Marriage For Dummy

Chapter Twenty

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All that you rely on and all that you can fake will leave you in the morning, but find you in the day.

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Iris

This is why I never have spontaneous friends.

Standing in the middle of the stage in front of a crowd that is literally here since last night, was far from daunting. It was ridiculous and obviously selfish to make them hear my Illama voice.

I mean yeah, I could sing but I am no Alicia Keys.

To my right was Gina staring at the crowd like she owns them. Confident, a hint of spice and everything aesthetic and nice; completely opposite of Xaviar and I. Xaviar was right behind me on the drums while Axel was adjusting the guitar keys. This was the first time I had seen either of them, with a musical instrument. Heck, I didn't even know they owned one.

"Merry Christmas, New lovin' York!" Gina bellowed out in her microphone, her jaw begging for mercy from stretching so much. "How are you all doing today?"

There was a medium chorus of yells, some forced while other surprisingly enthusiastic.
Gina looked towards me and nodded, quietly ushering me to say something. I looked at the barbeque grill at the end of the club and waved at it; too nervous to make eye contact with any of the uninterested audience.

"We have Iris Turner as our lead singer, show her some love guys. It's her first time!"

How pathetically embrassing. It felt like being introduced to one of your family's friends that you have never met in your life.

"And behind her on the drums," Gina continued, pointing at an even more sour-looking Xaviar, "is my fuck buddy, Xaviar!"

While the three of us on stage cringed considerably, the crowd seemed to be keen on the idea. Their cheers were louder this time and more wild. I was just hoping she might not say anything about Axel and I here. That would definitely be the social death of me.

"And on the strumming duty, we have our very own brazzers model, Axel Ryder!"

Everyone in that room, except me, were laughing it off. I, on the other hand, had become the epitome of a cringing cartoon, feeling slightly sick at the idea. Even Axel stuck his tongue out at Gina without saying anything and grinning along. How could people be okay with this?

Without a warning, Axel started strumming his guitar all of a sudden. I recognized the tune almost instantly; 'mistletoe'. It was probably one of the few songs I liked by Justin Bieber. Thank Lord I was aware of the lyrics and keys of this song.

"It’s the most beautiful time of the year," shit, what is wrong with my voice? "Lights fill the streets spreading so much cheer."

Xaviar had started slow beating of the drums, which reciprocated his eagerness at the moment. However, my voice was quivering and seemingly disjointed.

My insanity got the best of me when after some lines into the song, I stopped singing. Only a few seconds of mindlessly playing their instruments, Gina, Axel and Xaviar looked over at me quizically. My hands gripped the microphone tightly and I was passing constipated smiles at no one in particular.

The song did not suit my voice. I knew I was sounding like a horse about to give birth. Christmas or no Christmas, the crowd wasn't going to hear me sing this.

"H-Gi, I never really introduced myself. I'm Iris and," pause, "I do not know how to sing this song."

There was just a moment of silence but it felt like eternity. I wasn't sure I was looking at anyone, or anything in particular. People were giving me disapproving glances and uninterested faces. I could have shit my pants right there if it weren't for my tiny boost of confidence just then. I could feel my voice now.