𝐈 𝐒𝐀𝐓 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇.
colby held a bowl of popcorn.
i took a piece, and he opened his mouth. i threw the popcorn up, and he caught it.
"wow, you taught your dog tricks." amy laughed.
"thanks for noticing." i said sarcastically.
"amy, you're not gonna believe this!" hartley ran through the door. "are you laughing at peoples misfortune on the news again?"
"not us!" jake defended.
"definitely us." aria said, laughing.
she held up a plate of cookies, and hartley took one. they were red velvet, and freshly baked by aria and jake.
"some lady got trapped in an elevator for 5 days, and it was not pretty." amy laughed.
"that's so fucked up." i shook my head, resisting laughter. "i hope she's okay."
"just laugh. i know you wanna laugh." colby encouraged.
"no, i'n not fucked up like you." i shook my head.
"anyways, amy, the round up is holding their annual battle of the bands on saturday!" hartley said.
"that sounds so cute!" i smiled.
"yeah! we have to enter!" she said.
"so, we get to sing and battle people?" amy asked. "i'm in!"
"it's not a real battle. it's a contest where bands perform original songs and face-off against each-other." hartley explained.
"i'm confused. can i throttle someone or not?"
"no! but if we win, it'll boost our cred as a new singing duo, and we'll be insanely popular."
"we are popular! the other day, we were singing at the food court, and someone tipped us with curly fries."
"that wasn't a tip! someone threw them at us and said stop singing, i'm trying to eat!"
"best 2.99 i've ever spent!" colby smiled.
"you should've shared them with me instead of throwing them." i shook my head, suddenly craving curly fries.
"i would've, but being rude was more important in that moment." colby said.
"the only thing is, to perform at the contest, we'd have to write an original song, which we've never done before." hartley said.
"big deal. i used to write songs with my old band all the time. well, until they met their demise in a fiery inferno. which was ironic, because we were gonna name our band fiery inferno." amy shrugged.
"that's so cute, aw!" i smiled. "let me be your manager!"
"okay!" hartley shrugged.
i texted my chauffeur, walking towards the front door.
"let's go get curly fries." i said, and colby followed after me.
«───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ─────»
i yawned.
"amy! i just came up with the perfect verse for our battle of the bands song. check it out! the leaves are growing, the sun is shining, i feel so alive, the stars are aligning." hartley read out.
"that's so cute, i love that." i grinned.
"wow! that's like, the perfect set up for the chorus i just wrote! stop with the lies, stop with the lies, everything dies, everything dies!" amy read her: out.
"yeah.. i love that too!" i gave a thumbs up.
"i'm not letting our first performance be a song about death." hartley sat down.
"then i'm not singing about the stars aligning. what's your big finale? butterflies flying out of your armpits?" amy questioned.
".. if you're open to it. look, the contest is tomorrow night. if we can't write an original song that represents the both of us, we're gonna have to back out of the competition."
"wait, i got it! what if we perform loud like me? it's a song i used to sing with my villain band, but it's the last-villainy one i ever wrote."
amy pulled out her phone, and showed us a short clip of her and her band singing said song.
"amy, that's so good!" hartley complimented.
"it's really good. but it should be sadder." i commented.
"i still feel like our first original song as a duo should represent both our personalities." hartley began.
"hey, hartley, hi cherry! hello, lamey." gem walked up to the table.
"oh my fucking god, it's chlamydia again. you're so corny." i glared.
"really, gem?" amy questioned. "your name literally means generic diamond."
gem kept calm. "i heard you're competing in the battle of the bands. so are we! we call ourselves, gem and the other girls. you know, that way, when they annoy me and i have to replace them, the name will still stick."
"the other girls should jump you." i frowned.
"what's your point, gem?" hartley asked.
"my point is, you guys should drop out now and spare yourselves the embarrassment of losing to me!" gem grinned.
"damn, you're a fucking bitch." i said.
gem snapped her fingers, and the two girls followed after her.
"i want her to kill herself so bad." i said.
"cherry! you can't say that!" hartley said quickly.
"my bad."
«───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ─────»
amy and hartley finished performing their song.
"you guys are so good!" i said, clicking stop on my recording.
"yeah, but if we're gonna perform a face-pounding villain anthem, you can't move around like a bobble head doll." amy critiqued.
"sorry! i've just never sang anything this rage filled." hartley apologized.
"you just have to tap into your inner villain. you know, like when you take money out of your grandmas purse."
"you? who is you?" i asked. "i don't do that."
"yeah. i'd never do that!" hartley agreed.
"oh. i've taken money from my grandmas purse. just pretend you're me and go crazy! i'm just gonna go get us a snack." amy walked off quickly.
"okay. channeling my inner villain." hartley paced.
she stood up on the couch, performing the song.
of course jumping on a couch is the most villainy thing she can do.
"hart?" eva asked.
hartley screamed, and sat down.
"look at you standing on the furniture! there's hope for you yet!" eva grinned. "where have i heard that song before?"
"i used to perform it with my villain band when i was havoc." amy explained.
"right! yes, it's the only band your song played that didn't make my ears bleed." eva remembered.
"damn." i laughed.
"well, that stings. all of my songs were supposed to make your ears bleed." amy said.
"we're performing it at the round up. for the battle of the bands." hartley explained.
"oh, no you're not! singing that song in public is way too risky." eva said.
"why? we only played it at a few villain music festivals." amy shrugged.
"villain music festivals?" i questioned. "those are probably way better than superhero ones."
"they are." amy agreed.
"villains have music festivals?" hartley asked.
"who do you think invented mosh pits?" amy laughed. "my point is, no one here knows it's a villain song."
"i'm not concerned about people here knowing. if someone films you and posts it online, any villain can see it and connect the dots between havoc and amy, and we will all get caught." eva explained.
"well, what are we supposed to do? the contest is tonight, and we don't have another song to sing." amy said.
"which means we won't be able to compete." hartley realized.
"why don't y'all just write one really quick?" i suggested.
"sorry, girls, but this family's safety is more important then winning a contest. i'm putting my foot down, you cannot sing that song." eva said. "wow! being a good parent feels like being a tyrant. i like it!"
«───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ─────»
we walked towards the stage.
"i can't believe we have to back out of the contest!" hartley complained.
"i've never backed out of anything. backed over things, yes, but i've never backed out of anything." amy said.
"ew, i hate everyone here." i looked around. "wait, no i don't. peace and love."
"there's nothing peaceful about you." amy blinked.
"whatever. i still think y'all should perform a song." i changed the subject.
hartley shrugged.
she walked up to the table, sadly.
"hi! i'm hartley, this is amy, and that's valentine! we were supposed to perform in the contest tonight, but-" hartley began.
"-but they know my group is gonna win, so they're backing out. good call, girls! now we can just skip to the part where you lose." gem interrupted.
"we are not afraid of you beating us." amy glared.
"aw. it's so cute when she gets mad." gem mocked. "are neck veins supposed to do that?"
"amy, do not let her get to you. she gets to you, she wins." hartley pulled amy away.
"i don't know, i think if i shove a microphone stand down her throat, it's a win for all of us." amy complained.
"i want to punch her in the face so bad." i rubbed my eyes. "she makes me so mad."
"everyone, let's give it up for amy, hartley, and cherry! i know they say it's bad to be a quitter, but it's a good thing when a person can truly admit they're weak." gem pouted.
"i'm gonna hire a hit man on her." i planned.
"why are you so upset? i mean, that is why you're here, right? to quit?" gem asked.
"never!" amy cut her off. "we're here to drop off our sheet lyrics and music to the house band."
"what are you doing?" hartley questioned.
"yeah, you're gonna put yourself in danger." i reminded.
"just follow along." amy said, placing the sheets on the table. "hope you have a life boat, cause our won't is gonna blow you out of the water."
"why would i need a lifeboat if i'm out of the water?" gem questioned.
"i'll get back to you on that."
"amy, you know your mom doesn't want you singing that song!" hartley pulled us away.
"she doesn't want any villains to see footage of us singing that song. what she's forgetting is my sonic powers can emit an electromagnetic pulse." amy reminded.
i blinked, and glanced at hartley. "huh?"
"normal people words, please!" hartley said.
"i can use the emp to shut down everyone's phones, so we can still perform, and they won't be able to film us." amy explained.
"that's a really good idea!" i grinned.
"oh! so your family will be totally safe!" hartley smiled.
"my backup plan was to make you sing the death song." amy said.
i opened my bag, our outfits folded up neatly inside.
we headed towards the bathrooms to change, while i distributed the outfits to each girl.
"do you think it's a good idea to perform your villain song?" hartley said, holding onto her costume.
"yes! that song is gonna win us this competition, and out gem in her place! which i hope is in an upside down porta-potty." any shrugged.
a familiar song played; gem was singing it.
we all looked out of the curtain at the stage, as the crowd cheered for her.
"bro, what the fuck is she doing? oh my god, she stole your song." i realized.
amy stormed out. "hurry up, jennifer nopez! what do you think you're doing? you stole our song! and i'm pretty sure stealing another groups song can get you disqualified."
"you can't prove that i stole anything. but what is against the rules is you singing the same song as me. so unless you have another one, looks like you're out of the competish." gem pouted.
i really want to shoot her in the head. i'm about to become a villain just to kill her.
"amy!" eva called out.
"mom?" amy asked. "what are you doing here?"
"well, i thought you might ignore what i said and try to sing your song anyway, so i came here to stop you." eva explained.
"well, it doesn't matter, because gem already stole our song and performed it before we could."
"ha! so you were gonna sing it!"
"oh, of course i was! but i had a plan so no one would be able to film it."
"electromagnetic pulse? smart. despite what your father says you get that from me."
"wait. if you were so worried us singing the song could lead villains to valley view, shouldn't we be worried they'll see videos of gem singing it?" hartley questioned.
"i hope they do see it." i scoffed.
"nope!" amy said.
she called her hands, and a wave of emp washed over everything.
"my sonic boom doesn't just stop things from filming. it also destroys them!" amy said.
"nice!" hartley complimented.
"shit, my phones broken!" i complained.
"did you just destroy our phones?" hartley questioned.
"friendship is about sacrifices." amy said.
i scanned the crowd of people. "is that my ex? i'll be right back."
he spotted me, and waved me over.
"why are you here?" i asked, as soon as i walked over to him.
"because, clearly, i have to do everything on my own." he shrugged.
"what the fuck are you talking about?"
"i tried to get audrey to ruin your chances with colby but it didn't fucking work. she's just too fucking nice to do it."
"why are you so fucking obsessed with me? what's the point of trying to ruin my relationship with colby?"
"because you shouldn't be with him. you like me."
"you're literally insane."
i turned to walk away.
"i'm gonna get you back! just wait." he promised.
"oh my god, shut up." i rolled my eyes.
hartley and amy were gone.
i took a seat at a table, trying to clear my thoughts.
the chair next to mine moved. the girl smiled at me.
"hey, cherry." audrey said, softly.
i ignored her, examining my nails.
"so.. he talked to you, right?" she questioned.
again, i didn't give an answer.
"i'm so sorry. i have no idea why i did that. i don't even like colby, i'm really sorry. i'm in love with someone else anyways, i promise you that colby means nothing to me. he's all yours." she apologized.
"why would you even do that though?" i asked, after a moment.
"money." she said, after a moment. "i needed to pay off my moms debt."
"oh. i'm sorry." i said, awkwardly.
"no, i'm sorry. i shouldn't have done that, no matter how badly i needed the money."
"it's okay."
"you're really nice."
"thank you."
"so.. do you forgive me?"
"yeah."
"cool. i think i'm gonna go now. i miss my mom."
audrey stood up, preparing to book herself a plane ticket.
"it was really nice meeting you, cherry. you're a really cool girl, and i would've loved to be friends with you." audrey smiled.
"it was nice meeting you, too. we are friends." i grinned.
she enveloped me in a hug, pulling away after a moment.
then, she just walked away.
as if she was never there to begin with.
signing, i returned to the table. another person sat next to me.
damn, i'm pulling today.
"hi." colby greeted.
i immediately looked up, and smiled. "hi."
"you okay?"
"no. i need a blunt."
"but you don't smoke?"
"yeah, but i need one."
colby laughed.
amy returned, holding up a sheet of paper. "i need you to perform this!"
"i thought we weren't-" i began.
"just go with it!" she said, handing me my costume.
"okay!"
i rushed to memorize the music.
then, i shoved myself into the red detailed outfit, and joined amy and hartley.
«───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ─────»
cherry walked out.
"okay, folks, that does it for the battle of the bands!" the announcer called out. "and according to our judges, we have a unanimous winner!"
gem and the girls beside her stood up.
cherry, amy, and hartley ran up onto the stage.
hartley whispered something into the man's ear.
"looks like i spoke too soon. apparently, we have one more performance! please welcome to the stage.." the announcer waited.
"happiness!" hartley answered.
"of death." amy finished.
"i still like emotional orgy the best." cherry shrugged, and took a seat behind the drums.
"this is for all the haters, especially the one in the pink dress at table number three!" amy spoke into the microphone.
the music played.
aria, at the very last minute, had been needed to play the guitar.
she was dressed in blue.
amy was purple, it matched the extensions in her hair.
like a dandelion, hartley was yellow.
jake sat at the table, with a plate of nachos him and aria had been sharing beforehand.
he was recording.
he was always recording aria. he kept every memory of her he could.
movie tickets.
receipts from dates.
matching jewelry.
colby was also watching the group perform.
his version of watching was just staring at cherry as slammed her sticks into the drums.
eventually, the song ended.
gem stormed off, with her two sidekicks right behind her.
"the judges have voted, and once again, it's unanimous! the winner of this years battle of the bands is happiness.. of death!" the announcer called out.
"yay!" hartley cheered.
"we won! obviously, but still, yay!" cherry high fived her.
she walked down the steps, and immediately towards colby.
he smiled at her.
"you did really good, cherry." colby congratulated.
"thank you." she grinned.
"so.. who's that guy?"
"oh! that's my ex."
"oh. okay."
cherry awkwardly walked away.
he stood in silence.
colby walked up to the boy, not caring to introduce himself. "hey! you're cherry's ex boyfriend?"
"yeah. what's it matter to you?" the boy questioned.
colby thought about it for a moment.
"i'm her boyfriend." he replied.
"that's funny. have fun with my seconds. she's a bitch anyways." the boy shrugged.
without hesitating, colby punched him in the jaw.