I Have Been Chosen

Oliver 3

Friday 9th January

On that Friday, Oliver took a bus to the pub Kara's band was performing, as there weren't enough seats in the van with all the gear. Not wanting to be late, Oliver arrived early, buying himself a lime and soda and waited until Kara and the rest of the band showed up. When Oliver saw the van parked outside, he popped a mint into his mouth and exited the pub to greet them, Kara giving him a tight squeeze, almost jumping on him in excitement.

"This is my best friend, Oliver," Kara announced to her bandmates. "He's been the sound guy at a few performances of mine before. So, Oliver, this is the band!"

The group gave overlapping greetings and waves.

"This is Rheanna, our keyboardist and backup vocals." Kara motioned to a woman with jet-black hair and a low-cut top, revealing her large moth tattoo on her chest.

"Nice to meet you, Oliver," said Rheanna offering a handshake, which Oliver accepted. "This is my boyfriend, Zeke."

A man with matching jet-black hair gave a simple nod. Zeke wore just a tank top despite winter, revealing his arms covered in tattoos.

"And Darren, our bassist," introduced Kara to a man with dark hair that just about reached his shoulders. "He's our token straight friend."

"Huh. I don't have one of those," said Oliver flatly. "Do you recommend them?"

This received a few chuckles.

"Meh." Rheanna shrugged. "You get what you get."

Darren glared at her.

"Our lead singer and guitarist will be here soon," explained Kara. "There's not enough room for everyone in the van, so Cody usually drives here in his car with all his stuff."

Oliver nodded.

Darren opened the door to his van, and everyone began unloading the equipment and carrying it over to the small stage inside the back of the pub. Though it had been a few years since Oliver had done this, he could still remember the usual setup for the soundboard, which was placed on a high table next to a pillar; Oliver was grateful for this positioning, as it meant he would be sat behind the pillar, no mass of eyes staring at him. He could focus on the band and the music in peace.

After a few minutes of setting up, Oliver heard a car pull outside and then a boot opening.

He turned around and saw a man enter the pub, a guitar case slung over his shoulder, an amplifier, and a coil of cables in one hand. The man had to duck under one of the lower beams, the pub too old to equate for the taller people of the future and then squeezed through the crowd with ease as people moved and let him pass for his broad frame.

Darren went over to him, talking to him with a serious expression, placing a hand on his shoulder, yet the tall man continued to smile and shake his head. Then one of the bartenders called over to the man, and he bounded over, pulling her into a bear hug.

Oliver guessed that the man must be Cody, the lead guitarist and singer of the band, and continued carrying the last bits of equipment from the van. Once empty, Zeke drove it to a nearby car park.

"Here is our setlist," said Kara, taking several pieces of paper from a binder and flicking through to find the right one, then handing it over to Oliver.

Oliver read the setlist title: 'I Fucking Hate Them They Will Regret Breaking Up With Me'.

"We have different setlists so that we can match our mood," explained Kara.

"You choose this one?" Oliver smirked.

Kara shrugged, smiling mischievously. "It seemed appropriate. Though I wasn't the only one who chose it."