by Jay T
***
When I get home from work, Amy is laying down on the couch watching an episode of The Office and giggling.
“You’re here!” I squeal as I let the door close behind me.
“Finally! I thought the parentals would never agree to it!”
I set my keys on the counter and plop down next to her.
“How was work?” she asks.
“It was good. Tips were alright. But I heard a rumor today.”
“Oh ya? What’s that?”
“The band broke up.”
Amy sighs and turns the TV off. “They didn’t break up, but there is a difference of opinion on which direction they should go.”
I wait for her to continue.
“Anny, er, Evan, thinks they should all finish school before they give up their childhood and book too much. But Robert and Tristan have already graduated and the rest of them, well, they’re over school too. Brent’s mom agrees with Anny so it’s Anny and Brent’s mom verses the rest of them.”
“Is Evan going to high school?” I’m trying to picture Evan in school. It just doesn’t seem right. He seems larger than that, as if high school wouldn’t be able to hold him.
“He wants to,” she says. “The rest of them are afraid they’ll miss their chance. If they fade away now, they might never get famous. They’ve been trying to capitalize on the YouTube video of them that’s been going around.”
“What video?” I ask.
“Oh my god, you haven’t seen it?” She seems genuinely shocked.
I shake my head. Amy reaches for her phone on the coffee table, hits a few buttons, and hands it to me.
It’s the guys playing at my work. The night everything went crazy. Evan sounds amazing. He seems happy on stage. He tenses up and the video turns to Naomi who’s waiting on a table, then I walk in. I’m on here? Evan looks directly at me and his eyes shimmer purple and it looks like a clear wave of something radiates from him. I stand there for the chorus then I turn and leave. Evan never misses a beat and continues on with the song. The video ends when the song is over.
“Evan said it was probably just the door opening and wind or someone edited the video,” Amy says putting more pieces together. “This is the first time I’ve watched it since I’ve known about him.” She shivers. “He was looking at you when that happened.”
“That was the first time I’d seen him here, on Earth,” I say.
We sit in silence for a while, both lost in our own thoughts about what happened later that night.
I finally ask, “What do you think about their music career verses school?”
“I don’t care what they do,” she shrugs. “I could care less about senior year. From the sounds of it, you won’t be there and I don’t want to do it alone.”
“What would your parents say?”
“I’ve already tried talking to them. They’re really not happy, but I think as long as I keep getting an education, they’ll let me go. I want to apply up here at the University.”
“I was going to do that too,” I say. “I just don’t know if they’ll let us skip senior year to go to college.”
“It’s worth checking into and at least telling them why we want to.”
“How is Evan?” I ask, changing the subject.
Amy smiles sadly. “He’s sad a lot.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. He won’t talk about it. But you can tell.”
“So besides them not agreeing on their future, how are they getting along? How are he and Robert?”
“They got into a fistfight.”
“What?”
“Well, Robert hit Anny a bunch of times and Anny just took it and later he told Robert that he hit like a girl.”
I chuckle. “What was the fight over?”
She looks at me. “The fact that Anny lied to us. Robert was pretty upset, like he’d been betrayed.”
“What did Evan end up telling them?”
“Nothing. He just let Robert punch him till his hands hurt and they went and had some beers.”
“He didn’t tell them anything? And they let it go?” I ask, incredulous.
“Well, he told them he got his memories back but he didn’t want to talk about it. The guys took it to mean he had a really bad childhood and he’s a little messed up. They didn’t push it.”
I shake my head. “Everything is so easy for him. Nobody would’ve ever let me get away with that.”
Amy shrugs. “They miss you, though. You need to go visit soon.”
“I don’t think Evan wants me around.”
“I think you’re wrong about that.”
“Why?” I ask.
She shrugs.
17 evan
It’s pouring rain. The alternator in Naomi’s car died. I don’t have the money to bring it to the shop and have them fix it. I barely have enough money to cover the parts, let alone labor. I have to get it working so I can drive to work in the morning. I’m trying to fix it myself in the driveway of my foster home. I’ve watched about twenty YouTube videos and I think I might have it figured out.
“Look, man, I already bought and paid for studio time in Anchorage. It will be before school starts so we can still get to school and send out our music. It’s the best compromise I can come up with.” Brent’s standing in the rain beside me. He keeps bugging me about making a recording. Personally, I think we need more practice. We have a good sound, but the instruments need more work. We’ve only been playing together a few months now.
“I just don’t think we’re ready to record yet. I’m sorry. We’ve come a long way, but Ryan’s tempo gets fast when he gets excited and Tristan and Robert both miss a lot of chords.”
“You’re the only one that notices it, though.”
A big label wouldn’t miss it and that might blow our chance. Plus, I’m still not sure that music is the direction these guys should be going.
I sigh. This is their life. I’m only here for the ride. “Set the date.”
“Cool. I just need to work around Robert’s schedule and ours. He just got hired as a roustabout.”
Shit. We all knew that was the direction they were all headed. That’s why we named the group The Rousties. It just happened a lot sooner than I expected. “Well, we gotta practice, so the more time you can get us the better.”
“Amy says we can crash with her and Eva when we go up there. Should be fun.”
I feel a jolt of electricity through my chest. The last time I saw Eva I was a jerk to her. I doubt she’ll want me in her place after the way I talked to her. “How long did you book us for? It’s going to take more than a day?”
“I paid for three days.,” Brent says. “It’s not enough time for an album obviously, but should be good enough for a really good song or two for a demo.”
I nod. I have to find somewhere to sleep in Anchorage for three days. I turn my attention back to the car.
I hear yelling from inside the house. The foster parents aren’t getting along, but there aren’t any kids home so I ignore it.
18 eva
“I’m sorry, I’m sympathetic to your situation, I am, but you need to finish your high school education before we will look at your application. I would love to see you girls here then,” the guidance counselor at Anchorage College tells us.
Amy and I look at each other and sigh. Looks like we’ll be going back to high school. It starts in two weeks. I need to decide if I want to hold on to the apartment and keep paying for it, or if I’m going to let it go.
As we’re walking back to my car, Amy says, “So, don’t be mad...”
Oh great. That’s a wonderful way to start a sentence. “No guarantees…”
“I invited the guys up to stay with us in a few days.”
I stop walking. When she stops and turns to look at me I say, “You what?”
“Yeah, they’re going to record a demo in the recording studio up here and besides, I thought you and Anny could use a little push.”
>
I’m really not sure how to react to that. “Huh. So, he’s coming?” I ask.
“I don’t know. I was talking to Brent and we were talking about him coming up here, and we got a little distracted.” She blushes.
I start walking again and shake my head.
“Are you mad?” she asks jogging to keeping up.
“No. I’m just wondering how this is going to play out.”
“At least maybe you guys will have a chance to talk,” she says.
I chuckle, “He doesn’t like to do very much of that.”
“No, he doesn’t, especially lately,” she concedes.
***
The weekend seemed to take forever. I feel like people have never eaten more slowly in their lives. Monday is here and I’m counting the minutes until my shift is over so I can go home and see everyone. They should have gotten to Anchorage and gone straight to the studio to record for a few hours before going back to my apartment.
When the moment finally arrives, I jump in my car and turn it on. I hesitate for just a moment. Is he going to be there? In my home? Will he talk to me? My stomach flip flops at the idea of him being in my apartment with me.
When I get home, I open the door nervously. I see everyone except Evan and my heart drops.
“Eva!” Liam yells from the back of the room. “Nice digs, girl! No wonder you weren’t in a hurry to come home to us in Kenai.”
I turn to close the door behind me as I mentally try to shake the disappointment. I turn and smile at the guests that are there.
“Get your feet off the kitchen table, Liam. That’s disgusting,” Amy says coming out of her bedroom, Brent on her heels.
Tristan slaps him up side the head. “No kidding, that’s nasty. And where the heck are your socks? Nobody wants to see your nasty yellow toe nails.”
Liam produces his socks and attempts to rub them in Tristan’s face, “Smell them, I washed these socks last month!”
The two proceed to wrestle and distract me. Amy makes her way over.
“Where is he?” I whisper.
She shrugs and whispers back, “Brent said that Anny said he had a friend he was going to stay with.”
My mind reels. Who could he possibly know up here that he would rather stay with? He probably just doesn’t want to be around me.
I wish he was here.
19 evan
I’m parked at an ocean view pull-off just off the highway, sitting on the hood of the car and eating a sandwich from the cooler I brought. The tide is all the way out. The mountains are covered in leaves turning color and the sun is beginning to set as orange, pink, and yellow dance across the sky.
I wonder what the guys are up to?
I wonder if Eva is happy she won’t have to deal with me tonight. I spent some of the money I saved and bought a disposable phone with $20 worth of minutes on it a week ago. I pick it up and look at the screen for the millionth time, wishing someone would call or text and let me know what’s going on. The wind blows and I start to shiver.
A car pulls up beside me and a guy and girl emerge. The license plate indicates the car is a rental.
“Hey, did we miss it?” the guy asks. He holds his hand out for the girl and she takes it as they approach.
“Not yet, but it should be any moment,” I say.
The girl squeals in delight as they cross over the guard rail. I expect them to stop at the bottom of the bank but they don’t.
“Hey guys, don’t go out there!” I yell.
They ignore me.
You can’t go out on the mud flats on Turnagain Arm. It’s basically like quicksand. Eva grew up listening to the tale of the lady and her new husband who were out four-wheeling on their honeymoon and she got stuck. Long story short, the woman was torn in half by a helicopter trying to pull her out.
“Hey, guys!” I yell again.
The girl turns to look at me, giggles, and keeps going.
My stomach turns and I put away my dinner and look at my phone again. Still no text. The girl squeals and I look up to see the bore tide beginning to make an appearance. She’s posing on the flats as the guy takes photos. My thoughts wander to Eva again. I wonder if she’ll be at school this year.
As the water gets closer, I get increasingly nervous for the couple taking selfies. It really is a beautiful backdrop. I’m sure the pictures will come out great but they need to get back up here.
Finally, the couple begin to make their way back to the shore as the tidal wave approaches. The guy seems to be saying something to the girl as he reaches down. They’re not moving anymore. His foot is stuck. I jump up and come down the bank and stand at the bottom. They’re not out of the way yet.
“What’s the hold-up guys? You need to get off there!” I yell.
“My foot is stuck!” he yells back.
The girl is pulling his arm but as I watch her pull, she sinks a little, the ground under her going soft.
“Stop pulling on him!” I yell to the girl. “Is it just your foot?”
“Yeah, just the left one.”
“Is it above your shoe?”
“No.”
“Take it off and hurry up here.”
“But it’s the only pair I brought.”
“It’s not worth your life,” I say. “When that water hits this sand, you’re going to sink even further, you need to get out now!” I yell.
They both turn and look at me like I’ve just said the craziest thing they’ve ever heard. The guy quickly reaches down, unlaces his shoe, and they run to shore together.
“Did you see the signs that said not to go down there?” I can’t help but ask when they’re safely away.
“Yeah, we just thought they didn’t want people down there for like, environmental reasons.”
“They don’t want to have to pull bodies out of there.” I know I’m being abrupt. I’m not really angry at this couple, but I’m upset that I’m sitting here in the cold watching them instead of being with Eva.
I stomp back up to the car and pull my half-eaten sandwich back out and try to go back to watching what’s left of the bore tide in peace.
The couple finally make it back up to the parking space.
“Uh, thanks for helping us out,” he guy says and mutters, “kinda.”
I nod my chin at the water and say, “It’s basically quicksand, Alaskans don’t put out meaningless warnings. If there’s a sign, it’s for a reason.”
The guy looks at the girl and smiles. “Thanks, we’ll try to remember that. Have a good evening.”
I smile at them as the ring on her finger catches the sun. “Honeymoon?” I ask.
“Yeah,” the guy beams.
“Have a safe trip.”
The girls smiles. “Thanks,” she says and they get in the car and leave me alone again.
My sandwich is gone, the bore tide is over, and still there are no texts on my phone. Maybe it’s broken. I get back in the car and turn it on, setting off to find a place to sleep for the night, hoping Girdwood will have a good parking spot.
I finally find a quiet road and a driveway on a vacant lot. It’s not dark enough to see the stars although it’s dusk. I pull my sleeping bag out of the trunk and spread it out on the backseat before climbing into it.
It went ok at the recording studio today. I don’t think we were “on” enough to really keep anything we recorded but the guys were a little tired from the early morning and the drive. I hope tomorrow goes better.
20 eva
I wipe down the last table of the night, cash out my tips, tip the hostess and the cook, and finally leave for the night. I wonder if Evan will be there tonight.
“Hey, Eva, we ordered some pizzas. Hope you like anchovies,” Liam says as soon as I walk in. He’s sitting at the barstool at the kitchen. There are sleeping bags in the corners of the room and duffle bags and pillows beside them. I can’t help but smile at the mess and the life bustling inside this once lonely apartment. Somehow, it still feels a little lonely.
It’s missing a few people that should be here, one in particular. I don’t see Evan again.
“If you ordered a pizza with anchovies, I’m putting them on your face when you fall asleep tonight,” I kid and shut the door.
His eyes go wide. “You wouldn’t,” he says as his mock shock turns to a grin.
I go to my room and change out of my work clothes and take a few extra moments to pout. I feel restless and deicide to stretch my legs.
“I forgot something in the car,” I say trying to make an excuse as to why I might need a moment alone. I’m so disappointed but I don’t want them to know it.
I close the door behind me, completely forgetting my keys, but I don’t think anyone is going to notice. I push the elevator button and ride it down the three stories. I walk into the laundry room. I see him. He’s walking away from me with his wide, muscular shoulders. He gets to the end of the room and turns around to see me staring at him. I suddenly feel naked under his gaze and unsure what do with my hands. I can’t help but imagine him stalking over to me and wrapping me in his arms and kissing me until I’m out of breath. Why won’t he do that?
“Hey,” he says.
“Hey,” I answer. He’s man of few words. Ugh. I’ve never been around someone who talks this little.
“I’m supposed to be getting snacks,” he says. “I’m not sure if I should be here or not, or if you want me here.” He’s not making a lot of sense.
I can’t help but feel annoyed at him since our last conversation when I was completely out of my element. I don’t really want to let him off too easily after that.
“Do you want to be here?” I ask.
He shrugs. He freaking shrugs! I start to fume.
“Then be wherever you want to be,” I snap, my cheeks turning red. He doesn’t say anything but even from this far away, I can tell he’s working his jaw back and forth.
I turn to walk away and this time he actually stops me. “Eva,” he says, “-wait.”
There’s a little flutter in my stomach but I won’t let it show. I turn around and glare at him, although I’m happy he stopped me.
