"21"

Rolling In The Deep

Jamie Wilcox sat in the darkened corner of the club, away from the noise and heat of the bodies pressed together, each twisting and turning in mass rhythm in an effort to get closer to the stage.  Andrew Hamilton’s band, the Raid Dogs were performing the alternative rock cover songs and the pulsating beat had the club-goers worked into a frazzle.  Sitting in the back, Jamie’s heart was racing and the sweat droplets that formed on her forehead, one by one joined together to trace rivulets down the side of her face.  Every so often, she would drag her hand across her brow and blink rapidly to erase the sting from the salty sweat droplets that fell into her eyes. 

Jamie and Andrew first hooked when the band was formed three years ago.  It was only her business sense that enabled the band to get this far.  If only they could write as good as they played, they would be so much farther ahead.  The only one with any raw writing talent was Matthew Gadson.  Matthew managed to get himself out of the projects, and into college, without falling into a gang like his brothers did.  You would think that being in a band would give him the courage to perform his songs.  Matt was not typical by any means.  He was introspective, quiet, defender of justice, wore his hair proudly in a short afro styling.  He would have been more comfortable teaching music than performing it, but his talent was in that guitar and his heart was in the lyrics that he kept locked in his head. 

Jamie shook her head to bring herself out of her reverie.  She hid a half smile behind her had when the man standing beside her brushed his arm dry.  He gave her a wry look that she had shared her sweat with his pale pudgy arm.  The thought “You’re a wuss” filtered through the sleep deprived thoughts racing through her head.  It was time to go.  She slammed her empty glass down twice on the wooden bar surface and flashed her debit card.  Mr. Muscles-dripping-in-charm danced over to offer her a refill. “Nope.  Ready to pay the tab, kind sir.”

“All right.” 

He flashed perfect teeth and exuded Jordache as he handed her the receipt to sign.  “You, sir, earn your tips, don’t you?”

“I try.” 

She added a hefty tip, signed the receipt with a flurry and left with a wave and a smile.  Once outside the club, she breathed in the cool night air as she let her head and back rest against the brick surface of the wall near the club entrance.  She liked the vibrations of the brick as the deep bass beats were filtering into her eardrums along with the sounds of the traffic and city in the end of town.  It would have been better if the air did not have that slight pollution smell that sifts through everything in this city.

“You with someone?”

Jamie opened her eyes to look into the eyes of someone who could have been the twin to Mr. Muscles.  “Eh-hm.  I’ve dating the lead singer for the band.”

“Too bad.” 

Jamie smiled to herself as she watched him walk away.  Athletes have such a cool way of walking on their toes.  She kicked herself.  She should have talked to him a bit more. What was that old saying? You can look, but you can’t touch? 

Jamie let her mind wander for a few more minutes until she realized that the music stopped.  She made her way to the stage door entrance. Andrew would be so surprised to see her. 

Jamie found her way to the back area to wait for the band.  One by one the twittering groupies made their way to the lounge.  And Andrew was nowhere to be found.  Jamie snaked her way through the girls to the hallway to search for Andrew.  And then she wished she had not gone to look.  Andy was making out with a bleached blonde, mini-skirt clad bimbo.

“Hello, Andrew.”

Andy pulled away slowly and laid bemused eyes upon his former girlfriend.  “Hey, Babe.  Didn’t expect you.”

“I guess not.  Hope it was worth it.”

“What do you mean?”

“We could have had it all.  And now you just get table scraps.  You don’t have the talent to go any farther than this.  Hope you have good brakes, it’s all downhill after this.”  Turning to the liquid brown eyes of the dimwit pressed against the wall, “And you, my dear, are hitching your star to a broken wagon.”

Jamie slammed through the crowd to the street exit again. She half ran, half walked away from the club to make her way to her car.  “We could have had it allll…rolling in the dee-ee-ep …”  Jamie pulled her cellphone out to look at the caller ID.  With a roll of her eyes and heavy exhaled sigh, she swiped the bar on the phone, “No more.  Go away.  I’m not talking to you.”

“This is business, baby.”

“Fine.  I will talk to Matt, not you.”

With a determined pithiness, she jabbed the End Call button when she heard Andrew calling Matt. 

“He won’t find me back there.”

Jamie paused in her footsteps.  She refused to turn around.  “Hello, Matt.  Why are you here? I’m done with Raid Dogs.”

“Me, too.”

“What?”

“Don’t make me spell it out.”

Jamie knew Matt had a crush on her.  She just did not want to encourage him when she was with Andy.  “You need a good promoter?”

“Yeah, I do.”

Jamie resumed her march to her car.  “If you can keep up, I’ll give you a ride to your crib.”

Matt laughed out loud.  “Some things just don’t sound right coming out of a white girl’s mouth.”

Jamie laughed too.  “I’m sorry.  That was dumb.”

“It’s all right.  And I’ll take you up on that ride.”

“Ever see a breakup like that one?”

“Nah.”

“How long does it take a guy to get over a girl?”

“I can’t say.”

“I meant, how long has it been over?  Did he give you any clues?”

“You know Andy’s Andy.  Ain’t nobody like him.  He’s pretty tight when he wants to be.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.  I don’t think I was ever more than nothing for him.”

Jamie came to a stop in front of her Corolla and Matt continued over to the other side.  Before she unlocked the car, she pulled the magnetic band promo banner off her car door.  It looked cheap, but it was all the band could afford in advertising.  She tossed it in front of the car in what she hoped was close to the front tire.  She nailed Matt with a challenging stare.  She only unlocked the doors when the banner on his side of the car was pulled off and tossed in front of the car, hopefully in a spot where it could be run over with a car tire. 

With a laugh and a giggle, they got belted in the car ready to take off.

“We could have had it allll…rolling in the dee-ee-ep …”  Jamie rolled her eyes and slid the bar to take the call.  “Yeah.”

“Matt’s not here.”

“I know.  He quit you, too.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jamie held the phone out to Matt.  “You want to tell him the good news?”

Matt held his fingers in the Vampire repellant cross position, “No!”

“Sorry.  You lost twice tonight.  Bye.”

Jamie looked at Matt.  “You ready?”

Matt grabbed the hand hold above the car door, “Let’s roll!”

Jamie floored it out of the parking lot.  It wasn’t as grand as it sounded.  She had an end spot and the lot was practically empty.  But the sound of a revving engine made her feel more powerful, and she did not want to be weakened by someone as undeserving as Andrew.  Part of her brain wondered how long it would take for that dimwit to tire of Andrew.  Part of her pitied Andrew that his ego would not let him care for anyone or let another take center stage.



[word count: 1364]






Rolling in the Deep

There's a fire - starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch, and it's bringing me out the dark
Finally I can see you crystal clear
Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your ship bare
See how I'll leave with every piece of you
Don't underestimate the things that I will do

There's a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch
And it's bringing me out the dark

The scars of your love remind me of us
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
The scars of your love, they leave me breathless
I can't help feeling
We could have had it all
(You're gonna wish you - never had met me)
Rolling in the deep
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
You had my heart inside your hand
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
And you played it to the beat
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)

Baby, I have no story to be told
But I've heard that one of you
And I'm gonna make your head burn
Think of me in the depths of your despair
Making a home down there
As mine sure won't be shared

(You're gonna wish you - never had met me)
The scars of your love remind me of us
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
(You're gonna wish you - never had met me)
The scars of your love, they leave me breathless
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
I can't help feeling
(Rolling in the deep)
We could have had it all
(You're gonna wish you - never had met me)
Rolling in the deep
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
You had my heart inside your hand
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
And you played it to the beat
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside your hand
But you played it with a beating

Throw your soul through every open door
Count your blessings to find what you look for
Turn my sorrow into treasured gold
You pay me back in kind and reap just what you sow

(You're gonna wish you - never had met me)
We could have had it all
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
We could have had it all
(You're gonna wish you - never had met me)
It all, it all, it all
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)

We could have had it all
(You're gonna wish you - never had met me)
Rolling in the deep
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
You had my heart inside your hand
(You're gonna wish - you never had met me)
And you played it to the beat
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)

You could have had it all
(You're gonna wish you - never had met me)
Rolling in the deep
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
You had my heart inside of your hand
(You're gonna wish you - never had met me)

But you played it
You played it
You played it
You played it to the beat.