Chapter One

My apartment was still a mess from that morning’s rush to meet the girls on time; and had I been having anyone other than a friend over it would have made me crazy to have my room look like this, but Meg had known me long enough though that it didn’t bother her in the slightest. It bothered me though, and I groaned when we opened the door to my small bedroom to find piles of clothes and shoes and all manners of miscellaneous things cluttering the floor and my bed itself. Meg laughed, more from my groan than the mess though I think, and started picking up and folding a few things to try to motivate me to clean it up, even though she knew I really didn’t want to.

            “There’ll come a day when you’ll be thanking me for starting to clean up all your messes for you, Corriana.” Meg teased.

            Since I had known her longest, I let Megann call me by my full name. It was how I had introduced myself to her as a little girl, and it was how she knew me. It was a sort of special bond between us in that way, since I had started preferring “Corri” in middle school when we met Cynthia and Tiffany.

            “You’re absolutely right Meg.” I said as I picked up a plastic basket to put folded clothes into. “But that day is far, far off.”

            She laughed and balled up the shirt she was holding and threw it at me. This was why I loved her. We could criticize each other to death and never think anything of it. We loved each other and we always would, no matter what. We would always be there for one another. Me, her, Tiffany, and Cynthia. The four of us would always have each other’s backs no matter what the world, life, or nature threw at us. We were the Inseparable Four. Like the Fantastic Four, only, without the super powers, and all girls.

            About twenty minutes into the pile of laundry, Meg and I uncovered the bright orange sheets of my bed and along with it a small, hand-made photo album with a cover photo of the four of us from seventh grade, when our group became complete.

The photo featured the four of us at the fountain in the center of the mall in our old town where we used to spend our entire weekends together. Cynthia, even back then, was incredibly gorgeous. The expression on her face looked like she was about to say; “You guys, are ridiculous,” but she was smiling. She was wearing a loose-fitting, white shirt, dark denim shorts, and hoop earrings that hung too low, but still looked pretty. She was standing next to Tiffany, who had her outstretched arm perpetually punching the air above her head. Her hair was particularly frizzy that day, but something about it fit perfectly in that frozen moment. I stood to her right and in comparison looked much calmer; slightly slouched posture, natural-looking smile, one hand in my back, left pocket and three silver bangles holding on to me by my thumb. Meg was standing apart from us in this photo. Why I couldn’t remember. She looked distracted though.

“Hey, Meg?”

“Yeah? What’s up, Corri?” She had returned to folding clothing shortly after I had sat in the one clear spot on my bed to look at the little photo album, and had been strangely quiet since.

“Do you remember this day?” I asked her. “In the photo you seem…”

I stopped when I saw her expression change from a bright smile to what I can only explain as a kind of dreary tiredness. I couldn’t remember, but something had definitely happened that day that I couldn’t remember and it was for sure bringing up some bad memories.

“Meg… I hate it but… I can’t seem to remember what happened that day before this photo was taken,” I said, “but you look so… distracted.”

She put down the shirt she was holding and sat real close next to me.

With a sigh she said, “I never told you, because you were my best friend, and still are. But… that day… I… I felt so like and outsider with the three of you. I mean you all have so much. Cynthia’s always beautiful. Tiff has so much energy. And you… you’re just so… you.”

I wanted to say something to comfort her but for the life of me I couldn’t think of a single thing in the moment that sounded good in my head that wouldn’t sound worse out loud. So, I just stayed quiet and let her continue.

“And if you recall at the time all of you had boyfriends. We were at the mall for Cynthia’s sixteenth birthday. I never told you how I felt because I love you all so much and I didn’t want to dampen the mood. Cynthia would have… Cynthia would have been Cynthia.”

I didn’t know what that meant exactly but I hated how Meg sounded in this moment. I never knew any of this, or, if I did, I ever said anything to her about it. I never asked her how she felt being around all of us. So, I guess in a way I did know but, maybe being friends with Cynthia and Tiffany made me forget about Meg a bit.

“Megann, did I…?” I wasn’t sure how to end that question so I just let the end fall.

“No! No! You didn’t do anything wrong Corri!” She quickly interjected, “It… It was really just me. I was kind of going through a tough time in middle school. Remember? With my parents?”

Oh yeah, Meg’s parents were going through a rough divorce at the same time we were going through our middle school years.

“I didn’t really feel like I belonged anywhere. It was me,” She explained further. The tears were drying now and she was starting to cheer up. “I guess I just missed you a bit. You were having fun… I tried to speak up and talk to you about what I was going through a few times but when I did Cynthia and Tiff would always pull you off to see some shoes or ask your opinion on some outfit or something.”

Now the memory of the day was clearer. Throughout the whole day, whenever Tiffany and Cynthia would run off to check out some place on their own, or go scout ahead, Meg would take a deep breath and tell me things weren’t getting any better with her parents. I would ask why every time, but whenever Meg went to answer, Cynthia and Tiffany would get back and pull the two of us up ahead to the next store or kiosk or whatever else and I would promise Meg that we would talk about it later but every chance we got the same thing would happen. Again and again.

“Meg, you know I-" I stopped when she looked at me and smiled her Meg smile.

“I do know, Corri,” She said, “I would for you too. It’s what best friends do.”

She meant every word too.

*     *     *                         

            Brrring. Brrrring.

            “Who’s freakin’ calling you at this hour?” Tiffany groaned as she pulled her blanket further over her head and I rolled over to check my phone.

            Tiffany had come over the night before a little while after Meg had left and we had pulled one heck of an all-nighter, and we were paying for it now.

            The caller ID on my phone said “Luka”, and it took me a few rings before remembering what day it was, and that this Luka person was my new boss whose phone number I had gotten so he could call me the day of to tell me when I should come in to be trained for my first shift at the lounge.

            “Oh, crap,” I muttered sleepily to myself. “Hello?”

            I hoped he couldn’t hear the tiredness and irritation in my voice.

            “Afternoon!” An almost female sounding voice greeted me from the other end. “It’s Luka, from ‘Notes’. You gave me your number so I could let you know when we wanted you to start.”

            “Uh huh. I remember,” I confirmed. The truth was, my back was killing me from having spent the night on the couch, and my memory was a bit foggy at the moment. And quite frankly, I didn’t really know why he was saying “Afternoon”.

            “Well it turns out one of our girls just quit early this morning, so we’re short a girl, and we’d be more than happy to have you.” The girlish voice informed me.

            I would have had more of a reaction to this news, but since I was half asleep all I could muster up was a halfway-enthused “Oh! Thank you, so much!”. The person named Luka informed me that I should be at Notes by three-thirty for training and that my first shift, if I felt ready, would start at five-thirty and go until ten forty-five. Then he said good-bye and I happily hung up my phone, noticing that the current time was one twenty-three, and lay back on my couch again.

            “Wait,” I said to myself with my eyes still shut. “One twenty-three… Tiffany! Get up!”

            I kicked her from across the couch and she sat up within seconds.

            “What’s wrong with you, Corri?” She was upset from being woken from a clearly happily deep sleep.

            “I have to get to ‘Notes’ by three-thirty,” I said quickly, running to my room and gathering up some clean clothes, “That was my, well, to-be boss calling me to tell me that I’m gonna have a shift tonight, five thirty to ten forty-five. But I need to get there at three-thirty so they can train me.  You know, house specials and whatnot!”

            I was in the shower before I heard any sort of response from Tiffany. When it did all sink in though, that I was going to actually be starting at my new job today, the first thing I heard, that was unexpected only in the amount of time it lasted for, was Tiffany’s excited and in a certain way congratulatory scream. Next thing I knew she was in my bathroom jumping up and down and saying how amazing it was that I was starting so close from the day I checked out the place and had an interview. She was saying how it almost never happened. Then when I got out she hugged me, wet towel around me and all, and begged me to let her come with me for the training.

            “Moral support you know?” She said with obvious enthusiasm in her voice.

            “Of course you can come, Tiff,” I said, “but you gotta let me get dressed first sweetheart.”

            She did a double fist pump and pretty much skipped back into the living room. I was excited too and I had to be there in an hour, but it wasn’t like I was going to run out the door without everything I needed. Mainly, good clothes. So, the next twenty-five minutes or so were a bit of a blur. Tiffany and I running about my apartment, her giving me opinions on outfits, what kind of impression I wanted to make. What I wanted to look like to customers. In the end we decided on a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans, dark navy heels, and a loose, but form fitting black and red tank top, with a lightweight, warm brown jacket on top.

            “Fab-U-Lous,” she said with affirmity.

            “Let’s get over there then!” I said with what sounded like a bit too much excitement in my voice.

            It was surely something worth being this excited about though.

*     *     *

            The moment we stepped in the lounge we were immersed in beats as universal as little girls’ belief in magic, guitar riffs as old and as necessary as time, and they came together in sounds that flowed through me as easy and unnoticed as blood.

            “This is it,” I thought, “This is right where I belong.”

            I took a moment to breathe in the air of my new home away from home. Breathe the music, and energy of my new life. Maybe it was just me, maybe it was just my love of music and the energy and atmosphere of Notes. Maybe it was purely the fact that I was here with Tiffany, and her energy and enthusiasm was rubbing off on me. But in some crazy way the air here felt different. The sound? The energy? Something about how it all came together in this one place, and how I was now officially apart of it, I felt, right. I felt free of some invisible chains that had been holding me back for so long. But right here, right now, it was all about me.

            “Tiffany,” I said, “we need to find my new boss, right now.”

            We took each other’s hands and went in search for my boss. Of course, it wasn’t too hard, I had been here before after all, and I was getting a bartending job. I walked to the bar with Tiffany on my arm and asked the guy there where the office was, and if somebody by the name of Luka was here and if I could talk to him. His answer was actually a bit surprising.

            “You must be Corri. Well, I like your enthusiasm, and you’re already talking to Luka,” the light-haired guy said, “Thanks for being on time.”

            “Oh, well, hey,” I said, and I really hoped he couldn’t hear the nervousness in my voice, “It’s a real pleasure to be working here. I love the music.”

            I extended my hand to him. He happily accepted it.

            “Well, get over here. We’ll start your training right now,” He said as he handed me a short white apron that was decorated with a music staff and had “Notes” written across the staff in, well, music notes.

            I did as he said and very happily accepted the apron. He went through basic procedures, told me about the side work I may have to do from time to time, but usually it was only needed if one of the waitresses was out one night or we were particularly busy. The more he talked the more I fell in love with this new place. And the more I couldn’t wait for my first shift to begin. At the end of the basic overview as Luka called it, he gave me a quick skills test on my drink mixing and serving skills. Since Tiffany had stuck around, we used her as a test, even though she couldn’t drink. Finally it got to be five twenty-nine, and Tiffany lad left a half hour earlier, I was starting my first shift and to my surprise my first customer was a really cute guy, all by himself.

            “Hello and welcome to Notes, how can I serve you this evening?” This was the first of about thirty times I would being saying this tonight, but this first one felt more than incredible saying.

            “First shift?” the guy asked.

            “Oh, is it that noticeable?” I was suddenly very self-conscious.

            “It’s just the enthusiasm,” the guy said, “I remember my first one too.”

            “Oh! You’re in the business too?” I suddenly had much more of an interest in talking to this guy than serving him.

            “Yeah,” he said, “four years now. Still in love with it. This is my night off so I figured I’d come down to a different place. I could get a discount at my own, but, why do that when you’ve got great music and a pretty girl to talk to?”

            “Haha…” I felt my cheeks get warm at his comment, “Well, so… a beer good?”

            “Sounds perfect,” the cute guy said with a smile, “ID?”

            “What?” I had been thrown off by his “pretty girl” comment and forgot I had to ask for his ID proving he was twenty-one.

            “To prove I’m old enough to drink,” he laughed, “Here.”

            He opened up his slightly worn, leather wallet in front of me and held it open to his driver’s license for at least a minute before I actually comprehended what it was for.

            “Oh, yeah, thanks,” I said, now suddenly nervous about how I looked and what my voice sounded like, “I’ll be right back with your beer.”

            “Nothin’ too special,” he said, “I like my drinks like my girls, simple but make an impression.”

            “Haha… Right.”

            First night on the job and already a total stranger, and a cute one at that, was hitting on me. I really wanted my girlfriends here all of a sudden, I needed their support right now. I felt my whole body warm up. I felt like I was going to overheat, so I ran in the cooler where extra drinks and ingredients were kept and put a hand on my chest, over my heart.

            It was beating so fast and so hard I thought it was going to tear out of my chest right then and there.

            But it didn’t. And when I went back to bring the adorable stranger his drink, I found my boss chatting him up. They looked like they were friends. I wanted to run away right then, but I knew if I did I probably wouldn’t have a job to come back to, and I loved it here too much already to lose this. I took in a breath, filling every cell in my body with the energy of the music and forced my feet to pick up and approach the opposite end of the bar with the tray with the beer and a small basket of mixed nuts on it. In reality, it probably only took about fifteen seconds, but to me, with my steel feet and iron lungs, it felt like it took fifteen hours to get there.

            “Here you are. Ice cold,” I said cheerily.

            “Thanks,” the cute guy said with a flip of his hair to move his bangs out of his eyes, “Well, I’ll let you get back to work "“

            I didn’t realize he was talking to Luka, so I said, “Oh, it’s not problem, it’s what I’m here for.”

            I got an odd stare from both Luka and the cute guy.

            “I’m sorry, I was actually talking to Luka here. But, I think you have other customers so... you should get to work too,” He said.

            I looked behind me and he was right, we did indeed have more customers. And I wanted to leave knowing I had made a good impression with Luka, so I had to get to work.

            “Right, “ I said, “If you need me…” I walked away.

            Luka nodded and I went on my way. The night was long and, though I didn’t have to deal with any more guys like the first cute one, whose name I now desperately wanted to know, and whose initial comment “…when you’ve got great music and a pretty girl to talk to?” had stuck with me the whole night and was certainly extra distracting since he stuck around until my shift was almost over. Other than that though, Luka was well tempered about my behavior with the cute stranger, and by the end of the night I had recovered to the point where everything was easy again and I felt right at home in this place where music was air, and sound was energy.

            Eventually, the music died down and people left, even the super cute stranger who had heated me up so much it felt so foreign and strange and I felt like I was in someone else’s skin. Thought that was almost comforting. Why though, I didn’t really know.

            “Hey Corri,” a comforting voice said form above me, “you can head home. I’ll finish that for you. And your friend’s here for you.”

            The voice was Luka. And the friend he was referring to was actually Tiffany, who had come to walk home with me, which was really nice of her. I needed a friend right now.

“Oh, okay, thanks.”

I trudged out from behind the counter and smiled weakly at Tiffany. She gave me a concerned look but I just shook my head and thankfully she didn’t ask anything further. I would have told her, excluding everything about the cute stranger of course, but she didn’t, even when we had gotten back to my apartment and I buried my face in the pillows on my couch, still wearing my apron from work. Tiffany simply sat beside me and placed a hand on my back. Even though she didn’t really know what was wrong, her instincts served her well, and I started to feel better.

That night when I finally managed to fall asleep, it was actually morning. One thirteen in the morning to be exact.

That was one hell of a night, I thought, but every second was just what I wanted. Just what I needed.

And with that, my eyes shut, my breathing slowed and evened, and I drifted into dreamland.

Reviews

[Different Wings]

Cool! Oh Meg. You're my favorite :)

I like the pace of the story, although it does jump around a bit. Maybe slow down in some places for the detail?

The actual writing is smooth, though, and the emotions of the characters are apparent and natural. Awesome job!

[The Butterfly Writer]

Thank you :)