No Strings Attached

Chapter 12: First Gig

The atmosphere at The Ultimate underground club was electric that night. Quite a few bands were performing and the crowd was charged with excitement. As organised with the bands beforehand, each one was to play a cover and then an original. A small panel of judges, along with the noisy support from the crowd, would determine the winner. Winning a small bandslam didn't mean much, but at least it served as practice and exposure. Even so, Becca was determined to walk out victorious.

"Shot one, go!" Heng shouted over the music at the table they were seated, indicating for the bandmates to take their first hit of hard liquor in preparation for their turn. Getting a little loose before the time always helped, but not too much. "Shot two, go!" The band took another with grimaces on their faces at the taste. "Now chase, go!" The chase was downing half your beer and then stopping there to swig the rest before it was performance time.

They finished setting up soon after and were buzzing from the adrenaline of performing next. Next to the stage Richie was playing imaginary drums, while Becca was jumping up and down and shaking out her hands. Heng was swaying with his fingers tapping against his legs, while Freen was basically just trying not to get sick from anticipation. It had been so long since she played for a proper audience and she did not want to screw it up.

When the announcer called their band to the stage by name, the crowd went off like a bang. Many of them were already familiar with The Sickstrings and enjoyed their sound immensely. They were hungry for the band and the members could feel it. It didn't take them long to get into position and even less time to start playing the immediately energetic sounds of their cover song: 'Want you bad' by The Offspring.

The crowd went wild and sang along to familiar lyrics, hands pumping freely in the air as they jammed along to the crazy notes and transitions, as well as Becca's strong voice that would slightly growl out every now and then. It seemed that often when she sang, especially the 'I want you bad' line, she would risk a glance or two at Freen, while Freen would catch her almost every time. It only spurred the guitarist further to perform her best, while Becca would grab the mic stand and tip it out of the way as she bent over to the crowd to emphasize certain verses.

As the song came to an end at the height of its sound, the band ended with a satisfied grin, along with the uproar from the crowd. They had thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted more. Old and new supporters couldn't wait to be introduced to the band's new and original song. Becca hooked the mic back into the stand and stood behind it, catching her breath as she spoke to the crowd, "Okay our next song is called 'Memories' (chapter 7). We're going to slow it down just a tiny bit, but hopefully you'll enjoy it."

Becca gave a nod to her bandmates and they listened carefully as Richie lead them into the starting point of the song. Freen played a four-note intro before Heng joined her on the base. Another four notes later and Becca started singing verse one. The sound of the song was not entirely slow, but was more intense than a rock cover. It was a sound akin to Fall Out Boy's first album and was still fun to jam to. Becca had always loved listening to these bands growing up and it was easy for her to write songs that rung out in similar fashion.

This time, this song, Becca and Freen's eyes locked quite often as they both already knew that Becca had written the song with Freen in mind. Instead of deterring their performance this time like it had in practice, it was as smoothe and as intriguing as it could get. The unspoken attraction between the singer and the lead guitarist was permeating the whole club and it only added to the depth of the song. The crowd absolutely loved it and hung onto every note and line as the band made their way through it, all the way to the slowed down end.

Soon the crowd was screaming for more, but the band had finished their round and had to move for the next band to set up. Becca made a rocker sign with her index and pinkie finger lifted at the crowd as she backed away from the mic, while the other members waved and removed their instruments. The thrill had set in and the whole band was wired to the extreme, thoroughly happy with their performance and bouncing like excited little children. With their equipment safely packed away, they headed to the bar where their friends were already waiting with well-done shots for everyone.

Irin immediately threw her arms around Richie's neck and gave him a quick kiss in the corner of his mouth, while Nam wrapped Freen up into a tight hug. Heng aimed for Becca jokingly and she just shoved him away equally playfully. After they all had a bottle in hand, Heng raised his for the others to follow in a toast. "Here's to Freen, for absolutely killing it during her first gig with the band! Glad we found you!" They all cheersed to that and took a swig before Freen lifted her bottle for another toast. "And here's to Becca for her amazing writing skills and providing us with a kickass new original." Richie and Heng fully agreed and they all took another drink. "And here is to The Sickstrings, for being on the road to absolutele success!" Irin made the final toast and the band whooped in vibrational excitement.

As they settled into smaller conversations around the table they decided to occupy, they waited for the final band to play, knowing that the last band was usually the most popular. They were keen to see their biggest rivals, but neither Freen nor Becca were ready for what they witnessed next. It was Scott at the front with slight changes to his band from school. Clearly he had not been ready to let go of his enthusiasm for music and had seemingly recently started playing the underground circles once again.

Becca and Freen's eyes went wide when they saw what they couldn't believe, completely taken by surprise at the unexpected appearance. Becca's mouth pulled into a thin line and her eyes brimmed with disdain as she shot Freen a look, then shoved her way through the crowd, heading for the exit. Irin was about to go after her when Freen stopped her, "Let me go. This is between us." She spoke gently and moved after the small firecracker that seemed like she was about to go off.

"Becca..." Freen started when they both ended up on the sidewalk next to one wall of the club. Becca was fuming and pacing and didn't give Freen chance to utter another word. "Did you know about this?!" She spat vehemently as she gestured towards the club. "I didn't, Becca, honestly! I haven't seen or spoken to Scott since high school!", Freen defended herself.

"How do I know you're not lying? I didn't exactly have the best experience at school with that!" Becca continued in an emotional whirlpool. She tried to rush past Freen but the taller woman grabbed her body and trapped her against the closest car, pushing her hands to the window on either side of Becca.

"How many times am I going to have to apologize for what happened until you believe me, Becca?", Freen asked sincerely with equal emotion, staring hard into Becca's eyes.

Becca was quick to respond and grabbed both Freen's wrists, forcing her back into the wall and trapping her hands next to her head as she replied. "I. Don't. Know. Freen." She annunciated each word clearly.

For a moment they paused in their positions as if they both were slowly becoming aware of the proximity. Becca's eyes were dark and hard, but her expressions were cracking. Freen dared to smirk a little bit and spoke softly, "Isn't one of your hands supposed to be around my throat?"

It was as if Becca received a shock, causing her to release Freen's wrists and step back, confused in the moment at what was happening. Freen dared again and stepped into Becca's space, her hands slowly coming to rest on Becca's hips as she neared the smaller woman. Becca went stiff as Freen leaned her head in next to Becca's and whispered into her ear, "Please forgive me, Becks. Please..."

Becca closed her eyes for a second, getting lost in the vanilla and strawberry scent of Freen's skin and hair. A shiver went through her body as Freen's breath brushed against her ear and the fine hairs on her arms stood on end. She swallowed, dazed, dizzy, but as soon as she felt Freen's lips brush against the shell of her ear, she was jolted back to her proper senses.

Becca slipped from Freen's grasp and slowly started walking to the entrance again. "I can't do this, Freen." She mumbled over her shoulder at the other woman who had turned around and let her gaze follow Becca. "Why not?" Freen questioned, almost pleadingly.

Becca swung around with a deep scowl on her face, seeming as if she was in pain. "Because you broke my fucking heart and I can't let anything between us interfere with the band! This is the road to my dream and I will not risk it!" She turned around again and almost reached the entrance with determined strides when Freen called out to her one more time.

"Just do me one favour, Becca, please." Becca didn't turn around, but paused to listen for a second. Freen asked with slight desperation lacing her voice, "Please...just...don't take some random girl home tonight..." Becca swayed slightly on her feet as if mulling it over, then looked back over her shoulder at Freen one more time.

"I can't promise that..."