CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

3 NIGHTS — DOMINIC FIKE
And I'm too far gone in all the wrong ways
And now every long day is a bad one

JUNE, 1994.
THIRTEEN MONTHS BEFORE.

DESPITE THEIR NEAR kiss ending on a semi-awkward but lighthearted note, Olivia and Luke had barely spoken to each other since. Olivia couldn't look him in the eye after that fateful day in his backyard and took to avoiding him like he was the plague. He didn't deserve it, but Olivia knew that the next time they had a serious conversation, her feelings would spill out and there'd be no going back. She didn't want that to happen until she spoke with the rest of the band, so avoiding him seemed to be the most logical thing to do.

Luke, on the other hand, was slightly confused and a bit irritated. He thought things between them would go back to normal like they always did when they danced across the line separating friendship and romance. But at the following band rehearsal, she shut down every conversation he started with her and tried not to laugh at his jokes. He was fine with the rejection, he just wished that she'd talk to him.

The rift in their friendship didn't go undetected by the rest of their friends. At first, they didn't think much of it. Olivia and Luke couldn't go long without speaking to each other and they'd probably be back to their usual shenanigans by the end of the next day.

Except they weren't.

Things weren't okay between them for three weeks.

Sunday lunch at the Patterson's were avoided with sorry excuses, leaving Sylvia and Mikey to go on without her, and band practices turned tense, leading to the exact outcome Olivia was so afraid of.

Halfway through the third week of Olivia's solitary phase, Sunset Cuve found themselves sitting in the cafeteria of their school waiting for her to join them.

Reggie watched as Olivia struck up a conversation with Allie Nichols on the other side of the room. He looked to his friends with furrowed brows as soon as Olivia sat down at another table, not sparing a glance towards her friends. "Is it just me or has Olivia been acting weird lately?"

Bobby nodded immediately, his eyes trained on the girl sitting next to his girlfriend. "By weird do you mean avoiding us for three weeks?"

Alex huffed. "She's not avoiding us," he said, tilting his head at the boy beside him, "she's avoiding Luke."

"Why?" Reggie asked, intrigued by the drama. He knew that the pair wasn't as close as before and he'd love to know exactly why that was.

"Yeah, Romeo," Bobby added, leaning across the table and narrowing his eyes, "what did you do to her?"

Luke rolled his eyes and opened the bag of chips that was sitting in front of him. "I didn't do anything," he muttered bitterly.

"Sure you didn't," Alex drawled, stealing the chip from his hand. "The only time she talks to you is in rehearsal and when we play at Sonny's."

Reggie nodded. "Yeah and other than that, you're like a ghost to her."

Luke rolled his eyes again. He didn't need the reminder that him and Olivia were in the midst of a possible fall out, he'd been kicking himself over it for the past few weeks. He shook his head and let out a sigh. "Listen," he said, leaning closer to his friends, "I have a way to get her to talk to us again."

He explained his plan to them, going into extreme detail. It took a bit of convincing to get Alex on board with it, but after reviewing the stakes, the blond happily obliged.

Once the lunch bell rang, the boys sprung into action. They split up with Luke and Bobby heading to the music room to pick up his guitar, and Alex and Reggie heading to a janitor's closet to steal an empty bucket. They met at locker 754 just as Olivia pulled out her books for her next class.

"Olivia," Bobby sang as he leaned against the locker beside hers.

Olivia looked up, her eyes sweeping over her friends but missing Luke completely. "Hey, guys. What's up?" Her gaze dropped to the white hollow cylinder Alex rested by his feet. "What's with the bucket?"

As the question left her mouth, her books were taken out of her hands. Luke placed them back in her locker and started packing her backpack like the school day had just finished.

Olivia looked at him in incredulousness. "What're you doing?" she questioned. He didn't say anything, but continued his actions. "Luke—"

He shot her a look over his shoulder, one that could almost be classified as a glare. "Oh, so you're talking to me now?"

She froze, taken back by the hostility in his tone. She had heard it before at a higher concentration when directed towards Jason, but she had never experienced it for herself, even if the hostility was just a fraction of what it usually was.

Regaining her bearings, Olivia reached for her bag. "Give me my—" He held it further away from her, only adding fuel to her fire. "Give me my shit back!"

He shut her locker and leaned in so his face was level with hers, his eyes narrowing to match her facial expression. There was unresolved anger radiating from both sides. "No."

Olivia was just about to bite back when Reggie looped his arm with hers. "Come on, Livy," he said as he dragged her down the hall towards the exit that lead out to the student parking lot.

"Where are you taking me?" Olivia questioned as they left the building.

Reggie ignored her and instead, turned to Bobby. "Who's car are we taking? Yours or mine?"

Olivia looked between the two boys. "Guys?"

"Yours," Bobby answered, ignoring the girl as well, "we can come back for mine later."

Olivia turned to Alex and Luke, hoping that they'd provide some sort of explanation. "Can someone answer me?"

Luke failed to acknowledge her, passing her as Reggie opened the trunk of his car.

Alex gave her a sympathetic look and tossed the bucket in beside Luke's guitar. "We'll explain on the way."

"Guys!" Olivia exclaimed, her frustration swirling in both her tone and gaze. "I can't just skip class!"

"Sure, you can." Bobby shrugged and walked around the car. His hand rested on her shoulder as he guided her to the backseat.

Olivia stopped—or rather tried to stop—walking. "My mom'll be pissed," she argued.

Luke shook his head. "We'll handle your mom," he reassured, finding it hard to stay mad at her when she was so distressed.

"Yeah, she loves us," Reggie supported.

"Second sons, we are," Bobby mused like Yoda, opening the door for Olivia. He placed a hand on top of her head and pushed her into the car.

When the boys filled in and their journey began, Olivia sighed in defeat. "If you're going to kidnap me, can you at least tell me what you're dragging me into?"

Reggie reached forward to play his music and glanced at her through the rearview mirror. A grin spread across his face as he hit the steering wheel in excitement. "We're making moves, Livy! Making moves!"

Luke leaned forward from his spot behind Reggie and patted his arm, matching his energy. "We're going to the entertainment district, baby!"

Olivia turned to the blond boy beside her. She knew Alex would give her an answer without all the bullshit and deflection. "Why?"

Alex let out his own sigh, seemingly tired himself. "We've decided that we want to start playing bigger venues," he explained. "We're going to play outside a few clubs and hopefully catch some attention."

Her eyes widened and she blinked in disbelief. She then shook her head and leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. "You guys are unbelievable," she muttered. They took her from school to busk? Something that could've waited until nightfall or the weekend?

Her eyes opened when the music silenced and she saw the boys staring at her. "When did we agree to this?" she asked sharply. "There was no band meeting."

"You missed it when you were busy avoiding us," Luke snapped, his previous facade of happiness fallen far away.

The three other boys shared a look as Bobby whispered, "Oh, shit."

Olivia glanced at Bobby before turning her body to face Luke completely. "I wasn't avoiding you guys."

"So, you're just avoiding me, then."

Her brows furrowed as disbelief and irritation filled her. "I'm not avoiding anyone," she asserted.

"Guys," Reggie interjected, his eyes nervously flickering between the pair in the mirror, "please don't start."

"Really?" Luke continued, not acknowledging his friend. "Because you haven't spoken to me in weeks."

"That's not true."

It was Alex's turn to intervene. "Guys."

Neither squabbling teen was willing to give up their argument.

"Band rehearsals don't count, Olivia! You have to talk to me then."

"I don't have to do anything!"

Reggie shook his head. He already dealt with the fighting at home, there was no way he was going to endure it now. He pulled the car to the side of the road.

"Okay," Alex mumbled, "and we're pulling over now."

Reggie put the car in park and twisted in his seat, looking awfully like a father about to scold his young children.

"Look," he started with a clipped tone, "I don't know what happened between you two, but it's affecting the band. So you two can either play nice for today and fix your shit later or you can work it out right here, right now. Which one will it be?"

Luke and Olivia look at each other, the argument ceasing. The latter pursed her lips. Now wasn't the time or the place to talk about her feelings.

"I'll be nice," Olivia said begrudgingly, answering for the both of them. Luke nodded in agreement.

Reggie turned back in his seat and put his car in drive. "Thank you."

IT DIDN'T TAKE long for the band of misfits to find a club with a sidewalk wide enough for them to set up. Hollywood Boulevard was bustling with life, full of tourists and locals, as well as entertainers like themselves, just trying to catch a break.

Once they were situated, Luke clapped his hands. "Alright, let's do this, boys." Olivia cleared her throat, causing him to correct himself. "And girl."

The boys waited for Olivia's signal and the moment she nodded, Alex started drumming away on the white bucket his sat upon.

"Three nights at the motel under streetlights in the city of palms," Olivia sang, projecting her voice so she could be heard over all the street noise. "Call me what you want, when you want, if you want. And you can call me names if you call me up."

The song that they sung was written by Bobby with the help of Olivia. He was struck with inspiration after a date with Allie and rushed to the studio for assistance in completing it. If Olivia were being honest, it was more like a therapy session than a songwriting session. She had written the majority of the lyrics while Bobby sat on the couch and gushed about his feelings.

By the time the song progressed into the bridge, a large crowd of onlookers had gathered, forming a circle around the band.

Reggie stepped towards Olivia. There wasn't much he could do besides sing since the only instruments they were using were Luke's acoustic guitar and a dirty bucket. They decided in the car that him, Olivia, and Bobby were going to be the main vocalist for their first song.

The song quickly came to an end, leaving the band to bask in the glory of applause. A few people stepped forward to place money in Luke's open guitar bag and the teens gave their gratitude. On the bright side, if they didn't book a gig, at least they'd have some money.

Sunset Curve moved onto their next song, Crooked Teeth. Inside the club, the promoter, the owner, and all of the club's investors sat at the table underneath the window closest to the sidewalk. They were having a meeting, but a fair number of them couldn't concentrate due to the rock show happening ten feet away on the other side of the wall.

The owner, a sharp featured woman in her early sixties, turned to her promoter. "Ross, will you go and shut that down? I can't fucking think."

When the club promoter exited the building, he could barely see who was performing due to the thick crowd of people blocking the sidewalk.

"Thank you," Olivia shouted after they finished their song. "We're Sunset Curve—"

"Tell your friends!"

The club promoter fought his way to the front of the crowd and adjusted his suit. "Hey!" Ross shouted, "What's going on here?"

The members of Sunset Curve shared a look before Bobby turned to him. "You run this club?" He jutted his thumb at the building.

"I'm the promoter," Ross stated. "You guys need to leave."

Luke shook his head. "Can't do that, sir."

"Why the fuck not?" Ross watched as the five teens shrugged with identical grins of the sly variety. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, I've got my boss and a whole bunch of rich folks in there trying to close a deal. If you don't leave, I'm gonna have to call the cops."

Just then, a voice rang out behind him. "That's not very nice."

Ross jumped at the sound of his boss' voice. "Miss Reed!"

The older woman raised a hand, stopping him from speaking. She stepped away from the crowd and closer to the band. "Don't call the cops, they're just a bunch of kids." She then looked at the teenagers. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Sunset Curve—"

"Tell your friends!"

She almost huffed in amusement. "What will it take to get you to stop playing in front of my club? You're givin' me a headache." Her gaze fell on the open guitar case full of dollar bills. "You want money?"

Luke took the initiative of speaking for the group. "Give us a spot on your stage and we'll stop."

"You've got fire, kid," Miss Reed with a chuckle, "but I can't do that. You're underage."

Bobby shrugged. "That's a matter of perspective."

For the first time since introducing them, Olivia spoke up, surprising her bandmates since she was usually too shy to speak to adult authority figures she didn't know. "Besides," she said with false innocence, "if we were underage, we would be in school right now."

Miss Reed nearly smiled at Olivia's wit. "Alright, you've got me there." She turned on her heel and the crowd behind her parted like the Red Sea. "Next Friday, 11 o'clock. If anyone asks, I thought you were a bunch of baby faced twenty-one year olds. Now, stop playing." As she walked away, she tossed a hundred dollar bill into Luke's guitar bag.

Once the crowd dispersed and the owner and promoter returned into the building, the five teens turned to each other with large smiles painted on their faces. "Yes!"

Luke pulled them into a group hug. "We're moving up, baby!"

RAE SPEAKS !
So I kind of view this story as having two parts, the first half being the band's origin story and the other half being their climb to the Orpheum, and I feel like this chapter is the start of the second half. So start bracing yourselves 😅

Also, I wrote a very long awaited chapter the other day and now I have such bad writers block and it's starting to fRiGhTeN me !!

Anyways, I hope everyone is staying healthy and hydrated!

Olivia and Luke butting heads this chapter has her like: