ϟ Drummer Summer ☼

Chapter 7

June 22nd, 1988

I'm alone at the marina tonight.

Avril is off to an amateur punk concert at the beach and I'm still gathering the courage to go up to that bar for the third day in a row.

I'm wearing a new sundress that I bought this afternoon; Avril said it was really flattering, sweetly hugging my curves. I had to get it. I try to wear a bit of make-up, but not in a way that seems obvious, and put my hair in a half-up half-down, to frame my face.

I go over to the bar and sit on yesterday's stool. It's a bit early and the bar isn't full yet, plus there only seems to be one bartender working - one who I don't recognize.

"Hey, sorry to bother..." I say as I get the attention of the bartender. "Is Holt working today?" The bartender sketches a soft smile.

"He is, but he's playing in a few minutes if you'd like to wait here."

He's playing today!? My heart skips a beat when I remember the first time I saw him at the concert. He was so rough but so precise, so hot and so out of my league. I couldn't wait to watch him again.

"Oh, yes! Can I have a Sprite while I wait?"

"Coming right up." He turns his back to me to grab a can and I twist my body on the stool, facing the small stage that is set up in a corner of the bar. I recognize the battery from the concert, the words "Burning Skin" handpainted in black, in a flaming font. It might not look professional, but they sure put their heart into their music.

I pay for my drink once it arrives and they're quick to step into the stage. They're all wearing black t-shirts from other rock bands (I assume) and cargo shorts. The ginger guy grabs the microphone and addresses the crowd with a smile:

"Good night everyone! We're the Burning Skin and we're gonna be your entertainers for the night. Well, at least for an hour." A few chuckles here and there and then he signals to start.

And the thrill is back.

Someone turned off most of the lights, yet I can see them clearly. There's adrenaline rushing through my veins, electricity travels to the tips of my fingers and I feel my soul vibrate within me. I taste the feeling like it's the first time, I'm totally focused on them and on their music. The music is about a father who ran away and abandoned his family - a sensitive topic that isn't treated with tears; it's rather treated as something that should build our character to something better.

My lungs shake inside of me.

The way Holt is angry, the way the averagely handsome bartender from yesterday is supporting, the way another guy in a flannel shirt pulls the strings with sadness and the ginger guy pours his heart out to the microphone and onto the strings.

I never thought there could be so many mixed emotions in one music and neither of them feels wrong, yet none feels right. There's a mixture of something that shouldn't be together but couldn't possibly be apart.

I never thought music could make me feel so much at once.

Only when the song chorus repeats for the second time comes up, I realize my mouth is falling open and tears are streaming down my face. Some tears fall on the back of my hand and I'm brought back to reality.

I chug my Sprite and clean my face with paper tissues until the end of the first song.

I stayed one more hour to listen to covers of trendy songs, but none touched me as the first one did.

When they stepped out off the stage and ran to the back doors, I took my chance to pay for my drink and get out of there, before he realized I was there.

I'll tell Avril the marina wasn't fun without her.

"WHAT A NIGHT!" Sonny celebrates while we're putting out our aprons to do our actual work. "We might not have a big audience, but we sure touched someone's heart." I lift my eyebrow and stop knotting my apron, turning to him in confusion.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Didn't you see?" Jax questions me, while Sonny only stays there with the dumbest smile on his face. "A girl cried while we were playing our song."

"Really? Our song?" My apron is finally in place and I start tying my hair in a ponytail.

"Yup. She stood there for the whole hour while we played, but she only cried with our song!" Sonny says too enthusiastically.

"Someone cried with a rock song?" I'm aware I sound kind of mocking, but I'm just shocked someone would cry at any of our songs.

"The girl did, Holt." Jax places his hand on my shoulder as a way of telling me «yup, it happened, let it go» and I do so.

"Alright, guess there's people for everything."

When we go back to the station, I see one of the guys who works the shift before ours approach me. I don't even know his name but he's really friendly when he does so:
"Hey, man. A girl asked if you were working today."

"Oh yeah?" I browse the bar but I don't see any girls. "Where is she?"

"She left right after you finished playing. I think her emotions got the best of her." Wait.

"Was she a blonde girl?" The guy's smile widens. "Dark blue, probably fake eyes?"

"Yup, that one. She was alone, I think." He takes off his apron and makes his way to the changing room. "Anyway, I gotta go. See ya! Hope you find your friend!"

My friend?
Does he think we're friends?

Why was she here again, anyway?