Chapter 14
Black Mail
~Red
I pretended to be asleep when he came back in. Half one. He had been with Strings for so long. Probably nothing- or that’s what I kept telling myself. I knew Strings wasn’t gay, but just the thought of him being a closer friend than me… I was jealous. But hey, I was the one sharing a room with him wasn’t I? He always got changed in the toilets though; he was more self-conscious than me.
‘What did Strings want last night?’ I asked, zipping up my trousers just as Chris walked out from the bathroom.
He shrugged, ‘Just hanging, y’know?’
‘Hanging? Just the two of you?’ Jealousy at 78%
‘Well yeah… It was kinda a… brotherly heart to heart thing.’
‘Cool.’ Jealousy at 86%
‘Y’know, I actually feel… I’m beginning to understand Strings a bit better.’
‘Oh, really?’ Better how? Jealousy now at 91%
‘Yeah, well he’s my friend and everything and I love him,’ Jealousy at 96% ‘but I always thought the guy was a bit of an asshole.’ Jealousy at 82% ‘A talented loveable asshole.’ Jealousy at 98% ‘But an asshole all the same.’ Jealousy at 90% ‘But now I see him as much more than that.’ Jealousy at 95% ‘Now I see him as a really wonderful guy, y’know?’ Jealousy at 100%
‘You sound like you have a crush on him.’ I wasn’t joking but he laughed.
‘Yeah, liked I’d swing that way.’ Ouch. ‘And even if I did I don’t think of him like that…’ He trailed of and just gazed at the kitchen bunker. I dunno what he was thinking about but it made me nervous.
‘We should get going.’ I said.
We were given a room in a nearby studio to practice in, and then we’d get one rehearsal on stage just before our final gig. I wasn’t nervous at all about it, really. I guess with Hero around my neck and Anna Molly in my arms, I didn’t think anything could go wrong.
Chris pushed the door open, ‘Hey guys sorry we’re-‘
We froze and let the door slam behind us. Drummer sat back on his stool calmly watching Sailor and Strings in the middle of the room. Their lips were locked. Strings’s face was completely tense but Sailor was completely comfortable with it like he did it all the time, which now I wouldn’t be surprised, if he did.
Chris put a hand over his face and shook his head. ‘Eight minutes.’ Drummer announced.
‘I can do this!’ I think I heard Strings say into Sailor’s mouth.
Sailor grinned and placed his hands on Strings’s hips. Oh God, I can’t believe what I’m seeing. He began sliding his hands up his top.
‘OKAY! TOO FAR!’ Strings yelled and pushed him back.
‘You were enjoying it.’ Sailor winked teasingly, ‘Oh well, I’m still King of Gay Chicken.’
This was just typical. In a band full of gay guys, I had to fall for the straight one.
<><><><><>
It was difficult; we had to come up with new material. We were to play six songs each. One cover, two already played original and three fresh ones. After an hour and a half of trying to come to a decision we decided our two already played ones would be Star Struck and Glitch. Our cover would be New Radical’s You Only Get What You Give. Sailor said for our three new songs one should be sad, one should be angry, one should be upbeat and happy this way we have a wider range of music. Drummer one should be about love at least. Strings said it’d be a good idea to have rap in it "mix it up a little" and that should be the angry song.
‘I think one should be about Ray.’ Chris said, ‘It’d be nice to dedicate one to him.’ We all agreed to that.
‘So happy love, angry rap and sad Ray?’ I asked.
Everybody nodded. Now it was just a case of getting the music together.
Five hours later, we managed to do half of one song. Bullet the angry rap. Strings wrote the lyrics and we all just provided basic instrumental. Drummer got a drum solo though. I guess we weren’t just feeling very musical that day.
After Strings sung the chorus and we all just kinda died down from there we heard a clap at the door.
‘Sounds guid.’ It was that Jake guy again.
‘What the hell are you doing here?’ Strings snapped, ‘It’s against the rules isn’t it? You could be listening in, stealing our stuff!’
‘Aye, I jus’ canny help maself.’ He laughed and crossed his arms, ‘Nah- they have a recording mic up in the corner tae ken what’s yers or no.’ He pointed up to that weird red bleeping thing – I was wondering what that was. ‘Besides our practising room is jus’ across the hall.’
‘Oh.’
‘Anyhoo.’ His eyes fell on Chris, ‘It’s lunch time and I wis wondering if ye- and only ye- wanted tae grab somin’ and reminisce about the auld life.’
He looked at us for approval and Sailor nodded, not like the rest of us did. ‘Sure.’ He smiled and placed his guitar in its stand, ‘It’d be nice.’
I stared at them as they went out the door. Jealousy at 18592074628601.54928476579270707366125%
Strings might not be- well not totally gay but this Jake guy I knew nothing about! I mean, he did look cosy with that girl the other day, but he could swing both ways right?
The rest of us went out to get burgers but I too busy worrying to think. At first I imagined them at a fancy restaurant with candles and violins- then I realised that wouldn’t be a bad thing, it would put Chris totally off him! But what if he just took him to subway or something? And Chris had sauce on the side of his lip… and Jake whipped it off with his finger… then licked it… THIS IS DRIVING ME CRAZY! No- no Chris hates subways remember? What am I worrying about? I’m the only one who knows Chris’s favourite lunch is Caesar salad, which I noticed the café around the corner sold, and he’s loved them every since Ray had a birthday lunch with all his guitar stude… Oh no…
‘If you’re not gonna eat it…’ Sailor picked up my burger, ‘It’s mine.’
‘Have it!’ I said and leapt for the bench, ‘I’m going back to the studio!’
I couldn’t be around them, they’d figure out how I feel about Chris. I just needed some time alone to clear my head. I slowly walked up the corridor to our room when I noticed the door to the other room was slightly open. I could hear laughing and the sound of Chris’s voice but I could make out what they were saying until I got closer and peeked through the gap. I could see Jake, his reflection and Chris in the long mirrors on the wall.
‘Like it?’ He asked as Chris leaned back on the wall.
‘Yeah.’ He smiled, ‘Caesar salad is my favourite.’
‘I remembered.’ He smiled back. Jealousy will cause Red to self-destruct in 5…
‘After all this time?’ 4…
‘Course ye dafty!’ He laughed. 3… He held his arms open, ‘Come ‘ere.’ 2…
Chris happily put his arms around him and giggled. 1…
‘AGH!’ I was so frustrated I screamed. I held a hand over my mouth and edged away from the door.
‘What in the name of the wee man?’ Jake laughed.
‘Dunno?’ Chris laughed with him. I tiptoed back to stare through the gap.
‘Could be a ghostie!’ he said molesting the air above Chris’s head.
‘Stop goofing around.’ He smiled and pushed his hands away, ‘Anyway, you said you had something to talk to me about.’
‘Aye…’ He took a couple of steps back and frowned, ‘Y’ken ye can be kicked out af the competition for fraud, aye?’ …Fraud?
Chris shrugged, ‘I did- and I panicked at first but… there are ways around it.’ What does Chris have to do with… Fraud?
‘Aye, for ye.’
‘What do you mean?’
Jake took a few steps forward and stared way too intensely into Chris’s eyes- he looked scared and I was scared for him, ‘Dae ye ken Kieran Clark?’
Chris sighed, ‘Strings told me last night, you dated his sister right?’ Who the hell is Kieran Clark, how does Strings know him?
‘Aye. Ma first love.’ He rolled his eyes and laughed bitterly, ‘She wis doomed anyhoo. Kieran thought he kill’d her, I thought I did jus’ by being with her.’ Is Strings… in trouble with some murderer?
‘It was nobodies fault, from what I heard it was because their parents were neglecting them.’
‘Aye. Kieran or "Strings" whichever ye like- he wis all she had. Him and me.’ Wait, Kieran is Strings? What the hell is going on? ‘We all got told he topped himself. People were freit tae pass his hame thinkin’ that either Hannah or him would follow them and haunt them.’
‘That must’ve been awful.’
‘Aye. It wis. I nearly shat maself when I saw him at the semi’s though, talk about seeing a ghost!’
So wait, Strings is Kieran… Who was suppose to be dead… and his little sister died…
‘But even if anybody finds out about that… He could just get around it the same way I could- by saying it Eric Kasey is his stage name!’ So Chris isn’t Chris…
‘Fake ID.’ Jake said and Chris shook his head in confusion, ‘Ye dinnae have fake ID Kieran does. He’d need tae for his driver’s licence and passport- what did the passport checker think when seeing ye?’
‘She was a bit confused…’
‘Aye. I would be.’
‘But what are you saying?’ Chris started to look very worried, and by what I was getting I had a reason to be too.
Jake voiced the equation going through my head, ‘He has a fake ID, fake IDs are illegal, you’d not only be chucked out this competition in a heartbeat, but he’d go tae jail for fraud and for faking his ain death.’
‘But he didn’t-‘
‘His folks wouldnae agree.’ There was a long and tense silence. It cut into Chris just like it cut into me. I felt pissed of at Strings. We were so close to getting our dream and his shit could take us away from that.
‘They think he’s dead.’ Chris said after a while, ‘Everybody- even you!’
‘But I ken who he wis as soon as I saw ‘im!’
‘But that doesn’t mean-‘
‘He still goes by the name af Strings for Christ sake!’
‘Then we’ll stop calling him that!’ Jake hit his face with his palm but Chris kept going, ‘As long as you don’t say a word we’re fine. I know we’re fine. There isn’t much we can do now that we’re here.’
‘Aye there is.’ Jake sat down and looked up at him.
‘What?’
‘Ye can forfeit.’ That’s crazy!
He shook his head wildly; ‘We can’t do that.’
‘Ye can. If ya forfeit, the whole band’ll cave.’
‘But there’s a chance nobody’ll find out!’ Chris looked as desperate for hope as I was feeling, ‘Nobody will find out!’
‘Aye they will.’
‘How!?’
‘Because I’ll tell them.’ Even I struggled for air at that. My chest was so tight with panic and Chris looked like he was about to pass out.
‘W-why?’ He finally asked. Jake looked like some kid who had just been scolded, but he didn’t back down.
‘Why dae ye think?’ He laughed coldly, ‘I’ll dae whatever it takes tae win this competition.’
‘Even in such a dirty way!’
‘If I thought for a minute ma band had a better chance af yers for winning this I wouldnae!’ He snapped, ‘But lets face facts- I love Bailey and aw but she canny play guitar like ye, neither can Jord! Pluto is an amazing drummer but she couldnae keep up with yers. When it comes tae voice its jus’ a matta af opinion. The only way we’re better than yer band is cause that bassist of yers is crap compared tae me!’ Ouch. Chris froze. I could see the anger fill up in his eyes, his whole face became tense.
‘Don’t you dare think that your better than him!’ he spat, ‘Red is an amazing bassist! And far better than you in that way and more!’ That slapped him harder in the face than a hand could. ‘He’d never do a thing like this! He has a heart which is more than I can say for you!’
‘Chris, I dinnae want tae fall out!’ He pleaded.
‘You "dinnae want tae fall out"?’ He laughed, ‘You’re black mailing me and just insulted one of my best friends, how could I ever look at you the same?’
He bit his lip and looked to the ground, ‘Forfeit.’
‘Jake…’
‘I dinnae want tae put Kieran in jail, but dinnae ye think I wilnae.’ I quickly tiptoed backwards, ‘Ye hae ‘til tomorrow night.’
I ran out of the studio before Chris could walk out the room and catch me. I didn’t know what to do. I came back in with the rest of the guys and just played along. All the way through I could notice Chris was distracted, we all could.
I waited until he was asleep that night before I went up to see Strings. He was the only person I could think of who would be able to sort this mess out.
He opened the door with a pissed off look on his face, ‘It’s one. In the morning.’
‘I know.’ I said and walked in.
‘I’m not happy about this.’ He said and opened up a can of beer, ‘I need yeast to keep me awake I’m so zombiefied. So what happened? T.V broken? Couldn’t sleep and thought it’d be fun to keep me awake to? Or maybe someone had a nightmare and wanted to cuddle in with me?’ He said the last part in a babyish voice. He always saw me as some dumb naïve little kid.
‘It’s Kieran Clark, right?’ That shut him up. Froze him solid to. I was kinda proud of the look I put on his face, I knew more than I should, more than he could have imagined I could. But then the intense glint of hurt in his eyes made me realise what he was going to say next.
‘…He told you.’ He slammed the can on the table and slapped a fist against his head. Then again. And again. ‘I trusted him!’
‘Chris didn’t tell me.’ I said.
‘Then how do you know?’ He snapped back, ‘And how do you know he does?’
‘I overheard a conversation him and Jake had at the studio when I went back.’
He instantly became embarrassed about his little outburst, ‘Sorry. I just thought…’
‘Chris wouldn’t do that.’
‘I know he wouldn’t I just…’ He sat on the couch and sighed, ‘I dunno, what did you want to talk about anyway? Did you want me to say I’m sorry for not telling you or what?’
I shrugged, ‘You have a past. We all do. I dunno exactly what happened to make you abandon it but besides that it’s none of my business.’ I sat down beside him, ‘But you have fake IDs which could get us thrown out the competition. That’s what I’m pissed about.’
He laughed and took another sip of beer, ‘I’m no faker. I legally changed my name when I was eighteen. But Kieran Clark is still who I am, part of me, the past me. But I’m not him anymore. Not legally.’
I felt the sweet lightness of relief, ‘So we can’t get kicked out?’
‘Unless Sailor gets carried away while he’s down here and goes back on weed then no, there’s no reason for us to be kicked out.’
‘Thank God!’ I sighed and fell back easily. A part of me wanted to ask about Chris not really being Chris but… Like I said, we all have our pasts. If he didn’t want to talk about it, then he didn’t have to. I was fine with that.
‘Did Chris come to that conclusion or Jake? I know it couldn’t have been you.’ He laughed.
‘That’s the part I actually wanted to talk to you about.’ I tried to figure out how to put it in words, ‘Jake is an asshole.’
‘I haven’t noticed.’ He said sarcastically.
‘He’s trying to blackmail Chris into forfeiting by saying he’ll tell the judges about you.’
‘What?’ He almost smashed through the table by how hard he threw the can down.
‘He’s got it in his head that if Chris folds the rest of us would follow… and I’m pretty sure we would too. He’s trying to cheat his way through the competition.’
‘Well, he’s not gonna get anywhere is he?’ He shrugged, ‘I’ll tell Chris tomorrow that he doesn’t have to worry about it.’
‘Don’t! Or else he’d know I listened in!’
‘Okay, I’ll subtly tell him I’m legally Eric Kasey, then. He’ll get the picture, he’s not as slow as you.’
‘Will you stop digging at me?’ I asked, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’ He glared at me, telling me otherwise. ‘Whatever.’ I said and saw myself to the door. I was about to open it, when a strange thought popped into my mind; ‘Chris isn’t in any sort of trouble, is he?’
‘What brought that on?’
‘It’s just… I heard him… Say he could have got done for fraud too but he found a way around that, by saying Christian Parlour was his stage name…’
He straightened up, ‘Red… I think there’s something you need to know about Chris…’
‘What?’ I begun to get scared.
He waited for a minute, trying to find the right words to say I guess. ‘His last name is Boner. He doesn’t like it.’
‘Oh.’ I couldn’t help but giggle, ‘I wouldn’t either. Why doesn’t he change it?’
He shrugged, ‘Parents threaten to stop speaking to him or somin’ like that.’
‘Right…’ I laughed for a second and then left the room.
Pffft Christian Boner…
(Writer's Note: Believe it or not- Boner is a real surname o.0 Someone had the unfortunateness of being called Miles Boner, poor guy. Anyhoo! Raise your hand if you don't like Jake anymore? lol I remember when everybody hated Sailor... Anyway! Red is kinda growing up a bit ^ ^ (excluding that last bit) I feel proud of him :D So I'm looking forward to seeing your comments and I hope you enjoyed! ^ ^)