Stormie

Chapter Five - Austin

Austin

Four times. Four times just in this past week I have found myself at the Rebel club alone, bored and, well, lonely. Four times I've come, had a drink, looked around and all four times, no certain red head caught my eye.

After maybe the third time, I had convinced myself I was imagining it all. Sammie hadn't ever been on the balcony, my call to Angus was pointless, and the gas I was wasting on these hour drives back and forth were going to empty my already slim college wallet.

However, the fourth time was tonight. I'd gotten here around seven and up until nine, I was still convinced in my lack of sanity. I missed her; that was my only explanation. I'd known the girl for six months all together but still, she knew me almost as well as my best friends did and not having her around once a summer and winter made me miss her.

As time approached ten o'clock in which I had heard the live music was going to begin, I'd caught up with Angus and he had two beers in his hand, claiming one was for me. I thanked him, knowing I would not be able to deal with the annoying side I knew he had without at least a bit of alcohol in my system.

"So, what have you been up to man?" He shouted in my ear over the deafening chatter of what I guessed were about five hundred people jammed into this borderline stingy and sketchy club. After having spent a collective fifteen hours here over the last four nights, I've had time to take in almost every aspect of this place and the dirt on the floor, the ripped bar stool cushions and the several broken windows haven't given me a very good impression of how the live music will be.

I've also learned since I've become a regular that live music is usually only on Friday and Saturday nights so I don't have very high expectations. I'm almost considering bailing before it even begins but then Angus would just have more to complain about next time (if there is a next time) I call him or ask to hang out.

"Uh, nothing much, busy with college," I shrugged; remembering Angus never went to college. I'm pretty sure he's the one who always bragged about having a dad who worked in a recording studio and that that was how he was going to become famous. I still haven't ever heard of an Angus Lancaster album so I'm not so sure how well that plan worked out.

"I get it man, I'm glad you called though. We should get the band camp gang back together; that'd be so fun, right?"

Never in a million years, I thought while plastering a fake smile on my face. Sammie was the reason I went to band camp, Angus was tolerable but everyone else annoyed the hell out of me. There was this chick, Bridget, who was way to clingy, there was a guy named Billy who as a greeting would always smack you in the back but when you have spine damage, that might as well equal a stab to the back. The rest of the people I hung with over the years weren't any less pleasing to be around and so a band camp reunion was a shit idea.

Although I knew Angus was just trying to make small talk, I couldn't blame him.

"Yeah, that'd be cool I guess."

He smiled and continued on to tell me about some concert he went to a few weeks ago while pausing every now and then to call out to random girls passing our table. During the twenty minutes or so while that went on, I was able to put together that Angus was a regular and by the time he was done telling me the story, we had about seven or so girls gathered around, all focused on him.

I didn't care in the slightest. I wanted to be left alone to look for her but I had decided that it would be polite of me to at least act like I was listening to Angus's story when I'd been the one to ask him to come out tonight.

When ten o'clock finally rolled around, a short and obviously drunk guy hopped up on stage and announced the club's resident opener band was going to begin. Even though I didn't want to stick around, the place was too packed to make a getaway in any less then about twenty minutes.