Aquarius
Act 6 Pt 2

*

Nadia paced in front of her closed garage door. Today was a big day—a big audition.

But this time, she wasn't auditioning.

She and Aquarius decided to take matters into their own hands now that they finally found an audience. This audience cared enough to leave feedback, follow them, and even send them money.

The two always wanted to start a band together, but what if they added a few more girls?

An all-girl rock band coming from a Caribbean island? They'd be the first of their kind.

Besides Aquarius' thank you video, their page went dark for about a week. Then they popped back up, calling for everyone who loved rock and roll and wanted to join their band to come out to their open audition. Badass chicks only. 

"What time is it?" Nadia asked Aquarius nervously as she paced in front of the garage door. The garage was set up, and the two had a table to sit behind as 'the panel.' It's wild that they were on the other end of the table just a month before. Now they had a seat.

They made their own seats, damn it. 

Aquarius sat behind the table, rearranging things for the 10th time. She looked at her watch. "It's time. It's noon."

"Whew, OK," Nadia said as she breathed.

"Nadia, in case you didn't know, you're in. You made it. You're in the band," Aquarius said with a laugh. "What's wrong? Why are you so nervous?"

"What if no one shows up?" Nadia asked. The blackout curtains hid the only two windows in the garage, and she was afraid to look out to see how many showed up.

"Then it's back to just us, but I have a good feeling," Aquarius said as she stood up and walked around the table. "We won't know who shows up if we don't open the door. Come on. Ready?" she asked her. 

Nadia jumped up and down and then shook out her arms and legs, hyping herself up. Aquarius followed suit. "OK, let's do this."

The two girls pulled up the garage door and were shocked at what they saw. A crowd of girls, maybe 15 or so, was standing in Nadia's driveway. They both smiled wide. 

"Wow!" Nadia said with a smile. "Um, thank you all for showing up! We're so excited to see what you all have to show us. If you all could form a single file line in order of who showed up first, that would be great. My name's Nadia and this is Aquarius. I play lead guitar and vocals. Aquarius plays piano and has an amazing voice; she's the lead. We're looking for ladies who can rock with us and make a band. Now, when we mean a girl band, we mean Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Donna's, and Evanescence, but with all girls, you get our drift. Not the Pussycat Dolls. We're not interested if you can dance or twerk. We're looking for musicians, got it?"

The girls nodded their heads, and some mumbled to each other. Then, a few girls walked away. 

Aquarius and Nadia looked at each other. "Welp, let's get started. Who got here first?" Aquarius asked, and a girl standing right before the garage door raised her hand enthusiastically. "OK, let's begin. Good luck, ladies, and don't be nervous. Yeah, we're judges, but we're not judging you judging you..."

They all looked at her with confused smiles on their faces.

"OK, let's get started!"Nadia said and started clapping, and the girls clapped along with her. 

Aquarius blushed. How stupid did she sound?

Nadia and Aquarius sat behind the table and decided to leave the door open. Yeah, it wouldn't be a private audition as they would prefer, but if they couldn't perform in front of them and a small crowd of girls, this may not be for them anyway. 

"Hi, what's your name?" Aquarius asked the first girl. She stood in front of them in a simple sundress and blonde dreadlocks. She was beautiful. 

"Collette Braithwaite," she said with a smile. She had a gap in her two front teeth, which added to her unique looks and appeal. 

"Pronouns?"

"She/Her"

"What instruments do you play?"

"I sing, and I also play the ukelele."

"Cute," Nadia said as she leaned back in her seat, more relaxed now that people showed up despite the girls that left. Aquarius wrote everything down; Nadia didn't bother. She just wanted to listen. Hard. 

"How long?"

"A couple of years."

"OK, what are you playing for us today-"

"And who is your favorite singer?" Nadia also asked. Aquarius looked at her. 

"Um, well, my favorite singer is Lauryn Hill, and I'm gonna play 'Killing Me Softly...'" Collette said as she held the ukelele. 

Nadia looked at Aquarius. "Rock singer. Who's your favorite rock singer? Rock band?"

Like damn, read the room. Did it look like they were putting together an R&B group?

"Um...Doja Cat? Her rock stuff is great, and she can dress her ass off, which is awesome," Collette said.

Nadia almost choked on her water bottle. She looked at Aquarius with wide eyes.

"Be Nice," Aquarius whispered between her closed teeth. "Whenever you're ready, Collette."

A couple of minutes later, Collette walked out of the garage, wished good luck to the other girls, and headed to her car, which was parked across the street as a few other girls showed up and stood in line. This excited Nadia because Collette was a letdown. 

"Ugh, not a good start," Nadia said. 

"Girl, it's 12:10; relax. So Collette couldn't sing...or play-"

"Or doesn't know rock music if it slapped her in the face-"

"Be nice. We've been on the other side of this table plenty of times. Remember?"

"OK," Nadia agreed. Aquarius motioned for the next girl to come in, but she just stood frozen. 

"You alright?" Aquarius asked her. The girl took one step forward, turned around, ran to the bushes, and threw up in them. 

"Oh God, not the rose bushes!" Nadia said as she and Aquarius stood up. 

"I'm OK, I'm OK," the girl said but continued to vomit.

"See?" Aquarius said to Nadia.

"What?"

"Be nice. You're scaring them."

"I didn't say a word!"

"It's your face, Nadia. It's a dead giveaway."

"What do you want me to do? Put a paper bag over my head?"

"Just be nice," Aquarius whispered to her. "Um, next?"

"I sing."
"I sing. I just sing. Oh, I know how to play the tambourine."
"I sing in my church choir."

"I'm gonna sing 'Umbrella' by Rihanna."
"I'm gonna play and sing 'Unfaithful' by Rihanna."
"I'm gonna do 'Man Down' by Rihanna."

"My favorite rock singer? I like them all."
"When Lil Wayne did Prom Queen, it changed my life."
"Does Michael Jackson count? I mean, his rock stuff slapped."

Nadia nodded. "Agreed, you got a point there. Are you singing Michael by chance?"

"Nope, I wrote something. I write poems which are basically songs, right?"

By 1 p.m., Aquarius found it a little hard to keep a smile on her face. Nadia stopped smiling long ago, and her nerves were back. Was there no talent on this fucking island? She loved Rihanna. The girls both worshipped Rihanna, but they weren't an R&B group.

"Did I not make myself fucking clear?" Nadia said as she and Aquarius slipped into the house, needing a 5-minute break. "Everyone that showed up wants to be the next Rihanna. We're a rock group! This isn't Bermuda Idol!"

"I mean, we do pop covers."

"With rock arrangements!" Nadia said with a sigh as she found a glass and poured some tequila into it. She took a shot and handed the bottle to Aquarius, but she declined. "I don't know what's worse: having no one show up or having a line of people, and none of them can sing or play a thing!"

"Hey, we got a good turnout out at least. There are some diamonds in the rough somewhere. We have to be patient."

"How long did we say we would do this for?" Nadia asked as she fake cried. 

"4 o'clock," Aquarius said. "Come on. We have to keep our promise. Let's get back out there. Come on. And be nice."

They walked back out to the garage, and Aquarius noticed a few extra girls had shown up while they were inside. Nadia may have given up, but she didn't. They were going to find their girls. 

She sat down and smiled. "OK, who's next?" she said as a girl walked in and stood before them. Nadia plopped down in the chair next to her and crossed her arms. Aquarius told her to put on shades so they couldn't see how disgusted she was. A girl started crying as soon as she left, and she felt it might have been Nadia's massive frown that did it.

"OK, so what's your name?" Aquarius asked her as Nadia sat up in her seat. 

"Brittany Milan Taylor."

"Holy shit," Nadia said under her breath. 

Aquarius looked at her. What now?

"Ohmygod, you gyals don't remember me? We go way back," Brittany said.

Aquarius turned to Nadia in confusion. "It's that fucking bitch Brittany. We went to school with her, remember? She was one of the mean girls that fought me every day when you moved here?"

"Oh shit," Aquarius whispered back and then plastered a fake smile on her face. "Wow, long time no see!"

"Right? When you girls crashed that place downtown, I've followed you ever since. Ya haven't changed a bit. I tell everybody that we go way back."

"I wouldn't exactly say that," Nadia said.

"Um, I didn't know you played any instruments or sang," Aquarius continued.

"Yeah, I sing, but the choir director, what's her name, didn't like me, you know, and ya always sang some wack shit. No offense. I don't play instruments, but you can teach me, right? I'm a fast learner. How hard can it be?"

"You have to know how to play something. We aren't going to teach you. This isn't band class," Nadia said. 

"I see Nadia here is still Miss Doom and Gloom, huh?" Brittany snickered. "Your hair looks better now though-"

Aquarius cut her off. "Did you prepare anything for us because I don't-"

"I'm gonna sing 'No Woman, No Cry' by Bob Marley. Oh, and I guess my favorite rock band is those white boys from America. The 5? Something 5?"

"Maroon 5?" Aquarius asked.

"Yes!" Brittany said. "I got the song on my phone. Ya got a Bluetooth speaker in here or something?"

"We aren't Milli Vanilli. We aren't lip-syncing to no tracks. We're a band," Nadia said as her leg shook under the table. Aquarius sighed. Shit, she was going to lose it.

"I ain't gonna lip sing. I'm gonna sing along to the track if you don't mind-"

"I actually do mind," Nadia said, and Aquarius tried to grab her hand, but Nadia pushed it away. "You made my life a fucking living hell, and you're gonna waltz up in MY house and smile in MY face like none of that fucking happened?"

The girls waiting outside started crowding around the entrance to see what was happening once Nadia began screaming at the girl.

"Girl, that was five years ago. You still on that shit? Let that go. It was high school. We adults now. You really holding onto a grudge?"

"A grudge? It's not a fucking grudge!? It was pain. It's pain. I'm holding onto pain. Trauma! You traumatized me every day all because you felt better than me when my parents divorced. You could never keep my Dad's name out of your fucking mouth! I was suicidal!"

"OK, Nadia. Calm down," Aquarius said as she made Nadia face her so she could no longer see any red. "It's not worth it-"

"It's not worth it! You're not worth it to be in our band. What the fuck do I look like wanting to put my career and dreams in your hands? Get the fuck outta here!" Nadia said to her.

"You're so fucking dramatic-"

"GET OUT!!!!" Nadia screamed at her. "No more auditions until this shit ass bitch gets off my property right fucking now!" she said as she stomped inside and slammed the door behind her.

Brittany stood there with her mouth open, as did a few other girls who watched. Of course, a few had to record the drama. She looked at Aquarius, "Can you believe her-"

"I can. You heard her, go. Get out," Aquarius said as she pointed to the street. 

"Go on, girl, I've been waiting for a half hour," someone said.
"Right, I got shit to do. They obviously don't want you here."
"Read the room, girl."

"Man fuck ya'll. I didn't want to be in this fucking dyke ass band anyway," Brittany said as she stomped out. A couple of girls even booed at her as she passed them.

"Sorry, ladies. We're going to need another break. We'll try to make it quick. I promise," Aquarius said and then rushed inside.

She did not expect their first audition to be this much of a fucking disaster.

*

Typical occupations for Aquarius are: dancer, scientist, photographer, astrologer, singer, T.V./radio host, writer, charity worker, inventor, archaeologist, radiographer, electronics engineer, or humanitarian aid worker.

*

Aquarius walked into Nadia as she was about to return to the garage. "You OK?"

"Yeah, took another shot, and I need a cigarette," she said as she held up the pack and a lighter.

"Are you OK to go back out there now?"

"Yeah fuck it, let's get this shit over with."

"Oh God, Oh God, Oh God," Amethyst said nervously as she and Janiah stood in line. They didn't witness the fight, but the other girls filled them in. They saw the crowd of girls booing a girl as she left. "What if they boo me?"

"Did you tease one of them in high school?" Janiah asked her. She shook her head. She went to a different school. "Then you're good."

"You sure you don't wanna try out? They have a drumset set up and everything," Amethyst pointed out. 

"I don't have my lucky sticks," Janiah said.

"Girl, you blew me away with pencils. You are the lucky one, period. Forget your damn sticks."

"Amethyst, I'm about to blush. Could you stop it? I'm as pink as my outfit. I think you may be flirting with me if I didn't know any better. I mean, I like what I like, but I don't swing that way."

"I don't either. It's not flirting; it's called compliments," Amethyst said.

"If only you could talk like that to yourself, you may start to feel better," Janiah said wisely without knowing. It caught Amethyst off guard, and she had to pause for a second.

Luckily, the two girls returned, apologized for the drama earlier, and were back.

Nadia kept on the shades. She knew her makeup and mascara were probably smudged anyway. As much as she wanted to cry it out, she didn't want anyone to see how much Brittany got to her. She put her leg up on the table's edge, took a cigarette out, and lit it. Aquarius looked at her. 

Amethyst saw Nadia light her cigarette. A smoke would be good for her nerves. As a girl walked in, she dug through her bag to look for one.

Aquarius tried to get everyone through as quickly as possible, but then it started getting hard.

"She/They. I play guitar."
"She/Her. I play sax, flute, and clarinet, but today I'm gonna play keyboard.
"She/Her. I play guitar and bass."

"I'm going to sing Brown Skin by India Arie."
"I can play anything. The Stones. The Beatles. The Isleys, you name it."
"I'm going to play 'Let's Go Crazy' by Prince."

"Favorite singer and band is Freddie Mercury and Queen."
"I love Gwen Stefani, solo, and her No Doubt days."
"Panic! At The Disco and N.E.R.D."

Aquarius turned to Nadia and saw her sitting higher in her chair instead of her lazy slouch. She even put the cigarette out even though she was halfway through it. "Those girls are good, right? And just in time, too. This may not be an easy decision after all."

Amethyst sighed, took a deep breath, and walked into the garage. After letting a few people cut in front of her, Janiah couldn't take it anymore.

It was Now or Never.

"My name is Amethyst Levine."

"That's a beautiful name. Im Aquarius-"

"That's pretty, too," Amethyst said shyly. 

"Thanks," Aquarius said shyly back. "And that's Nadia," she said, nodding to her. "Um, well, before you show us, can you tell us your preferred pronouns and what you can bring to the group?" she asked.

"Yeah, um, I can sing, but I can only sing with a group. My voice isn't as strong. I can blend well, um, I was in my school choir for five years and...I have played bass, guitar, and violin since I was 5." Aquarius nodded, impressed. "I'm gonna play, um...'The 1st Cut is the Deepest' by Sheryl Crow," she said. Shit, she was rambling. Aquarius nodded and eagerly wrote, hoping this girl wasn't bullshitting like the others. She loved Sheryl Crow.

"Your favorite rock act?" Nadia piped up. 

"Linkin Park and I love Days of the Week."

"Nadia here loves the Days of the Week. She's like their biggest fan," Aquarius said. Nadia rolled her eyes, but no one could see that with her shades on. All they could see was a slight smirk. "Whenever you're ready," Aquarius said and sat back. She was ready.

Amethyst sighed and then glanced at Janiah. 'YOU CAN DO IT!' she mouthed to her and realized she was holding her breath and then let it out. She closed her eyes and then began to play.

And she sure didn't bullshit. Her voice was soft yet beautiful but got stronger in her high register. Her guitar skills were like someone who was married to it and always kept it by their side. Aquarius didn't let her finish. She clapped and stood up. The girl in pink who came with Amethyst also clapped the loudest. Aquarius looked at her. She had great style. 

Nadia stared at Aquarius with wide eyes, but no one could see them because of her shades. The girl was good, but she didn't expect that reaction from her. 

Amethyst smiled widely. No one has ever applauded her audition. Ever. Aquarius sat behind the table, scribbled a few things down, and showed it to Nadia. Nadia looked at her and then lifted her shades off of her face. The two communicated without saying a word. 

"That was amazing, Amethyst," Aquarius said, "Can you just write down your Insta so we can D.M. you if we need anything."

"Sure," Amethyst said as she approached the table. As she scribbled her username, Aquarius slid another paper over, and her eyes widened when she saw what it read.

"You're in. Congrats, but shhh, don't tell anyone. We'll be in touch." 

She looked at the two and then smiled and nodded. Aquarius winked at her. She practically skipped back to Janiah. "You did awesome, girl. I've never heard you play until now! I think you're a shoo-in, right?"

"Yeah, are you ready to go-"

"Actually, this next girl has drumsticks. I wanna see her play." 

Amethyst smiled but pursed her lips. She would explode if she couldn't tell Janiah the good news soon. She then got out her phone and texted Henri.

My audition went great! I made it! I got it! 🙌🏽✨🥳

That would have to suffice for now until he messages back. 

They watched the drummers audition and congratulated her on the way out. "I can play so much better, don't you think?" Janiah asked her, and Amethyst smiled wide.

"YES, OF COURSE!" she whispered and hissed at her.

Once it was Janiah's turn, she confidently walked into the garage and switched her hips. 

"I love your style," Aquarius said to her. Nadia looked her up and down, not knowing what to make of her. 

"Thank you."

"What's your name?"

"Janiah Renee. I prefer She/Her. I play set, and I rap- ever since high school. And I don't have a favorite band, per se, but I'm obsessed with the Queen of the Damned soundtrack," she answered for them. She watched long enough to memorize all the questions they asked.

"Us too; it's so underrated," Aquarius said. "Well, if you play set, you can use ours if you like."

"You have any spare sticks? I forgot my lucky ones."

"In the bucket in front of the bass drum," Nadia said. Janiah walked over, picked up a couple of drumsticks, and then sat behind the set. She adjusted the seat so it was to her height. Everyone was shorter than she was, especially when she wore heels. She tapped on the bass pedal.

"I'ma just freestyle, I guess?" she said, and Aquarius gave her a thumbs up. Janiah flipped the stick in the air, caught it, and started to play. She was phenomenal! When she finished, both Nadia and Aquarius clapped along with the few girls left to audition. She took a bow and placed the sticks back in the bucket. 

They asked her to write down her Instagram handle, and as she did, Aquarius slid another piece of paper that said she was in the band and they'd be in touch and to keep it a secret. Janiah smiled at them. "Talk to you soon," she whispered to them. She turned around and started walking toward Amethyst, who was excited for her.

Shit, did she steal her new friend's audition from her??

"Ready to go? See? I told you they would love you. You'll hear back from them, I'm sure."

"Yeah, and sooner than you'd think," Janiah said with a frown, and Amethyst gave her a puzzled look.

"What's wrong?" Amethyst asked as they walked down Nadia's driveway and onto the sidewalk.

"Girl, I didn't mean to, but I mean, you said they would love me, and when I saw that other drummer, I was like, nah, they deserve better, but it was selfish. I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry for auditioning. I wanted you to."

"Lemme finish," Janiah said as she stopped walking, and Amethyst followed suit. "I made it in the band. They want me. I'm not supposed to say anything yet, but I'm telling you-"

Amethyst hugged her, and it caught her off guard. Janiah paused. She must not have heard her right. Why was she so happy? "They said I'm in too."

Soon, the two girls were squealing as they walked down the sidewalk until they reached a main road and tried to hail a taxi. "Come on, get in," Amethyst said as a cab soon pulled up, and she opened the door.

"You go ahead. I got some things to take care of that are out of the way."

"OK, great job today, bandmate," Amethyst said to her with a smile and then sat in the backseat and closed the door. Once her cab pulled off, another soon pulled up, and Janiah got inside and told them where to go. 

"You can drop me here."

"You sure?"

"Yep," Janiah said and paid him. She quickly got out of the car and walked. Once the cab was far enough away, she walked to the back of a building and then snuck through a hole in the fence. She walked inside and climbed the steps instead of taking the elevator. She opened the door and walked down the hallway, passing a massive row of storage units. She made a sharp left, paused, and strolled under the camera facing the hallway. She then reached up and moved the camera slightly more toward the wall. She backed up, waited a few moments, and then continued down the hall. She pulled up the rolling garage door, stepped in quickly, pulled it down, and locked it behind her. She slipped out of her shoes, walked through the dark precisely, and turned on a light. 

When you think of a storage unit, you would think of a room filled with boxes of stuff and furniture. Janiah's storage unit looked like a little loft apartment. She had an air mattress with various sheets, pillows, and blankets on top. A pink fur rug covered the cold, concrete floor. She had a few lamps and a desk with her laptop and drum machine. Next to it was her famous hot pink drum set. 

One day, she'll find a home for it.

When would that be? She hoped to get an answer today but got a different message.

And she had a feeling that everything would be OK. Even as she stripped out of her fashionable clothes and slipped on some lounge pants and a T-shirt, she hung her wig on the wall, took her natural hair out of the wig cap, got a soda out of the small fridge that sat next to garbage bags filled with money from the strip club. She boiled some water in a crock pot and then poured the boiling water into a Cup of Noodles. She stirred the noodles as she sat before her computer and clicked on the Netflix app. She pressed play from where she left off, but it was buffering since the wifi here was shoddy. 

She sighed and waited patiently.

Everything is going to be okay.

*

To Aquarius, love is an attitude of caring for all humankind.

*

https://youtu.be/dK9eLe8EQps