Fish Out of Water

by Alethea Kontis

  Dad delivered pizza just as the show started—there were a few hiccups in the livestream, but whoever was managing the feed worked out all the kinks by the end of the opening act’s set.

  Lupe turned out all the lights in Tetra’s room except one twinkling strand of green and purple spiders—the only thing Tetra had kept from last Halloween. They fluffed all the pillows on the bed and settled in behind Tetra’s laptop.

  “Just think of all the miles we didn’t have to drive and tickets we didn’t have to pay for and sweaty lines we didn’t have to stand in to see this concert,” said Lupe. “I love living in the future.”

  “Me too,” Tetra agreed.

  Lupe managed to stay seated for half the opening song before she sprang up and began to dance around the room. Tetra was incredibly jealous, not only of Lupe’s obvious skill at dancing, but because her friend had the ability to stand up at all. Tetra didn’t let that stop her, though; she boogied in bed right along with Lupe.

  “When I can walk again, you are definitely teaching me some moves,” said Tetra.

  “Deal,” said Lupe, as she kicked up a heel and threw her head back before spinning around again.

  They danced until they were exhausted. Lupe refreshed their drinks and they collapsed back onto the bed to watch the rest of the set. Just as he had at the wedding, Xander stepped up to the microphone and announced that Justin would be playing a special song for the audience, all by himself.

  “Mmm-hmm.” Lupe’s eyebrow was raised again.

  A spotlight found Justin on the dark stage, but instead of his bass guitar he now sat behind what looked like the electric stand-up bass used by one of the members of the opening band. Tetra grabbed the comforter in her fists anxiously. Did he even know how to play that?

  Justin put the bow to the strings and drew out one long, haunting note. The audience settled down to a polite quiet. After a few more chords, Justin began.

  “She’s just a shadow in the park.

  She’s secrets whispered in the dark.

  She’s with you wherever you roam.

  And she reminds you there’s a home…”

  “Madre de Dios.” Lupe turned to Tetra. “Is that about you?”

  Before Tetra could answer the sound on the live feed went completely dead.

  “Sorry,” a voice broke in after a few seconds. “We seem to be having some technical difficulties.” There was a murmur, and then the voice came back. “It seems the problem is on stage. They’re trying to fix it—”

  But suddenly, Justin’s voice was back. He had grabbed one of the other microphones and, leaving the bass behind, sang the rest of the song a cappella.

  Every word was about Tetra.

  He sang about the stories they’d shared on the bed that night, and over texts every night since. He sang about hope despite all the terrible things that had happened to him, how even the tiniest light shone like a lighthouse beacon in the darkest night. He sang about how all of these things called him back to her. Called him home.

  He sang every verse of those lyrics loud and clear, in a voice that never wavered. He ignored the audience, instead staring straight into the livestream camera. Because he knew she’d be watching.

  When the song was over and the last note had died away, the crowd went bananas.

  “Holy…” Lupe said in awe. “Yeah. I’d say he’s a little more than just a good friend.”

  14

  “I don’t know how you do it,” Kara said to Justin as they loaded out after the Miami show. “I’d want to beat the snot out of him for all the things he’s done to you. If we were a regular band and this was any other tour, I’d beat the snot out of you both. Only…”

  “Only the band is more successful now than it’s ever been and we’re selling out every show,” Liam chimed in.

  Kara pointed at Liam. “What he said.”

  Justin shrugged. “It’s the way it has to be,” was all he said before turning to head back to the bar.

  “Xander doesn’t have to be a monster,” he heard Kara say in his wake. “And you don’t have to be the whipping boy.”

  Liam caught up with Justin. “But if you weren’t, we wouldn’t be as flush as we are right now. So, keep up the good work. We’ve got your back.” As if to illustrate, the drummer clapped Justin on the back reassuringly as they reached the stage door.

  If it weren’t for the constant stress and anxiety of having to jump through Xander’s flaming hoops every show, Justin would be amused by the popularity the antics had brought to the band in such a short time. At first, the crowds had grown as rumors of “the cursed tour” began to spread. It didn’t take long for them to realize that all the mishaps occurred at the end of the show, after Xander left Justin on stage to his own devices.

  They had sold out of every CD, t-shirt, and sticker by Tallahassee, but when they arrived in Jacksonville, five enormous boxes of freshly printed graphic tees were waiting for them at the venue, courtesy of Fairy Godfather Donny. Justin, feeling cocky, had anticipated Xander that night. He’d spotted the megaphone in the valet stand and borrowed it, hiding it on stage where Xander wouldn’t notice it. There had been no time to practice, and he never would have been able to pull it off had it been another dive bar and not an open-air amphitheater, but it worked. Liam had jumped in on drums, as Justin had hoped he would. The result was something strange and amazing and fun.

  And viral.

  At least three phone videos of that performance were still being shared all over the internet. According to Kara, 10mm Conspiracy’s song downloads went through the roof. The bar had to turn people away tonight…but those people still bought merchandise. And the money kept rolling in.

  Justin felt rather proud of himself. He hoped all the success they’d reaped thanks to his performances was driving Xander insane. He also hoped that Tetra had been watching tonight.

  Before he picked up the last few stands, he checked his phone. There had been two messages from Tetra: one sent before the show, and one after. The one before the show was a ridiculous selfie of her and Lupe that made him smile. The one after the show only said “WOW” followed by a single heart emoji.

  Justin felt a pressure in his chest—the nice kind—the kind that meant he had done something right. Something good.

  “Hey. Excuse me. Justin?”

  Justin looked up to see the outstretched hand of a shaggy-haired guy in a vintage Cure tour shirt. Mentally giving him points for the shirt, Justin shook his hand.

  “I’m Carl from Free Time Miami. I just finished interviewing Xander—great set, by the way—and I wondered if I could ask you a question.”

  “Only one?” Since when did reporters want to ask only one question?

  “It’s pretty much the question on everyone’s mind right now: Who’s the girl in the song?”

  Justin felt that pressure in his chest again and grinned. He didn’t want to blow his relationship with Tetra out of proportion, and he certainly didn’t want to out her to the world as the object of his affection when everything between them was still so new, so he just said, “Someone very important to me.”

  “Well, that’s certainly obvious…and honestly, a more romantic answer for our readers than an actual name. But should you ever decide to go public with that, or anything else”—Carl handed Justin a business card—“give me a call.”

  Justin slipped the card into his pocket, shook Carl’s hand again, and grabbed the stands. For the first time in a very long time, he felt like he was on top of the world. Right now, he was in control of everything.

  And then Xander intercepted him at the stage door. Kara and Liam were both on their way back in, but with Xander blocking their path they had no choice but to listen to the exchange. A move that Xander had no doubt planned. God, he was good.

  “The lock on the trailer is busted,” said Xander. “It’s too late to fix it, and I’m worried about leaving our stuff out all night.”

  Justin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. �
��I’ll sleep in the van,” he said. Because the easiest way out of this conversation was giving Xander exactly what he wanted.

  “We can do it in shifts,” Liam suggested. “I’ll get a few hours’ shuteye and switch places with you.”

  But Xander was already walking away.

  “I’ll sleep in the van,” Justin repeated to Liam. “It’s no big deal. I’ve slept in worse places. Besides, if you don’t get your beauty sleep, who else is going to have my back?”

  “I don’t know how you do it,” Kara muttered under her breath.

  Sleeping in the van wouldn’t be the most physically comfortable situation in the world, but the night wasn’t too warm. Plus, now Justin had a reason not to stay in the hotel room sharing close quarters with Xander— ultimately, this situation would be less stressful for everyone. And he could stay up texting Tetra as late as he wanted. Better than that, he could actually call her!

  In the end, though, the vigorous day got to him, and he fell asleep the minute his head hit the balled up hoodie he used for a pillow. He woke to the sun streaming in the window and Liam tapping softly on the glass. When Justin slid open the door, Liam handed him the hotel key and told him to hit the showers.

  As he hit the elevator button for the third floor, Justin seriously considered sleeping in the van every night. It really hadn’t been so bad. If Xander conveniently forgot to get the trailer lock fixed, Justin would be out in the van again tonight anyway…better that he make a preemptive strike and offer before that happened.

  Poor Xander. It was almost unfair how easy it was for Justin to stay one step ahead of his predictability. Yes, it was a good morning, Justin thought. He was prepared for everything.

  He was not prepared for Juliette.

  Ft. Lauderdale was another sold out show, at a dive bar called “The Dive Bar,” appropriately enough. She didn’t wait until the very end of the show but walked on stage one song into the second set and danced to the music as if she belonged there.

  Juliette hadn’t changed at all. Her hair was still bleached too blonde—a feature that fit right in, there in South Florida—and she was still too thin, which meant her “guilty pleasure” habits hadn’t changed since Justin. She wore black from head to toe—black corset top, black mini skirt, black platform boots with buckles to her knees and black eyeliner, smudged to achieve that smoky effect that he no longer found sexy. Not on her, anyway.

  She undulated her way across the stage like liquid mercury, crazy and poisonous. Justin tried to focus on his anger and not the weakness deep down that yearned for another hit. How easy it would be to fall. She was right there, swaying to the beat, offering herself up to him in front of everyone in this bar filled with flowing taps and free beers for the band. In front of…everyone watching at home.

  Tetra.

  Justin missed the next chord, but only Kara noticed. Kara’s eyes shot daggers at Juliette. Oh, if only those daggers could draw blood.

  Xander, for the most part, ignored Juliette, right up until the time came for the encore. Before Xander could announce that he was handing the final song off to Justin, Juliette grabbed the microphone from him.

  “Most of you don’t know me,” she said in that high-pitched, all-too-familiar voice. “Those of you that do know”—she turned to look pointedly at Justin—“that I’m the girl in the song.”

  The crowd went wild. Someone started chanting “The girl in the song!” Soon the entire bar had chimed in. Juliette turned and surprised Justin with a passionate kiss. He wanted to push her away, but they were on stage, and he was not about to perpetrate violence upon a woman where it could be recorded for the whole world to watch on repeat. So he stood as still as a stone, pulling back from her far before she was prepared.

  “Hello, lover,” she whispered to him.

  “Go away, Juliette,” he whispered back. “You are not wanted here.”

  Juliette waved her hand in the direction of the screaming crowd. “I beg to differ.”

  “Get off this stage,” he said to her. “Get off this stage and out of my life. Forever. We are done.”

  “You’re not done,” she countered. “You have to play first.”

  “I will. But not with you.”

  Thankfully, Kara had been astute enough to read the situation and marched across the stage to where they stood. “How can I help?”

  “Get her away from here,” Justin growled. “Far away.”

  “Done.” Kara grabbed Juliette’s arm and dragged her off the stage.

  Juliette blew kisses at him the whole time.

  Since all bets seemed to be off now, Justin grabbed Xander’s acoustic guitar and stepped up to the microphone. The crowd continued to chant, “The girl in the song! The girl in the song!”

  “Hey, everybody,” Justin said into the microphone, making sure that Xander hadn’t had a chance to sabotage that yet. “You know, I didn’t have a name for that tune I played back in Miami. I think from here on out it should be The Girl in the Song. How’s that sound?”

  The crowd cheered in response.

  “There’s just one thing,” Justin said before he started playing. “That”—he pointed in the direction of where Kara had dragged Juliette off stage—“was not the girl.”

  There was laughter in the crowd as he started fingering the first chords of the song. The microphone and the amps were all working. Miracle of miracles. He’d actually be able to sing the song properly now, as it was meant to be sung. Only, he had no idea if Tetra would still be watching.

  If it had been her up on stage kissing the ex-boyfriend that ruined her, he would have stopped watching long ago.

  After the set was over, the band packed up in silence and drove to the hotel. Justin offered to spend the night in the van before Xander could even make up a shoddy reason. Xander tossed the keys to Justin without a word and walked away. Liam patted Justin on the back before following. Kara took his hand and squeezed it sympathetically.

  Justin waited until they had all disappeared into the hotel. Then he unhitched the trailer, hopped in the van, and drove straight back to Mimosa Key.

  15

  Tetra woke up on the windowseat, neck cramped and ankle throbbing. Right next to her head, her phone vibrated again. It was Justin again.

  She’d been watching the live feed of the concert that night, as he well knew. She had wondered if the blonde-in-black that sashayed onto the stage had been coincidence or another one of Xander’s pranks, but it was pretty quickly obvious that the girl had a past with Justin. An intimate past.

  Justin hadn’t looked happy to see her…but he hadn’t looked unhappy, either. His attitude on stage was always fairly unscrupulous—it gave Xander less ammunition, Justin had told her.

  Justin hadn’t stopped playing, but he hadn’t kicked the thin, fair-haired mystery girl off the stage, either. Then she kissed him, and Tetra gave herself permission to stop torturing herself and shut the laptop.

  Justin had texted twice since then, presumably after the show, but they were only brief inquiries to her presence. There was no explanation inside them. Tetra didn’t want to be “that girl” and ask him about it. She had no idea how to respond. So she didn’t.

  She did, however, text Kara. Who was the girl?

  Kara responded in less than a minute. I was hoping you knew. He talks to you far more than he talks to us.

  Which wasn’t exactly the answer Tetra wanted, so she did the next logical thing a modern savvy teenager does: she Googled him.

  Thirty minutes later, she’d wished she hadn’t.

  It was one thing to hear Justin’s stories of addiction and self-destruction; it was another to see photos of him in the throes of it. Flipping though the extensive virtual gallery of photographic evidence made it real. And ten times more horrible.

  The girl’s name was Juliette, and she was there in every photo of him dated up to six months ago. They were always close together, as if attached from shoulder to waist. Based on their heavy-lids, it was mor
e possible they were using each other for support to remain standing.

  Justin’s eyes were so bloodshot, the gray irises looked like storm clouds lit by the sun.

  She left her laptop on the bed and went to sit on the window seat, as if crossing the room could also distance her from his past.

  But she couldn’t unsee it now. She leaned back against the pillows, closed her eyes, and tried to think of a different perspective. Tetra might have just as easily fallen into that same lifestyle, after Kansas. That might have even been the reason her father had supported this move so wholeheartedly—Tetra’s version of running away was surely much easier for a parent to take than the road Justin had taken. Or the road she had threatened to take.

  However they accomplished it, Justin and Tetra had both emerged on the other side of their personal hells. They had promised to support each other. However she felt about the blonde on the stage—however he felt—she still needed to be there for him. So when she woke to the buzz of his latest text, no matter what it said, she knew she had to answer him. She slid her finger across the screen to see the contents.

  Look out the window.

  What?

  Too tired to think more about it, Tetra sat up and peered out the window as instructed.

  Justin peered back.

  Tetra gave a small scream before clapping her hand over her mouth. The last thing she wanted to do was wake her father.

  Justin smiled, put a finger to his lips, and motioned for her to open the window.

  “What are you doing here?” she whispered.

  “I want to see the stars,” he said.

  Was Justin Zatarain seriously at her window inviting her to go stargazing? “This is a dream,” she said, because saying such things out loud had typically woken her up in the past.

  “No dream,” he said. “Come with me.”

  Tetra motioned to the giant, fuzzy, velcroed boot. “I can’t walk.”

  “I’ve got the van,” he said. “If you can scoot up to the window sill, I’ll take care of the rest.”