FicWad

“Hey, it’s Peter, the guys and I are playing at Kissing Mirrors tonight. I was hoping you’d be there to watch, this is me sucking up. Please come, it starts at 7:30. See you round.”
Shanae opened the door and looked at the answer machine, the red light was flashing. Three messages.
“Damn” she said pushing play.
“Hey there Shanae, it’s Jess..” Shanae hit delete.
“Sah, whatever you do don’t ring Jess back. I’m trying to get out of it myself, I really wanted to go out to that new…..Oh its Alyssa by the way…umm that new cute little café, the one that lets the up and coming bands play. I’ve told you about it before, and well, Rick will be there tonight and….you catch my drift. Come with me please? You’ve really got no choice, I’ll be home at 7 to get you. Kisses.” Shanae checked her watch, 6:25.
“Hey, it’s Peter, the guys and I are playing at Kissing Mirrors tonight. I was hoping you’d be there to watch, this is me sucking up” Peter laughed. “Please come, it starts at 7:30. See you round.”
Shanae studied herself in the mirror, pulling her longish black and purple streaked hair forward over her shoulders and patting the curls into place. She had a dusting of freckles across her nose, and her bright green eyes were always framed by the blackest eyeliner she could get her hands on. Slipping a silver bangle on to her wrist she rubbed her new tattoo, reading fate. When Alyssa had asked why she had gotten fate tattooed on her wrist, Shanae shrugged her shoulders and replied, “I needed a trademark, and you have so many.” And laughed the question off. She had always been the tame sister compared to the wild things Alyssa would do. Shanae subconsciously fiddled with her Clandestine pendant, as she often did while thinking deeply.
Suddenly her cell phone rang from somewhere in the house blasting the most annoying voice that Alyssa could muster, snapping her from her trance. Rushing to shut it up, Shanae tripped over a box of Jimmy Choo’s. A small present she bought herself when the latest victim of her affection, Chris, left her for a much easier girl, a girl who had been one of her own friends. As Shanae bent down to pick the box up her phone stopped ringing, and the house was quiet once again. She opened the box and pulled the heels out, delicate white satin stilettos closing in a smallish point, if she remembered correctly. She slid them on, and as she remembered, they were perfect in every way. Shanae didn’t feel like the short, tattooed, alternative girl no one wanted as a checkout assistant with these on, she felt like a rockstar, until she slipped on the bath mat.
“Note to self;” Shanae thought, “Learn how to walk without falling over.” Brushing off her denim super tube skinny jeans, she got up and practiced her walk on the way to her room. Rummaging through the mess Shanae called her wardrobe, she pulled out a singlet strapped floaty purple mini dress from the days when lace was her obsession and threw it on. She glanced at her watch again, 6:55. Checking her reflection in the mirror one last time, Shanae reapplied her eyeliner and pursed her lips. “It’ll do.” She decided. There was a knock on the door and Shanae opened it to a girl roughly 2 inches taller then her with the same piercing green eyes, her sister Alyssa.

Alyssa walked through the door Shanae held open for her, holding up a set of keys.
“These are for you.” She said to Shanae.
“Car keys? I don’t have a car, what are you playing at Lyss?”
“Take a look outside Sah, its not everyday you see a purple convertible Porsche sitting on our lawn with your name in whipped cream all over it.” Alyssa teased, running her fingers through her black and red streaked hair. She was taller than Shanae, even though Shanae was older, and often used the height against her. As much as Shanae and Alyssa tried to be different, they were always confused as each other, with their mothers green eyes and mannerisms, people were attracted to them like flies to roadkill, as soon as they’re first smile broke loose from they’re lips. Alyssa opened the ranch slider and gestured to the mass of cream and purple on the lawn.
“I’m thinking you can drive tonight, Sah.” She said.
“ I’ll be ready in 5.” Alyssa walked to her room, humming ‘A Little Less 16 Candles, A Little More Touch Me’. Hitting the radio it blasted into life playing a song Alyssa knew all too well.
“I’ll keep you my dirty little secret…..” She sung quietly while searching for her favorite shirt. It was low cut and red, with puffy sleeves and she knew it was around somewhere. Throwing the covers off her bed, Alyssa found it in a crumpled heap. She shook it out and put on the black tie she found with it. Grabbing her black studded hat from the bedpost she walked back out to her sister, who was already waiting in her new car, which was still covered in cream.
“Don’t you ever get tired of those jeans?” Shanae asked.
“Don’t you ever get tired of asking?” They were black super tube jeans, now fading to gray, but they were the most comfortable pants Alyssa owned.
“Well are we going or not?” Alyssa asked.
“Not,” Shanae teased, starting the engine. “It wouldn’t happen to be Kissing Mirrors we are heading to now, would it? Because Peter invited me tonight…..I wouldn’t want to stand him up.” Alyssa laughed at her sister.
“Don’t worry, Sah,” she said. “I wasn’t planning on letting you, main street, one block down from maccas, big sign, you can’t miss it.” Alyssa said, tuning in the radio. A girl’s voice filled the air singing something about not stealing your boyfriend, and Shanae whacked Alyssa.
“Change it now!” she said, swerving. Alyssa turned it off and gazed out the window at the whipped cream blowing away in the wind.
“I think we should find a car wash. And very soon.”

Peter sat on the curb outside of Kissing Mirrors, concentrating on deciphering Shanae’s new Porsche from the tangle of noisy, moving metal ahead of him. Chewing on his red guitar pick he waved to the girls. “Over here ladies!” He called. Peter laughed at Shanae’s pout and opened her door for her.
“Like it?”
“Love it!” Shanae replied hugging Peter. Peter pried Shanae off him and punched her playfully.
“You missed a spot.” He said leaning down running his finger along the bottom of the car door, retrieving a lump of cleverly disguised whipped cream. Peter licked it off his finger and laughed.
“Damn, should’ve used chocolate.” He said in mock disgust.
He led Shanae and Alyssa to the doorway of Kissing Mirrors and opened the door for them.
“After you..” Peter said, bowing low. As he stood up he caught a glimpse of himself in the glass door , he blew himself a kiss, caught it and put it in his pocket. Peter was of average height, tan, and quite well built. He liked to tell people it was in his genes, but in truth, he worked out for two hours early each morning so no one would catch him struggling. His hair was as black as a raven and often behaved like one too. He blew his fringe out of his face and followed the girls in, as they walked straight to the small stage he would be performing on in just a few moments.
Peter’s stomach churned with nerves.
“Are you alright, Peter Pan?” Rick asked “You’re looking a bit out of it.”
“Nervous much?” Peter joked, but inside his organs were arranging themselves into knots of fear. If there was one thing Peter knew, it was not to share your doubts with the band before a gig. It only made things harder. And that was not an option for tonight, everything had to be perfect. Peter picked up his bass and as he started to warm up, the monsters of the days worries ran away as if by magic. It was just him and the music now, and he rode its waves until they could carry him no further.
“Right guys, lets do this, we’ll show them what we’re made of.” Peter said, holding up his hand for a high five. Rick slapped his hand then picked up his guitar. Peter stepped up to his microphone and adjusted it.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen,” he said. “We’re Falling Over Backwards, and tonight, your ears will finally learn what music truly is. Can we hear you scream?”
The café resonated with the cheers of the crowd and Peter played the intro to the song that would either make him, or break him.

Rick looked out at the crowd and sang.
“In the back of your mind we were never ‘just friends’. It’s no secret I’m only good for one liners, but I’m a liner away from losing you to a blue moon.” He brushed his blonde fringe out of his face and caught Alyssa’s eye. Rick looked away quickly, pretending to be fascinated with the riff he was playing on his guitar. He knew he had no chance, Alyssa never went for the sensitive blue eyed blondes with low self esteem, and she had always liked the bad boys.
“These words are all we have and if I wasn’t speechless I’d tell you your speakers never lie.” Rick smiled to himself as he watched Peter swing his bass around out of the corner of his eye, and he signaled for the chorus.
“Today you might be fine but the night won’t be the same. For your head there’s no prescription, except to make me the substitute for those pills.” With that he looked directly at Alyssa, hoping she knew what that was supposed to mean.

Starlet watched the boys from the back of the room.
“They put up quite a performance, don’t they Vodka?” she cooed to her Pomeranian Chihuahua cross, hidden in her Louis Vuitton. Vodka looked up at Starlet with his big brown eyes and licked his lips. Starlet laughed.
“Yes, I think so too boy.”

Alyssa pulled Shanae to the front of the crowd.
“C’mon Sah, don’t rain on the parade. Jump!”
“She’s right you know,” came a familiar voice from behind her. “Behaving yourself just ruins other peoples fun.” Alyssa turned around and saw Peter laughing at her.
“Stalker,” She hissed. “There’s no other explanation for the places you keep turning up.” Laughing, Alyssa high fived her sister. She smiled up at Rick as he sang;
“And we both know; one night can change it all….” And her heart sunk as Rick looked away, again. She looked at Shanae and shrugged.
“Now that was on purpose. Oh God, he hates me. I’m dying right now, dying.” She whispered and traced the shadow of a tear down her cheek. She watched Shanae laugh at her and smiled.
“I’ll get over it.” She thought. Alyssa couldn’t hear her sister laughing anymore, or the blasting of the music she had just been dancing to, and as slipped further and further from reality she stopped to look up at Rick. The room spun around her while the strobe lighting robbed her of any vision she still had, and just before everything went black, he smiled at her.
Alyssa looked around, and a shiver ran down her spine. She was not here, she couldn’t be. The last thing she remembered was Rick’s smile, just moments ago, and now here she was, in a place she only visited in her nightmares. A place where her screams were never heard, and darkness pretended to be your friend while in its shadows, lurked your enemies. Alyssa shuddered and rubbed her arms to keep warm, in her ear someone was whispering but no one was there and she couldn’t make out what they were saying.
“What do you want?” She cried “Please, just leave me alone!”

“Alyssa!” Trapped behind his guitar, Rick could only watch as Alyssa fell into the crowd. He struggled to throw it off him and jumped into the crowd where she lay.
“Alyssa, Alyssa can you hear me?” he called to her. Her eyelids fluttered but that was the only recognition he got. Peter was yelling at him, but suddenly it didn’t matter to him anymore, he had to keep Alyssa safe. Rick pulled his Sidekick out of his pocket and threw it to Shanae.
“Call an ambulance.” He told her, as he scooped Alyssa off the ground and the crowd parted to let him out. “Keep breathing Alyssa, don’t you dare die on me girl. You’re scaring the hell out of me, just don’t give up.” He whispered in her ear. He watched Alyssa’s lips move, as if she was trying to say something but the words wouldn’t come out.
“Everything will be okay, I promise.” He told her, hoping that it soon would be. He brushed Alyssa’s hair from her face, and waited for the sirens to find him.