Rock Starz

9| Devon (part one)

"Dad, come on, try to eat something. You need to eat something." It was early in the morning and Clara stood at the side of the sofa with a sandwich and a glass of milk which she pushed towards her father's face.
The man groaned a little and turned around on the sofa. Clara sighed and put the food and drink in front of him on the coffee table.
"Did he..." Devon didn't finish his sentence as he took a bite of his food. Clara nodded tiredly.
"Yeah, I'm afraid this is going to get out of hand one day." She said in a soft, sweet, concerned voice. She looked at her father who completely ignored the breakfast and instead reached for the bottle that was standing on the ground beside him.
"I think this is already bad enough." Devon mumbled softly. He didn't want to interfere too much, but he thought Clara was doing too much for her father. He didn't think he deserved the attention and love. Also, he might've been a bit jealous.
Clara sighed tiredly and sat down at the table with Devon. Devon looked at her, eyes amazed at how she could still be so beautiful on a bad morning like this. Her hair was in a tight ponytail and her dark brown eyes stared sadly at the table top. Devon was taken aback for a moment.
"Have you thought about what I said?" Clara looked up, wide-eyed. Devon saw the question marks forming.
"What do you mean?" She asked, startled. Was it serious? Was it important?
"You know what I mean." Devon looked at her with sad eyes. Clara thought for a moment and then she sighed as soon as she realised what this was about.
"Devon..." She began in a sympathetic tone. Devon pushed his chair back and stood up.
"No, never mind. You're too busy. Sorry I brought it up." Devon slammed his chair against the table.
"Devon, listen, I-" But Devon had already rushed out the door. He walked down the dirt path further into the woods and he felt his tears stinging.
"Wanker." He said softly to himself. He bit his lip and tried to suppress the uncomfortable feeling in his chest. He wiped a stray tear from the corner of his eye and cleared his throat.
A little way behind Nathan's father's house was a sawmill where Devon worked. Although it was simple work, Devon didn't like going there.
"Hey Devon! You're not as grumpy as you were last week, are ya?" Devon felt his angry look forming automatically when he heard his coworker laugh.
"Oh, sorry I said anything." The broad man laughed again and another man rolled his eyes."Don't mind him. He got engaged yesterday. Now he thinks all the bad things in the world are gone." Devon's other coworker said. Devon nodded.
"I can imagine." Devon said softly as he thought about what it would be like to get married. He was getting too carried away with his thoughts. He could see himself standing at the altar, in that terribly tight suit, but he would do it all for Clara.
He would do anything for her.He imagined Clara walking up, in a beautiful big white dress, with a modest bouquet of flowers in her hands.
"Hey Devon." Devon was startled when his colleague tapped him.
"I asked how your weekend was." Devon had to think for a moment about what exactly that question meant. He wasn't fully awake yet, and was still half asleep.
"Oh yeah, all right." Devon's head was full. He was more or less focused on Clara than on what was actually going on.
"Me and Dave saw you on Friday. Your performance was really great. I didn't know you had a new band member." Devon nodded absently as he put on his work gloves.
"Yeah, his name is James. If it wasn't for him, we probably wouldn't be a band anymore." Devon said as he rolled up his sleeves and started working.

"I don't care what you think, I think I can be better, and you're going to tell me when it's better." Nathan sat on his bed with his guitar plugged in.
"It sounds great, trust me." Nathan snapped his fingers.
"And that's the point, I don't believe you." Lynx sighed.
"But it's not about how it sounds, is it? It's about the energy you let flow from your fingertips over the guitar to the audience." Nathan looked at Lynx tiring.
"Lynx, sorry to say this, but do you always have to be so airy-fairy? This is about the theory of music. Not how much incense comes off it, or whatever." Lynx frowned.
"Nathan, music isn't about how it sounds, it's about how it makes people feel, how it brings people together. No one in the audience will hear the difference you're practising for right now." Now Nathan was really getting irritated.
"On Thursday we're playing for one of the biggest record labels in the whole fucking UK, I think they'll hear it." Nathan played a little solo on his guitar and Lynx watched him shaking his head.
"But is that really so important?" he asked in a soft tone. Nathan laughed sarcastically.
"Is oxygen important? Yes! Of course it is! It's everything that I ever wanted." Nathan said the last sentence softly. He stood up and walked to his desk, looking for a tuner.
"But will that make you happy?" Lynx muttered to himself. He was worried about Nathan, and he just wanted to help him. Although he didn't know how. Nathan wasn't always that self-aware. And when he wanted something, he went for it. Without really thinking about what it would do to him.
"You know-" The doorbell rang. Nathan looked up and walked towards his door.
"I thought James couldn't make it today." He said before running down the stairs and opening the door. Nathan frowned as he saw an unfamiliar man in front of him. He was well built and had short grey hair.
"Uh, hello." Nathan said confused. Was this a friend of his father's? Or someone from the lumberyard.
"I'm here to see Devon." Nathan's eyes widened.
"Are you-"
"His father." Nathan bit his lip. If there was anyone Devon absolutely did not want to see, it was his father.
"Is he here?" Nathan panicked. He knew he had to lie for Devon, but who knows what the man would do to him if he found out he wasn't telling the truth.
"He uh- you see-"
"Devon? He's at the sawmill, right?" Clara came down the stairs with Lynx following behind her. Nathan turned and gave his sister a murderous look. Clara raised her eyebrows.
"Sawmill? I thought he was in town, running errands." Nathan laughed nervously as he tried to make it clear to Clara and Lynx who this was.
"Yeah, that's right! Actually, he was talking to me about it, right before he left." Lynx said as he continued to walk down the stairs.
"What are you guys talking about? Devon is always working at the sawmill on Mondays. That's over here on the left, further into the woods." Clara kindly gave the man directions as Nathan's nervous laugh fell.
"I've got what I came for." Devon's father said and then he walked to the left. Nathan closed the door in disbelief.
"I can't believe you just said that Clara." Clara looked at her brother in surprise.
"What?" Lynx bit between the two.
"Guys, I'm sensing a lot of negative energy." He said. Nathan looked over Lynx's shoulder towards his sister.
"How weird, huh?! You just fed my fucking best friend to the sharks Clara. All right if you don't want a relationship with him but to rat him out like that?!" Clara didn't understand it at all.
"What do you mean Nathan?!" Clara felt belittled she didn't know what it was about and because of all Nathan's stress it seemed serious.
"That was his fucking father! Do you have no idea what that man has done to him in the past? Do you even know why he lives here?
" Lynx sighed."Nathan, try to breathe in and out before you speak-"
"Lynx don't bother with my fucking breathing!" Nathan shouted in frustration. Despite what he said he still managed to catch his breath calmly.
"I thought he just needed a place to crash, how could I know?" Clara said in her defence.
"Never mind." Nathan mumbled as he grabbed his coat from the coat rack and opened the front door again.
"Come on Lynx." Nathan and Lynx walked outside.
"You did well to calm down at the end Nathan, not many people can do that when they're in a rage like you." Lynx ran after Nathan while talking as Nathan walked as fast as he could towards the sawmill.
"Hey Lynx, do me a favour. Keep your mouth shut for two minutes, once I've beaten that guy up you can say as much airy-fairy shite as you like." Lynx's eyes widened.
"Nathan, violence is never the answer." Nathan's eyebrows were far down.
"It is for dumb people like this guy."