IF NOT FOR YOU {George Harrison}

Chapter 13

Dash

"Delilah Anne, come on!"

I glared at Astrid as I yanked on my shoe. The boots (that were Astrid's) were too small and they were impossible to get on, until I finally stomped my foot on the ground and on it popped.

Astrid grabbed my shoulder and pulled me towards the door.

"In a minute, I have to brush my teeth!"

Astrid rolled her eyes.

"Why? Are you kissing someone tonight?"

I didn't respond as I walked into the bathroom.

We were headed to the Reeperbahn to watch the new band play. Rory Storm and the Hurricanes had been a huge hit and it was time for Astrid and I to finally see them.

George had told me about an encounter he'd had with the drummer for the band, a boy named Ringo, and how they had spent a long time walking around the park and became friends. Apparently, George had never mentioned to Ringo that he was in the opposing band in the competition they were both in.

"I didn't want him to hate me before he even knew me."

"George, you knew who he was and ye didn't have any sort of a problem with him because of it."

"Well, how's I s'posed to know he wasn't out to get me?"

Then Paul had interrupted by telling us that he hated every single one of the Hurricanes and that he would kill them all later.

He had promptly fallen asleep after that and George informed me that he had not slept in two days because of the anxiety from the coming competition.

I knew very little about what was going on with this competition, save that my friends were part of it and there was a cash prize.

By the time we'd left our apartment, it was dusk. Astrid had mentioned, "Perfect! I'm hoping to see some of my friends there tonight."

She'd met many people in her photography class and had been dying to introduce me.

It was crowded inside the bar and filled to the brim with smoke. I coughed and looked distastefully at a woman with horrible eyeliner smoking a cig.

Make your own choices, but for Christ's sake, make them outside.

We sat at the bar where Len set two cups of water in front of us.

"You're not even supposed to be working the bar, Len."

I smiled at him. He was creepy as hell but he had saved me from tormentors a few times.

"I'm not. Celiztine spilled a drink back here."

He always pronounced Celestine's (our resident prostitute) name with a Z instead of an S and it
drove her crazy.

I sipped the water he'd given us, only to find vodka.

"Thanks for the drinkie!"

He gave me a demented looking nod and stalked away. He has definitely got someone trapped in his basement.

"Evening, folks!"

I was distracted swiftly by a very handsome blonde boy who was on the stage. He had a killer smile and tan skin that stood out against the paler other boys and I knew instantly that he was the reason they were so popular. Their music wasn't fantastic, Stu had said, who's opinion was the only one of the boys that I trusted. I had wondered why they'd been so popular but now I understood. Rory Storm was handsome and he knew it.