XXXIV. Welcome to the 27 Club


CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

JUST FRIENDS — AUDREY MIKA
Just friends don't do what we do

THE MONTH OF June quickly came to a close, bringing the end of the school year with it. This year had been rather life changing for Olivia. She met the boys, joined a band, and had a lot of personal growth while she was at it. A year ago, she never would've guessed that she'd be able to perform on stage. But look at her now.

On the morning of the last day of school, Olivia woke up late, pushing her usual routine back by fifteen minutes. She rushed around her room, getting dressed and brushing her teeth simultaneously.

"Olivia, hurry up!" Sylvia shouted from her spot at the base of the stairs. "You're going to be late and Reggie's too nice to say anything!" She looked over at the boy sitting in her kitchen, stuffing his face with a bagel he toasted.

"Not nice," Reggie replied, crumbs falling from his mouth, "just hungry."

Olivia thundered down the stairs with her backpack half open and her hair pulled into a ponytail. She grabbed the paper bag her mom was holding out, knowing that it was full of pastries. She missed breakfast and her mouth watered at the scent. "Thank you." As she passed by, she kissed her mom on the cheek, patted Solo's head, and beckoned Reggie to follow.

Reggie stood from his seat and hurried over. "Thanks, Miss Sylvia!"

The pair headed to school like they usually did. Reggie filled her in on his parents' latest argument, mimicking the sound of their voices to make Olivia laugh. The two teens giggled to themselves as they entered the building, earning curious looks from their friends as they met at locker 754. They just shook their heads and shared another snicker, their inside joke causing protests from their band, then headed to English class.

The day progressed excruciatingly slow. Summer was only hours away and everyone's excitement could be felt in the air. The repetitive whisper of 'summer' bounced off the walls like a mantra.

When the day was finished and the final bell had run, Olivia quickly grabbed her bag from her now empty locker and found herself walking towards the one person she'd usually stay far, far away from.

"Christa," Olivia called out, coming to a stop beside her locker. Her hands joined in front of her and she played with her bracelets nervously.

The taller girl looked over at her with a flat expression and shut her locker with a heavy slam. "What do you want?"

Her hostility almost made Olivia want to abort her mission. "I want to apologize," she confessed, following after the girl as she started to walk away. "About the argument and for taking my anger out on you. What our dad did wasn't your fault and I'm sorry that I blew up on you. It wasn't fair of me."

"No, it wasn't." Christa let out a sigh. She didn't like admitting that she was wrong, but she figured that she'd be seeing a lot of Olivia now that they were related and she didn't want future family dinners to be awkward. So she sighed and nodded her head begrudgingly. "I'm sorry too. I've been a bitch to you for years without any good reason. I guess I felt threatened? You had the boyfriend and the grades... Everyone liked you—"

"Well, not everyone."

"Right, well, almost everyone." Christa corrected, knowing that she was referring to Harmony Lane. Her hands wrapped around the straps of her backpack and she bit the inside of her cheek, preparing for her next statement. "I'm sorry I called you a waste of space on New Years. You're not nothing."

If Olivia were to hear those words eight months nine months ago, she wouldn't believe them. She came a long way, but she could finally say with full confidence, "I know."

The pair fell into a tense and awkward silence, neither knowing what to say. When they left the building, walking out into the parking lot, Christa broke the silence. "We cool?"

Olivia looked over at her, studying her expression. There was a look in her eye that she couldn't quite place, but if she had to guess, it would be hope. But not the kind of hope a child would have, it was the kind of hope she saw in the eyes of her father, of someone wishing to be forgiven, of someone who wanted to build a relationship. "Yeah." She gave Christa a hesitant nod. "Yeah, we're cool."

The girls smiled at each other and for the first time since the ninth grade, neither of them made a snide comment about the other.

They stopped walking as they approached Christa's car and Olivia shot her a grin. "So should I start calling you sis now?"

Christa shook her head and let out a laugh. "Now you're just pushing it, Montez."

"Olivia, Christa!"

At the sound of their names, they looked up to see Jason jogging across the parking lot, waving them down like a lunatic.

"Oh, here we go," Christa muttered before turning to her bandmate. "Leave us alone, Jason."

He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, okay?" His gaze flickered between the pair. "I should've told you, both of you, but your dad asked me not to—"

"If he asked you to jump off a cliff, would you?" Christa's head tilted to the side in a taunting manner.

"I'm so, so sorry—"

Olivia spotted her friends waiting for her by Reggie's car and cut her ex off with a tight lipped smile. "Okay, well, I've reached my quota for apologies today so, goodbye." She started walking away, leaving Jason to beg for her attention. Without looking back, she wave goodbye to her half-sister. "See you around, sis!"

"Shut up!"

Olivia left Christa to fend for herself. She could hear the girl snapping at Jason, making her snicker as she joined her friends at the black BMW.

"What was that about?" Reggie asked with a laugh, his eyes trained on the fighting bandmates in the distance "Christa looked like she was about to sock Jason in the face."

"Kind of wish she did," Luke commented, earning a few laughs as he placed his hand on Olivia's lower back.

At his touch, Olivia felt herself tense. The conversation they had in the studio last week was a memory, a switch that had yet to be flicked. There was an obvious shift between them, but despite their feelings being out in the open, they haven't spoken of it since. They were in this weird limbo where they acted like a couple, but they weren't, but they could also be classified as overly affectionate best friends. She didn't know how to act and she was suddenly hyperaware of his effects on her.

"It's nothing. He was just trying to apologize," Olivia dismissed, ignoring the way her skin burned through her shirt from Luke's touch. She threw her arms around his and Reggie's shoulders, then smiled in the direction of Alex and Bobby. "Now, c'mon boys, we've got a gig prepare for."

THE PLAN OF action was simple. The group would split up, grab whatever they needed, then rendezvous at the studio an hour before soundcheck. It was a tight schedule since they had to get to the club by a certain time and it seemed that only four of the five band members took it seriously.

"Yo, where is Bobby?" Luke wondered, his temper slowly rising. "We're going to be late." The band had to be at the venue in thirty minutes and time was slowly wasting away with Bobby nowhere to be seen.

It seemed that Luke's question was answered because moments later, Bobby came storming into the studio. He was obviously angry about something, but the exact reason was unknown.

"B," Olivia called out with hesitation. She watched as he coiled his wires and shoved them into a bag. "You okay?"

Bobby grabbed his guitar and slammed his case shut. "No, I'm not okay, Olivia," he snapped, making a few of his friends flinch. "Do I look fucking okay?"

Luke's brows furrowed and he walked over to Olivia's side. "Hey, cool it," he warned, his shoulder brushing against hers. "What happened?"

Bobby grabbed the rest of his things and led the group out to his car. "Jenny happened. She sunk her stupid little claws into my dad and ruined my life. Her shit is all over my house because my dad asked her to move in with us!"

"Oh, shit," Alex said, handing him their gear to put in the trunk. "Sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, that's not all," Bobby continued, letting out a bitter laugh. "Get ready for this. He asked her to marry him. Marry him! Can you believe that bullshit?"

Once everything was packed away, they filled the car, still listening to the rants of their rhythm guitarist. "She said yes because the universe fucking hates me," he said, pulling out of Olivia's driveway. "My dad didn't even talk to me before he did it. And like, yeah, I'm happy he found love or whatever the fuck it is they have, but with her? Really? She's a nightmare in a dress."

"Is she really that bad?" Olivia questioned. She related to his problems to a certain extent, knowing that she'd be equally conflicted if her mom were to remarry, but she couldn't help but feel like Bobby was being a tad overdramatic.

He shot her a warning look through the rearview mirror. "Don't start playing devil's advocate, Olivia. Let me be pissed."

"Alright," she snickered, throwing her hands up.

He rolled his eyes at her before proceeding with his rant.

When the band got to the club, they saw a long line of people waiting to be let in. They shared a look as they pulled into the nearby alleyway where Miss Reed and Ross stood waiting for them in the frame of the back door.

"You know," Miss Reed began as the group got out of their vehicle, "when I'm shaken down for a gig, I expect the band to show up on time for soundcheck." She tapped the face of her watch.

Luke grabbed his guitar from the bow open trunk and gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Miss Reed. Won't happen next time."

The older woman raised a brow. "What makes you think you're getting a 'next time'?"

He shrugged, grabbing the keyboard case out of Olivia's hand. "Intuition."

Ross rolled his eyes, not easily charmed by the teens wit. "Yeah, well my intuition says you need to go through the back." He glanced down the alley where the line of people waiting to enter was slowly growing. "You're underaged and I'm not having any trouble with the people trying to get in with fake IDs."

"I thought the club was closed right now," Reggie said, his confusion lacing his tone. "It's like 5 p.m."

"It's Friday night, there's going to be a line," Reed deadpanned. She pushed the door open further to let the teens in. "Now stop asking questions and follow me. There's a whole lot of bands out there who'd wanna take your place. It only takes one fucking phone call, alright? Let's go."

Ross and Reed showed them to their green room before leading them out to the stage. In the middle of the large room was a sound booth. One look at the sound board and Olivia wished they weren't in a night club because Mikey would absolutely freak out about all the tech gadgets. It was a shame he couldn't see it for himself.

The sound crew said nothing about the band's age and Olivia thought they were quite nice, though her friends would argue that they were being nice because they were flirting.

Their soundcheck went by smoothly and before they knew it, they were walking on stage for real.

Olivia's nerves disappeared once they hit the chorus of their opening song, Long Weekend. Playing a club full of strangers was way different than playing a school dance or talent competition. These people had no obligation to look interested. There was a different sense of sincerity and the band could feel the connections they were making through their music.

It was electrifying and if performing was a drug, Sunset Curve was a devoted junkie.

After their first song, Olivia stepped close to the edge of the stage. "Hello, Club 27! How is everyone doing tonight?" The crowd cheered in response, making her chuckle. "Good, that's good. Keep drinking, it'll make us sound better. This next one's called Empty Wallets."

This quickly became the best show Olivia's ever played. There was nothing like it. No drug or daredevil feat could compare to the pure high she was feeling. She supposed that it was the magic of music. No matter how complicated her life got, the second she stepped onto the stage, it all washed away and for a single set, she was okay.

Anyone who's ever been to a concert knows how standing in a crowd of sweaty strangers could give you all the happiness you could ever need. The bass hits your heart, the drums pound your soul, and the lyrics are the words you didn't know how to say. You forget about everything and you're okay, because all you're concerned about is the music and you know that it's okay to love something a little too much, feel something a little too much, as long as it's real to you. And that intangible feeling of invincibility was real to Olivia. It was real to Sunset Curve. It was real to the people dancing to their music ten feet in front of them. It made all their struggles worth it.

But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

"That was sick!" Luke exclaimed as the band exited the stage. His shaking hands ran through his hair slick with sweat as adrenaline pumped through his veins. "I'm serious, that was better than any show we've ever played. The energy in that crowd? Shit, it was unbelievable!"

His bandmates shared toothy grins as they recounted their favourite parts of the show. They entered the green room and plopped down on the couches, coming down from the high of their trip.

A few laughs later, Olivia stood from her seat and headed towards the door. The boys stopped their conversation and looked over at her.

"Where are you going?" Luke asked, wiping his sweat from his forehead with the end of his shirt.

"Grabbing some water," Olivia shrugged. She turned to the others. "You guys want anything?"

Bobby shook his head. "Nah, I'm good."

"Me too," Reggie added.

Alex stood up and moved his hair from his face. "I'll come with you."

The two underage teenagers left the green room and walked from the back of the club to the public area where people were dancing their night away. Elbows crashed against each other as strangers sang praises of their performance. If it weren't for Alex's firm hold on her hand, Olivia was sure that she would've been swept away by the sea of people.

"Hey," a voice shouted over the music and chatter, "you wanna dance?"

Olivia was the only one who turned, Alex not bothering to, assuming that the person wasn't asking him. But when she turned, she saw that the guy (no doubt one of those fake ID people Miss Reed mentioned earlier) was staring at Alex and waiting for a response. Her lips pulled into a smirk and she elbowed her friend.

Alex turned around, slightly annoyed, but his expression faded once he saw that he was the one being asked to dance. "Oh," he sputtered, his gaze flickering between Olivia and the guy. "Uh..."

Olivia could see the conflict in his eyes and she let go of his hand to nudge him forward. "Go ahead," she urged with an encouraging nod. When he was about to protest, not wanting to abandon her, she gave him a look and pointed to the bar. "The bar is right there, we'll be in each other's line of view. Go have fun, Alex. I'll be fine."

She watched as the blond drummer turned and followed the guy to the dance floor. Chuckling to herself, she approached the bar. "Hi, two waters please," she said to the bartender. She thanked her as she passed over two bottles of water before leaning against the counter to watch Alex. Her gaze was ripped away when she felt someone come up beside her.

"Hey," they said, snaking their arm behind her to rest on the counter, "you're the singer for the band that played tonight. Sunset Swerve, right?"

Olivia looked up, both startled and unsettled by the man's close proximity. "No, it's, uh—  It's Sunset Curve."

He leaned in, one hand holding his drink and the other hand tapping the counter. "Whatever the name is, you were great."

"Thank you," Olivia said, her tone laced with distraction as she tried to spot Alex in the crowd again.

The man misread her actions and shot her a smile. "I'm Will," he introduced. "Can I buy you a drink?"

She looked back at him with raised eyebrows. "Oh, no. I should be going," her eyes scanned the packed room for her friends, "my band's actually waiting on me."

"No, why don't you stay and talk for a while?"

"Seriously, I've got to—"

"C'mon. It's just one drink."

Back in the green room, the boys were awaiting Alex's and Olivia's return.

"Where are they?" Reggie wondered, his legs resting over the armrest of the chair he was sitting in. "How long does it take to get water?"

"One of us has to get them," Bobby pointed out. He and Reggie shared a quick look before straightening up with their fist held out for a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors.

"We'll all go." Luke rolled his eyes before standing and pulling both of them to their feet. "I'll find Liv, you guys get Alex."

The boys shared another look, this time snickering to themselves. They followed Luke out the door and walked the path Olivia and Alex had gone down ten minutes ago. Once they reached the public area, Bobby turned to Luke and patted his shoulder. "Have fun, Romeo."

It took Luke a bit of time to get to the bar, but once he did, Olivia was the first person he saw. She was leaning against the counter with her arms crossed over her chest, trying her best to avoid the gaze of the man talking to her. She looked uncomfortable and Luke immediately regretted not accompanying her alongside Alex. 

Luke reached her just as she told the man she was underage and snaked his arm around her waist. For good measure, he planted a kiss on her cheek, relishing in the way the corners of her lips turned up at the action. "Hey, babe," he said, loud enough for the man to hear, "Did you get the waters?"

"Yup." Olivia nodded, feeling relief fill her as the opportunity to leave presented itself. "I was just about to make my way back, I got a little held up."

Will backed away, just far enough to seem respectful, but close enough to still bring discomfort. "Sorry," he apologized insincerely, "that'll be my fault." His eyes roamed the girl in front of him. "I was just telling her how great she was."

Luke didn't like how he was looking at her and he pulled her closer. "Yeah, she is," he agreed with a clenched jaw, "great."

Seeing an out, Olivia turned to the man and gave him a tight lipped smile. "Alright, well, it was nice meeting you, Bill." Before Will could correct her, she was already dragging Luke away. "Thanks for getting me out of that," she said once they were on the other side of the room.

Luke shrugged. "I've got your back, Liv." He looked around the room for the rest of their friends. More specifically the blond drummer who should've been watching Olivia in case something happened to her, because as much as he hated to think about it, that man wasn't complimenting her for the sake of being nice. "Where's Alex?"

"Where do you think?" Olivia nodded her head towards the dance floor and lo and behold, Alex was dancing with Bobby and Reggie standing nearby wearing puzzled expressions.

After the song finished, the pair made their way onto the dance floor, only to be sucked into dancing by Reggie, Alex, and Alex's new friend. They spent a few hours on the floor before deciding that they should probably call it a night, considering it was actually the early hours of the next day.

They were packing their instruments into the back of Bobby's car when Luke broke their exhausted silence. "I was thinking," he began, taking the keyboard case out of Olivia's hand.

"That's never good."

"Yeah, I didn't know that was possible."

Luke shook his head at his bandmates, his good mood unbreakable. "I think we should start playing more clubs. Work our way up, you know? Think bigger."

They looked at him in question. "Like what?"

He turned, his body fully facing the exit to the alley they were in. At the end of the passageway, where the two buildings met the sidewalk, blue neon lights cut through the darkness. The building was unmistakable. Any band who wanted to make a name for themselves played there. One show there and your career was set in stone.

The Orpheum Theatre.





RAE SPEAKS !

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