"Dude Looks Like a Lady"

Chapter 10 Drummer (Ray POV)

(Writers note: Hiya everybody! Sorry, I know I said I'd upload this soon but I got bombarded with homework this week and was like AAH! so I'm very very very sorry T-T I'll upload the next chapter later on today to make up for it though ;D)

Chapter 10

Drummer

~ Ray (2004)

Kirkcaldy high street is my best busking area. Sometimes if it’s sunny and the tides out, I'd busk on the beach, but I got less money there. Since Red goes to school and is the genius in all his classes, he teaches me things, like maths. He told me to work for a week on all my busking areas and add up the money and divide it by seven and that would give me the average per day. At the end of the week for the high street I had a total of 788.41 which meant I earned 112.63 per day, which is about as much as adults make in a week! Me and Strings's house is really cool now. We've got a microwave along with new kitchen cupboards in the kitchen, a T.V with a DVD player, cause we can only watch movies and Reclining chairs to watch them in. Not to mention my new room, I have a huge bed- or at least it feels huge since I am no longer sharing with Strings. I have my very own duvet covers with two pillows! Not to mention it was my birthday last week and Strings bought me a new guitar and the booklet to play the riffs from our new albums to! And you'd never guess what Red got me- Emblazon! That's the twenty ninth of one hundred and one picks!

I held Emblazon firmly between my finger and thumb and strummed at my new guitar. Already people were turning their heads, amazed not only by my music, but by my age. I could see it in their eyes they were impressed enough to disregard the question of 'Why ain't that wee bairn in school for?'

I had already earned around about twenty quid and some loose change when out of nowhere some kid in uniform ran past, his blonde curls unwinding on the wind. Skyving, maybe? But then a few seconds after that, three guys, around about the same age as Strings, ran after him. They were in the same uniform but what made me uneasy was the look on their faces. Torment. I thought, which was incidentally one of the names of my plectrums. I stopped midway of House of the Rising Sun, picked up my trilby and followed.

By the time I caught up to them in a narrow alleyway, they were beating the daylight out of the blonde kid. They didn't do much damaged before, unexpectedly; the kid embedded his fist in the biggest, toughest ones jaw. He fell to the floor as his two accomplices stared down at him, then to each other. The bolted before their not-quite friend scrambled to his feet and ran for it. I gaped at the kid who fell flat on his behind and began to weep through his fringe.

I found myself taking a few steps towards him and then fell to my knees and just stared. Through a small opening between strands I could see a dark blue eye glazed over with tears look back at me. He winced but said nothing.

'What's your name?' I asked. Nothing. 'You live around here?' Nothing. 'Are you alright just sitting there, didn't those guys hurt you?' Nothing. He just stared. I sighed, it was against my nature to leave him there but Strings needed me to busk. I look from the boy to the high street and back and forth until I decided. I started strumming my guitar right there on the spot. He seemed to straighten up then and watch me closely. People from the highway did follow the sound of my guitar and throw a few pennies in my trilby, I didn't earn, as much I didn't regret sitting there with him, because then he seemed to talk in a language I completely understood. The language of music.

He started off rasping his knuckles against the concrete in a slow four beat and then sped up to fit the song more. He experimented; knocking against the wall, against the plank of wood lying on the ground- the guy had an ear for beats. We played until the sun sat on the horizon, turning the sea gold.

'I've got to go now.' I said sadly, twitching a smile and slinging my guitar over my back, stuffing the money in my pockets and then placing my trilby on my head. 'We should do this again sometime though.'

I left at that and so did he, only to follow me. I stepped on the bus and slid seventy pence over the counter to the bus driver. 'Half to Sullaby.' I said and walked to the back of the bus.

The blonde kid, saying nothing, slid seventy pence to the bus driver in the exact same motion. He stared at the driver through his fringe, lips tightly sealed. The driver, looking confused turned to me then turned to the kid again. 'Half it is.' He said and gave the boy a ticket.

I sat on the right side of the second back row next to the window, it was my spot. I can remember... well I say remember but it is more a memory I created based on what I know, seeing as every time I remember it I can see that little toddler I once was and my mom wearing that thin red jumper she wears in the photo beside my bed. I remember from the remade memory that my mom would always take me to that seat and surprisingly enough, fate has always left that seat open for me. I asked her once, "Mama, why we sitted on this seat always?" My mom's grin was always fascinating, it was always strange to see that red lipstick of hers stretch with her lips to reveal the whitest teeth I have ever seen. "Because that was the seat your dad was sitting in when I first met him." She went on but I can't remember the exact words, I only know that basically she advice me on sitting in that chair for then one day I would meet the love of my life when she asked to sit beside me on a bus. And she already had. Crystal...

The bus lunged forward and jerked me from my thoughts in time to save my guitar from falling off the seat beside me and tumbling down to the front of the bus. I stared up. The blonde kid was standing there with a small smile on his face. I couldn't see his eyes on me but I could feel them. I hesitated, not knowing what he wanted and then clicking. I moved my guitar onto my lap and he sat down beside me. Well, he certainly wasn't the love of my life- or-

I took a second glance at him- or was he a he at all? I couldn't see his, or her, face through that fringe- maybe he was? Maybe Strings was right!

Seeing as we haven't got much to play at home Strings randomly took a piece of paper and made this weird fortune telling thing that he moved with his fingers. "Green, yellow, blue or red?"

"Red" I said, of course it'd be red, he knew that.

"What number?"

"One."

"Again."

"Three"

"What number now?" He stared up- game or not this was my future, this would really happen- Strings told me so himself and although it was just a piece of paper, if Strings said something was going to happen, it would- believe me.

"Six." I said, my heart beating rapidly. Oh, god- please be good!

"Someone you know will become a transvestite." He laughed. "Oh, good fortune."

I stared at the blonde kid- could this be the he she read in my fortune? He caught me staring and smiled, I smiled back. It was a he, for definite, I knew that. Besides, the fortune said some I know will become... Maybe strings was trying to admit something to me? Hahaha...

We got off at the same stop and he walked with me all the way to the viaduct.

I heard his footsteps stop as mine continued to echo against the trees at either side. I turned around to see him standing there with a frown on his face.

'Guess this is goodbye then, unless you wanna meet same place tomorrow.'

He smiled and nodded. I turned around and was about to continue onwards to home when I heard- 'Ray.' A soft yet loud and firm voice said. I spun on my heel and saw the boy holding up his blonde fringe to I could see the thick brown eyebrows and the dark blue eyes that hid underneath. 'My name is Scott, by the way...'

I smiled, 'See you tomorrow, Scott.'

'See you.' He said and ran off.

Then a thought that seemed both perfect and perfectly obvious sprung to mind. Maybe he could be our drummer?