Songs in this chapter
- Flying Solo - Julie and the Phantoms
- Run - Lauren Alaina
She couldn't not look at him now.
They just stood there for a minute before Julie brought her out of her trance. "Where did you get that?"
Olivia walked in to the studio more putting her guitar case down on the floor. That fact that she had it meant Julie knew she hadn't changed her mind.
"I was getting ready and thinking about calling and saying I couldn't do." She paused for a minute looking over at Alex, he had a big stupid grin on his face. He was proud that she didn't listen to the little voice. "And I wanted to wear one of my dads tops, and I mean I've been though that box a 100 times and I've never seen it before but there it was in the bottom of the box."
She looked down at herself again smiling, there was something about it, she felt warm on the inside, she wished she could bottle the feeling and feel this way forever.
"Now Flynn would call this a sign." Julie said walking up to her giving her friend a hug. "I found one of them in my mums stuff, think maybe she met the boys once, maybe your dad did too?"
Olivia thought for a minute looking at each of the boys, her eyes landing on Reggie as his face lite up. "I mean I guess maybe, he moved to LA in the 90s and was in a band similar to Sunset Curve so it's possible but I mean I'm sure there was loads of boy bands at that time." She let out a chuckle as she saw Lukes eye brow shoot up.
"I think we better get going before Luke kills you and I have to explain that to my dad."
"Before you go can I talk to you Livie?" Alex had a serious brother look now the smile he had was smaller.
"Yeah course." She picked up her guitar and walked back out into the garden. "Alex is everything ok? You look worse than I do?" She turned to look at him.
"Look I don't want to medal and the thing with you and Reggie is totally your business but I was talking to Luke about a song you wrote or were writing and we'd like to help and maybe perform it with you?" She just looked at him. "Livie I want nothing more than for you to be happy and I know that idiot in there wont be able to tell you his feeling first."
"Alex that's really sweet of you and Luke but I just don't know, I don't know if I'm brave enough to put myself out there like that with him." She fiddled with the handle she was holding.
She had a feeling Alex wasn't going to take no for an answer and if Luke was in on it too she knew he definably wouldn't. She wanted to be that brave, she wanted to tell him how she felt. She wanted to put herself out there and not worry about the consequences, but truth was she wasn't sure how to feel if it went either way. What if he did really like her, what then. Alex was right they are ghosts and she couldn't even touch them.
"Can I think about it? But I would like to work on the song with you guys I just don't know if I can show him." He nodded at her giving her a warm smile as Julie walked out the studio.
"We better go or we'll be later."
The girls gave the boys one last wave before they left the studio. Olivia's stomach was in knots now the great feeling she once had gone and what was left behind was a shit anxious feeling.
Yeah, you know who I'm likin' way before I liked them, duh
'Cause you liked them first
And if somebody hurts you, I'm gonna get hurt too
The Cafe was packed.
Important looking people, scary looking people.
Olivia wanted nothing more than to run, run out the cafe run as far as her little legs would take her but Julie had a very tight grip on her hand before the band went on stage.
Now she was stood with Flynn, who had a tighter grip than Julie, watching them be amazing on stage.
They had decided to play Flying Solo, a song Julie wrote for Flynn which Olivia thought was so cute. Julie felt bad she hadn't spend much time with her best friend lately so she thought it would be nice and they'd never played it for anyone apart from Flynn.
Olivia felt her eyes drifting over to Reggie as he rocked out with Luke.
She knew what song Alex was talking about. The song she was writing when he first come to her room. But she just didn't know. Maybe he was right maybe he did like her or maybe he really didn't and she would just make it 1000 times worse and never be able to hang out with them again.
That's just how we work, yeah, that's just how we work
It will never change
We both know what I, what I
What I mean
When I look at you it's like I'm looking at me
My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo
My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo without you
Hey, yeah, yeah
Hey, yeah, yeah
My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo without you
She was confused. Why wouldn't he just tell her if he liked her.
He had nothing to be insecure about unlike her. He was amazing. His bright smile. His ability to made everything better, she didn't get the sick feeling being around him, she only ever felt warmth, happiness. She felt safe.
She felt her heart skipped as he court her staring at him. He winked over at her and she would have fainted if Flynn wan't holding her hand.
My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo
My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo without you
Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah
Hey, yeah, yeah
My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo without you
You
He couldn't take it much more. Alex had told him if he didn't do something soon he'd lose her.
He didn't want that but maybe that's what she needed. Maybe he was being selfish, he knew what he wanted but maybe he shouldn't have it. Maybe he should just be happy with the little bit of her he had and let her go.
As the song came to an end Olivia felt Flynns hand slip form hers so she could clap. She almost hadn't realised it had ended she hadn't stopped staring at the boy in front of her.
As Julie came off the stage she came to stand in from of the red head.
"You can do this ok? You are going to do amazing and look Sarah just got here." She turned to see Sarah take a seat next to Ray, still in her nurses stuff and sent a smile her way.
"And next we have a little change of pace with a country song by ... Olivia River."
River? Alex thought to himself, the name sounded familiar, he'd never ask her last name before, but he felt like he'd heard it before.
"You can do this." She turned to see Reggie right behind her "I believe in you." She smiled at him wanting nothing more than hug him.
She took one last breathe and walked up the stairs to stand in front of the mic. She put her guitar over her head bringing it in front of her.
"Hey everyone, this song is called Run, thank you."
She took her last breathe staring out at the people in front of her, her eyes landing on Julie and the boys.
Run
Daddy said the truck's all yours if you make it run
So you spend your sixteenth summer under that small town sun
Just to make it run
She'd started writing this song with her dad. He told her story's about his summers back in Nashville and his favourite memory was fixing a truck up with her granddad. She made sure it keep it in when her and Luke finished the song.
When it's all on the line, and the ball's on fourth and one
And your mamma's in the stands saying, "Hey y'all, that's my son"And we raised him up to run my Like the blood in our veins, yeah
We're all the same, we-
Run
Reggie couldn't believe the girl he was looking at. She was like a different person on that stage. She was the rock star she was always meant to be when she was on that stage.
Living life like it's a highway, and we're all stuck in drive
Like a preacher on a Sunday, always going overtime
Like the muddy water rushing in the river outside of town
Yeah, the clock just keeps on running, and we can't slow down
No matter where we're going
No matter where we're from
Oh-oh, oh-oh
We're all born to run
God did she remind Sarah of her brother-in-law on that stage. She had to fight back tears as Ray gave her hand a squeeze knowing exactly what she was thinking. She couldn't believe the change in the girl in front of her.
Like mascara on your face 'cause you thought he was the one
But he called you out of the blue and he said, "We're done" (we're done)
He said, "I gotta run"
Like your mouth in a bar when you just turned twenty-one
And ya didn't stop drinking 'til the whole damn room just spun
Oh, I guess that we all
Run
That verse hit the hardest, it made her think back to England, to the boy who made everything so much worse for her. She couldn't do that again.
Living life like it's a highway, and we're all stuck in drive
Like a preacher on a Sunday, always going overtime
Like the muddy water rushing in the river outside of town
Yeah, the clock just keeps on running, and we can't slow down
No matter where we're going
No matter where we're from
Oh-oh, oh-oh
We're all born to run
Julie felt Lukes hand slip in to hers. He wasn't looking down at her just the girl on the stage but Julie could see how proud he was. She looked back at Alex standing behind her, he had the same look. She was so happy the boy had been able to do the same for Olivia that they had done for her.
Through red lights and stop signs
We're racing ourselves
We're tryin' get to Heaven
While we run like Hell
We run
Olivia felt great. She felt like she could take on the world in that moment. She felt herself get light, she felt her heart burst on that stage. She hadn't felt this close to her dad since he'd gone, she wished she'd realised that 2 years ago. She looked out to the crowed to see her Aunt in tears, but her smile was as big as Reggie's was.
Living life like it's a highway, and we're all stuck in drive
Like a preacher on a Sunday, always going overtime
Like the muddy water rushing in the river outside of town
Yeah, the clock just keeps on running, and we can't slow down
No matter where we're going
No matter where we're from
Oh-oh, oh-oh
We're all born to run
We're all born to run
As the song came to an end she took a bow and walked back to her group with a smile as bright as the sun.
"I can't believe I did that. I feel like I could go run a marathon." She laughed her hand shaking looking at the group in front of her. She saw her auntie and Ray chatting and Sarah shot her the proudest smile she'd ever seen.
"Dude don't freak out but I think that important lady is coming to talk to you." Luke pointed at some lady walking up to the group. She wasn't scary, if anything she looked kinda normal, blue washed out jean and sweatshirt on.
"Hey, my names Lisa, I work at the country club The Rodeo." Olivia knew the name well.