FicWad

The room was pulsing with the energetic, pop punk sounds of a local band, Venom. There were three members: Kent, the guitarist and vocalist, Davie, the drummer, and Cody, the bassist.

Kent unknowingly commanded attention on stage. His shaggy blond hair and innocent blue eyes made him the prime target for flirtatious teenage girls. Though Kent was constantly recruited by modeling agencies, he paid no attention to his looks and was constantly deep in thought about music.

Davie was Kent's opposite. Unlike Kent, who was tall and lean, Davie was a bit short and muscular. He drank occasionally and his boisterous, party-animal personality counteracted Kent's naive nature. Davie couldn't keep a girlfriend for more than two weeks, which he blamed on the fact he wanted to love everyone who loved him.

Cody was the group's enigma. He stood six inches taller than Kent, and looked at the world through glasses in front of his gray eyes. He had raven hair that often fell in his face if it wasn't styled in a faux hawk.

Cody and Davie were a year older than Kent, who had recently graduated from high school. The three shared an apartment downtown, and were trying to make it as a band. Recently, they had gathered a loyal fan base and were attracting attention on the local scene.

"That show was amazing," Davie said, grinning broadly as the band completed their set. "I'm telling you; we're gonna be famous soon!"

"You say that after every show," Cody told him, carrying his bass off the stage.

"Way to bring down the mood," Davie snorted, twirling his drumsticks.

"As a pessimist, I'm either right or pleasantly surprised," Cody told him matter-of-factly.

They walked outside to Davie's old pickup and loaded their equipment into the back.

"Hey," a girl called to them. "Can you guys let us meet the band?"

"Lady," Davie snapped, "We ARE the--Meg! Hey! I knew you'd come back to me!"

"I'm not here for you," Meg laughed, walking towards them. Meg was a little shorter than Davie and had a picture-perfect tan body. Her straight black hair rested on her shoulders, and bangs fell in front of her sweet brown eyes. "I'm here because my friend Lynn wanted to meet you guys." She pointed to the girl that she was linked arms with.

Lynn was a half head shorter than Meg. She was thinner and didn't possess the stunning curves Meg had. Her wavy, dark brown hair fell just below her shoulders. Her skin was a bit pale. Her redeeming feature were her stunning hazel-green eyes and adorable smile.

"I love your music!" she told them, grinning. "But I wish you had put 'Bliss' on the demo, that's my favorite song."

"I'm impressed, you know your stuff," Davie said. "Let's go inside, I'm freezing."

"Not a good idea," Cody interrupted. "We'll be attacked by people."

"Let's go out to eat!" Kent said excitedly.

"You would say that," Davie laughed. "Well, I'm all for it. Ladies, would you like a ride?"

"In the back of the pickup?" Meg said, raising her eyebrows.

"It'll be fun, Meg!" Lynn said, urging her. Meg rolled her eyes.

"Might as well. We came by bus, anyways."

They drove to Flo's Diner, a small diner that was loved for its quaint, 50s-style ambiance--and cheap food.

They sat in a circle booth: Lynn on the outside, Meg, Davie, Cody, and Kent on the other side.

As the boys debated on what to order, the girls whispered back and forth to each other.

"What are you whispering about?" Kent wanted to know.

"I'm telling her what's on the menu," Meg replied.

"What, can't read?" Davie snorted. "Well, I'm getting a cheeseburger. With extra fries."

"Ooh, splurging, are we?" Cody teased.

"Hells yeah!" Davie laughed.

"What do you jokers want?" a middle-aged waitress asked them. She had obviously dyed red hair, and gaudy hot pink nails. She was obviously a smoker, and coughed into her hand. Meg smiled politely.

"Hi, Flo!" Davie and Kent chorused.

"Hello, boys, and for the hundredth time, my name is Diane," she sighed.

"Actually, this makes it the thirteenth time," Davie corrected her.

"Thirteenth, hundredth, doesn't make a difference. Now what do you kids want?" she asked.

After taking their orders, she turned around and slowly retreated to the kitchen.

"She's secretly in love with me," Davie said, winking. "Don't worry, Meg--I only have eyes for you."

"Oh, thank goodness," Meg said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Do you two have a thing?" Kent asked.

"YES!"

"NO!"

"Awkward," Cody said, taking a sip of water.

"Well, we should have a thing," Davie said, scowling.

"Now, who's who?" Lynn asked, looking straight ahead. Kent shifted uneasily.

"I'm Davie," Davie said.

"Thanks for clearing that up," Cody drawled. "I'm Cody, and in front of you is Kent."

"Hi," Kent said, at a loss for words. As they introduced themselves, Lynn didn't look at any of them.

"She's kind of rude," Davie whispered loudly to Meg.

"How?" Meg asked.

"Well, she's just staring at Kent. It's weird," Davie said, shrugging.

"Oh, I can't see," Lynn said, turning her head towards Davie's general direction. He stared at her blankly. "I'm blind."

There was an awkward silence as everyone stared at Lynn. She was unaware of this and sat quite contentedly with a smile on her face.

"So when is your next show?" she asked.

"You're really blind?" Davie asked, refusing to believe her.

"Yes," she said calmly. "Not completely, though. I might as well be, I can't really make sense of anything!" she laughed.

"Wow," Kent breathed. "But you're so pretty! I can't believe you can't see it..."

Davie let out a loud laugh. "Dude, that was the lamest pick up line--"

"That's so sweet!" Lynn said, smiling.

"--ever," Davie finished weakly.

"I wasn't trying to make a pass at her, I just think it's a shame," Kent said huffily.

"Very chivalrous," Cody said, taking a swig of water.

"Thanks," Kent said, grinning.

Their food arrived, and the table was quiet for a few minutes as they ate.

"So how do you know Meg?" Kent asked Davie.

"We're lovers," he said nonchalantly, and resumed eating.

"Meg is my cousin," Cody said. "They met through me."

"Mm," Kent said through a mouth full of French fries.

Somehow, the topic of blindness came up again.

"My aunt was blind," Kent said. "She got surgery to fix it, though. Why don't you do that?"

"It's a lot of money," Lynn told him. "We're not that well off to begin with, either," she added sadly.

"Sorry," Cody said. Lynn shrugged.

The rest of their conversation took a lighter tone: they talked about the benefits and disadvantages of living in a chocolate house, what the world would be like if everyone was the same, old TV shows, and tapioca pudding.

As they exited the diner, Lynn and Meg hugged the boys good-bye.

"We're going to catch the bus home. Bye!" Meg said, leading Lynn away.

"Bye!" Davie said, waving over-zealously. He sighed. "She's a cutie, isn't she?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kent said, smiling.

"Come on, Casanovas, let's go home," Cody said, walking to the car.

"I want to party!" Davie complained.

"Do it tomorrow. We've got to get practicing for our next demo tomorrow," Cody said, and Davie reluctantly followed him.

Kent stood still, watching the girls walk away.

"Hey! Creeper!" Davie called. "Get in the car before you have to catch the bus, too!"

Kent gave them one last glance and ran to the car, exhilarated with meeting the girls and the success of the night's show.