Rocking My Life Away

Part Seven: Facing Facts

Now with Jasmina making my life hell I gave up with school. What did I need an education for really? If my rock star career failed I would just have to marry someone rich. Though then again that's easier said than done. I spent most of my time hanging out with Jake in the basement, Luke was going to school and on the days Jake had college I'd just spend the day in my favourite shop of all time. The music store on Fox Street. Best of all Jake had phoned my school, pretending to be my father, and told them I was suffering from a severe flu bug. Of course Liam was at school so I didn't have to worry about him and Jasmina during school hours but occasionally they'd come down after school and talk to Jake but fortunately for me Jake and I had fixed the basement door so it creaked loudly everytime someone came through it. Everytime we heard them coming I would sneak into my hiding place in the cupboard. I couldn't risk Jasmina discovering I was bunking and telling the school the truth who would then tell my mother, who would most definitely kill me. 

We wrote songs and munched on unhealthy foods. "How about ... Jakeee, you are making me fat?" I said in a sing-song voice. 

"Love it." He joked. "It may need some work on it though." He grinned at me.  

"Are you dissing my creative power?" I raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Of course not, how dare you suggest it!" He laughed. "But now, seriously." He pulled a serious face. "You shall sing ... There's a boy, he dates a bitch, he's a bit of a twit. But I love him really!" He sings. 

"Jake." I say slowly. "Please don't ever sing, ever, please?" He just laughs. "And the way Liam is going, I'll never love him again." 

"So you do like him?" Jakes says, suddenly in questioning mode. 

"No!" I protest. "And even if I did, I'm far above Jasmina's sloppy seconds, thank you very much." There was a long silence in which neither of us looked at each other. I finally managed to pluck up the courage to ask Jake something that I'd been wanting to know for a while. "Jake, why'd you drop out of school early?" I asked. 

He looked quite surprised. "I just did." He shrugged. "It's not my thing."  

"Yeah, but there must have been a reason." I said, I wasn't being nosy, I was just curious. Jake was clever, smarter than me at any rate. 

"I just did alright Mel?" He snapped. "Jesus, can't you just drop it?" 

Now it was my turn to be surprised. "I was only wondering Jake. You know everything about me, pretty much. But it seems like I know nothing about you. Great friendship there obviously." I stand up and straighten my clothes. "I better be going." I muttered. 

"Yeah." He mumbled after me. "Do me one favour Mel?" He said when I reached the door.  

"What?" I said as I turned to face him. 

"Go back to school." He says, not looking me in the eye. 

"Whatever."I say, slamming the basement door behind me. "Bloody hypocrite." I mutter as I leave.

Though as I walked home I couldn't help thinking he was right. School was a fact of life. And if I didn't go back soon someone would contact my parents and I wouldn't be the only one getting into serious trouble. I walked down Fox Street on my way home and stopped outside the music shop.

When I was really little my Aunt Millie and I used to spend all day in Franks. For some reason the shop was called Franks, something to do with the owner, I'd never asked. My parents were always busy with my sister being a baby and their jobs so my aunt would look after me most weekends. We'd live on sweets and fizzy drinks before heading to Franks so she could teach me guitar. She gave me my love of rock music instead of all the pop princess music my friends listened to. After she died, for ages I walked straight past, I couldn't go in. It must have been three years ago that I first went back in. To this day, I don't think the owner of the shop recognises me as the young girl from all those years ago.

I stare in the window for a minute before placing my hand on the door and pushing it open. Slowly, I walk inside and head towards the back of the store. Frank Jr. was sat behind the counter and he looked up at me as the bell above the door chimed. He nodded at me before going back to the comic book he was reading. I stepped up to the counter. "Hi Frank, is Frank here?" I realised after I spoke how I ridiculous I sounded. "I mean, Frank Senior, like Frank Frank. Not you. If you thought I meant you ... I didn't."

He gave me the weirdest look ever and without speaking turned around and shouted. "Dad. There's a girl here looking for you."

A middle aged man with greying hair stepped out of the back room. "Hello, how can I help you?" He said cheerfully.

"Did you know Millie Jackson?" I ask. 

He smiles sadly. "Yes, I knew Millie, she was one of the greatest women I ever met."

"We always used to come in here together. On Saturdays." I said, looking around the shop.

He smiles. "Melody?" He asks. "Is that you?"

"Yeah?" I reply uncertainly.

"Wow, I didn't even recognise you, Millie was my best friend." He said happily. His mood had suddenly changed. "I've been waiting for you for so long. Millie left something with me that was supposed to be yours." He was beaming. "Wait here." He turned around and walked back through the door he had stepped through less than a minute earlier. I stood there awkwardly and stared around the room for a distraction. He emerged once again and walked over to me with a grin on his face. "Here."

"A box?" I asked, mystified, as he shoved it towards me.

"Inside." He said quickly. I slid the lid off the small square box and stared inside; it was covered in dust. "It was supposed to be a present for you, but she never got to give it to you."

It was a locket. A silver, heart-shaped locket.

"Open it." He encouraged, a pulled on the little clasp and the locket flipped open. Inside was a picture of me and my aunt. I barely recognised myself. I was only young. I had light brown hair and for the first time I noticed how much I looked like my aunt.

"Thank you." I smiled.

"That's not all." He smiles. "That's yours too." He indictaes at the glass cabinet in the middle of the shop. It had been there for as long as I could remember. I'd admired it for years.

"M-mine?" I stuttered. "But ... how?"

"It was Millie's. She taught you to play didn't she?" He takes a key from his pocket and unlocks the cabinet. Slowly and carefully he lifts the guitar out and hands it to me.

"I don't really play much anymore." I shrug. "I sing." I continue in a way of explaining.

"Well, now you have the perfect excuse to play." He smiles. "Now, off you go home otherwise your mother will worry where you are." He says, shooing me kindly.

I laugh before making my way towards the exit. "Thank you." I say once again as I go through the door. Using my reflection in the glass-front of the shop, I put the necklace on and tuck it under my jumper. Now I had my aunt with me, I could go home.