POV Paul
It was eventually time to go back to school and the months had seemed to drag on until summer. We had some Friday and Saturday gigs and our popularity in the local scene seemed to grow. One Thursday after noon I was in the den sitting by the piano until Joe walked in.
"Hey, why are you in such a rush?" I asked as Joe scurried in.
"I need a pen now!" Joe said as I tossed him one and he immediately wrote something down.
"New song for us?"
"Yeah and it's damn good."
"Seems like it with the way you're acting."
"I don't want to forget the words."
"I'm quite surprised at how popular we've become."
"That first gig at David's dad club put us on the map."
"You're right about that."
"We have to keep at it, can you imagine if a talent scout happens to be at one of our shows?"
"Our careers would really take off if that happens."
"Here take a look." Joe said as he passed me the sheet music of his new song.
A couple minutes Steven and David came in for practice and Joe showed them his new song. Including Joe's new song we had six original pieces and that number would only grow in the months to come.
"I have some good news." David said.
"Let's hear it." I said.
"You ever heard of the Serpent Cove?"
"Isn't that the club with talent scouts and paid gigs?" Joe asked.
"Yeah, and I just landed us an audition there." David said as we all looked at each other excitedly.
"The audition is next Friday so we'll have plenty of time to clean our pieces and get them to near perfection.
The rest of the week was spent in practice and working on our pieces. We practiced every single night and got dressed in our best attire on Friday. We got to the Serpent Cove and got on stage to audition for the booking manager. As we played two of our original pieces I could tell by the look on his face that he was throughly impressed.
"You guys are amazing and at such a young age. Your music takes me back to when I was a teenager attending rock concerts of some of the greatest bands out there but I need to ask, what makes you different from all the other bands that come in here?"
I was nervous, I didn't except that from the guy. I walked over towards him and placed the microphone on the stand.
"What exactly do you mean by that Mr. Washington?"
"I've seen many groups like you, bands with up to eight guys that come looking for an opportunity so I need to know what makes you stand out."
I was getting bit frustrated and didn't know what more to say.
"We are different and probably better, than you've ever seen, we've been the fastest growing rock band in this town since 1970 and I know that I've done my research."
"I'm not doubting your talents but I'm all booked out but I can be swayed."
"Come on man it's only March, just find a spot for us, we'll prove to you that we can fill this place up."
"Give me a reason."
Joe put his bass down and walked over next to me.
"We have two girls that sometimes sing with us, if you let us play and we bring them I guarantee you this place will be filled like never before." Joe said.
The manager raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Fine, tomorrow night all of you including the girls."
On Saturday we arrived at the club and started unloading our equipment with the help of Christine and Emily. As we unloaded I noticed a familiar face sitting at the bar watching us curiously. It looked like Coach Taylor who was the coach of the football team at school. Coach Taylor was in his mid-twenties and was very energetic. I studied him until I heard arguments behind me and got back to helping unload. After everything was unloaded I walked over to Christine nervously.
"Hey, you nervous?" I asked.
"Extremely." Christine responded as her face turned red.
"Don't be, you're with us and we have all the faith in the world in you."
"You do?"
"Of course, we do especially me."
"Thank you." Christine said blushing. A long silence hung between them.
"You're gonna be amazing up there." I said softly.
Christine smiled softly and then looked down.
"I love you." I whisper as I walked toward the keyboard.
Within thirty minutes of the performance the club was already packed and was awaiting for our performance. The dance floor was packed with sweaty bodies and the scent of beer. I have heard about major gigs in the place but nothing came close to just how packed it was tonight. The manager came up to us and nodded his head.
"You were right, I've never seen this place so packed before in my life, give the people an unforgettable performance." The manager said as he gave us a six hundred dollar check. I gave it to Christine for her to put someplace safe until after the gig when we would split it evenly. Right before the performance I glanced backstage and saw Joe and Christine as he picked her up and kissed her as she smiled at him. I clenched my fists along with my jaw and looked away. It was still one of the most painful things to ever happen to me. I tried to focus all of my energy and thoughts into our performance so that we've get asked to come back to perform her many more times. The stage and houselights went black as we all made our way to the stage. Steven sat at his drums, David and Joe picked up their guitars, I sat by the keyboard, and Emily and Christine grabbed the microphones. Before the lights went up I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before the blinding stage lights turned on revealing all of us as cheers filled the club.
POV David
As the lights came on it was instantly hard for me to make out who was in the crowd and who wasn't. I prayed that Sherrie was in. Our group got fake ID's only to be let in to see us perform since this was a club and bar and the guest needed to be at least 21. We even had fake ID's that made us exactly 21 even though our oldest member was only 18 and that was Steven. We opened the show with Christine's original and the crowd was dancing and drinking and cheering all at once. Once my eyes finally adjusted I saw Sherrie standing on a chair to get a better looking and there she was cheering me on and singing along to the song she knew all too well. We also spotted John, Sunshine, Sophie, and Janet in the crowd. We played all of our originals and some classic 80s rock covers. After the show there was a blackout and once the lights came back on we had already been backstage.
I grabbed Sherrie and brought her backstage and she hugged me.
"Baby, you were amazing I am so proud of you." Sherrie said as she kissed my cheek.
"I knew you'd be watching so I had to make sure it was nothing short of perfect." I said as I spun her around and kissed her. We walked over to the bar and I ordered both of us beer. That performance had been one of our most important gigs and it went better than any of us could have ever expected. It made us six hundred dollars and that was great for us especially if they wanted us to come back more frequently.
"Thank you for being here Sher, it means the world to me." I said as I kissed her and felt her wrap her arms around me kissing me back.
"I will always support you."
"I know." I said giving her my charming smirk.
"I think Sophie recorded everything on her camera."
"That's awesome, we'll look through the footage tomorrow."
"You guys are gonna be big."
"When I'm up on that stage and I'm playing our music, and playing with the energy I get from the guys, it's like nothing I've ever felt before. Wrestling never gave me the kind of thrill that my guitar does."
"I'm glad your dad finally took off that blindfold and saw how talented you are."
"Yeah I was very surprised."
"I saw the way the crowd was cheering for you and when Paul sings and moves with the mic stand, the audience moves with him."
"He's a great singer."
"You guys are the perfect mix." Sherrie said.
"God, I love you." I said as Sherrie's eyes widened.
"That's the first time you've ever said that to me."
"I would have said it sooner but I was nervous." I said pulling her closer by her waist.
"This summer is gonna be filled with gigs and spending my time with you." Sherrie said as she wrapped her arms around me.
A few minutes later Sophie, Steven, and Janet joined us and talked. We drank beer and some of us danced and after a couple of dances with Sherrie I took her to the tiny dressing room in the back.
"This dress you are wearing is killing me Sher." I said as I picked her up and wrapped her legs around me. I placed my hands under her thighs holding her up and she clung onto me.
"I love driving you wild." Sherrie said as I bit my lip. I leaned her body against the wall still holding her up as I kissed her. It wasn't the most ideal place but we ended up making love in that dressing room on the small couch. It was our first time with each other.
"That was incredible." I said as I was holding her from behind as we were laying down on the couch.
"The best I've ever had." Sherrie said turning around to face me and kiss me. After a few minutes of kissing and snuggling we both got dressed and fixed our hair before returning out to the bar to dance and converse with our friends. I looked down at my watch and was surprised when it was still early. It was eleven pm and the night held many more memories to make of one of the greatest shows The Runaways had ever had. Sherrie and I emerged from the back with me holding her waist from behind.
"You guys really think we'd didn't know what you were up to." Paul said raising an eyebrow. After Paul's comment Christine and Joe came over to us running nearly out of breath.
"Mr. Washington is going to pay us to perform again next Friday night!" Joe said catching his breathe and hugging Christine tightly as we all cheered.
"This calls for a beer on me!" Paul said as we all headed to the bar. For the rest of the night we drank and danced till our bodies gave out and we all decided to head home. One thing that I knew was certain was this was a night that none of us would forget even years from now. It may not have been our first gig but it was definitely the gig that started our rise to stardom. Steven had been the only one out of us who didn't drink so he gave all of our drunk asses rides home. When he dropped of Sherrie I walked her to her door and gave her a sloppy smooch that she loved and then let her go as I got back into the car. I watched her turn towards my direction and blow me a kiss before walking inside her house. That woman was amazing and I was head over heels for her and everything she had to offer. I felt like a school boy experiencing his first ever crush.
POV Sherrie
The next week the boys rehearsed everyday and two new songs were created by Steven and Joe. Sophie, Christine, Emily, and I attended every single rehearsal. On the Sunday after the concert Sophie came over to the den of Paul's home and brought her camera and her laptop with the uploaded photo and videos. Sophie had uploaded everything she got from the concert onto her computer. My focus was mainly on David. The way he played his guitar and the passion in his eyes was so inspiring. I could almost feel the connection he had to his music. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before. I looked over at David and could see how happy he was watching over the footage.
"You guys were incredible." I said as I looked over at David. David smiled at me and the guys also smiled at me.
"The guys and I were talking and we would love it if Sophie would be charge of recording videos and Sherrie you could do photos." David said as my eyes lit up.
"I would love to!"
"I'm on board too." Sophie said and with that the boys had a camera person and a video person. We were officially a part of The Runaways team. After we looked over the footage everyone went into the kitchen and I stayed behind with David. David wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. We rested our foreheads against each others.
"I love you." David said as he closed his eyes.
"I love you too." I whispered as I kissed him.
"Watching you perform and seeing the passion you have for your music, it's inspiring and you are going to inspire a lot of people." I said with my hands behind his neck holding onto him.
"I wrote a new song, it's about you." David said as he smiled at me.
"Can I hear?"
"Not yet, I want to perform it on Friday and I'm going to dedicate it to you so everyone in that room knows that you are my girl." David said as I smiled and blushed.
Sophie and I spent the days leading up to the next gig editing the photos and videos of the boys performing. We had plans to post them online so that the world would get a taste of what The Runaways were really all about. We promoted Friday's gig online and I even made a some posters that I posted up all over the town. In less than a day the whole town had heard about the gig and we knew the club was going to be packed once again. I had been in the den editing some of the photos when a voice interrupted me.
"Hey." The voice said as I looked up.
"Oh, hey Steven." I said as I looked back at the computer.
"How's the editing going?" He asked as he walked over to me and sat down next to me and looked at the screen.
"I haven't stopped, I came to the realization that I love editing." I said.
"You know you can always take a break." Steven said. I stopped to think. I had been editing like a mad woman for 3 days straight and Steven was right. I closed the laptop and looked at him.
"You're right."
"We really appreciate everything that you and Sophie are doing for us." Steven said with a soft smile.
"We both enjoy it, we love and support you guys and if we can help in anyway that's what we'll do." I said placing a hand on his hand affectionately and then removing it.
"I'm sorry about what went down between you and Joe but I'm glad you and David found each other, you make him a better person and I can see how happy he makes you." Steven said getting up and pouring himself a glass of soda.
"I was upset at first but I'm glad me and Joe were able to work things out and become friends and yeah David has changed for the better but I think it has more to do with the music and becoming friends with you guys." I said as Steven passed me a glass of soda.
"None of that would have happened if it wasn't for you." Steven said with a smile. When Joe and I dated I became close friends with Steven and Paul, they were always kind to me and even after the breakup we were able to continue the friendships.
"I think the reason we are successful is because you introduced us to David because before David we weren't getting anywhere." Steven said sitting back down on the couch. While we sat on the sofa we talked about his graduation which would be here in a few months. The rest of us were still juniors but Steven was a senior but he said he'd wait for the rest of the boys to go to college but if the band took of they wouldn't even need to go to college, they'd just be performing and making millions.
"What about you, any plans after high school."
"I've always dreamed of going to L.A. and possibly being a solo artist, I sing too."
"I've known you for three years and I'm just finding out about this."
"I'm just too nervous, I've only ever sang for my grandma, my parents are kind of like David's they don't think I could make it in L.A." I said as Steven stood up. When he walked back to me he handed me a microphone.
"You're gonna sing for me." Steven said as my eyes widened.
"No- I-I ca-"
"It's just me, I'm not gonna judge you." Steven said with a soft look. I took a deep breath and sang him "Sister Christian" by Night Range.
"Sherrie, that was amazing, you have a great voice. I think that if you do decide to go to L.A. people would be stupid not to sign you." Steven said as I smiled.