Chapter Eleven

Chapter 11

I came home from school with a huge story to tell my mom and, as always, she was a great listener.  She “uh-huh”ed occasionally and nodded her head in understanding when prompted.  When I finished my last sentence she had a smirk on her face and a gentle expression in her eyes.

     “Adolescence is exhausting,” was her only comment.

     “Why am I such a t**d?” I asked.

     “Because you are 14.  You’ll grow into a bigger t**d as the years go by before you start to shrink and become normal.”

     “Gee, I can’t wait for total t**d-dom.  So can I go to the concert tonight?”

     “Can I say no?”

     “No.”

     “I didn’t think so.  Do you need a lift?”

     “Yes, can you drive Meg, Maggie, Chris and Marissa?”

     “If they can all fit in my car, then they are all free to go.  Where are we going anyway?”

     “It’s called The Den and it’s in the strip mall across from the school.”

     “The Den?  Fine.”

     Just then there was a knock on the door and I ran to answer it.  

     “Are you going?  Will your Mom drive?” Maggie asked excitedly.

     “Yes I am going and yes my Mom said she can drive!”

     “Okay, I’ll see you tonight.  I’ll let the others know.”

     “Thanks Mags!”

     I closed the door and ran to my room to start the hunt for what to wear that night.

     I could barely eat dinner that night.  My stomach was totally twisted into knots.  I had never been to a teen club and had no idea what to expect. I kept my head down and just pushed bits and pieces around on my plate.

     “Butterflies?” my Mom asked.

     “Oh yeah.”

     “You really should try to eat a little something.  Have another piece of bread or you’ll be hungry once you’re settled down.”

     She was probably right, but nothing felt right going down my throat.  Why does time move so slowly when you have somewhere to go?  The concert started at 7:00 o’clock, but we had all decided to leave at 6:30 to be a little early.  We had tickets so we didn’t have to pay at the door.  I was guessing that tonight would be the night that I would me this secret admirer of mine.  That simple thought threw my whole stomach into a major loop and I’m not talking a roller coaster loop and not the simple mom drove the car over a hill a little too fast loop.  My head swam and I think I could honestly say that I was working myself up into major hysteria that all came to a sudden halt when I heard the first knock on the door.  I looked up immediately and my eyes clasped onto the first clock I saw and in big, red digital numbers I read 6:28.  I gulped back whatever was moving up my throat and nervously turned to the kitchen door as Marissa walked through. 

     “Hey!  I’m so sorry. I hope I’m not interrupting dinner. I’m a little early,” Marissa said.

     “Nope. We were just sitting here watching Trinity work herself up into a panic,” my Dad chimed in right on cue.

     “Oh Trinity. You’re not driving yourself crazy are you?” Marissa said in a sarcastic and dramatic tone.

     “No,” I answered and went to get myself ready to go as the others began arriving at the front door. 

     The Den looked like all the rest of the little shops around it, but the front window was blacked out and two men stood outside in front of the door letting people in and out.  My Mom was curious to what the place looked like and I really couldn’t blame her.  She asked if she could walk us to the door so that she could take a look inside since we had never been to this place.  I really had no problems with that.  I guess if I had a daughter I would be curious too about where I was sending her off to and I could tell by the way Mom asked that she was trying to be very respectful yet still be a responsible parent. We all got out of the car and walked to the door.

     “Sorry ma’am, no one over the age of 18 is allowed inside,” said one of the men standing outside.

     “Excuse me, but I’d like to see where my 14 year old will be spending some time tonight,” my Mom said looking shocked.

     “That’s okay.  We are under orders to tell everyone that so that parents are assured that no one goes in without getting through us first.  You are more than welcome to walk the kids in.”

     “Oh! I like that.  Thank you!”

     My mom suddenly had a smile on her face and so did the rest of us since we knew that the club had passed the test and had been put on the “approved places” list.  When we walked in there were two ladies and two more men who were patting everyone down and looking in purses and pockets. 

     “We don’t allow weapons, drugs, or cigarettes to enter the club,” one of the ladies was telling my mom. “There is a bar, but it only serves water and soda and some fruity drinks. We have a staff of 10 men and women who rotate around the club and just watch to make sure that everyone is doing okay.  They all have on yellow club shirts.  Most of them know the kids so they’ll stop and talk awhile. It’s all very social.  It’s on a volunteer basis so if you ever want to volunteer then you can call us up and we’ll put you on the list!”

     “That’s really cool,” my Mom said and honestly looked really impressed.

     “Here is the parent pass,” said the woman handing my Mom a slip of paper. “The kids have to give this to the parent who drops them off in case there is a problem.  You can’t come in here without a child unless you have one of these passes.  Of course, we can always bring your child outside to you.”

     “Oh.  You all seem to have all the bases covered don’t you?”

     “We have to.  We are responsible for a building full of teens!” the woman said with a wistful laugh.

     “Well, you have a good night,” my mom said to the lady and she gave me a quick kiss and told me that she’d picked me up at 11:00.

     I followed everyone inside The Den.  Through the door the room opened up into one giant room.  There were tables scattered across the brown carpet and small wooden chairs with red plastic  seats were pushed in ready for the evening.  Ledges lined the left and right walls with stools placed neatly underneath for those who couldn’t find or didn’t want to sit at the tables.  The bar was to the right and far back into the corner of the room by the restrooms.  There was a huge sign above it listing all the drinks and snacks that were available.  There were even a special list of club favorites featuring drinks like Peachy Fizz, Fruity Blast and the Seance Special.  I started to think that this Seance group must really be something to have a drink named after them!  The stage was at the far back right corner with a dance floor right in front.  Beside the stage was a door that led to the “green room”.  That was what everyone called it.  Occasionally I would see someone go in there or come out of there.  It made me curious as to who Seance were and if I ever saw any of them in the halls.

     “Hey Trinity!” I heard Amber scream from a table closest to the green room.

     She was sitting with Star and Summer and we all headed toward the rest of our friends.  

     “Well, the band should be on in just a few moments.  Should we get a drink?” Summer asked.

     We all agreed, but I stayed back with Star to keep our dibs on the table.  

     “So are you nervous?” Star asked trying to hide her smile.

     “You don’t know who it is do you?” I asked her hoping desperately that she was in on the mystery.

     “No!  I have no idea.  Remember, we haven’t been the best of chums here recently.  I didn’t even know that you were getting letters.”

     “Yeah. Sorry.  Here are the other letters.  I typed the poems up and put them together.  It’s really beautiful.  I can’t believe a guy wrote this.”

     Star took the paper out of my hand and read the stanza.  

     “It really is quite good.  At least your mystery man is literate.  Chris’ idea of fine literature is Batman comic books.”

     That comment made me laugh.  Chris didn’t seem the overly romantic type.  

     “Star,” I began, “what if this guy isn’t all that I’m hoping for?  What if he is another Lester Polansky?”

     “What do you feel?”

     “What’s that got to do with it?”

     “Well Trinity,” Star explained, “people have what is called a sixth sense or a gut feeling and sometimes you need to just trust in yourself.  Okay, this guy may not come out looking like a high end model, but his words are sweet and so far he’s making you feel gushy right?”

     “Of course I feel gushy! I mean it’s mysterious and romantic, but still if Lester is behind all of this then I just may wretch.”

     “I think you’ll be fine,” Star finished up just as everyone was headed back with drinks. 

     Chris had gotten Star a soda and Meg had picked one up for me.  I couldn’t relax and even as I took a couple sips of my soda I could still feel the lump in my throat. I glanced down at my watch.  It was 7 o’clock.  Showtime!  Everyone was chatting merrily, but I just couldn’t focus on what was being said.  I felt like I was being obviously quiet yet no one seemed to notice.  A couple kids stopped by to say hello to Summer or Amber and they would introduce us.  When the introduction got to me then I could only weakly smile and try to be courteous when inside my intestines felt like a gelatinous mass of goo.  Shortly after 7:00 the lights began to dim and I noticed the band members filing out of the green room door.  First the drummer appeared and took his place behind the drums.  Then another boy came out and made his way to a bass guitar standing in the far corner.  I couldn’t help but to crack a smile when I saw Steve appear next.  Our table was close to the stage and he looked down at us and smiled then went over to a corner to pick up a guitar.  The final member came running out of the room and the crowd went wild.  The place had filled up quite a bit since we had come in and now everyone had rushed the stage and were screaming and yelling as the lead singer introduced the group - “Welcome everyone.  We are Seance.”

     They started off with a fast paced song that was loud and strong.  The bass and drums boomed through my ear canal and straight down into my shoes.  I was immediately mesmerized by everything going on up on the stage.  The singer would sway to the music and bend to touch a hand of a girl who would swoon and then let out a scream that was lost in the rhythm.  A few kids were dancing further back on the floor away from the mass of throng of teenage girls.  

     “Groupies!” I heard Summer yell to Amber as she rolled her eyes.

     Seance played five songs and then stopped to take a break.  The silence they left behind was deafening and my ears actually felt numb.  Steve came over to say hello to me and I introduced him to everyone at the table.  Our conversation was short lived since there were girls draped all over him and he had to head back to the green room with the rest of the band.

     “Are you staying to the end of the show?” Steve asked me.

     “Yes.” I screamed.

     “Trinity, you don’t have to yell.  We’ve stopped playing.”

     I just apologized and looked down feeling a bit embarrassed.  Steve smiled back and headed back to the room with four girls in tow.

     “How do you know him?” Amber asked me.

     “Yes, he’s in my grammar class.”

     “Trinity, he’s hot!”

     “Yeah, he’s kinda cute I guess.”

     “You guess?” Amber squeaked in disbelief.

     “He’s not interested in me.  We just talk in class.  It’s really no big thing.”

     “Oh yeah. That’s because you have Mr. Mystery Man waiting in the wings.  So I wonder where he is.” Summer said scanning the room.

     After about fifteen minutes Seance took the stage again.  They played five more songs.  One song was a slow song and boys and girls paired together on the dance floor.  Chris took Star’s hand and lead her out where the other couples were dancing.  I just watched them and yearned for what they had.  Summer had caught up with her current boyfriend Stan.

     “Who is that?” Marissa asked Amber gesturing towards Summer who was slow dancing with a very tall good looking junior.

     “That’s Stan.” Amber replied.

     “What happened to Allen?”

     “That was last week’s special.” Amber replied with a snap and started to laugh.

     After the ballad softly drifted away, Seance ended with a fiercely loud and fast song which got the crowd up and dancing and jumping.  The song ended with a final note and Seance exited the stage.

     “Well, that was certainly good. I wonder if my Mom is here.” I said as I reached back towards my coat.

     “Don’t you want to see the encore?” Amber asked.

     “The what?”

     “The encore.  They’ll come back out to do one more song.”

     “Oh!  I didn’t know that. Okay then.” 

     I turned back around and looked up on stage as the boys were filing towards their proper instruments again and the crowd cheered. 

     “We would like to thank everyone for coming out tonight to see us play.  We really appreciate our fans and the support that you continue to give to us.  This last song was written by our guitarist, Steve Hawkins.” the lead singer announced.

     The song began in soft wispy notes.  The lead singer closed his eyes as he felt the notes slowly weave in and out his body.  The words came out delicately with such emotion...”On a hilltop in the morning...”.  The minute I heard the first line I knew instantly what the song was.  Star’s head flipped in my direction so fast I wouldn’t be surprised if she woke up sore the next morning.  That song was my poem!  That song had been sent to me in verses!  That song was written by Steve!  I couldn’t move and I could feel my face flush completely and thanked whatever gracious god that made this moment happen in a dark room.  I could feel Star whispering to the others and since she still had the paper I had shown to her she passed it around and soon all the others were staring at me.  I didn’t know where to rest my eyes and I was too afraid to look at Steve, but I could feel his eyes on me.  I slowly lifted my own eyes and met his gaze.  His eyes were filled with so much emotion and his smile was soft and warm.  I couldn’t stop my smile.  It felt like the biggest and goofiest smile in the world, but I had lost full control.  My ability to control my face and coloring was totally out of my hands.  I felt like I was completely alone in the room and that everyone else had somehow melted into blurred images filling the space around me.  It was only me and Steve.  When the song ended everyone clapped and cheered.  The song was a big success in more ways than one.  Steve immediately set down his guitar and headed directly for me.  In his hand was a piece of paper that he handed to me without a word.  Inside the paper was written:

And you’ll be mine forever

For eternity it’s just us

and we’ll sit on the hilltop

As dawn paints a blush

     “It was you.” I said with a smile.

     “It was me.” he replied and wrapped his arms around me drawing me close to him.

     “Is that why you were angry with me?”

     “Yes, but I couldn’t tell you.”

     “I’m so sorry.”

     “Don’t be.”  he said and slowly bent down to lightly brush his lips across my own.

     I had never been kissed before and although this wasn’t “the kiss” it still sent electric shivers all over my body.  I could feel my nerves tingle and I felt shaky all over.  I didn’t know what to do next.  We both just stood there staring at each other until finally Steve took a deep breath, took a step back and took hold of my hand.

     “Wanna see backstage?” he asked attempting to lighten the moment a bit.

     I looked back at all my friends who were silently watching us.  They must have all been holding their breaths because I could see a single group exhale as they all relaxed and smiled.

     “Go on Trinity,” Meg said, “It’s 10:45.  Your Mom won’t be here for another 15 minutes.”

     I trotted backstage holding onto Steve’s hand while the “groupies” parted our way noticing at once that Steve was now off the market.

     The green room was pretty cool and Steve introduced me to the rest of the band.  They were all very nice and seemed to really respect each other.  Of course, they knew all about the song and were thrilled that I had absolutely no idea.  My time had come though and I had to head outside to meet my mom.  Steve walked out with our group.  He was leaving later since he had to clean up his gear.  Amber, Summer, and Star left with Amber’s mom leaving the rest of us to wait for our ride.  They faded back a little as Steve walked up closer to me and wrapped his arms around me once again.  I still felt really shaky, but was getting use to the closeness.  

     “Goodbye,” he whispered into my ear and let a gentle kiss linger on my cheek.

     “Goodbye,” I said and looked up at him desperately hoping that he would kiss me again.

     No such luck.  Out of nowhere I was startled into reality by a car obnoxiously honking.  I turned around and saw not my mom, but my dad!  His face was expressionless and his face was completely unreadable.  Steve quickly removed his arms and leaned over slightly to wave at my dad.

     “Hey Coach Thompson!” Steve hollered like nothing had even happened then winked at me and went back inside leaving me with Dad.

     “Hi Daddy! Where’s Mom?” I asked completely innocent.

     “Home.”

     The ride home was silent although I could clearly hear my dad breathing.  In and out.  In and out.  One by one we dropped everyone off at their respective homes and came to rest in our driveway.  Dad turned off the car and paused for a moment.

     “I’m sorry Daddy,” I said although I had no idea what I was apologizing for.

     “You don’t have to be sorry baby.  I thought I had more time.  I’m not ready for this step yet,” Dad said sounding more depressed than angry.

     “Ready for what?”

     “Boyfriends.  I still see you as my little sunshine.  I don’t think of you as growing up into a young lady.”

     “But I am Daddy.”

     “I know.  Just remember to let him know that I’ve been to jail once and I’m not afraid to go back.”

     “Dad...you’ve never been in jail.”

     “I know that, but he sure doesn’t,” Dad said with a wink and a smile.

     That wink and smile told me that I was okay.  Steve was okay.  I had a boyfriend and everything would be okay.  Dad put his arm around me and we both walked into the house together.  No man could ever replace my Daddy.  He was the greatest.  I had a lot to think over and a lot of emails to write.  I knew that I would be up for quite a while.  This night wasn’t over yet.  Mom had already gone to bed.  I’d fill her in tomorrow.  I know that she’d be happy for me.  I headed to my room for a shower and my diary.

The End

Reviews

[Arabella.]

Amazing.
Completly amazing! Everything about this had be captivated from the very begining!
It was perfectly written, no mistakes from what i could tell, but then again i'm not all that expierenced in writing yet.
This was just sheer perfection in my eyes. I loved it :)