Rock Starz

8| Dominic Blackwood

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen! We were Rock Starz! See you next week!" James shouted enthusiastically into the microphone and winked at the audience, causing a few girls to scream. The band finished and they sighed in relief and happiness at the same time.
"We were Rock Starz, that sentence will never get old." Nathan remarked and James smiled at him. It had been a few weeks and they had become the bars' favourite. Nathan and James had grown close and James felt more normal than ever. Which was exactly what he wanted.
"What can I say? I'm a natural." James said with a satisfied grin as he put his arm around Nathan's shoulders. The two walked to the bus stop together.
Devon, Isaiah and Lynx walked a little slower behind the two.
"Is it just me, or are those two just really isolated from the rest of the world?" Devon asked with a slightly jealous tone in his voice.
"I'm glad Nathan has someone to talk to. He clearly had pent up emotions, judging by his aura. It was all crumpled up, like no one could get to it." Lynx then said, making hand gestures that fit his description. Devon looked at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. Isaiah nodded matter-of-factually.
"I see your vision, he's all lit up right now." He said, looking at his friend and new bandmate. Isaiah never quite got used to James. James was nice, but he stuck close to Nathan and didn't seem very comfortable around the rest of the group. Isaiah felt strange about how James acted when Nathan wasn't around. The two seemed glued together.
"Bullshit. Nathan's only obsessed with becoming famous." Devon said, annoyed. He felt replaced, like Nathan now had someone better than an annoying roommate. Still, Devon really cared about Nathan.
"Wow, take it easy there, Devon. No reason to be so aggressive." Lynx said lightly, with a small awkward laugh in his voice.
"Leave him be, Lynx, he got rejected recently." Isaiah said and Devon looked at his friend in shock.
"Yeah go ahead! Tell Tom, Dick and Harry while you're at it!' He shouted in annoyance as he stomped away.
"Poor Devon, there's a crack in his aura, but the sadness can't seem to get out. One last push and everything will collapse. I wonder how long he's got till that happens." Isaiah looked at Lynx with a surprised look.
"Can you actually see auras, or do you just tell us how you think people feel?" Lynx shrugged mysteriously.
"That's a mystery, the world will never solve." He said with a wink.

"And then we'll make the O a star, and the A too. Here, just like this." Nathan grabbed James's pencil and adjusted the drawing they had.
"And each letter has a different font, like it's one of those ransom notes where they cut letters out of the newspaper." James put boxes around the letters of their new, future logo.
"And we're using the colours, red and black." Nathan added this again.
"Excuse me." Nathan and James looked up from James's sketchbook, startled.
"You're members of the band Rock Starz, aren't you?" A large, burly man looked down at the two younger boys. He had a broad jaw and was wearing a fancy hat that seemed to belong in a completely different timeline. He had shaved his beard, and he was wearing a long black coat that didn't stop past his lower legs.
"Uh, yeah." Nathan mumbled again in his well-known confused tone. James cleared formally into his fist and stood up.
"Yes, we certainly are. You are Mr. Blackwood, right?" James said in his princely tone. Nathan looked at his new best friend in confusion. What on earth was this about?
"That would be me, yes. Your show was nice. It's been a while since I've seen such pure talent. And that's why I want to invite you to my office for a chat." Mr. Blackwood handed James his business card and Nathan's frown turned into an angry face.
"Hey! What about the rest of the band?" he said angrily. Mr. Blackwood looked from Nathan back to James in confusion.
"Listen James, your band is mediocre, you're the real star. I can make you famous by putting you on as lead singer with a few fantastic musicians, which will make the sound perfect." James bit his lip seductively. Nathan pushed James a bit to the side so that he was now also half in front of the man.
"People don't just come for the sound, you know. And besides, we're a rock band, not a fancy orchestra that you can easily tame to your taste. If you're interested, you'll take all of us. Not just the perfect picture. We may want to be famous, but we want to become famous in an honest way!" A little further on, the bus pulled up and Nathan was ready to end the conversation and go home.
"Sorry, Mr. Blackwood, he has no idea what he's talking about-"
"No, no. I like you. You're a good negotiator. And since the crowd went wild for all of you. Maybe you do have a point." Nathan looked up in surprise. Was this man that easy to get?
"What?" he asked in surprise.
"Everyone can come. From the singer, to the drummer. All five members. My office. Thursday, four o'clock." Mr. Blackwood nodded with a faint smile and then backed away.
"Nathan, James. What the fuck are you waiting for? Get on the bloody bus!" Isaiah shouted from the vehicle. And the two of them instructed action.
"See you Thursday." Nathan said and James nodded again quickly and friendly before walking away from the portly man.

"I Invited James and his band to my office on Thursday." A soft spoken voice sounded in the darkness as he whispered to another figure standing in a complete shadow.
"Splendid, thank you Mr. Blackwood." The tall figure had a satisfied grin on his face, as far as the world could see through the darkness.
"They better won't let me down." Mr. Blackwood said, not wanting to spill his time.
"They won't."

"Who were you talking to?" Nathan plopped down on the back seat of the bus.
"Dominic Blackwood." James said relaxed as Nathan shot straight up with his eyes wide open.
"That was Dominic Blackwood?!" He asked in shock and James nodded.
"Yeah? Who did you think it was? The milkman?" Nathan put his hands in his hair and stood there in shock for a moment.
"He's got one of the most successful record labels in the whole fucking UK!" Nathan shouted as he folded himself uncomfortably in his chair.
"Yeah Nathan, get over it. You just convinced him." Isaiah said lightly after hearing the rest of the story.
"I should have bowed down to him, let him hire James. Just talking to him was enough. How could I be so stupid and not recognise him?!" Lynx stroked Nathan's shoulder."He did say he liked you, didn't he? I don't see the problem." Lynx said as he laid his head on Nathan's shoulder and continued to cuddle his side.
"I just want him to know that I have manners, and that I'm not some street junkie." Lynx sighed sympathetically.
The bus stopped."Well I'm leaving. Catch ya later." Isaiah said, walking out of the bus with his bag on his back. The band said goodbye to him briefly before the bus continued to Lynx's stop.
"It'll be fine Nate. Just drink lots of tea and don't forget to meditate." Lynx said before he too left.
"James, are you coming back home with us?" Devon asked, assuming the answer was yes, since James often stayed over at the two.
"No, no. I uh, have to go home this time." Nathan felt a sense of disappointment inside him.
"Oh, too bad." He said softly, looking up briefly at his new best friend. James pursed his lip and gave Nathan an air kiss without using his hand. Nathan caught it jokingly and put it in his pocket. Devon rolled his eyes at the sight of the two and after a while stood up, relieved, as soon as he saw the right bus stop. Nathan stood up as well and looked at James who remained seated as planned.
"I'll call you." He said with a smile and Nathan nodded seriously.
"Okay." He then said in a serious tone. James smiled again and Nathan and Devon exited the bus. The two walked silently side by side along the road along the forest.
"Do you think he'll give us a chance?" Devon asked. Nathan bit his lip as he looked at the ground below him.
"I hope so. He has to, I mean, otherwise he never would have invited us, right?" Nathan sounded a little uncertain and Devon nodded with a neutral expression.
"He only came for James, though, Nate." Devon then said softly in a disappointed tone.
"It doesn't matter who he came for, he's getting us. Rock Starz, and we're going to do everything we can to prove that James is nothing without us." Nathan said convincingly and Devon just sighed tiredly.
"Okay, if you say so, mate." He muttered in a gruff tone afterwards.