The story starts when it was hot
September 12th
"You know I would go as far to say it was hot if I wasn't standing in front of your boyfriend."

~

Kelly sat as still as she could as her aunt tried to braid her hair. It took a few tries before Erica could even lift the hair but once she did it was as if she was still alive. "God, loosen up, you really are Nicky's kid." Kelly chuckled a bit before loosening her shoulder's as Julie held up another shirt.

"Okay, what about this one?"

Kelly hummed, "Too pink..." the living Adair girl scoffed, "Why do you even care? You're just writing a song....." Kelly thought for a moment, "Wait, EW! He's the closest thing I have to an Uncle! Julie, no!"

Erica laughed as Camille flipped through the closet in front of her. Kelly scooting back so she was leaning against Julie's bed. Erica cleared her throat speaking over her laughter, "Well, I mean, he likes her..." Kelly looked at her aunt wide eyed. "I think it's better to not overthink it."

"I DON'T LIKE LUKE!" Julie screeched, leading the other three girls in the room to laugh.

When Erica tired off the briad, Kelly rolled her head towards Julie, "Really Jules? You know we have eyes, right? You look at each other way too long to be friends."

"Not to mention when we sang bright. You went to him." Camille reminded, pulling a dress out of Julie's closet. "How do you afford this much stuff?"

Julie shrugged, "It's not rationed, and I'm not living in the great depression." Camille just hummed, putting the dress back, "Guys really!"

Kelly groaned, standing and pulling a trunk out from the floor of Julie's closet. "What's in here?" Kelly didn't wait for Julie to answer as she popped open the trunk, Erica and Camille running to either side of the living girl. "Jules, these are beautiful." Kelly muttered to her friend as she picked up a cable net sweater.

Erica chuckled, "Looks like Mrs Patterson made that."

Julie sighed, slumping on her bed, "Who's Mrs Patterson?"

"The twins' mother." Kelly and Erica spoke at the same time, continuing to go through the different clothes in the trunk.

Julie sat back up on her bed, looking to Kelly, "You know the twins' Mom?"

Kelly turned her head over her left shoulder to see behind her, "Yeah. I go to their place everyday on my way home from school."

Erica dropped the shirt in her hand, "You do?" Kelly just nodded at her aunt, "Is- Is she okay?"

Kelly sighed, "She's dealing. You can neve be okay when your only two children die at 17." The room fell silent for a second before Kelly caught sight of a shirt in the trunk. It was a rainbow pinney type shirt that made Erica feel like she was back in the '80s. Kelly held it up over her head for Julie to see, "Please tell me that you plan to wear this on SOME sprit day this year."

Julie shrugged, "I guess. Look, last time I'm asking, Blue or purple?" The three other girls mumbled purple, "Thank you. Now, I have a song to write."

Erica scoffed, "Way to take my job hotshot."

Julie just rolled her eyes, "Get out of my room."

~

Anita stepped back from her easel. Painting wasn't as important to her as music, but she was very right brained. Her life was surrounded by the arts. Much of her talents came from her mother.

Flynn bangged on the door of Anita's studio before shoving it open. "Stop whatever you're doing! I have an idea!" Anita just giggled, taking off her smock and taking a seat on the chair in the room.

Anita spent most of her time in her studio. It was split between her artisan studio and her musical studio. "Okay, I'm safely in a chair, you may speak."

Flynn chuckled, pulling a pink paper out of her bag, shaking it back and forth so that Anita couldn't read the blue writing on the front of it. "I was thinking..."

"Well that's never good."

Flynn scoffed, "Shut up. Anyways, I was thinking about Julie and Kelly's new band. It needs a name. Something like..... Roses and Flannels, or Pink, punk and power, or maybe...."

"How about Julie and the Phantoms?"

Flynn's eyes widened, "I love it! Wait, why skip on Kelly's name?"

"She's not the lead singer."

"Fair enough. All that's left is for you to create a logo, and me to do well.... Well what I do best. I have to make a few calls." Just as quick as she showed up Flynn sprinted out of the doors leaving Anita laughing at her friend, and pulling a new piece of paper out for one of her easels.

~

Erica sat on top of the studio as Luke and Julie worked like animals to pump out songs below her. She strummed on her acoustic, trying to think of words that could go with the melody.

When she looked over the edge of the roof she could see Adam, Reggie, Alex, and Camille playing with the single lacrosse stick and lacrosse ball like they had a few nights before.

She smiled looking down at her friends. She wouldn't know where she would be without any of them. Erica gave a sad smile at the missing member of their team. Of course Bobby and Erica weren't ever as close as Luke and Erica but she loved the remaining member of their band.

It was part of why she wanted to call an end to Sunset Curve. It wasn't the same without Bobby constantly hitting on girls walking by, or him and Reggie laughing over who was the best star wars character. (If you asked the Adair girl it was hands down Han Solo.)

Erica laughed to herself as she remembered the first time she had met Bobby. Her and Luke were at an open mic where Bobby worked. Erica had written a full power ballad after Adam started dating the only person in the school more shallow than the water in a kitty pool.

June 8th 1992

Luke sent his best friend a wink, walking over to the girl with two cokes. "You ready Eri?"

Erica Adair chuckled, taking one of the glasses from her friend, "When am I not Lukey?"

Luke just chuckled, taking a sip of his own drink. Out of the corner of the Patterson boy's eye he could see his brother and his new jackass of a girlfriend taking a seat at one of the tables in the small restaurant. A waiter who couldn't have been older than Adam, him or Erica leaning over the table and giving the two a set of napkins.

Luke spit his drink back into its cup. "Luke?" Erica questioned her friend as she started to check her mic, and tune his guitar.

Luke coughed back some of the drink, "Amy's here."

Erica cringed. The song she was about to sing was not so subtly written about the Rickers girl. "Well uhhh, I guess we'll just give her the show of her life."

Luke chuckled, "Yeah. I guess."

The mic on stage cracked as the act before them closed, the waiter from Adam's table walking on stage to take the mic from his male coworker. "Quick reminder, wings on sale for half price until the open mic ends. Other than that, let's welcome our last act. Erica Adair, and Luke Patterson, with their original song...." The waiter checked the clipboard in his hand with the different act of the night, "Better than Revenge."

Erica rubbed her palms against her pant legs, "Give them the show of their lives." She whispered to herself stepping on stage.

     Adam was one of the loudest clapping in the audience as Erica and Luke climbed onto the two foot tall stage. "Hello, That's Luke Patterson..." Luke gave a small wave to the crowd as he pulge his guitar into the amp, "And I'm Erica Adair, I dare you not to smile." She sent Adam a wink allowing Luke to start the background of the song.

Luke took his spot by his mic, his eyes fixed on his younger brother, "Now go stand in the corner and think about what you did."

"Ha." Erica let out a fake giggle, "Time for a little revenge." Luke had two single notes before Erica started singing, "The story starts when it was hot and it was summer and, I had it all. I had him right there where I wanted him. She came along, got him alone, and let's hear the applause. She took him faster than you could say sabotage." Erica lifted her mic from it's stand, running a free hand through her hair. "I never saw it coming, wouldn't have suspected it. I underestimated just who I was dealing with. She had to know the pain was beating on me like a drum. She underestimated just who she was stealing from!"

Erica moved across the stage to be back to back to Luke, the guitar player making the chorus loud and known. "She's not a saint! No she's not what you think! She's an actress! Whoa!" The girl pushed off of Luke, making her way back to the mic stand. However she kept the mic free, and just used the stade to balance herself with her left hand. "Soon she's gonna find, stealing other people's toys on the playground won't make you any friends. She should keep in in mind, she should keep in mind." Erica gave her head a small head bash before finishing up the first chorus, "There is nothing I do better than revenge. Ha!"

Erica let out a small pant, climbing down the stage as Luke smirked down on her. She walked around the restaurant, taking a seat on top of one of the free tables. "She looks at life like it's a party and she's on the list." Erica snapped her head towards Amy as she sang the next line, "She looks at me like I'm a trend and she's so over it. I think her ever present frown is a little troubling..." Erica gave a fake pout. "But, she thinks I'm psycho 'cause I liked to rhyme her name with things. Sophistication isn't what you wear, or who you know Or pushing people down to get you where you wanna go."

     Erica jumped doff the table, letting herself become less subtle as she made her way over to Adam and Amy. She even got up the guts to place her elbows on the restaurant booth. "Oh, they didn't teach you that in prep school. Guess it's up to me. But no amount of vintage dresses gives you dignity."

Erica sent Amy a smirk paired with a wink before pushing off the table and making her way back to the stage. "She's not a saint, no, she's not what you think! She's an actress! Whoa! She's better known for the things that she does on the mattress! Whoa! Soon, she's gonna find, stealing other people's toys on the playground won't make her any friends. She should keep in mind, she should keep in mind, there is nothing I do better than revenge! Ha!"

Erica placed her mic back on it's stand, wrapping both her hands around the set mic, "I'm just another thing to roll your eyes at honey. You might have him, but haven't you heard. I'm just another thing for you to roll your eyes at honey. You might have him, but I'll always get the last..... Word! Whoa!"

It was times like this Erica wished she could force Alex into playing the drums for her. But she knew her blonde friend would get too anxious and wouldn't make it on stage. However she loved this chorus and how choppy it was so you could really focus on every line. "She's not a saint.... No! She's not what you think! She's an actress! Whoa! She's better known for the things that she does on the mattress! Whoa!...... Soon she's gonna find stealing other people's toys on the playground won't make her any friends! She should keep in mind! She should keep in mind! There is nothing I do better than revenge!"

Erica once more made her way to Luke, the Patterson boy, turning from his mic so Erica and him were parallel. "Do you still feel like you know what you're doing? I don't think you do! Oh! Do you still feel like you know what you're doing! I don't think you do! I don't think you do! Let's hear the applause! Come on show me how much better you are! See you deserve some applause! 'Cause you're so much better!..... She took him faster than you could say sabotage!"

Erica let out a pant, shifting down Luke's back, so her knees were bent as he played the last notes in the song. The thirty or forty people in the restaurant stood from their seats and clapped for the pair. All but Amy Rickers. She was sitting with her arms crossed over her chest, yelling something at her boyfriend, but Erica couldn't hear what she was saying over the applause.

Erica ran a hand through her now slightly sweaty hair, as she spoke into the mic, standing straight up. "Thank you! Sadly I can't give you a cool band name to call us!" The crowd chuckled, "But I do wanna thank Luke one last time for playing for me tonight!" The crowd charred again, as Luke waved, unplugging his guitar.

The pair walked off stage Erica letting out a giggled, "Eri that was amazing!" Erica chuckled again, giving her best friend a hug. Luke chuckled a little, hugging back. However he let out a sigh as Amy pulled his brother out of the restaurant.

"Lukey what?"

Luke shook his head, "Nothing. That was great."

"Yeah it was." The two turned their head to the waiter who called them on stage, "Sorry that was creepy. I didn't mean to interrupt the moment. You know I would go as far to say it was hot if I wasn't standing in front of your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend!" "ew! God no! She likes my brother dude!"

Erica hit Luke in the arm, "Luke!"

"What you do!"

The waiter chuckled, "So, then I'll say this. That was really hot." Erica blushed, giggled as she looked down at her feet. "I'm Bobby."

"Erica." She looked up, having to push some of her hair behind her ear, "You look nice for working in a kitchen."

Bobby chuckled, "I'm the bus boy, so I only gotta worry about cleaning up." Erica giggled again. "You however look extremely nice after signing a power ballad to some girl who was clearly in the house."

Erica chuckled, "Yeah I'm gonna say she got the idea. Considering her left, slapping 100 bucks down on the table."

"Oh it's on the table? Well I'm allowed to take that for tips." Erica and Bobby chuckled.

"Luke!" Erica and Bobby turned to the boy who screamed his own name, "In case you were wondering, I'm Luke. You wanna know how Luke is feeling right now? Luke is feeling very uncomfortable as he watches his brother's waiter flirt with his best friend. Luke has decided he is going to pack up his things as well as his best friend's to get away from this feeling. Luke hope's you both have a good time. Luke will be waiting in the car." Luke referred to himself in the third person before pulling his guitar and Erica's mic away from where he was standing by the stage and left Erica with Bobby.

Erica laughed at the oldest Patterson child. Watching him walk away. "He's weird sometimes."

Bobby laughed as well, "I think we all are. You know you're really talented right?" Erica giggled again, just shaking her head, "Well, you are."

"Well thank you. Do You play an instrument, maybe sing?"

"Four string electric. You do anything other than sing?"

"I can rock a mean electric. And sometimes I can play the piano. But that's not as good."

Bobby smiled, "I'm sure it's not that bad."

Erica smiled, "Who really knows?"

~

Luke sighed when he walked outside to see his brother getting screamed at by his girlfriend. Now having Erica as a best friend made Luke a raging femisit. But he could still spot a bitch from a mile away. And Amy Rickers was the definition of a bitch.

It was even more irritating to see Adam taking the bullshit Amy was throwing at him. Just standing there and listening to the girl as she bitched. With a sigh Luke piled his and Erica's things into the back of his mother's car.

"Amy!" Luke yelled across the parking lot, "No one cares!" With a chuckle he walked over to his brother, "And since you've been screaming your opinions across the parking lot, I think it gives me free rain to give you mine." Amy looked at the boy with confusion, as Adam looked down to his feet. "No one cares if you were uncomfortable because you had to sit through a song, that really wasn't even close to being for you. No one cares, that you have enough money to throw 100 bucks down on a wooden table and then most likely file a complaint to a restaurant that has weirdly nice staff. No. One. Cares."

Amy scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest, "I think you brother cares." She turned to her boyfriend, "Right A?"

Luke chuckled again, "Does he? Because I'm pretty sure I've known Adam a lot longer than you have, and I know my brother's a people pleaser. Can you guess who the favorite child is?" Luke looked over his shoulder to check if his mother was still in the restaurant. "And I know you asked him out, and he said yes in fear that he would hurt your feelings. Bad thing about freshman love, I don't think it's even been returned. Now if you don't mind I'm gonna go back inside and hang around my best friend, because she doesn't make me wanna punch her."

~

Luke walked back into the resurton, just waiting by the door. Across the restaurant Erica was still laughing with the waiter from before. If Luke remembered his name was Bobby.

Erica let out a giggled, as Bobby ran a hand through his hair. "Well, Uhh, I think I have to go. My dad would be pretty mad if Mrs Patterson got me home late."

"Uh, Erica." Erica turned back around when Bobby called her name, "In case you were wondering. Uh, I'll be working tomorrow night."

Erica smiled, "You know, I think I'm really craving a burger tomorrow night." Bobby chuckled as Erica walked away.

Adam walked into the restaurant, not looking to his brother as he stood next to him. Luke cleared his throat, "Where's your girlfriend?"

"She left." Adam didn't feel like lying. "Where's Erica?"

"On her way over. Do you see mom?"

"She's paying." The twins watched as Bobby nearly jogged over to Erica, handing her the jacket she left on the side of the stage. The blue denim looked dim from this far away but Luke could still see the partly embroidered back of the jacket, only two of the flowers on the back were completed. "Who's that?"

Luke laughed at the mix of annoyance and jealousy in his brother's voice, "The waiter she was flirting with." Adam didn't get the chance to retaliate because their mother had come over. However she didn't see the show, just going to the bar with her friend who had left a minute or two ago.

Erica came over to the family with a smile. Emily Patterson smiled back at the girl, "You three ready?" All three just nodded.

September 12th, 2020

Erica chuckled at the memory, redoing the strumming pattern. "And being here without you is like I'm waking up to; only half a blue sky, kinda there but not quite, I'm walking around with just one shoe. I'm half a heart without you."

Adam chuckled as he snuck up on the girl, causing Erica to let out a scream. "Sorry." Adam took a seat on the roof next to Erica, "That was both sad and beautiful."

"Music is a beautiful thing."

Adam didn't look at the girl, his eyes focused on the horizon, "Yeah. I've learned that recently. You look like you were thinking about something. Anything in particular?"

Erica shrugged, "Yeah, the night we meet Bobby. Wonder what that dumbo's doing now." Erica moved to the left on the roof so she was closer to Adam, "Wonder if he and that girl got anywhere. What was her name again? Rose?"

Adam huffed out a little bit of air, "Yeah. Rose sounds right. I doubt it through. From what I could see, she thought Reggie was the cutest."

Erica giggled, "I couldn't tell, I found my feet very interesting."

"Yeah. How come?"

"You uh." Erica cleared her throat, placing her guitar in the roof next to her and taking it out of her lap, "You have that effect on people." especially me. Erica didn't let the thought leave her lips, but she knew it to be true. She knew a lot of things to be true that she never wanted anyone else to know.

Adam smirked for a moment before letting his eyes linger on Erica. "I could see why you always come up here. It's uh- It's peaceful."

Erica stayed focused on the horizon unlike Adam, "Yeah. It always has been. When this was Bobby's place there were a bunch of trees blocking the view to the beach, down by Reggie's old house. But they added new houses in that spot, so it's a clear view of the Pacific."

"I guess since they knocked down the neighborhood on the water they had to move those houses somewhere."

"Yeah. Yeah I guess." Erica let out a sigh, "You ever think about what else changed. I mean, it has been 25 years."

Adam looked down at Reggie, Camille and Alex sadly. "Better than 80 years. You know, Cammie still had to live life in segregation." Erica stayed silent letting Adam say whatever he wanted, "You ever wonder how Cam died? Like specifically? I mean was the blitz, gun to the head..... Or- or maybe much worse."

"As if our death wasn't pathetic enough."

"Blame Luke." The two said at the same time, letting out a laugh. However Adam's laugh turned into a sigh, "You know what I think about more than what happened in the last twenty-five years?" Erica just shook his head, some of her hair falling out from behind her ear and into her face, "What would have happened to us if we lived?"

At the turn in his tone of voice from soft and wondering to lonely and scared Erica turned to face Adam, "What do you think would have happened?"

Adam sighed, looking away from the girl, his eyes now focused on his friends below him as he listened to Julie's soft piano playing from inside the studio. "You guys would've moved on; Sunset Curve would have taken the world by storm. And well- well.."

"Adam," Erica's voice was soft as she reached out and placed her hand on his back, "We would have never left you behind. I wouldn't have allowed it." Adam turned to look at the girl, a sad smile reaching from his mouth to his eyes. Erica returned the gesture, placing her head on his shoulder as the two looked out to the ocean. Eric letting out the occasional humm at the sound of the piano below.

January 12th 1993

"Lukey!" Luke Patterson groaned as Eriac Adiar yelled through his house. "Luke! You're late!" She yelled again as he rolled out of bed. As he did so something feel from the fold in his blankets.

He picked the black hard cover notebook off the floor, flipping open to it's newest page. The reason he hardly got any sleep the night before. The words would have been eligible for anyone other than Luke, Erica and Reggie. The last two of three just because they had spent so much time with the boy.

Luke's door swung open, "Luke, really. I think your mom is nearly..." Erica stopped what she was saying, climbing over his bed so she could read the notebook over his shoulder, "Well could you try to keep it down, I was up kinda late last night. Now I'm feeling like I usually feel after I feel alright. I don't wanna hear another word about morning. I can't take the light. Well could you try to keep it down? I was up kinda late last night." Erica stopped singing the words on the page. "Damn Luke, that was good. One of your best yet." She stole the notebook from over his shoulder, "Now get dressed we're gonna be late for school. This. And I. Will be waiting for you downstairs."

"Erica!" Luke yelled, reaching for his jornal, but Erica had already ran down the hall to roll Adam out of bed. The oldest teen in the house groaned, getting dressed for the day.

September 12, 2020

"And it's one two three for five; light a fire in my eyes.." Julie's singing got cut off when Reggie fell backwards going through the doors of the studio and landing inside.

Luke chuckled a little at his friend, his eyes coming up from the black ink scribbles he put down in his journal. "Reggie, what are you doing?"

"Well, uhh-"

Julie chuckled, standing from the piano bench, "It's okay, I gotta go finish my homework anyways. See you boys tomorrow?"

"Yeah." "Bye Julie."

Luke sighed watching the girl close the doors of the studio behind her. "Have you seen my dumbass of a brother?"

Reggie stood from the floor, brushing himself off, "I thought he was on the roof with Erica."

"With Erica?"

Reggie smirked, "With Erica." He repeated, in a teasing tone. Luke huffed out a breath at the thought, a smirk crawling onto his face as he closed his jornal. Giving the lyrics to the song him and Julie just finished one last look. Slightly humming the melody as he did so.

Luke smiled at the thought that he finally finished a song in a day without having to spend all night writing it. Knowing that deep down, dead or alive, Erica would drag him off the couch screaming at him to wake up. Plus now he had help.

~

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