The Music Within Me (Johnny X Natalia)

Chapter 2

Buster parked his bike outside this really good restaurant, leaving it out with the guy outside.

"Take care of her, will you? She may look old and rusty, but she is a classic," Buster told him.

Then the bike fell apart. He and his sheep friend, Eddie, sat down at a table to talk.

"Okay, listen. We both know that my theater has been going through some pretty rough times lately, but as the saying goes, 'for every cloud, a silver lining.' We've got--" Buster explained.

"Hup-hup-hup-hup-hup-hup. Hold on right there, Buster. My dad, he heard I was gonna see you today, and he was all like, 'Eddie, you tell that koala, "I'm not funding any more of those shows, and that's final.' "Those were his words," Eddie said.

"Your dad's right," Buster nonchalantly smiles, "those shows were the problem. War of Attrition... Rose Takes a Bow... I mean, nobody wants to see that stuff anymore. So, what do we do?"

"Quit?" Eddie stated.

"No. I give 'em a show they cannot resist, which is gonna be--" Buster started.

Then the waiter cleared his throat.

"Just one more minute, s'il vous plat," Buster requested, the waiter huffed and obeyed, then Buster responded, "Merci."

"Don't speak French. They speak English here," Eddie whispered.

"Now, my next show is gonna be--drumroll, please," Buster said, drummed on the table, then announced, "A singing competition!"

"A singing competition? Who wants to see another one of those?" Eddie asked.

"Everyone! Just think. Your neighbor, the grocery store manager, that chicken-- right there! Everyone in this city gets a shot at being a star live on my stage," Buster explained.

"Buster, this is a terrible idea," Eddie disagreed.

"Oh, no, it's not. Real talent from real life. That's what audiences want, and I'm gonna give it to 'em!" Buster replied, determined.

He banged his fist on the spoon, launching it to a buffalo, making him drop his phone in his soup and it splattered all over his face and suit. A waiter immediately came to help him out.

"Can we please just get out of here?" Eddie asked worriedly.

"Don't you want to eat?" Buster wondered.

"Yeah, but we can't afford any of this," Eddie told him.

"Yes, I know, and that's why...I brought sandwiches," Buster said.

He brought out a lunchbox and tossed Eddie a PB & J sandwich.

"Uh...That's not allowed. Ugh," Eddie responded as peanut butter dripped on his pants.

"What, you don't like peanut butter and jelly?" Buster asked.

"Excuse me, sir," the waiter from earlier said to the buffalo and approached the koala.

"Okay, look. I got cream cheese, I got banana--" Buster said.

Then the waiter grabbed him and tossed him out. Eddie walked out with Buster's lunchbox.

"You, okay?" Eddie wondered.

"Yep. Never better," Buster said enthusiastically and was ready to do this singing competition.

Buster called Miss Crawly on his office phone.

"Miss Crawly?" he said.

"Hello?" she answered, the fan blew her face back and made her glass eye spin in her eye socket, and continued, "Uh, who is it?"