and rolled her eyes at our expectant faces. “Go for it.”

And with that, the discussion ended in a peaceful unanimous decision. Well, I can't really say it was an entirely unanimous decision at all since they've all just agreed to what I have ended up choosing. But still, the mere fact that we've finally settled and came up with the name that we can officially call ourselves, our OWN, makes it more existent.

We are now the band "LIBRA".

And as this name played inside my head, I slowly imagined the sound of chants calling out our band from the noisy crowds we’ll gonna have. And my smile widened just at the thought. I really can’t wait to get our band called out there… I can’t wait to let our music be finally heard. And I can really feel it happening very soon.  I will make sure of it. It will damn well be happening to us, REAL SOON.

AS I WALKED INTO the heavy glass door of Evangeline’s bistro that afternoon, my phone pinged up for an incoming message. I paused and quickly fished it out from my pocket to check. It was from David.

“Check this out,” it said. And as it got seen, another chat bubble came in with a photo attachment. It was a snapshot of David’s smiling face next to an equally beautiful guy staring right into the camera. Must be a model too. But I still took a mental note to remember this guy’s face as I made my way towards the bar counter where I can see the back of Evangeline’s silhouette, busily working on the drinks there.

“Had a short romantic shoot with this insanely famous beau,” David added with a winking emoji. I smirked at his clever message as I sat right down on one of the tall chairs by the counter. Then, I instantly replied back to him.

“What the hell is this?” I typed away, “Are you blatantly cheating on me now, David Breslin?”

After a second, a response came in again.

“I’m trying to work on getting a massive increase in my followers' tab now,” he said, “Is it working?”

I typed back, “What? The increase in your followers?”

“No,” he replied, “I meant, you getting jealous? Is it working?”

I snickered at his playful use of words and casually wrote another response.

“Well, damn right, it’s working. Stop flirting behind my back, Breslin.”

Then after a moment, he quickly replied.

“Wait till I get home then.” And it ended with a heart and winking emoji.

I laughed at that cryptic response and told him back that I will be waiting with a kiss emoji. I then put the phone back into my pocket, still smiling from that conversation. And as soon as I looked up to the counter, I immediately caught Evangeline watching me with an evil grin on her face.

“Well, that’s a loving smile you got there, beautiful boy,” she told me in a mocking tone.

“It’s nice to see you too, Evangeline,” I greeted her back.

“You know what? Just seeing that smile of yours really reminds me of the good ole’ days, when I used to be just as old as you are and thought that love is the only thing that matters in the world, but--” she started rambling on and before she eventually turn dark from it, I immediately interrupted her.

“Of course it was way, way back when Youtube wasn't even invented yet. And the telephone is the only way for you to communicate with someone else who’s five miles away,” I interjected with a rushed response, cutting her off. “I came here for the drummer, mother dearest.”

“Well, aren’t you just sweet?” Evangeline just smirked back to me with a facetious delighted voice then casually put a pint of beer in front of me. “Good timing, though.”

I smiled at her typical gesture. It was Evangeline alright, in all her glory form and Davidoff cigarette stick. “I missed you, Eve.”

“Me too,” she gently said back, easing into a soft smile. “And so is Davie’s gorgeous face. You really need to remind him of my existence before it gets too late. I ain’t getting younger now, Cole.” she playfully remarked and I laughed at her words.

“He’ll visit soon,” I reassured her.

“The drummer’s a catch,” Evangeline quickly diverted the topic into the one I’ve really wanted to hear and I smirked as I was reminded again by her peculiar way of making the conversations drift from here to there.

“Is he really that good?” I asked in a skeptic tone.

“Well, if you consider tapping the top of a drum with a stick and hitting the cymbals on a lightning speed good? Then, I believe he’s good,” Evangeline shrugged at me and left me even more confused with her vague description.

“So, I guess I just have to believe in that kind of judgment?”

“You needed a drummer. I’m giving you one.” She straight-away punched the line at me.

I was left speechless from that. And I think I've just finally learned how Evangeline earned the name “Mother Hustler” in Rockville. She really knows how to play well in negotiations. And because she knew I was desperate for a drummer, she gave me an ultimatum that I would never really get to turn down.

“There’s only one catch, though,” she said, earning a frown from me.

“What is?”

“The guy’s seventeen.”

I stopped for a moment to take that in. “You mean he’s still in high school?”

Evangeline shook her head no at me, then clarified, “Well, technically he’s not. He actually dropped out before senior year.”

“So, he’s out of school?” That still did not seem to lessen my uneasiness at all.

“You can’t blame him, Colin. It was more of a choice to the kid. He said he does not want to go back there anymore because of the nasty things he kept hearing from his classmates. He prefers taking petty jobs instead because he gets to earn money for food from that rather than be in school and get bullied for all the wrong reasons he should not be blamed for. And I guess it just says something more about his character as a person. This kid has faced his problems head-on. And you gotta admit, that's no normal for a kid to think that way. You know that, Cole.”

I tried to process everything that Evangeline was saying to me to considerately understand it the way she sees it. But a kid out of school? Seventeen? He’s still too far behind to be in the world that would only try to corrupt him if he’s not too brave enough to fight against it.

Seeing me hesitating to take her offer, Evangeline spoke again, “Remember the first time you asked me to take you in and give you the part-time job here at my bistro two years ago? Weren’t you what? Just seventeen at the time, too? Cole, I gave you a chance because you said you would do your very best and will never make me regret hiring you. And even when I was still unsure if you could really do it, I trusted in you. I gave you the job because I wanted to believe in you. And now I want you to look at this young boy the same way as I did with you before. Just give it a go for once, Cole. Give him one try at it.”

I knew Evangeline was just trying to get me soft with her words. But as soon as I got reminded of my past, I instantly felt the hopelessness and desperation I used to feel before when I thought I could never escape this town again. But Evangeline gave me the way to finally reach the freedom I get to have right now. And for that, I am still deeply indebted to her. And I think this is the only way for me to give back what I owe to her since then.

“Fine,” I then said in resignation. And Evangeline beamed at me, clapping her hands in delight.

“You’ll never regret this,” she told me, grinning.

“What do you even want me to say?” I smiled bitterly to myself and took a big gulp from the beer she just handed me a while ago.

“The deal's done?” She suggested back and I only shook my head at her, laughing.

“Congratulations!” she said out loud with utter rejoice—a complete hundred-eighty degree turn of expression from how she was just acting a while ago, “You've finally got yourself a drummer!”

And yeah, I did. Well, I had no choice. Yet, she was right too. So, I’ve decided to just trust Evangeline about this, in the meantime. If things happen now then let them happen. I just have to do what I got to do... For our band… For my music... For my dreams...

Well, f**k it. At least, I’ve finally found my drummer. That's what really matters, anyway.