AN: I AM SOOOO SORRY!!! Yeah I underestimated how hard it would be to update stories while at AIT (Advanced Individual Training) at Fort Lee. However, I am finally through with training and I'm back home :) I will have new updates to these stories weekly I promise you so here you go, a new chapter of Nightshade Academy! I want to dedicate this chapter to all the readers who have kept up with my stories despite the late updates and especially to loveboyxboy1 for feverishly commenting and voting on every chapter of the stories I have posted so far. You're awesome and your votes of confidence really do help when I'm writing these stories! I hope you like it :3
I stood there, my heart pounding against my rib cage, as the time for the inevitable suicide show came closer and closer. In order to prepare for today's show, the four of us ended up staying at the music studio and practicing until midnight. We crashed on the couches right after and passed out. When Jay left the band, the three of them decided to ditch their old name Skrull and come up with a new one. In between our hardcore practice sessions the four of us tried to come up with a cool new name. Can't say we were too successful though. In the end it was down to Toxic Teddy Bears, Violent Bone Crushers, or Smexy Ones. Can you guess who suggested what? I also realized after spending the night with these guys that they didn't have a set style for their band. They played whatever music they enjoyed so it ranged from pop to heavy metal. They mostly stuck with rock though and did a lot of cover songs. Dakota and Jay were the ones who came up with their original songs together, but now they were down to just one songwriter. Since it was too late to write a new song, and no one wanted to play one of their old ones, we decided to do a cover of Somebody I Used to Know by Gotye in honor of Jay.
I clutched my guitar nervously in my hands glancing over the crowd. Oh man. What did I get myself into? The Welcome Back Banquet was actually a huge cook out held in the school's gigantic court yard. They were using the stone amphitheater to preform on and the first act was getting ready to start. I watched longingly as everyone else laughed together and enjoyed their last moments of summer break before classes started again. I should be over there. I should be eating that delicious looking barbecue and trying to make new friends. Instead I was here, glancing over the enormous crowd of bodies as my nerves half suffocated me to death. I turned my back on the crowd and closed my eyes. I took deep breaths trying to calm my racing heart.
"Ok, ok." I whispered to myself, running a clammy hand through my hair. "Just relax."
Around me other students were preparing for their acts. I guess it was tradition for the school to throw a sort of talent show for the students to enjoy at this welcome back fest. I opened my eyes and watched as a girl and boy practiced a dance number. Not far from where they stood was another girl who was mixing a potion of sorts in a black calderon which sputtered colorful smoke in synch with a dub step song she was playing quietly on her iPod. I imagine for her official act the smoke would be larger and the colors brighter. Then there they were. The jerks who were causing me all this emotional distress. They stood there tuning their instruments and checking over the rest of their equipment. I looked over to the guy Raven had pointed out when we first approached the stage area. Jay was definitely a catch. I could understand how his popularity would undoubtedly grow with his natural good looks, but I wondered if he had the talent to back it up. His hair was silver and shown like starlight in the sun. I knew it was naturally that way and probably had something to do with his race, which was something I didn't quite know yet. His eyes were a twinkling blue and his skin was a surreal ivory color. He was dressed all in black with a Rosario chocker around his neck. A silver guitar was slung around his shoulder and I watched as he lightly strummed their chords while mouthing the words to whatever song they were going to play. The more I watched his cool demeanor the more pissed off I felt. Because of this guy I had to endure this stupid torture which may or may not result in total failure and cause my already loser self to become even more of a dweeb in the eyes of the student body. I could totally lose any chance I had to fit in and never be able to recover from it. I would have no friends and spend the rest of my days here in solitude, forever known as the guy who epically failed at the Welcome Back Banquet. I glared daggers over at him hoping my rage would pierce through his relaxed aura.
He suddenly stopped and glanced up at me. Our eyes automatically met and for a second neither one of us moved. We stood there with unblinking stares, a blank expression mirrored on both of our faces. Then the jerk smirked. He winked at me and blew me a kiss. My eyes instantly narrowed and I flipped him off before spinning around and adjusting my guitar. Jerk. My anger at least kept my mind off my nerves and I dug around in my pocket for a pick to use.
"Hey." A smooth voice called out from behind me. I could feel someone's hand on my shoulder and I directed my gaze towards them. Jay stood behind me a smile on his face and a playful glint in his eyes. I glared at him before shrugging out of his hold and returning my attention to my guitar.
"Ooh feisty are we?" He laughed before coming around in front of me. I ignored him as I produced a pick from my pocket and held it up to examine it. Jay chuckled.
"Are you going to ignore me now after you got caught admiring me from afar?" My head snapped up.
"I was not admiring you." I seethed. Jay just laughed, an amused expression on his face.
"Oh really now?"
"Yes, really." I spat before turning back around. I began to play a few notes as a warm up, focusing all my attention to the feel of the vibrating strings.
"Not bad." Jay commented as he slid an arm around my shoulders. "What's your name hot stuff? I don't think I've seen you around here before."
I ducked away from him and maintained a solid glare into that confident stare of his.
"None of your business."
Jay smiled and took a step closer to me.
"Oh yeah? Well mine's Jay, but I'm sure you already knew that."
"And why would you think that?" I seethed through clenched teeth, clutching my guitar with whitening knuckles. His smile widened and he took another step towards me.
"Oh come on, everyone knows me." He laughed as if it were obvious. His arrogance was beginning to piss me off. "However, I'm becoming more and more interested in learning who you are." He glanced up at me seductively through his fringe and took another step forward. This time I took a step back.
"Well good luck with that." I replied, taking another step back as he took one forward.
"Come on, don't be shy. There's no need to be embarrassed." He purred as he continued to drive me backwards.
"The fact that you would even think that just shows how narcissistic you are." I glowered as my back hit something hard. I glanced over my shoulder in time to realize I had ran into a wall, and back in time to see Jay placing a hand on either side of my body, trapping me against said wall.
"Narcissistic? I wouldn't say that..." He breathed as he leaned in closer. Our faces were so close now I could practically feel his lips on mine. He glanced down at them a moment before another annoying smirk appeared on his face. I was two seconds away from driving my guitar as hard as I could into his groin when suddenly-
"Ollie!" Dakota's frantic voice yelled. We both looked over at him and a relived smile filled his lips.
"Dakota." Both Jay and I said at the same time. I ducked under Jay's arm and hurried over to his side. I glared back over at Jay and felt the overwhelming need to stick my tongue out at him, but managed to restrain myself. Jay had lost all of his previous pretentious attitude and now stared Dakota down with ice cold eyes.
"Fancy seeing you here." He commented coolly. Dakota narrowed his eyes at him. "I thought for sure you'd drop out, you know, since you have no singer now." Jay smirked, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest. Dakota smiled, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"Oh don't you worry about that." He slung an arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to him. "We've got an even better singer now, and guitarist." He boasted. Jay narrowed his eyes at him.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
The two continued to glare at each other and I swear the tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. After a few minutes the intense silence was finally broken.
"Jay!" A girl's voice called from behind us. "We're up!" Jay peeled himself away from the wall and swaggered forward. He paused and glanced back over at us.
"Good luck," He smirked, "you'll need it." He continued on back to his gang of insipid jerks. Both Dakota and I glared at his retreating figure. I glanced up at Dakota and noticed his hard expression. His jaw was clenched and his eyebrows were furrowed in anger, but his eyes told a different story. Even though they were narrowed in a set glare they seemed to hold something more in them. I could see that just beneath the surface of those pools of forest green was a deep sadness and loss. I guess losing such a good friend the way he did left a scar on his heart. I coughed and playfully leaned into him.
"Hey." I said, elbowing him lightly. Dakota glanced over at me and his expression immediately softened. "Don't let that guy bother you. We'll definitely show him up on stage." I sounded more confident than I felt but my words seemed to help.
"Hell yeah we are!" He cheered, ruffling my hair and taking a step back.
"Oi! Dakota, Ollie!" We glanced over to Megan who had her arm extended over her head and was waving it back and forth excessively. Dakota rolled his eyes and we quickly made our way over to her.
"You guys ready?" She asked.
"Of course." Dakota replied nonchalantly. I gave her a weak smile and nodded my head in return.
"Good, cause we're on right after Jay and we'll be the closing act so let's get pumped!" Both her and Dakota whooped, slapping each other's hands in a high five before turning away to grab their gear. I wished I could be as enthusiastic as they were but I suddenly found myself unable to speak or move. My hands shook at my sides and my mouth felt like it was full of cotton. I tried to swallow but my throat tightened up to the point where I felt like I couldn't even breath anymore. From the back of my mind I vaguely registered Jay's voice projecting over the crowd through the stage's microphone.
"Good afternoon Nightshade!" His strong voice bellowed, earning an excited cry from the crowd. "We are Falling Angels and today we're gonna do a cover for you of Angel With a Shot Gun by The Cab!" More excited cheers erupted from the crowd as music began to fill the courtyard. I slowly turned around on wobbly legs as the ensemble of harmonized notes began to fill my ears.
"Get out your guns, battle's begun
Are you a saint or sinner?
If love's a fight, then I shall die
With my heart on a trigger,"
Jay's lyrical voice began to wash over me and my eyes widened in shock at the sound of how smooth and rich it was. The words seemed to roll of his tongue like honey and reverberate in your heart. It was captivating and alluring, just like the eyes he was using to woo the crowd now.
"They say before you start a war,
You better know what you're fighting for,
Well baby you are all that I adore if love is what you need a soldier I will be,"
He danced and swayed on stage, turning his hips in a sensual way as his hands glided down the microphone pole. The crowd just ate it up and the girls squealed his name for more. As the song reached the chorus and the energy from the place pulsated around them Jay tore the microphone off the stand and jumped into the air, landing hard on his feet.
"I'm an angel with a shotgun fighting till the war's won, I don't care if heaven won't take me back
I'll throw away my faith babe just to keep you safe,
Don't you know you're everything I have?
And I want to live not just survive tonight,"
He sang with so much passion and heart it was all so unbelievable. Even though I had just been filled with so much hatred for him earlier I found my self as lost in his voice as the rest of the crowd was. Suddenly I snapped out of it and turned my back on the stage. My nerves had exceeded all previous levels and the butterflies in my stomach had now become a full on tornado. I felt sick and placed a hand over my mouth at the feeling of throwing up.
"I can't do this." I mumbled as my head began to spin. I crouched down as I slowly began to have a mini panic attack.
"Ollie?" I heard my name but couldn't tell who had said it. I rocked back and forth on my heels, shaking my head.
"Ollie." they said again. This time I felt a warm hand on my back and turned my head to discover Dakota crouched down beside me, his eyes laced with worry.
"What's up? Are you ok?" He asked. I finally lost it and gripped the front of his shirt in my hands.
"Dakota, I can't do this! There's no way I can do this! I mean look at them. They're so good! And the crowd just loves them. I don't have that kind of talent! I don't know what I was thinking agreeing to this but there's absolutely no way I can do this."
"Ollie."
"I mean his voice is just so amazing and the way he sings with so much passion and enthusiasm. I can't do that!"
"Ollie." He tried again, grabbing my writs as my grip tightened.
"I've never sung solo before and the few times I did sing no one really noticed me so it was fine, but this? Standing in front of everyone like this? I can't, I can't, I can't-"
"Ollie!" Dakota yelled, cupping my face in his hands and bringing me close to him. "Relax, just breath." I stared up at him as my breath caught in my throat. I sounded like I had just run a marathon or something the way I was wheezing and half dying.
"Relax....just breathe Oliver." Dakota murmured. I stared up into his clear eyes as I tried to get my breathing under control. Dakota leaned his forehead against mine and began to glide his thumbs back and forth soothingly across my cheeks. I glanced down at his chest and watched it rise and fall with his breath. Eventually my breathing matched his and I sighed in relief.
"Better?" He asked, pulling away. I blushed and nodded. Sitting back on my heels and clutching my guitar to my chest.
"Now," He began slowly, "I don't know where this is coming from, but you have nothing to worry about. I've heard you sing and trust me, you're really good. Don't worry about Jay or anyone out there. What's most important is about what's in here." He pointed to my chest and I knew he was referring to my heart. It was cheesy yes, but it helped. I smiled weakly up at him.
"Thanks." I mumbled. Dakota grinned.
"No problem, and seriously. You have way more talent than you give yourself credit for." He stood up and offered me his hand. I timidly took it and he hauled me to my feet just as Jay and his band finished up their song. The crowd roared and chanted Jay's name. He and his band members gave an exaggerated bow before exiting the stage. Jay blew his adoring fans one last kiss before jumping off the stone platform and landing just in front of us. He met our gaze and grinned smugly over at us.
"Good luck topping that." He laughed as he turned to following the rest of his band, the five of them hugging and exchanging high fives.
"Come one Ollie." Dakota said nodding his head towards Megan. We walked over to her and glanced around.
"Where's Raven?" He asked.
"I don't know she said she had to do something and just ran off." Megan replied, glancing around the back stage area for her.
"Are you serious? It's our turn to go up!" A tiny part of me hoped she wouldn't show up so then we wouldn't have to preform, but of course such good luck would never happen to me and she came bolting around the corner a split second later.
"Hey guys!" She greeted us, half out of breath. She bent over and rested her hands on her knees, beads of sweat forming on her brow.
"Are you ok?" Dakota asked concerned. She grinned up at him and straightened out.
"Oh, I am perfect." She beamed. Dakota gave her a suspicious look before nodding his head.
"Ok, well, it's out turn to go up."
"Alright." She replied grabbing her bass. "Let's do this!"
"Where were you?" Megan asked as she grabbed her drum sticks and the four of us headed for the stage. Raven smiled mischievously over to her.
"You'll see." She replied with a twinkling glint in her eye. I might have been more concerned about this except for the fact that my nerves were now back to gnawing on my very soul again. My stomach tightened into knots and I swallowed hard.
"Hey." Dakota called, resting his hand on my shoulder. I glanced up at him and met his kind eyes.
"Trust me, you're going to do just fine. We got your back." He gave me a goofy grin and I couldn't help but smile back.
"Yeah and even if you mess up its ok, we'll still be your friends!" Megan chided beside him.
"Friends?" I asked stopping in my tracks, taken slightly aback. Raven rolled her eyes.
"Of course nimrod, just who do you think we are? We're not just going to use that amazing voice of yours and dump you on the street like some used good afterwards. Come on!" She punched my shoulder lightly and smiled. I glanced around me and saw Megan and Dakota had matching smiles and I could see in their eyes that they already thought of me as their friend. I grinned back as a sudden warmth filled my heart at the thought of our friendship and my grip tightened around my guitar.
"Alright, now let's go up stage Jay and his stupid band!" Raven cheered. We all nodded and made our way up to the stage. This time I felt more confident knowing I had the support of my new friends around me. That confidence faltered a bit as we entered the stage area and the crowd seemed to come to life again. They're excitement was revived as they recognized Dakota, Megan, and Raven making their way to their spots. They clapped their hands and screamed with joy. Dakota smiled and waved as did Megan and Raven. I swallowed and made my way towards center stage with shaking steps. I stood in front of the microphone and swallowed hard as I plugged my guitar in. I played a few chords following the lead of my counter parts as Raven and Dakota did the same. When I was ready I glanced around me and saw everyone was ready to go. They nodded their heads and the noise from the crowd died down as they waited with great anticipation for us to play. I cleared my throat and grabbed the microphone with trembling hands.
"Uh, good afternoon Nightshade." My voice quaked over the crowd, amplified by the mic. There was an enthusiastic cry in response, but I saw the confusion in some of the fans eyes. They murmured uncertainly to themselves pointing over at me. I squeezed my guitar tighter and licked my dry lips.
"Um we are..." I suddenly trailed off as I realized we never came up with a band name. I cast a desperate glance over to Dakota for help. His eyes lit up as he mouthed Smexy Ones over to me. I gave him a flat look and glanced over to Raven.
"Violent Bone Crushers." She whispered, determination in her eyes. What is wrong with these people? I stared at her just as blankly.
"Toxic Teddy Bears!" I heard Megan whisper yell behind me. I shook my head and looked back over the crowd. A low rumble of confused voices filled the courtyard as they glanced over at each other uncertainly. They stared up at me expectantly and I could see they were quickly losing interest as the gaggle surrounding the stage was slowly returning to the buffet area.
"Uh, uh we are Undecided and we'll be playing a cover of Somebody I Used to know!" I quickly yelled into the microphone.
"Undecided?"
"That's new."
"I thought they were Skrull."
"Who's that new kid up there?"
"Hope he doesn't choke."
I swallowed and glanced back over at Dakota. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. He lifted his hand and the sound of guitar strings echoed off the castle's stone walls. I quickly followed his lead and the crowd's enthusiasm sparked. They cheered and some of the people leaving for food turned back around. I took a deep breath and stared determinedly over them. Here we go.
(AN: Cover by Mayday Parade over hither---> imagine a slightly more epic version 😉 )
"Now and then I think of when we were together,
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die,
Told myself that you were right for me,
But felt so lonely in your company,
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember,"
The guitars waned and the drums beat on. Raven's hand glided easily over her bass and the low sound complimented the dynamic melody filling the courtyard. The crowd nodded their heads to the beat and smiled up at us, cheering us on. I smiled, my nerves slowly melting away.
"You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness,
Like resignation to the end, always the end,
So when we found that we could not make sense,
Well you said that we would still be friends,
But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over,"
The same overwhelming sensation filled my heart as when we were practicing in the music room. Each of our individual styles blended together and my excitement could no longer be contained.
"But you didn't have to cut me off,
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing,
And I don't even need your love,
You treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough,
No you didn't have to stoop so low,
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number,
I guess that I don't need that though,
Now you're just somebody that I used to know,"
I swung my guitar around and pivoted on my feet losing myself in the rhythm. We sounded amazing! And my thoughts were echoed by the crowd as the trickle of bodies grow into an entire ocean. Everyone surrounded the stage and pumped their fists fervently. A group of girls jumped into the air and hovered above the crowd on poised wings. They held out their cellphones and began to record the show with high pitch fan girl squeals. Another group of werewolves howled enthusiastically over the roar of voices.
"Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over," Dakota's easy voice filled the mic. There was a rough, husky edge to it, but it matched his personality and fit the song perfectly.
"But had me believing it was always something that I'd done,
But I don't wanna live that way,
Reading into every word you say,
You said that you could let it go,
And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know,"
"But you didn't have to cut me off," I continued, picking up the beat.
"Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing,
And I don't even need your love,
You treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough,
No you didn't have to stoop so low,
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number,
I guess that I don't need that though,
Now you're just somebody that I used to know,"
Suddenly, as we were reaching the climax of the song, I could her the soft mumbles of Raven's voice beside me. I turned my head to see what was up when BAM! Fireworks exploded into the sky. I stared up at them startled by their sudden appearance. The crowd roared with excitement and I turned to see Raven smirk, her face filled with pride. I shook my head and smiled.
"Somebody..." We all sang together.
"Somebody..."
"Now you're just somebody that I used to know." As I strummed the final notes of the song, the front of the stage lit up as giant sparks erupted over the crowd, raining down sparkling light. The crowd was ecstatic. They screamed and cheered, waving their arms around vigorously. I grinned and glanced around me. My happiness was echoed in my band mates faces and I could see the satisfaction in their eyes. Oh yeah, we definitely out did Jay.
"Thank you Nightshade! We are Undecided and welcome back to the Academy!" All of us gathered around and took a grand bow together. We strutted off the stage with the school chanting our name behind us. When we were finally back stage, Megan squealed happily with delight and threw her arms around me.
"Ollie, that was so good!" She chirped as she planted a kiss on my cheek. I blushed and smiled over at her.
"Thanks." I laughed. "You guys were awesome too!"
"Not as awesome as you!" Dakota grinned as he ruffled my hair. "Told you so." He winked and my blushed deepened.
"Haha but Raven's fireworks really seemed to rile the crowd up." I replied. We all glanced over at her.
"What? That wasn't me." Her expression fringed innocence but the truth was held in her eyes. Before we could press her further, Jay and his group suddenly appeared.
"Not bad," He began in a low voice, "Too bad you need flashy fireworks to excite the crowd. Your talent definitely didn't do that." His surrounding peons laughed obnoxiously at his words. We narrowed our eyes.
"Don't be jealous just cause you made the mistake of leaving us." Raven snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Yeah, you're just mad cause you actually need a good band to be successful and not just your good looks." Megan continued, flipping her long hair over her shoulder.
"Yeah right." Jay scoffed eyeing them coldly. "You talentless wash outs aren't gonna last. Just because you have this loser now doesn't make a single difference." He eyed me disdainfully, his lips curling into a grimace as I gave him a flat look.
"We'll see." I replied coolly.
"We definitely will." He retorted as he and his group shouldered past us.
"Watch your back." He threatened in a low voice as our shoulders bumped together. I glanced over my shoulder in time to catch his cold glare then his icy stare was gone as he continued forward.
"Don't let him get to you." Dakota said once Jay had disappeared. I glanced up at him and smiled.
"I won't." I assured him.
"If he tries to give you any trouble just come and get us. We'll set him straight." Raven continued. I nodded my head, glad to have found such caring friends in this great, big academy.
"Now come on, let's go eat! It's celebration time!" Megan cheered. We all laughed and followed her lead to the buffet tables over flowing with food. For the first time since coming here I felt at home. Coming to Nightshade Academy was definitely the right choice.
AN: And there it is! Hopefully my writing isn't too horrible after all these months away. Thank you so much for following my stories! It really does mean a lot to me. Please VOTE and COMMENT!!! I want to hear your guys' opinion, even if it's only a single word :)